The Power of Prayer

By Gary Massari - Written with Lisa Wheeler

And I say unto you, Ask and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. For everyone that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be open. Luke 11:9-10 KJV

God’s authority…

The power of prayer lies in the authority and promises that God gave us in the scriptures. When Jesus said, “And I say unto you” he is giving you his authority to ask, seek, find, and knock to open the answer to your prayer. I have given you authority to trample on snakes, scorpions, and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you. Luke 10:19

Calling the Twelve to him, he began to send them out two by two and gave them authority over impure spirits Mark 6:7

Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do, because I go unto my Father. John 14:12

When a person is born again of the spirit of God, he Transends into God’s kingdom here on earth. This same person receives the Holy Spirit of God, the same Spirit that created the world and universe. In the beginning was the WORD, and the Word was with God, and all things were created by him, and nothing was created without Him. Can you phantom the very God who created all things lives in YOU! And this authority was granted to you by Jesus Christ the Son of God, when he conquered sin and death, and gave us life in the Spirit of God. Romans 8:1-2

God’s promises…

When you pray the promises of God, you are acting not only in His authority, but in his will.

In this sermon we are going to review the scriptures for God’s promises concerning prayer so you as a person whether believer or not can get a hold of God for every need in your life and fully trust him!

Let me share this testimony…years ago when I was called to evangelism and sent to a foreign country I was worried about my daughter Janene, because she was not yet saved, and seem to ignore my witness to her. I am sure many parents have experienced this same pain and concern over their children.

At the time she was a little on the wild side, staying out all night defying our wishes, most likely smoking marijuana and living a life of sex, drinking and drugs! Though she hid it from us we knew, parents always know, God gives us an insight to such things. When I was called to ministry leaving the states of course I was worried about her ruining her life. I am sure many parents feel the same way, and no matter how we try, it just seems are advice and encouragement goes to the waste side while our children’s influences hold a stronger reach than ours.

While in England, I started preying crying out to God to save my daughter, night after night for almost a year I prayed and prayed. I wouldn’t give up!!! Then out of nowhere my daughter called me and said these words, “Dad I met Jesus, I know him now, I am saved!” My heart jumped for joy! I knew God was teaching me the power of prayer, and from that point on I have never doubted the prayers I have asked of God.

One of the biggest reasons I hear why prayer is not answered is lack of faith, second reason, not praying the will of God, and third reason praying for the pleasures of this world not in alignment of God’s plan or will.

Let’s really look at the scriptures now…

The apostles came to him and asked; Lord, increase our faith. And the Lord said, If ye had the faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye might say unto this sycamine tree, be thou plucked up by the roots, and be thou planted in the sea; and it should obey you. Luke 17: 5-6

When I read this scripture, I thought how weak my faith really is, so I asked him. Lord what does this mean? Before I share what he revealed to me, (let me share that I try very hard to pray the word of God and read the bible in the spirit of God. They that worship him, must worship in Spirit and in Truth). God shared with me that it isn’t that we lack faith, it takes very little faith to pray, the fact I am praying is an act of faith. He showed me that all of heaven rejoices even when a non-believer prays or a sinner prays, that he hears all prayer!

There are over 40 scriptures in the Bible that deal with prayer, here are a few…

Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-17 Pray without ceasing means God wants to be in communication with us, his heart and desire is to constantly hear from us. I was going to wait to share this - God’s presence is with me now and my tears started flowing! You see His love is endless, its everlasting, his understanding is beyond our understanding, it is impossible to please God without faith and prayer. Prayer is our connection to God!

Every morning, He wakes me up, and I love it, and wait for him! I get up excited to spend time with him. I start by praising him and worshiping him. I will enter his gates with thanksgiving in my heart and into his courts with praise! Palm 100:4 As I continue to praise and worship him his anointing comes and gets stronger, the more I praise him and worship him with thanksgiving in my heart his presence grows and grows to the point I can hardly stand up!

Sometimes it takes a few minutes, other times it takes longer, but he always comes. I ask him, “Lord fill my cup and take me up”, I want to be in this throne room so bad. There is a difference when reaching for his glory, then simply being in his presence! In his glory the supernatural happens, its like seeing in the spirit, I have experienced several healings in the glory room. I share this only because I want you the reader to have this relationship with your God that he has taught me, because he loves all of us and wants to have communion with all of us. I am nothing special, I just love him and cherish every minute with him. After an hour of mediation and prayer I clear my mind of all thoughts and lay on the floor and just listen to him speak to me. But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint. Isaiah 40:31

In his presence I feel the peace of heaven, I see in the spirit, and several times have received healings in my body! I call this deep presence the glory room and my prayer is that whoever reads this sermon will experience this and seek him with all their heart, mind and soul. He is waiting for you now!

Concerning praying in his will, when you spend time in the glory room, he reveals his will to you and your calling in ministry. At times he gives me sermons or a prophetic word, at other times I see people and healings. One time a saw two men with sickness in their legs walking on the sidewalk and the next morning I met one of them in a homeless line waiting for cookies and Coco at a homeless ministry. God will show you what he wants of you, when you spend time with him.

God’s promise to us… And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men shall see visions. Joel 2:28

I think the biggest problem with unanswered prayer is people do not spend the time with him, seeking him with all they have. Read this base scripture of this sermon again…

Persistence is a big part of hearing from God, he is not a part time God, he wants all of us and is not willing to share us!

Pray the scriptures…

This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hear us 1 John 5:14 Praying his will is paramount to him answering your prayers, think about this, if you are praying for something that is outside his will, then it is outside his plan, then you may be praying that something harmful could happen to you or it may just be his timing. Sometimes we are not ready or prepared for his blessings on our lives, other times we are very impatient and unwilling to wait on the Lord.

