Sermons

Prayer Part 1

This sermon was translated from MP3 (audio) to Text and has not been fixed for grammar, spelling or duplicates. If you would like to listen to the sermon, click here.

Look up songs chapter 65 verse two and I want to start from the sounds of the 65 rush to to to share with you some thing this morning and so I want to first the first thing I wanted to talk about was visions and division Sunday in church it’s on Sunday in the year will you take a break and usually around June July were you kind of inventory where you’ve been up to that point because it’s the main point of the year you kind of look back where have we been and then see what are we looking at when we go away because it’s always good as a people as an organization to know where are we coming from where are we at and where are you where are we heading to that way we can evaluate our progress are we progressing or are you digressing that’s exactly what I wanted to do but the other thing was well I wasn’t around here For two Sundays I wanted to show you the pictures so far what the Lord did with me in Europe and the in the Africa I want to like be accountable to you and let you know this is exactly what happened then but on the other hand it was something else that was nudging nudging my spirit that I wanted to bring here so much and that’s exactly what I settle down with all the other things I wanted to do I just discarded them for this Sunday will probably do them down the road before July is over and there’s a few other things that’s so stirring in my heart that I want us as a people as a family as a group as an organization to to talk about and to touch and to do so in Psalms chapter 65 are still and that’s exactly where we started from talking about prayer and emphasis this morning is not just you praying at home but it’s where as a body what happens why we need to pray so much but here we find something interesting in this Although that here is prayer into the shower all flesh come this man the Psalmist David is saying that because God answers all his prayers men will come to him I want us to go in that direction today to know first of all the God always hears prayers he always hears prayers God always hears prayers one of the easiest thing to fall God one of the easiest nothing is impossible to a God but the very thing that his soul is he in it’s like it’s itching him he wants to do so much it’s to answer prayers it’s to answer prayers most of us we have a life that we have with God we can call it a fellowship with God or relationship with God which pretty much occurs when we are around church folks I will church family Sunday morning when carries praise team here is bombarding us with the good praise and worship then we feel like we are in a different life but when we leave here we put that thing to the side and we go on living our life constantly in such a way that there’s no difference between us who serve God and those who do not serve God some of us we talk like the world we think like the world will watch what the world does we live our life based on community I’ve heard the men say this do you want to know what where you will be financially look around look at the people who are around you look at the closest people to you what does the financial standing look like that’s exactly what you’re gonna look like and this is a proven thing in the financial world one of the financial gurus in this country is called Dave Ramsey he said those exact words look at the people around you they influence what you wanna read what you will pursue it as if in life I will gold or not really Determined by us but it’s determined by the people around us because unconsciously we leave our lives in a competition we’re trying to be like other people have you noticed it in the church we almost all dress like not everything but we tend to dress alike I remember when I used to live in Oregon for the for 6 1/2 years I barely went to church wearing a suit and a tie but when I first arrived there my wife used to always have your dress to match you need to lose a few things when I went in the church the first two weeks I was always like the black sheep of stood up like a hill them but I realize overnight at the time that the past himself came to church wearing shorts sometimes he brushed my flip-flops and people like that the deacons campus church with T-shirts until I shifted here I tried to start wearing jeans coming to church and then I realize people really don’t wear jeans to church around here And then I upgraded myself the point being this waiting to do things the people around us do we tend to watch the same movies we tend to eventually drive almost the same line of cars we tend to top the same kind of with the same kind of accent and language even Peter he stood out when he denied Christ because he just talk like him you sound like one of those little Galileans know the because we have the kind of mindset it’s so hard for us to forget that we have a life we need to walk with God but our life should not be predicated by those around us even though we are in a community we are in a group but we still have each individual a destiny with God goal with God somethings that we have to go beyond we don’t all have to pursue the same thing we don’t all have to talk the same way we have to talk to distinguish ourselves by our you Nicolas it’s not uniqueness that makes us who we are that place is value on who we are so we we find that uniqueness by connecting with God now the problem with connecting with God is with God on God on the sideline because