The Power of Prayer

Today we are studying Matthew 21: 12 – 22

Jesus Cleanses the Temple

12 And Jesus went into the temple of God, and cast out all them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold doves,

13 And said unto them, It is written, My house shall be called the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves.

14 And the blind and the lame came to him in the temple; and he healed them.

15 And when the chief priests and scribes saw the wonderful things that he did, and the children crying in the temple, and saying, Hosanna to the son of David; they were sore displeased,

16 And said unto him, Hearest thou what these say? And Jesus saith unto them, Yea; have ye never read, Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings thou hast perfected praise?

17 And he left them, and went out of the city into Bethany; and he lodged there.

The Lesson of the Withered Fig Tree

18 Now in the morning as he returned into the city, he hungered.

19 And when he saw a fig tree in the way, he came to it, and found nothing thereon, but leaves only, and said unto it, Let no fruit grow on thee henceforward for ever. And presently the fig tree withered away.

20 And when the disciples saw it, they marvelled, saying, How soon is the fig tree withered away!

21 Jesus answered and said unto them, Verily I say unto you, If ye have faith, and doubt not, ye shall not only do this which is done to the fig tree, but also if ye shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; it shall be done.

22 And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive

Matthew 21:12-22 (KJV)

What Is Prayer?

This is my personal definition of prayer: it is a divine instrument that God has given to the church. In the kingdom of God, there are principles. God has given the church this divine communication tool to speak to Him. Prayer is communication between the divine and humanity. David Yonggi Cho said prayer is communication between humans and God through the Holy Spirit. You don’t pray through your flesh, because if you do, you remain in the flesh. But when you pray through the Holy Spirit, it moves from the physical to the spiritual dimension.

Prayer is God’s invitation to you to be in His throne room, where everything is possible with God. Prayer is God’s invitation. It is important to understand that your prayer, by faith, in Jesus’ name, is powerful. That’s why you don’t pray prayers written by saints, priests, or pastors, but you pray through the Holy Spirit by faith, as Jesus has taught.

Ingredients of Prayer

Now, when you pray, you need several ingredients.

• Faith: It is the number one ingredient for prayer. You have to believe in Jesus, that He died for your sins and transgressions, and that in His name, all things are possible.
• Worship: Give thanks and adore the God who has saved you.
• Love: Without love, your prayer can be hindered.
• Unforgiveness in the heart: Mark 11:24-25
• Right motive: You don’t pray for whatever you want, but you pray for God’s will. God will not give you what will destroy your life.

Do We Value Our Prayer Life Enough?

However, many of us don’t value our prayer life. We have a million things to do, and the last thing on our mind is prayer. We spend hours on our cellphones. Why? Because we put value in the information we see on our cellphones. What value do you put in your relationship with God? That will be reflected in the time you spend pursuing your relationship with Him.

We, as a church, no longer value prayer and fasting. That’s why we see many men and women of God rise up and fall, as God exposes the nakedness of men (and women).

If you want to be worthy and able to handle what God will give you, you must be consistent and humble in your prayer life. How can God give you something if, once you have that one thing you prayed for, you stop praying? Prayer becomes secondary.

If so, you have the wrong motive. Prayer is not just asking for things. God is not your genie or a vending machine that gives you whatever you want. True life begins at the altar of prayer.

14 If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.

2 Chronicles 7:14 (KJV)

Prayer doesn’t come from worship, but worship comes from prayer. When you humble yourself, sacrifice your flesh, and seek God’s face, then worship arises.

Today, we put value on material things more than our relationship with God. But remember, when the storm of life hits you, your material things may not be able to save you, but the presence of God will.

Let’s go back to Matthew 21:12. The first thing Jesus does there is to clean up the temple. We can’t pray from impurity. What is the temple? It is us, our hearts. What is the condition of your temple?

If prayer life is not in your heart, something else is occupying it. That’s why the enemy can tempt you, and you fall for it. Who and what are the thieves occupying your heart? It’s time to ask God to clean them up and restart your prayer life.

