The fervent, effectual prayer of a righteous man
avails much.
When I was in prayer for my husband
when he had throat cancer, I was looking to God for his healing and
complete recovery. I was so
immersed in my concern for someone other than myself that God's
blessings covered my own infirmities as well.
I had been in pain with my joints and backaches and getting
older. After the crisis was
over for my husband and he had received his healing, I realized that I
had also been healed. I was
even looking and feeling younger. God
is very good and His miracles affect more than just you, they spread out
to everyone involved whose heart is in the right place. You'd think then that we'd all get
very busy praying for others to make sure we were healthy and our lives
ran smoothly. We do try,
but it takes involving your whole heart into the outcome of your prayers
and that's work. We usually
only reach that level of prayer for others when we really love them and
feel the desperation of the situation.
When it becomes personal, such as when you are afraid your
mother, father, or some person you love deeply is going to die and
affect your life tremendously. It's easier to do this when the
anointing is flowing. The
anointing is simply God's spirit moving through you, giving you the
power to do supernatural things and for healings to take place.
You'll know it's flowing when you feel a prick in your heart of
love for someone. When you
feel an outpouring of love for them.
If you feel deep emotion, jump on the chance to do some really
deep praying. It will come
easier then and work better. You might notice this happen at
church after some beautiful music or group prayer is going on, or when
you're watching a TV show and hear about someone's suffering. How do we access
the level of prayer that will "avail much"?
How can I know if I'm righteous? There is only one thing that can
make you righteous, and it is NOT the common obsessing over how
to please God – such as following all the laws and commandments, how
regularly you tithe or how much you donate to charity.
God is not impressed with our attempts to be Holy.
This kind of comparing ourselves to others is fear based and
leads to despair and guilt. Remember the story of the two men
standing at the wall to pray? One
of them was a regular churchgoer who had done everything that was
required of him in a legal sense, but he was too concerned with his
image in front of other people. The other man was someone who hadn't
been perfect in following the laws, perhaps didn't go to the temple much,
but he stood before God completely humbled and desperate for help. The church goer said "Thank you
God that I am not like this sinner."
The humbled man simply cried out to God "Have mercy upon me,
Lord," for he saw himself as he was. Can you guess whose prayer was
accepted and honorable to God? We are very blessed because we live
in a time of Grace, under the New Testament, because of the work that
Jesus did on the cross. We believers are out from under the
law, and all our sins past, present and future are removed as soon as we
are baptized into the Lord. From
that moment forward, we are as little children, without sin, without a
concept of sin. Where there
is no law, there is no sin. Even
if you make mistakes, (and who won't?), you are instantly forgiven, just
as you would forgive a small child. "Father
forgive them, they know not what they do…" The Bible says that Abraham's faith
was counted unto him as righteousness.
Our faith or belief in Jesus as the Son of God, and our putting
our lives in His hands as our savior, is a show of our faith that is
counted as righteousness. When we follow Jesus, leaving our
old priorities behind, and pick up the cross (of love and self sacrifice
– "works"), we then only have two commandments to be in
right standing in the eyes of God. Jesus said to love God with all your
heart, mind and soul; and to love others as God loves us.
Loving others is a work of the Holy Spirit inside of us, when
we're given a gift of mercy and love. But otherwise, how can we work towards this state of love and grace?If you're living in the normal
household, going to the normal school and working in the normal
workplace, you're surrounded and bombarded every minute by acts of hate,
thoughts of violence, and fear inducing greed.
How can you separate yourself from what's going on around you so
that you can live in God's Grace, and fulfill the verse above? You have to stay IN the world,
because we don't have another one to go to yet, but you don't have to be
OF the world. What you
VALUE determines what you love and where your heart stands. "Where your treasure is, there will your heart
be also…"
What's in your heart determines what
comes out of your mouth and what behavior you will exhibit.
The verse "You shall know the tree by its fruits", and
the old saying "The proof is in the pudding" refer to the fact
that you can't hide or cover up who you truly are.
Whatever is IN there is coming out to the surface and can be seen
eventually. However, even with the best attempts
to "help God perfect you", you're going to struggle with some
issues, because we are complex beings psychologically and some old and
rotten ideas and memories have to be purged. If you're struggling with pride,
lust or bad language, just about any kind of fault that you want to
eliminate, the best thing to do is relax and let it go.
