ood morning church family and ministry
friends I'm pastor Stephen Brooks and
welcome today to our midweek Bible study
which is called morning glory I'm so
happy that you here I want to invite you
to grab your Bibles and meet me today in
the book of James chapter 5 and let's go
down to verse 16 let's talk about prayer
power today and the Holy Spirit really
wants you to move in power in your
prayer life praise God I want to share
some very simple things with you that
will help unlock your potential in
prayer to touch the heart of God and to
see amazing answers to your prayer
requests Heavenly Father we asked as we
go into your word today that your Holy
Spirit would illuminate the Scriptures
and that the eyes of our understanding
would see clearly your principles and
that we can take them and work them in
Jesus name the father released grace for
every hearer to step into prayer power
in Jesus name thank you Heavenly Father
and we all agree and say amen James
chapter 5 verse 16 it's going to lead
into the subject of prayer but it covers
a few other things first about
forgiveness and having your your love
walk right with God and with others it
says confess your trespasses to one
another and pray for one another for one
another that you may be healed
now it says confess your trespasses to
one another that doesn't mean that you
need to go confessing your sins to just
anybody
or to everyone that's out there that's
not what it means this actually says
confess your trespasses now this is the
type of a sin where you have trespassed
in the natural when it comes to
trespassing if you go on somebody else's
property without their permission you
have trespassed on that on their
property and that's illegal you're not
allowed to do that so the sin of
trespass basically means this is a sin
which you have harmed or hurt someone
else and so what it's a trespass sin
then you need to go to that person and
ask for forgiveness
so confess your trespasses to one
another and pray for one another that
you may be healed
praise God there are definitely some
things you would not want to confess the
people but there are certain sins where
we do need to make things right if in
the sense it's something where we've
hurt somebody else or we've trespassed
against them so you have to balance that
area of confession or sometimes people
share things that they shouldn't share
and then it ends up actually causing
more grief and more hurt than help
praise God we want to do the right thing
and we want to walk in wisdom and that
includes properly interpreting the
scriptures and not just taking it as
some kind of blank statement like oh
this is what we should do for every case
no it's it's detailed according to what
the Lord meant through the various words
that are used such as the word trespass
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 okay so let's
now jump into the subject of prayer once
you are in a place where your conscience
is good you know you're not harboring
ill-will or unforgiveness to work
somebody you have asked God to forgive
you of your sins and you have forgiven
anybody that would have sinned against
you now you're in a place to really
release some prayer power praise God
the effective fervent prayer of a
righteous man avails much now we are
righteous because we are in Christ it is
possible to be the righteousness of God
in Christ and yet at the same time you
know live a Christian life that could be
pretty low so just because you have
right standing with God through Christ
and therefore you are righteous it
doesn't necessarily make a person a holy
saint praise God you know the word
righteousness is something that is
imputed
us because we are in Christ it's the
same way with being a saint the moment
you become a Christian you are
technically according to New Testament
theology you are a saint but just
because you are righteous just because
you're saying doesn't necessarily mean
that you're living a holy life and so
there are areas that God wants us to
mature in there are some areas where
it's just imputed to us because of what
Jesus did at Calvary there's other
things that God looks at us and wants us
to develop I like the classic statement
that dr. Billy Graham made your back I'm
years back he said God loves you just
the way you are but he loves you too
much they leave you the way you are he
loves you and in Christ you're righteous
in Christ you're Saint but he also wants
you to develop the christ-like character
in your life so that you can come into
the full stature of a believer in Christ
Jesus the effective fervent prayer of a
righteous man avails much okay so what
we have to do here is we have to take
the words effective and fervent and
combine them together because in the
Greek it's translated as one word and it
is the word inner jail you're probably
thinking that sounds familiar Pastor
Steven but this is the same English word
that has been used - or the same Greek
word where the English is now been
applied to describe what we know as
energy so this is the word energy oh and
the Greek it literally means to put
forth power okay so the effective
fervent prayer of a righteous man avails
much the type of Prayer from you as a
believer that gets a lot accomplished is
the type of Prayer where you are putting
