"Unleash the Power" (Part 3)

“When I want to do good, I don't. And when I try not to do wrong, I do it anyway. But if I am doing what I don't want to do, I am not really the one doing it; the sin within me is doing it. It seems to be a fact of life that when I want to do what is right, I inevitably do what is wrong. I love God's law with all my heart. But there is another law at work within me that is at war with my mind. This law wins the fight and makes me a slave to the sin that is still within me. Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin? Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord.” (Romans 7:19-25 NLV).

The second thing we must do to unleash the power of prayer in our lives is to pray seeking a greater dependence upon God. No matter who you are, there are things in your life that eat away at your soul. You know in your heart that it is building a wall between you and a deeper walk with God. You are embarrassed. You are discouraged. You wish you could do something to alleviate your predicament, but you seem powerless to do so. For some it may be a fiery temper that causes you to fly off the handle and hurt those that you love. Some may harbor hate-filled feelings in their heart for people of another race or may look down on those who do not have the financial means that you do. For others it may be a dependence on drugs or alcohol to help you escape your problems. Some may lack discipline and your lack of discipline causes you to make promises that you rarely keep. The list goes on and on. God never intended for us to become enslaved by the things that plague us. What He does intend is for us to throw up our hands in surrender to His holy power; power that is able to deliver us from the bondage of bad habits and ill placed dependencies. God wants us to know in our hearts that we are completely dependent upon Him for everything - the air we breath, our ability to get out of bed in the morning, the continued blessing of our relationships, our material possessions and the ability to make a living, and most importantly, our salvation.

On February 7, 1997, Dr. Ben Carson stood up to address the 45th Annual National Prayer Breakfast. When Vice President Al Gore’s young son, Albert III, nearly died of injuries sustained when he was struck by a car in 1989, one of the consulting physicians was Dr. Ben Carson, chief of pediatric neurosurgery at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore. Achieving such acclaim hasn’t been easy for Dr. Carson. Growing up without a father in inner-city Detroit, the doctor told a hushed audience that day how he once tore open the forehead of a fellow classmate while clutching a metal lock in his fist; how he tried to stab a youngster in the abdomen with a knife; and how he went after his own mother wielding a hammer. When he was young his temper was out of control. Dr. Carson finally reached the end of his rope and after one outburst he ran into the bathroom of his house where he said, "I got on my knees and prayed."

Ben Carson learned as a young boy that he was totally and completely dependent upon Almighty God. He knew that he couldn’t even control his temper without God’s help much less achieve any of his dreams. As Ben Carson concluded his speech to the audience at the prayer breakfast he credited his incredible turnaround so many years ago to his mother and God, whom he called his heavenly and earthly Father. The God who has been at work in Ben Carson’s life also wants to work in our lives if we will but let Him. We need to realize that we are dependent upon Almighty God and confess that to Him continuously. Make that commitment today!