Part 2 – Pray for Greater
(1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 NIV) (16) Rejoice always, (17) pray continually, (18) give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.
Prayer should be our first response, not our last resort.
(Matthew 6:10 NIV) …your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.
Pray for Greater
(1 Chronicles 4:9-10 NIV) (9) Jabez was more honorable than his brothers. His mother had named him Jabez, saying, “I gave birth to him in pain.” (10) Jabez cried out to the God of Israel, “Oh, that you would bless me and enlarge my territory! Let your hand be with me, and keep me from harm so that I will be free from pain.” And God granted his request.
- Pray for greater blessing.
(Psalms 5:12 NIV) Surely, LORD, you bless the righteous; you surround them with your favor as with a shield.
(Genesis 12:2 NLT) …I will bless you… and you will be a blessing to others.
(Matthew 7:11 NIV) If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!
- Pray for greater influence.
(Colossians 1:9-10 NIV) For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you. We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives, (10) so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God,
(Ephesians 3:20 NIV) 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,
- Pray for greater presence.
(Acts 11:21 NIV) The Lord’s hand was with them, and a great number of people believed and turned to the Lord.
(Zechariah 4:6 NIV) “…This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel: ‘Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,’ says the LORD Almighty.
(2 Corinthians 3:5-6 NIV) (5) Not that we are competent in ourselves to claim anything for ourselves, but our competence comes from God. (6) He has made us competent as ministers of a new covenant–not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.
- Pray for greater protection.
(1 Peter 5:8 NKJV) Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.
(Psalms 3:1-3 NIV) LORD, how many are my foes! How many rise up against me! (2) Many are saying of me, “God will not deliver him.” (3) But you, LORD, are a shield around me, my glory, the One who lifts my head high.
(Matthew 6:13a MSG) Keep us safe from ourselves and the Devil. You’re in charge!
- Prayer is connecting with God so that His will can come to pass in your life.
- Your pain will go away when God’s will is coming to pass in your life.