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  EFFECTIVE PRAYER
  by Zac Poonen
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Summary: This sermon emphasizes the importance of prayer as a continuous
attitude rather than a mere ritual, highlighting the need to
persistently seek God's presence and protection against spiritual
attacks. It encourages believers to pray without ceasing, focusing on
reclaiming what the enemy has stolen in their lives through Jesus'
sacrifice. The sermon also stresses the power of united prayer, the
removal of prideful individuals from the church, and the cultivation of
humility and trust in the Lord's presence.

Topics: "Continuous Prayer", "Spiritual Warfare"
Scripture References: Luke 18:1, 1 Thessalonians 5:17, Matthew 18:20, Zephaniah 3:11, Zephaniah 3:13, Zephaniah 3:15, Zephaniah 3:17

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DESCRIPTION
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This sermon emphasizes the importance of prayer as a continuous attitude
rather than a mere ritual, highlighting the need to persistently seek
God's presence and protection against spiritual attacks. It encourages
believers to pray without ceasing, focusing on reclaiming what the enemy
has stolen in their lives through Jesus' sacrifice. The sermon also
stresses the power of united prayer, the removal of prideful individuals
from the church, and the cultivation of humility and trust in the Lord's
presence.

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CONTENT
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One part of following Jesus is to pray. And the important thing is to
recognize that for Jesus, prayer was never a ritual, nor was it a
formality that he had to somehow complete. If we understand what prayer
really is, then we will understand some of those very difficult commands
about prayer in the New Testament.

For example, the Bible never says pray for five minutes every day. Those
are good suggestions to people who don't do it at all. It never says
pray for five hours every day.

What the Bible does say, what Jesus said in Luke 18 verse 1, was he told
them a parable to show that at all times they should pray and not lose
heart. So how often should we pray? At all times. And that is confirmed
in another verse which the apostles wrote in 1 Thessalonians 5 where
Paul says, 1 Thessalonians 5 verse 17, Pray without seizing.

You probably heard me say this before, that when I was a young
Christian, I read about these people who used to pray for two hours a
day and four hours a day and prayed all night. And those days I was very
challenged by that because I was young, ignorant of the Bible. And I
thought, boy, that's a great thing.

But as I read the Bible, I discovered some things. One was, Jesus said
when you pray, don't let anybody know how long you prayed or where you
prayed. So I said, how in the world do people discover that these people
prayed for so long? Jesus specifically said, when you go to pray, don't
let anybody know.

Lock the room. Don't let them know at all. And so I said, if I obey
that, nobody is ever going to know when I prayed or what I prayed.

And so when somebody asked me, Brother Zak, how long do you pray? I
said, you want me to disobey scripture now? The Bible says, pray without
seizing. So I tried to understand that verse. And I asked myself, what
is it that I do in my life without seizing? One thing, breathing.

Whether I'm asleep or awake, I breathe without seizing. So then I
realized, because I like to think in pictures, I find when I read the
scripture and I see a picture, I can understand it better. That's why
you find me using illustrations.

Jesus used illustrations all the time. So then I realized, my prayer
must be like my breathing. Which is not something I have to be conscious
of.

Sometimes I'm conscious of my breathing. You know, if I've got a little
difficulty in breathing, like wheezing or something, then I'm conscious
I'm breathing. But most of the time I'm not conscious that I'm
breathing, just like you.

But I'm breathing. That's how I live. In fact, I'll be conscious when I
stop breathing.

If suddenly you stop breathing, that's the time you're conscious. And
the proof that you're breathing is that you're alive. You're in touch
with reality.

So what I learned from that is that there must be an attitude of prayer
more than an act of prayer all the time. So in that context, Jesus said
in Luke 18, when he said that men should always pray, now I'm trying to
convert you to my understanding of prayer, which has liberated me from
bondage, liberated me from boasting about how much I pray, liberated me
from even telling other people how much you pray. You should pray
without ceasing.

If it doesn't happen, you work towards it. There are many commands in
scripture which we don't immediately obey, rejoice always. But don't
give up.

Say, Lord, I want to get there. Be anxious for nothing. It may not have
happened yet, but if you fight it, you can get there.

You believe there are commands in scripture I have not yet reached, but
I want to reach the top of the mountain, you can get there. So you can
say, Lord, I'm not yet praying without ceasing. I want to come to that
life where prayer, whether I'm conscious or not conscious, my whole
attitude is one of prayer.

That means if I wake up in the middle of the night, for example, I think
of Jesus. I wake up in the morning, I think of Jesus. Because that's the
most important reality for me.

It should be like that for you. It doesn't happen immediately. But if
you work towards anything the Bible has commanded and the Lord sees
you're serious about getting there, you will get there.

That I can assure you. But it may take time, it may take a few years.
And during that time, the Lord will see whether you're persisting.