forth power you need to understand
there's different types of Prayer also
different types of maybe we could use
the word mood where you have a different
mood with God sometimes it's just kick
back relax drink coffee talk to the Lord
talk to them about your day maybe talk
to the Lord about your dreams your plans
but there's other times where this is
not like like chat time this is more
like go to war
time and there there are scriptures that
identified the Lord as the captain of
the angelic armies their scripture that
identifies that the Lord is the Lord God
of War and so we need to also understand
that Jesus is the warrior king who
praise the Lord
and there's times where you just need to
go in the prayer and this is not like
latte-drinking time this is like we're
going to go to work and we're going to
go to war praise God not that you're at
war against God or somebody or something
like that it's just a mentality of like
I've come here to pray not to mess
around and not to just you know like
goof off I'm here to pray there there is
energy that is going to be put forth
here and when I'm done praying I will
have expended some energy you know my
background was when I was in high school
I got plugged into the track and field
and started running and you know moved
over into the distance events one mile
two mile in high school and then in
college you know 1500 meters 5,000
meters 10,000 and so forth and so you
know running a lot doing a lot of miles
burning a lot of calories expending a
lot of energy but I had some friends of
mine that they were weren't really in
the running but they would uh they just
liked swimming and they said hey Steven
come swim with us sometime and hang out
with us while we swim well I went to the
pool you know as a runner that was in
good shape and I went to the pool and
swam for about thirty minutes when I
when I was done swimming for thirty
minutes which is more of a whole body
exercise Wow I felt like I had burned
three times the calories I've ever
burned in running there was something
about swimming that when I was done I I
was so hungry I was like wow I feel like
I just go eat like it wipe out a buffet
table what had happened well I had
exerted a lot of energy swimming back
and forth those laps in the pool never
really became a swimmer that wasn't my
thing but I did realize wow there's a
lot of energy dispensed when you are
swimming my friends when you are praying
you're going to have to start kicking it
up a gear and realize that prayer time
it's not always like whoo oh god I love
you
now there's other times prayer is
all-out intense very very powerful
exertion yes you can get loud yes you
can pray long and yes you can praise
strong and there's times when you're
done you're not going to need to go to
the gym you wouldn't want to go to the
gym hallelujah and I've been privileged
to have some other minister friends in
my life that you know what would they
pray I've seen I've seen them like come
in the meetings before soaked their
entire clothes soaked and it doesn't
have anything to do with maybe somebody
didn't turn on the air conditioner it
had everything to do what they just came
out of an intense time in prayer and now
they're ready to minister and you know
I'm not saying you have to break a sweat
but at the same time there's certainly
nothing wrong with that because if you
exercise or reach a point where God who
created your sweat glands those sweat
glands will begin to do what they're
supposed to do and you can perspire
praise the Lord let me ask you a
question have you ever sweat it in
prayer maybe you're thinking and pastor
Steve and I'm glad you're talking to me
behind the camera because I wouldn't
want you to see that I I can't raise my
hand on that one well there's a place in
prayer where even if the air
conditioners turned down the 60 degrees
Fahrenheit I tell you what you can just
pray and pray you'll start sweating you
could really begin to get some heat and
that is what is going on here with this
term effective and fervent which in the
Greek is the word energy oh and it means
to put forth power there is effort
exerted praise the Lord there are going
to be some calories burned hallelujah
let's talk about it today let's go to
the Gospel of Luke chapter 22 you'll be
familiar with this verse we've studied
this one before it says in verse 44 and
being in agony he prayed more earnestly
now what you're seeing right there is
the Lord is actually shifting gears he
was praying earnestly before what is he
doing now now he is praying more
earnestly I feel in my heart that the
Holy Spirit is impressed
to say that many of you need to shift
gears you have been too polite in your
prayer time not not that you're trying
to be rude to God but you've been you've
been to a little too mild hallelujah you
need to start eating some hot peppers I
maybe you think jalapeno is the hottest
one is it
I'm not saying skip to the ghost
habanero or you know I think one of the
the Carolina Reaper which came out of
North Carolina considered to be probably
the hottest you know pepper in the world
which leaves jalapenos in the dust you
have to understand there's a different
level and it's a different level of heat
and I believe you need to shift gears do
what the Lord Jesus did because you're
at a point right now where it's
