Study in Prayer: Recent Episodes
Pastor Robert Thibodeau
This is short, 10-15 minute, daily teaching on PRAYER. We will discuss "What is prayer?" "How to pray?" "When to pray?" "What to pray?" and all aspects of prayer. This study will bring into a deeper relationship with God, through Christ Jesus and through prayer!
Scripture of the Day: Ephesians 3:!4“For this reason, I kneel before the Father…” Cast Your Cares Upon Him pt 2When I started out in ministry, I was part of an Independent Baptist church and we were part of the Central Texas Independent Baptist Association of Churches. I used to preach in our church, at least once per month…but we would hold monthly conventions where all of the preachers would gather and hold a couple hours of sermon teaching and prayer time. I would be invited to go and speak in their churches, hold revivals, etc. I was an evangelist and thought I knew a lot about the Lord and the Bible, etc. This would have been about 1995 or so. But then, something happened. I was exposed to the Pentecostal way of worshipping the Lord. I had been Baptized with the Holy Spirit the night I was born again on January 25, 1992. I had spoken and praised God in tongues…I knew what it was. But the Independent Baptists did not do that and, I was trying to fit in, so I did not do it either… In those days, if you were “one of them tongue talking preachers,” you were booted out of the fellowship… But the longer I stayed in that group, and compared the results they were seeing and praying for compared to what I was seeing amongst those that DID believe in speaking in tongues – I couldn’t believe the differences! It was almost like night and day. Then, the opportunity came, through a person I was associated with in my secular business, to meet Dr. Vernard Johnson. He is known as the “World’s Greatest Gospel Saxaphonist.” He was really, REALY popular at the time, especially in the COGIC circles. Through the process of meeting him, talking with him and even helping out at a few of his concerts and getting to know him a bit on a personal level, he offered me an opportunity to have my first real, paid, ministry job by helping him organize and promote his concerts. I mentioned this to our little group, trying to get them to come out to a “Soul Winning Concert” that would be in the area. After all, that is all they talked about was “winning souls for the Kingdom.” Don’t you know, THAT VERY NIGHT, they shunned me! Nobody would talk with me. Nobody would sit with me at the same table in the fellowship hall. When I left that building, I asked God, “Why? They don’t want anything to do with me just because I want to win souls for the Kingdom?” The Spirit of God spoke directly to my spirit and said, “Don’t worry about, they don’t want anything to do with me either…” How tragic! An entire group of probably 20 churches that just refused to admit that the Holy Spirit was real and that speaking in tongues was a way to communicate with God and have God communicate with you. I never was invited back to speak in any of those churches ever again. I found out later, several of those churches had to close their doors. Many only had a handful of people attending their services – even after 20 years. For many of them, the only new additions was when someone would have a baby. What does all of this have to do with the subject of “Cast Your Cares on the Lord?” Because that night, I did just that. I had been trying to “please men” by pleasing those preachers. To be accepted. But when I decided to put the Kingdom first, to win souls for the Kingdom by helping another ministry that “was not part of their clique” – I was shunned. At first, I was devastated. “Was I wrong?” “Should I go back and apologize?” But the more I prayed about it, the answer from the Lord was clear, “Leave those things behind and continue to press towards the mark of your high calling in Christ.” Praise God! And do you know when that download came to me? While praying in tongues! Bless God! At that point, I cast the entire thing over onto the Lord and have never looked back again. And now, our ministry is thriving and almost every
Scripture of the Day: 2 Corinthians 13:9“We are glad whenever we are weak but you are strong; and our prayer is that you may be fully restored.” If in Doubt – Then You’re Out!If you are a saved, born again child of the Living God, then you are never supposed to doubt the Word of God. You are never supposed to doubt ANYTHING you read in His Word. Every single word, every single letter, every single punctuation mark has a specific purpose if it is in the Bible. Amen. When you believe that with all of your heart, spirit, soul and every fiber of your being, you will never quake in the devils presence. Ever! Why? Because GREATER is HE that is in you than he that is in the world. Amen! When the devil tries to get you off of your game plan – which is to trust 100% in Jesus and all that He accomplished for you, if the devil can get you to doubt just ONE PART of God’s Word, he has a foothold in your life. You may be one of those that do not believe speaking in tongues is for today… Guess what, you’re right! Anything to do with speaking in tongues and the benefits you will gain from it – are worthless to you. You get zero benefits. That moves over into receiving your prayers as answered as well. You will not see any resulting answers to your prayers… Period. That also concerns sickness in your body…no healing for you… The devil will have free reign to take sniper shots at you anytime and anywhere he chooses to do so… Have you ever felt like, just as things start going good, SOMETHING bad happens? Have you ever noticed that, just as soon as you start to get a little bit ahead financially, the car breaks down or the TV goes out and now you have to spend even more money and “Back into debt” you go…maybe even deeper in debt than you were two weeks ago? Have you ever noticed anything like that? Why does that happen? When I hear people talk like that, one of the first questions I will ask is about their prayer life. Are they praying every day? Consistently? And do you know the response I generally will receive? “Of course, brother Bob. I pray every day (and then – they add the qualifier)…BUT, I only have time to pray while I’m in the car or it may only be for a couple of minutes…” And, as bad as that is…it will still WORK if that is all the time you truly have. My next question is something like, “You don’t have a lot of time? You can’t pray 15 minutes a day? What are you doing at 4:30am every day?” 99% of the time it will, “Sleeping?” Then I hit them with what Jesus asked His disciples, “Why are you sleeping? Couldn’t you pray one hour with me?” But, IF (and this is a BIG IF), they do respond with they are praying, I will the ask, “Are you praying in tongues?” THEN I get the “deer in the headlights” look. They begin to stammer and stumble. Some will even come right out and say, “I don’t believe in that stuff. It’s of the devil” Or “It’s not for us today” or some bogus thing like that… Folks, if it is IN Bible – and especially IN THE NEW TESTAMENT – it is for us today in the church age! Glory to God. What other benefits are there for praying in tongues? In 1 Corinthians 14:2-5, we see the Apostle Paul telling us that God is speaking to our spirit man directly through His Holy Spirit. This builds up the power of faith that works within us. This gives us direct information that our spirit man can pull on throughout the day. This is given to us in a way the devil cannot understand the secrets God is sharing with us. This is a way for God to give us warning about plans the devil is devising and God’s plan to counter the attack. BUT – if you are one of those who refuses to believe…If you DOUBT – then you are OUT! So, I want to pray for you right now. I want to pray that your spirit man would become sensitive to the promptings of the Holy Spirit. I want to pray for you to renew that power that is within you – and you do that
Scripture of the Day: I Kings 8:35“When the heavens are shut up and there is no rain because your people have sinned against you, and when they pray toward this place and give praise to your name and turn from their sin because you have afflicted them…”Worry IS A SinI remember when God first began to deal with me about this issue of worry. I don’t know if you have ever thought about the sin of worry in connection with faith and receiving answers to your prayers. But worrying and being hindered in your faith go hand in hand together. You see, prayer, faith and answered prayers are all tied together. I know some people think it’s their spiritual duty to worry about things. “Well, brother Bob, if I don’t worry about it, nobody else will…” type of attitude. But that is 100% spiritually wrong. Amen. Sometimes, people worry about getting sick. Then they worry if they will get well. Then they worry they will infect someone else. Then they worry….and worry…and worry… Then, when they are healed, they worry they will get sick again. It is just one vicious cycle. A never ending merry-go-round of worry. Some people just WANT TO WORRY. They enjoy it! As twisted as that seems, it’s true. It cannot be more opposite the Bible, but it is still true! We have studied in Psalms 37:5 where the Word of God says, “Commit your way unto the Lord; trust also in Him; and HE shall bring it to pass…” The margin of my bible says, “Roll you way upon the Lord.” The words, cast, roll and commit are all the same meaning. We are to cast our cares, our worries, unto the Lord. Just roll the entire care over to Him. Commit our way to Him and let Him guide our paths. That is what the Word of God is trying to tell us to do – continually. Notice, as we have said before, GOD is not going to TAKE AWAY your worry. He is not going to TAKE AWAY your cares. He is not going to TAKE AWAY any of those things. YOU have to give them to Him. You have to do something about your cares and worries by CASTING them over UNTO Him! Amen! Some people will ask me to pray that “God will lighten my load.” God is not going to do that! The Lord has already TOLD US what to do with problems. CAST THEM OVER ON HIM. Amen! I’m telling you this, folks, it the most humble way I know how… If you hold onto your thought patterns of worry and doubt, your prayers will NEVER be answered. Jesus said, in Mark 11:24 “Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe you will receive them, and you will have them.” Notice here you have to believe with your heart, your very innermost being, your spirit man believing that God has heard your prayers and, in 1 John 5:15, “If we know He hears our prayers, then we can know He will grant us the petitions we desire of Him.” If you will simply cast the care of whatever you are worrying about over on Him, THEN God can work in your behalf and the things you have been praying about will be taken care of. BY HIM! You usually won’t hear this good of preaching in your church today! Praise God! For those of you that might live in an area where you can actually GO to church in this day and hour. Bless God, thank you Father for the Internet where we can BOLDLY Proclaim the Word of God around the world in the twinkling of eye – Praise God! I want to pray for you right now. I want to pray that you will hear the Word of God plainly. So plainly that it will make complete sense to you to CAST YOUR CARES AND YOUR WORRIES OVER ON HIM! Never to take them up again! When the devil tries to bring these things to your remembrance, you just tell him, “Ah…go talk to God about that. He’s taking care of these things. I don’t have a care in the world about this anymore. Go talk to God.” Bless the Lord…did you get that? Praise God! Let’s pray! Until next time, this is Pastor Bob...
Scripture of the Day: Numbers 11:2“When the people cried out to Moses, he prayed to the Lord and the fire died down…” Cast Your Cares on Him Yesterday, we talked about how much God LOVES US! Praise the Lord! And when someone loves you so much, so much they are willing to die for you…that is unconditional love! Amen! Whether they receive the love back from you or not will not affect how much they love you. We can see that in kids that become estranged from their parents and run off to “do their own thing.” It breaks their parents heart (in most cases). They do not agree with the immoral lifestyle their children may be leading. But the love of the parent is still there. It is still strong. They are praying. They are believing that “one day” their child will come back and receive the love they are offering, in the Name of Jesus. That is God’s kind of Love. He died for us while we were yet sinners. He died for us with no guarantee that His Love would be returned, reciprocated from us back to Him. Amen. But He did it anyway. Not just saying we love Him, but by living like we love Him. And that includes giving Him our cares and worries and thoughts and anxiety. He can handle it. If we give it all to Him. After you have prayed and committed your particular situation to the Lord, if you are still trying to “figure out the answer,” then you have taken back upon yourself the problem! If you are staying up all night worried about the problem and what to do and how YOU are going to fix it, your prayers will not work because you are telling God, “I got this.” Which means you “got this” and not Him! Amen! If that is where you are at, if you haven’t cast ALL of your cares upon the Lord, you CAN do something to change your situation. I want you to notice something in this verse, particularly in the Amplified translation of the Bible, from First Peter 5:7… “Casting the whole of your care – all of your anxieties, all your worries, all your concerns, ONCE AND FOR ALL – on Him…” This is not something you do every day. This is a “Once and for all time” proposition! Praise God! In other words, when you obey THIS SCRIPTURE and cast all of your cares upon Him ONCE AND FOR ALL, that gets rid of them right then and puts them over into His hands! Amen! Once you make that type of commitment and purpose in your heart NOT to carry those burdens anymore, the next time the devil tries to bring it up in the front of your mind again, REFUSE to take the thought! Right now, I am convinced there are some people, right now, who will refuse to do this. They do not want to get rid of their cares. They may say they do, but they don’t. Is that you? There are some folks, watching or listening to me right now, that WILL NOT DO THIS because they would not have anything to talk about anymore! Think about it…if they got rid of their cares, they would not have any way to generate some form of sympathy from other people! They have become so accustomed of getting sympathy from others, they do not know how to act any other way. So, in their minds, if they cast ALL of their cares over on the Lord and refused to touch them again in their minds – they would have nothing to talk about! Let’s Pray! Until next time, this is Pastor Bob Thibodeau reminding you from 1 Thessalonians 5:17 in the Living Bible to “Always Keep on Praying!” Be blessed in all that you do! Please subscribe to this podcast, leave us a quick 5 star review on Apple Podcasts to help us grow and be sure to visit our website for more information on our ministry: https://podcastersforchrist.com/ (https://podcastersforchrist.com). And while you are at the website, download the free resource I have for you… it is free and is called, “How to Start a Christian Podcast.” It will bless you – go and download it today. You can also WATCH these session on our Facebook Playlist at this...
Scripture of the Day: Philippians 1:9“And this is my prayer, that your love may abound more and more in the knowledge and depth of insight…” True Love on Valentine’s DayLove. This is the day when most nations of the world will celebrate, what has become known as “Valentine’s Day.” A day when loved ones share cards expressing how much they love the other person. But, how did “Valentine’s Day” actually get started. For this, I will quote from a very good article from the website, rosesonly.com that gave a great, historical analysis of Valentine’s Day. Valentine's Day is named after Saint Valentine, a Catholic priest who lived in Rome in the 3rd Century. There are many stories about St Valentine and over time these stories grew into the legend we know today. At the time of Valentine's life, many Romans were converting to Christianity, but the Emperor Claudius II was a pagan and created strict laws about what Christians were allowed to do. Claudius believed that Roman soldiers should be completely devoted to Rome and therefore passed a law preventing them from marrying. St Valentine began to marry these soldiers in secret Christian ceremonies and this was the beginning of his reputation for believing in the importance of love. Eventually, Valentine was found out and jailed for his crimes against Claudius. While imprisoned, Valentine cared for his fellow prisoners and also his jailor's blind daughter. Legend has it that Valentine cured the girl's blindness and that his final act before being executed was to write her a love message signed ‘from your Valentine'. Valentine was executed on 14 February in the year 270. It wasn't until more than 200 years later that 14 February was proclaimed St Valentine's Day. By this time Rome had become Christian and the Catholic Church was determined to stamp out any remaining paganism. A pagan fertility ritual was held in February each year and the Pope abolished this festival and proclaimed 14 February Saint Valentine's Day, thus establishing this feast day on the Catholic Calendar of Saints. The poet Chaucer in the Middle Ages was the first to link St Valentine with romantic love. This was the beginning of the tradition of courtly love, a ritual of expressing love and admiration, usually in secret. This custom spread throughout Europe and stories grew about a High Court of Love where female judges would rule on issues related to love on 14 February each year. Historians believe that these meetings were in fact gatherings where people read love poetry and played games of flirtation. The practice of sending love messages developed into people sending special cards expressing their affection. These cards were beautiful creations handmade by the sender and individually designed to show how much they loved the recipient. Cards would usually contain sentimental verse, proclaiming the beauty of the receiver and how much they were loved. While Valentine's Day is celebrated in most countries, different cultures have developed their own traditions for this festival. In some parts of the world Valentine's Day is observed as a day for expressing love between family members and friends, rather than that of romantic couples. Some traditions include leaving lollies and gifts for children and others include acts of appreciation between friends. Valentine's Day is most commonly associated with romantic love, with millions of Valentine's Day cards being exchanged each year. Gifts of flowers or a single red rose are sent with romantic messages to loved ones and couples spend special time together. Many couples choose to celebrate Valentine's Day with dinner, a picnic or special home-cooked meal. Many restaurants offer Valentine's Day dinner promotions and food is often presented with symbols of love like hearts and flowers. Another popular Valentine's Day activity is to indulge in a luxury hotel stay in a beautiful location, allowing a couple to get...
Scripture of the Day: Philippians 4:6“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” Don’t Be Anxious About the OutcomeWe’ve been talking these past few days about rolling your cares over on the Lord. He is more than able to handle your situation. Amen. No matter how bad it may seem to you – He is able to make it go away and deliver you from all your troubles. Glory to God! When we roll our cares over on Him, we are demonstrating that we have Faith in His Word. Since Jesus IS the Word, we are demonstrating that we have Faith in Him. Amen! A verse in Psalm 37 helps us to see what Peter was talking about in our verse of the day just a little more clearly. It says: “Commit your way unto the Lord; trust also in Him; and He shall bring it to pass.” AMEN! The words “roll” or “cast” or “commit” are all the same root words which means to TRUST him. Amen. Isn’t that what the Bible is saying in these verses? To just TRUST HIM? Notice God is not going to TAKE your cares away. It does not say that at all. YOU are going to have do something with them. You can either cling to them and hold onto them – and be completely responsible for them…or you can GIVE THEM TO HIM. Some misguided people will ask me to pray that “God will help me get through this.” That is the wrong attitude to have. You should be praying that God will deliver you from this. Not get you through it. You should be praying that you are giving the care of this situation to God and then you thank Him (in advance) for the deliverance. If you insist on worrying about your situation, whatever it is, then you are telling God that He is not in charge – YOU ARE. And God will not TAKE anything from you. Not even your cares. Think of it like this… When you got born again, what did you say? In some form or fashion, if you truly asked Jesus to be your Savior, you probably said something to the effect, “Lord I give you my life.” Am I right? What good will your sin filled life do for Jesus. NOTHING. But, when you GAVE HIM your life – He became responsible for it. And the only way He could save you from your sinful self was to destroy that sinful person and then give you a NEW LIFE – a rebirth – a BORN AGAIN spirit that is the NEW YOU. But it did not happen until what? Until YOU gave HIM permission to do it! Glory to God! Don’t shout me down when I’m preaching good. Amen! Is all of this starting to make sense now! I pray it is. I pray a light of revelation just switched on inside your spirit man. Glory to God. I want to pray for you right now…Let’s pray that this new light of revelation will allow you to begin to walk with the Lord with no cares for this world, no cares about your life, no cares about whatever is plaguing you right now. Let’s pray for absolute deliverance from all of your cares and all of your troubles. Why? Because He says you can do that! Amen! Let’s Pray! Until next time, this is Pastor Bob Thibodeau reminding you from 1 Thessalonians 5:17 in the Living Bible to “Always Keep on Praying!” Be blessed in all that you do! Please subscribe to this podcast, leave us a quick 5 star review on Apple Podcasts to help us grow and be sure to visit our website for more information on our ministry: https://podcastersforchrist.com/ (https://podcastersforchrist.com). And while you are at the website, download the free resource I have for you… it is free and is called, “How to Start a Christian Podcast.” It will bless you – go and download it today. You can also WATCH these session on our Facebook Playlist at this link: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtKWeKtmv-BwgkquBTsSh-GznbmuUp_R2 (https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtKWeKtmv-BwgkquBTsSh-GznbmuUp_R2)
Scripture of the Day: Proverbs 15:29“The Lord is far from the wicked, but He hears the Prayer of the Righteous” Don’t Pray About What is in the BibleYou don’t have to “pray about the Bible.” The Bible IS the Word of God. Jesus is the Word of God. Therefore, Jesus IS the Bible! Praise God! How many of you just got a revelation right there! Amen! You don’t have to pray about whether something you read in the Bible is scriptural. Whether it is something you should believe – even when you don’t understand it – or if it is something you need to get “pastoral advice” about. If the Bible says it – then it is in the Bible and is a fact that cannot ever be disputed. Amen. You just need to accept God’s Word and believe it. The Bible is true, through and through. You will read it and it says the exact same thing before you pray and after you pray. It never changes. Because God never changes. Amen! If you would just believe the Bible and do what it says, you would not have to do all of that praying about “what to do.” You also would not be experiencing some of the things you are going through, either. Amen. Some way or another, it seems people get helped temporarily or just by acknowledging the fact that God knows more and understands more about whatever you are going through than you can ever understand. But yet, they still hold on to their cares. They still worry. They still talk about their worries and their cares. And that just reinforces the power the cares have. God wants to deliver you from your cares and your afflictions. But in order for God to help you, you’re going to have to cast ALL of your cares over on Him. Believe me, He’s big enough…He can handle whatever you cast over on Him. Amen! He cares for you! Glory to God. If you want to receive total and complete victory and deliverance, it is not enough just to know that God knows and that God understands and that God cares. It’s not enough. We must go on from knowing that He knows and we need to start to act on what we find in His Word. If we start to act on what we find in His Word concerning our situation, that demonstrates FAITH on our part. Faith in His Word. Which means Faith in Him. Amen! God wants us to cast ALL of our cares over on Him. All of our anxieties. All of our worries. All of our concerns. Cast them ALL over on Him. That is the Prayer of Commitment when you do that. In fact, I want to pray with you right now about whatever situation you are facing. Let’s roll the entire care of it over on God, right now. Just say this prayer with me… Let’s Pray! Until next time, this is Pastor Bob Thibodeau reminding you from 1 Thessalonians 5:17 in the Living Bible to “Always Keep on Praying!” Be blessed in all that you do! Please subscribe to this podcast, leave us a quick 5 star review on Apple Podcasts to help us grow and be sure to visit our website for more information on our ministry: https://podcastersforchrist.com/ (https://podcastersforchrist.com). And while you are at the website, download the free resource I have for you… it is free and is called, “How to Start a Christian Podcast.” It will bless you – go and download it today. You can also WATCH these session on our Facebook Playlist at this link: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtKWeKtmv-BwgkquBTsSh-GznbmuUp_R2 (https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtKWeKtmv-BwgkquBTsSh-GznbmuUp_R2)
Scripture of the Day: Isaiah 1:15“When you spread out your hands in prayer, I hide my eyes from you; even when you offer many prayers, I am not listening. Your hands are full of blood!” Worry Will Stop Your PrayersSome people are praying about certain situations and are not seeing anything change in their life. It’s as if their prayers are not being heard. Nothing is changing. One of the reasons they may not be seeing any answer to their prayers is because they are not praying in line with God’s Word. They are not doing what God said to do about their cares, anxieties, worries and concerns. It is not going to do you any good to pray something concerning your cares and such, unless you are willing to do what God tells you to do about them. Amen! In other words, there are some things you have no business praying about! Some things that God just EXPECTS you to not need to pray about. And if you ARE praying about those things, it shows Him that you are not really studying His Word the way you’re are supposed to be doing either. This surprises some people. They will say, “Well, brother Bob, I thought you were supposed to pray about everything… That’s what the Bible says…” Yes, it does say that. But you are taking that out of context. It doesn’t mean you have to pray about what God already has told you to do. There are many things you don’t have any business praying about. These are things that God has already said “DO THIS.” He expects you to do them…not SAY you are doing them. Not saying you DID THEM. Just DO WHAT HE SAYS TO DO! No asking about “if” you should do them. Just do them. That puts you in Good Graces with God. Do you remember the parable Jesus taught in Matthew 21 about the man who had two sons. Let’s look at that really quick because it emphasizes the point I’m trying to make. Mathew 21: verse 21-32: But what do you think? There was a man who had two sons. He went to the first one and said, ‘Son, go and work today in the vineyard.’ ‘I will not,’ he replied. But later he changed his mind and went.https://biblehub.com/bsb/matthew/21.htm#fn (i) Then the man went to the second son and told him the same thing. ‘I will, sir,’ he said. But he did not go. Which of the two did the will of his father?” “The first, they answered. Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, the tax collectors and prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God before you. For John came to you in a righteous way and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and prostitutes did. And even after you saw this, you did not repent and believe him. Why did Jesus say the tax collectors and prostitutes would enter the Kingdom before the Pharisees and other religious Jews? Because they were trusting in their prayers and rituals. The tax collectors and prostitutes KNEW they were lost and when Jesus said “only believe” – they DID! They then went about SHARING the Gospel – the GOOD NEWS – that Salvation was for those who did one thing – BELIEVE ON JESUS! Praise God! I hope you are getting this! It does you no good at all to go into your prayer closet and pray for one hour or more every single day, asking God for the exact same things you have been asking Him for during your hour long prayer sessions for the last 17 times, 17 months or 17 years. IF you can find a situation in the Bible where He answered someone else’s prayer about any situation that is similar to yours, USE THAT to build your prayer of petition (which we will get into how a prayer of petition works later). If God said DO THIS and you are not doing it – WHY would He answer your prayer requests when YOU are not doing what He already said for you to do? Yes, we do need to ask God continually for answers to our prayers. “Pray continually,” is in the Bible…but not “pester continually.” If your kids comes every 5 minutes wanting an cookie, do you give it to them? NO. Why? Don’t you want...
Scripture of the Day: Revelation 8:3“Another angel, who had a golden censer, came and stood at the altar. He was given much incense to offer, with the prayers of all God’s people, on the golden altar in front of the throne.” When the Glory Shows UpDid you ever stop to think about WHEN the Glory of the Lord filled the Temple? It was when all the people were praying and singing praise to God, out loud, in one accord. The Glory cloud filled the Temple so the priests could not even stand and minister. That is what united prayer can do! Amen! In 2 Chronicles 7:2, this is immediately after King Solomon had finished his prayer and the Glory cloud descended and filled the Temple in verse 1, verse 2 says, “And the priests could not enter into the house of the Lord, because the Glory of the Lord had filled the Lord’s house.” When God shows up, nobody, and I mean nobody, can stand in His presence. Amen! When you are in trouble and you call on the Name of the Lord, He hears you. And when He shows up, no devil in hell is going to be trying to fight you. Every demon from hell will tremble and fall prostrate before the Lord of Hosts – or flee before He arrives. That is why Jesus said in Luke 10:19, “Behold, I have given you…(notice this is PAST TENSE)…I have given you authority to tread on snakes and scorpions and over ALL the power of the enemy. Nothing will harm you!” Praise God – that’s shouting ground right there! Glory to God! If you are facing down a demon that is tormenting you, you have nothing to fear! If that devil says, “God isn’t going to deliver you this time…” – just remind that devil that he IS a liar and there is no truth in him…so that means if he says “God isn’t going to deliver you” – that is a lie and it means you have already been delivered! AMEN! Then, remember what Jesus also said in John 14:14, “Ask ANYTHING in my name, I will do it!” Now that is a promise you can bank on! Glory to God! Just ASK in the Name of Jesus and watch the Glory fill your house! Amen! No devil in hell will stay within the confines of your house when God is on the scene…and let me go one step further… Your body is known as what? THE TEMPLE OF THE LORD! Amen! So if sickness is invading your body – there is no sickness in God. So it must be a lie of the devil. Based on what we learned today, what should you do? Call on the Name of Jesus and ask for the GLORY TO FILL YOUR HOUSE – your body! Amen! “Well, brother Bob, I’m still sick. The doctor says I’m going to die.” Let me ask you, who do you believe more? Your doctor or Jesus? Trust the Word in all circumstances – even when the doctor is telling you there is no hope. What is the absolute WORST that can happen in that situation? “Well, I could die!” That’s right! And since that is the WORST – anything else is better, right? Maybe instead of passing away in 3 weeks it’s 3 months. But what happens if you die like the doctor said? Absent from the body means you are now present with the Lord! In HIS GLORY! Amen! Folks, it’s a win-win situation no matter how you look at it! Amen! You just need to maintain your Faith in God that HE WILL do what His Word says He will do! God is not a man that He should lie. God WILL DO what HIS WORD says HE WILL DO! That is all you have to rest in. Period. End of story! And end of today’s episode as well. Amen!