And then, finally, God can make miracles! His power can manifest. A house of prayer is a house of power. Prayer should be powerful. It should be a solution, a healing, an empowerment. We shouldn’t run to the world to find a solution; our solution is found in our prayer life.

We’ve heard about David Yonggi Cho. He channeled God’s power to change South Korea. Every morning, thousands of Christians gathered and prayed before they even went to work. This is the power of prayer that can even move the economy. He is a man of prayer. His God is the same God we serve.

My wife (Pastor Asangi) and I visited Kerala, India, for the wedding of our brother in Christ. There, we visited the church he goes to. A wonderful church, where the pastors have implemented 24 hours of prayer. For 24 hours, 365 days a year, there are people praying in the church. This is how we should operate as the church of Christ.

A church that doesn’t pray is a church that is based on the wrong motivation only. I went to Sri Lanka and preached at the church where my wife’s uncle is pastoring. He told me that the church had been destroyed by the Buddhists three times. The third time, her uncle took his whole family to one room in the middle and prayed, asking God to put protection over that room. The whole church was destroyed to the ground, but only that room, with him and his family, was still standing. THAT is the power of prayer.

We have been so busy now that we have given up our prayer life. We didn’t even profit from the busyness in our life.

I thank God for David Yonggi Cho, but I can’t stop there. My children need to know that I’m a man of prayer and power. That I will leave a legacy, a powerful testimony that will glorify my God. That is what we all should do as Christians. What are you leaving behind when death takes you?

Now, let’s see the next story. After Jesus left the temple, He was hungry and cursed the fig tree that wasn’t bearing fruit. The tree withered immediately, and His disciples asked how it could be. Jesus said to have faith and not doubt. With Jesus, all things are possible. Believe!

Your Prayer Life Must Bear Fruit

But on the other hand, there’s another lesson that we as the church need to pay attention to here. Jesus cursed the tree that was not bearing fruit. As His followers, we must bear the fruits of the Holy Spirit.

22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,

23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.

Galatians 5:22-23 (KJV)

With these fruits, the world shall recognize us as His disciples. We have to impact where God has planted us, to nourish others. A house of prayer is a house that bears fruit. It is a house of power. In this story, you see that Jesus cursed the tree and it died. Now, you have to know that what you say is powerful. The book of James says good and evil can’t come from the same mouth.

Out of the same mouth proceedeth blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not so to be.

James 3:10

As Christians, we ought to not just read the Bible but practice what it teaches us in our daily lives. Jesus said that if we have faith and do not doubt, we can move mountains. Mountains represent our life’s problems. It doesn’t matter if it looks impossible; He said we can do the same as He did to the fig tree.

Prayer Is Also A Practice of Listening To God

Prayer is not only talking to God but also a practice of listening. Communication with God is two-way. Most of the time we talk to God, but we don’t listen. Then we get angry when we don’t receive the answers. Often, we don’t receive because we misheard Him. We are not patient enough to wait to hear from Him and receive His instructions. The scripture says, “Be still and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10). You have already presented your needs, now you need to know that your God is bigger than your problems. Listen. Ask for His guidance and wait for Him. An excellent example of this is David, the king of Israel and the one who wrote Psalms. He would not even fight a battle if the Lord didn’t give clear instructions to him. We need to do the same. You have the Holy Spirit in you, and you need to learn to listen to Him.

God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?

Numbers 23:19 (KJV)

Believe what you pray, and you shall receive it because our God is not a liar.

Hindrances of Prayer

What are the hindrances to prayer?

• Unconfessed sins (Psalm 66:18)
• Unforgiveness in the heart (Mark 11:25; Matthew 5:23-24)
• Lack of persistence (Luke 11:5-13; Luke 18:1-8)
• Not abiding in the Lord (John 15:5-7)
• Lack of faith (James 1:6-8)
• Selfish motives and envy (1 Samuel 12:23)

Let’s Build Our Prayer Life

Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.

James 5:16 (KJV)

Church, don’t allow discouragement nor disbelief to make you stop praying. Our God is a good Father; let us build up our prayer life.