"God helps those who help themselves," goes an old proverbial saying. There is a common misconception that this is contained in the Bible. The Bible doesn't support this, and it's not even entirely true. The effectiveness of prayer will be negated if you continue to think in this manner.
In actuality, prayer has more force when it comes from someone who understands they cannot help themselves rather than from someone who thinks they can.
The power of prayer will become clear to you after you comprehend this tale that Jesus gave in the gospel of Luke.
To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everyone else, Jesus told this parable: ‘Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other people—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.’
‘But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner.’
I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted’” (Luke 18:9-14).
These two men's styles of prayer differ noticeably from one another. One came brimming with confidence, certain that he had done everything perfectly and that his prayer was the cherry on top of his self-righteousness. The other person was the one who felt the power of prayer, even though he was unable to raise his gaze to the sky. There were two basic yet significant causes for this.
Ensuring that your prayers are grounded in reality could be the secret to praying with power. This means that you are honest about the reality of your circumstances and your feelings about them. We frequently approach God like Pharisees, either mistakenly thinking we have it all together or thinking we must get it together before we approach God because "God helps those who help themselves," which is one reason we seldom really experience breakthroughs in prayer. In actuality, you must be open, sincere, and truthful with God, and you must convey the matter to God exactly as it is. God desires that you do this.
Humility
That saying about God aiding those who help themselves was something I brought up earlier. In actuality, it's the reverse. God aids people who recognize they are powerless to help themselves and call out to him for assistance. You are admitting that what you have is insufficient when you ask God to provide resources for you.
If you repent of sin, you are confessing that you lack righteousness on your own.
If you pray for opportunities, you acknowledge that you cannot generate them on your own.
When you ask for wisdom, you are admitting that you do not have all of the answers.
Whatever you are praying for, when you humble yourself and accept that without God's help, nothing will happen, you have positioned yourself to know and feel the power of prayer.
As effective as prayer is, there is one thing that it, faith, or anything else cannot accomplish. Prayer cannot transcend or overrule God's will. You can pray as much as you want, for as long as you want, and with as much faith as you want, but it will not change what God has decided. As a result, agreeing with
God's will is one of the most powerful weapons in prayer. Not only are we urged to pray for God's will to be done (think of the Lord's prayer), but we are also guaranteed that when we ask for God's will, he will do what we are hoping for. “This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him” (1 John 5:14-15).
When we consider this verse, we have a greater appreciation for the power of prayer. The true power of prayer comes when your will and desires connect with God's will and desires. When this occurs, there is nothing God will not accomplish in response to your requests because your petitions are already aligned with what he intends to do in the first place.
To be honest, prayer is the most potent force or weapon on the planet. You can be in one place and have an impact on circumstances all across the world by just asking God to intercede. That is why it is critical for Christians to prioritize prayer and not put it on the back burner. When we do this, we position ourselves to witness God's might at work, which will occur when his people pray. God's might was activated as a result of his people calling on his name. That, my friends, is the essence of prayer's power.
How does prayer affect your life and situation daily.
8th Annual Women's Conference, In Toronto
November 2nd, 2024, 10:30am-3:00pm
1117 Finch Ave West North York Ontario
" NOW IS THE TIME"
Details Coming Soon