The Power Of Prayer

WEBVTT 1 00:00:00.040 --> 00:00:03.720 And you know what. I've said that to the MOM's that I encounter. 2 00:00:03.839 --> 00:00:09.109 Also remind them right now, you feel that you are in an impossible situation, 3 00:00:09.509 --> 00:00:12.550 but pray this prayer. I don't know what to do, but our 4 00:00:12.589 --> 00:00:16.829 eyes are on you, because God does know what to do. I Am 5 00:00:16.910 --> 00:00:22.739 Yours, I am yours, I am yours, and me Lord, I 6 00:00:22.980 --> 00:00:28.460 am yours, I am yours. I'm welcome to the Gospel Center Pray Life 7 00:00:28.539 --> 00:00:33.899 Podcast, a podcast designed to equip, encourage and challenge you in pro life 8 00:00:34.020 --> 00:00:39.530 ministry, and always with a focus on the Gospel. Stay tuned. I 9 00:00:39.850 --> 00:00:51.439 felt show Passih, touch your heart. Use Me. Welcome back to the 10 00:00:51.560 --> 00:00:56.159 Gospel Center pro life podcast. Appreciate you guys joining us as always and as 11 00:00:56.200 --> 00:00:59.960 always, we'd appreciate if you guys would share this podcast episode with others. 12 00:01:00.679 --> 00:01:03.679 We hope that it will be a blessing and encouragement in a challenge to you 13 00:01:03.799 --> 00:01:06.950 guys, and we hope that you had a good Christmas. We hope that 14 00:01:07.310 --> 00:01:11.629 you guys have a happy new year and with this, I guess we'll be 15 00:01:11.750 --> 00:01:17.150 our last podcast episode of Two Thousand and twenty one. Wow. We hope 16 00:01:17.150 --> 00:01:21.060 that this will set the tone for two thousand and twenty two sis a good 17 00:01:21.099 --> 00:01:23.659 subject for that. Yeah, yeah, and so what we're going to be 18 00:01:23.780 --> 00:01:29.219 talking about is the power of prayer. It is probably one of the most 19 00:01:29.299 --> 00:01:34.090 neglected things in the lives of Christians. We like our Christian teaching and our 20 00:01:34.090 --> 00:01:41.730 Christian music worship services and preaching and all that stuff, but sometimes we neglect 21 00:01:42.129 --> 00:01:46.010 the power of prayer. It's a matter of fact. One preacher said some 22 00:01:46.090 --> 00:01:48.719 years ago. He said, if you want to see how popular a church 23 00:01:48.840 --> 00:01:52.840 is, you come on Sunday, Sunday morning. If you want to see 24 00:01:52.840 --> 00:01:56.079 how it popular the pastor is, you come on Sunday night see how many 25 00:01:56.079 --> 00:01:59.359 people are there. And if you want to see how popular God is with 26 00:01:59.519 --> 00:02:01.790 the Church, come to their prayer meeting and then you'll see that's good, 27 00:02:01.950 --> 00:02:07.790 that's true. That's true. Yeah, prayer meetings are not in many churches, 28 00:02:07.950 --> 00:02:13.349 not very well attended, which is a sad commentary on modern Christianity. 29 00:02:13.389 --> 00:02:16.180 Yeah, but really I believe God is calling us, he's calling me, 30 00:02:16.340 --> 00:02:21.460 I know personally, back to the prayer closet. Yeah, and really just 31 00:02:21.580 --> 00:02:25.860 seeking him in prayer and trusting in the power of prayer, that it's really 32 00:02:25.939 --> 00:02:30.169 not the power of prayer, our words. It's really the power of God 33 00:02:30.409 --> 00:02:36.090 on behalf of his people that pray. Yeah, was specifically Jesus said my 34 00:02:36.289 --> 00:02:38.849 father's house will be called a house of prayer, not a house of worship, 35 00:02:39.250 --> 00:02:44.210 not a house of preaching, although those things are important, absolutely biblical, 36 00:02:45.039 --> 00:02:47.759 biblically they are important. But Jesus did say my father's house shall be 37 00:02:47.840 --> 00:02:52.000 called a house of prayer. Yeah, and so thereby, I think, 38 00:02:52.120 --> 00:02:54.759 the people that are in God's house, because the church is the people of 39 00:02:54.840 --> 00:03:00.150 God, God's house, and in this New Testament Age, if you want 40 00:03:00.189 --> 00:03:04.270 to say it that way, we should be a people of prayer. If 41 00:03:04.349 --> 00:03:07.310 God's House is a house of prayer, we should be a people in God's 42 00:03:07.349 --> 00:03:10.909 house of prayer. That's right. Yeah, yeah, well, that that 43 00:03:12.349 --> 00:03:17.340 is a good way to introduce the whole idea of of of this topic. 44 00:03:17.740 --> 00:03:23.939 And what does God say about the importance of prayer? Yeah, and he 45 00:03:24.099 --> 00:03:29.129 obviously said pretty important. Yeah. And then, of course, we're speaking 46 00:03:29.129 --> 00:03:34.889 in a particular context. This is the Gospel centered pro life podcast and in 47 00:03:34.969 --> 00:03:38.969 particular we talk about ministry at the abortion centers. That's really our focus on 48 00:03:38.090 --> 00:03:42.360 this podcast. Right, a lot of what we cover can apply to many 49 00:03:42.400 --> 00:03:46.639 other pro life scenarios and many other Christian ministry scenarios. So hopefully other people 50 00:03:46.639 --> 00:03:50.680 are listening. You're not, maybe doing sidewalk ministry. Maybe there's missionaries and 51 00:03:50.759 --> 00:03:53.800 other countries. They listen to this podcast because a lot of what you cut, 52 00:03:53.840 --> 00:03:55.949 what we covers at applicable right. But we're going to be focusing on 53 00:03:57.030 --> 00:04:00.990 the power of prayer and in particular the power of prayer in the ministry on 54 00:04:00.030 --> 00:04:03.830 the sidewalk. Yeah, and you guys who are listening, who've been out 55 00:04:03.830 --> 00:04:08.669 there on the sidewalk for any length of time, you're going to be absolutely 56 00:04:08.750 --> 00:04:12.979 picking up what we're throwing down because you understand the need for prayer. You've 57 00:04:13.020 --> 00:04:17.180 experienced the spiritual warfare out there. It's unlike any other ministry likely you've ever 58 00:04:17.259 --> 00:04:20.699 been involved in. Every ministry that we do in the name of Jesus, 59 00:04:20.740 --> 00:04:25.170 there's going to be spiritual warfare, but this ministry in particular, because it's 60 00:04:25.209 --> 00:04:29.089 right there on the front line of the battle between light and darkness, life 61 00:04:29.129 --> 00:04:31.730 and death. There's an intense amount of spiritual warfare. So you're going to 62 00:04:31.769 --> 00:04:34.889 be picking up what we're laying down because you know, and you've likely been 63 00:04:34.970 --> 00:04:40.360 led to prayer yourself, being out there on the sidewalks. Those who are 64 00:04:40.399 --> 00:04:44.399 brand new, hopefully we'll give you some principles and some encouragement to employ the 65 00:04:44.439 --> 00:04:47.240 power of prayer if you're not yet doing that. Yeah, and touch on 66 00:04:47.360 --> 00:04:50.360 some scriptures at talk about prayer. Right, right, so, so, 67 00:04:50.480 --> 00:04:54.829 yeah, so we are really focusing in this article, in this podcast. 