Ephesians 3:14-21, "For this reason I kneel before the Father,
from whom his whole family in heaven and on earth derives its
name. I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen
you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that
Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And pray that you,
being rooted and established in love, may have power, together
with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep
is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that
you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.
Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we
ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within
us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout
all generations, for ever and ever! Amen." There is power
in prayer. Prayer unlocks the power of God, both within us and
in our surroundings and circumstances.
1 Kings 18:20-39, "So Ahab sent word throughout all Israel and
assembled the prophets on Mount Carmel. Elijah went before the
people and said, 'How long will you waver between two opinions?
If the Lord is God, follow him; but if Baal is God, follow him.'
But the people said nothing. Then Elijah said to them, 'I am the
only one of the Lord's prophets left, but Baal has four hundred
and fifty prophets. Get two bulls for us. Let them choose one
for themselves, and let them cut it into pieces and put it on
the wood but not set fire to it. I will prepare the other bull
and put it on the wood but not set fire to it. Then you call on
the name of your god, and I will call on the name of the Lord.
The god who answers by fire—he is God.'
Then all the people said, 'What you say is good.' Elijah said
to the prophets of Baal, 'Choose one of the bulls and prepare
it first since there are so many of you. Call on the name of your
god, but do not light the fire.' So they took the bull given them
and prepared it.
Then they called on the name of Baal from morning till noon. 'O
Baal, answer us!' they shouted. But there was no response; no
one answered. And they danced around the altar they had made.
At noon Elijah began to taunt them, 'Shout louder!' he said. 'Surely
he is a god! Perhaps he is deep in thought, or busy, or traveling.
Maybe he is sleeping and must be awakened.' So they shouted louder
and slashed themselves with swords and spears, as was their custom,
until their blood flowed. Midday passed, and they continued their
frantic prophesying until the time for the evening sacrifice.
But there was no response, no one answered, no one paid attention.
Then Elijah said to all the people, 'Come here to me.' They came
to him, and he repaired the altar of the Lord, which was in ruins.
Elijah took twelve stones, one for each of the tribes descended
from Jacob, to whom the word of the Lord had come, saying, 'Your
name shall be Israel.' With the stones he built an altar in the
name of the Lord, and he dug a trench around it large enough to
hold two seahs [That is, probably about 13 quarts (about 15 liters)]
of seed. He arranged the wood, cut the bull into pieces and laid
it on the wood. Then he said to them, 'Fill four large jars with
water and pour it on the offering and on the wood.' 'Do it again,'
he said, and they did it again.
'Do it a third time,' he ordered, and they did it the third time.
The water ran down around the altar and even filled the trench.
At the time of sacrifice, the prophet Elijah stepped forward and
prayed: 'O Lord, God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, let it be known
today that you are God in Israel and that I am your servant and
have done all these things at your command. Answer me, O Lord,
answer me, so these people will know that you, O Lord, are God,
and that you are turning their hearts back again.'
Then the fire of the Lord fell and burned up the sacrifice, the
wood, the stones and the soil, and also licked up the water in
the trench.
When all the people saw this, they fell prostrate and cried, 'The
Lord—he is God! The Lord—he is God!'"
The Church needs the fire of the Lord. Romans 12:1-2. "Therefore,
I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies
as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your
spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern
of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.
Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his
good, pleasing and perfect will." The sacrifice is us now, not
bulls and goats. The fire we need is the Holy Spirit. Revival
is when the Holy Spirit comes upon a group of people simultaneously.
The Fourth Step to Power: The fourth step to power encompasses
all the other three steps. The true heart of prayer is 1) denying
yourself, 2) humbling yourself, 3) seeking God's face, and 4)
praying to God. Our prayers to God should include and encompass
all the other three steps.
Hebrews 4:14-16, "Therefore, since we have a great high priest
who has gone through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us
hold firmly to the faith we profess. For we do not have a high
priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we
have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet
was without sin. Let us then approach the throne of grace with
confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help
us in our time of need."
When we pray we must understand that God is sovereign. We must
pray, yes, with boldness and confidence, but tempered with humility,
understanding what we are—nothing. You can't do any good
without the power of God in your life. Ask yourself this question: "What's
the ratio of your prayer time and your T.V. time?
Let's read Psalm 4. It's quite a psalm about prayer and it's benefits.
Psalm 4:1-8, "Answer me when I call to you, O my righteous God,
give me relief from my distress; be merciful to me and hear my
prayer. How long, O men, will you turn my glory into shame? How
long will you love delusions and seek false gods? Know that the
Lord has set apart the godly for himself; the Lord will hear when
I call to him.
In your anger do not sin; when you are on your beds, search your
hearts and be silent. Offer right sacrifices and trust in the
Lord. Many are asking, 'Who can show us any good?' Let the light
of your face shine upon us, O Lord. You have filled my heart with
greater joy than when their grain and new wine abound. I will
lie down and sleep in peace, for you alone, O Lord, make me dwell
in safety."
Paul says we will be strengthened with might in the inner man
through His Spirit. Actively pursue God for His Spirit and intervention
through that Spirit.
Revival is the Spirit of God coming on a group of people all at
the same time. Acts 1:7-8, "He said to them: 'It is not for you
to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority.
But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you;
and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and
Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." Read Acts 2:1-4, 5-13,
14-40.
Pursue God for his Spirit until it happens, giving us strength
and spiritual depth. Our faith is seen in our actions.