PRAYER AVAILETH MUCH

PRAYER AVAILETH MUCH

T.M. Anderson

The brief messages on prayer contained in this little book have been written for the purpose of stimulating a greater interest in the importance of praying without ceasing. I am convinced that the people of God have not explored the boundless possibilities of prayer. We evidently believe that the effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much, but we are often aware of the fact that very little has been accomplished by our own prayers. It has not been possible to present a complete study of the subject of prayer revealed in the Holy Scriptures. For one to undertake such a task would be like an attempt to measure eternity by a span. It is my sincere desire to encourage God's people to pray without ceasing. When once they understand the fundamental principles of prayer, they will not find it difficult to accomplish some amazing results through effectual fervent intercession. -- T.M. Anderson

http://www.raptureforums.com/TMAnderson/anderson.cfm

The book has 13 chapters, this is the first chapter.

THE FELLOWSHIP OF PRAYER ~ Chapter 1


"Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God."—PHIL. 4:6.



This timely exhortation stresses the fact that God’s people should consult with Him in every matter pertaining to life. Unless they see the imperative necessity of prayer, and give it an important place in daily life, they cannot expect to be maintained by the ample resources of a generous Saviour. It is apparent that we cannot obtain the things essential to life unless we make everything pertaining to life a matter of earnest prayer. It is impossible to live a consistent Christian life in the sight of God by praying occasionally. Praying intermittently is certainly not praying incessantly and importunately. Such careless praying is not consistent with the exhortation to pray without ceasing.


http://www.raptureforums.com/TMAnderson/a1.cfm

Jack Kelley has good stuff for prayer.

Psalm 143 Prayer
https://gracethrufaith.com/the-psalms/psalm-143/

--- Notice how direct David’s prayer is here.  He didn’t feel the need to compose formal and flowery prose when asking God for help.  I agree that his worship psalms are beautifully poetic but I think that was more the work of the Holy Spirit.  When David needed help, he wasn’t afraid to ask in a very straight forward way, as if he was commanding God to step in and make things right, and on David’s schedule no less.  I don’t see this as impertinence on David’s part, and I don’t think he was being presumptuous.  I think it was an indication of his great faith.  He expected God to answer his prayers and in the passion of the moment just blurted out what he needed. He obviously didn’t think it was necessary to  be formal, or tentative, or even polite. ---

More from Jack Kelley.

Psalm 20 Prayer
https://gracethrufaith.com/the-psalms/psalm-20/

Most people aren’t very good at praying for others, and some aren’t even good at praying for themselves. But if you’ve ever been prayed for at church or in a small group or Bible study, you know how great it feels.
Having a bunch of believers standing around you with their hands on your head or shoulders while they intercede with the Creator of the Universe on your behalf brings a sense of peace and assurance unlike any other. It feels so good because for those few minutes, you, the people praying for you, and God are all of one mind. That’s the way it should be all the time, but sadly, most of us are too pre-occupied with our own problems to wonder about the Lord’s will for us, let alone give much thought to others.

Help on how to do it... from Jack Kelley

The Law Of Displacement
Saturday, June 9th, 2007
A Bible Study by Jack Kelley
How To Win Your Crowns … Part 2
https://gracethrufaith.com/tag/prayer/page/6/

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Paul gave this principle to the Philippians. They were undergoing a time of great persecution that naturally gave birth to a spirit of fear and despair. He told them, Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (Phil. 4:4-7)
By recounting all the blessings they had received, their spirit of fear would be driven out and replaced with a peace that surpassed all human understanding. If they in their time could come up with a list of blessings to rejoice over, how much more can we in our time? I’ve found this to be a great cure for those nights when it’s hard to get to sleep, or if I awake in the middle of the night. I begin thanking the Lord for all my blessings and before you know it, I’m sleeping soundly again.
Confirming that they had the power to choose their thoughts, Paul continued saying, “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.” (Phil. 4:8-9)
Paul went one step further in his 2nd letter to the Corinthians. He told them they should practice “seeing” themselves enjoying the future promises in store for them, instead of focusing on their present trials.
For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. (2 Cor. 4:17-18)
By concentrating on the blessings to come they couldn’t dwell on the difficulties at hand. By comparison their current situation became “light and momentary problems.” Again, forcing one thought out of your mind by consciously choosing another is a tool that behavioral scientists call the Law of Displacement. Paul and James knew about it 2000 years ago.
Changing Behavior
So,if you’re fighting with old habits and attitudes and want to be free of them, when your church provides opportunities for personal prayer, go forward and get some. Ask to be anointed and prayed over. (James 5:14-16) Also get some people to be prayer warriors with you to help you. The prayers of righteous people are powerful and effective. Then pick up these tools and put them to use.
The devil has a stronghold in your life because you invited him in. You have the right to evict him as well. Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come near to God and he will come near to you. (James 4:7-8) But you have to sincerely want him out with all your heart. And you must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord. (James 1:6-7)---

A great study topic ~ THANKS! 