requiring it hallelujah and being in
agony he prayed more earnestly you've
got a different level in prayer you can
go to you have a different gear that you
have not yet reached now it shift into
that in your next prayer time and just
break loose and pray hard and strong
like you've never done it before he
prayed more earnestly
now watch the realm he came into then
his sweat oh praise God he was sweating
let Jesus be your role model in prayer
I'm not I'm not saying that perhaps
others haven't set good models and there
are those who certainly have one of the
ways I got pulled into a flow of prayer
was by a college friend who said hey
Stephen you want to pray with me I said
well sure yeah that must be fun I'm you
know and I was like the 5 minute prayer
guy well when I got connected with his
friendship and got pulled in with him
into this walk of prayer I started going
into realms of Prayer I never knew even
existed I didn't know that was in many
ways considered perhaps still like a
mature level but it was way beyond
anything I'd ever experienced before and
was really you know set a high bar I
before college student praised the Lord
but my friends Jesus he prayed so hard
he was sweating I I realized he's
outside I realized that
air conditioner systems were not yet on
the scene but still you have to admit he
was really praying it could have been
cold that night wouldn't be surprised if
it was then his sweat became like great
drops of blood falling to the ground
prayed to your sweat and if the Holy
Spirit takes you beyond that he'll help
you even in that area as well Jesus
pushed it to the maximum limit
hallelujah getting ready to shift gears
and pray you're gonna break through into
the glory you're to see God the Father
answer your prayers are the most
remarkable the most amazing ways praise
God you need to stir yourself up to step
into this Isaiah chapter 64 verse 7 and
there was no one who calls on your name
who stirs himself up to take hold of you
well let's just throw the ladies in
there to who stirs himself who stirs
herself up to take hold of God there's
there's a place sometimes where you do
feel like praying sometimes your soul is
happy and your soul is ready to get in
agreement with your spirit but there's
other times your soul wants to watch TV
and your body would certainly agree with
that and there's maybe all kinds of
recreation and other options of things
you could do and maybe it's just not
into the prayer mode but this is where
in your spirit you stir yourself up and
you say I need to pray I must pray I'm
going to pray right now and you want you
want to bring your life into that place
where dr. Jobe
who was the pastor of the yo IDO Full
Gospel Church there in Seoul Korea which
became the largest church in the world
he came to a place where he said if you
really want to move into a walk with God
like that of Prayer you have to
structure your whole life around your
prayer time you cannot structure your
prayer time around everything else
because stuff will always bump your
prayer time out of the way so you have
to you have to structure your entire way
of living around your prayer life are
you doing that or does prayer come way
down the line 2nd 3rd 4th or 5th ohh
or maybe you don't even pray daily maybe
you don't even pray weekly okay if you
really want to get into the glory a
strong wolf of God and see the blessings
of God work in your life in an
unparalleled way you need to you need to
make prayer a priority not secondary it
needs to be number one in your life whew
praise your Lord Jesus you know we are
we are losing the revelation and the
reality of the hour of prayer because a
lot of a lot of the old-time
Pentecostals are passing off the scene
many of the churches that used to be
charismatic or Pentecostal where tongues
and other things were celebrated the
second generation and third generation
of those churches are now on the scene
today and you can't even tell if their
spirit feel the healings not talked
about the baptism in the Holy Spirit but
what speaking in tongues has never
mentioned and also you're seeing these
churches go into a flow where there's no
prayer meetings there's no prayer
meetings and so what has happened is
people are forgetting how to pray they
don't have godly leaders and examples to
show them and so their lives are
becoming lives of prayerlessness but my
friends we want to walk close to the
Lord because the Lord is up to amazing
things he's releasing miracles signs and
wonders and the glory and the glory
manifested in all different types of
ways so we're staying on the surfboard
for the great tsunami of glory that's
coming and it's already breaking through
already can be touching you right now
hallelujah but you really need to really
push it in prayer and stir yourself up
take a hold of yourself and say I'm not
gonna slip in this this is the most
important area of my life take a hold of
yourself and say what have I been doing
watch out for spiritual sleepiness watch
out for spiritual apathy can be all
around you don't let it get on you
hallelujah or you begin to lay down and
go to sleep
get up hallelujah take a hold of
yourself and begin to pray oh not just
always two little bitty smooth soft
prayers there's a place for that but I'm
talking about the raging burning white