68 00:04:54.910 --> 00:04:57.629 We have an article that accompanies the podcast, as we usually do, but 69 00:04:57.910 --> 00:05:00.509 focusing on that. We are in a battle. We are on a spirit 70 00:05:00.550 --> 00:05:04.430 any spiritual battle, and the spiritual weapon that God has given us, one 71 00:05:04.470 --> 00:05:09.180 of the most important is, is prayer. Yeah, and so we can't, 72 00:05:09.220 --> 00:05:15.459 can't neglect that. So effesian twelve is is a great passage. Never 73 00:05:15.660 --> 00:05:19.339 that reminds us about that, for our struggle is not against flesh and blood, 74 00:05:19.379 --> 00:05:24.050 but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this 75 00:05:24.209 --> 00:05:28.290 dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Yeah, 76 00:05:29.129 --> 00:05:32.730 this is that Ephesians armor of God passage. That's right. And actually, 77 00:05:32.769 --> 00:05:39.079 if you guys haven't listened, I didn't, a teaching podcast episode, 78 00:05:39.639 --> 00:05:43.279 man, I don't know, maybe a year or more ago, about putting 79 00:05:43.319 --> 00:05:46.079 on the armor of God it's something I do on a regular basis when I 80 00:05:46.079 --> 00:05:48.120 go out to the sidewalk. I pray through the armor of God and like 81 00:05:48.639 --> 00:05:53.670 use my imagination to put on the armor of God right and I'm doing that, 82 00:05:53.750 --> 00:05:57.949 of course, in prayer and one of the main weapons that God has 83 00:05:57.949 --> 00:05:59.910 given us. Of course, we know we have the sword of the spirit, 84 00:06:00.790 --> 00:06:04.620 but really prayer is what I use personally, and I think what we 85 00:06:04.740 --> 00:06:08.980 use personally to put on that armor of God. We're praying put on that 86 00:06:09.019 --> 00:06:12.779 armor of God because we realize that we're in a spiritual battle exactly, and 87 00:06:12.939 --> 00:06:16.100 and the power of prayers so great that it can literally defeat the power of 88 00:06:16.259 --> 00:06:20.529 Satan over us, and that's what we need as we're about to enter such 89 00:06:20.569 --> 00:06:25.730 a strong battle is as being on the sidebook. So so we've got this 90 00:06:25.889 --> 00:06:29.290 big battle that we're going to face, the spiritual battle, and we know 91 00:06:29.569 --> 00:06:34.720 that we're to pray, and I think it's really important to just go to 92 00:06:34.839 --> 00:06:40.079 the basics first. Will. Why are we praying? What is the purpose 93 00:06:40.560 --> 00:06:46.550 of our prayer? And many people, I think maybe Christians that are sort 94 00:06:46.589 --> 00:06:54.550 of new to faith, will say, well, so that we can express 95 00:06:54.589 --> 00:06:59.550 our needs, yeah, to God. And while we can do that. 96 00:07:00.029 --> 00:07:02.019 You know, there's certainly is scriptural basis for that. Yes, sir, 97 00:07:02.180 --> 00:07:08.540 but it is not the main purpose of prayer. We are not the main 98 00:07:08.860 --> 00:07:14.300 purpose of prayer. So another thing I hear all the time. We pray 99 00:07:14.699 --> 00:07:18.850 not so that our prayers will change God, but so that our prayers will 100 00:07:18.889 --> 00:07:25.689 change us. Yeah, and again, that's cute, it's nice. I 101 00:07:26.089 --> 00:07:31.439 also don't think that's the primary purpose of prayer. I think that the focus 102 00:07:31.480 --> 00:07:38.079 is not on us at all, honestly, other than it certainly is developing 103 00:07:38.120 --> 00:07:42.839 a relationship. Sure, that's how we talk with God, but when, 104 00:07:42.879 --> 00:07:49.110 when we pray to God, our chief purpose is that God would be glorified. 105 00:07:49.389 --> 00:07:54.310 Yeah, absolutely, and that that's true almost any question you could ask 106 00:07:54.350 --> 00:07:58.230 about the Christian life. Why do we do anything we do? Is that 107 00:07:58.470 --> 00:08:03.019 God would be glorified. Yeah, but I think having that, keeping that 108 00:08:03.139 --> 00:08:07.180 in our focus as the main purpose is that God would be glorified, I 109 00:08:07.019 --> 00:08:16.290 think we'll make our prayers less like praying to Santa Claus and more like praying 110 00:08:16.050 --> 00:08:24.250 to the holy creator that made everything. Yeah, that holds every breath we 111 00:08:24.410 --> 00:08:28.800 take is in is because of him. Yeah. Well, the reality is, 112 00:08:28.920 --> 00:08:33.759 biblically, God is unchangeable. Right, right, so it's not going 113 00:08:33.799 --> 00:08:39.559 to change God. Right. Does prayer change circumstances and situations? Well, 114 00:08:39.440 --> 00:08:46.309 no, prayer itself does not necessarily God does that, but God acts on 115 00:08:46.429 --> 00:08:48.629 behalf of his children. We have to understand the position that we pray from 116 00:08:50.269 --> 00:08:54.830 as believers in Jesus, are the position of children appealing to their father. 117 00:08:54.870 --> 00:08:58.860 Yeah, and so, in a sense, prayer, you know, the 118 00:08:58.899 --> 00:09:01.580 Bible says this is in James Chapter. For God resists the proud. He 119 00:09:01.659 --> 00:09:05.139 gives grace to the humble. Therefore, submit to God, resist the devil. 120 00:09:05.220 --> 00:09:09.009 He'll for you, flee from you. So yeah, prayer essentially is 121 00:09:09.129 --> 00:09:15.250 a posture of humility. Yeah, we're humbling ourselves, we're confessing and recognizing 122 00:09:15.690 --> 00:09:18.889 that we don't have this, that we ain't got this, we ain't got 123 00:09:18.009 --> 00:09:22.169 it figured out. And God, we need you to intervene. In a 124 00:09:22.210 --> 00:09:24.919 lot of times when we lift up prayers to the Lord, it's kind of 125 00:09:24.919 --> 00:09:28.279 like I think about it's back in I think it's first chronicles chapter twenty. 126 00:09:28.440 --> 00:09:31.919 Gosh, I could be wrong about that, but it's when Jehoseph fat it's 127 00:09:33.000 --> 00:09:35.399 second chronicles two thousand and twenty one. And the reason that I know that 128 00:09:35.679 --> 00:09:41.750 is because I memorize that, because it's one of the best verses in the 129 00:09:41.870 --> 00:09:46.549 Bible. When Johassa fat right, that's way say, says we he's up 130 00:09:46.590 --> 00:09:50.470 against this incredible battle and impossible whoard against him, an impossible enemy, and 131 00:09:50.590 --> 00:09:54.139 he says, we do not know what to do, but our eyes are 132 00:09:54.220 --> 00:10:00.299 on you. Yeah, and that's that's if you boil prayer down to its 133 00:10:00.539 --> 00:10:05.620 very essence, that prayer itself. Yes, essence of prayer. Yes, 134 00:10:05.899 --> 00:10:07.370 God, I don't know what to do, right, but my eyes are 135 00:10:07.409 --> 00:10:11.809 on you. It's it's a release, yeah, it's a surrender, it's 136 00:10:11.850 --> 00:10:16.009 a humbleness, it's a recognition of some recognition, yeah, yeah, of 137 00:10:16.330 --> 00:10:20.600 God and his supremacy, yes, and our reliance on him. Yes. 138 00:10:20.879 --> 00:10:26.600 And so out there on the sidewalk when you encounter situations you don't know the 139 00:10:26.679 --> 00:10:31.360 solution to this. Mom just told me she's got this situation and I don't 140 00:10:31.360 --> 00:10:33.600 know. I don't have a resource for that and blah, blah, blah, 141 00:10:33.639 --> 00:10:35.350 blah, whatever. We go in our minds on all kinds of directions. 