The Power of Prayer | Senior Pastor Kenneth Carpenter

I started a series on Monday night a three part series on prayer a three-part series on prayer and brother Andrew if you would be so kind would you bring me my umbrella tonight would you bring me I meant to bring I meant to bring my umbrella here as an illustration as an illustration tonight because if we're going to pray if we're going to pray for rain we need to carry an umbrella if we're gonna pray I grew up I grew up in the Knoxville Church first Apostolic Church of Knoxville my pastor his wife and son used to they they sing a song oh yes the answers on the way this I know Jesus said it I believe it and that's so-and-so we're praying we're praying but we're also praying and believing that the answer the rain believe that with me church the rain is on the way the answer is on the way the deliverance is is all on the way and Monday night I spoke on the first part of this the principles of prayer and the principal ingredient of prayer is a relationship with God we don't pray because we're in trouble we don't pray because we want some object we don't want you know a raise or some new house we have been given prayer for a relationship with our Heavenly Father Jesus Christ and then last night I taught on the practice of prayer or the form of Prayer and the motive of prayer and what prayer should look like what what prayer should sound like and I taught on the practice of prayer last night so on this final night I've come to carry my umbrella because I believing at the end of this Bible study tonight we're going to have a prayer meeting break out here and not only you're going to have a prayer meeting here in the auditorium but we're going to have a prayer meeting in homes all over Blount County we're going to have prayer meetings from Michigan to Florida because it's just not it's just not praying I've brought my umbrella with me tonight we're gonna have a move of the spirit of Almighty God and I'm gonna teach the final lesson on the power the power of prayer turn with me in your Bibles to James chapter 5 and verse number 16 James 5 and 16 confess your faults one to another and pray one for another that you may be healed want you to see this part the effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much the effectual it's effective its fervent he's a righteous man right standing with God doing righteous acts availeth much Elias were Elijah was a man subject to like passions as we are and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain and it rained not on the earth by the space of three years and six months and he prayed again that just sounds good to say and he prayed again let's all say it together right now and he prayed again and the heaven gave rain and the earth brought forth her fruit now father tonight as I enter this last series of the power of prayer anointing me tonight God let your spirit come down upon this Bible lesson and let there be the witness in homes tonight of your power God I'll give you the glory I'll give you the honor Lord God no flesh shall glory in your presence God father used me tonight as a tool to bless your people in Jesus name we pray amen and amen the power the power of prayer James begins to write and he tells us about the effectual something that is effective fervent something that's hot fervency prayer of a righteous man availeth much I believe it's the amplified bible that says makes available much power a righteous man as he prays makes available much power and then in verse number 17 it says that Elijah was a man that was subject - like passions yes we are in other words James wanted us to know that Elijah was not some man that didn't face some of the resistance in prayer that that you and I faced in prayer he was a man sometimes we can we can get Bible characters bigger than life and we can we can see them that they have no struggles they have no temptations we can get Bible people men and women we can get a bigger-than-life but the Holy Ghost spoke through James and said he was a man that was subject to like passions just like any of us are subject to like passions there there's no difference James went through the same things that we did but the Bible mentions that Elijah prayed earnestly that it might not rain that's interesting he prayed for something to wake up Israel Israel was back slidden led by M and Jenny and Elijah prayed a prayer that would wake up the nation he prayed a prayer that it that it might not rain and prayed this prayer that it might not rain and then three and a half years later verse number six in verse number eighteen said he prayed again and the heaven gave rain and the earth brought forth her fruit is that amazing this man had such a connection with God through his righteous lifestyle through a through a lifestyle of doing what was right if there's ever been a day that the church needs a baptism we need a baptism of the due rites we just need to we just need to understand that that God gives power in connection to people that just simply they they do they do right follow along with me as I go to Matthew chapter 6 and verse number 25 since therefore Jesus is speaking and he says therefore I say unto you take no thought for your life what you shall eat or what you should drink nor yet for your body what you shall