102/365: The Secret to Powerful Prayer

Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective. - James 5:16

Prayer works if you know how to unleash it.

James shares the secret to make your prayer life powerful... and effective. That secret is your own confession, first.

In other words, get honest with God and don't pretend to be righteous if you aren't doing the work.

Once you clear the air and get real - the prayers you pray for self and others can be powerful and effective .

GO DEEPER: 2 Chronicles 7: 13-16

NEXT STEP: Take a few minutes and confess your sins to God.

Daniel O’Connor

on 04/13/2023 at 06:28 AM

Dear Lord please help me to honor you first and foremost in my life. Give me the strength to peotect my family from the power of the evil one as it spreads within our society. Help me not to judge others too harshly but help me to be an example of Christ to them in my life. Help me to steer my children through the evil influences and confusion that is currently being spread to them in our society. Please use me as your workman to bring them to Jesus. In Jesus name amen.

Old Dude

on 04/13/2023 at 05:29 AM

If You Don’t Fight Lust by John Piper https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/if-you-dont-fight-lust

Robert McFaddin

on 04/13/2023 at 02:56 AM

I’ve been married for 30 years, 6 months, and 17 days. The majority, and I mean the vast majority, has not been good to put it extremely mildly. For YEARS I lied and deceived. I never committed physical adultery. I’m not even sure I had mental adultery. I do know I looked at women in a wrong way - too long, looking at body parts. Never once to my knowledge did I picture anyone naked or imagine sex with anyone. These things I did hurt my wife. I would look and deny, deny, deny, then eventually admit that I had taken a look or second look, or whatever I had previously vehemently denied. As I said, this went on for YEARS. It has SO wounded my wife that it doesn’t matter what I say or do now, she can’t bring herself to believe me. She thinks I still do the same things. I confess that I still notice leggings, cleavage, body shapes at times. I do not look for them. I work in an elementary school. Idk how many staff there are, but out of the 50-70 staff, I am one of about 6 men out of all of them. Our head custodian is also a male. The women are just about everywhere I turn. I seem to take in the whole body at once OR I mindlessly scan from head to toe in a nanosecond. Idk. I do know I don’t want it. I don’t want to want it. I am doing better, but my wife wants absolute perfection. Quite honestly, SO DO I! However, it’s not there yet.

Jonathan D.

on 04/12/2023 at 09:39 PM

Amen Nightrain48. Been hearing that voice for 20 years, after the most powerful experience with God one could have. Of all the possible trials I imagined facing after becoming a child of God, I never imagined it’d be a mental/spiritual attack like that. I NEVER doubted God before then, but I had no power either. I was no threat, then. I pray for your deliverance and mine!

Kevin Miller

on 04/12/2023 at 07:08 PM

Prayer can be a powerful tool. Jesus prayed often. I get frustrated when prayers seem to go unanswered. I know it’s on my end not on God. I like to get things done and I need to be more patient at times trusting God knows best.

Nightrain48

on 04/12/2023 at 06:56 PM

Forgive me lord for listening to the enemy the other day and doubting Gods existence. I didn’t take all thoughts captive and make them obedient to Christ. I choose to listen to Satan “the father of all lies” and that became my identity. Help me Heavenly Father distinguish the lies from the truth. Give me discernment lord and help transform the renewing of my mind.

Chris C

on 04/12/2023 at 02:52 PM

Lord God, I have not always been the righteous person that I know God wants me to be. I confess that I spend too much time thinking about myself instead of others. Lord, I pray that I think like a servant to those who I can pray for, pray with, and be there when they need a friend to listen. Amen.

Brandon Pembleton

on 04/12/2023 at 02:10 PM

Pride is the root of nearly all of my suffering. Even though I know this and understand this it still can get in the way of joy. I was raised to be proud and that further instilled in me by the Marine Corps. A proud warrior. Pride and more pride but what did I spend my life being so proud of? It wasn't selflessly serving others. It was pride in how great I was at serving myself. Talk about bass ackwards. That ego and pride of mine liked to win no matter what or how trivial the thing and no matter what the splash damage could be. All that mattered was serving the sin of pride. I pray that You keep the memory of pride gone wrong alive and well in me God lest I forget and return to those ways. I pray that You guide me in turning the knob of ambition up but temper it in humility and service of others. So I may find the balance. So I can be a full fledged leader once more who isn't afraid of selfish decions like I am a bit now. That I just know the decisions I make are good because they are first rooted in Your work God. I pray for you to remove the hesitancy I experience in these moments and I pray that You keep my goal fixed to You God first and worldy second. Thank you for bringing me so far along that I have this introspection that I never used to have or use. Thank you God for the hard times that forged my faith in You. I love you God amen 🙏