I mean don't dwell on the problem.
If bad language comes out, stop yourself immediately and
apologize to those who may have heard you, and make a mental note that
you don't tolerate such speech. Then go deep into your heart and
address the issues that caused you to get angry enough to react like
that again. You may find
that you haven't come to terms with how you feel about other people, how
you measure up to them or how you communicate with them. The best way to develop love for
someone else and to get along with them is to put yourself in their
shoes for a few minutes. Think
and feel what life is like for them, as far as you are aware, and begin
a secret prayer campaign for them, sincerely caring that their lives get
better and they experience peace and joy. Next, ACT as if you love them. I know that sounds impossible, but if you perform caring acts
and DO what you would do if you dearly loved someone, speak of them well
and act happy to be near them, you will accomplish two things.
First, everyone responds to love and respect.
The person you are respecting and loving will feel your heart and
respond, changing a bit also so that you two fit together better.
Second, you will program your mind to loving them, and give your
subconscious mind commands to love, which will make it so much easier. If you have trouble, remember that
there is a reason for everything we do. All people have a desire
to be loved and to experience pleasure, and a fear of being rejected and
feeling pain. Most behavior comes from what we imagine will cause
one of those two things. Many times what a person does stems from something in their past.
Whether it's bad things that happened to them, or just the way
they were taught when they were young, God wants JUST as much to forgive
that person, as He did you! Even the child molesters?
Yes, even them. No
matter what sin a person commits, they can be forgiven.
Although all things are forgiven, there are consequences to our
behaviors. For example, a
child molester or a thief, etc., have to answer civically for what
they've done and make restitution for the harm they've done others. No matter what sin a person commits,
they can be forgiven, and can be included in God's kingdom if they want
to and if the Holy Spirit draws them.
Pray that He will draw them.
Be a good witness in the world, doing good as an example and let
God's blessings that result from that goodness entice the world to
follow you. Who wants to follow a God who is
grim and hateful, who might not want you to get well, or who might
strike you down at any moment? NOBODY!
But THANK GOD that is not what our God is like.
He is merciful and just and so ready to forgive and heal.
He is actually ON OUR SIDE, and goes to battle for us. Every hard thing you endure is not for punishment or failureAny hard times we face, are usually
the result of our own choices, and usually you can look back and say
"If only I hadn't gone down that path".
Even then, take heart, because every hard thing you endure is not
for punishment or failure, it's perfecting your character, deepening
your personality and making you more valuable and beautiful. Every misery you go through has the
ability to increase your value, your wisdom and your joy, and it all
depends on how you face the struggle.
Do you take your struggles to God and determine to live
righteously and simply, honestly and in good faith? If you have spoken against a person,
or judged them in your heart, putting yourself over them in your mind as
better than them, you'll soon be given an opportunity by the Holy Spirit
to walk in their shoes. You'll
soon find yourself doing the same things that you hated in the other
person and will be responsible for in the same way for the sin. If you judge someone else and don't
forgive them, God withholds your blessings in that area, because He said
He will not forgive YOU if you don't forgive the ones you stood in
judgment of. (Examples
of judging might be: gossiping about someone, telling someone that YOU
would never have done such a thing, or saying that someone is stupid,
ugly or going to hell.) Forgiveness does not always mean
canceling out debt in our society, it simply means you humble yourself
and wish all good things for the other person as well as yourself. Forgiveness is SO IMPORTANT in any
relationship. It is one
ingredient in the "grease" that lubricates families so they
can interact well and accomplish much.
A household divided against itself cannot stand, and bitterness
and hurtful words linger and without God's forgiveness will be almost
impossible to get past. But how can I forgive someone who has just hurt me so
badly?
This is how I do it.
If I don't feel a desire to forgive the person, I first make a
statement that I forgive the person with Jesus' forgiveness. I use God's love and willingness to forgive.
Then I pray that God WILL forgive them, and give me His heart on
the subject, so I can genuinely feel it and get past the event. You may not realize how this will
benefit you at the moment, but in my own experience I've found that forgiving someone will help you move on into better
things for your life, and it will save you from some harsh physical
ailments that anger causes. If there is retribution to be made
to you, if someone who has harmed you owes you something, you have to
make a wise decision. Which
will help you more in your spirit?
If you pursue the matter in court, or if you cancel out the debt
and walk away as the "better man" so to speak.
