Prayer Works!

James 5:16 says, 'The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.' Powerful prayer works! The original Greek of the Bible uses a special word for power: dunamis. It signifies miraculous, wonder-working power. From it we get the words 'dynamo' (which generates energy) and 'dynamite' (the explosive). If you want prayer to work, to change your circumstances, then it must generate power. And it has to be like dynamite. If you put an ordinary explosive against a wall, its energy disperses into space. But dynamite does not dissipate its energy - it pushes the wall down! That's what our prayer must be like. It's got to move mountains! We must learn how to talk to God until our praying will move every mountain, every obstruction, everything that stands between us and the fulfilment of God's promises.

When we are dealing with the things of God, we are dealing with impossibilities, because the Bible says that the things which are impossible with men are possible with God. Over the years I have learnt that if you are going to ask God for something, ask Him for the impossible! When you are praying for something that is possible, your own mind recognises that it’s possible, it can happen. If I were spend the night in prayer asking for £10, it's quite reasonable that somebody could give me £10. But if I were to ask God for £10,000, that's almost impossible. A quarter of a million pounds – I don't know anybody who can just write a cheque for that amount. When you are in the realm of the impossible, you are getting into the realm where only God can answer. The exciting thing about living as a Christian and working for the Lord is that we are dealing with things that are impossible to men; so when the answer comes, we know that only God could have done it! I believe God allows problems to come in order to drive us to prayer. - It's when we are in our extremities of need that God steps in and takes over. Then when you receive your miracle, you'll realise there are no impossibilities, only limitless possibilities with God.

Do you know this Jesus?

When I speak, I always begin with the Bible, the Word of God. It is the most up-to-date 'smartphone', because it is the only one where you can actually hear God speaking to you. Sometimes I speak from Matthew 8:23 where Jesus entered into a ship and His disciples followed Him. There was such a great storm that the ship was covered with the waves, but Jesus was asleep. The disciples woke Him saying, 'Save us, we're dying!' Jesus responded, 'Why are you so afraid, O you of little faith?!' Then He rebuked the winds and the sea and there was a great calm. But the men marvelled saying, 'What kind of man is this that the winds and the waves obey Him?!' - Isn't it interesting that even after seeing all the miracles that Jesus performed, they still didn't recognise who He was.

I want to introduce people to the real Jesus. In this Bible story the disciples were with Jesus in the boat. A storm came. I know Galilee and how violent these can be. Even these strong fishermen were afraid! There comes a time when there are storms in all our lives and we are afraid, life is not easy. Now they were sinking and Jesus was fast asleep, in the boat! They called out, 'Don't You care?! Help us! Save us!' - How often do we feel the same way? We are screaming, 'Aren't You interested? How can You love me when You allow all these problems?!' With authority, Jesus spoke to the wind, and the sea became calm! Jesus reveals Himself through the miracles when He is in the boat with us.

Jesus changes lives. Every one of us has to go through storms. I've had cancer twice, but both times I've been healed by a miracle. We all need Jesus in the boat with us when we go through these storms, or else we drown under the crashing waves. But when He is by our side we can walk on stormy seas. The great hymn writer put it so profoundly: 'I've had many tears and sorrows, I've had questions for tomorrow, there's been times I didn't know right from wrong. But in every situation, God gave me blessed consolation that my trials only come to make me strong. Through it all, I've learned to trust in Jesus, I've learned to trust in God. Through it all, I've learned to depend upon His Word… I thank God for the mountains, and I thank Him for the valleys, I thank Him for the storms He brought me through. For if I'd never had a problem, I wouldn't know God could solve them, I'd never know what faith in God could do' (Andrae Crouch, Through it All).

Podcast: There is power in the Gospel

Current Podcast: Sunday 1 February 2015 (13 minute audio)

There is power in the Gospel

My father was born in Morriston, South Wales, in 1892 and was there in the great Welsh Revival. When the power of God fell, the churches were filled, there was not enough room for the people. The power of God was so strong that ungodly coal miners would go down in the lift and fall on their faces under powerful Holy Ghost conviction. We are seeing the same today across the former Soviet countries. 

Click here to listen (to download right click on the player and select 'save as')

Claiming the promises of God

How can you live the abundant life of God if you don't know what that life is? How can you take the blessing if you don't know what it is? How can you speak with tongues, prophesy, heal the sick without the gift of the Holy Spirit? How can you receive the Holy Spirit without first seeing it in the Word of God?

God speaks to us through the Bible. It is important we search the Scripture to find the answers we are looking for. If I am facing a specific situation, I will search the Bible for an answer to that problem. An easy way to start searching is a key-word search in the concordance, or do as I do, I read a specific book in the Bible until God speaks to me. If something is in your heart, then God will lead you by the Holy Spirit to what He wants to say to you, if you will search the Scriptures.

We have to look into the Word of God - we have to possess every promise with the same tenacity and faith that Joshua had when he conquered the Promised Land. 'Eat' your Bible for breakfast, for lunch and at night. Do you know the promises of God? Have you seen the promises of God? Before you read the Bible pray, 'Lord, open my eyes. Speak to me through Your Word. Give me the faith to believe and possess every promise.'

God's promises are wonderful and available for you in this life, not merely when you die. You can call on the Lord and be healed, you can be filled with the Holy Spirit. For the believer it is the most wonderful life, so full of the joy and the glory of God, you will never want to go back to the old way.