142 00:10:35.389 --> 00:10:39.350 We can't do anything. Let's breathe out that prayer. God, I 143 00:10:39.389 --> 00:10:43.629 don't know what to do. In this situation, but my eyes are on 144 00:10:43.750 --> 00:10:46.629 you. Yeah, yeah, and you know what, I've said that to 145 00:10:46.750 --> 00:10:52.500 the MOM's that I encounter. Also remind them right now you feel that you 146 00:10:52.620 --> 00:10:56.940 are in an impossible situation, but pray this prayer. I don't know what 147 00:10:56.139 --> 00:11:00.220 to do, but our eyes are on you, because God does know what 148 00:11:00.460 --> 00:11:03.580 to do. Yeah. So, so now you kind of alluded to this 149 00:11:03.740 --> 00:11:07.929 point that there are many reasons for why we prayer, and they're legitimate. 150 00:11:07.970 --> 00:11:11.850 I'm not saying that we shouldn't be petitioning God, because there is clearly biblical 151 00:11:11.929 --> 00:11:15.690 sure, admit will, not admonition, but allowance whatever, that we are 152 00:11:15.809 --> 00:11:18.879 to petition our father. Yeah, for our needs. So I kind of 153 00:11:18.960 --> 00:11:24.000 wrote down, thinking over, what are the the main things from a biblical 154 00:11:24.080 --> 00:11:31.440 perspective, that we can we do and can pray for. And so this 155 00:11:31.639 --> 00:11:33.870 is not at all an exhaustive list, but but one of them is to 156 00:11:33.909 --> 00:11:39.470 strengthen our relationship with God. Yep, you can't have a relationship with someone 157 00:11:39.470 --> 00:11:41.429 if you're never talking to them. Yeah, right, he talks to us 158 00:11:41.750 --> 00:11:45.710 through the Bible. Yeah, we can look at that every day. Sure, 159 00:11:46.070 --> 00:11:50.659 but are we talking to him? And prayer is the way that we 160 00:11:50.980 --> 00:11:56.779 express to God. Yeah, absolutely, asking for guidance. Jesus himself asked 161 00:11:56.940 --> 00:12:01.289 ask God for guidance. Ask. Well, I think of a passage just 162 00:12:01.409 --> 00:12:05.090 came to mind. Yeah, James, Chapter One. If any of you 163 00:12:05.210 --> 00:12:07.690 at lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally. 164 00:12:07.769 --> 00:12:11.370 How you going to ask of God for Wisdom? Through prayer. Right, 165 00:12:11.370 --> 00:12:15.210 if you're going to ask anything from God, it's going to be through 166 00:12:15.289 --> 00:12:20.200 prayer, and so that speaks to that guidance, that wisdom. Yeah, 167 00:12:20.399 --> 00:12:24.600 that really prayer. Prayer helps us to appeal to God for that. Yeah, 168 00:12:24.000 --> 00:12:28.279 and then appealing to God for forgiveness, recognizing our sin before him and 169 00:12:28.320 --> 00:12:33.870 then praying to him asking for forgiveness, and that is a an incredibly freeing 170 00:12:35.830 --> 00:12:41.669 thing for us to do it. One of the authors that I read said 171 00:12:41.669 --> 00:12:46.179 it on. Prayer is what unlocks faith in our lives. Okay, and 172 00:12:46.299 --> 00:12:50.179 I don't know if they were referring to I suspect this is that when we 173 00:12:50.340 --> 00:12:58.649 pray to God very specifically and we see an answer very specifically, it does 174 00:12:58.809 --> 00:13:03.610 build our faith. That doesn't always happen. God doesn't always answer prayer in 175 00:13:03.649 --> 00:13:05.850 the way that we wish he would. Yeah, and I'm not saying that 176 00:13:05.970 --> 00:13:11.649 then our faith should be destroyed if that happens, but it does increase our 177 00:13:11.690 --> 00:13:16.000 faith, I think. Yeah, we do see a specific answer. Well, 178 00:13:16.000 --> 00:13:18.360 I mean I think certainly does. If we see an answer, yeah, 179 00:13:18.799 --> 00:13:22.919 like I've seen answers to prayer where it's like direct answer the prayer. 180 00:13:22.039 --> 00:13:26.919 No doubt that God intervened in whatever situation. Yeah, a couple of situations 181 00:13:26.039 --> 00:13:30.990 have to mind. I want to get into those. But it also unlocks 182 00:13:31.029 --> 00:13:33.750 our faith in the sense that, again, we don't know what to do, 183 00:13:33.950 --> 00:13:35.429 but our eyes are on you, because a lot of times, as 184 00:13:35.470 --> 00:13:39.309 human beings are, propensity is that our faith is towards us. Like we 185 00:13:39.429 --> 00:13:43.259 have faith, we have confidence, and there's a balance. We should have 186 00:13:43.379 --> 00:13:46.700 confidence in the gifts that God has put in us. I don't I'm not 187 00:13:46.740 --> 00:13:50.259 trying to discount that, but there is a carnal confidence that we have in 188 00:13:50.379 --> 00:13:54.889 our own ability, in our own strength, even confidence that we have in 189 00:13:54.970 --> 00:14:01.490 other people. In prayer kind of redirects that confidence, yeah, and ultimately 190 00:14:01.570 --> 00:14:03.929 says again, I don't know what to do, but my eyes are on 191 00:14:03.009 --> 00:14:05.610 you. I don't have the answer in myself, my friends don't have the 192 00:14:05.690 --> 00:14:09.799 answer. My pastor don't have the answer. My eyes are on you. 193 00:14:09.919 --> 00:14:15.559 So it kind of redirects our confidence, or redirects our faith back to the 194 00:14:15.720 --> 00:14:22.039 one who is ultimately faithful above all. And Yeah, it helps direct our 195 00:14:22.039 --> 00:14:24.669 faith, put our faith in, unlock our faith. Yeah, yeah, 196 00:14:24.870 --> 00:14:28.389 it's okay also to pray for something we want. That is okay. I 197 00:14:28.549 --> 00:14:33.389 actually prayed about this new bike thing that I yeah, I did. It 198 00:14:33.509 --> 00:14:37.110 was fairly big expense and I prayed, you know, show me Lord, 199 00:14:37.190 --> 00:14:39.700 should I do this and and it. You know, it was funny that 200 00:14:39.779 --> 00:14:43.179 I got validation from other people because I would go and say, is this 201 00:14:43.340 --> 00:14:46.500 ungodly, or is is this okay? But Um, but you know, 202 00:14:46.620 --> 00:14:50.860 there's that passage about where if you ask your father for a fish, will 203 00:14:50.860 --> 00:14:56.009 he give you a stone? We are to ask our father for I don't 204 00:14:56.049 --> 00:15:00.490 think we're supposed to be praying really for like a Mercedes or you know, 205 00:15:00.529 --> 00:15:05.490 I'd be real careful. Mercedes. I think a private yet, you know, 206 00:15:05.570 --> 00:15:07.879 I think okay, the so you can pray for that and let me 207 00:15:07.960 --> 00:15:11.399 know if you get a specific answer. I'll pray for the private jet. 208 00:15:11.840 --> 00:15:16.000 You pray for the pilot. We'll get someone else to pray for the fuel. 209 00:15:16.279 --> 00:15:20.840 There you go. Spread that are saying. Like, I mean if, 210 00:15:20.000 --> 00:15:24.549 again, if our posture of prayer and our position of prayer is one 211 00:15:24.590 --> 00:15:31.470 of sonship or daughter ship, right, yes, say that, then certainly, 212 00:15:31.669 --> 00:15:35.590 like my kids ask me for things. Yeah, and sometimes they're asking 213 00:15:35.669 --> 00:15:39.659 me for selfish reasons and sometimes they're just asking me because I have the desire. 