The Kingdom Power of Prayer

Dr. Tony Evans is even when the waiting is wearing us out.

The promise is getting better… This is what this is. The alternative with Dr. Tony author, speaker, senior pastor of Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship in Dallas Texas and president of the urban alternative.

In its simplest form. Prayer is just talking to God.

Dr. Evans explains from a kingdom perspective it's so much more.

Let's turn to James chapter 5 as we join major sporting event, they will often play the national anthem the national anthem has absolutely nothing to do with what happened on the field effect football game.

The baseball game.

It doesn't affect point scored in the basketball game but put there as a place of national but totally unrelated to what you came.

You don't go there for the National Lampoon. That's it for many of us.

Prayer is like the national anthem before sporting event.

To get started but has absolutely no connection to what's happening in our lives we do it because it's tradition were supposed to its paying homage while being totally disconnected from the field of play of our lives and yet it is the dominant theme of James in verses 13 to 18 you see the word prayer or prayer in every verse supper. James is a big deal. God has a conditional will and unconditional will God's will is what he determines to happen, but it can happen in one of two ways. It can happen unconditionally or conditionally God's conditional will is what determines what will happen irrespective of what everybody else does that. It is not condition us or anybody else can people decide that it happens to happen without any human involvement but God's conditional will is different. There many things.

He's decided to not happen unless there is human cooperation with his desire and design. For example, the Bible says God desires all men to be saved, yet only see when they believe of the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation. So he has a will is tidal condition.

Many things in your life and my life tied to God's conditional will. One of the primary mechanisms that God has established to determine much of what he does on earth and in your life and in my life is condition by the absence or presence of prayer, James says in chapter 4 verses 1 to 3 you have not because you ask not what because I didn't want to give it. It was because you did cooperate with getting it because it was part of my conditional will prayer is relational communication with God. We are asking God to release his will, from heaven to earth. The problem is you don't always know what condition what's unconditional something. A player should not show. That's why Paul says in first 517, you better pray without sleep.

You better bring it all to God.

So you'll miss nothing because all the time.

It's Not Clear Which Way, God is operating from. If I were to say you breathe without ceasing, you would understand what I meant because if you cease breathing huge seats read without ceasing.

You know that's that's got me how you will grow the process. Pray without ceasing, this is how you will. This is how you will is a lifestyle, not merely an event now. Let me explain prayer not get God to do something he doesn't want to do because you can't make God. But what prayer does is access what he already wants to do. I love Isaiah 65 verse 24 Isaiah 6524 says before you call I have answered. If I let before you pray. I have already added to the prayer so you are not trying to get God to do something, but to pull down something already predetermined to do because if you already done it before you asked for my habit because it has to be pulled down from heaven into history that is done through prayer. Verse 13 is one among you suffering. Suffering meant to be going through a difficult period of time, suffering means you are hurting.

It could be physical, financial hurt, circumstantial, relational hurt. All you know would you retain you suffering he says. Notice this must pray that he should pray that it would be nice if he did pray he says you better pray if life has fallen on you is always an imitation to prayer goes on in verse 13 notice 26 is anyone cheerful is to sing praises. Now appraise his expression of value to the Lord is honoring the Lord physically and verbally.

There is no such thing as silent trains you can have silent worship silent trains praises always visual and vocal. That's why said praises to the Lord God wants a connection on the glowingly and every aspect about whether we are hurting or not. Verse 20 is anyone among you sick. Now the Greek word for sick means to be weary with the word means means to be weary, the idea of sickness here is not merely physical sick. It could be physical, but the word refers to its effect. It's created weariness is like when you say I'm sick and tired, I'm sick of this circumstance, you are expressing a weariness using the word sick. I am really want to throw in the towel.

What happens when you get what's called a weariness call on the elders of the church ought to pray over him. In verse 13 you are praying for you and one suffering. Let him pray.

But in verse 14. You need help because your prayer for not getting throw it back. You don't even feel like praying anymore when life beats you down long enough deep enough you can get time with God and sells virtual but Ali don't know that's true don't feel like talking to God. He says okay now. At that point that you get weariness, you need more than you. So he says go to the elders of the church that should represent the spiritual leadership of the church to get support for a breakthrough. You have not been able to get on your own. Every Sunday morning before each of the services the elders meet on a regular basis. We are praying for some number that is called to speak about their situation, weariness on their suffering and so we scheduled him for time of prayer before the service that they come to. We had a prayer today for the system using of this morning and the one word that was used in our time of prayer was.

I'm trying I'm tired. That's his word exit situation. Nothing is happening. God haven't changed anything yet and I'm just tired.

Will you pray for me this is when people want to give up throwing the town. That means you need some other folk who can cry out for you because you are too tired to cry out for your self says go call the elders of the church and pray because you may not be able to but God does not want you to deal with your weariness alone says let them pray he goes Lord, and he says and then anointed him with oil.

Oil was used medicinally was a medication. If you got got anointed with oil. The anointment once, like we do in a more sophisticated way today.

Oil was used for cooking with oil so all of these uses of oil in the Bible sometimes it's not even referring to physical and Psalm 23 verse five David says he anoints my head with oil. God didn't come down beside David's head with oil. He's talking about the refreshing ambient carriage mix and stimulation he got from God when he was facing a bad situation.

So all these multiplicity of usages in the Bible.

