Text: James 5:16 - "Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much."
Why should we confess our trespasses to one another? When we have to lift something heavy and can't manage the task by ourselves, we call for help from a relative, friend, or neighbor. At times we're struggling with a sin that we can't seem to overcome. Sharing our problem with a trusted believer gives us added support, counsel, and prayer.
Do we confess every area where we fall short? No. If we have a bad thought about a fellow believer, there's no sense in telling them. Confess your bad thought to God, so they won't be wondering what they did to make you think of them in a negative way.
Praying in a way that gets results may seem like a haphazard endeavor. If you give an iPhone to someone with no instruction, they won't be able to take full advantage of its features. A lot of times Christians show up in the prayer room and do whatever they want. We need to go to the manual (the Word) and study it.
The above translation doesn't do this scripture justice. In fact, it might make us think we have to pray longer, pray harder, or pray louder instead of reading the instruction manual. The word translated, "effective, fervent," is the Greek word, "energeo." It means: active, efficient, be weighty in, a force that is energizing. Read the verse as..."The energized prayers of a righteous man avails much." That presents a clearer picture of the meaning.
When we talk about a force inside of you that energizes your prayers, we're referring to the Holy Spirit. He empowers us and tells us what to pray and how to pray by the Word of God and His still, small voice that arises from our spirit.
Without batteries, the Energizer Bunny doesn't move. The batteries are its power source. Without the Holy Spirit living on the inside of us, we don't make progress.
So, how do we pray energized prayers that get answers? When you have a car, it has great potential to get you from place to place. To get the car to move, you have to put the right key in the ignition and turn it on. The key to our spiritual car is the Word, and the ignition is our mouths.
Thoroughly know the Word of God through diligent study. As you pray, speak the Word. It doesn't matter if you're battling thoughts. If you keep your mouth in line with the Word, you'll keep the power source engaged.
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If you're visiting in the area or looking for a church home, we invite you to our Sunday Morning Service at 10:00 A.M. We're located at 1111 Easton Rd. (Rte. 611), in Warrington, PA. The church phone number is (215) 343-7686. We look forward to meeting you!