214 00:15:39.740 --> 00:15:41.500 I mean, yeah, if they want it will bring them joy. 215 00:15:41.740 --> 00:15:48.220 Sometimes there are things that will bring them joy and the father rejoices in in 216 00:15:48.500 --> 00:15:52.850 giving them things that bring them joy. So I just want to make the 217 00:15:52.929 --> 00:15:56.009 point. It's okay. It's okay to ask for things you want. What 218 00:15:56.409 --> 00:16:00.570 is not okay is if you don't get them at the answer is no right 219 00:16:00.929 --> 00:16:04.960 to then get angry at God. Yeah, and that happens a lot. 220 00:16:06.000 --> 00:16:10.440 Yeah, and and so we have to be very careful about if he doesn't 221 00:16:10.440 --> 00:16:14.519 give us what we say we need, even or want, we have to 222 00:16:14.559 --> 00:16:18.830 trust that he does know better. Yeah, absolutely. So that speaks to 223 00:16:18.909 --> 00:16:22.029 the humility. Sure you so we're not talking about a name that claim it 224 00:16:22.590 --> 00:16:26.509 like your Mercedes and you go to a Mercedes been dealership and you go walk 225 00:16:26.549 --> 00:16:30.429 around your favorite right lady seven times and you claim it right. I mean, 226 00:16:30.470 --> 00:16:34.500 I guess God could do that and put it not likely. Think that's 227 00:16:34.580 --> 00:16:40.179 what the Lord is is into. When we're talking about asking God for things 228 00:16:40.220 --> 00:16:42.299 us, I think specifically, yeah, we can ask God for tangible things 229 00:16:44.139 --> 00:16:48.250 and even pray through God. Should I by this bicycle or whatever? He 230 00:16:48.250 --> 00:16:49.970 can give us wisdom on tag along it, us in the bike itself. 231 00:16:51.169 --> 00:16:55.289 Okay. Yeah, so things like that, tangible things, but also specifically, 232 00:16:55.409 --> 00:17:00.409 like for intervention in situation. Yeah, I god, I need you 233 00:17:00.529 --> 00:17:02.720 to move in the situation. Yeah, me, at the end of the 234 00:17:02.759 --> 00:17:06.440 day. I was I did a study about prayer a couple of months ago 235 00:17:06.519 --> 00:17:11.079 and just kind of getting back to prayer and the essence of prayer and what 236 00:17:11.279 --> 00:17:15.640 is this thing, just meditating on it, bring the question before the Lord, 237 00:17:15.150 --> 00:17:18.950 listening a couple of messages and things, listening through a book about prayer 238 00:17:19.789 --> 00:17:25.390 and really came to the conclusion because we can get real mystical with prayer, 239 00:17:25.750 --> 00:17:30.819 we can get really thinking about it's kind of this super spiritual experience and certainly 240 00:17:30.819 --> 00:17:33.579 in God can do that stuff and we can have a super super spiritual experience 241 00:17:33.660 --> 00:17:40.220 with the Lord in Prayer and get that. But really I think prayer is 242 00:17:40.339 --> 00:17:44.529 asking for God to do for us what we cannot do for ourselves. Yeah, 243 00:17:44.809 --> 00:17:49.609 and it does start with the prayer of salvation. I don't believe necessarily 244 00:17:49.690 --> 00:17:53.650 in the sinner's prayer that the sinner's prayer certainly doesn't save just in that situation. 245 00:17:53.809 --> 00:17:56.769 Right, saying the sinner's prayer does not save you. Right, but 246 00:17:56.930 --> 00:18:00.559 what does save you? God? Yeah, God, by His Holy Spirit, 247 00:18:00.680 --> 00:18:06.279 saves you. And if you pray in sincerity, confessing your sins to 248 00:18:06.400 --> 00:18:10.200 the Lord and asking him to save you from your sin, he will save 249 00:18:10.279 --> 00:18:12.309 you. Right, in the same way, if you pray and you bring 250 00:18:12.349 --> 00:18:18.190 a relationship situation to the Lord, then God can intervene in that situation. 251 00:18:18.549 --> 00:18:21.829 If you pray and you're out there on the sidewalk and there's been some kind 252 00:18:21.829 --> 00:18:26.380 of I don't know, I'll just think practically standing out there on the sidewalk 253 00:18:26.859 --> 00:18:32.500 praying for God to shut that abortion clinic down, that's something we can't do. 254 00:18:32.779 --> 00:18:34.539 Yeah, Can God do it? Yeah, he can do it. 255 00:18:34.980 --> 00:18:38.940 We've seen him do it. I mean we've seen some miraculous answers to prayer 256 00:18:40.299 --> 00:18:44.490 out there. I mean I've seen the Lord literally shut the place down for 257 00:18:44.650 --> 00:18:48.289 several hours. Yeah, because of people praying. Now why God answers that 258 00:18:48.410 --> 00:18:52.849 prayer sometimes and other times he doesn't. I don't know, I don't I 259 00:18:52.890 --> 00:18:55.920 don't get that. I don't understand how all that stuff works, but I 260 00:18:56.000 --> 00:18:59.720 do think we certainly can appeal to God ask him to do things that we 261 00:18:59.799 --> 00:19:03.319 ourselves cannot do. Yeah, yeah, and you are not going to give 262 00:19:03.319 --> 00:19:07.599 up on God because maybe he doesn't do it in your timing. Yeah, 263 00:19:07.680 --> 00:19:10.509 he may do it in his own timing. So some of the other things 264 00:19:10.549 --> 00:19:15.069 are discerning God's will. That's a very important and valuable thing to pray for, 265 00:19:15.269 --> 00:19:21.390 to discern his will. Yeah, like and for like Solomon Praying for 266 00:19:21.470 --> 00:19:26.259 wisdom. You know that that that he wanted to he wanted to be wise 267 00:19:26.380 --> 00:19:30.980 and judging God's people. Yeah, so thanking God and praising and glorifying God 268 00:19:32.099 --> 00:19:36.180 or two other really important. Yeah, absolutely, that that we pray for. 269 00:19:37.019 --> 00:19:38.609 But as I was thinking through the whole subject of prayer, I was 270 00:19:38.730 --> 00:19:42.890 thinking about again on the sidewalk, when when thinking now, when we've kind 271 00:19:42.890 --> 00:19:47.529 of talked about what we should pray for the main purpose of prayer. But 272 00:19:48.049 --> 00:19:52.960 when should we pray? And always is the the bottom line. But, 273 00:19:53.640 --> 00:20:00.640 but, but, specifically we should pray be for the trial that we are 274 00:20:00.640 --> 00:20:03.319 going to enter. I'm thinking in terms again of trials, the trials, 275 00:20:03.359 --> 00:20:07.349 because again I'm thinking from the sidewalk perspective before we enter that arena where that 276 00:20:07.470 --> 00:20:11.869 trial is going to take place. Yeah, during the struggle or the trial. 