PRAY FOR ONE ANOTHER One Another – Part 9 3/10/2024 And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people. Ephesians 6:18 NIV 1. Prayer For Others: Effective prayer for others will bring us closer to God, because effective prayer is based on a knowledge of His will. This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. 1 John 5:14 NIV For most of us, praying for others tends to focus on issues they are facing. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. Philippians 4:6 NIV Dear friend, I pray that you may enjoy good health and that all may go well with you, even as your soul is getting along well. 3 John 1:2 NIV When Jesus was praying for others: - He prayed for their faith (Luke 22:32), - He prayed against temptation in their lives (Luke 22:40), - He prayed for their unity (John 17:11), - He prayed for their sanctification (John 17:17). Praying for others gets our focus off ourselves and onto the needs around us. 2. The Confession and Prayer Connection Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective. James 5:16 NIV Confess means “to agree,” “to admit,” or “to say the same thing.” Confession is saying the same thing as God does about sin or having the same perspective on sin as God does. Confessing our sins to one another in the body of Christ can break the power of secret sin. When I refused to confess my sin, my body wasted away, and I groaned all day long. Day and night your hand of discipline was heavy on me. My strength evaporated like water in the summer heat. Finally, I confessed all my sins to you and stopped trying to hide my guilt. I said to myself, ‘I will confess my rebellion to the LORD.’ And you forgave me! All my guilt is gone. Psalm 32:3–5 NLT Secretive behaviors and hidden sins should not exist within the fellowship of Christian believers: So stop telling lies. Let us tell our neighbors the truth, for we are all parts of the same body. Ephesians 4:25 NLT Besides making us hypocrites in the world, hidden sin breaks our fellowship with God and keeps us isolated from others. We confess our sins to one another in order to solicit prayer, exhortation, and strength along the way. A continual relationship of confession and prayer cultivates honesty and purity and reflects the unity the church is meant to embody.