Tryphosa wrote:Help on how to do it... from Jack Kelley

The Law Of Displacement
Saturday, June 9th, 2007
A Bible Study by Jack Kelley
How To Win Your Crowns … Part 2
https://gracethrufaith.com/tag/prayer/page/6/

---
 Ask to be anointed and prayed over. (James 5:14-16) Also get some people to be prayer warriors with you to help you. The prayers of righteous people are powerful and effective. Then pick up these tools and put them to use.
---

 Moreover the LORD spoke to Moses, saying:
“Also take for yourself quality spices—five hundred shekels of liquid myrrh, half as much sweet-smelling cinnamon (two hundred and fifty shekels), two hundred and fifty shekels of sweet-smelling cane,
“five hundred shekels of cassia, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, and a hin of olive oil.
“And you shall make from these a holy anointing oil, an ointment compounded according to the art of the perfumer. It shall be a holy anointing oil. Exodus 30:22-25



The Ingredients of Anointing Oil: Olive Oil, Pure Myrrh, Sweet Cinnamon, Cassia and sweet-smelling cane.  All are available essential oils, the cane possibly is liquid cane sugar, or is it Frankincense, not completely sure on that one ingredient.

How to make anointing oil, a basic recipe:

http://www.ehow.com/how_5367250_make-anointing-oil.html



Or one could just buy some.

http://www.victorie-inc.us/holy_anointing_oil.html

“Also take for yourself quality spices—five hundred shekels of liquid myrrh, half as much sweet-smelling cinnamon (two hundred and fifty shekels), two hundred and fifty shekels of sweet-smelling cane,
“five hundred shekels of cassia, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, and a hin of olive oil.
“And you shall make from these a holy anointing oil, an ointment compounded according to the art of the perfumer. It shall be a holy anointing oil. Exodus 30:22-25

These verses from the NET version gives the weight:

23,"Take choice spices: twelve and a half pounds of free-flowing myrrh, half that - about six and a quarter pounds - of sweet-smelling cinnamon, six and a quarter pounds of sweet-smelling cane,

24,and twelve and a half pounds of cassia, all weighed according to the sanctuary shekel, and four quarts of olive oil. Exodus 30:23-24 NET

(four quarts = 8 pounds)
Now to reduce it down to ounces...or parts

2 parts of each myrrh and cassia to 1 part of each sweet-smelling cinnamon and sweet -smelling cane to one and a half parts olive oil, that's how I figure it, and I'm open to correction.

Back to the book...






"Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God."—PHIL. 4:6.

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I was suddenly awakened about midnight on January sixth. Knowing that I had a full day of work before me, I felt it necessary to sleep a few hours lest I be too weary in mind and body to do the writing and teaching. At that moment the Saviour spoke to me. He asked me if I were willing to sacrifice some sleep in order to give Him an opportunity to speak with me in the quiet hours of the morning. He told me that it was necessary to deny myself of sleep in order to prevail in prayer. I realized for the first time that denying myself of sleep was a form of fasting. For five hours I waited before the Lord in sacred worship and holy communion. My soul was greatly revived, and I felt refreshed in mind and rested in body.
---

"My voice shalt thou hear in the morning, O Lord; in the morning will I direct my prayer unto thee, and look up."—[url=http://biblia.com/bible/kjv1900/Psa. 5.3]Psa. 5:3[/url].

It is apparent that Jesus made it a practice of His life to pray in the quiet hours of the morning. It is written, "In the morning, rising up a great while before day, he went out, and departed into a solitary place, and there prayed." -- - [url=http://biblia.com/bible/kjv1900/Mark 1.35]Mark 1:35[/url].

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(Early morning, good time to pray)
http://www.raptureforums.com/TMAnderson/a1.cfm

"... Let your requests be made known unto God."—PHIL. 4:6.

