Powerful Chain Breaking Prayer

Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us.  Ephesians 3:20 (NIV)

• LIKE THE ACTS CHURCH, WE SHOULD PRAY ______________…

Our Enemy Is ____________, __________________, & _____________.

…King Herod got it into his head to go after some of the church members. 2 He murdered James, John’s brother. 3 When he saw how much it raised his popularity ratings… he arrested Peter—during Passover Week, mind you—and had him thrown in jail, putting four squads of four soldiers each to guard him. He was planning a public lynching after Passover.  5 All the time Peter was under heavy guard in the jailhouse. Acts 12:1-5a (MSG)

Our fight is not against human beings. It is against the rulers, the authorities and the powers of this dark world. It is against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly world. Ephesians 6:12 (NIRV)

Simon, Simon, how Satan has pursued you, that he might make you part of his harvest. 32 But I have prayed for you…that you will recover from your failure…Peter: Lord, what are You talking about? I’m going all the way to the end with You—to prison, to execution—I’m prepared to do anything for You. Luke 22:31-33 (VOICE)

Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. 1 Peter 5:8 (NLT)

We Are ________ In Our ________________ Flesh.

Now the leaders…looked at Peter and John and realized they were typical peasants—uneducated, utterly ordinary fellows… Acts 4:13a (VOICE)

…Jesus told them, “Tonight all of you will desert me. For the Scriptures say,‘God will strike the Shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.’ 33 Peter declared, “Even if everyone else deserts you, I will never desert you.” 34 Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, Peter—this very night, before the rooster crows, you will deny three times that you even know me.” 35 “No!” Peter insisted. “Even if I have to die with you, I will never deny you!”  Matthew 26:31, 33-35a (NLT)

So be careful. If you are thinking, “Oh, I would never behave like that”—let this be a warning to you. For you too may fall into sin. 1 Corinthians 10:12 (TLB)

Pride precedes destruction; an arrogant spirit gives way to a nasty fall. Proverbs 16:18 (VOICE)

…and not because we think we can do anything of lasting value by ourselves. Our only power and success comes from God. 2 Corinthians 3:5 (TLB)

Our God’s __________ Is ________________ & __________________.

The night before Herod was to bring him to trial, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains, and sentries stood guard at the entrance. 7 Suddenly an angel of the Lord appeared and a light shone in the cell. He struck Peter on the side and woke him up. “Quick, get up!” he said, and the chains fell off Peter’s wrists. 8 Then the angel said to him, “Put on your clothes and sandals.” And Peter did so. “Wrap your cloak around you and follow me,” the angel told him. 9 Peter followed him out of the prison, but he had no idea that what the angel was doing was really happening; he thought he was seeing a vision. 10 They passed the first and second guards and came to the iron gate leading to the city. It opened for them by itself, and they went through it. When they had walked the length of one street, suddenly the angel left him. 11 Then Peter came to himself and said, “Now I know without a doubt that the Lord has sent his angel and rescued me from Herod’s clutches and from everything the Jewish people were hoping would happen.” Acts 12:6-11 (NIV)

We Fail To Pray When We…  Underestimate Our     A________________

                                            Overestimate Our       A____________

                                            Forget Our                   A______________

• LIKE THE ACTS CHURCH, WE SHOULD _________________ PRAY.

All the time that Peter was under heavy guard in the jailhouse, the church prayed for him most strenuously. Acts 12:5 (MSG)

• “All the time” describes their ______________________ in prayer.

Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up. 2 He said: “In a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared what people thought. 3 And there was a widow in that town who kept coming to him with the plea, ‘Grant me justice against my adversary.’ 4 “For some time he refused. But finally he said to himself, ‘Even though I don’t fear God or care what people think, 5 yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will see that she gets justice, so that she won’t eventually come and attack me!’” 6 And the Lord said, “Listen to what the unjust judge says. 7 And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? 8 I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?” Luke 18:1-8 (NIV)

• “strenuously” describes their __________________ in prayer.

For the fervent prayers of the righteous avail much. James 5:16b (RGT)

• “the church prayed” describes their __________ in prayer.

NOTE: ~ ____ % of the prayers in Acts are done “________________”.

They all joined together constantly in prayer … Acts 1:14 (NIV)

• LIKE THE ACTS CHURCH, WE SHOULD ________________ PRAY.

When this had dawned on him, he went to the house of Mary the mother of John, also called Mark, where many people had gathered and were praying. 13 Peter knocked at the outer entrance, and a servant named Rhoda came to answer the door. 14 When she recognized Peter’s voice, she was so overjoyed she ran back without opening it and exclaimed, “Peter is at the door!” 15 “You’re out of your mind,” they told her. When she kept insisting that it was so, they said, “It must be his angel.” 16 But Peter kept on knocking, and when they opened the door and saw him, they were astonished. 17 Peter motioned with his hand for them to be quiet and described how the Lord had brought him out of prison. Acts 12:12-17a (NIV)