Praying Effectual Prayer - Part 3 by Apostle Michael Orokpo: MP3 Download & Sermon Notes

The Proof of Effectual Prayer

When you start praying, you must know what to focus on — because as you interact with God, there are specific things that come from His realm. Everybody who is impactful in prayer expects to receive those things. If you are not receiving them, your prayer is not effective — regardless of how you feel.

The proof of effective prayer is not how long you prayed. It is not how loud you prayed. It is not the posture with which you prayed. It is not how much you sweated while praying.

All of these things have their place in prayer dynamics. Intensity matters. Posture matters. Duration matters. But none of them, by themselves, are the goal. If sweat were the goal, you could pour water on yourself and feel wet rather than pray for six hours.

If you see an athlete training for the Olympics for twelve hours, it is not the time that is the focus. He is developing pace and endurance so that when he competes, he can run without getting tired — and run to win. The trophy is the focus, not the duration.

The goal of prayer is results — the specific results that the Bible declares come through prayer.

What Effectual Prayer Produces

1. Stamina to Weather Storms

   Luke 18:1: "Men ought always to pray and not to faint." Prayer is not just talking to God — it builds your capacity to stand under pressure. The man who prays consistently does not collapse when opposition comes, because his stamina has been built in the place of prayer.

2. Access to Uncommon Wisdom

   Jeremiah 33:3: "Call unto Me and I will answer, and I will show you great and mighty things that you know not of." The wisdom that prayer unlocks is not the common wisdom available to every educated person. It is the great and mighty things — the secrets that God reserves for those who come to Him in prayer. Every strategic insight, every unusual solution, every revelation that changed the trajectory of a ministry or a nation — came through someone who prayed.

3. Divine Advantage

   Isaiah 40:31: "They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength. They shall mount up with wings like eagles. They shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint." There is an advantage available to those who wait on God that ordinary men cannot access. It is not talent. It is not education. It is a strength, a clarity, and a capacity that prayer deposits into those who engage God consistently.

The Danger of Prayer Without Revelation

A group fasted and prayed for 70 years — and God showed up and said: "What have you been doing?" Long, intense prayer that is not rooted in the dictates of scripture can produce religious activity without kingdom results. This is why effectualness must precede intensity.

Being effectual means praying according to the requirements of scripture. No matter how intense the prayers of false religions are, they will not produce the results of scripture — because they are not praying by the power of the Holy Spirit, not praying in the name of Jesus, not praying according to the dictates of the Word.

The effectual, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much (James 5:16) — not the fervent prayer alone. Effectual comes first. Fervent amplifies what is effectual. Prayer must first be aligned with truth, then launched with passion.

What to Focus On in Prayer

• Pray in the name of Jesus — You have legal authority in that name to approach the Father and to address every opposing force.
• Pray according to scripture — The Word gives you the framework for what to ask, how to ask it, and the certainty of the answer.
• Pray in the Holy Spirit — Romans 8:26: the Spirit helps our infirmities. He makes intercession for us with groanings that cannot be uttered. To pray in the Spirit is to pray with divine assistance — ensuring that even when we don't know what to ask, the Spirit guides the prayer into what God intends.
• Pray until you receive — Duration in prayer is not the goal, but it is the route. You stay in prayer not because time is the prize but because you are pursuing a specific result — and you don't leave until you have what you came for.

This is not another year of religious activity. This is the year you build a prayer life that produces results — the specific, measurable results that scripture promises to those who pray effectually.