put on is not the life more than meat and the body than raiment and he's trying to get them to understand their priorities they had up there their priorities wrong they they they had meat before life and they had raiment before the body and he begins to put things in proper perspective he begins to move their priorities and tell how it should be for he says in verse 26 behold the fowls of the air the birds they don't sow neither do they reap nor gather into into barns yet your heavenly Father feedeth them are you not much better than they he said you know when's the last time you seen the birds out sowing seed when's the last time you seen birds yoked up to a plow was the last time you seen birds building barns and putting things up he says you haven't haven't seen that he said because I take care of the foul I'm watching out the father I'm I'm watching out over the ax men I'm feeding them and then he's asked a simple question are ye not much better than they are you not much better today which of you by taking thought this is where anxiety comes in which of youth by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature and why take youth all have raiment why take you thought for raiment consider the lilies of the field how they grow they they toil not neither do they spin yet I say unto you that even Solomon and all of his glory was not arrayed like one of these wherefore if God so clothed the grass of the field which today is and tomorrow is cast into the oven shall he not much more clothe you O ye of little faith look look at what they were they were concerned about they were concerned about their meat they were concerned about their clothes let us be very cautious that our prayer life is not us handing God our Christmas list let us be very cautious that we don't think prayer is all about getting material things that we are wanting it's much more than this what shall God begins to lead them through he says in verse 31 therefore take no thought don't don't take any thought saying what shall we eat or what shall we drink or wherewithal shall we be clothed for after all these things do the Gentiles seek for your heavenly Father knoweth that you have need of all these things he said he said if you're seeking material things you no different than the Gentiles you're you're no different than those that that know not God you're no different than any any of those that he said but your father already knows that you need these he already knows that you have need of these things but here's verse 33 but seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and connected connected with Elijah Elijah was a righteous man he was subject to passions such as like we are the effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man makes available much power and Jesus used so many scriptures to try to tell them stop worrying about what you're going to put on stop worrying about your and stop worrying about things material things oh-ho god help us not to allow our prayer life just to be something that we hand God a grocery list and we ask God over and over again for a better car and a better house and better this and a better job he said I know you have need of all those things but he said what I want you to be asking me for but seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you in other words he said if you will seek the right things you won't even have to ask me for these things I'll just automatically bring them to you I'll just automatically let them come to your life you don't even have to ask me sometimes what we're doing we spend a lot of time in prayer asking God for material things and wondering why they never materialised when God is standing back saying I want you to become more concerned with your lifestyle I want you to become more concerned with being being founded upon thee the the righteousness being made righteous about the blood of Jesus Christ and when we stand on his righteousness then we're able to begin to do righteous acts now as we look at this I want to make a statement a person who consistently prays will become a righteous living person a person that truly goes into the presence of God on a daily basis and begins to say things such as created me a clean heart O God and renew within me the right spirit or how about this would let the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be acceptable under the Oh God as we daily go before God not asking for a new car not asking for a bigger house not asking for better clothes or a job raised or any of that but as we go to God every day and we're simply saying God examine me know my life god lord if I've got any pride in my life reveal it to me God if I've got jealousies in my life reveal it to me God if I've got spirits that I've let run loose in my life God reveal it to me Oh God I believe that if a person will continually daily take their life before the kid throne of God and daily ask God for the cleansing I believe that that person will eventually begin to live a righteous a righteous life let's look at Elisha for a moment two times he prayed what back this up was his righteous life that he lived first King 17 verse number one and Elijah the Tishbite who was of the inhabitants of Gilead said unto a have as the Lord God of Israel liveth before them whom I stand there shall