hot Inferno prayer well your spirit
burns because of the presence of
within you because of the Spirit of God
within you and you take hold of yourself
and you pray and you get lit on fire by
the Holy Spirit hallelujah glory to God
that's what I'm talking about and you
walk in on going miracles and you also
walk in victory because Jesus said pray
that you enter not into temptation
that's one of the reasons so many
believers get themselves into trouble
because they're not praying and they
walk in the things and get into trouble
and God never intended them for to go
down that path you need to pray
hallelujah glory to God hallelujah and
there is no one who calls on your name
who stirs himself up to take hold of you
if if nobody else is going to do it you
need to do it don't wait for others
around you to somehow like motivate you
you have to motivate yourself out of
your own heart out of your own inner
being and say I rise today hallelujah
and reestablished a priority of God in
my life and when you do you start going
up up up it's amazing how fast your life
will turn when you turn to the Lord in
fervent prayer I'm talking about being
fervent that's the focus today not just
kind of like you know easy Daisy easy
lie you know real smooth that there's a
place for that but I'm talking about hot
heat glory to God those are the kind of
prayers that take you into the
miraculous where you do things like
Elijah or you can pray and and ask God
that it not rain and God honors your
prayer and locks up the heavens and it
doesn't rain for three and a half years
I mean they could have taken airplanes
up there and clouds seeded the sky it's
nothing's going to happen that there's
nothing that was going to make that
those clouds rain because it was locked
up by God who had endorsed the prayer of
his servant praise God and then later of
course he lied to praise again and
really goes before the Lord with fervent
prayer and boom unlocks it and it rains
so it's that heavy fervent prayer that
will take you over into a place where
miracles see you start getting to that
room a prayer miracles you can grab it
you can grab it it seems doable but if
you don't really push in prayer it'll
just it'll just seem like stories that
are related to some
cake age and you just think why this
stuff doesn't happen anymore well it
does well amongst those who are lit on
fire for God we're seeing these things
on a regular basis but you need to be
pulling it into your own life
so stir yourself up right now and get
your prayer time on your calendar
beginning the next time the Sun comes up
or if you can't wait start tonight
hallelujah you'll certainly sleep really
well after that Genesis chapter 32 let
us drop down to verse 26 praise God
let's go to 24 then Jacob was left alone
and a man wrestled with him until the
breaking of day now when he saw that he
did not prevail against him he touched
the socket of his hip he touched the
socket of his hip and the socket of
Jacob's hip was out of joint as he
wrestled with him well if you hit this
out of joint you can't push I know if
he's trying to do a little bit of
martial arts there may be a little Krav
Maga Israeli self-defense against this
this god man that he's wrestling with
many theologians believe this is a
theophany hallelujah well if that socket
you can't kick and I'm not saying this
is like kicking fighting this is more
wrestling but you have no leverage
because you can't you can't get those
strong muscles to do anything and so you
can't push off and so you don't have
that leverage well let's find out what
happens 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 and he said let me go
for the day breaks but he said I will
not let you go unless you bless me
that's that's that is the fervent prayer
demonstrated through the symbolism of
wrestling wrestling is quite fatiguing
it's a different sport because you're
incorporating many many muscles from
many different angles and movements that
you don't often used unless you just
happen to wrestle on a regular basis and
so again this is the energy the energy
oh the the putting forth of power to try
to prevail
I tell you what don't you know he must
have been soaked with sweat by the time
that Sun was coming up in the morning
Wow and just deplete it of energy and
literally hanging on hanging on and he
says I'm not letting you go while he got
the blessing you need to be the same way
God will answer your prayer my friend I
I really do believe God wants to see
your hunger and I believe that God wants
to see you put forth that effort
hallelujah I mean how many times in our
lives have we put forth efforts towards
carnal things where we made great
efforts to get to the movie on time
where we made great efforts to reach our
vacation destination where we made
tremendous effort to cheer on our team
and fight through weather and sit in
freezing temperatures in an outside
theatre so that we could cheer on our
team and it all meant nothing really
well how about going to great efforts
and push yourself into the courts of
heaven through fervent prayer hallelujah
mmm don't be surprised in these moments
of great prayer and intercession that
the spirit realm begins to open up
you're not even you're not even seeking
that or asking that but you just get so