277 00:20:12.069 --> 00:20:17.230 Yeah, and then after those are the three mat which means always. 278 00:20:17.230 --> 00:20:22.220 Yeah. But what I thought was interesting was, as I was thinking about 279 00:20:22.220 --> 00:20:26.380 that, I was thinking about, okay, are there biblical examples in each 280 00:20:26.380 --> 00:20:29.740 of those areas? And there are, there's plenty, and they were so 281 00:20:30.420 --> 00:20:33.539 interesting to me as I was thinking about the people that prayed in each of 282 00:20:33.700 --> 00:20:41.130 those segments of time. So, for example, godly servants praying before a 283 00:20:41.289 --> 00:20:44.849 trial. One that came to my mind was Ester. Yeah. Now, 284 00:20:44.970 --> 00:20:48.450 esther is an interesting book, is it, the book of Esther? It 285 00:20:48.650 --> 00:20:53.680 is right, never is prayer or God mentioned. Yeah, it's going in 286 00:20:53.759 --> 00:20:59.759 the book of Esther. And yet they're clear. God is clearly working behind 287 00:20:59.759 --> 00:21:06.430 the scenes in the book of Esther. And when esther is told by her 288 00:21:06.509 --> 00:21:11.910 uncle Mordecai how she needs to go about saving her people, she at first 289 00:21:11.950 --> 00:21:15.990 she resists and then she said, and Mordecai tells her, but you know, 290 00:21:15.269 --> 00:21:18.220 we knows that you're the only hope. It's you, it's you or 291 00:21:18.339 --> 00:21:22.180 no on. Well, God will bring about whatever God wants. But who 292 00:21:22.259 --> 00:21:26.140 knows that you have not been called to such time as this? And she 293 00:21:26.339 --> 00:21:29.460 tells him, okay, I'll do it, basically, and she tells him 294 00:21:29.460 --> 00:21:32.740 to go and tell the people to go fast for three days and then she's 295 00:21:32.779 --> 00:21:34.730 going to go do what she needs to do before the king, which she 296 00:21:34.849 --> 00:21:38.410 could have lost her life for, going to the king on summoned. So, 297 00:21:38.809 --> 00:21:45.210 but fasting for three days was always associated with prayer. Yeah, of 298 00:21:45.250 --> 00:21:51.720 course, so she was. She was clearly calling the people before she endures 299 00:21:51.880 --> 00:21:56.599 this what could be the end of her life, going before the king unsummoned. 300 00:21:56.799 --> 00:22:00.880 That was not allowed. That was against the law, apparently. Yeah, 301 00:22:00.990 --> 00:22:07.509 before she did that scary trial, she asked for prayer. Yeah, 302 00:22:07.470 --> 00:22:11.150 so we should too. Yeah, before we walk on, I'll tell our 303 00:22:11.430 --> 00:22:15.019 counselors before you walk on that sidewalk, not only should you be in prayer, 304 00:22:15.059 --> 00:22:21.059 ask others for prayer. Yeah, that's others to be praying for for 305 00:22:21.180 --> 00:22:23.660 you and for the team. Absolutely. Yeah, you have social media. 306 00:22:23.980 --> 00:22:27.660 put it out on social media, start a text group, whatever, but 307 00:22:27.819 --> 00:22:30.930 have folks praying? Yeah, before you even go out. Of course, 308 00:22:32.130 --> 00:22:33.809 you yourself, you want to be praying, you want to spend time in 309 00:22:33.970 --> 00:22:38.490 prayer. Yeah, before you go out, because you need the armor of 310 00:22:38.609 --> 00:22:41.809 God. Right, if you think about kind of in line that you have 311 00:22:41.970 --> 00:22:45.400 this here in the article, in line with this, before the trial. 312 00:22:45.480 --> 00:22:49.880 Yeah, the most prominent example, an important example, praying before the trial 313 00:22:51.519 --> 00:22:55.559 is Jesus, right even before his crucifixion, that we're talking about God and 314 00:22:55.680 --> 00:23:00.829 human flesh. Yeah, appealing to the Father in heaven in prayer before His 315 00:23:00.950 --> 00:23:03.789 crucifixion. Now, this is something, of course, we knew that Jesus 316 00:23:03.910 --> 00:23:07.470 came to do. He came to lay his life down. It's the purpose 317 00:23:07.829 --> 00:23:12.740 for which he came. And yet he still appeals to his father in prayer 318 00:23:14.339 --> 00:23:18.299 before this trial and even asks for father, if it be possible, let 319 00:23:18.339 --> 00:23:22.900 this Cup pass from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but your will 320 00:23:22.940 --> 00:23:26.099 be done. And so he's it's a prayer of surrender. Yeah, it's 321 00:23:26.099 --> 00:23:30.730 a prayer of travail really, because it says he's sweat drops of blood, 322 00:23:30.089 --> 00:23:33.049 and some folks say that that was because of the travail, and I agree 323 00:23:33.130 --> 00:23:37.009 that because of the travail and in prayer because of the reality of what he 324 00:23:37.130 --> 00:23:42.400 was about to face. Yeah, Jesus is praying. If Jesus had to 325 00:23:42.519 --> 00:23:47.200 pray before his trial, how much more so do we need to be praying 326 00:23:47.680 --> 00:23:52.160 before we step onto that sidewalk or before we face whatever trial right that we 327 00:23:52.279 --> 00:23:53.480 know is ahead of us? We need to be praying. This is why 328 00:23:53.960 --> 00:23:57.309 we need to be always in prayer, we need to be praying daily, 329 00:23:57.470 --> 00:24:02.109 we need to be we need to be a people of prayer, because Jesus 330 00:24:02.309 --> 00:24:06.109 was a man of prayer. Yeah, and I love that passage about Jesus 331 00:24:06.269 --> 00:24:10.059 praying. Father, if it be possible, let this Cup pass from me, 332 00:24:10.740 --> 00:24:14.339 because there's so many times that I know what I need to do before 333 00:24:14.380 --> 00:24:18.180 God, but it's so frightening. Yeah, and I really don't want to 334 00:24:18.220 --> 00:24:21.500 do it. Well, it's not that Jesus didn't want to do it. 335 00:24:21.619 --> 00:24:25.730 I don't want to, you know, presume that, but it certainly was 336 00:24:25.890 --> 00:24:29.369 not pleasant what he was about to endure and he knew that and that he 337 00:24:29.490 --> 00:24:36.450 appealed to the father and expressed that to me makes me feel less alone when 338 00:24:36.490 --> 00:24:38.279 I feel like I don't know if I can do this, what you're asking 339 00:24:38.359 --> 00:24:42.880 me to do. Yeah, but then Jesus surrenders to that will, that 340 00:24:44.400 --> 00:24:47.759 your will, not my well, yeah, and that such a great model 341 00:24:48.200 --> 00:24:51.960 for for us in our prayer. Yeah, I know sometimes not want