Let’s Pray! Until next time, this is Pastor Bob Thibodeau reminding you from 1 Thessalonians 5:17 in the Living Bible to “Always Keep on Praying!” Be blessed in all that you do! Please subscribe to this podcast, leave us a quick 5 star review on Apple Podcasts to help us grow and be sure to visit our website for more information on our ministry: https://podcastersforchrist.com/ (https://podcastersforchrist.com). And while you are at the website, download the free resource I have for...
Scripture of the Day: 2 Chronicles 7:1“When Solomon finished praying, fire came down from Heaven and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices, and the Glory of the Lord filled the Temple.”Usher in the GloryDid you know it is possible for believers today to usher in the Glory of God in our church services? Absolutely! I’ve been involved in one such instance myself. I’m telling you – it is something that you will never forget! In Old Testament times, the Bible says the Glory of the Lord would fill the Temple where the people were praying. We can read all about this instance in 2 Chronicles 5:6-7 & 11-14. But, in accordance with what we have been teaching on these past few days about united prayer, I want to look at verse 13 in particular… 2 Chronicles 5:13, “It came to pass, AS THE TRUMPETERS AND SINGERS WERE AS ONE, to make ONE SOUND to be heard in PRAISING AND THANKING THE LORD, and when THEY LIFTED UP THEIR VOICE AS ONE with the trumpets and cymbals and music and praised the Lord saying, “For his is good; for his mercy endures forever…” That THEN the house was filled with a cloud, even the house of the Lord.” AMEN! And, at the end of that service, not only was the House filled with the cloud and Glory of the Lord, but FIRE fell from Heaven and consumed the sacrifices, as we read in our scripture of the day! Praise God! Have you ever experienced that? NO? Really? Well, I wonder why not? Like I said, I’ve experienced a couple of times. Only a couple. Not the fire coming down from Heaven part – but the Glory Cloud coming into the sanctuary. The first time was at our Bible School and a great man of God named Dick Durbin was teaching. He was teaching on the Altar of the Lord and these scriptures. It was almost a week he was there as a special guest. And the last service is when he was teaching on this and about the burning of incense and the praise and music as we just read about… Well, our praise team was singing, the band was playing and the students were in reverent worship…and then…almost imperceptible at first, but you could see “something” was happening… A cloud started to descend from the ceiling down towards the altar of incense that was a representation of the real altar (obviously it was not THE Altar…amen). But it visibly descended and surrounded the altar and then started to slowly spread out through the auditorium and within about two minutes, people were sobbing and crying out praises to God…and it continued for about 30 minutes. It was the most awesome prayer experience I had ever, and I mean EVER, experienced in my life! I get goose bumps just talking about it. To be in the actual presence of the Lord like that… The second time was several years later in a conference. We did not have a duplicate altar or anything like that in the conference I was in. But the praise and worship and the united prayers that were being offered were similar in nature and…unexpectedly, the same type of cloud started to descend from the rafters and did the same thing. It seemed like “fingers” of the cloud just sought each person out – me included. The results were the same…Some were praising God while others just fell to their knees and sobbed, not sorrowful sobs…but repentant sobs and gratifying sobs of KNOWING they had been forgiven…it is so difficult for me to explain in words…but the experience is unforgettable. I imagine, just thinking of it right now, that must have been something similar to what the disciples experienced in the Book of Acts on the Day of Pentecost. Something to think about anyway… My point I’m trying to make today is that UNITED prayer can bring God’s presence on the scene. It may not be a physical experience as described here in 2 Chronicles chapter 5 or chapter 7. It may not be the type of experience I’ve described to you that I’ve been a part of. Those were only two instances where I experienced an physical presence
Scripture of the Day: Acts 4:31“After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly.” Prayer in the Early ChurchWhen you get to the place where you can get serious with God…when you get the place that you don’t care who sees you, hears you praying or hears about you praying – THEN you will begin to see the results. Amen! We’ve been studying the past few days about God shaking the places the disciples were praying from. Prisons, rooms with other believers, etc. But I want to look at what actually caused Peter and John to get in trouble in the first place. In Acts chapter 3, verses 6-8, you can read the story about how they healed, in the Name of Jesus, the crippled man at the Gate Beautiful. And how this was done openly, publicly and word spread quickly that this notable healing had occurred. This word soon got back to the Pharisees who sent the Temple Guard to bring Peter and John in for questioning. They wanted to beat them and lock them up…but someone reported this news had already spread all over town. It could not be swept under the rug or denied. So, they decided to threaten Peter and John before they let them go. This happens in our society today. If you preach against homosexuality or transgenderism or anything the left says is normal but the Bible calls an abomination – you will be threatened… I was preaching up in Canada a few years back and was told by the pastor, “Please don’t say anything about the gays. The government will shut down our church.” This cancel culture syndrome is now in the United States – especially with this administration that is running the show now. Anyway – we are here to talk about prayer and the power of prayer, amen! We covered yesterday Peter’s reply from verses 19 & 20 about “whether it is right in the sight of God to obey you or Him, you decide, but we are going to keep on preaching…” Glory to God (that was my paraphrase, by the way). We also covered how they went back to their own church members and reported what had happened and then they all prayed TOGETHER, verbally and in one accord and how God shook the building they were in… He did not send an earthquake to the area. He did not shake other buildings. He did not destroy anything. He simply shook the building and answered their prayer for BOLDNESS. Amen! That’s what they asked for in verse 29 – BOLDNESS as they were determined to keep on preaching and teaching, despite the threats. Amen! In verse 31, we see God immediately answering their prayers with a confirming sign! The shaking and the filling with the Holy Spirit to have a spirit of BOLDNESS! The exact thing the Pharisees did not want to happen is the thing that did happen! They told two disciples to shut up and go home… Those two told their friends and they all started to pray that ALL of them would receive BOLDNESS to preach the Gospel – and God granted their request and answered their prayers. Now, instead of two bold disciples of Jesus – there was a whole ROOM FULL of disciples hitting the streets, declaring the Name and Power of the Name of Jesus and healing all sorts of manner of diseases – all in the face of the Pharisees! Glory to God! Don’t shout me down when I’m preaching good! Amen! We will pick it up there again tomorrow. I want to pray for you to receive that kind of BOLDNESS in the Name of Jesus! Amen! Until next time, this is Pastor Bob Thibodeau reminding you from 1 Thessalonians 5:17 in the Living Bible to “Always Keep on Praying!” Be blessed in all that you do! Please subscribe to this podcast, leave us a quick 5 star review on Apple Podcasts to help us grow and be sure to visit our website for more information on our ministry: https://podcastersforchrist.com/ (https://podcastersforchrist.com). And while you are at the website, download the free resource I have for you… it is free...
Scripture of the Day: Acts 4:23“On their release, Peter and John went back to their own people and reported all that the chief priests and the elders had said to them.”When Believers PrayIn Acts chapter 4, we read an account of a company of believers in the Early Church who lifted their voices in united prayer and received an immediate sign their prayers were answered. Peter and John had healed the cripple man at the gate of the Temple called “Beautiful.” This offended the hierarchy at the Temple and they had Peter and John arrested. When they were questioned by the Pharisees, and it was determined that nothing could be done against them because the miraculous healing was now public knowledge, they threatened Peter and John and to never teach anymore in the Name of Jesus. In verse 19 and 20, Peter replied, “Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you more than to God, you judge yourselves. As for us, we cannot but speak about the things we have seen and things we have heard.” AMEN! After they were threatened again, they were released and our scripture today says, they immediately went back to their own company and told them what happened. It is good to be with friends and like minded believers when you are in trouble and having a hard go of it. It is also good to be around those of like precious faith in troubling times, too. Amen! If this would happen today (and it is, believe me, it is AND it will become more prevalent in today’s society as well with this cancel culture now running the government)… if Paul and Silas would go running back to most church pastors today, things would be different from the Church in the Book of Acts. Most churches would form a special committee and research whether Peter and John had, indeed, broken some local ordinance. They may even try to make an appointment with the local officials to work out some kind of arrangement where they could pray for sick folks inside the church and not out in public or some other such thing. These Pharisees were religious. They just did not accept that Jesus was the Messiah. These leaders believed in the same God. They believed in the Power of Prayer. They believed God could heal someone miraculously. They just did not believe Jesus was the Messiah. Amen! The believers in that home church did not pray for the destruction of the Temple or for something bad to happen to the leadership. No. Not at all. They prayed that God would give THEM BOLDNESS! Boldness to continue preaching in the Name of Jesus! Amen! Then, look at what happened. I’ll just mention it here and we will look closer at it tomorrow… Verse 31: “And when they had prayed… the place was shaken where they were assembled together and they were filled with the Holy Ghost and spoke the Word of God with BOLDNESS.” Amen! Two things I want to point out here and then we will close… Just like with Paul and Silas – this place was SHAKEN. Amen! No other reports of buildings damaged or any major earthquakes, etc. JUST WHERE THEY WERE PRAYING. Amen! AND – their prayers were answered! The Holy Spirit imparted to them BOLDNESS to keep on preaching! Amen! Glory to God! We need to pray like that too. We need BOLD preachers today! We need BOLD BELIEVER’s today! Amen! Let’s pray for BOLDNESS to be imparted to us by the Holy Spirit. Until next time, this is Pastor Bob Thibodeau reminding you from 1 Thessalonians 5:17 in the Living Bible to “Always Keep on Praying!” Be blessed in all that you do! Please subscribe to this podcast, leave us a quick 5 star review on Apple Podcasts to help us grow and be sure to visit our website for more information on our ministry: https://podcastersforchrist.com/ (https://podcastersforchrist.com). And while you are at the website, download the free resource I have for you… it is free and is called, Podcasting for Christians. It will bless you – go and download it today. You can also...
Scripture of the Day: Acts 16:25“About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them.” When Is Your Midnight?As we started to share yesterday, Paul and Silas had been beaten and thrust into the inner prison with their feet put in stocks, all for preaching the Gospel. But instead of griping and complaining, they lifted their voices together in united prayer and praises to Jesus and to God. Amen! What about you? Would you be praying and praising in those circumstances? When it looked in the natural like your life could be over. If not physically, at least freedom wise? But look at what happened. As Paul and Silas prayed, in united prayer, lifting their voices so loud all the other prisoners could hear them, God brought a mighty deliverance. Verse 26 says an earthquake shook the very foundations of the prison and all of the prison doors were opened, physically popped off the hinges. But that was not all, every single shackle has been loosed! That should not have happened because of an earthquake! But it did! Amen! As I related yesterday, I found it interesting that there is no historical references of an earthquake destroying anything in that area at that time. None. Not in the Bible and, as far as I have been able to determine, nothing historically either. But, praise God, that jailhouse was shaken! Amen! When the prisoners realized what had happened, you would have thought they would have made a run for the hills as quick as possible. Some had probably been their quite a while and probably had lost all hope of ever being free. Here was their chance. That is what the jailer thought, too. That’s why he was going to kill himself. If he allowed the prisoners to escape, it was on him to suffer their punishment. But Paul told him to stop because NOBODY had ran away. NONE! Not one person left the prison! Why? Because every prisoner in their knew it was from God. They felt the presence of the Holy Spirit and they witnessed the Power of God this Silas and Paul had been talking about. They did not want to leave that presence! Amen! They wanted MORE! Glory to God! The Jailer knew he had witnessed a miracle. The prisoners knew, too. The results was the entire family of the jailer was saved that very night. And the Philippian church was formed that night, too. With the jailer as the pastor of those inmates. Glory to God. That is what happens when you cry out to God in prayer and praise in YOUR midnight hour! Amen! There are a lot of people today just sitting around doing nothing…waiting on God to do something. Something FOR them. They will say, “Well, if God wants me to get out of this mess, He will just have to do it, I guess…” But that is not true, not in any sense of the Word. Amen. If it was true, why did Paul and Silas have to sing, out loud? Why didn’t they just say, “Well, Silas, I guess this is where the Lord wants us at right now. That’s why this happened. So let’s just accept our fate and see what else the Lord can do…” No, they prayed in one accord and sang praises to God! And notice their situation did not change UNTIL they prayed and sang praises to God! Amen! Did you get that! As a result, God moved! Glory to God! We need that kind of praying going on today. We need to start shaking things up in this nation and around the world. It is time for the TRUE, born again Christians to take their rightful place, publicly and visible for all to see and start praying and singing praises to God! Amen! You see, a shaking like that would cause some people to come to church! To get born again! And that same shaking will cause some who are not truly committed to the Word to leave the church. Those who don’t want to pray and be shaken, well, they won’t be there long. They are not Spiritually mature enough to stand the shaking, let alone benefit from it. But that’s ok. Because...
Scripture of the Day: Acts 21:5“They all joined together constantly in prayer, along with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers.”Group PrayerWhen I first started to attend Full Gospel services, I was not used to this idea of everyone in the building praying out loud, some in other tongues, some in English, praying at the same time for about 5 minutes or more. That just seemed weird to me. Even when I was a Bible School, some instructors would come in and we would do this. I didn’t like it. Not at all. But, I was at least willing to acknowledge that “I did not know everything” and, after all, I was at Bible school to learn, right? I also understood that true Church was meant to be fashioned after the FIRST CHURCH – which was the Church in the Book of Acts. In the Bible, it is called the “Law of first mention” and if the Church of Acts was the first church that the Holy Spirit set up after the ascension of Jesus and the Day of Pentecost, it must be how He wants it to operate (despite man’s best attempts at doing otherwise). So, I decided to study this out for myself. And when I did, I found this verse and others like it (Acts 2:1; 4:24: 16:25 and others) that showed me there was POWER in the unity of prayer like that! Praise God! I was onto something! These scriptures referred to “THEY lifted their VOICES…” This was not one man praying out loud and everyone else remaining silent… Now, don’t get me wrong. I love my one on one time with the Lord in prayer. I tend to receive Wisdom and Inspiration on matters that I lift to Him in my private prayer time. But there are times when we need to be united in prayer and everyone “lifting their voice in one accord.” Amen. Another example is when Paul and Silas were praying while in prison. This scripture also references they were praying, out loud, together, at the same time. Amen! Don’t shout me down when I’m preaching good! What happened? An earthquake hit that opened every single door in that prison…but nobody escaped! That was unheard of – back then and today! Amen! But what else happened? The jailers entire family was saved! And don’t you know the reason none of the prisoners escaped? All of them were born again, too! They didn’t want to leave that prison because, for the first time in their lives – they were TRULY set free! Glory to God! And, for further proof of that, Paul wrote a letter to the “Church of the Phillipians.” This was the church the jailer founded – with the prison inmates! Glory to God! What else happened? I’ll get more into this aspect tomorrow… but I want to zero in on one more thing as an example of the power of a united prayer – out loud in front of everyone – and how God responds… The Bible says an earthquake occurred that opened the doors to the prison, right? Did you ever notice there is no record in the Bible of an earthquake shaking anything else except the prison? Right where Paul and Silas were praying? How’s that for answered prayer? Nobody except those who were praying received that kind of answer to their prayers! I believe some of the prisoners, hearing Paul and Silas talking and then singing and praising God and praying out loud – I believe some of them joined in as well. This is what brought God on the scene! Amen! If He did it for them, what does the Bible say, He will do it for you! For God is not a respecter of persons, Amen! Glory to God. So – YES – a united group prayer is important. It is effective. It does work. But, as with everything else, DO NOT make this a doctrine or a religious activity. That will never work. But when the inspiration of the Holy Spirit says to do it – then GO FOR IT! Amen! Let’s Pray!
Until next time, this is Pastor Bob Thibodeau reminding you from 1 Thessalonians 5:17 in the Living Bible to “Always Keep on Praying!” Be...
Scripture of the Day: Acts 21:5“When it was time to leave, we left and continued on our way. All of them, including wives and children, accompanied us out of the city, and there on the beach we knelt to pray.” United PrayerThere is power in unity. In the natural and in the Spirit. In fact, that is where unity in the natural obtains it power! It is based upon Spiritual principle. Matthew 18:19 says, “Again I say unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching anything that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven.” When two people agree on earth, in the Spirit or in the natural, their power is multiplied. This can be for the good of the people or, unfortunately, evil can use the same principles for the destruction of the people (like we see happening politically today). Leviticus 26:8 says, “Five of you will chase a hundred, and a hundred of you will chase ten thousand, and your enemies will fall by the sword before you.” This clearly illustrates the more people you can win to your cause, the more powerful your cause will become. How do you think the Gay Pride and LGBQT or whatever they are going by today was able to destroy the fabric of American life so easily? Because the Democrats were looking for a new voting base and sold the soul of America to the devil in exchange for political power. Why do you think “suddenly” there is this cancel culture chasing down anyone who even hints the Conservative values are important to the survival of America? It is because evil now reigns in American government. There are so many Biblical passages that clearly indicate we are on the precipice of destruction in America. Everything we were founded on is either already destroyed or in the process of being destroyed. Anyone who speaks out against the flood of demonic forces is identified and tried to be silenced. But, we are to trust in PRAYER. And that is the purpose of this year long series on teachings of prayer. It would be too easy for me just to invoke 2 Chronicles 7:14 and say “all will be well with the world.” Because it won’t be. We are too far gone as nation. But, I’m not too concerned about it! “What? How could you say that, brother Bob?” Because the Bible is very clear that all these things must come to pass just before the return of Jesus! That means, as we see these things happening, YES we need to resist them. YES, we need to pray for deliverance. YES, we need to come together collectively as believers and try to stop these political forces… But we need to also keep our prayers going for the soon return of the Lord. He will be the ultimate deliverer for us and for the nation and for the world and for all believers everywhere! When Jesus comes back, which is going to be very soon, He will be the one who destroys the works of the devil, and his followers who are now in charge, with only ONE WORD from His mouth! Praise God! There are too many things for me to try and share with you in this short teaching on this very important subject. But the bottom line is “we are not without hope.” We also need to work together, praying in unity, gaining that power that comes from praying and working together in unity – and achieve total victory! If you want to join me in this, let’s pray right now for Power from on High to be imparted to believers everywhere. Power to resist. Power to overcome. Power to endure and most importantly, Power to pray in UNITY and get even more people to become Born Again before Jesus returns. Amen! Let’s Pray! Until next time, this is Pastor Bob Thibodeau reminding you from 1 Thessalonians 5:17 in the Living Bible to “Always Keep on Praying!” Be blessed in all that you do! Please subscribe to this podcast, leave us a quick 5 star review on Apple Podcasts to help us grow and be sure to visit our website for more information on our...
Scripture of the Day: Acts 12:12“When this had dawned on him, he went to the house of Mary, the mother of John, also called Mark, where many people had gathered and were praying.” The Power of Praise pt 2Yesterday, we talked about how the Power of Praise worked for the people of Judah when they were about to be attacked by the combined armies of four of their enemies. We talked about how, the king, their leader, called for a prayer meeting. I believe our leaders today would fair so much better by acknowledging God and calling for national days of prayer – instead of gathering their advisors, wringing their hands and deciding “they know what’s best” for the country. Anyway – they don’t. But God does! Glory to God! Amen! If we would just walk in the light of the Word and continually be in an attitude of praise and thanksgiving, we would be a witness to other people for the Lord. Amen! People would see our continual gladness of heart and would desire to experience that joy and gladness for themselves. They would actually start to seek YOU out and ask, “How do you do that? Why is God answering your prayers all of the time?” This is just one area in which being baptized by the Holy Spirit will help us. Although a person can have joy and have a thankful heart because of the new birth, being born again – it is the Baptism in the Holy Spirit that helps us to Praise God in times of trouble and to be a powerful witness to the power of God in any situation. Amen! I remember, now this was many years before I was born again, but a person lived across the street from us back in the little town of New Llano, Louisiana. He was born again and filled with the Holy Spirit. I would talk to him sometimes when we both happened to be outside in the front for whatever reason. I noticed he had a habit of always saying something like, “Praise God” or “Amen” or “Praise Jesus” when we were talking. It seemed that every time I would say something positive that was happening, maybe, “I finally got my old truck running again,” he would say, “Praise God! That’s awesome…” I just thought he was a little weird. I’m just being honest here, folks. Remember, I said I was not born again at the time. But, for him, it had become a habit of giving God praise for all of the little things. Amen! I thought it was weird, simply because I was not in a relationship with the Most High God like he was – through Christ Jesus! Amen! Now, as I was preparing to teach on this today, I realized I had developed the same, “habit.” Amen! Because I received Jesus on January 25th, 1992 in a little empty apartment in Columbus, Georgia at 1135pm ET while in the midst of despair and contemplating suicide – GOD SHOWED UP AND SHOWED OFF in my life! Amen! And my life has never been the same since! Praise God! That one night changed my life, changed my destiny, forever. I was born again AND Baptized in the Holy Spirit all at the same time! It was not long before I realized “I was praising God” like our neighbor was doing! That is why I am emphasizing here, over the last several days about praying to God about the little things – well, in addition to praying about the little things, you need to PRAISE HIM about the little things! Amen! Praise the Lord! (there, right there…did you catch that? I can’t help but Praise Him!)! Amen! Don’t shout me down when I’m preaching good! You need to praise God in the little things and in the BIG THINGS! You need to Praise Him when things are going great and when things are looking bad. You need to praise Him in the closet and Praise Him on the roof top! You need to praise Him in the car and Praise Him in the shower! You need to Praise Him church and Praise Him in the Hospital and Praise Him in your job…you need to develop a continual PRAISE from your lips to His ears! Praise you Jesus! AMEN! Did you catch that? There it was again! Thank you, Lord! (there it...
Scripture of the Day: Acts 20:36“When Paul had finished speaking, he knelt down with all of them and prayed.”The Power of Praise pt 1When you praise God, especially when you sing praises to Him, things will begin to change. They may be dramatic changes that make you say, “WOW!” But, more often than not, it is the little things that begin to change. Small things that most people are not even aware of - unless you are looking at them spiritually instead of in the natural. If you are truly in tune with God (and the only way you can be in tune with God is THROUGH His Word and spending time in prayer), YOU will begin to pick up on the little, subtle changes that are beginning to change. But, what about those situations when there is an immediate need for God’s Presence to be on the scene? An immediate need where, if God does not do something NOW – there may not be a tomorrow? Let me give you an example of how Praising God change bring swift changes to your situation, whatever that may be… In 2 Chronicles chapter 20, King Jehoshaphat and Judah went out to fight their enemy, the combined armies of the Ammonites, Moabites and the people of Mount Seir. These combined forces had banded together to destroy Judah. In the natural, Judah had no chance against these combined enemy forces. Things were looking pretty grim in the natural. It’s amazing to me that almost everyone, when their back is against the wall and they have exhausted all of their ideas on how to fix any particular problem, only THEN do they turn to God and ask for His help. If we would just reverse this process, things would always go so much easier… Well, in this situation, what did the king of Judah do? He called for a prayer meeting. Praise God! At least he still had enough sense to do that! Instead of “run for the hills, every man for himself,” he said, “Let’s run to God and ask for His help in this situation.” Praise God, Amen! Well, the Holy Spirit moved on a young man who then stood up and began to prophesize. To save time, I will not read all of the verses here. To summarize what was prophesized, was, that the Lord told the people they have nothing to fear. (That was a shock to some of them standing there, I’m sure…). They were told, “To go out to the battle, but it is not your battle, it is the Lord’s battle.” The next morning, they all woke up and started to put themselves in battle formation to go out and fight the enemy. But instead of putting their best soldiers (in the natural at least), they put the choir out front. How do you think those choir members felt? “What? You want us to go out in front? With no weapons? No training? You just want us to walk about there and start singing?” I’m sure those thoughts were running through their minds… But let’s look at what happened… They sang and praised God as they were going forth. The ministered to the Lord and sang praises to Him right in the faces of the enemy! This is just like Paul and Silas singing in prison, amen! But look at what happened… As the choir was singing “Praise the Lord, for His Mercy endures forever…” (and notice, there are no other verses indicated here. To me, that says they sang that one verse over and over and over. That tells us they were FOCUSED on what they needed and WHO they were Praising and WHO they were expecting to help them. Amen)! So, what happened as a result of PRAISE? The enemy armies began to fight amongst themselves! They started to attack each other! As Judah’s army crested the hill and prepared to engage in battle, all they could see, as far as they could see – were dead bodies! The enemies had fought each other! Praise God (excuse the pun)! Amen! Judah then went in on a mop up operation and just gathered all the spoils that were left behind! Amen! That is what will happen to YOUR enemies that YOU are facing – IF you will start Praising God
Scripture of the Day: Acts 10:4“Cornelius stared at him in fear. “What is it, Lord?” he asked. The angel answered, “Your prayers and gifts to the poor have come up as a memorial offering before God.” Your Giving Captures God’s AttentionCornelius had been praying. Scripture tells us he was a believer in the God of the Hebrews. He was doing his best to help the Jewish nation and the people he was in charge of. As a Centurion, he had control, militarily, over that region. But, he was also a person who believed in prayer. And he was praying to the God of Heaven. Amen! As part of his prayer life, he would give financially to the support of the local synagogue. And he was not a cheap giver either. He wasn’t just giving a pocket full of quarters in the Salvation Army bucket at Christmas time. No, he was KNOWN for being a giver. That is why, later, when the people he had sent to get Peter to come back to his home, they testified to his Faith and how much money and support he had already provided to the Jews. They were saying, basically, “This guy is for real.” But here, I want you to notice, the angel said, “Your PRAYERS have come up as a memorial before God.” (Yes, I know, I misquoted – but stick with me here, I’m making a point). Cornelius was a praying man. This is what God’s attention. Does God ONLY hear the prayers of the righteous? No. He hears everyone’s prayers! “Wait a minute Brother Bob, God hears everyone’s prayers?” YES – absolutely! He heard your prayer when you prayed to receive Jesus as your Savior, didn’t He? “Well, yes. Of course.” Well, before you prayed that prayer; before you received Jesus as your Savior, were you righteous or unrighteous? Were you still in your sin when you prayed to God? Of course! So that is proof, right there, as well as other scriptures, that says God hears the prayers of the righteous and the unrighteous. So, first and foremost, Cornelius was a man of prayer. THAT is what caught God’s attention. But, Cornelius went one step further than simply praying. He put money where his mouth was, so to speak. He became such a giver, that his GIVING also caught God’s attention. There is a difference between someone who prays because they know they need to pray – and someone who prays and then GIVES SACRIFICIALLY because of the prayers. In addition to the prayers. Who puts FAITH to work by sowing sacrificially into the works of God. Amen! If you want to get God’s attention, it really requires you to do THREE THINGS. “Three things, brother Bob? I thought you were talking about prayer and giving here?” YES…but what needs to come first, as I’ve been teaching for about a month now on this program, is this… You need to spend time in God’s WORD on a daily basis. For yourself! Not relying on someone else to read the Word for you and tell you what it say (hello! Like so many of you do when you fail to read the Bible or even take the Bible with you to church and only rely on your pastor to tell you what it says… Don’t shout me down when I’m preaching good!) When you spend time with God – IN HIS WORD – and then spend time TALKING TO GOD in prayer and then you back up all of that with sacrificial FINANCIAL GIVING – with your prayers over the seed you are sowing – you can’t help but GET GOD’s ATTENTION! Amen! And we see that is what happened right here with Cornelius. What was the result? The first gentile convert to Christianity! Praise God! And it did not just bless Cornelius and him alone. It says his “whole house, family, friends and servants” were Baptized in the Holy Spirit. AMEN! The study of the Word of God doesn’t only impact you… Praying on a continuous, daily – all-day long basis, doesn’t impact only you… Giving, financially and sacrificially to God’s work – doesn’t impact only you… IT IMPACTS OTHERS ALL AROUND YOU! So, what do you need to do today? I’m so glad you
Scripture of the Day: Acts 7:59“While they were stoning him, Stephen prayed, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.”Faith WorksHave you ever faced an extreme circumstance where you were facing death in the face? I have. My time in the military and a few instances as a police officer, I have faced the prospect of “this could be it.” How do you react in those situations? By FAITH. You see, faith WORKS every single time it is put to the test. Every single time. If you believe you will fail, guess what – you will. If you believe you will persevere – you will. That does not mean you can say over and over, “I believe I win; I believe I win; I believe I win” and then, miraculously, the enemy just dies of a heart attack right before you very eyes. It could happen, but that does not mean that. What I’m talking about is this… In those situations I was describing, I had to rely on my training. I had been trained for those exact situations. I had received the best training available. And the exact situation I was facing at that time, in my mind, though it was real, the training I had received kicked in. That is why the military trains so much! We used to say in the Cavalry, “We train today just as we will fight tomorrow.” We had another saying that “we train to be wet, cold, tired and miserable. And we are experts at it.” Amen! But, when you are facing death in the face, you need to rely on your training. Then, something called, “muscle memory” kicks in. I was trained in martial arts in my military days. That training served me as a police officer a few times. I remember one instance, this person loved to fight cops. I did not know it at the time of the traffic stop. But our dispatch did as they were running the tags. I heard them call another unit to come to my location and they gave a code word that meant I had a dangerous subject stopped. I did not react to the radio call to the other unit. They called me on the radio with the code word, I just reached up and said, “10-4” and continued talking in a normal tone to the driver. He had no clue that I knew what was about to happen. As the other officer arrived, I asked the driver to step out of the car. He did so, and I informed him he was being placed under arrest (I’m not going into details as to why, that’s not important here). But, when I grabbed his arm to turn him around, because of my martial arts training, I felt him tense up and begin a move to break my grip… Because of my training, and muscle memory, I immediately countered his move and he ended up in an arm bar on the ground. The other officer was only about four feet away and did not even have a chance to move in and assist! That is how fast my reactions were. Now, I credit that to my training. I had trained hundreds of times, at least, for that exact situation. So, when it happened, I did not have to wonder what I was going to do. I did not have to ask for assistance. I did not panic. Muscle memory took over and I did what I had been trained to do. What does that have to do with this scripture of Stephen or you facing a life or death situation? The point I am making is, just as we have been talking about all week, you MUST KNOW the voice of the Holy Spirit concerning the situation you are in. I’ve heard stories from Navy Seals, one in particular I’m thinking of, when he and his buddy were pinned down and it wasn’t looking good. His buddy started to panic and yelled over, “This is it…what are we going to do?” Scott looked over at him and said, “You’re a Christian, right?” The other guy said, “Yes!” Scott then replied and said, “So what you worried about? We do what we’re taught and we win either way!” Then Scott jumped up and began to fire and the other guy did the same and did what they were taught to do and won.” Stephen, sensing, “This is it..” did what he was taught to do. He had heard how Jesus, as He...
