James 5:16

Take That, Satan!

January 31, 2019 by Ellen 8 Comments

Have you ever suffered from low prayer esteem? You know, when you have no words to pray, and even if you do find words, they are a poor substitute for what’s deep down in your heart. You feel more like a prayer wimp than a prayer warrior. That’s how I feel sometimes.

I imagine that’s exactly where Satan want us to be and precisely what he wants us to feel. Satan wants us to believe our prayers have no effect, and they only go as high as our ceilings.

Satan doesn’t want us to pray.

The other day, I was crying out to god “Lord, I just want to be a prayer warrior for Your glory!” Immediately, God brought me to a scripture. (I love when He does things immediately, don’t you?) I looked down at my open Bible, and there it was:

“The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much.” James 5:16b NASB

Effective prayers accomplish much! Others translations call them earnest prayers. The Amplified Bible says heartfelt and persistent prayers. I have no doubt that my prayers are earnest and heartfelt. The ONE WORD that causes me to doubt the power of my prayers and stumble in my prayer life is this: righteous.

Because, you know? Some days I just don’t feel righteous.

Those are the days when my angers flares. Or maybe jealousy rages. Some days, I’m certain I don’t love others the way I should. I hardly feel righteous: good, virtuous, descent and holy. Some days I feel totally opposite.

Holy Spirit gently reminded me of Galatians 2:16, which tells me I am justified – or declared righteous – by my faith in Jesus Christ. Through faith in Jesus alone, I am holy. Nothing that I have done makes me this way. Only Jesus. Simply because of my faith in Jesus.

Uh huh. Truth right there! Through Jesus alone, we are made righteous. Because of Him, we have no reason to feel inadequate about our prayer lives.

Our prayers can accomplish much.

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They have tremendous power and are dynamic (what, my prayers, dynamic?) because they have Holy Spirit power behind them. They may not seem like much to us, but we’re looking through earthly eyes. Thinking from an eternal perspective, God’s power is behind every prayer we utter, even when they are wordless groans (Romans 8:26).

Although I’m sure Satan will fire his darts to try and make us feel less than in our prayer life, we can push him back with a firm arm and say “My prayers ARE powerful. Take that, Satan!”

Father, May we always remember that we are made righteous by our faith in Jesus alone! Holy because of Him! And because of this, our prayers ARE effective and DO have Holy Spirit power! Keeping this in mind, we can pray continually, never giving up, and not worrying again about our wimpy words. They are made strong through You. Thank You, Lord God! In Jesus powerful name I pray, Amen!

Grace be with you,

What is Prayer?

May 17, 2018 by Ellen 2 Comments

Prayer is…well, it can be intimidating.

Especially if we think about and compare our prayers to the great prayer warriors in our church. The words of my prayers are more like stray threads than the beautifully woven tapestry of others. My prayers tend toward short and simplistic. Hey, I’m a person of few words.

And yet…

At a recent Priscilla Shirer simulcast, there were several “Prayer Experiences” intertwined throughout the program. I thought they would be great learning tools on prayer. A prayer “how to” if you will. Because I can always use some prayer learnin’, how about you?

That wasn’t it at all. The time spent in prayer – actual prayer, not Prayer 101 – was all of us joining our voices to pray for and with others. We prayed for our marriages, freedom from addictions, health, our very lives. There was a moment when I heard the young woman next to me interceding so fervently and passionately, that I felt inadequate and at a loss. My words stopped. Then I began praying with her.

One word at a time.

“Lord heal. Restore. Praise You Lord!”

I didn’t feel like a less than pray-er. Our voices raised in unity and our supplications were lifted to our mighty God.

Separately, we prayed together.

Though the words of our prayers may seem weak and ineffective, praying is powerful.

“Our prayers may be awkward. Our attempts may be feeble. But since the power of prayer is in the one who hears it and not in the one who says it, our prayers do make a difference.” – Max Lucado

“Therefore, confess your sins to one another [your false steps, your offenses], and pray for one another, that you may be healed and restored. The heartfelt and persistent prayer of a righteous man (believer) can accomplish much [when put into action and made effective by God—it is dynamic and can have tremendous power].” James 5:16 AMP

Keep praying!

Grace be with you,