not be do nor rain these years but according to my word but what back that up because prayer is more than words than we are them then we utter prayer is more than words that we utter prayer is a lifestyle that we live before Elijah stepped out there and said hey HAP listen to me I have according to my word it's not going to rain for three-and-a-half years according to my word but if you Elijah had not been a righteous man the rain would have continued to fall but because he was a righteous man God heard his prayer the Bible says in James he prayed once and it didn't rain three and a half years and then a three and a half years later he went and showed himself that I am once again let's look at first Kings chapter 18 verse number 41 and elijah said unto ahab get me up you know this is three-and-a-half years later three and a half years of the abysmal having no rain and Elijah said today have giddy up eat and drink for there is a sound of the abundance of rain now once again had Elijah not been a righteous man those are just words those are just words that he's speaking but he said Ahab you need to get up and eat and drink because I hear the sound of the abundance of rain so a hab went up to eat and to drink and Elijah went up to the top of a top of Carmel and he cast himself down upon the earth and put his face between his knees this is a praying posture he got down and he he got in a praying posture and he said to his servant go up now look toward the sea he went up and he looked and he said there is nothing and he said go against seven times and he came to pass at the seventh time that he said behold there arise up a little cloud out of the sea like a man's hand and he said go up say to Ahab prepare thy chariot get me down that the rain stopped me not and it came to pass in the meanwhile that the heaven was black with clouds and the wind and there was a great rain there was a great rain but again I want to emphasize to us tonight that prayer is more the power of prayer is more than just words you've got to have those words I hear the sound of abundance of rain you got to have those words but it's more than just words it's got to be a person that lives a righteous life it's got to be a person that is in right standing with God it's got to be a person that daily exposes themselves for a divine inspection of God Oh search my heart Oh God and know my ways and see if there be any wicked way you know tonight what a great night there in your home what a great night if you feel like that you've not been the recipient of a prayer being answered in a long long time and all of a sudden you know and hey it's because of the way that I live not the way that I pray it's not the way that you pray that keeps God from answering the prayers it's the way that we live that causes God not to answer prayers but you know what's good about God God stands at any time of the day or night ready to make things right he is just waiting for you to say god no wonder I can't get a prayer answered I've got things in my heart I've got an unforgiving spirit in my heart no wonder I can't get things right I let pride run rampant in my life no wonder I can't get things right I've got lost running rampant no wonder I can't get things but God if you will help me God if you will help me God not to be a prideful person if you will help me God not to be a jealous person if you will help me God to keep lust out of my heart if you will help me God to help me to bring every thought to the obedience of the altar and to the obedience of Christ God I believe that I'll start living right and when I start living right and then I begin to pray that God is going to back up what I say because of how live it reign not because he was a righteous man it rained again because it was a righteous man what about Joshua Joshua chapter 10 verse number 11 it's an interesting story Joshua goes into battle with Israel he takes Israel into battle against the enemies the Bible says in Joshua 10 verse number 11 now you must understand that one of the reasons Joshua and Caleb got to go into the Promised Land and thousands of others died in the wilderness the Bible simply said Joshua had a different spirit Joshua followed the Lord wholly he followed the Lord wholly that means all together and so now Joshua was now the leader he takes him into battle Joshua 10 and 11 would follow along with me and he came to pass as they fled from before Israel Joshua's got him on the run and we're in the going down to beth horon that the Lord cast down great stones from heaven upon them unto Ezekiel and they died there were more which died with hailstones than they whom the children of Israel slew with a sword what about Joshua was out here fighting this battle he's a righteous man he follows the Lord holy he's out here fighting the battle and all of a sudden a storm comes in and this great hell storm comes in and it begins to pound on the enemy it begins to pound on the enemy and so Joshua looks around and there's nobody in Israel that's getting hit with these hailstones there's nobody in Israel that's getting hit and he looks and hailstones is hitting the enemy and they're dying and and they figure something out there's more dying of the hailstones then we're killing with the sword and it dawns on Joshua it dawns on Joshua heaven