How to Pray for Friends and Influence People (0525)
Your friends need your prayers. Nothing lies beyond the reach of prayer except that that lies outside the will of God.

Sermon Overview
Scripture Passage: James 5:16-18

The importance of prayer cannot be understated. It is our greatest privilege as Christians, and oftentimes, our greatest failure. We are instructed in Scripture to pray for one another. How do we pray for our friends and influence people through our prayers?

James 5:16 says, “Confess your faults one to another and pray one for another that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.”

First, there is a confession we must make. It is our human nature to cover up our faults. But when we confess our sins to one another, we usher in restoration, or healing. Whether it be healing of the soul or spirit, when we begin to confess our sins, God begins to move in and work.

After we claim our faults, we can be reconciled with God and each other; then, revival can occur. We must mind the command to pray for one another. Somebody has said, “The Christian army is the only army in the world that shoots its wounded.” This is not okay! We are not to criticize; we’re to help, lift and boost one another up through prayer, that we may all be healed.

To see our prayers answered, we must meet a few conditions. When we pray, we’re to be eager, earnest, fervent, impassioned in our prayers, striving toward a goal. They’re to be on fire, intense and plentiful.

Adrian Rogers says, “We give without sacrifice. We pray without fasting. We witness without tears. Is it any wonder that we sow without results?”

The Book of James says that we have not because we ask not. (James 4:2-3) Your friends need your prayers. Nothing lies beyond the reach of prayer except that that lies outside the will of God.

Apply it to your life
When is the last time you prayed for your friends with fervency? Start today. Get alone with God, in holy reverence; knees to the earth, with passion and persistence. Praying for them is the strongest influence you could have on them.