to 342 00:24:51.960 --> 00:24:56.430 get too much in the weeds with this, but sometimes our theology can get 343 00:24:56.430 --> 00:25:00.309 in the way of a biblical attitude to prayer. So we can have a 344 00:25:00.470 --> 00:25:03.789 mentality. Well, God knows the end from the beginning. He knows all 345 00:25:03.829 --> 00:25:07.380 the stuff that's going to happen. He knows him as far as like asking 346 00:25:07.420 --> 00:25:10.180 God for things, he knows what I need are. Therefore I don't need 347 00:25:10.180 --> 00:25:12.779 to pray for those needs. Yeah, all that can be true. Yeah, 348 00:25:14.700 --> 00:25:17.460 but did he know? Of course Jesus knew he was going to be 349 00:25:17.579 --> 00:25:19.660 crucified. He told his disciples he's going to be crucis right. Yeah, 350 00:25:19.660 --> 00:25:22.529 he was going to be resurrected. Yeah, Daniel, you have here as 351 00:25:22.529 --> 00:25:26.930 an example. Damn, when the Lions did I did God know what the 352 00:25:26.049 --> 00:25:30.250 result of Daniel Situation was going to be? To God know what the result 353 00:25:30.289 --> 00:25:33.170 of EST situation was going to be? Yeah, he knows the in from 354 00:25:33.170 --> 00:25:37.160 the beginning. Yet still we see these examples of men and women of God 355 00:25:37.519 --> 00:25:44.279 praying because it's a principle in God's word that we need to employ to let 356 00:25:44.319 --> 00:25:47.680 our theology get in the way of prayer, because this idea that God knows 357 00:25:47.720 --> 00:25:52.109 everything anyway, so I don't need to tell him anything, is just unbiblical. 358 00:25:52.190 --> 00:25:56.549 Yeah, we need to be a people of prayer again, because Jesus 359 00:25:56.630 --> 00:26:00.430 was a man of prayer, right, he knew this whole situation, how 360 00:26:00.509 --> 00:26:03.309 is going to play out and everything. Yeah, and yet still he was 361 00:26:03.309 --> 00:26:07.180 a man of prayer. Yeah, how about during a trial? One one 362 00:26:07.220 --> 00:26:11.220 of the I mean Jesus is a great example of that also, but another 363 00:26:11.339 --> 00:26:17.619 one that isn't God is Steven. He's in the middle of he you know, 364 00:26:17.779 --> 00:26:23.009 he this is in acts seven, specifically verses nine to sixty. Is 365 00:26:23.089 --> 00:26:26.849 what I focused on, when he's being stoned, right, it's been stoned 366 00:26:26.890 --> 00:26:30.250 after being in the midst of a try, exactly. I mean he's being 367 00:26:30.329 --> 00:26:34.680 stoned to death and after sharing the Gospel and they didn't want to hear it. 368 00:26:34.799 --> 00:26:37.400 They didn't want to hear it and they said it was blasphemy, what 369 00:26:37.640 --> 00:26:41.759 what he was proclaiming, which of course it was not. But so they're 370 00:26:41.759 --> 00:26:47.990 stoning him and in that verse, this, this is his prayer. Lord 371 00:26:48.029 --> 00:26:52.230 Jesus received my spirit. Then, falling on his knees, he cried out 372 00:26:52.230 --> 00:26:56.109 with a loud voice, Lord, do not hold this in against them. 373 00:26:56.549 --> 00:26:59.349 And then, having said that, can you imagine that? Yeah, I 374 00:26:59.470 --> 00:27:04.539 mean when you think about someone in the middle of being stoned by his persecutors 375 00:27:04.740 --> 00:27:07.619 and he's praying in the midst of it, and he's not praying stop the 376 00:27:07.740 --> 00:27:15.690 stones, he's not praying beat me up, Scottie's yeah, he's saying forgive 377 00:27:15.890 --> 00:27:21.890 them, yeah, for give them. I that to me is like that's 378 00:27:21.930 --> 00:27:26.849 an inspiring care for what we should be praying, because we face that on 379 00:27:26.930 --> 00:27:30.839 the sidewalk. We are not we're not getting stoned, hopefully in any way 380 00:27:30.799 --> 00:27:36.319 on out on the sidewalk, but we are facing persecution of quite often on 381 00:27:36.359 --> 00:27:41.880 the sidewalk and our natural tendency is to fight back, to flee. But 382 00:27:41.160 --> 00:27:45.029 I think we should be modeling Stephen. Yeah, I mean I just came 383 00:27:45.069 --> 00:27:49.630 to mind. We need to train ourselves that in trials and difficult situations, 384 00:27:49.670 --> 00:27:52.549 we need to be a people of prayer. May they practically. This may 385 00:27:52.589 --> 00:27:56.710 be a funny example, but if you're running now on the road and you 386 00:27:56.869 --> 00:28:00.940 someone veers into your lane and you swerve. What's the first reaction is? 387 00:28:02.220 --> 00:28:04.940 Is it a curse word? Is it saying a bad thing about them? 388 00:28:06.019 --> 00:28:08.299 You Idiot, you fool, or is it prayer? Like what's our reaction? 389 00:28:08.460 --> 00:28:11.099 Think about Steven? Yeah, his reaction could have been a lot of 390 00:28:11.220 --> 00:28:15.170 stuff, right and justifiably. Yeah, you guys are wicked. Why are 391 00:28:15.170 --> 00:28:18.769 you doing this to me? He could have that could have been his reaction. 392 00:28:18.930 --> 00:28:21.369 Yeah, was reaction? Was One of prayer, and so I even 393 00:28:21.529 --> 00:28:23.289 search my own heart. Right, I'm being cursed out on the sidewalk. 394 00:28:23.369 --> 00:28:26.890 Yeah, when a man is coming over to me like he's going to punch 395 00:28:26.930 --> 00:28:29.720 my face in because I've just asked his girlfriend to come over and talk with 396 00:28:29.839 --> 00:28:33.559 us so we can help her. Yeah, is my first reaction one of 397 00:28:33.680 --> 00:28:36.160 prayer, like Lord, help me to handle this situation and a way that 398 00:28:36.200 --> 00:28:38.519 honors you, or is it just to react to him and say you're a 399 00:28:38.599 --> 00:28:42.910 coward, or whatever it might be? Gosh, I want to train myself 400 00:28:44.190 --> 00:28:47.950 and let the Holy Spirit train me, to be a man of prayer in 401 00:28:48.069 --> 00:28:52.390 all things, especially in the midst of the trial. And I think what 402 00:28:52.589 --> 00:28:56.259 this illustrates is the main purpose of prayer, because you can bet there are 403 00:28:56.380 --> 00:29:03.259 the people stoning him that saw that. Yeah, and that changed their heart. 