Paul, the pattern saint, would have us see the value of revealing our needs to God in prayer. We must not presume that the things required to sustain life will be granted without making our requests known unto God. Our requirements on earth and God’s resources in heaven are meant for each other. If we ask, we shall receive. When we fail to ask, we fail to receive. The Word declares, "Ye have not, because ye ask not." There would be no point in exhorting Christians to make their requests known unto God unless He had made a sufficient provision to supply all their need. The apostle revealed the abundant riches of God when he said ... My God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus."—v.19. This assuring promise discloses the resources God made available to His people in answer to prayer. In the clear light of this certified promise they have no justifiable excuse for spiritual poverty.


http://www.raptureforums.com/TMAnderson/a2.cfm

More from Jack Kelley
Psalm 113 Prayer

Praise the LORD. Praise, O servants of the LORD, praise the name of the LORD. Let the name of the LORD be praised, both now and forevermore.  From the rising of the sun to the place where it sets, the name of the LORD is to be praised.  The LORD is exalted over all the nations, his glory above the heavens.

Who is like the LORD our God, the One who sits enthroned on high, who stoops down to look on the heavens and the earth?  He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap; he seats them with princes, with the princes of their people. He settles the barren woman in her home as a happy mother of children.  Praise the LORD.

Why should we praise the Lord, no matter what? Well, first because He’s working everything together for our good (Romans 8:28).  Paul also told us, “Rejoice in the Lord always.  I say it again: Rejoice!” (Phil 4:4) He was writing to the Philippians, who were suffering terrible persecution. Paul knew that rejoicing is the key to internal peace  regardless of external circumstances (Phil 4:7).  And James said, “Count it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds.” (James 1:2) They knew God’s character and his ways.

Second, there seems to be a law of reciprocity at work between us and the Lord.    If we don’t judge we won’t be judged. If we don’t condemn we won’t be condemned.  If we forgive we’ll be forgiven.  If we give generously, the Lord will be generous toward us.  (Luke 6:37-38)  And if we praise the Lord, He’ll make sure we have something to praise Him for.  He makes our world mirror the attitude of our heart and reflect it back to us.

He said that He came so we could have life and have it abundantly (John 10:10) but unless we’re sincerely grateful for what we’ve already received, and have learned to be content in our current situation, we’re unlikely to receive more.  This is why the so-called prosperity gospel is flawed.  Rather than promote an attitude of gratitude based on what we’ve already been given,  it creates an attitude of greed, based on the expectation of more.

https://gracethrufaith.com/the-psalms/psalm-113/

More from Jack Kelley

Psalm 61 Prayer ~ Jack Kelley

Hear my cry, O God; listen to my prayer. From the ends of the earth I call to you, I call as my heart grows faint; lead me to the rock that is higher than I. For you have been my refuge, a strong tower against the foe. I long to dwell in your tent forever and take refuge in the shelter of your wings.

For you have heard my vows, O God; you have given me the heritage of those who fear your name. Increase the days of the king’s life, his years for many generations. May he be enthroned in God’s presence forever; appoint your love and faithfulness to protect him. Then will I ever sing praise to your name and fulfill my vows day after day.
It’s when we’re under a lot of stress that we most desire the sanctuary our faith in God can provide. David felt this way and asked God to take him to a refuge he could not reach on his own, a “rock higher than I”.
The advantage we have over David is that we’re told how to find such a place whenever we need it. Paul put the instructions in his letter to the Philippians, who were facing daily persecution of a life threatening nature.
“Rejoice in the Lord always,” he wrote, “I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” (Phil 4:4-7)
(con't)
https://gracethrufaith.com/the-psalms/psalm-61/#more-3197

We had a message on this in church a few weeks ago. It is an actual change in our brains (thinking) when we do this. A new neuro pathway is created, when we continue thinking on the pure and lovely our thoughts will go there instead of worry, sad or bad thoughts.

Finally brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, what ever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. 9 What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me- practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you. Philippians 4:8-9

More from Jack Kelley
https://gracethrufaith.com/the-psalms/psalm-57/#more-3193

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In this and other places Paul taught that even though we can’t always control the circumstances of our lives, we can control our reaction to them. And by focusing our thoughts on the good things in our lives, especially the blessings of God, we can mitigate the discouragement and other emotional damage that experiencing difficult times might otherwise do to us. The reason is that with all the enormous power of the human brain, there is one limitation. At the conscious level our minds can only process one thought at a time. Somehow Paul knew that if he could persuade us to fill our minds with pure, noble, praiseworthy thoughts, then we’d be unable to focus on our unpleasant circumstances, and would be better equipped to endure them.

