Summary:
Today I want to emphasize the power of prayer and its ability to unleash God's power in our lives. I highlight various instances from the Bible where individuals faced trouble and overcame it through prayer. The central message is that when we pray and call upon God with sincerity and faith, He listens and responds, bringing deliverance and solutions to our problems. I want to encourage readers to tap into the power of prayer, reminding them that prayer is a connection to God's ability and a means to gain dominion over the troubles of the world.
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Opening Scripture
Jn 16:33 (NIV84) — 33 “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”
Here is a word from Jesus. In this world, you will have trouble, but take heart, I have overcome the world.
All of us know that we experience trouble in this world. We have many trials and afflictions. Every one of us has had some trouble in our lives. We have had trouble in the past, and some of us are going through trouble right now. What history has shown is that this world is full of trouble. There is no escaping it.
But Jesus said we can have peace, and we can take heart that he has overcome the world. He will help us also overcome. So let not your hearts be troubled.
There is a song that says:
Trouble in my way, I have to cry sometimes.
Trouble in my way, I have to cry sometimes.
I lay awake at night, but that's alright; Jesus will fix it after while.
The songwriter had it right: Jesus will fix it, after while.
It might not happen when we want it. But our God can work out all of our troubles.
And that is what Jesus was saying. He has overcome the world, and we can have peace and take heart that he will help us overcome the world.
Today I’m going to tell you how to tap into the power of God and speak on the subject of
Unleashing God’s Power In Your Life
Let us look at just a few examples where people experienced trouble in the past. Let’s look to see what they did to overcome their trouble. See if you can see a common solution.
Gen 25:21 Isaac was having trouble; his wife could not have children. He prayed, and the Lord opened her womb, and she got pregnant.
Exo 3:7 The Israelites were having trouble. They had spent almost 400 years in slavery. They cried out in prayer, and the Lord sent Moses to deliver them.
Exo 14:15-31 The Israelites were again having trouble, Pharaoh was behind them the Red Sea was in front of them. Moses prayed, and the Lord parted the Red Sea, and they crossed on dry ground safely.
Exo 32:9-14. Moses was having trouble, the people worshiped the golden calf, and God was going to destroy all of them. Moses prayed, and the Lord changed his mind.
Jos 5:13-6:5 Joshua was having trouble. Jericho had formidable walls, and the Israelites could not pass, Joshua prayed, and the Lord caused the walls to fall down flat.
Jos 10:12 Joshua was having trouble again; the Israelites were winning a war, but it was getting dark, and he could not fight, so Joshua prayed, and the Lord made the sun stand still so that they could defeat their enemy.
Jos 16:28-30 Sampson was having trouble. The Philistines had humiliated and blinded him, and he wanted vengeance. So Samson prayed, and the Lord gave his strength back, and he killed more Philistines than he had killed in his lifetime.
1 Sam 1:9-20 Hannah was having trouble; she had no children and was being picked on. She prayed, and the Lord gave her Samuel who gave birth to a nation.
1 Kings 18:41-45 The nation was having trouble. It was suffering a severe drought of 3 ½ years, and the people were starving. Elijah prayed, and the Lord sent rain at his call.
2 Kings 18:41-35 Hezekiah was having trouble, the Assyrian king Sennacherib had surrounded and was going to destroy Jerusalem. Hezekiah prayed, and the Lord sent one angel and killed 185,000 of the enemy.
Isa 38:1 Hezekiah was having trouble again. He was sick and the prophet Isaiah told him he was going to die. Hezekiah prayed, and the Lord let him live 15 years more.
Jonah 2:1 Jonah was having trouble. He had been swallowed by a great fish and had been in the belly of the fish for three days and three nights. Jonah prayed, and the Lord made the fish spit up Jonah on dry ground.
Esther 4:15-16 Esther was having trouble, the king was going to kill all of the Jews, and would kill her if she got in the way. Esther prayed, and the Lord saved the entire nation.
Daniel chapter 6 Daniel was having trouble. There was a law that no one was to pray to any god other than the king. If they did, they would be thrown into a den of hungry lions. Daniel was in the habit of praying three times a day. Daniel prayed anyway, and they threw him into the lion’s den, but the Lord sent an angel and shut the lions’ mouths.
I think by now you see the common thread. When the children of God experience trouble they can call on the Lord and he becomes present in their lives to help them in their trouble.
This is the truth I want you to learn this morning. God has given us prayer to unleash his power into our world. Now let me substantiate that statement and reveal some Scripture.
Prayer unleashes the power of God in your life! Start praying and overcome your trouble!
He has promised!
Ps 34:17 (NKJV) — 17 The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears, And delivers them out of all their troubles.
From the same Psalm
Ps 34:6 (NKJV) — 6 This poor man cried out, and the Lord heard him, And saved him out of all his troubles.
Ps 34:15 (NKJV) — 15 The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, And His ears are open to their cry.
Ps 34:19 (NKJV) — 19 Many are the afflictions of the righteous, But the Lord delivers him out of them all.
Each one of these verses indicates that God is listening to the voice of his people. If they call on him and ask for his deliverance, he will help them overcome the troubles of this world.
God has given us the opportunity to call on him in prayer with the promise that he will deliver us from the troubles we experience in this world.
Let me share with you a revelation: Point!
THE WORLD WAS CREATED BY GOD SPEAKING THE WORD.
So, the world is really the Word of God and nothing else. That is what it is made of.
The same God, using the same word said that we would have dominion over the world. That was his will for us. We gave it up to Satan.
Now, If, we want to have dominion like he said for us to have, we have to ask God for it, and he will get it back from Satan for us in our lives!
DOMINION OVER THE WORLD’S TROUBLES IS ACHIEVED BY PRAYING HIS WORD BACK TO HIM!