When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motive, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures. James 1:7 Wealth is not God’s will…Seek first the kingdom of God, and all things will be added on to you!

God’s will and plan is so wonderful, if you would just seek him with all your heart mind and soul.

I remember praying to become wealthy, and at the time I was reading every motivational book I could get my hands on. For years I chased money and not God. Here is the most amazing thing, when I came back to God, and rededicated my life to him, and put him first in my life, he prospered me and gave me the most wonderful and beautiful company and wife anyone could dream about.

I prayed and prayed for wealth, and here is another thing, my marriage suffered, and I almost lost my wife who I now have been married for 40 years. Today because I came back to God and seeking him every day, my marriage is filled with love and caring, and my wife is my angel who stood by me when I was so misguided. She rubs my back every night to put me to sleep and snuggles me every morning when I wake up to keep me warm. My wife was an answer to prayer, every girlfriend I ever had was wrong for me, when I prayed for the right woman in my life, I remember praying for every detail, even for her beautiful figure and face. When I first saw her, she looked amazing, stunning, and I never thought in a thousand years she would be interested in me! The connection was almost immediate, and when I introduced myself, she was so warm and caring, then I found out she was a top model. I hit the jackpot! More importantly, she loved me, and made me feel it, I never would dream that someone would love me for 40 years the way she does.

God answers prayer…

While at the dentist office, waiting for my teeth to be cleaned, the Holy Spirit told me the hygienist has cancer and to pray for her. I asked her if I can pray for her, and she told me she was a Christian and had been praying for God to heal her of cancer. As I prayed, I saw in the Spirit her cancer dripping out of her body.

This couple had been praying for three years to have a baby, and when they told me I heard the Lord say, “tell them tonight they will conceive.” Three months later they sent me a thank you card telling me they were having a girl.

I went to visit sick people in the hospital, and as I walked in this room where this elder lady told me if I would pray for me God would heal her, so I prayed for her. Three days later I returned to see how she was doing and the lady in the bed next to her told me they sent her home for being a pest. She went from room to room telling everyone Jesus healed her and when the doctor came to her bedside, he showed her two Xray’s, one with a tumor the size of a peach and other with no tumor. She said the doctors asked her where it went!

I visited a homeless camp and met a blind man who asked me to take him to a Mario Murillo revival meeting, so later that day I picked him up and took him to the meeting. While in the meeting Mario prayed over blind people and as we were leaving the meeting he told me he could partially see, and his eyes were opening. Praise God!

I met Pastor Glenn who came to the same meeting walking in a walker barely able to walk. My friend Lisa prayed for him and the next day when he came to the meeting he was walking without his walker! God healed him completely.

Here are healing scriptures to help you to pray for people…

But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. Isaiah 53:5

Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed. 2 Peter 2:24

Scriptures to help you pray…

Look to the Lord and his strength; seek his face always. I Chronicles 16:11

I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people Ephesians 1:18

Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. Jeremiah 29:27

Is anyone among you in trouble? Let them pray. Is anyone happy? Let them sing songs of praise. James 17:15

Therefore, I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. Mark 11:24

Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up Luke 18:1

In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. Romans 8:26

According to Kathryn Kuhlman, famous women evangelist, the power of prayer is the greatest gift we can receive from God. No greater power to mankind than the power felt in the throne room of God.

Think about the days, the weeks, the months, and the years that were spent without prayer, then compare them to the times you live with God in prayer. I would not trade one day of my life without prayer with God.

The art of prayer

The problem is people expect results without any practice of the art of prayer. Thank about learning to play a musical instrument, the hours it takes to become good at it. How can we possibly think we can become good at praying the power of prayer without time and practice.

You must learn to listen, learn and obey, without all three prayers will be a simple farce with no affect. Prayer is not a luxury; it is a life. Kathryn used to say, “I have learned a long time ago that prayer is a life exactly of self-giving. Prayer is self-giving, it must be backed up by you, or the answer will not be backed up by God.”

Prayer involves a mutual self-giving, you give yourself to him and he gives himself to you, it’s a two-way proposition. Give me Lord, give me Lord, it is always a one-way street. “I’ve never given God a thing.” They want the miracle of God, giving himself to them and never giving themselves to him. Every prayer has an answer, it is a mutual giving!

You must give all of you to him, in otherwards you must be Christ like, if not it could be destructive. It could be the worst thing for you, if it’s not Christ like. The more I live the more I realize I have confidence in Christ, I have complete trust in him. Kathryn says, “That is the greatest compliment one person can give to another, confidence and trust! There two of the greatest things in the world.

I have confidence in God, and I trust him. I don’t know the future, so I leave it in God’s hand. He knows what is on the other side, and he knows what is best for me. When you give yourself completely to him in prayer, he gives himself completely to you.

It’s so profound yet it’s the hardest thing in the world to do. “I pray the will of God to trust him for your life.”

When you give yourself completely to God in prayer, he gives himself to you completely in prayer! Then be still and know that I am God! If you cannot get to a quiet mind and remove all the distractions, you will never learn the art of prayer and know its power!

God speaks to you when you are quiet, this is correct prayer, in the stillness of your mind he will speak to you! The flesh must be quiet to hear God. “He never gave me the answer while I was frustrated or upset, but he gave it to me when I was still in the quietness of his presence.

No one ever gave me the answer, but God in his perfect wisdom, perfect answer perfect love, heavenly father.

“I pray this will give you a deeper understanding to God’s will and calling in your life and that by seeking him without ceasing all things will be revealed to you in the quietness of his presence.” Gary

If you need prayer for anything, please submit your prayer request on my site and I will pray over every request seriously and if I get a word and see something spiritually, I will email you directly and share the Lord’s word and vision with you.

Make your prayer request known here: https://garymassariministries.org