If it's not crucial that you have this debt paid to you, you're
much better off to cancel it through forgiveness and let God pay you for
your wisdom through His means. So, back to the original verse. The fervent, effectual prayer of
a righteous man avails much. You want your prayers to be answered, and you really want to have the kind of miracle working power that Jesus did, to KNOW that your prayers will be answered and that your life will be guided by Christ. He DID say you (yes YOU, if you're a
follower of His), shall do even greater works than He did, because He
has gone to the Father and makes intercession for us daily,
strengthening us and cheering us on so to speak. You know how to be righteous, Faith is counted to us as righteousness. So believe in God, love Him and honor Him and His wishes above your own, and be sincere in praying for help for others around you. If you need more Faith, remember the Bible says that Faith comes by hearing the Word of God, so get to church or listen to tapes and gospel television shows. Now how do you tackle "fervent" and
"effectual"? Some other meanings of the word
fervent are: keen, avid,
ardent, eager, enthusiastic, passionate, zealous, fanatical,
impassioned, and burning. The
opposite of fervent is "indifferent". So if you're going to pray
fervently, you're going to be eager for the benefits of your
prayers. You're going to be
enthusiastic and passionate about remembering this person
in prayer, and praying often for them.
You're going to be fanatical in your belief in the outcome
desired, and every request that you make to God will be impassioned
on their behalf, NOT indifferent or lazy. And you will make the answer of this prayer request be your burning
desire. If your heart isn't in it, you can't
expect to get much in the way of results, can you?
Try asking a friend for some help on a project or your homework,
but ask first as if you don't really care if they do it or not. Wait a day or two, and then ask
again cheerfully and with a pleading voice, really caring that they help
you. See how much quicker you'll get response, (and the REAL help
you need – cheerfully and completely) if you are passionate in the
requesting. This kind of prayer requires energy
and time and a piece of your heart.
It would tire you out except that your burning desire will
increase your energy reserves as your spirit steps up to the challenge. Renew your spirit in the act of
releasing the problem to God and letting Him fight the battles, but
always plead your case with your whole heart and put some time and
thought into what you're asking for.
Think about the outcome, visualize it and thank God for it in
advance!! This kind of prayer makes it effectual, because God cannot withhold a blessing to you if you: #1 – are one of His children and have access to His throne, praying IN THE NAME OF JESUS. #2 – Pray with your whole heart, genuinely and sincerely caring for the person you're praying for, with passion and burning desire to see it come to pass, and #3 – if you believe
in His ability and desire to grant your requests, letting the method and
timing be of God's determining, - giving Him thanks and relying
completely on Him for the outcome. Some prayer requests are special. Jesus said that with some physical and mental disabilities,
demon possessions and very serious infirmities, fasting might be
required. Although in this
day and age we don't understand the fast the way they did back then, we
can assume it stops the mundane body functions and clears the mind to
focus on the prayer. It may
help the Holy Spirit in its flow through you, as a channel for the power
to heal. It may be an act of self-sacrifice,
or an act of faith, such as using oil to anoint the sick.
At different times our level of faith fluctuates and we may need
to take different approaches at times.
But always pray in the name of the Lord Jesus and be sure to read
"7 Steps to Healing" for a detailed example of how to bind the
enemy and cast out the spirits. One More Thing: Here is a tip on how to stay in the anointing and make everything you touch and everyone you interact with be of benefit to you, (and you to them). Quietly say "in the name of Jesus I bless….(name of the person), (this food I'm eating), (this game I'm playing), (this trip I'm taking), etc. Bless EVERYTHING! Bless your dog, the fishing trip so you'll catch more fish, the work you do, your job, your school and grades, and every member of your family. Do this daily. Even bless the water you drink or swim in! Scientists have been able to prove now through microscopic photography that water molecules change shape and color depending on the thoughts and words of the people around it. I know this sounds totally unbelievable, but it's documented fact. If water reacts to our words and our intentions, then everything else around us will too. And ANYTHING you do in the name of our Lord moves "mountains"! Have a GREAT DAY! Write to me if you need help or
would like to leave a prayer request.
God bless you and may He use every word I write to bless you and
encourage you into His service. Reverend Lisa Tyler, Blessing Meadows Ministries – www.blessingmeadowsministries.com email to: [email protected]
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