usually it says even if I prayed what difference will it make most of us in this room it’s on the surface it seems like you are bridge so much but if you do an inventory of things that the Lord has answered you barely come up with anything that you can point to that I have prayed and this is it the Lord answered me and this is the answer this is the answer most of us we have that mindset we just try to look cute we just tried to put it put on a face and it in fact church becomes almost like it’s just some thing that I do but it’s not viral it’s not like viral it’s not who who I am but I tell you man If you know the things you do today even some of the thoughts you have today it’s actually got answering your prayers noticed that the Bible says for something somewhere do you like yourself in the Lord he will give you the desires of your heart that means that sometimes the way you are beginning to think now to pursue something it’s actually the prayers that you made in the past for instance when you started to pray father guide my path Lord show me the way to go in your natural self you were expecting a dream that dream will come and then the Lord will show me or my brother cable tell me I had a vision and the Lord sees this and that no God answered you by changing the way you think I know some people in this room when you when you started in your pursuit in Korea do you want to meet me to go in the medical field but today if I sit down with you say Do you want to be a nurse aide or what me are you kidding me know what what happened to you God actually answered your prayers differently by changing your whole focus on career episode you just think that what you’re doing now and you tend to go forward is an actual actually it’s it’s a combination of all the things you have been praying some of us in this room today we may seem like it may seem like our prayers I’ve never answered but you look at your life now some people were so close to you your life you don’t hate them you don’t have to fight with them but then the longer there they have been removed what do you think removed some people out of your life well sometimes as the Lord answers your prayers he has to remove certain people from your life because the clog in the pipe line with the advisers in your life The Bible says after the death of Moses this is Joshua chapter 1 verse one then God spoke to Joshua and said get up and go on the other side some of us Moses is in our lives have already been left to 53 years ago but we are still mourning over them we do not realize that actually God has answered our prayers to say you know what weeping may indoor for night but joy has come in the morning it’s time for me to pack up my bags and keep going but I tell you man as our life changes you realize some people are my friends I don’t even know what happened to these people I don’t hate them but they’re no longer there but some of the people who the Lord has blood has brought in your life why did these people come from what I can because you’ve been praying as a father anything that doesn’t belong to you or not but does isn’t of you in my life father remove it you were expecting Show you a dream know God works through your mind God works through people in your surroundings so God hears prayers I tell you man anytime we pray the easiest thing for God is to answer you not let me show you something here are used to have this idea that sometimes when I pray the Lord heard me but it may take a month before I actually go God goes on that file and takes his time now to unpack the prayer and to tell me yes or no some of us we have that idea that when I pray it may take me five years before God answered that prayer know when does God answered your prayer God does not answer your prayer when you see them God answers your prayers before you finish saying your prayers God doesn’t have to wait until the next day when it’s not going to answer that prayer before you say I have prayed in Jesus name amen before you say amen that point he’s already heard you know if you want that kind of concept prayer becomes the sweetest thing for you when I was a kid I never left the house without telling mom or dad or how many of us in this room like Jeremy wanted to go spend some night adult but the 80s house or uncle Jay’s house he doesn’t have to tell you what if he just left that’s not gonna happen I don’t know never not under this administration son not under this office not while you under this roof we did that I remember the first time I left the Congo I was 19 years old I was going to go minister Exactly I hadn’t been staying with my parents for for for years I left my parents house when I was 15 I said to the church for four years but before leaving I had to go see my dad and tell him dad I’m not gonna be here I’m gonna leave many of us know that we don’t have that kind of relationship with God we make decisions anyhow we never ask God why because unconsciously we don’t really think of God that he’s so intimate with us we don’t think of him like he’s he’s he who answers prayers to assess her even if I ask God now I might as well go on we don’t do these things expressly we do them unconsciously it’s already built in you but God is here the God that most of us have is a Greek God amongst Greeks they used to be a long time ago a philosopher called Aristotle who said God he created us because that’s what God does not because he cares what does God do he’s a creator he creates because he creates what he creates and keeps on moving on on on on creating so God exist but you can’t care about you who