Boyce Moses

on 04/12/2023 at 02:07 PM

Confess your sins to a brother so you can heal, but also be the type of brother that others feel comfortable comfortable confessing to you. You trust them and have to display to them that they can absolutely trust you. Love you Jesus! ❤️🤎🤍🧡

Tommy Williamson

on 04/12/2023 at 02:05 PM

Lord help me not to feel like my wife and trans-daughter look at me as a third class member of the house hold. Help me not to be upset of their private conversations, their ignoring request for things that I need personally. Help me to see the love that they have for me instead of the negative things.

Ashley Jarvis

on 04/12/2023 at 01:51 PM

God, help me to be a channel of your love and grace for others today. Help me to be of selfless service to others today. Help me to recognize my self serving tendencies and quickly return to your path. Help me to respond in love to whatever tests the world presents me today. Help me to hear your truths in a sea of lies today. Help me to stay surrendered to your will today. Help me to reflect glory and praise to you today, and keep none for myself. Help me to remember to not lean on my own understanding, but to fully trust in you and your will. Help me God, amen 🙏🏻

Elliott

on 04/12/2023 at 01:47 PM

my life changed when my ex-wife kicked me out of the house. 2 of my so called friends called and told me how much of a piece of crap I was for treating her the way that I did. nobody knew at that time that we've been having trouble in her marriage for at least 2 years. our whole relationship was based on lust not love. She is well educated and I am not so we didn't have a lot to talk about. At 35 I became fully disabled; that scared me. So my thoughts have been disturbing for a couple years. After I was kicked out of the house 2 of my friends called me and told me how big of a piece of CRAP I was. I lost it and thought of homicide or suicide. I lost 50lbs in 1-3 weeks I was giving up. My actions were different than my thoughts thank God. I was told by a very close friend (brother) of mine that I needed to let it go and give it to God. My story will help another person going through similar times in there relationship. So I started to make progress to recover from a hopeless state of mind and body (AA). I am going to a men's small groups, being active in recovery. trying to enjoy the day that I'm blessed with having today. So I want to pray for my brother that saved me from taking a life, mine or another. I am trusting Jesus (not myself) to guide me in my life. Love you Brother!

Ethan Rogers

on 04/12/2023 at 12:55 PM

So true that my confession must come first. God already knows, but sometimes I don't. I can mask and cover my sins, even to myself through justification, rationalizing, and generalizing that everyone does it. Not to mention how I have a tendency to shift blame to others and other things, like bogus laws and rules that are not self-serving to me. confession, lamenting of my sin, cleansing of heart, praise, gratitude and thanksgiving, intercession, and finally: help me... so I may be of service to God's purpose for me. I ask for help and guidance every day, understanding and that God may reveal Himself more to me. I ask to be able to forgive and so that I may be forgiven. However, I do need to repent, turn from my sin. God has allowed me my faith, revealed so many truths to me through His son Jesusand His Spirit. I have received the Holy Spirit at times of dire need, a spiritual awakening. I pray that I may have God's Spirit present in my consciousness all the more. To be a good steward of His Spirit, I must seek more, I must discipline my walk, clean up my tongue. Faith without works is dead. Prayer does work. Prayer is real. My hope is to having the faith of a mustard seed some day. There can be a lot going on in a mustard seed. God bless you all, my brothers.

Scott Beebe

on 04/12/2023 at 11:31 AM

My wife and I have a teenage daughter with Down syndrome who is still afraid to sleep alone. She may be 14 soon, but her mind is only as old as a 3 to 4 year old. Therefore I sleep in a separate bed than my wife and daughter. The impure thoughts of other women come to mind and my sin becomes active. Lust and fantasy can be my kryptonite. Lord Jesus, please forgive me for my lustful thoughts and dark desires, amen.

102/365: The Secret to Powerful Prayer

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