Is 55:11 (NKJV) — 11 So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me void, But it shall accomplish what I please, And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.
Let us look at what the Lord has offered us and understand why prayer is so important that we should learn to master it.
1 Jn 5:14–15 (NKJV) — 14 Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. 15 And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him.
Pray back his word to him to get his help in times of trouble! Look to the hills!
God has promised he is listening to hear our voices, and when we speak his word back to him, he hears us, and he responds by bringing to pass what we have called upon him to do according to his word.
That is what the Bible tells us his people did.
God is listening to hear from us today just like he did for the people of the Bible. We need to call on him. He has overcome the world!
Isaiah 58:9 (NKJV): Then you shall call, and the Lord will answer;
You shall cry, and He will say, ‘Here I am.’
Get this, our Lord God,
The creator of the universe, listens to every prayer offered up by his children! Selah!
Our prayer is important to God! Our prayer is important to God!
It should therefore be important to us!
God gave us prayer to do things that only God can do. And every prayer receives God’s personalized attention!
Now watch this carefully and see…
PRAYER IS GIVEN TO US TO BRING TO PASS WHAT GOD HAS DECLARED.
Je 29:11–14 (NKJV) — 11 For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.
But how does this come to pass?
12 Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. 13 And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.
Listen, we just can’t call on God any old way. We have got to pray like we mean it. Sometimes we have to experience enough trouble so that we get real serious about prayer. Sometimes we have to go through so much hell that we really, learn how to pray and call on him with ALL OUR HEART!
14 I will be found by you, says the Lord, and I will bring you back from your captivity; I will gather you from all the nations and from all the places where I have driven you, says the Lord, and I will bring you to the place from which I cause you to be carried away captive.
Je 33:3 (NKJV) — 3 ‘Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know.’
Ps 34:15 (NKJV) — 15 The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, And His ears are open to their cry….17 The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears, And delivers them out of all their troubles.
Ps 50:15 (NKJV) — 15 Call upon Me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify Me.”
Is 58:9 (NKJV) — 9 Then you shall call, and the Lord will answer; You shall cry, and He will say, ‘Here I am.’ “If you take away the yoke from your midst, The pointing of the finger, and speaking wickedness,
Is 65:24 (NKJV) — 24 “It shall come to pass That before they call, I will answer; And while they are still speaking, I will hear.
Now, let’s look at what Jesus Said about how we overcome our troubles!
Lk 11:9 (NKJV) — 9 “So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.
As a child of God, when you pray, you bring God into your world, and he responds to what you have to say.
Mt 21:22 (NKJV) — 22 And whatever things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive.”
Jn 14:13–14 (NKJV) — 13 And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 If you ask anything in My name, I will do it.
Jn 15:7 (NKJV) — 7 If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you.
PRAYER IS OUR CONNECTION TO GOD’S ABILITY.
WITH PRAYER, WE CAN USE HIS ABILITY TO GET DOMINION OVER OUR WORLD.
Prayer moves the hands of God. It brings God into our world to deal with things that are important to us!
LET’S LOOK AT THE APOSTLES
PRAYER IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN WORK!
Ac 6:1–4 (NKJV) — 1 Now in those days, when the number of the disciples was multiplying, there arose a complaint against the Hebrews by the Hellenists, because their widows were neglected in the daily distribution. 2 Then the twelve summoned the multitude of the disciples and said, “It is not desirable that we should leave the word of God and serve tables. 3 Therefore, brethren, seek out from among you seven men of good reputation, full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business; 4 but we will give ourselves continually to prayer and to the ministry of the word.”
The apostles would give themselves continually to two things. What were they? Verse 4. Why? These are two of the most important things a child of God should devote themselves to master in their lives: continuous prayer and the ministry of the word.
The ability to pray is the first of the greatest gifts God has given mankind. The disciples knew this and would devote themselves to being continually in prayer.
We have failed to respect this great gift! It is truly the way to unleash the power of God into our world.
I could go on and on listing numerous examples of how prayer has brought God into the world to be present in the lives of his people to work out all things for their good.
It is God’s will that we learn to master prayer so that we might live rich and rewarding lives.
God has said he will respond to the prayers of his people. He has given us prayer to do things that we cannot do.
Now listen up! Sometimes, God acts quickly when we pray. Sometimes, he takes his time. But one thing is for certain God responds to prayer.
Remember what Jesus said. Lk 18:1 (NKJV) — 1 Then He spoke a parable to them, that men always ought to pray and not lose heart,
Finally, one last thing. I want to remind you of Jacob. He was having trouble. His brother was coming with 400 armed men to kill him.
Ge 32:24–26 (NKJV) — 24 Then Jacob was left alone; and a Man wrestled with him until the breaking of day. 25 Now when He saw that He did not prevail against him, He touched the socket of his hip; and the socket of Jacob’s hip was out of joint as He wrestled with him. 26 And He said, “Let Me go, for the day breaks.” But he said, “I will not let You go unless You bless me!”
Isaiah 62:6–7 (NKJV): have set watchmen on your walls, O Jerusalem;
They shall never hold their peace day or night.
You who make mention of the Lord, do not keep silent,
7 And give Him no rest till He establishes
And till He makes Jerusalem a praise in the earth.
Now, let us also give ourselves continually to prayer and to the ministry of the word.”
It is time we learn to master prayer and realize it is how to unleash God’s power in our life because assures we are alive trouble is coming!
Jn 16:33 (NIV84) — 33 “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”
Last Word! How did Jesus overcome the world?
Lk 23:46 (NKJV) — 46 And when Jesus had cried out with a loud voice, He said, “Father, ‘into Your hands I commit My spirit.’ ” Having said this, He breathed His last.
He Prayed!
Now You!
Call on Him!