Scripture of the Day: Acts 3:1“One day Peter and John were going up to the temple at the time of prayer—at three in the afternoon.” Pray for Others You MeetI remember way back when I was in Bible School at Jerry Savelle Ministries, Bible Institute and School of World Evangelism. One of the requirements was that we had to witness to people and pray with them. We were to keep a record of that and turn it in every week to receive credit. I believe, if I’m remembering correctly, we needed three such instances every week. Anyway, I’m not positive on that so don’t hold me to it. But it was more than one anyway… I made it a point to look for people that needed physical healing. And, truth be told, they are all around us. Just look at how many people are in wheel chairs, walkers or canes when you go to the grocery store. They may not be wheel chairs, but using those little carts, right? Well, back then, they didn’t have those little carts everywhere like they do today. So I would look for people in wheel chairs. I would not interrupt their shopping or anything. But if they were sitting outside (probably having a cigarette, they could do that back then), I would zero in on them. My wife would see them about the same time I would and she would just step back because I would make a pivot and go into witnessing mode. Praise God! I would walk up and say something to the effect of, “Excuse me. As I was walking by, the Holy Spirit of God urged me to come over here and ask you if there was something I could pray with you about?” Usually, I would say 8 out 10 times anyway, they would say, “YES” and then tell me what they would like me to pray for. Sometimes it was their health, sometimes it was their family or finances, etc. That is what we are reading today from our scripture. Peter and John are walking into the Temple area to pray and they see this man at the gate. He’s been there a long time. They’ve seen him on several occasions. He’s not new to the town. But this day, something is different. Something about the man is different. Something about Peter and John is different, too. They sensed that God was about to do “something.” They did not know what it was. But they “knew” in their spirit – just like Simeon and Anna did when Jesus was being dedicated at the Temple, as we covered a few days ago. As they were walking up to the gate area, here is this beggar and he is doing what he did everyday, begging for alms. Begging for dollars. Peter and John didn’t have any extra money on them, but when the beggar looked into their eyes, the Bible says he looked, “Expecting.” It was like the Holy Spirit had prompted this man to identify these two strangers out of the crowd. It was like the Holy Spirit had told him (he probably did not know it at the time, but sensed it), that these two men were going to bless him with a tremendous gift that day! The Bible says he looked up at them, “expectantly.” Most preachers will say, “expecting them to give him some money.” That could very well be the truth. But let’s look at it from this angle and it makes a lot more sense. He is EXPECTING. Peter and John can “see it” in his eyes, the Bible says. And then, you know the rest of the story. Peter says, “Silver and gold, we have none. But what we do have, we give to you. In the Name of Jesus of Nazereth (which this man must have heard about or it would not have activated Faith on the inside of him), GET UP AND WALK.” Praise God! But notice, Peter and John did not just “pray” for him and walk inside. No, they ASSISSTED HIM. They reached down, the Bible says, and grabbed his arm and yanked him up to standing position. As they did so, his ankles were strengthened and he walked and jumped up and down, etc. These were all things he had never done. He was lame from birth. He had never walked or jumped before! Amen! Well, the point I want to make – I could go on preaching on this for an hour – but the...
Scripture of the Day: Acts 1:24“Then they prayed, “Lord, you know everyone’s heart. Show us which of these two you have chosen.” You Will Know What to DoWe’ve been talking about praying constantly, in the little things. As you continue do this on a consistent basis, you become more and more sensitive to the promptings of the Holy Spirit. As you ask for His guidance in choosing what clothes to wear or what to fix for dinner or what route to take to work, it becomes easier and easier for the Holy Spirit to speak to your spirit man. This allows your spirit man to connect to your mind and give you the advice the Holy Spirit is providing. In turn, your mind becomes more accustomed to following the directions – actually making the decision, to follow the Holy Spirit. Amen! As you continue to practice and implement this process on a daily basis, several times per day and then, ultimately, continually all day long – your FAITH will begin to increase. Why? Because you KNOW God is talking to you when you ask Him a question. You become sensitive to His voice through the Holy Spirit. Think of it like this. You take your children to the mall and, while distracted for just a moment, you six year old wanders off. It was only two minutes, maybe – but where are they? You start to scan, quickly. You don’t see them. You call their name. But there are hundreds of people and their kids near you. But you HEAR one voice. One voice stands out from all of the rest. It’s your child! You call again and zero in on their location and find them just twenty or thirty feet from you around the corner in another aisle. RELIEF! Praise God! But, how did you recognize your child’s voice from all of the others that were talking in your immediate area? How did your child recognize YOUR voice from among all of the others in the area? Simple. Familiarity! You have been communicating with one another on a daily basis for, in this example, six years. You both have become accustomed to the others voice. So when you called out, your child picked up on your voice. When they responded, you picked up on their voice. Despite all the noise of other voices speaking at the same time, you were able to distinguish each others voices and connect quickly. Amen! Now, it works the same exact way with the Holy Spirit and you. If you become accustomed to listening to the promptings of the Holy Spirit in the little things, it gets easier and easier for you to “hear” God’s promptings in the serious situations (such as you child that was lost in the mall). Then, when you truly NEED God’s guidance in a major decision, such as changing careers or moving to a new town or a huge financial investment, like a new home or car, etc. – you will hear HIM and pay attention to HIM and not all of the noise of other voices speaking at the same time. Think of it like being in mall. What is the purpose of the mall? Basically, to separate YOU from your money, right? Do you really need that $300 jacket or $250 pair of shoes? Do you really need that 84” flat panel HDTV? Your 64” at home is working just fine… If you pray in situations like that, you will hear God’s voice telling you what to do. It may just be a “peace” that comes over you or it could be a prompting of “NO.” Some of the best advice I ever received concerning this method of making a decision came from my mentor in the Faith, Dr. Jerry Savelle. I was talking with him one time and asked him that direction. “How do I know I’m making the right decision.” His response was, “Peace. If I pray about something and I have complete peace on the inside of me, I know I’m in the Will of God. But if there is “something” on the inside of me that is causing an unsettling, anything at all, I do not move forward. I may move forward later, perhaps the timing wasn’t right. But I will not move unless the Peace of God is on the inside of me...
Scripture of the Day: John 17:1“After this, Jesus said this, He looked towards Heaven and prayed, “Father, the hour has come. Glorify your Son, that your Son may Glorify you.” Your Faith Can Get You In TroubleHow many times have you had an opportunity to witness to someone, but didn’t? Come on – don’t lie! We all have faced that situation at one point or another… Why didn’t we go ahead and take a stand for God at that moment in time? Usually, because we feared the repercussions. Right? It could have been someone whom we did not want to offend. It could be someone that we know would not react pleasantly. It could have been in the office and we did not want to cause a scene. It could have been in the office and the office has a policy that you will not talk about religion, etc. in office. It could be for a variety of reasons, right? And every single one of them amount to NOTHING as compared to how great the Gospel of Salvation is in Jesus Name. But yet…. We failed to do so… WHY? It’s because we feared the reprisals of man. It is because we were fearful – full of fear – as to how our message would be received. It was because we FEARED MAN rather than FEARING GOD. “Well, brother Bob, I need this job. I need it. And if I make someone mad, if I take a stand for God in the midst of this wicked work environment, I know I’d be fired…” I understand… I really do… I’ve been there myself! Amen! But, let me let you in on a little secret… In the grand scheme of things – you may have been given that job and that position and are in that office RIGHT NOW – just to be the witness to the ONE PERSON! God had foreordained every aspect of your life before the foundation of the world. He knew exactly where you would be before you were even a twinkling in your father’s eyes. Amen! He also knew, that there was a person that would spiritually be ready to receive a Word from God at that particular moment in time, in that office. And He manipulated your life and the events in your life so your path would cross with that other person at that exact moment in time. Do you see what I’m getting at here? Let’s look at the BIG Picture here… What would have happened IF you witnessed to that person? What would have happened IF you took that stand for the Bible and Biblical values and refused to sign that new work policy of supporting gay rights or whatever they were trying to push down your throat? WHAT IF you did what GOD TELLS YOU TO DO – even in the face of the coming backlash? “Well, brother Bob, I’d have lost my job!” OK…what else? Hmmm? Do you believe that GOD would reward you openly for supporting HIM openly? Isn’t that what Jesus said would happen? IF you would have done what God wanted, in that little thing…and IF you would have lost your job…let’s just look at what COULD HAVE HAPPENED… God would see He could trust you because you trusted in HIM. Amen! You did HIS WILL – KNOWING the ramifications that could happen. Do you think He is going to leave you homeless? NO! Of course not! In fact, He will make SURE you get another job – quickly! And probably with a pay raise to boot! Amen! It may not happen the same day or the next day…because He is going to make sure you get into a position that is going to be a blessing to you – and to the Kingdom of Heaven. I did that. I took a stand and lost my job. But, I had applied to be a police officer. I had not heard yet if I was going to be selected or not… But the company I was working for and was hoping to continue to work for IF and UNTIL the offer to attend the police academy came – decided my services were no longer required and I was shown the door with no notice. I went 5 months with no job. Everything I applied for never materialized. I was almost out of unemployment when the phone call came. I was in! Amen! And that job was a BLESSING to...
Scripture of the Day: John 17:15“…My Prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one.” Stay in the World – Don’t Let the World Stay in YouYesterday, we talked about the importance of staying on constant state of prayer. Praying about the big things, yes. But also praying about the little things. What to wear. What to eat and things like that. The purpose, is to train our spirits to remain sensitive to the leadings of the Holy Spirit. And the only way to do that is be doing a couple of things and doing them consistently. First, read the Word of God every single day. A couple times per day, if you can. But at least start with once per day. Amen! Even if it is only for 15 or 20 minutes. That will begin to give God access to your spirit through His Word. Amen The second part of that is praying. Actually taking the time to pray to the Father, in Jesus Name. Ask Him to guide you throughout the day. Ask Him to show you what do. Ask Him to make you sensitive to His promptings. Then, the third thing, is just like we talked about yesterday, PRAY. But not just the big decisions you are facing. Pray about the small stuff. What to eat, what wear and things like that. If you start to pray and seek His guidance in the small stuff, you will begin to actually “hear the Holy Spirit” as He is speaking to you and guiding you – in the small stuff. What this does, is it prepares you to immediately hear His voice when the big decisions are needed. And, many times, He will talk to you when you least expect it. Some of those times, you will not even know it was God speaking to you, prompting you or guiding you until after the fact. Have you ever done something and you felt that, “Don’t do that” down on the inside of you? Many people say it is your conscious. But it is your spirit man reacting to a prompting of the Holy Spirit. Want proof? If you went ahead and did what the prompting said NOT to do – and the results turned out bad – what is it most people usually say? “I knew I wasn’t supposed to do that…” or something similar, right? I mentioned you will be able to react immediately to the big things. Even when you do not comprehend it is God guiding you. Let me tell you a quick story… On September 11, 2001, 911, Pastor Dan Stratton was pastoring a church right across the street from the World Trade Center towers. On his way into the office, he usually arrived at 8am, the Lord brought to his remembrance that one of his parishioners had been sick and unable to attend church for a few weeks. So, he “decided” to stop by this brothers home on his way into the city just to check on how he was doing. That one decision, kept him away from the tragedy that would have happened soon after he was scheduled to arrive at his office. See what I mean? Dan did not think, “Oh Holy Spirit, thank you for warning me not go into the city today because of this great tragedy that is about to happen…” No, he simply obeyed a prompting of the Holy Spirit that did two things. One, he was able to check on a parishioner that had been sick, and two, it kept out of harms way. But Dan was not the only person that happened to that day. There were parents that “DECIDED” to stop at McDonald’s and have breakfast with their kids that morning (something that they rarely did). Even though it would cause them to be late for work by a few minutes. There were others that had flat tires that morning that caused them to miss their subway ride into the city and they would be late by about 45 minutes. There are stories after stories like this. The death toll should have been close to 20,000 people in those towers – or more! But instead, tragic as it was, only 2600 perished. That is what I’m talking about… amen! Now, Jesus told His disciples, and us, that His desire was NOT for us to be taken “out of the world” – because that would mean we could
Scripture of the Day: Luke 2:37“…and then was a widow until she was eighty-four. She never left the temple but worshipped night and day, fasting and praying.”Stay in PrayerWe covered yesterday where we should pray. The answer was everywhere. Amen. I hinted that we need to pray in the little things we face during the day. The routine, mundane tasks. Buying dinner, choosing what to wear, etc. The scripture today refers to Anna, an 84 year old widow woman. The scripture tells us, after she was widowed, “she departed not from the Temple, but served God with fasting’s and prayers night and day.” She wasn’t just hanging out there for a few weeks, either. She had been RESIDING there, night and day. She was in constant prayer and service. Based upon Jewish historical records, assuming she was married at about age 16, you can figure she was widowed at about age 23 or 24. So we can figure she was in constant prayer for well over 50 years…closer to sixty years or so! What did this do for her? She was so sensitive to the promptings of the Holy Spirit that she KNEW something important was happening in the Temple. Nobody told her to hurry over the Temple because the Messiah was there! She KNEW IT in her spirit! AMEN! Luke 2:38 says that as she was coming in, which, by the way, was immediately after Simeon had finished prayer and prophesying about Jesus being the Messiah (he was told by the Lord that he would not die until his eyes had seen the deliverer – and he explained that to Mary and Joseph), Anna came in to the room in that exact moment and started telling Mary and Joseph, scripture says, “giving thanks to the Lord and spoke to everyone about Jesus that were there and looking for redemption in Jerusalem.” PRAISE GOD! Nobody told Simeon who Jesus was. Nobody told Anna who Jesus was. I should say, nobody BUT the Holy Spirit! Amen! Matthew 18:19 says, “If two of you shall agree on earth, as touching anything that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father in Heaven.” Whether Simeon and Anna knew it or not, they were both praying for the same thing and they were both praying in agreement! Amen! They were both intercessors. They were both praying people. They were both seeking the Messiah’s appearance. And they both sensed Jesus was He right at the exact same moment. PRAISE GOD! They became so Spiritually sensitive because they STAYED IN PRAYER. And they did this for years and years. Am I saying you have to live at the church night and day for 50 years. No. Of course not… What I AM saying, is, as we have already described, you should stay in a constant state of prayer. You need to start seeking the Lord in the insignificant things and sensing His leading. “Lord, turn right or turn left?” As you continue to do so, you will get better and better at hearing His voice. Just like Simeon and Anna did. Then, one day, you might just sense that someone needs you. When you go to where the Lord instructed you to go – I can guarantee you – you will arrive right on schedule and either have a Word from the Lord for someone (as Simeon did) or confirm the Word of the Lord for someone (as Anna did). Amen! Let’s Pray! Until next time, this is Pastor Bob Thibodeau reminding you from 1 Thessalonians 5:17 in the Living Bible to “Always Keep on Praying!” Be blessed in all that you do! Please subscribe to this podcast, leave us a quick 5 star review on Apple Podcasts to help us grow and be sure to visit our website for more information on our ministry: https://podcastersforchrist.com/ (https://podcastersforchrist.com). And while you are at the website, download the free resource I have for you… it is free and is called, Podcasting for Christians. It will bless you – go and download it today. You can also WATCH these session on our Facebook Playlist at this link: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtKWeKtmv-BwgkquBTsSh-GznbmuUp_R2...
Scripture of the Day: Isaiah 37:14“Hezekiah received the letter from the messengers and read it. Then he went up to the Temple of the Lord and spread it out before the Lord.” The Place of PrayerWhere is your place where you go to pray to the Lord? Go ahead and answer…I’ll wait…. Where do you pray to the Lord? Some people will say, “In my prayer closet.” Or “In my bedroom” or wherever… But those answers would be wrong. Maybe not wrong wrong, but let’s just say INCOMPLETE. What do I mean by that? 1 Thesslonians 5:17, our theme verse for this year, says “Keep praying continually.” That means, at all times, in all situations, in all places. Notice that – at all times, in all situations and in all places. I told the story of Smith Wigglesworth, a mighty man of God, where someone asked him, “How long do you usually pray?” He responded, “I don’t pray more than 10 or 15 minutes.” That amazed the person who asked, but then Smith added, “But I rarely go more than 10 or 15 minutes without praying.” AMEN! Did you get that? That does not mean that every 10 minutes or so, Smith Wigglesworth would drop to his knees in the middle of the street, blocking traffic and making a spectacle of himself while calling out to God. No. That is not what he meant and that is not the way we are to pray… What Smith Wigglesworth was trying to say, is that he would pray about EVERYTHING! And he would seek the Lord’s guidance in every decision he would make during the day. For example, now, I TRY to do this…but even Brother Bob is still in the developing process…OK. But, I’ve gone into my dressing room to get ready to go preach at a church service or conference and I have to choose which suit I should wear. What shirt I should wear with the suit. What color tie to wear. These are all things that Smith Wigglesworth is referring to. PRAYING and ASKING for guidance in all things. You may be at the grocery store buying supplies for dinner that night. You went in there with a few things in mind, but then you see something else is on sale. You think, “Hmm. Maybe this would be a better dinner tonight..” What you are really asking is, “Will my family appreciate this for dinner tonight?” Well, what you SHOULD DO, is PRAY in that situation. “God, should I fix this for dinner tonight?” “Brother Bob, come on! God is far too busy answering real prayer requests to bother with what I should fix for dinner…” Really? You think God is not interested in what you put inside your body? Do you think God is not interested in what you are putting into the body of your kids? Or your spouse? If you are like my wife – she take special interest in what goes into my body! Amen! That’s why I’ve lost 65 pounds in the past two years. Glory to God. But if my wife cares that much about me – what makes you think God is not even more interested in what goes into my body! So, that is just one example. But you should do that in the route you take to work or on the way home. You should do it with all things, every decision you make during the day. Small things. Insignificant things. That does not mean you do not make any decisions unless you “hear” from God. Because if that is the case, the devil will try to insert himself into the equation. One way you could do that, using the example of the suit I was using earlier…would be, “God, I think I’ll wear the blue suit, with the purple shirt and white tie tonight. What do you think?” And, as I’m starting to prepare those things, my wife may walk in and say, “No, wear the tan shirt tonight.” If I had not called her into the room, she just “felt the need to walk in at that moment” – can you say that God did not put it on her heart to walk in at that exact moment? That is the type of thing I’m talking about. Amen! But, if you do not get into the habit of asking – then you will never develop the...
Scripture of the Day: Nehemiah 2:4“The King said to me, “What is it you want?” Then I prayed to the God of Heaven,” What Do You WantTo be effective, our prayers need to be specific. I covered this in detail in a prior teaching, so I won’t go over those same points I made back then. But, in order to receive answers to your prayer requests, God has to know exactly what it is you want! I know, I know the scripture says, “God knows our needs before we ask Him,” but let me ask you this… If you have a child and you know your child wants some special favor or something…you know it is on their mind and heart, do you just pop up and say, “Here, I know you’ve been looking at this bike (or doll or whatever)?” No…you just go along, watching them admire the bike or doll in the store. You know they want it, but you are waiting for them to ASK. And, when I say ask, I do not mean DEMAND! You know, “MOM or DAD – I want that bike and I want you to buy it NOW.” Yeah – with me, that was one sure fire way to guarantee my kids were NOT going to get it now… amen! But, if they were looking and looking and hinting and hinting…finally, one day, my daughter may ask, “Dad, do you think I could have that doll?” I’d say, “Sure, I was just waiting for you to ask me.” Have you done that with your kids? Well, I’m here to tell you, God is an even better Heavenly Father than I could ever be and far better than you could ever be, mother, father, grandparent, aunt, uncle, whatever. God is FAR better than we are. That would be a good place for you to shout AMEN, right there. Glory to God! Just go to the Father in the Name of Jesus and make your request be known. Amen. Then, just believe you receive once you have asked Him. You do not have to keep taking this same prayer request to Him every single morning. Just start PRAISING HIM that He is already taking action to answer your prayer request. Start PRAISING HIM that the answer is on the way and you are thanking Him in advance. Praise God! As you are praying to Him about your request, though, find some specific scriptures that deal with your request. If it is provision, find some scriptures where God provided provision for someone. If healing, where Jesus healed someone (and there are a lot of those in the Bible, amen)! Finally, be patient. Psalm 37:7 says, “Rest in the Lord and wait patiently for Him.” As long as your prayer is in line with the Word of God, we have His promise that He will answer! Amen! But it will come in HIS TIME, not yours. There is an old Gospel Hymn that Vernard Johnson used to play when I was working for his ministry back in the late 1990’s that said, “God may not always come when you want Him, but He is always RIGHT ON TIME!” Praise God! Remember, specific prayers receive specific answers. Always remember, as I’ve stated several times over these past few weeks, 1 John 5:14-15 says, “If we ask anything – that means ANYTHING – according to His WILL, He hears us. And – if we KNOW God Hears us – THEN WE KNOW – we receive whatsoever we desire of Him.” Praise God! Amen! I want to pray for you right now, that God would hear your prayer request and answer your prayers in miraculous, mighty ways that will SHOW YOU that He is your Heavenly Father, amen! Do me a favor…can you leave a comment down below and I would greatly appreciate it if you would leave a rating and review over on iTunes. All of this helps us to grow and to “Get the Word Out” into all the earth. Be sure to visit our website at PodcastersForChrist.com and download our free resource, “Podcasting For Christians.” It is free and it will bless you immensely if you have or are thinking of starting a podcast of your own. Until next time, this is Pastor Bob Thibodeau reminding you from 1 Thessalonians 5:17 in the Living Bible to “Always Keep on Praying!” Be blessed in all that you do! Please subscribe to this podcast,...