is fighting for us heaven is on our side oh can I tell you about a prayer life tonight a prayer life that isn't built upon the relationship that God is our Father the prayer life it's not just a bunch of fodder it's not just a bunch of oh god help me Oh God bless me O God keep me it's got form to it it goes through the tabernacle he prays because then we begin to understand that heaven is on the side of a praying child of God Oh what faith what faith begins to energize the child of God when we begin to understand they're right there in our living room we have the power that's available in heaven we have the power that's available in the eternal glory of God the great power of prayer we have a power that when yours you're backslidden children won't give you the time of day we've got heaven working on our side and the heaven can wake them up in the middle of the night and heaven can begin to talk to them about their need to come back to God heaven Joshua looks around and Joshua says heaven is working for us and then verse number 12 this story just one little boy said it just gets gooder and gooder you know he that this story just gets gooder and gooder you know and then verse 12 says then spake Joshua to the Lord and the day when the Lord delivered up the animal rights before the children of Israel and he said in the side of Israel son stand the house steal upon Gibeon and moon and thou moon in the valley of a Jalan and the Sun Stood Still and the moon stayed until the people were Avena had avenged themselves upon their enemies is not this written in the book of Jasher so the Sun Stood Still in the midst of heaven and hastened not to go down about a whole day and there was no day like that before it or after it that the Lord hearkened unto the voice of a man for the Lord fought for his look at that I mean Joshua gets out here and he figures out that then that God is reigning hailstones down and the more that are dying from the hill stones and it builds his faith it builds his faith he says heaven is on my side heaven is fighting for us and then it build his faith to the point that he stepped out in the sight of all Israel and he did something that if your carnal minded you would have beli left him if you were carnal minded you would have said Joshua is off his rocker if your carnal minded he will say man they there they're just uh they're just that God they just a little bit crazy but Joshua stepped out there and he pointed up to the Sun and he told the Sun to stay right there he said I need some more daylight he told the Sun to stay there and he told the moon to stay where it's at and and he needed some more daylight and the Bible says that God Harken heard the voice of a man and the one that hung the Stars to shine and the one that told the Sun to shine and the one that created the moon and put everything into orbit the Great Creator stepped out and he said son you listen to the voice of that man moon you listen to the voice of that man oh the great power of prayer do you know there's nothing impossible to somebody that is a praying individual if you're watching me tonight and you're laid off of your job your righteous prayer is greater than your pink slip if you're there tonight and you're burning up with fever can I tell you your righteous prayer is greater than the fever that you have tonight pray on church pray on God heard God God heard Psalms four and three but we know that the Lord has set apart him that his godly for himself now I understand the mean let me just in case somebody wants to challenge me on this tonight I understand that the only way to be good is to have God and I understand and we have no righteousness outside of Jesus Christ I understand that but we do have the reaction to the righteousness we have the right of the reaction to the righteousness we have the reaction you see I just can't take what he did at the cross as as something that's going to just give me an automatic pass no I've got to have a reaction to what he did for me at the cross no notice this he said but know that the Lord has set apart him that is godly for himself I'm telling you when we choose to be righteous to have righteous behavior when we choose through prayer to conquer lust when we through choose through prayer to conquer jealousies and pride when we choose through prayer to conquer the desire of things the pride of life the lust of the flesh the lust of the eye when we choose through prayer to comfort ease things the Bible says that God comes through and he sets you apart for himself the Lord will hear when I call unto Him o friend what a blessing it is the Lord will hear Psalms 18 and 2 the Lord is my rock David says the Lord is my rock and my fortress my deliverer my God my strength in him will I trust my buckler and the horn of my salvation and my high tower I will call upon the Lord who is worthy to be praised so shall I be saved from my enemies he begins to talk about calling calling upon the Lord verbally verbally and I want to challenge everyone tonight how we're going to have this prayer is that we have to yield our voices to God and we have to call out upon the law we have to call out we cannot we cannot be concerned with how we appear to be to those around us we have to humble ourselves we have to lose all sense of pride that would want