So in Luke 18 verse 1, where he said you must always pray, in the King
James Version it says like that, may not always to pray. And then he
gave a story. The story was of a widow who kept coming to a judge in
verse 2 and 3, saying protect me against my enemy.

A lot of things we can learn from that. Whenever you read a parable, try
and meditate on it. If a widow has to come herself to a judge, it shows
us two things.

She doesn't have a husband, and she doesn't have a son, and probably
doesn't even have a daughter. Because if she had a son or a daughter,
the daughter or son would go and speak to the judge on behalf of the
mother. So here is a widow with no children and no husband, and she has
to come herself.

She's helpless. Nobody in the world to help her. And she's not coming
asking for money.

She's not coming asking for any gifts. She's only saying, my enemy is
troubling me. Protect me from my enemy.

So what I learned from that is, the main thing I come to the Lord in
prayer for is protect me from Satan. Don't let Satan harm me. Not only
that, what I picture in my mind is the widow living in a compound, and
the neighbor trying to encroach into her property and trying to take
some of her property by moving the borderline or something like that.

Taking her property. Why do I say taking her property? Because he says,
give me legal protection. That means, what is my right? I'm not asking
for what is not my right.

I'm not asking for general help. It's my right to have this property.
But this enemy is coming in.

Please give me my right. So that the enemy does not take anything that
belongs to me. That should be the main burden of our prayer.

Lord, I don't want the enemy, which is the devil, to take anything which
has been purchased. Think of the widow. Her husband maybe bought a bit
of land for her and gave it to her.

And the enemy is taking it. And our divine husband has purchased
something for us on Calvary and given it to us. And the enemy is trying
to take it from us.

And if you look into your life, you'll find the enemy has taken many
things from you. For example, the Lord has purchased for you a life
completely free from anxiety. But the enemy has taken off a lot of that.

He's making you anxious about 101 things. Almost most of the property is
stolen. The Lord has purchased for you a life where you give thanks
always, rejoice in all situations.

The enemy has occupied that also. The Lord has purchased a life for you
where you can love everybody even if they hate you. But the enemy has
occupied that.

Think of the areas in your life that Jesus purchased for you. A life of
freedom from anxiety and fear and complaining and grumbling. And a life
where you can love everyone even if they don't love you.

Stolen, stolen, stolen. And you can sit back and say, OK, the enemy has
stolen it. Think of the habit you have of gossiping, backbiting.

It's also areas which the devil has stolen in your life. You don't see
it. You would not allow your neighbor to occupy three quarters of your
property like that on earthly things because earthly things mean so much
to you.

But the spiritual stealing of what Jesus purchased for you on the cross,
which the devil takes away, you ignore it. Thereby you're saying to God,
Lord, earthly things mean more to me than spiritual things. Whatever I
may say on Sunday morning, I will not let any neighbor take my earthly
property or steal my bank account.

I will check that nobody has hacked into my bank account about spiritual
things. You know, when the Lord sees that that is your attitude to
spiritual things and what is your attitude to earthly things and those
earthly things mean more to you, OK, you can take care of your earthly
things. But I'll tell you this, you will lose out spiritually.

I want to say to you in Jesus' name, from my own experience for more
than 50 years, seek the kingdom of God and His righteousness first. And
I promise you, everything that you need will be added to you. You won't
have to ask for it.

You won't have to fight for it. Just fight for your right to possess
what Jesus has purchased on the cross. And the judge said, no, I don't
have time for you, I don't have time for you.

But she kept on coming. That is the meaning of pray always. I keep on
going to the Lord, saying, Lord, I haven't yet got there, I haven't yet
got there, I haven't got all my property back.

There's still some more left, there's still about 25% left. I want it, I
want it, I want it. I want 100% of what Jesus purchased for me on the
cross.

I hope there'll be a few people like that here. I tell you, you'll be
amazed to see what God can accomplish through you, even if you're a
sister, even if you're weak, helpless like that widow. I don't think
there's a single widow sitting here who is as helpless as this one.

If you're a widow, there are many people in this church who are ready to
help you. But this widow had nobody. She was more helpless than the most
helpless person sitting here.

And she accomplished, she got what she wanted. And that's what Jesus is
saying. God will bring, verse 7, justice for His elect who cry to Him
day and night.

There again, we see what prayer is like. It's breathing. You breathe day
and night.

And there is a prayer, you can't keep on crying day and night. What does
He mean? He means there's an attitude in your heart that's always
seeking the Lord, saying, I'm not going to give one inch to the devil.
Think of some of your children who are not wholeheartedly following the
Lord.

What are you doing about it? Are you giving some territory to the devil?
No. Say, Lord, I will not give one inch to the devil. Not even one inch
of my children, the area of my children.

Not even one inch to the devil. Do it like that. I mean, I pray like
that for my grandchildren now.

So we must, we have a responsibility to cry to God day and night. We
cannot pray for the whole world. We cannot pray for all of India.