Scripture of the Day: Psalms 84:8“Hear my prayer, Lord God Almighty; listen to me, God of Jacob.” The Open DoorAs you praise God in your prayer time and speak of all His marvelous works, your faith will begin to rise up on the inside of you. This opens the door to receiving the Blessings for God into your life. If you honor God with the words of your mouth, Faith grows. Your faith grows. This means, as your faith grows on the inside of you, the POWER of FAITH starts to become more active in your life. What does that do? You begin to walk in the power and authority that Jesus gave to you. In Luke 10:19, Jesus told His disciples (and us), “Look, I’ve given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall hurt you.” Now, I don’t know about you, but I believe if Jesus said something belongs to ME – then it belongs TO ME and no devil in hell is going to stop it. Amen! That’s what that verse says, doesn’t it? The question then becomes, “How do we walk in that authority?? Through the development of the POWER OF FAITH within us. Let me ask you this question… If you wanted to bench press 300 pounds, and you have never lifted weights before, how successful do you think you would be the first time you tried to lift those weights? Not very, right? What do you do? You start with lower weights. A LOT lower…maybe 100 pounds (if you have to). Every day, or every other day, you continue to lift those lower weights. Maybe 10 reps the first couple of times is all you can do. Then, you notice you can do 15 reps. Then 20. Then 30. What happens then? You increase the weight, maybe to 120 pounds. Then, you can only lift 10 reps again. You continue at this weight until you see the number of reps go up and up. You repeat his process, on a consistent basis. After a while, you find you are lifting 200 pounds. Then 250 pounds and ultimately, after working at it for some time – you hit your goal of 300 pounds! Praise God! Well, folks, this is the same way it works in building your Faith and the Power of Faith that works within you. You cannot just go charging in to fight a bunch of demons with no training behind you. Now, don’t get me wrong, just like if someone broke into your house and it was up to you to defend yourself and drive them out or something bad could happen to you or your loved ones, you do what you need to do…right? So, YES, you could find yourself in a situation where you need to charge in after that devil, in whatever situation you find yourself – and trust in your Faith that God will deliver you the victory. Just like a 120 pound mother lifting a 2000 pound car off of her baby – adrenaline kicks in and you can do “mighty works,” amen! But, go back to that mother a week later, a day later or even an hour later – and she will be unable to budge that car. That’s what I’m talking about. Training. You need consistent training to develop the Power of Faith that works within you. And you do that by consistent time in the Word and in prayer. And in PRAISING GOD for the mighty works He is doing within you. All of these things, working together, will make you into a mighty warrior of God. All of these things, working together, will keep those open doors of blessings flowing in your life and you will be able to impact those around you in Godly ways. Amen! I want to pray for you right now to begin your daily workouts in Faith. This study in prayer is just one element of, what should be, your daily routine of working out, in and around, and with the Word of God. Amen! Until next time, this is Pastor Bob Thibodeau reminding you from 1 Thessalonians 5:17 in the Living Bible to “Always Keep on Praying!” Be blessed in all that you do! Please subscribe to this podcast, leave us a quick 5 star review on Apple Podcasts to help us grow and be sure to visit our website
Scripture of the Day: 2 Chronicles 6:26“When the heavens are shut up and there is no rain because your people have sinned against you, and when they pray toward this place and give praise to your name and turn from their sin because you have afflicted them,” When the Heavens Are Shut UpNothing we see happening in the world and in this country today is taking God by surprise. Not the election of unholy people to office. Not the trouble and turmoil and wars and rumors of wars. Not the economy. Not the pestilences. Nothing has taken God by surprise, except that the believers just accept it. The believers have failed God by not taking a righteous stand for HIM in the face of adversity. All of these things have taken a lot of people by surprise. It may generate a lot of resentment. But if you remember this – GOD is the one who sets up kings and the one who removes kings. So none of this surprised Him. And if He is the One truly in charge – then we need to let God work out His plan for whatever reason we now see the unrighteous in charge. It may just be the way God is going to usher in the soon return of Jesus. I believe that…but that discussion is for a different day… Yesterday we read from verse 24 from 2 Chronicles chapter 6. Today, I want to look at verse 6, “When the heavens are shut up and there is not rain because your people have sinned against you…” Let’s stop there for a moment… A lot of the turmoil that is happening right now is because we, the people, the Christians in particular, have turned against God. I’m not saying we have forsaken our relationship with God or anything like that… What I am saying is the Christian base in this country FAILED to stand FOR GOD and WITH GOD in the face of adversity. Instead, we just kind of bowed out of the requirement of taking an inflexible, unwavering stand against the evil in this land. Now, because of that in – it seems as if the “Heavens are shut up and there is no spiritual rain coming forth” – simply because we have failed God and sinned against Him… But there is good news here… “When they pray (the Christian believers)…When they pray towards this place (we don’t have to bow to the east and pray towards Jerusalem – we look Heavenward and pray to God) – when they pray towards HEAVEN (I’ll say), and give Praise to your Name and TURN FROM OUR SIN because you have afflicted them…” There you go…all that you see happening right now in this land is culmination of decades of Christian believers refusing to take a stand for God and the Word of God in this nation. We were afraid of the persecution. Of being labeled. Of being berated. So, we just said, “We don’t like this…but if that is what you want to do – that is up to you…” Now, this nation is in turmoil because GOD allowed this situation to come upon us. But there is hope – IF the Christians will just start to PRAY TO GOD and recognize our responsibility for this mess – and ASK FOR FORGIVENESS of decades of allowing sin to thrive in this nation. IF WE, as a Christian people, will do this – THEN 2 Chronicles 7:14 starts to make a lot of sense. Right? “If your people, called by your name, will humble themselves, pray and seek your face and repent of our sins, THEN you will hear their prayers, forgive their sins and turn again and heal their land.” BUT – if you do not do the first step – God will not be moved at all. We are witnessing that effect right now. Amen. So, Let’s pray that the Holy Spirit will ignite a Holy Fire in this land that, not just brings revival – but a Third Great Awakening. Because that is what is needed right now. Let’s pray… Until next time, this is Pastor Bob Thibodeau reminding you from 1 Thessalonians 5:17 in the Living Bible to “Always Keep on Praying!” Be blessed in all that you do! Please subscribe to this podcast, leave us a quick 5 star review on Apple Podcasts to help us grow and be sure to visit
Scripture of the Day: 2 Chronicles 6:24“When your people Israel have been defeated by an enemy because they have sinned against you and when they turn back and give praise to your name, praying and making supplication before you in this temple.”When God’s People PrayKing Solomon in praying at the dedication of the Temple of God. His is a long prayer – but powerful. And God honored his prayer. I mean the Glory of God descended into that place and the Spirit of God was so heavy that the ministers could not even stand to do their work. Praise God. But what I wanted to share with you today is this part… Many people in this nation, the United States of America, are feeling down today. Evil, immorality and criminal influence is running rampant. OK – we understand that. But WHY? We’ve already seen massive backlash to conservative values. We’ve seen massive, anti-godly laws being propagated and forced on this society. Anyone who speaks out from the Bible in condemn this immorality is labeled, ridiculed or worse… I know many preachers will quote 2 Chronicles 7:14 in these situations, but I want to give context to what chapter 7 and verse 14 actually means. And to do that, we need to understand what King Solomon was actually saying here, in chapter 6. Think about this verse today. Let’s take it one statement at a time… “When your people (The Christians in this nation) have been defeated by an enemy (the socialist left in America is THE ENEMY of the people and of this land)…but WHY were we defeated? Let’s keep reading… “When you people have been defeated by an enemy BECAUSE they have sinned against YOU – well, there is the answer right there. We, as a nation, have sinned against God. “Brother Bob, I’m not in agreement with these laws that have been passed. I’m not the one who has sinned…” Yes, my friend, you are. So am I. We are all at fault. HOW? Because we, the Christians in this land, could have organized and risen up and put a stop to all of this ungodly and immoral stuff that has been coming out of the Congress and out of the courts for almost 40 or 50 years. But, instead of rising up against it – we just “went along to get along.” Hoping that, “maybe – if we just give them this one little bit – then they will be happy and life can go back to normal.” But that is not how the anti-godly plays the game. You give them one inch, they want three. You give them three and they want a foot. You give them a foot, they want the football field, then the city, then the state and then the country. And the Bible is very clear – after that, the world. Back to Solomon and his prayer… “When your people have been defeated by an enemy because they have sinned against you – and WHEN they turn back…WHEN THEY TURN BACK – who is required to take the first action? God’s People! CHRISTIANS. When the Christians turn back – that means stop going along to get along. When you are moving with a crowd, everyone going in the same direction, your travels are with the flow of the crowd and the going is easy. But when you turn back and start pushing against the flow of the crowd – the going gets tough. But if you want to get back to where you started – you must fight through and push through. Amen. So the first action is YOUR responsibility – to turn back. But that is not all… “When your people have been defeated by an enemy because they have sinned against you – and WHEN they turn back…AND GIVE PRAISE TO YOUR NAME… We covered this previously. When you give Praise to God – you release God to act in your behalf. We covered a few days ago that PRAISE equates to STRENGTH. So when you start to praise God, as you are going against the crowd – you receive strength to keep on going. Strength from God that no demon from hell or demon possessed politician or political group can stand against. Amen! You give PRAISE TO GOD and PRAY, making supplication to God. AMEN. I’m all...
Scripture of the Day: Psalm 54:2“Hear my prayer, O God; listen to the words of my mouth.”In His PresenceWhen you Praise God for things that have not happened yet, you are doing so BY FAITH. Your needs do not move God. Your wants do not move God. Your begging does not move God. The only thing that moves God is FAITH. Amen. So, if you are facing a terrible situation where you are crying out to God for deliverance, you cannot go into His presence begging Him. You need to go into His presence PRAISING Him! You need to pray and act like the answer has already occurred. That is called Faith. “Well, brother Bob, it sounds like wishful thinking to me. I mean, after all, if I did not receive the answer, if I’m still sick, if I’m still broke, if I’m still without a job or whatever – and I start acting like everything is great – I’m a hypocrite!” Well, my dear brother or sister – you are a hypocrite. I’m sorry to say – but you are. “AM NOT!” Oh – yes you are… you just exposed your true self… You are moved by feelings, emotions and the five physical senses. You are acting on the Faith of doubting Thomas – not Faith in God and definitely not in the Faith of Jesus. Hold on a minute – don’t lose sight of what we are here trying to do. I want to help you get your prayer life off of the natural into the Heavenly realm of reality. Amen! One thing you need to realize is that praise is not dependent on your emotional situation at the time. It is only based on GOD. You need to praise HIM whether you feel like it or not. Amen! In Hebrews 13:15, the Word says, “Let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God CONTINUALLY, that is the FRUIT OF OUR LIPS giving THANKS TO HIS NAME.” David is the perfect example of someone who could praise God even when his own family was trying to kill him. He would constantly start praising God when it looked like all hope was lost. And God would turn things around. Amen! In Psalm 56:11, David says, “In God I will Praise His Word. In God I have put my trust. I will not be afraid of what man can do to me….” AMEN! That is how we need to pray! Glory to God! I’m excited just teaching on this today! Shout amen somebody! The Bible says that God inhabits the praises of His people. The Bible says the enemy is turned back, falls and perishes at the presence of our God. Amen! Praise is a powerful weapon against the forces of darkness when you bring it into your prayer life. It doesn’t matter what you are facing our up against. Praise God brings you into the courts of Praise and into the presence of the Lord – and God takes notice. When God takes notice – the devil knows he is in trouble. It’s like a burgler trying to break into your house in the middle of the night. He’s sneaking around…and then he hears you calling 911. What’s that burglar going to do? FLEE. You were not talking to the burglar. You were not confronting the burglar. You were talking on the telephone to someone that the burglar wanted nothing to do with. And that burglar knows that help is being dispatched right then! Amen! It works the same way. You don’t have to deal with the demon bothering you. Just get on your PRAISE LINE and get God’s attention. Help will be dispatched immediately. Daniel was told that the angel was sent as soon as he started praying. Amen! Let’s pray right now. I want to help you connect your 911 line directly into God’s dispatch center. Amen! Let’s pray and let’s PRAISE HIM. Until next time, this is Pastor Bob Thibodeau reminding you from 1 Thessalonians 5:17 in the Living Bible to “Always Keep on Praying!” Be blessed in all that you do! Please subscribe to this podcast, leave us a quick 5 star review on Apple Podcasts to help us grow and be sure to visit our website for more information on our ministry: https://podcastersforchrist.com/ (https://podcastersforchrist.com). And while you are at the...
Scripture of the Day: Psalm 17:6“I call on you, my God, for you will answer me; turn your ear to me and hear my prayer.”The Courts of PraiseThanksgiving and prayer are very important parts of prayer. When you believe you have received the answer to your prayers (which is how you should be praying – not begging as if it has not happened yet), you can’t help but begin to Praise God! Amen! Praise was ordained by God for a purpose. Psalm 8 and Psalm 9 point out some things about praise that you need to understand. Psalm 8:1-2 say, “O Lord our Lord, how excellent is your name in all the earth! Who has set your Glory about the Heavens. Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings, you have ordained strength because of your enemies, that you might still the enemy and the avenger.” Now, I want you to notice something here. Jesus, in Matthew 21:16, is quoting this scripture. You do understand that HE IS the WORD OF GOD, right? So, His interpretation MUST BE accurate… Can I get an AMEN on that one? I mean, Jesus, when quoting the Word is talking about Himself. So when He says something in the Word or from the Word – I think we can all agree it must be True, right? Because He also said “The Word is Truth.” Anyway, I could continue to farther along that line – but the point I’m trying to make is this… In Matthew 21:16, Jesus, quoting from Psalm 8:1-2, said, “Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings YOU HAVE PERFECTED PRAISE.” Jesus is equating STRENGTH with PRAISE. From these scripture which we just read, we can see that GOD ORDAINED PRAISE for the purpose of defeating His enemies. Praising God will stop the enemy, the devil and any demon, right in their tracks! It is like having a tank pull into position and the enemies small arms fire just starts bouncing off the hull…then, the Holy Spirit spins that turret around and when you start PRAISING GOD – BAMMM! That big tank gun goes off and the enemy is defeated…and all his little demon buddies take off running! Praise God! No really – give God some Praise right now! Amen! Psalm 9:1-4 says, “I will praise you, O Lord, with my whole heart. I will show forth all of your marvelous works. I will be glad and rejoice in YOU. I will sing praise to your name, O you, the Most High God. When my enemies are turned back, they shall fall and perish at your presence. For you have maintained my right and my cause. You sit on your Throne judging right.” Now, notice – this says WHEN your enemies are turned back. Not IF they will be turned back. Folks, these may seem like small things as you read them – but IF YOU BELIEVE exactly what the Word of God says – they make a world of difference. Amen! We are not wrestling with flesh and blood, but against demonic forces. When you Praise God in advance for the victory – you are praying in the Will of God. When you start to enter His Gates with Thanksgiving in your heart – you are entering the Courts of Praise and your victory is guaranteed. Amen! Let’s pray right now and give God some Praise for answered prayer. Whatever it is you are going through right now – just start praising Him for the victory… Until next time, this is Pastor Bob Thibodeau reminding you from 1 Thessalonians 5:17 in the Living Bible to “Always Keep on Praying!” Be blessed in all that you do! Please subscribe to this podcast, leave us a quick 5 star review on Apple Podcasts to help us grow and be sure to visit our website for more information on our ministry: https://podcastersforchrist.com/ (https://podcastersforchrist.com). And while you are at the website, download the free resource I have for you… it is free and is called, Podcasting for Christians. It will bless you – go and download it today. You can also WATCH these session on our Facebook Playlist at this link: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtKWeKtmv-BwgkquBTsSh-GznbmuUp_R2...
Scripture of the Day: Genesis 25:21“Isaac prayed to the Lord on behalf of his wife, because she was childless. The Lord answered his prayer, and his wife Rebekah became pregnant.” It’s Time to Upgrade Your Prayer AccountHave you been struggling in your prayer life lately? Have you been noticing that some of your prayers just are not being answered? I can tell you from experience, it is not God’s fault. It is your fault! Now, before you switch me off, here me out. Amen. God’s answer is always YES and AMEN. He has said over and over and it has been emphasized by Jesus Himself, that if we ask ANYTHING according to His Will and in the Name of Jesus – God will grant us the prayers we have asked Him. And if it is impossible for God to lie – then He will do what He said He would do. But, I can guarantee you from the Word of God, He will ONLY answer prayers that are in accordance with His will. That’s in 1 John 5:14. Amen. If you are experiencing a dry season in your prayer life – check yourself. Get back into the Word. Get back into agreement with the Word. Get back into an alignment with the Will of God and then you will start to see a change in the results of your prayer life. Amen! You cannot know what the Will of God IS unless you know His Word. His will is His Word. So the first thing you need to do is start to study His Word in more detail. You should be reading it on a daily basis. If you are not doing so – there is a big red flag right there! Amen! Next, you must renew your mind. When you get into God’s Word on a consistent basis, it will transform your life. And it all starts in your mind. Remember, you are a Spirit. Your Spirit man was created the instant you were born again. That’s what the term BORN AGAIN means. The Old you died and you became a new creation. Created in the image of Christ who is the image of God. So you are created in God’s image – and that makes you His Child. A Child of God. Amen. But your mind, your will – notice I said YOUR WILL and your emotions – are your soul. All of the bad things you’ve ever done are still in your memory – your mind. This can make you sad, angry, feel condemned, or whatever. WHY? Because you know you sinned. But – you must remember, if you are born again, that has been forgiven… But, the devil will try to bring up those things you’ve been forgiven of. Those thoughts are housed in your memory. So you need to transform your MIND. Allow God’s Word to purify your thoughts. I’ve done things, before I was born again and yes – even after – that I feel absolutely terrible about. Things I would never do now. But, the good news is – I’ve been forgiven! Praise you Jesus! Amen! And the good news for you is – if you are born again – YOU have been forgiven, too! Can I get an AMEN on that one! Praise God! So, although those thoughts are there, you need to start speaking the Word against them. You can only do that IF you know the Word. And you can only do that by getting INTO the Word. Once you start to realize this, you become more noticeable of what God’s WILL really is as it concerns situations you are facing. And once you know what God’s Will IS in any given situation – that is what you need to start praying and walking out. As you do that – VICTORY comes! Amen! Victory in JESUS – Praise God! All of that comes simply by YOU renewing your mind. When you realize that – you will realize that YES – you need to “upgrade” your prayer account and your prayer life. Shout Amen Somebody! Let’s pray that God will help you to make the time in your schedule to start getting into His Word. Begin the process of upgrading your prayer account by transforming you thought life with the Word of God. Let’s pray… Please subscribe to this podcast, leave us a quick 5 star review on Apple Podcasts to help us grow and be sure to visit our website for more information on our...
Scripture of the Day: Ezra 9:6“Ezra prayed…I’m too ashamed and disgraced, my God, to lift my face to you, because our sins are higher than our heads and our guilt has reached to the heavens…” Are You Ashamed of Your Country?Ezra had been working hard to teach God’s people how to obey God and worship Him. But the people did not listen. They continued to go about their own business. Not paying attention to the teachings of God or the preaching of the prophets. They basically forsook the Biblical way of doing things and had turned their backs on God. This brings about Judgement folks! You have heard me say that the United States has opened the door to Divine Judgement by embracing lifestyles and ways of life and attitudes that dishonor God and dishonor our Godly heritage. And we have nobody to blame for what is going to happen except ourselves. If we do not repent and do so quickly, it will be too late. Ezra found out about lots and lots of people who were choosing to disobey God as well. He was so hurt! But what does Ezra do? He prays! Ezra begins his prayer by saying to God that he was too ashamed and humiliated to even lift up his face to Him. He declared, “Our iniquities have risen higher than our heads, and our guilt has grown up to the heavens.” Here, right from the beginning of his prayer, Ezra poured out his heart to God, telling Him exactly how he felt. And it is interesting that throughout the prayer, even though he had not participated in the sins of the people, he demonstrated by using the words “we,” “our” and “us,” that he identified with their sins and even felt the guilt of their sins. This is how it is for us in the world today. Even though, as Christians, you may not have participated in abortions or homosexuality or supported a particular political party that encourages such actions – you are still here. You are still in this nation that is deserving of judgment. Here, in this nation that is starting to experience judgment… Ezra goes on in his prayer saying all the great things God had done for the nation. He was not doing this to remind God of these things, but to bring to remembrance what God had done to the minds of the people all around him. Then, in verse ten, Ezra says to God, “What shall we say after this?” So here (in my words) he is praying, “Now what have we done for all of Your kindness and blessing upon this land? We have turned our backs on You and forsaken Your covenant. You told us not to do these wicked things, but we, as a nation, have done them anyway.” Folks, this prayer should be prayed by believers everywhere right now. You may not have been participating in the wickedness of the sins of this nation. But you permitted them to be practiced anyway. “How did we do that, brother bob?” By electing public officials who supported, endorsed and then passed and enforced laws that went contrary to God’s Word and God’s Will. And then punished anyone who spoke God’s Word against those wicked practices. Closing his prayer, he said in great humility, “Here we are before You, in our guilt, though no one can stand before You because of this!” Ezra was putting it all on the line. He told God, basically, “Your judgement is what we deserve. We do not deserve your Mercy any longer.” And it was true. But, this prayer got the attention of those around Ezra. And repentance began. And judgement was averted. God heard Ezra’s prayer and granted Mercy. What do we deserve as a nation or as a world? I can tell you in one word – Judgement. But God – it is only because of His Mercy that we are still breathing today. But God! It is time to repent for where YOU have sinned against God. It is also time for you to PRAY like Ezra prayed. Maybe, just maybe, you can influence those around you to repent as well. Then and only then, will the impending judgement be delayed. Let’s pray for YOU to be able to influence others...
Scripture of the Day: Jonah 2:1“From inside the fish, Jonah prayed to the Lord his God…”Do You Only Pray When in Trouble?Most people are familiar with this story. God had commanded Jonah to go to Nineveh, the NYC of its day and proclaim that Judgement was coming and coming soon. Jonah did not want to do that because he knew that, if they repented, God would not destroy the city (the Bible does not say “HOW” Jonah knew this, but it was evident he did). IF that happened, it wasn’t just that Jonah would have sparked repentance in the city of Nineveh, Nineveh was HATED by the Jews. They were like Iran is today to Christians. OK? He would rather see God destroy the entire land and its people for all that they had to Israel. He did not want to even give them a shred of a chance at repentance. So – he went in the complete opposite direction! Amen! Ultimately, Jonah was tossed over-board from the ship he was on, once it was determined it was his fault for the ship being in jeopardy. Jonah was ok with that, too! You can tell from the conversation in scriptures. He basically had the attitude that, “I’ll be dead and ushered into paradise…and Nineveh and all of it’s inhabitants will still not have a chance to repent and God will still destroy that wicked place! That’s good all the way around!” But – God had a plan. And sent a fish to swallow up Jonah as soon as he was tossed in the sea. Now, we do not know what kind of fish it was…but you can pretty much determine it was a whale. Why? One, it was large enough to swallow him whole. Two, a whale just inhales water and brings the krill into its mouth in one might rush of water and then, down into the stomach the food goes… But, in this instance, Jonah was detoured. He probably was not sucked into the stomach, or else the acids would have started in on him. Instead, he became, let’s say, stuck in the esophagus of the whale. Why do I say that? Because the whale must surface to take a breath of air, right? So, Jonah had to have a fresh air supply. The esophagus, just like ours, splits off to the stomach and to the lungs. And there was Jonah, stuck in the throat of the whale. God then directed the whale to start swimming towards the destination He wanted Jonah to go. After three days of being stuck in the dark, fighting to stay in place as the whale kept swallowing more and more krill, then catching some fresh air as it surfaced, only to dive down again…Jonah had enough. He prayed… Well, about that time, the whale was back on the beach near where God wanted Jonah to be in the first place. The whale, now delirious because he could not get whatever it was stuck in his throat out – suddenly vomited and spit out Jonah…right on or near the beach. And Jonah decided it might be in his best interest just to go ahead and do what God told him to do in the first place. And you can tell from the rest of the story, he did not like it. But you have to give him credit, at least he obeyed. The question I have for you is this… What has God told YOU to do that you have not done yet? It doesn’t have to be anything BIG like go to a foreign land and become a missionary…it could be – but it doesn’t have to be… It could be something simple, like giving extra money in offerings. Or witnessing to your coworker. Or just taking the kids to church. But, whatever it is, if you have not done it yet, what is it going to take? Do you only pray to God when you are in trouble? I know a lot of people like that. When all hell breaks loose around them, then they call…”Can you pray for me?” Folks, do not be like Jonah. Pray every single day. That is what this teaching series is all about – to bring you into a closer, deeper relationship with God through prayer. Amen! I want to pray for you right now to have that type of closer relationship with your Heavenly Father… Let’s pray… Do me a favor…can you leave a comment down below and I would greatly...
