The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. (James 5:16 Amp)
One of my favorite movie lines, and one I quote often, is from Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back. While training to be a Jedi knight, Luke Skywalker was challenged by the Jedi master Yoda (the little green guy for those not familiar) to do something very difficult. Not sure of how it would turn out, Luke simply said, “I’ll try,” to which Yoda responded emphatically “No! Try not. Do or do not. There is no try.”
I think that many of us are a lot like Luke in that we are “trying” to do a lot of things. We “try” to be good parents, good employees, good team players and good Christians. We say “try” because we are not sure of the outcome…it leaves a little doubt, a little margin for error if things don’t go just right. For example, we say “I’ll try to make it on time” or “I’ll try to come to church” as if we have very little control over the outcome.
We need to understand that we actually have control over the quality of more areas and situations in our lives than we think. Whether you want to sell Tupperware, get out debt, lose weight, get closer to God, or receive a miracle from God, there are logical methods and systems available to help you accomplish your goals. If you are in sales, you work the numbers game…if you want to increase your sales, you simply need more leads. Increased touches or contacts will eventually create increased sales. Want to get out of debt? You need to increase income, reduce expenses or some combination of the two. Need to lose a few pounds? The best bet is to reduce intake and increase output. Simple enough, right? So why are there hundreds of programs and systems on the internet and television promising instant results in all these areas? Because people want a quick fix and DON’T WANT TO WAIT OR DO THE WORK.
The key to career success, debt reduction and weight loss is the same for living a life of faith: PERSISTENCE.
The Amplified version of James 5:16 tells us that the fervent (earnest, continued, heartfelt) prayer of a righteous man makes tremendous power available. Notice that it doesn’t say anything about trying hard or putting forth a good effort. Jesus told his disciples the parable of the persistent widow in Luke 18 “to show that they should always pray and never give up.” He illustrated how persistence is rewarded in Matthew 15 when he said to the Canaanite woman, “Dear woman, great is your faith. Your request is granted” after she persisted with her request even after Jesus seemed disinterested in helping. Many of us would have given up the first time Jesus ignored us and said “Well…I tried,” but she didn’t give up until she got the answer she needed.
We have to understand and have faith that God wants us to live abundant lives and wants to perform miracles for us. Faith is not something that you “try,” it is a lifestyle that requires persistence and perseverance. If you need something in your life that God has promised, it is not a matter of IF God will do it, but WHEN, and (here is the key) HOW much you will need to persist. There may be something that God is waiting for YOU to do to get in position to receive what He has for you. Get your mind made up that the outcome is guaranteed, after all, how can you have faith in something that you are not sure of? Wouldn’t you like to hear Jesus say “Great is your faith!”
James 1:6 puts it this way: “If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord.
Author Resource:-
Bible Teacher at Sherman Full Gospel
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