Some people say pray for India. I don't do that. John 17 and verse 9.
Jesus said, I do not pray for the world.

People ask me, why don't you pray for India? I don't pray for India. I
don't pray for Karnataka. I don't pray for the world.

I follow Jesus. But I pray for those whom God has chosen. Lord, are
there people whom you have called, who have not yet found you? I want to
find them.

People who should become disciples. I want to find them. He says, I pray
for those whom you have given me.

And I believe there are people whom God has chosen, whom God wants to
draw to himself in India, in other countries. I say, Lord, bring them
in. Bring them in.

We want them. This is what we prayed for 40 years. Lord, is there
anybody seeking a godly life here? Please bring them to us or bring us
to them.

That's what we've always prayed. We base it on John 17 and 9. All these
people who say, Oh Lord, I pray for Karnataka. What are they praying?
That's a very pious prayer that makes them look very spiritual.

Garbage. They are trying to be more spiritual than Jesus. Jesus said, go
into the world and make disciples.

So I'm only looking, I'm praying for those who want to be disciples.
Lord, I want to find them. We need to pray, but we need to pray for
those who want to be disciples.

And that God will bring them to us. Not all those who want to go to
heaven. They can go to some other churches.

But we are called to make disciples. These are the things we pray for,
that whatever the enemy has taken, we want to possess back. Those who
are under the grip of the devil right now, since Satan has been bound,
that we can take his property from him.

That we need to pray. So when we come together, the reason why we pray
together, is because Jesus said, there is more power in two people
praying, than in one person praying. Matthew 18 and verse 20.

He said, if two or three are gathered in my name, I am in the midst. So
that's why we come together to pray. There is a power in praying
together.

I find that it's easy to pray just alone, even if there are other
believers around. In my mind, for example, if I am alone praying, that's
good. But when there are other believers just sitting there, and I pray
in my mind, it's much easier.

Because the presence of Jesus, listen to this, the presence of Jesus is
more there, when there are two people who are agreed. It says in verse
19, they must be agreed. That means they are not in conflict.

If you and your wife are in conflict, then Jesus is not there. I might
as well tell you, he is not there. You can put a board there saying,
Christ is the head of this house.

He is not there. Because the two people living in that house are not in
agreement. That's what the devil is interested in.

So when we come together, we want to, at least from your heart, make
sure your heart is clear and open, towards everybody sitting here. And
then, we can spend a little time in prayer. We can pray for personal
needs, we can pray for church needs, we can pray for the country.

We can pray for the coming elections here in Karnataka, and the rest of
the country later on. We can pray for the direction things are going.
And especially, we want to pray that those who are seeking for a godly
life will come here.

And we also pray that the hypocrites sitting in CFC will get exposed one
way or the other, and will be driven out one way or the other. That also
we pray for. Lord, bring in those who are seeking for a godly life, and
expose one way or the other.

Expose the hypocrites who are sitting here, so that they don't pollute
the atmosphere, and drive them out. Send them away. That is God's will.

He gathers, and He sends away. Isn't that a good prayer to pray? We are
praying according to scripture in the book of Zephaniah in the Old
Testament. Zephaniah is almost towards the end of the Old Testament.

Two or three books from the end of the Old Testament is Zephaniah. And
in Zephaniah chapter 3, this is what the Lord says. In Zephaniah chapter
3, verse 11, in the middle of that verse, the Lord says, I will remove
from your midst all the proud, boastful people.

And in my church, no one will be proud and haughty. But when they are
removed, then I will leave among you a humble, lowly people who trust in
the Lord. That is the prayer I pray.

Lord Jesus, according to your word, remove from our midst those who are
proud, those who exalt themselves, those who are critical of others and
backbiting. Remove them. And leave among us a humble, lowly people who
are leaning upon the Lord.

Verse 13, who will do no wrong, who will tell no lies. Ya Lord, those
are the people we want. Because then we can say, the Lord is in our
midst.

Verse 15, middle. The Lord is in your midst. Again in verse 17.

The Lord is in your midst. He will exalt over you with joy. It's the
same thing we read in Matthew 18.20. Why do we want the Lord to remove
the proud and leave the humble? So that the Lord can be in our midst.

The church is going through a constant purification. There are people
who come, the Lord cleanses and some are removed. And some still are not
yet removed.

God will remove them. And some have not yet come, who need to come. So,
there will always be that.

That's why we say, we welcome those who come, but they get sifted here,
they get examined, and some people get offended and go. And others
remain. God is the one who does the sifting.

But ultimately there will be a strong church that fulfills God's
purposes. So that is the direction in which we pray. So that's a good
thing to pray like that for our personal life, and for our home, for our
children, and for our church, and then for the country as well.

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Video: https://sermonindex2.b-cdn.net/UCfbZyP7Mg8.mp4
Source: https://sermonindex.net/speakers/zac-poonen/effective-prayer/
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