Scripture of the Day: Matthew 6:6“But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray toyour Father, who is unseen. Then, your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.” Do Not Pray to Be Seen Praying
These verses in Matthew chapter 6 are talking about doing things for immediate rewards. Recognition. Public recognition like “Oh, he or she is such a saint,” type of recognition. Later, in verses 19-20, Jesus teaches us, “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasure in Heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal.” We are not to do things for earthly rewards or treasures—getting immediate results from our actions. Instead, we should do things for Christ and lay up treasures in heaven. We may not get results right away, but everything good done for Christ will eventually be rewarded. Should we be satisfied with earthly rewards, or should we desire rewards in heaven for the cause of Christ? Now let us apply this principle to what Jesus said about prayer. Should we pray to be seen and praised by people who will be amazed at how “spiritual” we sound? Or should we pray to praise God and let our requests be known? Obviously, praying for the sake of being seen by others focuses on earthly rewards. Jesus is not saying if we should pray in public or not. He is saying we need to understand the reason we are praying. Is it to get results or is it to be seen? When Jesus told His disciples to pray privately, He was emphasizing the need to pray when nobody else even knows we are praying. Why would someone do that? Because they are spending quality time, alone, with the Creator of the Universe. Who just happens to be our Heavenly Father. Do you think God cherishes that time with His children? Imagine if your child would only honor you and talk nice to you when you were out in public or you had company over…the rest of the time, they either demanded stuff from you or ignored you altogether. How would that make you feel? But, if your child truly honored you, if your child truly spent time with you when they could be doing other things – not to get something, but just to be in your presence…how would that make you feel? Good, right? And then, if one day, your child came to you and said, “I really need your help with this…” and laid out a problem they were having – would you move to help them? Immediately? Of course you would… But, if your child was one that neglected you, abused you, ridiculed you, except when they could be observed by others and everyone thought they were the best kid in town…they are fooling everyone… and then the kid comes in and say, “Hey, I need your help with this. Give me, give me, give me, give me…” The first couple of times, you might help them. But with no change in their attitude, there will come a time when the answer is “NO.” Then, the true colors of the child come out! “You don’t love me? I hate you! Etc. etc.” Right? So, if that is how YOU are – imagine how God is feeling when His kids treat Him the same way. That is what Jesus is saying here… SPEND TIME WITH GOD ALONE. With nobody else around. Not to pester Him and beg Him for STUFF…but just to be in His Presence. Do it when nobody else is around. Then, when there is a need – He will reward you and will do so OPENLY. That means you really do not even need to ask. He knows your needs before you ask Him, scripture says. And when He blesses you openly like that, then others will see it and ask you, “WOW – That was a big blessing” and you will respond with, “My God blesses me…” It is a testimony to your relationship with God! Amen! I want to pray with you right now… Let’s pray for forgiveness for neglecting our relationship with God, our Heavenly Father, and for His Wisdom in how to
Scripture of the Day: Matthew 21:22“If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer…” Pray for ResultsHave you ever heard someone finish a prayer and say something like, “for Jesus sake, amen.?” That is so foolish. We are praying for our sake – not Jesus sake. AMEN? We are to pray to the Father – IN THE NAME OF JESUS! We are to pray for RESULTS. Jesus said if we believe whatever it is we are asking God for, that God WILL answer our prayers…if we believe that – THEN we will receive our prayers as answered. DO NOT DOUBT. Amen! How can you believe in something you do not know? In order to receive your prayers as answered, you must believe they will be answered. To believe they will be answered, you must base them on the Word of God. How can you base them on the Word of God if you do not know the Word of God? Quick answer – You can’t! So, first, you must READ what God’s Word has to say about your situation. Whatever it is! If you need healing, go to the Word and look up – AND READ – every single scripture that deals with healing and Jesus healing the sick. “Well, brother bob, that would take a lot of time…” I didn’t say you had to do it one sitting. But you should spend at least 30 minutes scriptures. And, in my opinion, if you truly are in need of healing, do it three or four times per day! “Three or four times per day?” I don’t have that much time…! Really? What are you doing at 5am every morning? “Well, brother bob, I’m sleeping…I work all day…” Look at where I am right now. It is 5am and I’m doing this every single day. WHY? Because I need a deep dive in prayer. And I’m in the Word every single day. But I needed to FOCUS on prayer. And the Lord impressed upon me to share this study with you. That is what I’m doing. But I have been getting up between 5 and 515 am for years, just to spend the first few minutes of each and every day with the Lord. In His word and in prayer. Some people want to do that at the end of the day. That’s ok too. But you need to make it part of your daily schedule. Not something you do when you remember. It has to be part of your routine. Amen. And, if you need an answer to something in particular, like healing – then you need to spend 30 minutes reading healing scriptures. Over and over and over. If you need an answer to financial pressures, read about finances. What to do, sowing and reaping, giving and receiving, etc. Tithing…hello! The point is – when I said three times per day, if you were truly sick and the doctor told you to take these pills and go for a half mile walk three times per day for the next six months and you will be healed – would you do it? Most people would say yes! Even if you had a job. You would wake up 30 minutes early and go for your walk before work. At lunch time you would go for a walk instead of McDonald’s or whatever. Then after work you go for your third walk. You would find a way to fit it into your schedule because your doctor said if you would do it – you would be healed… So why won’t you believe the one who gave the doctor’s their wisdom? Why won’t you believe the One who created all things, including your body. Why won’t you believe the One who created all the silver, all the gold and all the cattle on a thousand hills? Do you think He who did all that is incapable of helping you? Then start believing and asking for specific prayer, like we already talked about – and, as we are talking about today – PRAY FOR RESULTS and then, as our scripture says today – BELIEVE YOU RECEIVE those prayers as answered. Amen! I want to pray for you right now, that you would take this seriously. So seriously that you will repent for not doing so before…so seriously that you will start to spend at least 30 minutes each day in God’s Word. So seriously that, if necessary, you will get up 30 minutes earlier to start your day with God in His Word. IF you will do that, THEN you will see...
Scripture of the Day: Matthew 6:7“And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words…” Don’t Waste God’s TimeWhen you read this verse, and some others that Jesus taught on, it sounds like He is telling us to keep your prayer brief and to the point. That may sound harsh to some “religious” folks who want to follow Solomon Paul’s advice in 1 Thessalonians 5:17, where he tells us to, “Pray without ceasing.” I mean, if you take that one literally, you would be talking to God every single waking second. That would be a lot of words and, honestly, you would be doing a lot repeating of your prayers. So, which is it? Keep it brief or keep it long? I know some people that make it a point to pray 2-3 hours every single day. They do not feel right if they do not spend that much time in prayer. I know some people that say about 2 minute prayer and they believe they are good to go. So, which one is in good standing with God and which one is not? The answer – BOTH. “Both? Brother Bob…Both what? In good standing or not?” Yes – that is correct. Both! It kind of sounds like I’m in the Abbott and Costello “Who’s on first” comedy routine, doesn’t it? But, you have to understand, if one person wants to spend a couple of hours at one time in the presence of God…If that is what the Lord has put on his or her heart to do – then that answers the question! That person needs to be there. However, if they are doing that in attempt to berate God into finally answering their prayers – they are wasting their time. Jesus taught the parable about the unrighteous judge in Luke 18:5-7. This widow woman keeps bothering this judge to help her until finally, in verse 5, the judge says, “…yet, because this widow keeps pestering me, I will give her justice. Then she will stop wearing me out with her perpetual requests. And the Lord said, Listen to the words of the unrighteous judge. Will not God bring about justice for His elect who cry out to Him day and night? Will He continue to defer their help?” That sounds pretty much like Jesus is telling His disciples to be like the widow woman and just keep pestering God until you finally wear Him out and He will cave in to your prayer request. But when you match that up with our scripture verse of Matthey 6:7 where Jesus don’t keep pestering God with all of your meaningless words – we have two opposite sides of the equation. So, what should we do? I’m so glad you asked! Jesus is say that if you have a need, keep it before the Lord in prayer. Every time the devil brings up the situation that you are facing, financial, health, family members or whatever, every time the devil brings it to your remembrance, just give the Lord praise for the answer to your prayer request. But don’t go to your prayer closet 29 times a day and spend 30 minutes crying out the Lord every single time. If you have a financial need that is so urgent, you need a miracle, you take it to the Lord. IF HE tells you to sow a seed and help someone else, do it. That is what will open the door to your miracle. You helping the need of someone else. If all you have left is $20 and you need $200 or $2000 – and as you are driving to work and see that homeless person on the corner, is that $20 going to help you? No. But it will help that homeless person. SOW IT! That will be a HUGE blessing to that homeless person. That will now open the door for the Lord to have someone else sow HUGE into your life. That is just one example and we will teach on the laws of sowing and reaping later on in this study. But the thing I want you to see is GOD WILL ANSWER YOUR PRAYER. He may use other people to do it. Especially where it comes to finances. All the finances in the earth are based, basically on precious metal that God created when He created the earth. He is not going to rain $100 bills down from Heaven and He is not going to...
Scripture of the Day: Jeremiah 29:12“Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you.”Guard Your Mind and God Will AnswerIn order to receive the answer to your prayers, you need to believe that God WILL answer prayer. We are told over and over and over that God “hears us” and “delivers us” and He “will answer” our prayers. But even with all of the promises of God on this subject, doubt still creeps in “this time.” Questions like, “Will He answer – this time?” Or “I know He answered my prayers before – but will He do it “this time?”” We need to be on guard against any thoughts that come into your mind concerning whether or not God will answer your prayers. You see, thoughts are actually governed by observations. You then associate those observations with what your desires are. “Are these things lining up with what I expect?” “Are these things I see, are they God’s way of answering my prayer?” The Bible says we are to cast down our imaginations that try to exalt themselves against the Word of God. That’s why you need to stay away from all places and things that do not support your affirmation that God has answered your prayers. Your thoughts are governed by your actions. That means, sometimes, you will have to stay away from the kind of churches that can put more unbelief in you than they do faith. I’m not speaking bad about any churches or their pastors – but you know as well as I do there are some well meaning pastors that walk, unknowingly, in unbelief in certain areas. For example, some pastors do not want to teach on prophecy because they feel it just makes people fearful. They do not want to make their people afraid – despite the fact the Book of Revelation clearly states that those who read or in other words, STUDY, the last the book of the Bible – will be BLESSED. There are those pastors who refuse to teach on Divine healing. They don’t want to get people’s hopes up. They don’t know how to teach on the subject of “walk by faith and not by sight.” They acknowledge that Jesus healed. The Apostle’s healed. But they don’t believe ANY of that is for today. They will admit that “sometimes” God will Divinely intervene and they give Him praise in those instances. But they will not willing teach on it nor are they willing to stand in agreement with YOU for your healing. It is better to leave those churches, despite your friendships, despite your loyalty to “the pastor” and stick to your loyalty with GOD. Studies have shown that you are the sum total of the 5 people you most hang out with. If you are a business person and you want to take your business to the next level of success, you need to start associating with those who are at least one step ahead of you, preferably three of four steps ahead of you. WHY? Because they KNOW what you are going through. They understand the processes you need to take in order to achieve your desired goals. But, if you just hang around with those who are on the same level as you are – all you do is talk with one another about “someday.” But nobody really does anything to move up the ladder of success and make “someday” equal TODAY. Even worse, is to start associating with those who are not as successful as you are and taking input from them and, the next thing you know – you have regressed down to the level they are at. Folks, if you are needing healing – you need to associate with ministries that BELIEVE God still heals today. Not those that believe it stopped with the Apostles. Amen! If you need a financial break through – you need to associate with ministries that operate on the financial success principles. If you need to learn about PRAYER and “How to get your Prayers answered! “ You need to associate with ministries that believe God still answers prayers today! That is why we are teaching every single day this year. That is why you are here! Amen! God has Divinely brought us together for...
Scripture of the Day: Mark 14:39“Once more he went away and prayed the same thing.”Stay Positive and Resist DoubtIn order to receive the answer to your prayers, you need to let every single thought about the subject of your prayers to remain positive. Call it as already done – in Jesus Name. If you are believing for a financial answer to prayer, stay positive, even in the face of negative reports. If you are believing for a healing, same thing. Stay positive, even in the face of a negative report or feelings. How you feel does not affect the Word of God. Amen! After you pray in Faith, according to God’s Word…you MUST stand on scripture at all times – NEVER allow a picture of failure to try and replace that Word that is LIVING on the inside of you. We are talking about receiving answers to your prayers. Once you have prayed and asked God for something…and when I say “something” I am not being a generalist here. It has to be SPECIFIC. But I don’t know what you need or what you are praying for – so I have to be general as I’m talking to you today through this platform. For example, if you need $1,314 dollars to meet a financial obligation, don’t just say, “Lord, I need a break through here. I need to see an increase in my finances…” If you walk out to the parking lot and found a $5 bill on the ground, wouldn’t that be an increase your finances? So God answered your prayer! “Well, brother bob, He knows what I need…” YES – He does! More so than you do… “What do you mean by that?” Let’s talk about praying for finances for a minute. This is a unique form of prayer because God is not going to rain money down from Heaven like manna. He has already put “all of the silver, all of the gold” into the earth at creation. They don’t make that stuff anymore. And God isn’t making it anymore either. So, for Him to answer your prayer for financial increase, he has to get it from someone who already has it. When you say, “God I need $1,314 and I need it now” – God knows what you really need. I know, I’ve had this conversation with God. I was praying a prayer like that a few years ago when God arrested me in the Spirit and said, “No you don’t.” That shocked me! I said, “Yes I do” and He replied again, “No you don’t.” Then He said, “If I give you this money now, next month you will be right back here asking for more.” And you know what, He was right. Then He showed me in His Word, that living by debt instead of Faith is wrong. It goes against Biblical principles. And with this pandemic, you can see why… People have been living for the here and now instead of saving. They should have been saving for an emergency fund that experts say should have a minimum of six months expenses and preferably an entire year. Most people do not even have one month of expenses in savings. I was the same way. But several years ago, as I was praying for a miracle in order to keep the bills paid, that is when God said “No, that’s not what you need. What you need is to do stop borrowing and living on credit and start saving and paying cash.” When I did, man – life got better. Yes, we went several years without vacations. We went several years saving for an emergency. But, during this pandemic, when everyone was panicking around us, we were secure. That’s just one example. But the point of what I’m sharing today is not how to live secure financially. My point was to stay single minded and focused on your answer to your prayer request. In my example of asking God for increase and you finding $5 on the sidewalk, that was increase. You cannot say God did not answer your prayer. But, if you are praying specifics, “God, I need this amount of money by this day. I now SOW a seed to someone else…because your Word says to “Give and it shall be given back to me, a good measure, pressed down, shaken together and, RUNNING OVER, men shall give into my bosom.” But you...
Scripture of the Day: Luke 17:20“My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those that will believe in me through their message.”God’s Word is the ONLY Truth
Yesterday, we talked about praising God in the face of negative talk about you being to sick to get better. We discussed that, if you truly believed God’s Word, you would rejoice! Because either God is the only one who will get your praise when you are healed HERE – or He will be the only one to get your praise when you are in His Presence THERE. Praise God… I have had my times of what could be called “miraculous healing” myself. I’ve had them happen for several people that I have prayed for. I’ve witnessed numerous others as other men and women of God have prayed for people. This is real, folks. Those naysayers that refuse to acknowledge that Jesus is the Great Physician are only doing so because they do not have the Faith to believe. I’ve received healing myself, from colds to severe injuries. I remember several years back I was participating in officiating football games. I still do today, but this was several years ago and I was new to the experience. Anyway, I made a mistake in my positioning and ended up getting taken out by a several 200 plus pound football players making a tackle. I got back up, I stayed on the field and finished the game, but I was hurt and I knew it. I prayed – and got through the game. When I finally drove home, I could barely walk. My left leg was hurt and hurt bad. I knew it. The next day was even worse. Thank God I had a week until my next scheduled game. I prayed and stood in Faith. Literally – stood – in faith. The next weekend, I went back out. I was hobbling, but able to function. I could not run as fast as I had, but I was able to do my job and get through the game. Then the next and the next, etc. A about two years ago, I was having problems with my right knee. This was from an on the job injury I suffered many, many years ago as a police officer. And my doctor decided to get an x-ray. They took an x-ray of both legs. When I returned to the doctor for the results, he asked me, “When did you break your leg?” “Excuse me? I’ve never broken my leg,” I replied. “Yes you did. It was a pretty good break, too. But it was reset and has calcified over. The reason I asked is because you did not put that down as a prior injury.” I told the doctor, I do not know when that could’ve happened. He said that, from the x-ray, it had been about three years or so from what he could tell. But, as I was thinking about it, the ONLY time that could’ve been the case is with that football game. That is the only time something like that would’ve happened. I did not go to the doctor. I PRAYED. I did not go the ER. I went to God’s Word. I knew what the Word said about healing. Was it instantaneous? As far as I was concerned, No. I mean it took me several weeks, maybe even a couple of months to run and everything like before. But was it instantaneous? According to the doctor, it must’ve been. He said it had been reset! Amen! I prayed, Jesus answered – and I went about doing my normal business and activities. It was not until several years later that I found out what actually happened to me that night. Praise God. That is just one example. I knew “something” was wrong – and prayed for healing. I knew I had been healed – I just did not know to what extent until this doctor asked me “when I had broken my leg?” Praise God. But that is what I’m talking about. I believed God’s Word. I believed God’s Word was TRUE and I stood, literally, on God’s Word. And I received my healing. Now, if you would’ve asked someone who seen me walking or attempting to run on the sidelines a week or two weeks or even three weeks later, they would say I was not healed. If you had asked me and I told you how I felt, I would say I was not healed. But I was standing in God’s Promises and I said, “By His stripes, I WAS...
Scripture of the Day: Luke 22:45“Why are you sleeping?” he asked them. “Get up and pray so that you will not fall into temptation.”Demonic Truth versus Spiritual Truth
As we continue our study in prayer, I want to emphasize over and over for you the importance of BELIEVING THE BIBLE over believing what any other person has to say. I don’t care if your doctor tells you that you only have a few weeks left to live. You should just ask him, “So there is nothing else you can do?” When he says no, then state a Spiritual FACT – “Then I trust God to do what HE says He will do…” Then start quoting some healing scriptures… Praise God! “Well, brother bob, that actually seems a little silly, don’t you think? I mean, after all, that doctor is trained in this field. He knows when there is nothing else that can be done… I’d look like a plum fool to say I was believing God for my healing when the best doctors and medical sciences says I’m going to die…” It is belief like that which probably got you into this predicament in the first place. Maybe, just MAYBE, if you would’ve gone to God and His Word at the first symptoms – you wouldn’t be in this mess right now. BUT NOOOO – you sought the best advice from MEN rather than God. Now, don’t get me wrong. I love doctors and modern medical technology. If it were not for doctors and other medical staff – so many people would’ve died before they even had a chance to get born again. Amen. But, let’s look at from a natural verses spiritual perspective for just a moment. Who came up with all the latest ideas and concepts in modern medical breakthroughs? I guess a better question would be, who GAVE these people the IDEAS of the concepts and the WAY they would work on the human body? That would be GOD, right? Who created these bodies in the first place? God… Who contaminated these bodies so they would start to die in the first place? Satan… Who established death in the body and death in the earth? Satan… Who overcame death in the body and death in the earth? JESUS… Who triumphed over Satan in all things? JESUS… Who took all the authority Satan had in this earth? JESUS… Who gave US that authority over Satan? JESUS… In whose name can we pray and watch every demon flee? JESUS… In whose name can we pray and believe sickness must flee? JESUS… Do you start to see a pattern here? Amen! There are two kinds of truth at work here. Natural truth, based up on natural laws and consists of things we can see, touch, hear, taste and smell. Things that pertain to living in this fallen world. Then, there is God’s Spiritual Truth – which supersedes natural truth. Supersedes natural laws. Supersedes what your five senses perceive and operates on a Godly plain that only God’s children can operate in. His Truth is contained in His Word. “Thy Word is Truth.” Amen. So, when you are faced with bad news like that…go ahead, ask the doctor, “So there is nothing else you or anyone else can do?” When they say NO – Praise God! Tell them, “So, I’ve been praying for years that when I die, I will get to see Jesus. You’re telling me that day is approaching! That’s Good News! And, you know what is even better, Doc? I’m still believing God for my healing – so when it happens NOW – it ain’t because of YOU – ALL PRAISE will be His. Bless God! This is exciting! And, what’s the worst that can happen, Doc? I die like you said and immediately step into Glory with Jesus and I’ll be healed forever! Praise God! Now, I’m telling you right here, you will not be able to say things like that unless you truly believe them. Because when you start praising God like that, the devil doesn’t like it. He will probably move immediately to shut you down by having the doctor start to intercede, “Well, now…I wouldn’t get all...
Scripture of the Day: 1 Kings 8:28“Yet give attention to your servant’s prayer and his plea for mercy, Lord my God. Hear the cry and the prayer that your servant is praying in your presence this day…”NEEDS verses WANTSYesterday, we talked about “believing you receive.” And I gave a couple of examples that your NEEDS are given priority over your WANTS. This is especially true when it comes to prayer. You could have been praying for God to deliver you from financial oppression. And, truth be told, if you are honest, if your debts are out of control as compared to your income, it is usually because you lived beyond your means. You were spending today based on tomorrow’s income…and something happened to tomorrow’s income. The pandemic shutdown your business or you lost your job. But the debts are still there and they debtors want their money. Whose fault is it? Don’t blame the economy or China or the government. They did not tell you to incur the debt. If you did not have the debt, yes, you might not have that 84” flat panel TV to watch the Super Bowl on… but you would not have the debt for it either. I’m not saying this to condemn anyone. I’m using it as an example of NEED verses WANT. You WANTED the TV. Now, you have a NEED for income to pay for it. If you would have saved $100 per month for several months, and then, if you still wanted it, you could have paid cash for it. But, you took immediate possession based upon several months of income in the future, which is now no existent. OK, enough on that…on with my example. You need a couple of thousand dollars of income – Immediately – or the lights are being turned off and you will not have any food to feed the family. That is an immediate WANT. You may think you NEED it (and you do). But in reality, it is your fault you are in that position, right? Now, let’s say you are out on a walk with your family and group of thugs surrounds you and is threatening to kill all of you. They pull out their knives and they are getting ready to go to town on your family. You cry out to God… How would you like it if God answered, while you are about to be attacked, with, “Ok – I’m going to give you what you want. Once you get home, there is a $1000 check waiting for you in the mail box… It took me several weeks to get the right people to finally wake up and send it…but it’s there.” That’s what you WANTED right? The $1000? OR – would you be praying for God to do an IMMEDIATE answer to a very REAL NEED that you have concerning the safety of your family? Which one would you rather have God answer? THE NEED for immediate deliverance, right? You’re crying out to God, “PLEASE GOD, HELP US!” And about 5 seconds later, a police car just happens to turn the corner. The thugs see and start running. Now, the police are in pursuit…you and your family are safe. Would that be God answering an IMMEDIATE NEED or your WANT based upon past mistakes you’ve made? Which one would you prefer God answer? I think everyone would agree the immediate need would be priority. You still WANT the $1000 and it is needful…but as far as BELIEVING YOU RECEIVE WHEN YOU PRAY – are you seeing the difference as far as how quickly God can answer a NEED and how the WANTS will come… it will come… in due time. Again, God can answer immediately in all things. I’m not saying He will not answer. I have personally seem Him deliver me in a financial need. I don’t have time to go into here, but there was a check in my mailbox that was desperately needed. My wife and I went to the store and when we came back, out of habit, I looked in the mailbox and there was the check. There was not even a postage cancellation stamp in the corner! Then, about 30 minutes later, the mail truck went by putting our daily mail in the box… I believe God sent an angel who grabbed that check as soon as it was printed and that angel came and put it...
Scripture of the Day: Mark 11:24“Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.”Believe You ReceiveWe spent the last few days about how important it is for you to identify what you want, exactly, before you start to pray. We talked about the importance of knowing specific scriptures you can quote when confronted with a demonic attack. I want to look now, at receiving answers to your prayer requests to God for the things you want. You can do this by simply believing the scriptures and the prayers you said actually worked. Notice I used a past tense on worked. Not that “they will work.” Not that “they are going to work.” But, when you prayed – they WORKED. The job was done. “Well, brother bob, what if I don’t see the results.” Let me ask you this. Are you saved? “YES” How do you know? “Well, Jesus said I was when I asked Him to forgive me and come into my heart…” Did you SEE any change your body? Did money start raining down from Heaven to help you financially? Did life suddenly become all sunshine and roses? “No – but it did get better over time…” EXACTLY! That is my point! YES – some people will see an immediate event or change. Someone they prayed for will instantly be healed. Someone you pray for to be healed will die. Did God answer your prayer? “No – they died…” But – where did they go? Once they died, where did they go? If they were Christians, they went to Heaven, right? So they have received a Glorified Body and they will never be sick again! “Yeah, but – I wanted them healed here…” First, “don’t’ Yeah, but – God. Ok. Second, what YOU want – was it backed up by scripture? Did you find a scripture that said, “So and so will be healed and stay here?” The answer is NO. “But I don’t understand. You said to believe we receive and we could have it. I prayed and they died. I didn’t get what I wanted for the answer.” This can quickly turn into a very indepth teaching…and I’m trying to keep this teaching short. We will go over this more in upcoming sessions. But let me say this… Notice what you just said in regards to this example. I wanted… I wanted them healed. Now, let’s go back to our scripture references. Remember, we are focusing all of our requests on scripture, right? That is the purpose of this training. Matthew 6:32 says, “…your Heavenly Father knows you NEED all of these THINGS.” Ok. So there are THINGS YOU NEED. Notice that… He is telling us to ASK FOR THE THINGS WE NEED… He expects us to come to Him in prayer, in the Name of Jesus, and ASK FOR THE THINGS WE NEED… One more time… NEED. Notice the words you uses in the example I provided… WANTED. There is a difference between a NEED and a WANT. I want a million dollars. But do I NEED a million dollars? Or would $1,000 meet my need that I’m faced with right now? See the difference? In the example I used about praying for someone who was sick and they died and went to Heaven. They are healed in Heaven and never will be sick anymore. You said you WANTED them Healed. But did you NEED them healed? I’m not being cold and hard hearted here. Nobody wants a loved one to die. Even if they are 90 years old. Nobody wants that…but yet, these bodies and these lives are meant to terminate in the natural. Some in a matter of days, unfortunately and some many, many years later. That is why it is so important to get people born again and into the Kingdom of God and the Body of Christ. That is why it is so important for Christians to learn how to pray, what to pray and when to pray. If you were shooting cocaine for 30 years and then, on your death bed, become a Christian and ask God to heal you – can He? Yes. He can. WILL HE? Maybe…if there is a mission you can accomplish for Him. But what is the most likely outcome? Your body, due to...
Scripture of the Day: Ephesians 6:17-18“Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.” The Sword of the SpiritIn order to fight the good fight of faith, you must learn how to use the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God. Fighting the good fight of faith is speaking the Word out of your mouth that you believe in your heart. This is why it is so important for you to keep up with this series on prayer. Every single day for an entire year, we will be building up the power of this Sword inside your spirits. You have to have the Word of God in your heart and be ready to use scriptures against demons when they try to attack you. You do not have time to say, “hold on a minute, let me get my bible…” If a thief was breaking into your house, it’s too late to run downstairs in the basement and start lifting weights to build up muscle tone and strength you can wrestle him out of your home. You should have started preparing for that kind of attack years ago. It is the same thing in the Spirit. You cannot go into battle without the proper foundation. My time as an officer in the Army Cavalry, we continually trained as if we were in war. Every time we would go out on field exercises, it was conducted under battle field conditions. If it was raining and storming, we still conducted the operations as planned. We used to say that we practices to be wet, cold and miserable – and became experts at it. Amen! Seriously though, spiritual warfare is not a “fair fight.” There is no such thing as a fair fight. Not in battle. Not as cop. I learned that if someone was trying to fight me on the streets of Baltimore, when I was wearing all of this gear, it was because they were trying to kill me. Period. If someone was trying to fight me that bad, I was now authorized to take any and all actions to protect myself, eliminate any threat to my life and those around me. If that involved discharging my firearm, so be it. The point I’m trying to make is this, in the Spirit, the devil wants nothing better to do than to kill you. That way, you can go on to Heaven, and he doesn’t have to worry about you anymore. But if you stay, if you keep on living, you are a threat to his kingdom. You are a threat to the works of darkness in this earth. So, if he and his demons get a chance, they will try to take you out. If you are not skillful at wielding the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God, you will be like a boy scout running onto Normandy Beach on D-Day with only your pocket knife. In other words, the devil and his demons will take you out. But, if you are skillful in using the Word of God against the devil and his forces, it will be like calling in a tactical nuke on the devil’s position. They will FLEE and flee quickly. In the military, and as a cop, we had a “basic load” of ammunition that we carried with us. This ammunition and our weapons were always at the ready. They could be put into action in a split second. If a threat popped up, we could engage it in seconds. Literally. That is the way you need to be with scriptures. You need to be able to respond to any threat of the devil or any demonic power with a basic load of scriptures, that begins with “Devil, IT IS WRITTEN…and then blast away!” Praise God! You need to have several scriptures at the ready for various situations. Healing, finances, torment, casting out evil spirits, whatever the Lord puts on your heart for your situations. Listen to Him, He will prepare you. Again, that is the purpose for these daily teachings this year. Amen! Let’s Pray! Until next time, this is Pastor Bob Thibodeau reminding you from 1 Thessalonians 5:17 in the Living Bible to “Always Keep on Praying!” Be...