are you have you seen how huge the universe is do you know how many people on this earth why would God Almighty care about you so according to this man the God God existed but he just doesn’t care about you so you have to take care of yourself and that’s the kind of God that most people had adopted Aristotle God I love him who cares can you imagine if a one instance you put in your mind when I sing praise I’m not impressing anybody I actually mean it most of us we sing praise to the Aristotelian God we dance we sing But he’s not here he’s over there that’s why prayer is not something good and religion has done a bad job when we think of prayer with this some guy who is sweating and we see things like that we don’t take prayer as a as a romantic moment of your soul with the heart of God it’s a time of whispering unto the Lord ministering talking to daddy what do you want me to do daddy what say you concerning that if we have that kind of mindset prayer changes everything about prayer changes but we have this God who is far that way and he’s not here no when I ask God father give me something show me James chapter 1 verse five listen to the scripture for four instance before with Thank you son James chapter 1 verse 50 what does James 15 say if any of you lack wisdom which is impossible for a child of God anyway let him ask of God that Jesus to Christians right now do you see that it says right in that scripture who only gives to those who are in Christ right who gets to do these old men include even unbelievers even the nonbeliever who asked to God God can still answer him and upgrade it’s not let’s let’s slow down here upgrade it that’s not a word we use in common English this is Lauren why didn’t you respond fast I just need I want to upgrade you can talk the kind of English rate is everything I’m trying to upgrade a few things around here we don’t use the word Great so let’s use a word that we use in common and becoming who does not find fault 0000000 listen anytime any man any human being born of a man or a woman or even in a tube in the hospital anyone who asks God when God replies to them God never embrace that means it doesn’t matter what that person did God doesn’t care about things like that oh there’s only one part in the Bible where it says God never answers the prayers of a wicked man God did not say that no profit say that Jesus never say that it was a blind men who say that in fear in John chapter 9 he was born blind and you remember that the disciples who sang that this man will be born blind he’s not his mom Jesus Nobody in the conversation stops that by the way for the glory of God to be shown now a different conversation let him be healed and he was healed right now the Pharisees came and met him you tell us who open your eyes oh Jesus oh you shut your mouth and open your mouth and admin now in fear he’s telling the Pharisees I don’t know if he’s a good man or not what I know God never ears or tears or answers the prayers of a wicked man God did not say he does not hear the prayers of a wicked man no prophet said that the apostles didn’t say that Jesus didn’t say that a scared man who wanted to save his bacon who was scared of Pharisees it if we can men praise God doesn’t him all men hit on Briggs not In other words everybody as far as God is concerned qualifies to ask one thing about God and man in him there are no shadows what is a shadow is the dark part in God there is no dock part everything and God is beautiful life from the standpoint of view of God is always pretty he is as ever and then all but don’t have to be in church done I have to be on my knees no give me I can print out naked in the shower oh God he doesn’t a brain do you mean I could be taking care of business on the toilet seat and can still talk about his brain is not which God do you serve the God I serve Father he longs to bless people the Bible says here he gives to all men but how does he give it to him and look at the next one how liberally what does that mean liberally use another word freely and generously and not withholding and there’s something else I want you to see some noise here I’ll come on church he gives more than even what you ask to give liberally do you know if I have $100 and you ask me and I’ll give you one dollar I gave it to you but not liberally withheld more than I gave you but if I have 100 you ask me for 10 I didn’t give you 10 I didn’t give it when I give you 100 I’ll give you liberal It’s an H in God like if you ask him father show me you’re a god he’s not only gonna show you the way he’s going to show you the way another way show you people he dreams liberally we have a good God is that we hurt by not asking him by not coming to him through prayers but it’s just like hurts him why didn’t you talk to me why did you ask me oh you who here prayers amen will come to you do you know one one one thing I have not come to realize is God has more than enough this in the book of far Ecclesiastes in the chapter 1 or chapter 2 begins to wonder about some thing she says for instants the air is never tired of hearing It’s been 20 years I’ve been hearing today I’m just gonna put your fingers in my ears I will never hear your eyes never tired of watching things but he also sees the water flows where it comes I don’t know where it goes I don’t know but where it dumps into it never gets full the more water flows it’s like that’s exactly the nature of God when God gives you the blessings the light never goes out that he’s blessed you wait too much you are too greedy know have you noticed what he sees in the sun he