Following his advice proves to be especially effective first thing in the morning. David, being a musician, sang his praises to God. Others read the Scriptures or listen to worship music. I spend time in prayers of thanksgiving. If you’ve never done this, or have unwittingly stopped, you’ll be pleasantly surprised when you take it up. It really helps get the day off to a good start and provides an anchor for our faith during those times when the winds of controversy threaten to blow us off course.
---

More from Jack Kelley

Thoughts on Healing

https://gracethrufaith.com/topical-studies/spiritual-life/thoughts-on-healing/

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As you go, preach this message: “The kingdom of heaven is near.” Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons. Freely you have received, freely give.
(Matthew 10:7, 8)

A Bible Study by Jack Kelley
Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up. If he has sinned, he will be forgiven. Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective. (James 5:14-16)
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Got Faith? Scripture #2

We know the Lord can heal illness. There are too many examples in the Gospels to believe otherwise. And in the Old Testament we’re told that healing the sick would be a characteristic of the Messiah’s ministry. “Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed.” (Isaiah 53:4-5). Some try to spiritualize the passage but the intent of the original language does not permit anything other than a literal interpretation.

In Mark 9:21-22, the Lord’s ability was questioned by the desperate father of an epileptic child. Jesus asked the boy’s father, “How long has he been like this?”

“From childhood,” he answered. “It has often thrown him into fire or water to kill him. But if you can do anything, take pity on us and help us.”
“‘If you can’?” said Jesus. “Everything is possible for him who believes.”
Immediately the boy’s father exclaimed, “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!“
Here is one who did confess his lack of faith, and the Lord responded with proof of His ability.
---
(for complete article see above link)

Thanks
Tryph!

Remember Brian?  (My nephew that was shot in a home invasion/burglary?)

His mom, Kathy Hunter  has been diagnosed with a brain tumor.  Biopsy in the next day or so.  It is suspected of being malignant and fast growing.  It presented with other symptoms that made it look like Alzheimer's.  She's currently hospitalized and facing immediate surgery.

Life changer.


Please join me in prayer for her healing and for the family's faith and courage.  She and her husband Tom are strong in faith and have a good church family, so I suspect good support there.  Tom & Kathy have four adult children and 7 young grand children, whom Kathy adores.

As we know, it takes no more faith for healing something small than something larger ~ after all, we trust Him for salvation and know He can raise the dead...but as this thread points out, it is always our faith that is the key.

To say the family is stunned and fearful is an understatement.

I'll feel better and my own faith will be encouraged as I know there will be strong believers here at the Depot joining with me and supporting me in prayer.

Thanks so much, Friends.

Prayer said for Kathy, Tom and their family.

Bless the LORD, O my soul,
And forget not all His benefits:
Who forgives all your iniquities,
Who heals all your diseases,
Who redeems your life from destruction,
Who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies.
Psalm 103:2-4

Principles for Confidence in Prayer
By Gene Lawley
The Bible says, in Psalm 65:2, “O You who hear prayer, to You all flesh will come.” It is so stated in a context of concern for the psalmist’s sins:
“Iniquities prevail against me; as for our transgressions, You will provide atonement for them.”

It speaks of confidence and expectation of positive results in the engagement. And it identifies the One who is able to provide those positive results. In that light, prayer to God should be with an attitude of  connecting with God’s benevolent willingness and not an attempt to overcome His reluctance. He says, in Luke 18:1, “…that men always ought to pray and not lose heart,” and relates a parable about being persistent.

Some have been helped by following the steps in the acronym ACTS to give some sense of order to their prayers. It works like this:

A – Adoration. An example of this is the prayer of David as he praised the Lord in allowing the people to provide necessary materials for building the temple, which Solomon was to undertake:

“Blessed are You, LORD God of Israel, our Father, forever and ever. Yours, O LORD, is the greatness, the power and the glory, the victory and the majesty; for all that is in heaven and in earth is Yours. Yours is the kingdom, O LORD, and You are exalted as head over all.

“Both riches and honor come from You, and You reign over all. In Your hand is power and might; in Your hand it is to make great and to give strength to all.

“Now therefore, our God, we thank You and praise Your glorious name” (1 Chronicles 29:10b-13).