someone to think that we've got it all together a drowning man a man that's going down for his last time he doesn't care how high-pitched his voice is he just concerns himself with getting the ear of a lifeguard and what you listen to this you see the Word of God is so powerful tonight that the Word of God covers those that are well and the Word of God covers those that are sick the Word of God is able and I claim the Word of God tonight I have been praying the Word of God that I don't want this plane whose Cove at 19 I hold this plane coming down to my house I don't want this plague coming around my house so I have been praying and speaking out and with this plague and I believe I got some Word of God Psalms 91 one those of you that you don't want that plague killed in nineteen coming around your house coming around your family follow with me tonight he that dwelleth in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty I will say of the Lord I will say this a thing didn't say meditate he said I will say of the Lord he is my refuge and my fortress my rock in him will I trust surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of the Fowler that's a trap that's been set for you he's going to deliver us from the trap and from the noisome pestilence a pestilence an awesome pestilence he shall cover thee with his feathers and under his wings shalt out trust his truth shall be thy shield and buckler thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night nor for the arrow that flies by day nor for the pestilence that pestilence that walketh in darkness nor for the destruction that wasteth at noon time now stay with me now because I am Telling You that the Word of God covers those that are well and covers those that are sick and I don't want that Kovac 19 coming around my dwelling I don't want that Kovac 19 all the saints of God a first step of Stalin of Maryland first apostolic of Sevierville I declare I decree tonight that I don't want technique I don't want that COBIT 19 coming around us I don't want that Tobit 19 getting in into any of our any other children our families I'm standing tonight and I'm decreed by the Word of God by the Word of God I'm deke reading this tonight he says verse 7 a Thousand shall fall at thy side ten thousand at thy right hand but it shall not come nigh thee only with thine eyes shalt thou behold and see the reward of the wicked because thou has made the Lord which is my refuge even the most high thy habitation you see friend Noah didn't start building the ark when the rain came hundreds of years before the rain came Noah began to build the Ark take comfort child of God take cheer child of God all the days that we serve God prayed fasted gay faithfully come to the house of God when there was no COBIT 19 now because we've made God our habitation we can stand in the midst and we can give our God praise because we have made the Most High the habitation there shall no evil befall thee I'm claiming this tonight come on now I'm claiming this tonight there shall no evil befall thee neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling I'm claiming this tonight for he shall give his angels charge over thee to keep me at all thy ways they shall bear thee up and die thou shalt not bear thee up in their hands lest thou dash thy foot against a stone thou shalt tread upon the lion and the adder the young lion and the dragon shalt thou trample under feet because he has set his love upon me therefore will I deliver him I will set him on high because he hath known my name he shall call upon me and I will answer him I will be with him in trouble I will deliver him and honor him with long life will i satisfy him and show him my salvation tonight if you're living cove in nineteen three if you're living you've got a house where a child doesn't have a fever where a mate does not have a fever if you're living in a house tonight where everybody's well you ought to get up on your feet and you ought to begin to give God some praise you ought to begin to give God some honor for great is the Lord and greatly to be praised I bless you Lord I magnify your wonderful name I'll magnify your wonderful glorious come on give some God give him some praise I'll give you a prize tonight Lord right there in your home give him praise tonight wave your hands around a little bit and just say god I thank you that we're holding nineteen free no let's don't wait until we big god knows to get a prayer going let's no wait till one of the children sick why don't you throw your hands up in the air and begin to give God praise right now talking about the power talking about the power of prayer come back the power of prayer now I don't know tonight some of our musicians are still here with us in the auditorium I don't know sister Hawkins I don't know if you could come back and sing a little bit more of that song tonight or not if you can't I don't want to put anybody on the spot tonight but we have a direct line to the throne room we have a direct line the throne room tonight a direct line we saved by the carpenter Seabrook Gardner I'm I'm sister so-and-so living over in Memphis and I love God my husband is a pastor of the church but I've got koban 19 are you saying I've got the virus and you're saying that I've not been living right oh no no no no no