Scripture of the Day: Genesis 10:7“Now return the man’s wife, for he is a prophet and he will pray for you and you will live. But if you do not return her, you may be sure, that you and all who belong to you will die.”Fight the Good Fight of Faith
It takes a little time sometimes to build the Word up in your spirit man. That is one of the reasons why we are doing this study on prayer each and every day this year. But you need to make sure you pray each and every day. It will, little by little, increase the POWER of FAITH that is within you. If someone came to your home and was going to kidnap your family, hopefully – you would fight them! With everything you had inside you. You would use whatever weapons you could find and if you had none, you would use your hands, your feet and bite them in necessary. You FAITH works the same way. Abraham was walking by Faith. He was going where he was being led by God and, in that day and time, there were marauders and kings would kidnap beautiful women for their harems. And Abraham was worried about that. Now, without focusing on Abraham’s weakness in asking his wife just to claim she was his sister, look at what actually happened here. Did Abraham put up a fuss? Did he take matters into his own hands? Did Sarah say anything? NO. Why? Because they were trusting God to take care of the situation. Do you think Abraham was talking to God about this? What about Sarah? I believe both of them were doing a lot of praying. Probably not the loud, obnoxious prayers you see people do “OH GOD – OH GOD” type of prayers… No… But I can almost guarantee you they were praying. And look at what happened, God answered. God intervened. God moved. God went straight to the king and said, “Hey buddy…just what do you think you are doing with this man’s wife?” You see, if God says something belong TO YOU – it belongs only TO YOU. If God did not intend for you have what He promised you – then He would not have promised it to you. God said Sarah was going to have a baby by Abraham. That should have been an end to any argument right there. I could continue down this path, but that is an entirely different sermon for a different day. What you see in this example is someone, Abraham and Sarah, that are praying and they are trusting God to take care of this situation. Abraham was operating in fear, he was worried if the king found out Sarah was really his wife, the king would act quickly and kill him in order to take her. But, by saying she was his sister, it bought him a little time. Time to pray. Time to take this matter to God. And he did. When God intervened, notice He just did not convince the king to let him go. He made him a promise as well – IF you do not do this – every person in your family will be killed. How’s that for an attention getter for a king? Not only did the king give Abraham his wife back, but gave him riches to pay for his trouble. INCREASE. Notice after this that the Bible says he became RICH in the land with cattle, silver and gold and servants, etc. Amen! When GOD answers prayer, it isn’t like convincing some old geezer to give you a cough drop. Amen! When God answers prayer, He not only provides for that need you are requesting, He is setting you up for future victories at the same time. You could say that the troubles you are going through that have caused you to pray – are actually training you to handle greater things later on. But you will be facing them with confidence because you have seen God come through before. Amen! I want to pray for you right now. I want to pray for things you are going through and let’s ask God to fix the situation and provide for future needs as well. Amen. Let's Pray! Until next time, this is Pastor Bob Thibodeau reminding you from 1 Thessalonians 5:17 in the Living Bible to “Always Keep on Praying!” Be
Scripture of the Day: Luke 1:13“But the angel said to him, “Zechariah, your prayer has been heard. Your wife, Elizabeth, will bear you a son and you shall call him John.”God Answers PrayerFirst of all, let me emphasize, that God is not a respecter of persons. What He does for one person, He will do for every person….we have His promise on that. So, why doesn’t He answer the prayers of every person…? It is up to US to get our Faith “tuned into” His Word. Despite what you may have been taught by well meaning Christian people, God is FOR you and NOT against you! So many people for far too long have been taught wrong. I had heard from as far back as I can remember that God was out to “get you” if you messed up! That is totally, one hundred percent opposite the truth! Where money is concerned, Christians have been taught that poverty is God’s way of humbling us. That people in the ministry have taken a “vow of poverty.” That if preachers do “get” anything, they have to give it away. We have been taught that Jesus was so poor, he did not even have a home to live in (Luke 9:58 “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head”). Jesus came to show us how to be Blessed! Poverty is under the curse! Jesus came to fulfill the Abrahamic Covenant. Abraham was RICH! Job was RICH! David was RICH! Solomon was RICH! So why would Jesus be poor? And, if he was so poor, why did he have a treasurer? A poor man does not need a treasurer – a RICH man does! Judas must have been giving A LOT of money AWAY! Because at the last supper, when Jesus told him to “do what you need to do,” Judas got up and left. The other disciples thought he was going out to “give money to the poor.” So he must have done that so often that the other disciples did not pay much attention to him leaving. This was after Jesus told them that one of the disciples was a traitor! So any unusual actions by any disciple would have raised immediate suspicion. But Judas’ departure was just a natural part of their dinners, the other disciples did not think it was odd! Christians have been taught for so long that “money is the root of all evil.” But the scriptures do not say that. “The love of money is the root of all evil.” (1 Timothy 6:10). It costs money to preach the gospel. Just ask your Pastor the next time you see him! If you are not on the church Board of Directors and just think you can show up and all is well…and you give your little offering thinking “others” will give and that you need the money more than the church does…you are WRONG! Granted, God will make sure that ministries which are doing God’s work will be taken care of. But, the responsibility falls to us! God holds each of us responsible. We have been taught that God allows sickness, disease or calamities to happen in our lives in order to “teach” us something. That is not scriptural. Sickness, disease and calamities are covered under the curses – and we have been redeemed from the curses! (Galatian 3:13-14). We have been taught that our children ran from God because of something we have done in our past. We have been taught that our children must “find their own way.” Both of these concepts are not scriptural. It is our responsibility as parents to pray for our children and teach them that God loves them and is there for them when we cannot be. We have been taught that we can “never know what God will do.” But the Bible says the Holy Spirit will show us all things! (John 14:25-27). We have been taught that sometimes God answers our...
Scripture of the Day: Luke 22:46“Why are you sleeping?” he asked them. “Get up and pray so that you will not fall into temptation.”Be SpecificFirst of all, let me emphasize, that God is not a respecter of persons. What He does for one person, He will do for every person….we have His promise on that. So, why doesn’t He answer the prayers of every person…? It is up to US to get our Faith “tuned into” His Word. Let me explain it using this example. You have a radio sitting on your desk. It is turned off. You hear nothing over the radio. Does that mean there is NO radio station broadcasting? NO. It just means you do not have your radio turned on. Radio stations are continually broadcasting over the airwaves. Now, you turn your radio on. But all you get is static. Does this mean there are no radio stations broadcasting? NO. It just means you have to “tune” into a station to hear the broadcast. If you tune into a station that is broadcasting “Rock” and you wanted to hear “Country and Western,” you will be disappointed. You MUST tune into the station you want to hear. Do you listen to “Rock” and “Country and Western” at the same time and on the same station? NO. Each station has a particular “band width” they are broadcasting on. You must “tune” into the appropriate “band width” in order to hear what you desire to listen to. The same thing happens with God. God is here, talking to us through His Holy Spirit, all of the time. We just have to “tune in” to what He is saying. If we leave our spiritual “ears” turned off – we miss what He is telling us to do in order to be Blessed. If we are listening to the devil or the world instead of listening to God, we miss what He is telling us to do. We are tuned into the wrong station! How can we be sure we are listening to God? How can we KNOW He hears our prayers? Keep listening – I am about to take you through what I consider to be one of the most profound teachings on getting our prayers answered that you have ever heard. I believe, with all of my heart and soul, that this teaching will “tune you into” God. And, we have the promise of God, that if “we know He hears us, then we know we have the petitions we desire of Him.” I think we have gone far enough for today. I do not want to start the next section and then have to stop after just a few minutes. But we will pick it up here next time. What I would like to do now – IS PRAY! Amen! I want to pray for YOU today… I want to pray for YOU to become a Prayer Warrior in the Kingdom of God. Amen! Until next time, this is Pastor Bob Thibodeau reminding you from 1 Thessalonians 5:17 in the Living Bible to “Always Keep on Praying!” Be blessed in all that you do! Please subscribe to this podcast, leave us a quick 5 star review on Apple Podcasts to help us grow and be sure to visit our website for more information on our ministry: https://podcastersforchrist.com/ (https://podcastersforchrist.com)
Scripture for Today: Acts 6:4 “We will give our attention to prayer and the ministry of the Word”Ask – Don’t Beg
About 10 years ago, I published a book on prayer. It is called “7 Keys to Answered Prayer.” A lot of this training will come from that book. It was written as a way to help you come to a realization that you CAN have your prayers answered. Have you ever wondered if God really “hears” your prayers? I mean, how many times have you prayed and wondered if you said the “right” thing? You have heard preachers say, “ask according to God’s will.” So, if you do not get the answer you are looking for, does that mean you asked “out of God’s will?” Can you go to God and ask Him to save your loved ones? What about healing? Is it possible to pray for healing? Will God answer your prayer? Can you ask God to Bless your finances? Will He Bless your finances? Is asking for money or prosperity “wrong?” Why does it appear that others get their prayers answered, but you don’t? Are they doing something different? Do they have “greater Faith” than you do? Does God love them more than He loves you? I have found that God does answer prayer. Sometimes, we just need a little help in seeing “how” He answers our prayers. Sometimes we need a little help in “formalizing” our prayers. That is not to say there is a specific formula that guarantees results. But, if we can get our thoughts lined up with God’s Word, then that allows our Faith to activate. And when we activate our Faith in God’s Word to do what it says….we are on our way to getting our prayers answered. What you need to do is be SPECIFIC in what you are asking God for in prayer and then stand continually on the promises you find in His Word concerning answering your prayers. This sounds more difficult than it really needs to be. But this is the purpose of our training. By the end of the year, and I really do not believe it will take you that long to learn this, but it will be reinforced throughout the year, but there will come that AH-HA moment when it all clicks. You will be a spiritual powerhouse of prayer. A prayer warrior, if you will. And that is where we will pick up tomorrow. Simply deciding what it is you want from God and then finding the scriptures that promise you those things. It is so important for you to understand what God has to say about your needs being met. But more importantly, how to approach Him in getting those needs met. Amen! Let’s Pray! Until next time, this is Pastor Bob Thibodeau reminding you from 1 Thessalonians 5:17 in the Living Bible to “Always Keep on Praying!” Please subscribe to this podcast, leave us a quick 5 star review on Apple Podcasts to help us grow and be sure to visit our website for more information on our ministry: https://podcastersforchrist.com/ (https://podcastersforchrist.com). And while you are at the website, download the free resource I have for you… it is free and is called, “How to Start a Christian Podcast.” It will bless you – go and download it today. You can also WATCH these session on our Facebook Playlist at this link: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtKWeKtmv-BwgkquBTsSh-GznbmuUp_R2 (https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtKWeKtmv-BwgkquBTsSh-GznbmuUp_R2)
Scripture For Today:2 Chronicles 7:14“If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.” Conclusion – Trust in the LordThis last year, I’ve shared with you each and every day another aspect of prayer. The Lord had put on my heart to begin a daily prayer study on the different aspects of prayer and to conduct it each and every morning in 2021. I’ve obeyed. There were days when I did not feel like doing it. There were days when I may have been discouraged and wondering if anybody out there was listening. There were days when I was busy. There were days when I couldn’t wait to turn on the camera and microphone. There were days when I couldn’t turn it OFF fast enough! The point I’m trying to make is this… Our job, not “my job” – but “OUR JOB” as believers and as children of “The Most High God,” is to pray and believe – and, most importantly, to OBEY. When the Lord says, “Do this…” whatever “this” is or may be… it is our job to OBEY. I learned that lesson many years ago with the radio station, “Evangelism Radio” (http://www.evangelismradio.com/ (www.evangelismradio.com) ). The success of the radio station astounded me. The format and layout and how it was all supposed to work was given to me by the Lord. And once we launched it, within two years, it was rated #1 in the world in the Christian Talk Genre by SHoutcast. com. I asked the Lord, “Why? Why me?” because I was getting invited to speak at churches about it, etc. His response was, “You were not my first choice…” That shocked me… I felt offended at first… but then He continued and said, “You were simply the first to OBEY.” I learned then, just like 1 Samuel 15:22, “To obey is better than sacrifice and to heed is better than the fat of lambs.” So, there you have it, to OBEY what the Lord says to do is better than your offerings. You cannot just “give money” and hope that everything will turn out alright. You need to OBEY what the Lord tells you to do. You good intentions mean nothing when you are not doing what the Lord says… This nation, at one time, was the most blessed and prosperous nation on the face of the earth and in the history of man kind. But no more. Why? Because we left from following the Lord as our God. We left our first love. We stopped lifting up Biblical values and holding elected leaders accountable to God. Instead, we started worshipping THEM instead of demanding THEY worship God. We have allowed secularism and every other kind of “ism” to have prominence over the Word of God and Christian values. Is there any wonder why our inner cities are over run with crime, drugs, violence, murders and ghettos? Is it any wonder why the same politicians who promise to change the world do nothing once they are elected, except make the same promises to the same people over and over again. And then are elected over and over again – but yet nothing changes for the better but only gets worse? This nation is on the verge of destruction. If we are not soon taken over by our external enemies, Russia or China, we will be destroyed from within by our own internal policies that lift up everything except Biblical values. To me – I don’t care. I really don’t. I have my future secure with Christ. I’ve lived my life. As the Bible says in Psalm 37:25, “I was young and now I’m old and I’ve never seen the righteous abandoned or their children begging bread.” Think about it… this nation is about to experience the most climatic destruction any nation on earth has ever witnessed. The devil is about to over play his hand. I don’t know if it will be through nuclear warfare or just simply the loss of the freedoms we have enjoyed for 240 years or so. To me – it really doesn’t matter. But, if YOU want to make a difference, your only hope MUST BE JESUS. Our...
Scripture For Today:Daniel 6:10“Now when Daniel learned that the decree had been published, he went home to his upstairs room where the windows opened toward Jerusalem. Three times a day he got down on his knees and prayed, giving thanks to his God, just as he had done before.”As This World Gets DarkerThis last year, I’ve shared with you each and every day another aspect of prayer. We’ve had some deep dives into what prayer is, how and why it works, how and why the Lord will honor your prayers and how and why you can expect to receive victory in your prayer life. In a nutshell – it’s a communication method where human beings, you & I, can talk to, on a personal basis, the Creator of the Universe. Amen! And, it is much more than that. Imagine if you were adopted into the Rockefeller family. But instead of being treated as an “additional family member” and looked at differently than their natural children, you were totally and unconditionally loved by the father. So much so, that he left you an equally share of the entire estate upon his death. Imagine, if you will, that you could walk in, at anytime, with no appointment, straight into the inner sanctum of his office complex. Imagine you could just walk in and talk to him, share your problems and ask for advice; or just sit down and talk about how wonderful it is to be part of the family. That’s how our relationship with God truly is – all because of Jesus. But, it also goes much, much deeper than that example… Jesus told us in Luke 21:10-28: “Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be great earthquakes, famines, and pestilences in various places, along with fearful sights and great signs from heaven. But before all this, they will seize you and persecute you. On account of My name they will deliver you to the synagogues and prisons, and they will bring you before kings and governors. This will be your opportunity to serve as witnesses. So make up your mind not to worry beforehand how to defend yourselves. For I will give you speech and wisdom that none of your adversaries will be able to resist or contradict. You will be betrayed even by parents and brothers and relatives and friends, and some of you will be put to death. And you will be hated by everyone because of My name. Yet not even a hair of your head will perish. By your patient endurance you will gain your souls. But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, you will know that her desolation is near. Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains, let those in the city get out, and let those in the country stay out of the city. For these are the days of vengeance, to fulfill all that is written. How miserable those days will be for pregnant and nursing mothers! For there will be great distress upon the land and wrath against this people.They will fall by the edge of the sword and be led captive into all the nations. And Jerusalem will be trodden down by the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled. There will be signs in the sun and moon and stars, and on the earth dismay among the nations, bewildered by the roaring of the sea and the surging of the waves. Men will faint from fear and anxiety over what is coming upon the earth, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken. At that time they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. When these things begin to happen, stand up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.” We see this being played out each and every night on the evening news. Earthquakes, wars, pestilence, COVID, riots, murders, arguments over politics, arguments for and against vaccinations. Families actually split because of these disagreements… Never in the history of mankind, never in the history of the United States, has this nation been so divided. We are more
Scripture For Today: Lamentations 3:8“Even when I cry out or call for help, he shuts out my prayer!”Pray with All Kinds of Prayer pt 5We have been studying about “Prayer that changes THINGS.” We have been looking at the four sub-category of prayers under “Prayer that changes things.” Yesterday, we looked at “The Prayer of Petition and Supplication.” Today, I want to discuss the “Prayer of Dedication and Worship.” Jesus prayed a prayer of dedication in Luke 22:42. He said, “Faither, if you be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless, not my will, but your will be done.” Jesus never prayed, “IF it be Thy will, Father…” when He was praying for people to be healed. You cannot find one instance where He prayed that way. He never “asked God” if it was His will to heal anyone. He did not ask God if it was His will to quiet the raging seas. WHY? Because He knew it was God’s Will to destroy the works of the devil everywhere He went! And God’s PERFECT WILL was expressed in and through Jesus Himself! Amen! The prayer of dedication for a believer concerns God’s will or plan for their life. You must seek the will of God and be open to receiving the answer. Pray in faith and receive in faith. The prayer of dedication IS NOT a “rededication of your life” to the Lord. NO! It is yielding yourself to God. Yielding does not mean “surrender.” It does not mean to “surrender under pressure” when the devil brings some negative circumstances into your life and you’re trying to “Get God” to do something! The ONLY time you are to surrender is to Jesus when you first make Him Lord and Savior of your life. Amen! Your spirit man dies and is then recreated in the image of Jesus Himself. You become ONE with His Spirit. Amen! He the resides on the inside of you. Yield yourself to the Lord. “Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time: casting ALL your cares upon Him; for HE cares for YOU!” Amen! Cast your cares of this world over on Him. He can handle it, believe me. As you humble yourself before Him, you are exalting the Word above whatever the situation is you are facing! That is what Jesus did in the Garden. Amen! As a result, the Word of God, the Will of God, prevailed in the Garden and at the Cross and after the Cross and after the Resurrection – and it continues to prevail unto this day! Amen! And it will prevail in your life when you do the same thing. Humble yourself to His will and claim the victory in Jesus! Amen! There is another area of dedication as well. It involves putting on the Armor of God. The Word says the breastplate you wear is the Righteousness of Jesus. Jesus – who knew no sin – was MADE SIN to you could be made the righteousness of God in Him. Receive this and dedicate yourself to believing it – you will win every single time! Amen! Let’s Pray! Please subscribe to this podcast, leave us a quick 5 star review on Apple Podcasts to help us grow and be sure to visit our website for more information on our ministry: https://podcastersforchrist.com/ (https://podcastersforchrist.com). And while you are at the website, download the free resource I have for you… it is free and is called, “How to Start a Christian Podcast.” It will bless you – go and download it today. You can also WATCH these session on our Facebook Playlist at this link: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtKWeKtmv-BwgkquBTsSh-GznbmuUp_R2 (https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtKWeKtmv-BwgkquBTsSh-GznbmuUp_R2)
Scripture For Today:Luke 20:47“They devour widows’ houses and for a show make lengthy prayers. These men will be punished most severely.”Pray with All Kinds of Prayer pt 4We have been studying about “Prayer that changes THINGS.” Yesterday, we looked at the first of four sub-category of prayers under “Prayer that changes things,” which was “The prayer of Binding and Loosing.” Today, I want to share with you the “Prayer of Petition and Supplication.” Again, the scripture that immediately comes to my mind is 1 John 5:14-15. You’ve heard me teach on this over and over this year. “And this is the confidence we have in Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know He hears us, whatsoever we ask, WE KNOW that we receive the petitions that we desired of Him.” Notice this does not say, “Well, you never know what God is going to do…” It does not say, “Well, sometimes He does and sometimes He doesn’t…” It does not say, “God knows what you need and what you don’t…” NO. It says, - “WE KNOW that WE RECEIVE…” Receive what? “…the PETITIONS we ask of HIM!” Prayer is simply believing God. That is the reason you must ask in faith, not doubting. Only faith filled prayers will move God and change THINGS. Remember, we are talking about “Prayer that Changes Things.” Amen! The Apostle Paul said, in Philippians 4:6, “Be careful for nothing, but in every thing, by prayer and supplication, WITH THANKSGIVING, let your requests be made known to God.” What he is telling us is we are not to fret, worry or be anxious over anything. Whatever it is we need, just bring the request to God. But don’t stop there. It says “with THANKSGIVING.” That means to praise Him for the answer before you even see it, sense it or experience it. Not after. BEFORE. Why before? Because the Word of God says we RECEIVE our prayers as answered WHEN we pray. Amen! Now, as you’ve heard me explain before, you need to base your prayers on God’s Word. If you find it in God’s Word where He answered someone’s prayer that is similar to what you need, you can lift that scripture to Him as part of your prayer of petition. It is like a lawyer preparing for a case. You want to bring prior cases that have established precedent in the law. Situations that have already been ruled on. Why? Because the courts are supposed to be impartial. They are to treat everyone equally under the law. The law applies to everyone equally. Amen. God’s Word is the same way. God is not a respecter of persons. What He has done for one, He will do for another. What He has done for another He will do for YOU. Amen! A petition is simply making a formal request. A supplication is making an impassioned plea. So go to the Word and write out your petition and then, in prayer, read it to God and make supplication before Him to grant your petition. His Word says, “…you shall have the petition you desire of Him.” Amen! Let’s Pray! Please subscribe to this podcast, leave us a quick 5 star review on Apple Podcasts to help us grow and be sure to visit our website for more information on our ministry: https://podcastersforchrist.com/ (https://podcastersforchrist.com). And while you are at the website, download the free resource I have for you… it is free and is called, “How to Start a Christian Podcast.” It will bless you – go and download it today. You can also WATCH these session on our Facebook Playlist at this link: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtKWeKtmv-BwgkquBTsSh-GznbmuUp_R2 (https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtKWeKtmv-BwgkquBTsSh-GznbmuUp_R2)
Scripture For Today:Daniel 9:3“So I turned to the Lord God and pleaded with him in prayer and petition, in fasting, and in sackcloth and ashes.”Pray with All Kinds of Prayer pt 3We have been studying about “Prayer that changes THINGS.” Yesterday, we looked at the first of four sub-category of prayers under “Prayer that changes things,” which was “The prayer of agreement.” Next is the “Prayer of Binding and Loosing.” We can look at Mark 16:17-18 for our foundation on using this type of prayer. “And these signs shall follow them that believe; in my name, they shall cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; they shall take up serpents, and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them, they shall lay hands on the sick and the sick shall recover.” In case you did not know this, there are actually two separate laws that are operating in the earth at all times. Spiritual laws and natural laws. Natural laws deal with nature. Like the law of gravity. Natural laws can be overcome, but the law is always still in operation. We can overcome the Law of Gravity by generating enough velocity and using aerodynamics, we can fly up into the air in an airplane. But, the law of gravity is still in operation. If you don’t believe that, just turn the engine off and see what happens. Amen! But, when Spiritual laws are in operation, they will supersede natural law. This is what happens when believers start to walk in Spiritual authority as given to them through the power in the Name of Jesus. Amen! I know a lot of traditional, denominational pastors don’t like to hear this. But I can’t help their unbelief. I’ve seen this work countless times. Amen. And the Bible doesn’t lie. Jesus doesn’t lie. The only ones who are believing the lie that it does not work is those who don’t believe the Word. Amen! When Spiritual Law is put into operation, believers are able to overcome the circumstances that come against them. They establish Spiritual authority, invoking Spiritual law in the earth. The physical law then bows to the Spiritual law. Amen. Matthew 18:18 says, “Verily I say unto you…” Who is it doing the speaking here? JESUS! So this must work or else He would be a liar, right? “Verily I say unto you, whatsoever you BIND in Heaven, shall be bound in earth. Whatsoever you LOOSE on earth shall be loosed in Heaven.” What He is saying here is this… if you allow it to happen on earth, then Heaven will not stop your will from being imposed. BUT – if you bind it on earth – Heaven will make sure it is stopped cold, right in its tracks! AMEN! That is a powerful promise from Jesus Himself! Glory to God! From the very beginning, God gave man control of the earth and all that was in it. Man, in turn, gave that authority to Satan. Not until Jesus defeated Satan and then was resurrected was this dominion and power put back into man’s possession. Satan doesn’t want you to believe that. He will do all he can to convince you it isn’t so. You can whine and complain all you want to – but Jesus has said what you need to do. In fact, after you learn how powerful the prayer of binding and loosing really is, you will not have to fear the devil or those that work for him anymore! The devil will have to fear YOU! AMEN! Let’s Pray! Please subscribe to this podcast, leave us a quick 5 star review on Apple Podcasts to help us grow and be sure to visit our website for more information on our ministry: https://podcastersforchrist.com/ (https://podcastersforchrist.com). And while you are at the website, download the free resource I have for you… it is free and is called, “How to Start a Christian Podcast.” It will bless you – go and download it today. You can also WATCH these session on our Facebook Playlist at this link: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtKWeKtmv-BwgkquBTsSh-GznbmuUp_R2 (https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtKWeKtmv-BwgkquBTsSh-GznbmuUp_R2)