He says with that member comes to the elders. You are to pray for them, but in other words, have the church and minister to them at the point of their need because you want to be an oil provide whatever whether it's physical or emotional or circumstantial. So he says when you can handle it yourself. Come to the church call the elders ministry utility says the name of the Lord, why because it's about kingdom prayer we talk about authority from heaven. The name means according to the character attributes of the authority of Jesus Christ, you do it in Jesus's name because he's the one who OKs the answers to prayer. Once that happens, it opens the door to an amazing promise. Dr. Evans will tell us about that when he comes back in a moment with more this lesson from this powerful series igniting kingdom. Prayer this two-volume 12 message collection will take your prayer life to the next level so you can experience more of the intimate connection and two-way communication intended to provide would like to send you a copy of this powerful series is our gift so you can review it on your own or share it with your family or Bible study group. All we ask is that you make a contribution to help us keep Toni's teaching on the station get a copy today when you visit Tony Evans.org or reach out to our resource Center for some in person help at 1-800-800-3222 that's 1-800-800-3222 with Dr. Evans will be back right after this Alaska is truly one of God's masterpieces and unspoiled paradise. We can see the magnificent creativity of God on full display from August 6-13. You can experience Alaska with Tony Evans in the urban alternative on a cruise that will pamper you with luxurious accommodations, incredible meals and a large variety of leisure experiences taken the wonder of God's creation in God's word. As you learn from Dr. Evans and other gifted teachers sponsor this August 6-13 crews are filling up fast so find out more and book your spotted Tony Evans.org will restore the one to restore something is to bring it back to its original intent. When something breaks you restore it you try to bring it back to its original intent. God is restoring God in the weariness is of life it makes is now the promises of God will restore now, let me clarify. We know that every body who gets physically sick. Don't always get well or they may get partially well or they may be just a little better. We know that perfect health is not always restored in every situation we know it is… But is not all the time. We also know the Bible. People got sick who were in the will of God. Job was the will of God. When he got sick all physical sickness is not due to personal sin. When you catch a cold. It doesn't mean you just send my necessarily mean that yes we have an environment that's a been affected by sin, but all sickness is not due to personal sin. That's why disillusionment sets in when appropriate to make promises that God does not make because there it looks like God is fail.

Sick is weary what God's when you can't lift your self up while you are praying for a change in the circumstance.

Izzy removes the weary weight yes sometimes God take you out but other times he walks with you through but the restore here is to remove the weariness while you still trust him for the solution that he makes a summary statement. Stay with me in verse 16. The prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much. The word that means energized when the Energizer Bunny the energized prayer and energized prayer is a focused. It is a prayer that is God centered. It must be accompanied by righteousness, the effective prayer of a righteous man, a person who is living to please God. Nobody is perfect but you can be righteous that is living to please God.

The effective focus, energized prayer can accomplish much. And then he gives an illustration so stick with the he says in verse 17 and 18 Elijah was a man with a nature like ours translation. He wasn't from krypton. He won super profit. So when Abba he's getting ready to say about Elijah is true about you because he just like you is just a man that's all you say.

However, this ordinary man was a prophet. It says he prayed. Notice the word earnestly being catch. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the earth for three years and six months.

Then he prayed again her 75th in the sky portraying produced its fruit. So what he pray any closed heaven down to three and happy people in our buddy Fran to happen and he shot down when it came the rain and later he prayed again (not just close and open on its own.

It says he pray any closed he pray and open so if you turn your Bibles back. The first Kings chapter 18 we discover something about his prayer that should affect our prayer, so that we see a lot more of heaven entering into our history that we are currently seeing as believers in chapter 18 he prays, beginning in verse 36, but then he comes verse 41 and Elijah said go eat and drink the sound of the rolloff of a heavy show. He says I hear from the storm criminal verse 42 and went out to eat and drink, but Eli Shaw went up to the top of Mount caramel and crouched down on the earth about as a crunch them down on the earth and put his face between his knee. I he goes up to Mount caramel and he says he crouched down was the crunching down between your knees all about well in biblical days and and until that baby came out to the pastor of a pregnant woman who was it made the Bible calls it a night lay some rain get some rain about what God wants you to do well by calling it down get down to get down delivering a baby baby victory comes for this is serious.

This is not casual pregnant work so because Satan is giving you cherry no breakout or cherry and go is pulling the cherry so it gets along miles from where he is just real so that rotting is more but I don't want you to miss me in the verse 46, then the hand of the Lord was on the top is rolling out a know you didn't know this 12 Isaiah put it this way below would really like you did not somebody somebody somebody Dr. Tony wrapping up a message.

He calls the kingdom power of prayer. This is just one of 12 lessons powerful series igniting kingdom prayer yours on CD were instantly downloadable MP3s as our thank you gift, make a donation to help us keep Tony's teaching on the station so visit Tony Evans.org today to make the arrangements or if more convenient color 24-hour resource request line at 1-800-800-3222 and let one of our team members, assist with your request. Once again, that's 1-800-800-3222 or online it Tony Evans.org and that's the same online location where you can discover how to stream the popular film journey with Jesus shown last year in theaters around the nation journey with Jesus brings the New Testament Gospels to life as Dr. Evans and his adult children visit the locations of Jesus earthly ministry connecting them to their significance for humankind today making this film part of your special reflection for Easter this year.

For information on how to take advantage of the journey with Jesus limited time streaming opportunity visit Tony Evans.org today with the learning recently about the spiritual authority available to those of us who follow Christ. But on Monday Dr. Evans will explain that God only grants us the power to use when we meet certain conditions. Find out what they are. When you join us next the alternatives with Dr. Tony advances brought to you made possible by the generous contributions of listeners like