Why is prayer so important?

"For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways. Psalm 91:11"
"I want men everywhere to lift up holy hands in prayer, without anger or disputing. 1 Timothy 2:8"
"Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. Hebrews 4:16"

Lying there in the dark, you begin to pray, like you do every night just before you drift off to sleep. You begin to lay out your requests. One by one, you work through you list. Paul's college scholarship. Lacey's dog. As each request leaves your lips, you slowly begin to drift into dreamland. Slowly your body relaxes, your mind lets go, and you fall to sleep. Actively praying. Actively resting before God.

On the other side,no one is sleeping. There are beings like you've never seen with humans eyes. They're listening to you, and they're listening to God. As you pray, the move. As God commands, things begins to change. Situations get worked out. Limbs are healed. Futures are restored. Lives are mended.

Prayer is unusual thing. Ever thought about it? It's our connection to God. It's our mode of confession. Prayer is our way of telling God our hopes and dreams. If it's true that the cornerstone of every good relationship is communication, then prayer is an essential element in our relationship with God.

What happens when you pray? Are your prayers a connection to an unseen world where God is working all the time for your happiness and health? Are there angels working to straighten your life out? Maybe there's a communication chain- an angel who listens to you when you pray, then passes your requests on to senior angel, who passes it up the chain to God. And then God. in his infinite wisdom and kindness, works to meet the request you've laid out.

Or maybe we're not supposed to know anything about prayer. Maybe the act of praying and the hows and whys of prayer are supposed to be secret.

This week we're going to discover what makes prayer so important. No deep theology here. Nothing over your head. This week we're tackling the simple act of prayer. Make sure you take time to actually pray this week. Keep track of what you're praying about and the answers that God brings.

God's Word

"And you, son of man, do not be afraid of them or their words. Do not be afraid, through briers and thorns are all around you and you live among scorpions. Do not be afraid of what they say or terrified by them, through they are rebellious house. Ezekiel 2:6"

"Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be men of courage; be strong. 1 Corinthians 16:13"

"Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. Then, whether I come and see you or only hear about you in my absence, I will know that you stand firm in one spirit, contending as one man for the faith of the gospel without being frightened in any way by those who oppose you. This is a sign to them that they will be destroyed, but that you will be saved-and that by God. Philippians 1:27-28"

You stand on the battlefield sword in hand, shield on your forearm.

Sweat beads on your forehead as you survey the battlefield. To your left are friends who are trying to lead you away from God. On your right are bad habits.Directly behind you is an army of demons who are pushing you into failure and defeat. And directly in front of you are sins that have been chasing you for months.

You're trapped. You look out and wonder if this a fight you can win. Losing to these enemies could reshape the rest of your life. Defeating them won't be easy. You'll have to stand firm and fight. But this is your life. Not someone else's problem. Not another person's sins. This is your fight.

What do you need right now? Courage.

Being willing to fight won't be enough. Having the ability to fight won't be enough either. You have got to actually do it. You've got to actually face them.

What is courage? Is it training? Is courage the ability to beat your opponent? Is courage the willingness to face the opponent no matter how powerful it is or how scary it appears? How do you define courage?

Courage is the willingness to stand your ground. Courage doesn't mean you're the best trained. It doesn't necessarily mean that you're better than your opponents. It simply means that you'll stand up to them-whatever they are.

You see, some people never stand. Even though they have the ability, the weapons, and even a little desire, they never stand. They never stand. They never use their courage.

This week is about you and your courage. Like many people, you have the tools to defend yourself. But do you have the desire? Are you willing to stand against the things that hinder your walk with God? Are you willing to defend your relationship with Him? This is your week to flex your courage. Get to it.