Scripture For Today:Matthew 11:17“And as he taught them, he said, “Is it not written: “My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations?” But you have made it a den of robbers.”Pray with All Kinds of Prayer pt 2Yesterday, we started to discuss that there are basically three different kinds of prayers you can pray that are found in the New Testament. They are: “Prayer that changes THINGS.” Plus “Prayer of Thanksgiving” and no, it is not just to be used on Thanksgiving Day. And the “Prayer of Dedication and Worship.” Yesterday, I shared about the “Prayer that Changes Things.” We also learned there are four categories that go under the main category of “Prayer that changes things.” The first category we need to discuss is “The prayer of agreement.” For any kind of prayer to produce results, it MUST be based on God’s Word. You’ve heard me teach on this many, many times. And I’m doing it again now. That’s how important this is. Amen! His Word is His Will. If you are wondering what the Will of God is – go to His Word and find out. Amen! It is God’s desire that you be filled with the knowledge of His Will – and that means you need to be in His Word to find out what the Will of God is for any particular situation. Prayer that is based on the Word of God will work every single time it is put to the test. Period! “Well, brother Bob, what if I pray for someone to be healed and they die?” Praise God! They’re healed now, right? “NO – they died!” They may have died in this body, but if they are born again – they now have a GLORIFIED BODY and they are in the presence of Jesus and are FULL OF LIFE. And, I can guarantee you, they don’t want to come back into that old decayed piece of dirt either! Amen! Most people don’t want someone to die and go to Heaven for selfish reasons. THEY will miss that persons physical presence. And that is true. But you are not looking at the ETERNAL aspect of things. So, if you have a need, just go to the Word of God, find a scripture reference that either speaks to the need directly or indirectly – and STAND ON IT in prayer! Never back off it. Don’t be moved by what you hear, see, feel, etc. Just stand on the Word. Amen! That is agreeing with the Word! Find another believer to pray in agreement with you on that Word. And now you have unleashed tremendous power in Faith. Amen! That is the power of agreement. Agreement with one another AND agreement with God’s Word – you can’t lose! Amen! Praise God… Let’s Pray! Please subscribe to this podcast, leave us a quick 5 star review on Apple Podcasts to help us grow and be sure to visit our website for more information on our ministry: https://podcastersforchrist.com/ (https://podcastersforchrist.com). And while you are at the website, download the free resource I have for you… it is free and is called, “How to Start a Christian Podcast.” It will bless you – go and download it today. You can also WATCH these session on our Facebook Playlist at this link: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtKWeKtmv-BwgkquBTsSh-GznbmuUp_R2 (https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtKWeKtmv-BwgkquBTsSh-GznbmuUp_R2)
Scripture For Today:Matthew 11:17“And as he taught them, he said, “Is it not written: “My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations?” But you have made it a den of robbers.”Pray with All Kinds of Prayer pt 1There are basically three different kinds of prayers you can pray that are found in the New Testament. They are: “Prayer that changes THINGS.” Plus “Prayer of Thanksgiving” and no, it is not just to be used on Thanksgiving Day. And the “Prayer of Dedication and Worship.” There are also a few categories that would be listed under those three major types of prayer. For example, under “Prayer that Changes Things,” there are four major prayers. They are the “Prayer of Agreement.” The “Prayer of Binding and Loosing.” “The Prayer of Petition.” And then the “Prayer of Intercession.” Prayer that changes things is not a prayer that changes God. No way. God is the same yesterday, today and forever. Amen! His Word is established FOREVER. All we need to do is find out what His Word says – and believe it. Then pray the prayer of faith based ONLY on His Word. You’ve heard me teach on this all year long. I cannot emphasize enough the importance of finding out what the Word of God says concerning a situation and then using the Word to fight the battle. Amen! This will give you the confidence when you apply your faith to what you have prayed, as long as it is in line with God’s Word, to HAVE the thing you desired. You can study it out for yourself in Mark 11:22-24. Amen! Folks, God is on your side. He is for you – not against you. It is the devil that is against you. He is against everything you stand for. But God is ON your side. Amen! Everything God has done is to free you from the bondage of Satan. But it is up to you to take that freedom and do something with it. And the most important thing you can do is pray accurately as you speak the Word of God in Faith! Amen! You can have confidence when you pray. 1 John 5:14-15 clearly state this for our benefit: “This is the confidence we have in Him. That if we pray according to His Word, He hears us. And if He hears us, we can know that we receive the petitions that we desire of Him.” Amen! It doesn’t get any better than that! Amen! Let’s Pray! Please subscribe to this podcast, leave us a quick 5 star review on Apple Podcasts to help us grow and be sure to visit our website for more information on our ministry: https://podcastersforchrist.com/ (https://podcastersforchrist.com). And while you are at the website, download the free resource I have for you… it is free and is called, “How to Start a Christian Podcast.” It will bless you – go and download it today. You can also WATCH these session on our Facebook Playlist at this link: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtKWeKtmv-BwgkquBTsSh-GznbmuUp_R2 (https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtKWeKtmv-BwgkquBTsSh-GznbmuUp_R2)
Scripture For Today:Matthew 5:44“But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.” Merry Christmas!Today, I simply want to talk to you a few minutes about the importance of this day. Whether Jesus was born on December 25th really does not matter. Whether He was born in the winter of the fall or the spring, really does not matter. Whether the celebration of Christmas has taken on a totally secular meaning for the world does not matter. Because of the celebration of believers everywhere, Christians coming together and celebrating the birth of the Savior into this fallen world – it does not matter what religion anybody is claiming to be (or none at all). Because even the most devout atheist, Muslim or Hindu must admit that today, December 25th, the rest of the world is celebrating the BIRTH OF JESUS. Whether or not they believe in Him does not matter to you. Whether or not they want to recognize today as the celebration of His birth into this world does not matter to you. Whether they die in their sins and go straight to hell for all eternity, as tragic and as heartless as this sounds – does not matter to you. You see, THEY have made their decision. You can be a witness for the Lord Jesus Christ in the celebration of His birth. It really does not matter what day of the year, what season of the year or whatever you want to dispute. It really does not matter… All that really matters is the fact that TODAY, December 25th – the believers in this world ARE CELEBRATING. That is all that truly matters. I believe Jesus is happy that we are celebrating today. Whether or not it is truly the day He was born is irrelevant to Him. He has been since the beginning. One day a year – whatever day – really does not matter. As long as we are recognizing HIM as the Christ… THE MESSIAH… THE SAVIOR of the world! That is all He cares about! Amen! So go sing your Christmas carols. Go sing your Christmas songs. Go and open your presents and gifts. Go eat your huge banquet dinner. Go and watch your football or whatever it is you are going to do… But, as you go, please do ONE THING… Stop a moment, pray and just THANK JESUS for creating this day where the whole entire world, regardless if they believe in Him and His Salvation or not – the entire world, must recognize that TODAY – belongs to Jesus! Amen! Let’s Pray! Until next time, this is Pastor Bob Thibodeau reminding you from 1 Thessalonians 5:17 in the Living Bible to “Always Keep on Praying!” AND MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYBODY!!! Please subscribe to this podcast, leave us a quick 5 star review on Apple Podcasts to help us grow and be sure to visit our website for more information on our ministry: https://podcastersforchrist.com/ (https://podcastersforchrist.com). And while you are at the website, download the free resource I have for you… it is free and is called, “How to Start a Christian Podcast.” It will bless you – go and download it today. You can also WATCH these session on our Facebook Playlist at this link: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtKWeKtmv-BwgkquBTsSh-GznbmuUp_R2 (https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtKWeKtmv-BwgkquBTsSh-GznbmuUp_R2)
Scripture For Today: Jeremiah 14:11 “Then the Lord said to me, “Do not pray for the well-being of this people.” The Last Will and Testament pt 4 We have been looking at “our inheritance” through our Salvation in Christ. I talked about, in the natural, when some is preparing to die, they usually will leave a “Will.” And the legal name for that document is the “Last Will and Testament of” that person. We left off yesterday establishing that Jesus created a NEW WILL through the NEW TESTAMENT. But, does that mean He “did away with the Old Testament.” I may have inferred that yesterday when I said that, in the case of a will, an “updated will” negates the power of the “old will.” And that is true. The “power of the Old Testament” was established in punishment for sin with a continual offering of sacrifice to “keep the wrath away.” With the New Testament, Jesus became the FINAL sacrifice. We no longer need to continually offer sacrifices to defer God’s wrath. While the Bible is a unified book, there are differences between the Old Testament and the New Testament. In many ways, they are complementary. The Old Testament is foundational; the New Testament builds on that foundation with further revelation from God. The Old Testament establishes principles that are seen to be illustrative of New Testament truths. The Old Testament contains many prophecies that are fulfilled in the New. The Old Testament provides the history of a people; the New Testament focus is on a Person. The Old Testament shows the wrath of God against sin (with glimpses of His grace); the New Testament shows the grace of God toward sinners (with glimpses of His wrath). The Old Testament predicts a Messiah and the New Testament reveals who the Messiah is. The Old Testament records the giving of God’s Law, and the New Testament shows how Jesus the Messiah fulfilled that Law. In the Old Testament, God’s dealings are mainly with His chosen people, the Jews; in the New Testament, God’s dealings are mainly with His church. Physical blessings promised us under the Old Covenant give way to Spiritual blessings under the New Covenant. The Old Testament prophecies related to the coming of Christ, although incredibly detailed, contain a certain amount of ambiguity that is cleared up in the New Testament. For example, the prophet Isaiah spoke of the death of the Messiah (https://biblia.com/bible/esv/Isa%2053 (Isaiah 53)) and the establishing of the Messiah’s kingdom (https://biblia.com/bible/esv/Isa%2026 (Isaiah 26)) with no clues concerning the chronology of the two events—no hints that the suffering and the kingdom-building might be separated by millennia. In the New Testament, it becomes clear that the Messiah would have two advents: in the first He suffered and died (and rose again), and in the second He will establish His kingdom. Because God’s revelation in Scripture is progressive, the New Testament brings into sharper focus principles that were introduced in the Old Testament. The book of Hebrews describes how Jesus is the true High Priest and how His one sacrifice replaces all previous sacrifices, which were mere fore-shadowing’s. The Passover lamb of the Old Testament becomes the Lamb of God in the New Testament. The Old Testament gives the Law. The New Testament clarifies that the Law was meant to show men their need of salvation and was never intended to be the means of salvation. And that is the big difference. Under the Old Covenant, man continually TRIED to please God. Under the New Covenant, we put our rest IN JESUS – who DID please God. Amen! In summary, the Old Testament lays the foundation for the coming of the Messiah who would sacrifice Himself for the sins of the world. The New Testament records the ministry of Jesus Christ and then looks back on what He did and how we are to respond. Both testaments reveal the same holy, merciful, and righteous God who
Scripture For Today: Luke 6:28“Bless those that curse you and pray for those that mistreat you.” The Last Will and Testament pt 3We have been looking at “our inheritance” through our Salvation in Christ. I talked about, in the natural, when some is preparing to die, they usually will leave a “Will.” And the legal name for that document is the “Last Will and Testament of” that person. Yesterday, we left off with the “legacy Jesus has left us.” First was the Legacy of the “Forgiveness of Sins.” This is the most important thing any human being could ever inherit. Without this included in the Will of Jesus, when we died, would still be separated from a loving Father. But because of His reconciliation for us to the Father through His sacrifice – we have inherited the right to be called “Sons of God.” Amen! To go right along with the Legacy of the forgiveness of our sin is the Legacy of Eternal Life. That is the promise that we will live FOREVER with Jesus and our Father in Heaven. That is the GREATEST LEGACY that could ever be passed from one person to another! Imagine if someone you knew, let’s say your grandfather or someone, was really, really famous. And they had all sorts of valuable things and always said, “When I die, my Last Will and Testament will distribute everything I have to those I love.” Nobody ever knew who or what old granddad was going to give anyone… And then, grandpa passes on. But it will be 60 days before the Will is read in court. For sixty days, everyone is walking around saying things like, “I sure hope my name is in that will…!” In some cases, people who were not included in the Will fight for years in court to try and get some piece of the inheritance. It seems like people only want to be in the Will, not be remembered by their grandfather, but to have some earthly possessions and riches. But Ephesians 1:3 tells us, “Not all of the riches of the earth could even begin to be compared to the eternal riches that the Lord Jesus has given us.” Amen! But, Hebrews 9:16-17 tells us, that “In the case of a will, it is necessary to prove the death of the testator (the one who wrote the will). Because a will is only in force when somebody has died. It never takes effect while the one who made it is alive.” If someone has a will and it has been several years since it was written, some circumstances may change they want to update their will. That means the OLD WILL is no longer valid and the NEW WILL is now in force. If someone comes along and tries to enforce the actions of the OLD WILL on the survivors, the court rules the old will is no longer valid and enforces actions only according to the new will. When Jesus DIED on the Cross – His Will immediately went into effect and all of the provisions that were required and enforced under the OLD WILL were immediately nullified. This is good news for those who were not included in the OLD WILL – but have been included in the NEW WILL. Amen! That’s US! Praise God! Let’s leave it right there for today and we will take it up here again tomorrow. Let’s Pray! Please subscribe to this podcast, leave us a quick 5 star review on Apple Podcasts to help us grow and be sure to visit our website for more information on our ministry: https://podcastersforchrist.com/ (https://podcastersforchrist.com). And while you are at the website, download the free resource I have for you… it is free and is called, “How to Start a Christian Podcast.” It will bless you – go and download it today. You can also WATCH these session on our Facebook Playlist at this link: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtKWeKtmv-BwgkquBTsSh-GznbmuUp_R2 (https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtKWeKtmv-BwgkquBTsSh-GznbmuUp_R2)
Scripture For Today:Luke 19:46“It is written,” he said to them, “‘My house will be a house of prayer’; but you have made it ‘a den of robbers.’” The Last Will and Testament pt 2Yesterday, we looked at “our inheritance” through our Salvation in Christ. I talked about, in the natural, when some is preparing to die, they usually will leave a “Will.” And the legal name for that document is the “Last Will and Testament of” that person. It is a legal document and has the full power and effect of enforcing that persons desires that will take place after their death. Hebrews 9:15-17 discuss what a “will” actually is and what it does. “For this reason Christ is the mediator of a new covenant, that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance—now that he has died as a ransom to set them free from the sins committed under the first covenant. In the case of a will, it is necessary to prove the death of the one who made it, because a will is in force only when somebody has died; it never takes effect while the one who made it is living.” The testament or “Will” specifies WHO RECEIVES WHAT… And a Will cannot be made if the person who wants to leave it does not have anything worth having a Will for. Amen! Only someone who is leaving some sort of “legacy” will have a Will. It will deal with something of value that the person writing Will wants to make sure will be passed along to the designated person. That means, for every Will – there MUST BE a “testator” (or someone who wrote the Will)… Jesus IS the “New Testament.” It is HIS WILL. He has a GREAT LEGACY to pass on to others. Amen! The most important Legacy of Jesus is the FORGIVENESS of our sins. That is the first and foremost component of the Will of Jesus. Erasing forever the division between us and God. Sin divides and separates us from God. Jesus’ legacy is the FOREGIVENESS of the sin that eternally separates us from our Heavenly Father. There is no greater legacy that could ever be left to any human being! If you do not have this promise from Jesus as YOUR legacy, as YOUR inheritance – when you close your eyes in death, there is still that separation between you and God. And it will be too late to bridge that gap. You will be forever separated from God. And that would not be a pleasurable inheritance at all. But the Legacy of Jesus has passed on to us the forgiveness of sins and the promise that HE is the mediator between us and God. And God has agreed to forgive the sins of every person who believes on Jesus. Amen. We will take it up here again tomorrow. Let’s Pray! Please subscribe to this podcast, leave us a quick 5 star review on Apple Podcasts to help us grow and be sure to visit our website for more information on our ministry: https://podcastersforchrist.com/ (https://podcastersforchrist.com). And while you are at the website, download the free resource I have for you… it is free and is called, “How to Start a Christian Podcast.” It will bless you – go and download it today. You can also WATCH these session on our Facebook Playlist at this link: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtKWeKtmv-BwgkquBTsSh-GznbmuUp_R2 (https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtKWeKtmv-BwgkquBTsSh-GznbmuUp_R2)
Scripture For Today:Matthew 26:39“Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.” The Last Will and Testament pt 1I know I’ve taught a lot this year from 1 John 5:14-15… but that is because it is a powerful scripture that should give us great confidence in that our prayers are heard. In fact, let’s read it again right now: “And this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask any thing according to His will, He hears us; and if we know that He hears us, whatsoever we ask, we KNOW that we HAVE the petitions that we desired of Him.” We talked before about knowing God’s will during our prayer time. I discussed, in great detail, that God’s will is expressed through His Word. God’s Word – the Bible – is His Will. Think about what we call the two major divisions of the Bible: The OLD Testament and the NEW Testament. Right? In legal proceedings, when someone dies and they want to leave what possessions and valuables, etc. to certain people, what is that called? Their “WILL.” Right? And what do the lawyers put at the top of the document in most cases? “This is the last “will and testament” of “so and so.” Right? Now, stick with me here… WAY BACK, in Genesis, Satan stole Adam’s inheritance by deceiving Adam into giving up his authority. God promised that there would be “one who heel you bruise but whose heel will crush your head.” From that moment on – God’s WILL – was to give back to mankind all of creation. Amen. In order to do that, there had to be a payment for the sin that Adam committed. Throughout the Old Testament, we can read that the family of the person needed to make restitution. Since ALL have descended from Adam, each of us was just a guilty as he…there had to be a perfect sacrifice. Now, I’m not going to get into the legalities of it all here. But, let’s just agree that JESUS fulfilled ALL of the requirements. He lived a sinless life and therefore, HE could inherit everything. Right? But, He had the right to call 12 Legions of angels to save him from death on the cross and He could have still inherited it all. But He would have been the only one. Period. He chose to die in our place. That was a sacrifice for US. God accepted His sacrifice, opening the door for US to be forgiven and made perfect in God’s eyes. But, we were still not able to fulfill ALL the law required… So Jesus gave us HIS “Last Will and Testament.” It was written in John 17:20-22 when He prayed: I am not asking on behalf of them only (His disciples standing there), but also on behalf of those who will believe in me through their message (that means YOU and ME)! So that ALL of them may be ONE as You, Father, are in Me and I am in You. May they also be in US, so that the world may believe that you sent me…” Folks, THAT is the Last Will and Testament of Jesus! That the inheritance that He gained would be passed on to “Those that believe God sent Him.” PRAISE GOD! That’s where we will take it up again tomorrow. Amen! Let’s Pray! Please subscribe to this podcast, leave us a quick 5 star review on Apple Podcasts to help us grow and be sure to visit our website for more information on our ministry: https://podcastersforchrist.com/ (https://podcastersforchrist.com). And while you are at the website, download the free resource I have for you… it is free and is called, “How to Start a Christian Podcast.” It will bless you – go and download it today. You can also WATCH these session on our Facebook Playlist at this link: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtKWeKtmv-BwgkquBTsSh-GznbmuUp_R2 (https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtKWeKtmv-BwgkquBTsSh-GznbmuUp_R2)
Scripture For Today:Daniel 9:20 “The Seventy “Sevens” – “While I was speaking and praying, confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel and making my request to the Lord my God for his holy hill…” The Power of Partnership pt 4We have been studying about the Power of Partnership. And we learned that true partnership in ministry involves a lot more than financial offerings. Finances are important. Very important. Every ministry I know of needs money to keep going. Including ours… But I want us to look at Proverbs 18:16 today… “A man’s gift maketh room for him, and bringeth him before great men,” but it’s not talking about skills, talents, abilities, or even anointing. It is talking here about presents. And there is one person in particular who walked in the understanding of this scripture, whether she knew it or not, and that was the Queen of Sheba. In 1 Kings 10:1-3 we read: “And when the queen of Sheba heard of the fame of Solomon concerning the name of the LORD, she came to prove him with hard questions. And she came to Jerusalem with a very great train, with camels that bare spices, and very much gold, and precious stones: and when she was come to Solomon, she communed with him of all that was in her heart. And Solomon told her all her questions: there was not anything hid from the king, which he told her not.” In 1 Kings 10:24 we also read that all the kings of the earth sought Solomon for his wisdom and for his blessing. Think about that; Solomon was the most famous man in the world in his day. He was ruler of the most powerful and prosperous kingdom in the world in his day. So much so that all the people of the earth sought Solomon for his attention so they could ask his wisdom, get his opinion, and receive his favor. So with all these people competing for his time, why did he move the Queen of Sheba to the front of the line and spend so much time answering all her questions? I believe it was her gift that made room for her, just like Proverbs 18:16 says, and it brought her before a great man. She gave the king 120 talents of gold (that’s about 145,000 ounces and at today’s price would be about $44,000,000 worth of gold). That doesn’t include the great stores of spice, an abundance of which had never been seen before, and precious stones. It wasn’t her skill, talent, or ability that brought her before the king. But it was her huge gift that made room for her and put her at the front of the line! So what did the Queen of Sheba get out of this? Everything she wanted and more. 1 Kings 10:13 says, “And king Solomon gave unto the queen of Sheba all her desire, whatsoever she asked, beside that which Solomon gave her of his royal bounty.” King Solomon didn’t need the queen’s riches, but she needed his wisdom. King Solomon didn’t need the queen’s blessing. But she needed his blessing. King Solomon didn’t need her to impart to him some great wisdom about life and political situations – but she needed his wisdom in handling these kinds of things… And the blessing in all of these areas came to her because her gift opened the door to the very things she needed. She probably left with more riches than she brought, and just think of how much more of a blessing she may have been to the poor on her return trip. I have no doubt she stopped along the way and blessed others. Amen! And that is: When you give to a ministry, it’s not just what they need, it’s what you need too! When you give to a ministry, you not only bless the people that are being touched by that ministry, but you start a supernatural flow of your finances, and you partake of the anointing and the blessing that’s on that minister’s life. If you are being led to sow into our ministry – I do appreciate the support at we work together to GET THE WORD OUT! The easiest way to give is to go to Evangelism Radio dot com and scroll down until you see the Giving
Scripture For Today:Luke 21:36“Be always on the watch, and pray that you may be able to escape all that is about to happen, and that you may be able to stand before the Son of Man.”The Power of Partnership pt 3We have been studying about the Power of Partnership. I know when a lot of people here that term, the first thing they think of is “He’s going to ask for money!” I know it. But that is not what true partnership is about. True partnership in ministry involves a lot more than financial offerings. Finances are important. Very important. Every ministry I know of needs money to keep going. Including ours… We learned that Philippians 4:19, which says, “But my God shall supply all of your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus,” was written to people who were partnering with Paul in the Gospel and gave to his ministry on a regular basis. Paul confirmed that in 1 Corinthians 16:2, where he wrote to his partners in the Corinthian church, “On the first day of the week let each one of you lay something aside” (New King James Version). The partners Paul was talking about were systematic, deliberate givers. They were important to the success of his ministry. I’ve also taught that the reason God prospers you is so that you can establish His kingdom here on the earth, and if you seek to build that kingdom, then He will provide a supernatural divine flow that will meet all your needs. I can promise you that when you pray and ask God for direction in your giving and then respond to that, He will take care of your financial needs better accidentally than you’ve ever been able to do on purpose. These are all powerful truths, but I want to show you an aspect of partnership that I believe very few Christians understand. Proverbs 18:16 says, “A man’s gift maketh room for him, and bringeth him before great men,” but it’s not talking about skills, talents, abilities, or even anointing. I used to think it was, as a matter of fact; I used that verse in that exact way until I began to study it in greater detail. But that is not what it means… When you give into another ministry – and I have to emphasize – a ministry which the Lord puts upon your heart to give into… that is very important.. but when you do that, it is not only to support their work and help meet their need – it is to obtain an open door for what YOU NEED as well. When you give to a ministry, you not only bless the people that are being touched by that ministry, but you start a supernatural flow of your finances, and you partake of the anointing and the blessing that’s on that minister’s life. It’s not bad to want the anointing that is on my life or that of another minister. The Bible says that we are to desire spiritual gifts. I really believe that the things that are operating in my life have come in part, not totally, but because I have supported great men and women of God. I gave on purpose, saying, “God, I want to be a part of that. I’m going to sow part of my life into this person and into that ministry and, by doing so, open a door that allows the blessing that’s on them to flow toward me.” It doesn’t just happen automatically; you have to have faith. But I believe that you can start seeing these things happen in your life just as I have seen in mine - if you will mix faith with your gifts. I ask you to consider sowing into the work we are doing all over earth as we help others to “GET THE WORD OUT!” Amen! Just use the link down below to sow your tax deductible gift for this year, before December 31st. Amen! Let’s Pray! https://evangelismradio.site (Donate Here) Please subscribe to this podcast, leave us a quick 5 star review on Apple Podcasts to help us grow and be sure to visit our website for more information on our ministry: https://podcastersforchrist.com/ (https://podcastersforchrist.com). And while you are at the website, download the free resource I have...