404 00:29:03.380 --> 00:29:07.900 It has to have changed, yeah, some of their hearts towards God. 405 00:29:07.420 --> 00:29:11.650 So that was a prayer that was not at all selfish. It was 406 00:29:11.009 --> 00:29:15.930 fully to glorify God. Yeah, and I know who was right there in 407 00:29:17.049 --> 00:29:21.569 that moment. Was The apostle Paul right all that time? And you know, 408 00:29:21.650 --> 00:29:26.440 the Bible Don specifically set say that. That's what God used. ME. 409 00:29:26.519 --> 00:29:30.559 Of course, God knocked him off his donkey and blinded him. So 410 00:29:30.759 --> 00:29:33.400 certainly God use that. Yeah, but I have to believe that at least 411 00:29:33.480 --> 00:29:37.480 that situation with Stephen was a seed that was being planted. That's right, 412 00:29:37.589 --> 00:29:41.390 the Apostle Paul's heart and his mind. That's right, Jesus God. Yes, 413 00:29:41.509 --> 00:29:45.109 Steven, guys praying too. Yeah, yeah, so we're always being 414 00:29:45.230 --> 00:29:49.190 watched. Not that we should pray to be watched. The Bible tells us 415 00:29:49.269 --> 00:29:52.700 don't do that. But but we are being watched in our prayers, our 416 00:29:52.779 --> 00:29:57.779 prayer life can reflect where we are with God and others what they see. 417 00:29:59.299 --> 00:30:03.619 But then finally, after a trial, after you've been through the ringer, 418 00:30:03.660 --> 00:30:08.609 yeah, should we be praying? Well, we should pray without ceasing and 419 00:30:08.849 --> 00:30:11.490 we should pray in all things. Yeah, certainly. Yeah, and that. 420 00:30:11.690 --> 00:30:15.970 What do you think the prayer should be following you have emerged from a 421 00:30:17.130 --> 00:30:19.650 trial? Yeah, I mean to me it should be a prayer of gratitude 422 00:30:19.650 --> 00:30:23.640 version foremost, God, thank you for taking me through that trial. The 423 00:30:23.680 --> 00:30:29.880 Bible doesn't say thank God for everything, but it does say in everything, 424 00:30:29.960 --> 00:30:33.480 thank God, and I think by that same notion, after everything we can 425 00:30:33.559 --> 00:30:37.549 thank God. We can thank God after the trial is over. And I 426 00:30:37.710 --> 00:30:41.630 think you know I do this thing if I've gone through a trial and in 427 00:30:41.750 --> 00:30:44.390 the scenario for me, as I've been at the abortion center, have been 428 00:30:44.470 --> 00:30:48.230 cussed out by some pro borders, some angry dad or angry mom or something 429 00:30:48.309 --> 00:30:51.019 like that. Of course, by God's grace I'm praying in the midst of 430 00:30:51.059 --> 00:30:53.140 that. I got Amy Strength Help me not to react in the flesh right. 431 00:30:53.660 --> 00:30:56.259 But when it's all set and done and I'm driving home from the abortion 432 00:30:56.380 --> 00:31:00.539 center, I'm kind of running back through my mind the whole scenario. You 433 00:31:00.660 --> 00:31:03.140 know how it is. Yes, gotten this scenario and your kind of all 434 00:31:03.180 --> 00:31:06.809 should have said this. I can't believe they did this whatever, but I 435 00:31:06.930 --> 00:31:08.490 like to try to turn that in prayer to God and kind of what I 436 00:31:08.569 --> 00:31:12.210 called debriefing with Jesus. Yeah, where I'm debriefing, I'm talking through. 437 00:31:12.289 --> 00:31:15.890 God saw the whole thing. He knows all the INS and outs of it, 438 00:31:15.970 --> 00:31:18.319 so he doesn't need to be informed of information. But I think voicing 439 00:31:18.400 --> 00:31:22.279 it back to the Lord is really important and it it kind of gets it 440 00:31:22.359 --> 00:31:26.880 out of our psyche, out of our mind, and it's that dynamic of 441 00:31:26.000 --> 00:31:30.000 castor cares on the Lord, right, for he cares for you. Yeah, 442 00:31:30.119 --> 00:31:32.440 so, God, you know that they were falsely accusing me. You 443 00:31:32.559 --> 00:31:37.630 know that that situation was wrong. You know I reacted wrong and and I 444 00:31:37.750 --> 00:31:41.630 need your gray. So thankfulness, maybe just kind of again debriefing and thinking 445 00:31:41.710 --> 00:31:45.670 how you could have handled it better. But ultimately, after a trial, 446 00:31:45.829 --> 00:31:49.140 bringing it to the Lord and if you messed up, you messed up. 447 00:31:49.140 --> 00:31:52.299 Bring it to the Lord. If you did well, you did well. 448 00:31:52.619 --> 00:31:56.140 Bring it to the Lord. You know, and I think that's a good 449 00:31:56.140 --> 00:31:59.660 way to kind of wand down from a trial. Right. One of the 450 00:31:59.740 --> 00:32:07.130 verses that that I saw was in Ezra verse three eleven they the he and 451 00:32:07.210 --> 00:32:13.089 his people had laid the foundation for rebuilding the temple and that had been a 452 00:32:13.250 --> 00:32:16.480 major there was all kinds of trials leading up to to coming out of Babylon 453 00:32:16.640 --> 00:32:22.839 and the captivity and getting permission to go and do that and finally doing it. 454 00:32:22.200 --> 00:32:27.559 And the prayer. I don't know that it's necessarily quite a prayer, 455 00:32:27.680 --> 00:32:30.349 but sort of in Ezra three hundred and eleven, with praise and Thanksgiving, 456 00:32:31.029 --> 00:32:36.470 they sang to the Lord, he is good, his love toward Israel endures 457 00:32:36.549 --> 00:32:38.990 forever, and all the people gave a great shout of praise to the Lord 458 00:32:39.230 --> 00:32:42.990 because the foundation of the Lord was late. So that goes back to what 459 00:32:43.069 --> 00:32:45.619 you said right away. Is Thanksgiving, just gratitude. What no matter how 460 00:32:45.660 --> 00:32:50.700 the trial ended, that you're still breathing after it. Maybe you're not still 461 00:32:50.779 --> 00:32:54.339 breathing, then you'll be praising God and praying right to his face. Yeah, 462 00:32:54.500 --> 00:32:58.460 you know, in in all eternity. I know we need to wrap 463 00:32:58.500 --> 00:33:00.769 up, but there is I do want to make the point about what prayer 464 00:33:00.930 --> 00:33:05.650 should not be. Yeah, I'm asn't important. I think it's really critical 465 00:33:05.809 --> 00:33:09.049 because this is just kind of a pet peeve of mind. When there is 466 00:33:09.089 --> 00:33:15.279 action that should be taken, I know it should be taken and people of 467 00:33:15.400 --> 00:33:20.119 God say I'll pray for you. Yeah, when I've laid out a list 468 00:33:20.160 --> 00:33:22.400 of needs or things that need to be done or whatever, and no one 469 00:33:22.720 --> 00:33:30.470 offers to take active, make do anything active to help that situation. But 470 00:33:30.549 --> 00:33:32.910 they say, I'll pray for prayer, for pray for you. You don't 471 00:33:32.990 --> 00:33:39.789 want prayer to become a substitute for obedience to God. Yeah, when he 472 00:33:40.029 --> 00:33:45.579 calls you to action. And so I think we should be in a lot 473 00:33:45.619 --> 00:33:53.059 of prayer. Regarding abhorean. Yeah, there are literally baby's dying every day 474 00:33:53.660 --> 00:33:58.410 and if you look at the versus a support prolife ministry in front of an 475 00:33:58.450 --> 00:34:04.609 abortion center, things like speak for those who cannot speak for themselves, rescue 476 00:34:05.009 --> 00:34:09.559 though led away, the slaughter, their action verbs we are to be doing. 