C – Confession. To acknowledge our sins to God is the first step for forgiveness, whether a specific sin or admitting we are prone to sin when left to our own devices. God’s provision for this is found in 1 John 1:9. It clears the pathway to God:

“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

T – Thanksgiving. In 1 Thessalonians 5:18, Paul wrote, “In everything give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” Note that he did not write “for” everything, but “in” everything. This establishes the  mental attitude that God is sovereign and nothing takes place in our lives that He does not control.
                 
That, in turn, establishes the reality that “all the promises of God in Him (Christ) are YES and in Him, AMEN!” (2 Corinthians 1:20).

S – Supplications. Last on the list are our requests, for our own needs and those of others. Here is where believing and trusting comes into prominence and is the proper introduction to the main thrust of this article.
The above acronym is more of a guideline for worshipping in prayer and in fellowship with God. It should set the stage or build the foundation for seeking God’s response for that which we are concerned.

1. Ask. It is obvious that to obtain, we must ask. There are some, perhaps many, who are reluctant to ask God for anything, perhaps thinking it is being more humble to not do that, or even, pride comes in to whisper, “You can do that yourself, you don’t need God.” But the Scriptures present an open invitation to call upon God. In Jeremiah 33:3, Jeremiah writes, “Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know.”

The writer of Psalm 50:15, which some call God’s telephone number, says, “Call upon Me in the day of trouble. I will deliver you, and you shall glorify Me.”

http://raptureready.com/featured/lawley/lawley94.html

(see remaining article at above link)

Jarhead wrote:Remember Brian?  (My nephew that was shot in a home invasion/burglary?)

His mom, Kathy Hunter  has been diagnosed with a brain tumor.  Biopsy in the next day or so.  It is suspected of being malignant and fast growing.  It presented with other symptoms that made it look like Alzheimer's.  She's currently hospitalized and facing immediate surgery.

Life changer.


Please join me in prayer for her healing and for the family's faith and courage.  She and her husband Tom are strong in faith and have a good church family, so I suspect good support there.  Tom & Kathy have four adult children and 7 young grand children, whom Kathy adores.

As we know, it takes no more faith for healing something small than something larger ~ after all, we trust Him for salvation and know He can raise the dead...but as this thread points out, it is always our faith that is the key.

To say the family is stunned and fearful is an understatement.

I'll feel better and my own faith will be encouraged as I know there will be strong believers here at the Depot joining with me and supporting me in prayer.

Thanks so much, Friends.

Lifting Kathy and family in prayer right now.

About the ACTS acronym:

I prefer CATS.  Putting confession first puts us in fellowship with God so the 'ats' portion counts as 'righteousness'.

Remember, when in fellowship we can do no wrong (all is counted for divine good), when out of fellowship, we can do no right(anything we do can only be counted as human good/works).  1John1:9 always restores us to fellowship.

Jarhead wrote:About the ACTS acronym:

I prefer CATS.  Putting confession first puts us in fellowship with God so the 'ats' portion counts as 'righteousness'.

Remember, when in fellowship we can do no wrong (all is counted for divine good), when out of fellowship, we can do no right(anything we do can only be counted as human good/works).  1John1:9 always restores us to fellowship.

Thanks JH, a good reminder and I like CATS too.

Effectual Fervent Prayer
Text: James 5:16

Prayer does not equip you for greater works.
Prayer is the greater work. ---- Oswald Chambers

As mature Christians we are naive to ignore or deny the reality of spiritual conflicts between good and evil and our role in them as believing saints. Our main weapon in a prayer offensive is a keen knowledge and application of scripture "declared verbally" in the same way Jesus fought the devil in his wilderness experience.

1. Prayer is a vital key that connects us with our heavenly Father.

2. Prayer is both an incredible privilege and an awesome responsibility. It can move the hand of God in situations where there is no other hope.

3. Biblical prayer is crying to God out of the depths; it is the pouring out of the soul before God.

4. "Prayer is like the dove that Noah sent forth, which blessed him not only when it returned with an olive-leaf in its mouth, but when it never returned at all."

James 5:16 The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.

• When a person is RIGHT with God, the power of his sincere prayer is tremendous!"

• The conditions for that promise: "when a person is right with God and prays sincerely".

• Effectual fervent prayer is the hardest kind of work there is to do. Not only does it take more out of a person than any other kind of work, we have to handle ourselves with a strong discipline to make time for effectual fervent prayer.

