James 5:16 "The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much."
I used to read this verse and think 'am I righteous enough to avail much? Are God and I on good enough terms for him to answer my prayer? I would pray fervently, but I begged God for everything. My thinking was a little (a lot) off. 2 Cor 5:21 says "For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ." What makes us righteous is not anything to do with ourselves or what we can do or have done, but it has everything to do with Jesus and what he has done for us. We are righteous simply because He has made us so. When we pray, we don't need to convince God that He should listen, or talk Him into answering us... We pray like sons and daughters, confidently aware of our place in the kingdom, standing righteous before our father and king. No grovelling, but through relationship fervently and effectively speaking with God. Bringing our concerns and hopes to Him knowing that 'He who promised is faithful'. Don't get trapped into begging and grovelling in your prayer life. It actually says that you don't believe Jesus sacrifice was enough to make you righteous. Come bodly before the throne of grace, in all humility understand that you have been made righteous, you are a son/daughter of God, and your place is in His presence. The fervent prayer of a man who understands his place in the kingdom, who stands in the righteousness Jesus bought for him on the cross, is effective and avails much
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