anointed my head with cup to the fool but my cup overflows what does that mean when you are full of God doesn’t stop giving it to you when God when you ask the Lord to dump it on you he’s going to dump when this is full Keep jumping until this whole room is filled with it and it doesn’t stop you what a good God we serve you only ask him for a wife or a spouse he gives you a wife a spouse a house a car children grandchildren because you’re more more and more and he never gets tired of it why not we pray man prayer has become one of the most boring thing in church we have time for everything we have time to come and pictures on Facebook when it comes to posting on Facebook we have time for we have time to criticize people we have time to find fault in people will come to watching movies we have time for it when it comes time to talking with people on the phone we have time when it comes to to prayers this week we’re going to have higher life Tonight that’s when all the excuses in the world come it’s a shame we’re not hurting the church you’re hurting him and we are hurting ourselves in the process we have time to do everything prayer it’s some thing that you discipline yourself to do how many of us are tired of taking showers you have taken showers if you’re like me for over 40 years now you’ve been taking a shower morning evening there’s been days where I took two showers it’s been days I took three showers they been days where I took a shower went out got rained on came home took my clothes off took another shower and I’m never tired of taking a shower why do we get tired of prayer why do we get up And when we do prayer what it from Jesus is when you pray don’t be like the Pharisees oh God we pray that God are you Willer exactly what Jesus and don’t do in the church oh god why are we pray sometimes to impress people Jesse has one of her grandparents uncle Ted and God for God forgive me for using” that because he was always generous to us sometimes he’ll come and sneak some thing to me when I look it was $2000 uncle Ted was not good but when you ask uncle Ted to pray at the Thanksgiving or Fourth of July my god he’s going to take you to theology school in his brain he’s going to load you with scripture after scripture after scripture father we thank you because I remember Abraham and you were telling us that Jehovah Jireh which in Hebrew means the Lord will provide yes lord you have provided here because John chapter 3466 is you are and uncle Ted we just want to eat could you do those things by yourself at home we just want to be like Moses let my people go yeah but the thing is we pray like Pharisees when I ask her to Frances’s diner prayers here doesn’t care about God and you don’t do this I’m sorry I can use it because you understand this heat cares about what his brother Noah going to think of me after Brady is going to go how do I did you say those words and his brother Fred oh by the way I was and bring to you I was praying to God pray it’s a beautiful Call thing prayer is a beautiful thing what is so beautiful now there’s another thing here God gives he a brain if not how do I say this it’s not a proven God doesn’t do anything in the world unless a man right God needs prayers all prayer will always be answered even the evil prayers are answered but not by God will get into that if God wants but I want to get to some thing God depends on you to more than this natural realm or to rearrange things in this warm world through your mouth when we pray we don’t have to complain we need to pray How to talk theory we have to pray we don’t have to wish we have to pray and prayer is the discipline that we commit ourselves to let me show you this one scripture quickly in the book of acts chapter 12 verse one through 17 that’s up to 12 verse one through 17 now about the time here at the king stretch forth his hands to VAX certain of the church will see how this man used by the devil is coming like a rambunctious dog on the church descending in fury to destroy the church and he killed James the brother of John with the sword God did not kill James hello James his mission was overnight he was killed by the enemy and because he saw that it please the Jews he proceeded further to take me to also then were the days Of unleavened bread and when he had apprehended him he put him in prison and delivered him to for a “Koreans are what is our quarantine so OK of soldiers to keep him intending after Easter to bring him forth to the people better therefore was kept in prison but prayer was made without ceasing of the church on to God for him to notice when I read this it kind of breaks my heart because James was killed and the church didn’t do anything the the the impression in the scripture is James could’ve been spared if prayers had been made part of the reason why James did not escape it’s because nobody prayed for him I used to have this pride in me by saying I don’t need anybody to pray for me I’ll pray for myself how do you braid It may sound good but it’s wrong Jesus the son of God he said please pray with me and I said I don’t need prayers Paul the apostle he wrote to the fissions pray for all the saints pray also for me we need to pray for one another some of the things that of happened to Brother Francis Hall haven’t happen is because he has no one to play with him some of the things the past happen to see Lauren or has it happen yet it’s because the church has not paid for for Lauren what do you need me to pray for your aunt you get your own Bible know it sounds good religious leader because it takes the burden off of me