far over in prayer oftentimes God begins
to put the heavy icing on the cake and
he gives you a lot of a lot of rewards
for your spiritual and natural even
physical efforts praise God because
trust me you'll feel this on your body
if you put a heavy weight workout on
your body and you leave the gym 40
minutes later you'll feel the effects of
that but you'll feel the effects of
prayer but there's something about it
where after exertion why is it that you
feel you great exertion but why don't
you feel fresh how do you explain that
because of the Holy Spirit and as you
put out he fills you back up woo glory
to God it is a divine mystery better
felt then telt whoo hallelujah may you
experience it may you experience it your
let's close today with this verse that I
think I think is one of the most
beautiful verses in the Bible something
that David slipped into may you also
taste this spiritual experience may what
I'm about to share with you be something
that you touch it and you think this is
too good I really think I'm going to
anchor myself into this now let me get
to you and unwrap it before you maybe
get too excited about it but I would
suggest it is a realm but you could
enter into that it is something that can
be part of your life let's talk about it
now we are in Psalm 109 let us go now to
verse 3 they have also surrounded me
with words of hatred and fought against
me without a cause in return for my love
they are my accusers but I give myself
to prayer whew Wow well obviously he's
got some pressure he has he has
persecution coming against him he has
harsh words that are being crudely
expressed against him he has people that
want to do him physical harm
he has many adversaries and he says in
the midst of these things he says I give
myself to prayer watch watch carefully
though what it really means in the
Hebrew verse 4 and in return for my love
they are my accusers but I give myself
to prayer look carefully at the verse
notice that some of the words that are
in your Bible they are in italics what
does it mean that when you see something
in italics what does it mean when you
see that it means it's not there in the
original language we're reading in the
Old Testament so what was original was
Hebrew if you're in the New Testament
and you see some italics it means it's
not there in the original Greek so here
in the Hebrew
we have a very unusual statement the
English translators of our Bible tried
to add a few words to give the meaning
of the statement a fullness that helps
us to understand it from our Western
viewpoint and I think it helps it
doesn't do any harm but when you know
what it really says it has a real kicker
to it let's talk about it but I give
myself to prayer the words give and the
word myself they are not there in the
original Hebrew it actually says but I
prayer Wow oh okay Pastor Steven so it
means that David decided to pray no
that's not what it means in the original
language in Hebrew it actually says but
I have become prayer now I want you to
meditate on that let that soak into your
spirit he went into a place of prayer
and found such refuge and safety and
peace in God through an active energetic
prayer life he said I'm not coming out
of this and he just he just gave himself
so much to the Lord in prayer
he actually said I have become prayer he
didn't say I'm going to go pray again he
didn't say I'm praying now and I'll
maybe I'll pray later he said I have
become prayer wow I mean all he's
thinking about is when can I get back to
the tabernacle I want to pray again and
I'm in a sense praying even right now
that's what the Apostle Paul meant
praying continually hallelujah now
praying at work or praying in the car
will not suffice praying in a private
devotional place because you can't
really get over into it deeply in the
car or you might have a wreck praise the
Lord
so that energy oh you really want to get
to a place where you could just let go
and pray and you know you're not
distracted by something you can just
fully dive into it and just give
yourself to it praise the Lord yes
of course you can pray while you're in
your car while you're you know in the
bathtub
or you know while you're mowing your
lawn if you want to or even at work in
the sense that you know when you have
something that's a job you're very
familiar with and you just kind of use
your hands and just you know pray in the
spirit or whatever the case might be but
they're really pray fervently you've got
to be able to really focus on it and
just boom dial in 100% with your effort
and with your total mental focus every
every part of you is pulled into it so
you don't want to be driving on a right
on a windy road you don't want to be
doing an open-heart surgery that's not
the place for that it's a place for
prayer hallelujah and David just got to
a place in the Lord he got so far over
in the glory that he said I have become
prayer mmm
I think Joshua also had a touch of that
he'd see Moses the man of God his
spiritual mentor going into the tent of
meeting to meet with God the next thing
you know there goes Joshua he also is
just he got addicted to the love of God
he got addicted to the to God and he
just wanted to be in the glory wanted to
be in the atmosphere I believe he got
over into a place of heavy prayer also
and he just loved being in the Lord's
