PRAYER CAN CHANGE YOUR LIFE

IN GOD'S WORD,FROM GENESIS TO REVERATION YOU READ ABOUT SO MANY DIFFERANT CIRCUMSTANCES IN PEOPLE'S LIVES. WE ALSO READ THAT,IN EVERY WAY,PRAYER WAS THE KEY.  MOSES PRAYED AND BROUGHT AFFLICTION ON THE EGYPTIANS,WHICH BROUGHT DELIVERANCE TO GOD'S PEOPLE.  MOSES PRAYED AND THE RED SEA PARTED TO MAKE A PATH FOR GOD'S PEOPLE.  JOSHUA PRAYED AND THE JORDAN RIVER PARTED TO MAKE A PATH AGAIN FOR GOD'S PEOPLE. ELIAJAH PRAYED THAT IT WOULDN'T RAIN, AND IT DIDN'T FOR THREE AND A HALF YEARS.  HE THEN PRAYED FOR RAIN AND IT RAINED. SO YOU CAN SEE THAT ALLTHROUGH THROUGH THE OLD TESTAMENT,PRAYER WAS THE KEY FOR GOD'S PEOPLE AND GOD'S LEADERS.  BUT YOU SAY, WE NOW LIVE IN THE NEW TESTAMENT. SO WHAT! GOD DOES NOT CHANGE!  NEITHER DOES HIS METHODS.  JESUS PRAYED OFTEN AND ALL THROUGH HIS EARTHLY MINISTRY.  HE FOUND STRENGTH IN PRAYER.  AND IF JESUS NEEDED PRAYER,SO DO I. SO DO YOU. SO DOES THE CHURCH. THE DECIPLES ONCE WAS POWERLESS TO CAST OUT A DEMON AND BRING HEALING.  JESUS HAD TO POINT OUT TO THEM THAT THESE THINGS ONLY HAPPEN THROUGH PRAYER AND FASTING. WE NEED TO LEARN AND UNDERSTAND THAT NO MATTER WHAT OUR CIRCUMSTANCES ARE,PRAYER IS THE KEY.  PRAYER CAN AND WILL CHANGE THINGS.  JAMES SAID, "IF YOU ARE IN TROUBLE,PRAY".  BUT WE ALSO NEED TO LEARN THAT MANY TIMES IN LIFE A SIMPLE FIVE MINUTE OR LESS PRAYER JUST ISN'T ENOUGH.  JESUS MADE THIS CRYSTAL CLEAR WHEN HETOLD HIS DISCIPLES THAT SOME THINGS HAPPEN ONLY THROUGH PRAYER AND FASTING.  THIS COULD INVOLVE A DAY,A NIGHT,OR EVEN DAY'S. JESUS PRAYED AND FASTED FORTY DAYS AND FORTY NIGHTS BEFORE BEGAN HIS MINISTRY.  JESUS PRAYED ALL NIGHT BEFORE HE CHSE HIS DISCIPLES. SOME PREACHERS DON'T EVEN THINK ABOUT THEIR MESSAGE UNTIL THEY OPEN THEIR BIBLE ON SUNDAY MORNING READY TO PREACH.  THEY SAY GOD WILL GIVE THEM WHAT TO SAY. I'M SORRY.  BUT I JUST DON'T BELIEVE GPD WORKS THAT WAY.  IF WE ARE TO GET PEOPLE SAVED THROUGH PREACHING THEN PREACHER'S NEED TO PRAY. THEY NEED TO PRAY AND FAST.  AND THEN NOT JUST ON SUNDAY,BUT ALL WEEK. AND WHEN WE PRAY AND FAST,WE HAVE TO DO IT WITH THE RIGHT MOTIVE, OTHERWISE NOTHING WILL HAPPEN, IF I WAS TO PRAY AND FAST I NEED AND WANT TO LOSE WEIGHT THROUGH THE FASTING, THEN I'M WASTING MY TIME AND GOD'S TIME.  WHY?  BECAUSE MY MOTIVE IS WRONG. I NEED TO LOSE WEIGHT THROUGH OTHER MEANS,NOT FASTING AND PRAYING. THE DISCIPLES JUST COULD NOT UNDERSTAND THAT DAY,WHY,THEY COULD NOT CAST OUT THAT DEVIL AND HEAL THAT BOY. BUT THEY WOULD LEARN..AND ON DOWN THE ROAD THEY WOULD UNDERSTAND.  BECAUSE ON DOWN THE ROAD PETER AND JOHN THROUGH THE HOLY SPIRIT MADE A CRIPPLE MAN JUMP UP AND WALK.  