I’m not gonna pray for her pray for yourself because you think of her as a Stranger not as one with you as family but Jesus and pray with me pray for me Call sis pray for me here the church prayed for peter some of the things that had happened to see some Aquilo have not happened it’s because springs of life church we did not pray for her until we come through our sales and look at the mirror and say we are the culprits because we have not prayed then we are deceiving ourselves and noticed that prayer was made without ceasing of the church and to God for him and when Harold would’ve brought him for the same night Peter was slipping between two soldiers bound with 2 Chainz and the keepers before the door kept her before the door kept the prison and behold the angel of the Lord came upon him and the light shine in the freezer and then he’s more Peed on the side where is the mop sink or rise up quickly and his chains fell off from his hands and the angel said onto him goodbye self and bind on that Sandals and so he needs and he said unto him cast the government about the and for following me and he went out and follow him and Waze not that it was true which was done by the angel but thought he saw a vision when they were past the first and the second one they came onto the iamb get that lead us into the city which open to them of its own accord I’m reading fast but Peter he doesn’t know what’s happening here but as the church praise award he sent in the spirit realm an angel is rushed to Peter Peter thinks he’s dreaming when he’s ashen up but this angel who leads him to the first stop squadron of all these prisoners they are asleep it’s the prayers of the church that makes these people to sleep the past the first the second barrier they come to the third gate the Bible says the Irongate the prayers of the church supernaturally that I am gate You don’t know what happens when we pray we arrange and rearrange things in the spirit realm I’ll give you an example in this church we went through a time where it was so hard for us until this past Matt much until this past March man something happened something happened financially in this church and I remember I can be a one on one Sunday morning right even even before when is the week we’re going to start the fasting and I’m having an interview and I remember telling you this is a sign but all of us that same week my wife got an interview and that sandwich things I’m just boom boom boom boom brother Francis called me with the testimony another brother called me the testimony that Clive called me with another testimony actually his wife called me with an update Simoni what has happened to us As people we didn’t see a dream we didn’t see a vision but we shifted something in the way we did it this time it was just my fasting imagine if we keep the pressure on like that if we keep the pressure of something goods going to happen something good good is going to happen there’s going to be the people who know they belong to this church and they have no reason why not coming they shouldn’t be coming here there are many many people who belong here but why are they here because we are not shifting something in the spirit realm and when the church was praying and I am gate was open Lissa and passed on through on the street and forth with the angel departed from him and when Peter was come to himself I said now I know of surety that the Lord has sent his angel and has delivered me out of the hand I’ve heard them from all the expectation of the people of the Jews and when he had considered the thing he came to the house of Mary let’s keep reading the mother of John who is your name is Mark with me we got to get the praying knowing God the praying and watching you know the World Cup or LeBron James or Tracy McGrady or no I’m not watching the NBA and I’m not saying those things are bad but they were praying they were praying and has been a knock at the door if they get a damn cell count to Hocking named Rhonda and when she knew peters voice she open up the gate for gladness but raining and told how Peter stood before the gate and they say it on to her though I’m mad ha ha Ha Ha oh listen to this these people are praying father we pray for peace Father week about him we speak grace over him yet asking the team to be released in the brain is working but when they expecting that to happen they were hoping for something else but God actually move that’s just like you and I want to give me a promotion father give me a promotion father bless my hands or father I want to see more and he’s already blessed you maybe by the people who you talk to all the time all the people who have left you but you haven’t seen it but listen to this your mind is so precious when you pray after you pray Jesus said ask seek you have to know how to ask and how to say how do you think you’re sick in the conversations with people you’re sick in inventory who is around you listen to the voice of favor what’s happening around I hear Peter has been released the prayers been answered they will open the lady comes and say hey the package is at the door so you man you crazy look at that in the Bible that was mad but she constantly affirm that it was even so then send it to me she’s not mad it’s just is Angel meaning these people believe that your angel looks like you but people continue knocking on the door when they had open the door and saw him do it astonished I’ll stop at 16 when you pray know that God hears you instantly I don’t only pray believe that he’s heard you this has set me free I love now ministering to the Lord