477 00:34:09.880 --> 00:34:13.840 Yeah, it doesn't just say pray for those who are being led away. 478 00:34:13.920 --> 00:34:17.440 Right, prayers not important, exactly, exactly. And so I thought 479 00:34:17.519 --> 00:34:21.519 again, I was I was thinking, this has been so heavy on my 480 00:34:21.679 --> 00:34:25.750 heart because I see it all the time, that prayer is a substitute, 481 00:34:27.030 --> 00:34:30.030 and I thought it is this? Is this something wrong with me? Yeah, 482 00:34:30.389 --> 00:34:36.070 but I found a scripture that I thought just really is the perfect illustration 483 00:34:36.269 --> 00:34:38.260 of this. And this is the story of Moses. Hey, he's let 484 00:34:38.380 --> 00:34:46.179 his people out of slavery. And and then God turns Pharaoh's heart back to 485 00:34:46.300 --> 00:34:50.420 I'm going to go get them back. What have I done? And he 486 00:34:50.579 --> 00:34:55.690 chases them and and the Egyptian army is coming from one side of the people 487 00:34:55.969 --> 00:34:59.809 and they come up to the Red Sea. They're trapped right, they're in 488 00:34:59.849 --> 00:35:06.250 a they're in a trap and they don't see rescue. Well, what on 489 00:35:06.409 --> 00:35:09.039 Earth are they going to do? So Moses praise to God, as do 490 00:35:09.199 --> 00:35:14.079 the people. And Moses praise with faith. He knows God will rescue them, 491 00:35:14.880 --> 00:35:16.920 but the people pray mostly with with doubt and fear. And then God 492 00:35:16.960 --> 00:35:22.789 does the miraculous. He parts the Red Sea. And then here's the verse. 493 00:35:22.510 --> 00:35:27.110 And the Lord said to Moses, why do you cry to me? 494 00:35:28.070 --> 00:35:31.590 Tell the children of Israel to go forward, but lift up your Rod, 495 00:35:32.110 --> 00:35:37.099 stretch out your hand over the sea and divide it, and the children of 496 00:35:37.260 --> 00:35:42.579 Israelsho go on dry ground through the midst of the sea. So he's saying 497 00:35:43.260 --> 00:35:45.860 there's a time to stop crying out to me. Yeah, there is a 498 00:35:46.139 --> 00:35:52.650 point at which action must be taken. Yeah, and prayer is is not 499 00:35:52.889 --> 00:35:59.489 the primary thing necessary at this moment. You can pray maybe as you're going 500 00:35:59.610 --> 00:36:04.289 through, partying the Red Sea, going through. So there's a I don't 501 00:36:04.289 --> 00:36:07.960 know, maybe up a proverb that the Lord gave me. Well, I 502 00:36:07.039 --> 00:36:12.880 won't. It's not a proverb equalist scripture, but I think the principle is 503 00:36:13.000 --> 00:36:15.000 biblical. So you guys weigh this out. Oh, this is your own 504 00:36:15.079 --> 00:36:22.630 prophets home. First Proverb. There's something revelation about adding said words, adding 505 00:36:22.710 --> 00:36:25.989 to the proverbs, but just generously sure on kind of statement. In my 506 00:36:27.070 --> 00:36:32.820 mind it's kind of proverbial. Okay, and it's you're a fool if you 507 00:36:32.940 --> 00:36:37.699 go without praying. So go into the mission field or whatever without praying. 508 00:36:37.739 --> 00:36:44.059 Yeah, you're a hypocrite if you pray without going. Yeah. And so 509 00:36:44.460 --> 00:36:46.610 we're praying God, I pray that you bring abortion to an end. We 510 00:36:46.730 --> 00:36:51.210 certainly should be. We'd be fools not to be appealing to the God of 511 00:36:51.250 --> 00:36:53.170 Heaven, right. We need to be praying for God to end this thing. 512 00:36:53.449 --> 00:36:55.769 We need to be praying for those moms that use life, for God 513 00:36:55.849 --> 00:37:00.050 to intervene and all that. But that's all we do and we don't go. 514 00:37:00.769 --> 00:37:04.039 It's hypocritical. So we're appealing to God to do something. Whenever God, 515 00:37:04.199 --> 00:37:07.280 in his word, has actually told us. We can do something, 516 00:37:07.599 --> 00:37:10.159 and that is proverbs. Thirty one versus eight nine. Open your mouth for 517 00:37:10.280 --> 00:37:13.719 the speech, listen the calls of all who are appointed to die. Yeah, 518 00:37:14.039 --> 00:37:16.710 and so I don't want to be a hypocrite, and so I definitely 519 00:37:16.829 --> 00:37:21.070 want to be praying. I want I don't want to be a fool. 520 00:37:21.269 --> 00:37:28.150 So I'm going to prepare myself, my heart before the Lord and the ground, 521 00:37:28.429 --> 00:37:31.139 so to speak, spiritually in prayer. And then I don't want to. 522 00:37:31.260 --> 00:37:34.019 So I'm not gonna be a fool. I'm going to I'm going to 523 00:37:34.099 --> 00:37:36.780 pray before I go, and then I'm not going to be hypocrite. I'm 524 00:37:36.780 --> 00:37:38.340 not just going to pray about something I'm not willing to go and do something 525 00:37:38.380 --> 00:37:44.019 about. So challenge. I'll challenge you guys with that statement. You process 526 00:37:44.099 --> 00:37:47.409 it, pray about that statement. And if you're listening to this podcast and 527 00:37:47.730 --> 00:37:52.929 you've not yet put your feet on the sidewalk out an abortion center, here's 528 00:37:52.969 --> 00:37:55.889 a here's an idea. Go out there and pray there. You got pray 529 00:37:55.929 --> 00:38:00.639 about abortion coming to an end. Do It from your house. Absolutely praise 530 00:38:00.679 --> 00:38:02.760 God for that. I'm glad you guys are doing that. Pray for our 531 00:38:02.800 --> 00:38:07.880 teams nationally. Pray for the love life teams around the nation. It's growing 532 00:38:07.000 --> 00:38:12.320 and growing and amazing what God is doing. But also show up up to 533 00:38:12.360 --> 00:38:15.630 your at your local abortion center and just show up and pray, just be 534 00:38:15.750 --> 00:38:19.829 a presence there. See what God will do. I believe he'll bring you 535 00:38:19.869 --> 00:38:22.269 out of your comfort zone. Next thing you know, you'll be taking some 536 00:38:22.349 --> 00:38:23.949 of these podcasts where we talk about calling out and some of the things you 537 00:38:23.989 --> 00:38:29.179 can call out. You'll be employing that and just step out in faith. 538 00:38:29.260 --> 00:38:30.780 Yeah, see what God'll do, see how God will stretch you and how 539 00:38:30.820 --> 00:38:36.260 God will grow you, and we hope this episode was encouragement for you guys 540 00:38:36.300 --> 00:38:38.260 to pray. We hope that was a blessing to you enough so that you 541 00:38:38.260 --> 00:38:42.210 would share with other people. So please share this episode with other people. 542 00:38:42.369 --> 00:38:45.530 If you have questions or comments or subjects you'd like for us to cover, 543 00:38:45.969 --> 00:38:49.250 you can reach out to meet Daniel at Love Life Dot Org. You can 544 00:38:49.289 --> 00:38:52.650 reach her Vicky at Love Life Dot Org. We'd love to hear from you, 545 00:38:52.809 --> 00:39:00.039 but until next time, God bless that. That's Shaw Ove for love. 546 00:39:04.760 --> 00:39:13.230 Give me our love for gratitude. I know it will cost me my 547 00:39:13.590 --> 00:39:20.949 life, nothing's too precious, and some you