TEXT: Ephesians 3:17-21 ¹⁷that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, ¹⁸may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height—¹⁹to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

²⁰Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, ²¹to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.

PROPOSITION: God offers us far more choices than we seek.

QUESTION: What?

KEY WORD: Choices

READING: Same

INTRODUCTION:

1. Baskin-Robbins 31 flavors - same price, wonderful flavors available - DON'T ORDER VANILLA!

2. Mundane, mediocre, average, normal, ordinary

3. Don't settle for plain vanilla prayers.

4. "I'm an average Christian." AIN'T NO SUCH THING.

Prayer

Matthew 7:7-11 “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. ⁸For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. ⁹Or what man is there among you who, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? ¹⁰Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent? ¹¹If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him! ¹²Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.

Mark 11:24 Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.

1. (NASB) Believe you already have them.

2. (ISV) That is why I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it and it will be yours.

3. Desire, have a need, request of God?

4. Pray - but pray believing

5. Believe that God has already answered it

6. It will be yours.

   1. Ill. Letter asking for help – “Thank you for your response”

   2. "O ye of little faith."

7. Matthew 6:8 God is already at work, knows our needs

8. The Fig Tree of Prayer

   1. Jesus cursed fig tree; it died; Peter shocked

   2. Force = move mountains (23)

   3. Faith = already have it (24)

   4. Forgiveness = required to be forgiven (25-26)

James 1:5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him.

James 5:16 Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.

Matthew 21:21-22 ²¹So Jesus answered and said to them, “Assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what was done to the fig tree, but also if you say to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ it will be done. ²²And whatever things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive.”

1. Mountains = obstacle, barrier to your service, work for God.

2. Through prayer, those barricades can be moved, and doors opened.

Hebrews 4:16 Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

I John 5:14-15 ¹⁴Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. ¹⁵And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him.

1. Confidence, God hears us

2. Faith, God answers prayer

Conclusion: Let's pray BIG prayers and have the faith for BIGGER results from God. Put your faith to the test.