SOMETHING THEY JUST COULD NOT DO UNTIL THEY LEARNED TO PRAY AND FAST.  WHICH THEY LEARNED THROUGH THE MASTER.HIMSELF. AND WHICH WE MUST LEARN THROUGH THE HOLY SPIRIT. SOME TIMES,OR EVEN MANYTIMES A SIMPLE PRAYER IS ENOUGH.  SUCH AS AT THE TABLE FOR OUR FOOD,AT BED TIME,OR VISITING THE SICK.  BUT IN THE REAL HEAT OF THE BATTLE,WHEN THE EVIL FORCES HAVE US SURROUNDED,WHEN IT SEEMS THAT LIFE IS GOING TO CRUSH US,A SIMPLE PRAYER IS NOT ENOUGH.  IT TAKES PRAYER AND FASTING.  THESE THINGS IN LIFE ARE REAL.  AND REAL THINGS HAPPEN THROUGH REAL PRAYER.  AND REAL PRAYER IS PRAYER AND FASTING.  JESUS SAID THESE THINGS ONLY HAPPEN THROUGH PRAYER AND FASTING. WE SAY WE WANT A REAL REVIVAL IN THE CHURCH.  WE WANT TO SEE PEOPLE SAVED. WE WANT TO SEE MIRACLES. WE WANT TO SEE THE CHURCH WITH GREAT POWER AGAIN.  GOD WANTS THIS TOO! BUT HOW BAD DO WE WANT IT.  THESE THINGS AND MORE CAN HAPPEN AGAIN. WE CAN HAVE ALL THE POWER OF THE EARLY NEW TESTAMENT CHURCH BUT WE DO NOT HAVE IT. WE SEEM TO HAVE LOST OUR POWER. WHY?  HAS GOD CHANGED?  NO!!!  GOD NEVER CHANGES!  PRAISE HIS NAME! SO WHERE IS THE PROBLEM?  US!!  WE HAVE CHANGED!  WE DON'T SEEM TO WANT IT BAD ENOUGH.  WE HAVE BECOME TO COMPLACANT.WE HAVE BECOME TOO BUSY. WE DON'THAVE THE TIME.  WE HAVE LET TOO MANY UNIMPORTANT THINGS CREEP INTO OUR LIVES THAT HAVE CROWDED OUT THE REALLY IMPORTANT THINGS AND WE HAVE BECOME BLIND TO THE REAL ANSWER OF WHY THE CHURCH HAS LOST ITS POWER OVER THE LAST TWO MILLENIUMS.  NOW,IF EVERY REAL BORN AGAIN CHRISTIANS,NOT THE SO CALLED, BUT EVERY SAVED AND SANCTIFIED CHRISTIAN WOULD STOP,GET SERIOUS,GET SERIOUS WITH GOD,COME TOGETHER IN PRAYER AND FASTING,WITH NO SCHEDUALS TO KEEP,EMPTY OUR MINDS OF EVERYTHING EXCEPT GOD,AND PRAY AND FAST UNTIL.  UNTIL WHAT?  UNTIL THE ANSWER COMES.  UNTIL THE POWER FALLS ON US AS IT DID TWO THOUSAND YEARS AGO IN THE UPPER ROOM.  THEN AND ONLY THEN WILL WE SEE THE MIRACLE THE EARLY CHURCH SAW. WE WOULD HAVE TO. BECAUSE GOD HASN'T CHANGED. HE WILL STILL WORK THE SAME WAY TODAY AS HE DID THEN.  GOD IS NO RESPECTOR OF PEOPLE.  HE WANTS AND IS WILLING TO DO FOR US WHAT HE DID FOR THE EARLY NEW TESTAMENT CHURCH. BUT WE MUST REMEMBER HOWEVER,THAT SINCE GOD HAS NOT CHANGED,NEITHER HAS HIS METHODS.  WE MUST BE WILLING TO PAY THE SAME PRICE THEY PAID. WE MUST BE WILLING TO GET SERIOUS AS THEY WERE.  EVERY BATTLE,EVERY WAR THAT HAS EVER BEEN FAUGHT,HAS NOT BEEN FAUGHT WITHOUT A PRICE.  WE IN AMERICA ARE FREE. BUT THAT FREEDOM WHEN THE DAY OF PENTECOST CAME,THEY WERE ALL TOGETHER IN ONE PLACE. (ACTS 2:1A)NIV)  WHAT WERE THEY DOING?  PLAYING CARDS?