presence praise God if you want to step
into that the courts of heaven door open
right now glory to God
I see the redeemed Saints walking around
many of the great Saints of history past
walking in the in the courts of heaven
these are the people that frequent it
that they were when they were on the
earth they were frequenting the courts
of heaven through their prayer and their
clothes walk with God now that there's
in heaven today they're still they still
walk those areas and they greet the
Saints that rise in the spirit to go
before the very throne of God hallelujah
there's many angels there the cherubim
the Seraphim glory be to God it's a
place where you're supposed to be that
is your inheritance in Christ glory to
God now may you find that place of
fervent prayer may you find that place
where you put forth power
don't lose Pentecost
in a day in age where a lot of the
things the old-time Pentecostals knew
now I'm not talking about their legalism
or their bondage or maybe some of the
things they didn't know but I'll tell
you this they knew how to pray praise
God and they got miracle answers to
prayer don't lose what others paid a
great price to get a revelation of if
you want great answers to prayer you
need to pray and you need to pray strong
fast and with tremendous output of power
hallelujah by the way you're going to
love it
whoo hallelujah whoo hallelujah
you're going to love it amen let me pray
for you Heavenly Father I pray for your
people that they'd be inspired by your
word and your spirit to meet you on the
wrestling mat like Jacob did to pray
perhaps to pray to a point they even
perspire perhaps to pray to a point they
even we're off their deodorant
hallelujah Lord let them push it and
then Lord let them let them be blessed
excuse me praise God glory yes yes Lord
let them receive your very best we thank
you that every time they meet you in
such prayer there's always a blessing
released and associated with it now we
give you praise we thank you now O God
release grace we take it now say I
receive it in Jesus name Amen I
prophesied to you that just as Jesus had
angels aid him and assist him and help
him move into a deeper realm of prayer
while he was in the Garden of Gethsemane
I prophesied to you that when you need
it angels will be there for you don't
don't quit don't go lay down and go to
sleep pray and go into that next level
you must have an answer you must have a
breakthrough praise God
you'll even sense the angelic presence
some of you you'll even see the angels
praise God
let's take Holy Communion
glory to God we are for claiming the
Lord's death till he comes whoa glory to
Jesus hallelujah this is the crucified
Life hmm this is where the Joy's at
pastor Stephen it sounds like a lot of
work the most rewarding work you will
ever engage in hallelujah glory to God
mmm thank you Jesus
God's ready to answer your prayers God's
ears are open it's time to seek his face
Heavenly Father we ask that you breasts
that you bless the bread and the juice
we consecrate it it's now the body in
the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ
Father we thank you for your word which
if it gives guidance as to how we our
conduct our Christian way of living we
are the prey with energy we are to pray
with the output of power thank you
Father God let the wells of the deep
open up inside of your people as we are
receiving the body of Jesus thank you
father break open the wells of the deep
and let that power be released through
your people in prayer thank you father
we receive the body of Jesus together
now amen let's protect
glory to the Lord think also of the
power that's released if one can put a
thousand to flight and two can put not
two thousand the flight ten thousand to
flight mmm the power of prayer when you
get some people together with the same
heart the same faith and you're on track
together power power power power mmm
you're going to get some amazing things
done father we thank you for the blood
of Jesus and its soul cleansing power we
receive it now and give you all the
praise in the name of Jesus amen let's
receive the blood of Christ glory to God
glory to God now when you go onto the
wrestling mat to pray like Jacob make a
commitment maybe you just want to say
God I'm gonna give you 20 minutes maybe
you've only prayed for five minutes
maybe that's the longest you've ever
prayed in your life and 20 minutes
terrifies you but just have faith and
say god I'm gonna I'm gonna push myself
for 20 minutes and and give something
where you could push yourself too okay
those of you that maybe are comfortable
with 20 go for 40 and those of you that
are pushing for that that standard of an
hour reach for that jesus said could you
not tarry an hour some of you you need
to always set that goal go for the hour
don't don't you know and if you feel
like you're 48 minutes you know oh yeah
I can't go anymore
just say God I'm so close help me gotta
help you praise God and then then
something will be established in you a
new level of strength
praise God a new level of joy praise God
father fill your people with your holy
spirit and bless them as they seek your
face we thank you for all the miracles
you're going to do in Jesus name Amen
my friends thanks for watching I'll see
you back next time