in prayer speeches because I know he he has me there now the way I pray Soon as I’m done praying I will thank him that I have believed in this prayer and I will thank him that it’s done and something is happening let me tell you some thing here without sounding cocky and you are my family and I and I hope you receive this when I first moved to this town are used to use my car to to drive people around to make a living because in my mind things will go a certain way differently in my mind the Lord will supply our needs supernaturally in a different way so I didn’t have to you know to put too much money too much thought into careers and things like that so as I was driving I’ll be driving around Woodbridge for a fact you’ll be fine all the way to Crystal city will be fine this happened it’s on the cross 14th bridge into Dieci I’ll have terrible headache Terrible headaches if I don’t have headaches as soon as I drive past it something with whisper to me say what are you doing turn around and come back tomorrow and do better tomorrow when I look at my watch and I say OK tomorrow I’ll start wait wait early anytime across that bridge at the moment I’ll cross that bridge I have if I don’t have headaches I have a discouragement when I turn around and go on the other side as soon as I hit Pentagon city Crystal city I’ll fill it or you doing my lazy man you’re gonna turn around and go home why why did you didn’t leave the house when you go there you watch Gotta ask you to go back so I’ll be sitting for a long time sometime so I just sit in my car for an hour for two hours thinking do I go home I wanna go back this way and I’ll sit there in the city I won’t do nothing For four hours without doing anything it was a brother Joe how to friend called all the way remember the brand of the way he had developed some thing in that he was rushed one time quickly Tilda the hospital there so we went to El Toro to pray for him as we pass the Pentagon for somebody I don’t know why I told him this is so many demons in that building anytime you cross here they’ll come against you I don’t even know why I was telling him that but I actually was true no I don’t want to sound cocky here but what the Lord showed me was because I brought you to do a mighty work here no way to frustrate you anytime across here there’s spirits over there they come against you that’s what this is discouraging I’m sorry you don’t have to believe me I know it sounds crazy sounds good Stations but I know when God talks to me and if you think I’m dreaming please don’t wake me up let me consider dreaming in this but it’s working for me until I spoke with Joe McIntyre before he died when I spoke with Joe McIntyre remember who were looking for a place for a meeting but my mind couldn’t just go in one place I was thinking about school I was thinking about ministry I was thinking about my family here career ministry I was just like salad things and we got a place in Dumphries at the last minute the guy wouldn’t let us in that place the other places there’s no reason in the school when they take it out they just told us to stop us back in and then I called Joe McIntyre he need a spiritual prayer to break something and that shit Did everything and I remember the way we got this place it was right after those prayers that we found this place and we have had favor with the Herald here amazingly then you may not need to know this but even when were three months behind to be in this place he still worked with us he still worked with us but what was doing that it’s because we had shifted some thing in the Spirit room by prayers I got to the place to tell you this when we ask God hears us immediately he releases immediately but we don’t we don’t expected to come to where he releases it we have something else in mind and how God answers us he positions people in our life all he guides our mind a certain way some shop at 65 all though that he was prayer Into the shot of flesh come God hears prayers the best prayers I experience are always short I don’t know why the shorter the prayer in my case the better off he Goes know that sometimes when you pray you’ll like worshiping and praising that can take me sometimes a whole hour they can take me two hours but when I’m praying for a specific thing the shorter it is the better some of us the way we do it was let me just choose brother brother brother to here he wants to buy a house he’s gonna pray and explain to God why he needs this house so bad and he’s going to start telling God if you don’t give it to me what will I say you did it for others why would you do it to me but the truth is the house that he wants actually maybe the Lord actually gave him the desire for the house And before he even open his mouth the Lord has seen it and he’s already say yes or he hast to lose the Lord we need a house receive it I still against every hindrance on this week in Jesus name now I think you know show me where is my house that’s that’s exactly what he did you do the prayer it won’t take you 30 seconds faster you serious yeah what did Jesus say when you pray don’t be like the Pharisees because I think in vain repetition of the word father move move move move move move move move are you talking to God are you talking to yourself when you say move move move you implied that he didn’t hear the first time you have to maybe the poking at him no he heard you the first time keep it brief sometimes and you are the best for her sometimes Jesus Lord help me in Jesus name amen he says that’s so powerful he’s heard you He’s a good God a man less than an outfit