I. Our natural tendency is to shrink back when it comes to praying for the impossible.

A. The problem is that we rest the power of prayer too much upon ourselves.
B. We think that we are the ones making things happen in prayer.
C. Instead we are to see ourselves as instruments in the Lord’s hands for accomplishing his purposes through prayer.
D. Prayer is an act of obedience and privilege for the believer.
E. We are commanded to pray. But we are also invited to bring our needs before the Lord.
F. We are to anchor ourselves in his faithfulness and promises.
G. We are to see that the very fact that God commands us to pray is a foundation for effectiveness in our prayers

II. We hesitate to pray, thinking that it will do no good, but James calls our attention once again to the means God has established for doing his work among us—prayer. Do you believe this? We are so accustomed to neglecting prayer that it is hard for us to think of its power through God among us.


        The Power of Fervent Prayer

A. Peter was in prison awaiting his execution. The Church had neither human power nor influence to save him. There was no earthly help, but there was help to be obtained by the way of Heaven. They gave themselves to fervent, importunate prayer. God sent His angel, who aroused Peter from sleep and led him out through the first and second wards of the prison; and when they came to the iron gate, it opened to them of its own accord, and Peter was free.

B. ‘Prayer has divided seas, rolled up flowing rivers, made rocks gush into fountains, quenched flames of fire, muzzled lions, disarmed vipers and poisons, marshaled the stars against the wicked, stopped the course of the moon, arrested the sun in its rapid race, burst open iron gates, released souls from eternity, conquered the strongest devils, commanded legions of angels down from heaven. Prayer has bridled and chained the raging passions of man and routed and destroyed vast armies of proud, daring, blustering atheists. Prayer has brought one man from the bottom of the sea and carried another in a chariot of fire to heaven. What has prayer not done?’

What is it that makes our prayer effectual (or effective)?

1. Fervent prayer is putting your whole self---all of your attention, your mind, your will, and your emotions---on that thing you’re praying about. That means your mind is focused on prayer instead of drifting off on other things. Fervent prayer will make a difference in the lives of people, but we must understand that it takes an effort and a sacrifice of our time.

2. In Matthew 15:22-28, the Canaanite woman would not take no for an answer. She asked for her daughter’s healing, and three times she was rejected. But she wouldn’t give up. She understood the heart and character of the Lord Jesus. She not only received the healing of her daughter, but was commended by Jesus: "Woman, you have great FAITH!"

3. James gives us Elijah as the example of effective prayer in action (see verses 17-18). What gave Elijah the boldness to pray that the rain would stop, and then, at his word, start again? (1 Kings 17:1; 18:41-45).

• Elijah’s prayer was BASED ON THE WORD OF GOD!
All of Israel had turned away from the Lord to worship Baal, the idol-god of a cruel heathen religion. Up stands one solitary man, a total unknown, and boldly proclaims to the king that "there will be neither dew nor rain in the next few years except at my word!’’ But his authority was based on a promise and warning found in Deuteronomy 11:13-17:
4. Daniel also Discovered the Secret
In Daniel 9:3-19. Daniel poured out his heart in prayer before God that his people, who had been taken out of their homeland and held as captives in Babylon, would return to their land. The basis of his prayer can be seen in verse 2:

" . . . I, Daniel, understood from the Scriptures, according to the word of the Lord given to Jeremiah the prophet, that the desolation of Jerusalem would last seventy years’’.

The Lord had spoken right at the time when Judah had gone into captivity that they would be in Babylon for 70 years (Jeremiah 25:11-12). Daniel, reading the Scriptures one day, came across that promise and realized that the 70-year period was almost completed. However, he didn’t just sit back and wait for God to do it. Daniel began to PRAY that what God had promised would be fulfilled. The Lord has chosen to give us the privilege and responsibility of being involved with Him in His purposes on earth. Daniel lived to see his people return!

• Effectual prayer, then, is prayer that is based on God’s Word. When we know the promises that He has given, and understand His character and the principles by which He works as revealed in His Word, we can pray with confidence and authority, knowing that our prayers will be answered.

• Seek God’s Prayer Plan for Your Life!

There are many levels of prayer. God knows exactly where each of us are in our prayer life and our knowledge and understanding of prayer.

He will honor even the most pitiful prayer a person offers in faith, if that is all they know to do. But He will not let us stay at that level.

He wants us to move to greater levels of understanding, faith, and power.

And the best way to progress is to simply say, "Lord, teach me to pray powerful and effective prayers."

http://www.barberville.net/sermon103.htm