no no I'm not saying that at all I'm saying the word of God's got us all covered if we're well tonight the Word of God has got us covered if we're sick tonight and we've got the virus tonight and we're a believer tonight I want you to know God's got you covered tonight because in psalms chapter 103 and verse number two I feel the presence of God right here oh I feel the presence of God right here tonight no I didn't know anyone my teachers what I was talking about a house Kovac of it free your house is not there's something wrong no no no no no simply saying God's got you covered tonight if your house in koban 19:3 he ought to give me praise and if your house has been invaded that coded 19 listen and slew the presence of the Lord is here the presence of God right now I'm carrying my brother because I believe in the rains come somes 103 verse 2 bless the Lord O my soul and forget not all his benefits benefits that's right there's benefits to serving God what are those benefits who forgiveth all thine iniquities hola I'm so glad to have the benefit of being a child of God that when I'm stumbled and I've not been the man that I should be I'm glad to have a benefit of he's a God that forgives all my iniquities and who healeth all thy diseases there you go there's where you're covered right now God can not only forgive you of iniquities but God can heal all of my diseases who redeemeth thy life from destruction the crown of thee with lovingkindness and tender mercies I tell you I tell you right now top of Monday night a river ha a relationship with my father I taught last night on how to go to the throne room of God tonight I'm preaching on the power of prayer because there's going to come rain into our lives that's going to come rain into our lives there's going to come rain into our life come on us begin to praise sister Huck it's gonna come right now she gonna sing a little bit of this song we're gonna pray this evening God I love you tonight no talking to the words bossed on a breeze some juicy teardrops falling to the floor just a waste of time it's a rake to the throne room where you can find some I can't tell you there is power how I can tell you about the time try the stormy enjoy remember when I cry he's a but I know better to the throne room where are you okay ah to the throne and you I there is ha in the name of Jesus Christ tonight I pray over all of our families that are watching and worshiping right now I pray God that you are hand of healing your hand of deliverance would be upon our families God tonight tonight Lord as this very day I walk this auditorium and I laid my hand on every pew in this church and I ask you God to touch every family that would have been here tonight God in the name of Jesus I pray over our families here in Maryville in Sevierville tonight I pray for our guests that are watching us right now I pray God that you would open up a door I pray right now that you would make a way where there seems to be a bug no way Lord if we have sinned forgive us of our sins God God if we if we have sinned against you god we've not put you first in our lives god I repeat Lord of my sins tonight god I get down beside this couch I get down beside this chair right now and I surrender my life back over go ahead go ahead and do that right now go ahead do that lazy boy get down beside there and begin to pray begin to call out on God he said if you call up on me I'll hear you in the day that you call father I ask you tonight Lord to move and to heal I pray for every one that has lost their job I pray tonight God for miracle employment I pray denied God that you would look down from heaven God and you would open up doors God that we never even knew that they were thicker father I believe in tonight get to the child of God that's walking with you that when Co mid-nineteen has come and gone that we're going to be stronger in our faith we're going to be stronger in our relationship father I pray tonight if there's any watching me this evening I pray for you right now in the name of Jesus I pray that you would receive your answer I pray tonight and I want you to pray tonight I want you to pray with me tonight not just me praying alone it's your prayers Joe loved my prayers that you make a prayer me and God can move in your home tonight in the name of Jesus God worked your word mighty God work your word mighty God I Love You God I praise you God I'd like Lori's by your love you EE 'lord work your work right here in the home weren't your work not in the name of the Lord Jesus we pray right now in the name in the name of Jesus right now now those of you can continue to pray there in your home but if there's someone watching me from the Maryville Tennessee area and God's got ahold of your heart and you want to know more about this apostolic way you contact the church office there'll be a number there you can you can get in touch with the church and we would love to come and talk to you about this wonderful wonderful Apostolic Faith well thank god we've had a wonderful time in prayer we've had the relationship of Prayer the principle of principle of Prayer we've had the practice of prayer and tonight we brought our umbrella to have a power of prayer till tomorrow night at 7:30 online revival god bless you and God teach you in Jesus name we pray amen