How to pray effectively

God’s Word has always been the ‘Mother of all Bombs (MOAB).’  When a follower of Jesus uses it in prayer, it is deadly, accurate and terrifying in its effectiveness.  But, the enemy knows that.  So he devised a strategy to defuse it (to destroy the ‘explosive’ element in the bomb).

#  The explosive power of God’s Word

• The reason the Bible has an explosive element is that God’s Word contains the decisive decrees of the Owner and Ruler of the Universe.  His words are the final authority in any situation.
• When we pray Scripture verses into a problem the results are guaranteed.  ‘The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.’ ¹
• For example, ‘Elijah was a man just like us.  He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years.’ ²   The Old Testament background is, “…Elijah… said to Ahab, ‘As the Lord, the God of Israel, lives, whom I serve, there will be neither dew nor rain in the next few years except at my word.’” ³
• Then he proclaimed God’s words again: “After a long time, in the third year, the word of the Lord came to Elijah: ‘Go and present yourself to Ahab, and I will send rain on the land.’”  ⁴   He believed God so ‘Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced its crops.’ ⁵  Elijah’s prayers were based on God’s word, as we base our prayers on what God says in the Bible.

# The evil one’s strategy

• The devil knows how to ‘destroy’ the power of the Bible.  His previous attempts through the ages to destroy the Bible physically, all failed.  He can however, like in the case with Eve, sow doubt about God’s Word.
• That means we need to watch out for doubting theologians and ministers, books written by apostates that deride God, and programs and websites that malign the Bible.

#  Examples of the devil’s ‘arguments’ that sow doubt: 

• The creation account is fiction and not part of Scripture.
• The world-wide flood is a fairy tale.
• Matthew and Luke copied from Mark, so they are just a product of men.
• 2 Peter was not written by Peter, Paul did not write this or that letter, et cetera.
• The resurrection is impossible.
• Miracles are impossible.

Conclusion 

How should we react to the devil’s strategy?  Remember that the devil wages this war against the Bible because it is so powerful and effective.  What a glory to have such a powerful weapon to enjoy and employ in prayer!  And God wants us to pray and use it without ceasing.

References

1. James 5:16b
2. James 5:17
3. 1 Kings 17:1
4. 1 Kings 18:1
5. James 5:18