Scripture For Today:Mark 6:46“And leaving them, he went up on a mountainside to pray.”The Power of Partnership pt 2Yesterday we started to discuss the Power of Partnership. I know when a lot of people here that term, the first thing they think of is “He’s going to ask for money!” I know it. I thought that way too for many years. But that is not what true partnership is about. We know the “Book of Philippians” was Paul’s direct communication with this church. We also know they were so appreciative of his ministry, they sent more than one offering to him. We studied that a few days back in chapter 4:14-19. But true partnership in ministry involves a lot more than financial offerings. Finances are important. Very important. Every ministry I know of needs money to keep going. If you don’t believe that, ask your pastor how long the church would remain open if every person stopped giving tithes and offerings. They may have some money saved in the bank, but it will not be an endless supply. In 2020, this nation faced the COVID pandemic and churches were shut down. Many, many churches that were struggling to get by closed their doors for good. Many others reopened, but the folks that used to attend church never came back and they closed, too. I’m not saying that is alright – it’s not – but it’s a fact. Unfortunately, the idea of partnership has devolved to the point that it only revolves around money. But that is not how TRUE Partnership should operate. In 1 Corinthians 1:9, we read, “God is faithful, through whom you were called into fellowship with His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.” So we see here that we are called into fellowship – which is another word for partnership, with Jesus for the work of the Gospel… right? In 2 Corinthians 8:23, we read, “As for Titus, he is my PARTNER – and a fellow worker among you; as for our brethren, they are messengers of the churches, a glory to Christ.” We see Titus is Paul’s partner in ministry…and Titus is “fellow worker” or a PARTNER among the Corinthian churches – all for the work of Christ. Let’s look at the letter Paul wrote to Philemon in chapter 1 verse 6: “…and I pray that the fellowship of your faith may become effective through the knowledge of every good thing which is in you for Christ’s sake.” Paul also told Philemon to receive Onesimus as if he was receiving Paul himself! That was an escaped slave, returning to his master. And Paul, because of his partnership with Philemon – and Philemon’s partnership relationship with Paul, received Onesimus as if he was receiving Paul in person. Folks, it is the RELATIONSHIP ASPECT that creates partnership. TRUE PARTNERSHIP is a RELATIONSHIP. And that’s where we will take this up tomorrow. I’m working on something here…so you have to come back and here the rest tomorrow. Amen! Let’s Pray! Please subscribe to this podcast, leave us a quick 5 star review on Apple Podcasts to help us grow and be sure to visit our website for more information on our ministry: https://podcastersforchrist.com/ (https://podcastersforchrist.com). And while you are at the website, download the free resource I have for you… it is free and is called, “How to Start a Christian Podcast.” It will bless you – go and download it today. You can also WATCH these session on our Facebook Playlist at this link: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtKWeKtmv-BwgkquBTsSh-GznbmuUp_R2 (https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtKWeKtmv-BwgkquBTsSh-GznbmuUp_R2)
Scripture For Today: Matthew 6:9“They said to him, “John’s disciples often fast and pray, and so do the disciples of the Pharisees, but yours go on eating and drinking.”The Power of Partnership pt 1Yesterday, we left off with a discussion of “The Church at Philippi.” We know the “Book of Philippians” was Paul’s direct communication with this church. We also know they were so appreciative of his ministry, they sent more than one offering to him. We studied that yesterday in verses 14 -17. What Paul was doing was recognizing their generous donation to him – and to his ministry – as a PARTNERSHIP. We learned that most of the members of this church were either current or former prisoners of the Philippian jail. Amen! Let me ask you, how much money do prisoners have? Not much – even today. Way less back then! But they still scraped together what they could and insisted on sending the money to Paul. The Bible says in 2 Corinthians 8:2, “Out of their poverty they gave.” This was referencing the Macedonian church – which, in Philippians 4, Paul commended the church at Philippi in the same way saying that after he left Macedonia, “NO CHURCH shared with me…except you alone.” Folks, this was a partner letter to those that supported his ministry. It may not have been a lot of money in the natural – but in the Spirit, this gift was priceless! There could be no earthly value counted on the offering they gave to Paul. That is why Paul declared in verse 19 that “My God WILL SUPPLY – ALL of your need – according to HIS riches in Glory, by Christ Jesus.” Paul did not say they would receive earthly riches. He said God would supply ALL THEIR NEED. We studied this a few days ago. Partnership does not mean “sow financially and reap even more financially.” It can happen that way – but that is NOT what it means. I’ve shared for 27 years or more, that EVERY BELIEVER is called into ministry. It may not be the five fold ministry. But every believer IS called into ministry. You are either called into the five-fold ministry. That refers to “those that GO.” Or you could be called into the “ministry of helps.” That is those folks that “help those that go.” Such as church or ministry staff, etc. Then, there is everyone else that “sends those that go.” This refers to the “ministry of finance.” Folks, I’m all out of time for today. But I want to ask you to consider partnering with our ministry for the coming year. We have grown more in this past 12 months than we had projected. The Word of God is going forth all over this planet each and every day. Tomorrow, I’ll talk more about the work that God is doing through this ministry. I can truly say, this is NOT Brother Bob’s doing. I’m not smart enough to think this up and execute it on my own. This is the Lord’s doing and it is for this day and hour in which we live. I’ll leave it at that. But I do want to encourage you to partner with us as we prepare for even greater things the Lord has put on our heart and mission to accomplish next year. Amen! Just use the links below to make a one-time donation or a recurring donation. I do appreciate each and every gift, no matter the amount. Each one is prayed over upon receipt. Amen! Let’s Pray! Please subscribe to this podcast, leave us a quick 5 star review on Apple Podcasts to help us grow and be sure to visit our website for more information on our ministry: https://podcastersforchrist.com/ (https://podcastersforchrist.com). And while you are at the website, download the free resource I have for you… it is free and is called, “How to Start a Christian Podcast.” It will bless you – go and download it today. You can also WATCH these session on our Facebook Playlist at this link: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtKWeKtmv-BwgkquBTsSh-GznbmuUp_R2 (https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtKWeKtmv-BwgkquBTsSh-GznbmuUp_R2)
Scripture For Today:Matthew 6:9“This, then, is how you should pray: “‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name…”God’s Will is to Meet Your Financial Needs pt 3Yesterday, we left off with a discussion of “The Church at Philippi.” We know the “Book of Philippians” was Paul’s direct communication with this church. We also know they were so appreciative of his ministry, they sent more than one offering to him. And Paul makes special mention of this in verses 14 -17: “Nevertheless, you have done well to share with me in my affliction. 15 You yourselves also know, Philippians, that at the first preaching of the gospel, after I left Macedonia, no church shared with me in the matter of giving and receiving but you alone; 16 for even in Thessalonica you sent a gift more than once for my needs. 17 Not that I seek the gift itself, but I seek for the profit which increases to your account.” Now, let me through a caveat in here that most people never think about… The “Philippian church.” Where was this church at? “Well, brother Bob, in Philippi, of course!” True. But WHERE in Philippi? Let me give you a clue. Now, this is just from the research I’ve done. Ok? But what I’m about to share with you makes 100% sense. What happened to Paul and Silas in Philippi? They were arrested and locked into the darkest, most secure cell in the jail. This was after being beaten severely. Right? You can go read all about in Acts chapter 16 verses 16-40. And they were singing out in the midnight hour when God heard their prayers and sprang open every single door in that jail. Right? But the prisoners did not make a run for it, did they? Why? Because they were experiencing God through the testimony of Paul and Silas and their singing. The Glory of the Lord had fallen in that place and these prisoners had never experienced anything like that before! They were not going to leave that Glorious place! The jailer thought “this is it” because all the doors were open. That’s what would happen in just about every prison in existence. But not here. Not this night! But it ended up, the jailer and his entire house was born again that night (and, I would venture to say – every prisoner, too). Folks, THIS IS THE PHILLIPI CHURCH that Paul was talking to. That is who Paul was writing to! The jailer was the PASTOR of this PRISON MINISTRY! Praise God! He may have been holding services for others in his home because scripture says his entire house was saved that night. I’m sure they became witnesses of what had happened, too! Amen! I also believe that some prisoners, when released, didn’t want to leave the area either. But folks, it makes complete sense. We do not read about any other work being done in Philippi, do we? None. There is no references of Paul commanding Timothy or anyone else to “go to Philippi and start a church.” None! THIS WAS the Philippian church! So, if PRISONERS could scrape together a few meager dollars and send it to Paul to bless others with – not just once but several times! THAT is why he was so moved! And it turned into a HUGE Blessing! For him AND for them! Amen! Let’s Pray! Please subscribe to this podcast, leave us a quick 5 star review on Apple Podcasts to help us grow and be sure to visit our website for more information on our ministry: https://podcastersforchrist.com/ (https://podcastersforchrist.com). And while you are at the website, download the free resource I have for you… it is free and is called, “How to Start a Christian Podcast.” It will bless you – go and download it today. You can also WATCH these session on our Facebook Playlist at this link: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtKWeKtmv-BwgkquBTsSh-GznbmuUp_R2 (https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtKWeKtmv-BwgkquBTsSh-GznbmuUp_R2)
Scripture For Today: Matthew 26:36“Then Jesus went with his disciples to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to them, “Sit here while I go over there and pray.”God’s Will is to Supply Your Financial Needs pt 2Yesterday, we introduced the topic of “Gods Will is to Supply Your Financial Needs.” Now, this really is not anything new. You have heard me talk about the foundation of this all year long. Mainly, how our own WORDS that come out of OUR mouths either bless us or condemn us. This goes hand in hand with receiving answers to your prayers. This goes right along with whether or not you are blessed or cursed. It all revolves along with speaking your faith and not speaking negatively to what the Word of God says. Period! Amen! Yesterday, I shared what Paul had to say in Philippians 4:19, “But my God shall supply ALL your need, according to HIS riches in Glory, by Christ Jesus.” When Paul said, “my God shall supply ALL your need” – he was talking specifically about your finances. And, we learned yesterday, that “ALL” means ALL! Everything. Nothing left out. So that means God will meet EVERY NEED you have. And, “every need” means “EVERY NEED!” I hope you are getting this spiritual revelation here… Glory to God! This means spiritual needs, physical needs (such as healing and health) and material needs (like housing and finances). If you are one of those who doesn’t think Philippians 4:!9 is speaking about finances here, read the entire chapter in context. You will find out that the people of the Philippian church had collected an offering of money and goods to send to other Christians. Paul was saying to THEM, “Because you have given to others and helped them, my God shall supply ALL of YOUR NEED.” Amen! Paul was talking specifically about material and financial matters. Now, let me through a caveat in here that most people never think about… The “Philippian church.” Where was this church at? “Well, brother Bob, in Philippi, of course!” True. But WHERE in Philippi? Let me give you a clue. Now, this is just from the research I’ve done. Ok? But what I’m about to share with you makes 100% sense. What happened to Paul and Silas in Philippi? They were arrested and locked into the darkest, most secure cell in the jail. This was after being beaten severely. Right? You can go read all about in Acts chapter 16 verses 16-40. And they were singing out in the midnight hour when God heard their prayers and sprang open every single door in that jail. Right? But the prisoners did not make a run for it, did they? Why? I’ll tell you what… I’m going to stop right there and we will take this up again tomorrow. Because I’m about to share something with that is going to get old Pastor Bob to preaching… and I don’t want to minimize the importance of what I’m about to share… Let’s Pray! Please subscribe to this podcast, leave us a quick 5 star review on Apple Podcasts to help us grow and be sure to visit our website for more information on our ministry: https://podcastersforchrist.com/ (https://podcastersforchrist.com). And while you are at the website, download the free resource I have for you… it is free and is called, “How to Start a Christian Podcast.” It will bless you – go and download it today. You can also WATCH these session on our Facebook Playlist at this link: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtKWeKtmv-BwgkquBTsSh-GznbmuUp_R2 (https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtKWeKtmv-BwgkquBTsSh-GznbmuUp_R2)
Scripture For Today:Daniel 9:17“Now, our God, hear the prayers and petitions of your servant. For your sake, Lord, look with favor on your desolate sanctuary…”God’s Will is to Supply Your Financial Needs pt 1We’ve been studying how your own words can nullify (or kill) the effectiveness of your prayer life. We’ve dealt with how your own tongue can kill your prayers. And that not only affects the area of health and loved ones, but it definitely will affect the prayers of your finances. I’ll give you another example of God’s will is for you to prosper. Philippians 4:19 says, “But my God shall supply ALL your need, according to HIS riches in Glory, by Christ Jesus.” Since the Word of God is true – this scripture is true. Since this scripture is true, then we now KNOW that it is God’s Will for us to have ALL of our needs met. Every single one of them – and that definitely includes financial needs. Amen! We can have faith to claim that as our right and our privilege of being in the Body of Christ simply because it is in the Word. Amen! Actually, when Paul said, “…my God shall supply all your need…” he was SPECIFICALLY talking about material needs and financial needs! I know that will get some misguided pastors feathers ruffled, but they go look it up themselves… amen! But, I also believe, that Paul meant the God was talking about meeting ALL our needs. That word ALL is a funny word. Someone once did an indepth study of the word ALL. He looked at in the Greek, Hebrew, Aramaic, English, German and Latin. And do you know what he finally decided the word ALL meant. ALL. Praise God! ALL MEANS ALL…not part of. Not some of. Not this but not that. ALL MEANS ALL. Glory to God for His revelation in the Word. Amen! Another way of saying this is that God will meet “every need” you ever have. And “every need” means just that – EVERY – SINGLE – NEED. Period! Whether it is spiritual, physical, material or financial. Amen! ALL means ALL and you should never let any well meaning, but misguided Christian try and convince you otherwise. “Well, you know – money is the root of all evil. And if God knows you couldn’t handle it, that’s why He’s not going to give you any…” Give me a break! If you notice, the people who say that are just as broke, if not more broke, than you! Don’t listen to any negative words that go contrary to THE WORD. Amen! If you have a need, dig into the Word of God, find the answer and then start declaring it over yourself. Praise God! Do not let any negative word slip out of your mouth, either. Just keep standing on THE WORD and you will soon find that ALL of your needs are being met. Praise God! Let’s Pray! Do me a favor…can you leave a comment down below and I would greatly appreciate it if you Please subscribe to this podcast, leave us a quick 5 star review on Apple Podcasts to help us grow and be sure to visit our website for more information on our ministry: https://podcastersforchrist.com/ (https://podcastersforchrist.com). And while you are at the website, download the free resource I have for you… it is free and is called, “How to Start a Christian Podcast.” It will bless you – go and download it today. You can also WATCH these session on our Facebook Playlist at this link: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtKWeKtmv-BwgkquBTsSh-GznbmuUp_R2 (https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtKWeKtmv-BwgkquBTsSh-GznbmuUp_R2)
Scripture For Today:Psalm 109:7“When he is tried, let him be found guilty and may his own prayers condemn him.” Your Words Can Kill Your Prayers pt 2We’ve been studying how your own words can nullify (or kill) the effectiveness of your prayer life. This is not just dealing with YOU, but those whom you ask to pray with you and for you as well. Your own words can overcome the well intentioned faith of even spiritual prayer giants who are praying for you! Amen! That is how effective you very own words are. They are either used for your benefit or used for your demise. The choice really is yours! It is what comes out of your own mouth that matters the most. And Jesus said, “out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks.” So if negativity, if doubt, if unbelief is coming out of your mouth… guess what – THAT is what is in your heart! Not faith! You need to ADD to your prayers by speaking ONLY faith filled words! How do you do that? By speaking SCRIPTURE over your prayers, over your life and speaking the SCRIPTURES that support your prayer request! I’ve been telling you this all year long, you MUST use the Word of God in your prayers! “Brother Bob, you say that on almost every program.” Well, if you would start to do it then I could move on to something else! But, because you don’t want to be labeled as “one of the name it and claim it crowd” or one of those “Blab it and grab it people” – you’d rather just die in your misery, poverty or whatever so you will “look good at your funeral!” I know that offends a LOT of people out there – especially those that are of a couple of denominational sects. But get over it folks. This is real life and death stuff we are talking about here. What you say MATTERS! Don’t believe me? Here is what JESUS had to say about what YOU say… Mark 11:22-24 “Have faith in God,” Jesus answered. “Truly[https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Mark+11%3A22-24&version=NIV#fen-NIV-24664a (a)] I tell you, if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and does not doubt in their heart but believes that what they say will happen, it will be done for them. Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours…” Let me ask you, if Jesus was sitting here, in the same room with you, right now. And He said THIS is what you need to do to get your prayers answered, you need to pray standing up and that will do it… would you do it? Would you pray from that moment forward while standing up? “Well of course, brother Bob!” WHY? “Because Jesus told me that was what I needed to do. And He should know, I mean, “His Word is Truth. Amen!” OK… Mark 11:22-24 tells YOU what JESUS said YOU should do. Look at verse 24 again: “Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours…” Would Jesus lie to you? If not, then WHY won’t you do this ONE VERSE in your prayer life? We will take it up here again tomorrow… Let’s Pray! Please subscribe to this podcast, leave us a quick 5 star review on Apple Podcasts to help us grow and be sure to visit our website for more information on our ministry: https://podcastersforchrist.com/ (https://podcastersforchrist.com). And while you are at the website, download the free resource I have for you… it is free and is called, “How to Start a Christian Podcast.” It will bless you – go and download it today. You can also WATCH these session on our Facebook Playlist at this link: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtKWeKtmv-BwgkquBTsSh-GznbmuUp_R2 (https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtKWeKtmv-BwgkquBTsSh-GznbmuUp_R2)
Scripture For Today:Psalm 109:4“In return for my friendship they accuse me, but I am a man of prayer.”Your Words Can Kill Your Prayers pt 1We’ve studied quite extensively about knowing you WILL receive your prayers as answered when you pray according to God’s will. We also have learned that God’s Word IS God’s Will. We demonstrated that fact that it is God’s will that ALL be saved. And in doing so, we looked at several scriptures that prove that your prayers WILL be answered when you pray in agreement with God’s Word – which is His Will. But many people have prayed and prayed and then have solicited help from other believers to pray with them and help them in praying. And, praise God, these folks will often get in agreement with the person and come before God, lifting His Word up to Him and standing in agreement that the prayer request has already been answered “yes and Amen!” But then, these same people will undo their prayers and nullify the Faith of OTHER PEOPLE who are praying with them, simply by speaking negatively. Their prayers didn’t work and their faith has been ineffective simply because of their negative attitude and negative words! I’m probably stepping all over your toes right now, right? I know, I know – me too! We’re not all perfect (only Jesus could fill those shoes). But we need to identify what is wrong in our prayer life when we do not see our prayers as answered. And most of the time – it’s our own big mouths that are the problem! Amen! Folks that continuously speak negatively, not just about their lives but about their prayers as well, never put corresponding action OR words, with their faith and prayer requests. And these same folks, maybe you, too, will also hinder the prayers of other people who are praying for them by being negative and speaking negative things. It is so important to make sure you do not take away from your prayers by speaking doubt and unbelief, criticism or negativity. Instead, you should add to your prayers by talking FAITH. Amen! If you are praying for your loved ones, do not do anything or say anything that would speak opposite of what you are praying. Don’t yell at them and tell them they “will never amount to nothing” or anything like that! That just builds up insecurity and self-doubt and, in the end, a self-fulfilling prophecy…Because you give the devil legal authority to bring your words to pass negatively. Amen! All the praying in the world will not do anything for you, will not work for you and will never obtain the results you requested, if you are speaking negative circumstances over whatever it is you are praying for. That included loved ones, health, finances, whatever. We will take it up more here tomorrow. Let’s Pray! Please subscribe to this podcast, leave us a quick 5 star review on Apple Podcasts to help us grow and be sure to visit our website for more information on our ministry: https://podcastersforchrist.com/ (https://podcastersforchrist.com). And while you are at the website, download the free resource I have for you… it is free and is called, “How to Start a Christian Podcast.” It will bless you – go and download it today. You can also WATCH these session on our Facebook Playlist at this link: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtKWeKtmv-BwgkquBTsSh-GznbmuUp_R2 (https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtKWeKtmv-BwgkquBTsSh-GznbmuUp_R2)
Scripture For Today:1 Samuel 12:19“The people all said to Samuel, “Pray to the Lord your God for your servants so that we will not die, for we have added to all our other sins the evil of asking for a king.”God’s Will is That ALL Be Saved pt 4We’ve been talking these last few days on the fact that it is “God’s Will is that all be saved.” I’ve given you several scriptures from the Word of God that demonstrates that is His Will. We looked at 1 John 5:14:15 several times in the last few weeks. But yesterday, I also showed you: 1 Timothy 2:4 “Who (God) will have ALL men be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the Truth.” 2 Peter 3:9 “The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some men count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish, but that ALL should come to repentance.” John 3:16 “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish, but HAVE everlasting life.” Knowing what the Word of God says, you can see with confidence that we can come to God in prayer. If our praying is according to His will, or His Word, He hears us, for His Word IS His Will. Then, there is John 15:7 that says, “If YOU abide in me and my Words abide in you, you shall ask what YOU WILL, and IT (what you are asking for) shall be done unto you.” We left off yesterday by demonstrating that when you are born again, you are now IN CHRIST! That’s His part. Now, to complete the process, you need to have HIS WORD dwelling in YOU. Many times, in our praying, we keep looking at the wrong things. We keep looking at the circumstances and we keep looking at what is NOT happening. Someone might say, “Well, hardly anyone came to the meeting last night, so people probably won’t come tonight either.” Or in the area of finances, someone might say, “Well, the finances haven’t manifested yet. When I get the money, THEN I’ll believe my prayers have been answered.” Or, if it is in the area of praying for the lost, perhaps one of your loved ones, you might say, “Well, when I see my family and friends saved or my loved one saved, when I see a change in them, THEN I’ll believe God has answered my prayer.” You see, that kind of attitude doesn’t demonstrate any confidence at all in God’s Word. That kind of attitude is not letting God’s Word abide in you at all. That kind of attitude is actually walking by SIGHT and not by Faith! You only believe in what you can see. And, buddy, the devil will take you up on it… The devil will slip in something you’ve been praying about every now and then just to say in your ear, “See, if God wants you to have it – he’ll show you by giving it to you.” And you’ll be so spiritually deceived that you’ll believe his lies. You may even undo ALL of your prayers by doing that very thing – walking by sight instead of walking by Faith. Faith in God’s Word. God’s Word say, let’s just use John 15:7 again that says, “If YOU abide in me and my Words abide in you, you shall ask what YOU WILL, and IT (what you are asking for) shall be done unto you.” But instead of standing on that scripture, you’ll only believe what you see, hear or feel rather than the Word of God. Don’t do that folks! Get into the Word yourself. Read the Word. Stand on the Word. Believe the Word. See the victory IN the Word and never give up. Just believe and keep on believing and praising God for the victory – regardless of what you see. And when you do that – you WILL WIN in the end. Amen! Let’s Pray! Please subscribe to this podcast, leave us a quick 5 star review on Apple Podcasts to help us grow and be sure to visit our website for more information on our ministry: https://podcastersforchrist.com/ (https://podcastersforchrist.com). And while you are at the website, download the free resource I have for you… it is free and is called, “How to Start a Christian Podcast.” It will bless you –
Scripture For Today:Exodus 8:30“Then Moses left Pharaoh and prayed to the Lord.”God’s Will is That ALL Be Saved pt 3We’ve been talking these last few days on the fact that it is “God’s Will is that all be saved.” We left off yesterday with someone who may have prayed, “God, save our loved one.” Then, we “wait and see” if our loved one get saved fairly quickly. If they don’t or they continue to live a life of sin, etc., we feel like God did not hear our prayer – so we go back to beg Him again, “God, save our loved one.” I said that, according to God’s Word, it is His Will that ALL be saved. That when we pray that our loved ones be saved, that is praying God’s Will. So there should be no doubt in our heart that those prayers will not be answered. We may not SEE the results in the time we want, but that does not change the fact that we prayed in line with God’s Will. I have given 1 John 5:14-15 numerous times. But there are other scriptures that back me up in this. Such as: 1 Timothy 2:4 “Who (God) will have ALL men be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the Truth.” 2 Peter 3:9 “The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some men count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish, but that ALL should come to repentance.” John 3:16 “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish, but HAVE everlasting life.” Knowing what the Word of God says, you can see with confidence that we can come to God in prayer. If our praying is according to His will, or His Word, He hears us, for His Word IS His Will. Then, there is John 15:7 that says, “If YOU abide in me and my Words abide in you, you shall ask what YOU WILL, and IT (what you are asking for) shall be done unto you.” Under what conditions did Jesus say, “…YOU shall ask what YOU WILL” The only two conditions were, “…IF YOU abide in my Word” and “If my Word ABIDES in YOU…” That’s it. So, if you are born again, YOU are Abiding IN HIM, right? But then He says, “If my Words abide in YOU.” When we break it down like that, the first step is – YOU need to be born again. “OK, brother Bob, I know I’m born again…” Great! Now, all that remains is step two: “Get the Word to dwell in YOU.” Jesus’s words. Where can you find Jesus’s word? IN THE BIBLE. How can you get them to abide in you? By reading the Bible. Not just glancing over it…STUDYING the Bible. Allow the Word of God to come ALIVE on the inside of you. And you can’t do that by just hearing a sermonette on Sunday morning. You MUST study the Word on your own, every single day. Even if it is just for 10-15 minutes. Amen! Ok, I know this is getting long, so we will take it up here again tomorrow. Let’s Pray! Please subscribe to this podcast, leave us a quick 5 star review on Apple Podcasts to help us grow and be sure to visit our website for more information on our ministry: https://podcastersforchrist.com/ (https://podcastersforchrist.com). And while you are at the website, download the free resource I have for you… it is free and is called, “How to Start a Christian Podcast.” It will bless you – go and download it today. You can also WATCH these session on our Facebook Playlist at this link: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtKWeKtmv-BwgkquBTsSh-GznbmuUp_R2 (https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtKWeKtmv-BwgkquBTsSh-GznbmuUp_R2)
Scripture For Today:Jeremiah 42:4“I have heard you,” replied Jeremiah the prophet. “I will certainly pray to the Lord your God as you have requested; I will tell you everything the Lord says and will keep nothing back from you.”God’s Will is That ALL Be Saved pt 2Yesterday, I began teaching on “God’s Will is that all be saved.” We left off with someone who prays, “God, save our loved one.” Then, we “wait and see” if our loved one get saved fairly quickly. If they don’t or they continue to live a life of sin, etc., we feel like God did not hear our prayer – so we go back to beg Him again, “God, save our loved one.” I shared how that type prayer is filled with doubt and unbelief, not faith and assurance. Praying like that is walking by sight and not by faith. It simply brings confusion to your prayer life. Amen! And the devil will move right in and capitalize on that doubt, unbelief and confusion. He will cause you to DOUBT your prayers. “Well, you never know what God is going to do…” type of attitude. But if you will come right back to the will of God – which is what? The WORD of God… God’s word will bring light on the situation. He will enlighten YOU. God’s Word will instruct you as to WHY your prayer was not effective. Let’s go back to our base scripture here, 1 John 5:14-15. “And this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask any thing according to His will, He hears us. And if we know He hears us, whatsoever we ask, we KNOW that we have the petitions that we ask of Him.” Confidence. Boldness. Not walking by sight or feelings. Amen! Doubt and unbelief will rob you of God’s greater blessings and render your prayer life ineffective. And if the devil can get you to back off a strong stand of faith, he will take it. There is NO QUESTION as to whether or not it is God’s will to save EVERYONE – and that includes your loved one. So, to pray for lost loved ones to BE SAVED is praying in accordance with God’s Will. And, when we KNOW what God’s will IS, we should have the CONFIDENCE that we receive the prayer request we made. Remember, there is no time nor space with God. Time is for us – but not Him. All we need to do is stand on His Word, thank Him for the victory, tell Him (which, when we speak out loud, it is simply reinforcing this in our own spirit and also putting the devil on notice) – that “we are not moved by what we see or what hear. We are ONLY moved by the Word of God and God’s Word says that it is His Will for ALL to be saved. And that includes my loved one! Amen! I rest it there. I just thank you Father that my loved one is ALREADY saved! Praise God! I thank you for it, in Jesus Name!” And when the devil comes up and says, “No he isn’t.” You just respond with “Mr. Devil, I have the confidence in God and His Word. It’s already a done deal – you just GET OUT OF HERE, in the Power and the Authority of the Name of Jesus, whose I am and whom I serve. My loved one IS already saved. Praise God Almighty! Amen!” Folks, when you display faith like that – it won’t be long before the answer to your prayer manifests in the natural. Amen! Let’s Pray! Please subscribe to this podcast, leave us a quick 5 star review on Apple Podcasts to help us grow and be sure to visit our website for more information on our ministry: https://podcastersforchrist.com/ (https://podcastersforchrist.com). And while you are at the website, download the free resource I have for you… it is free and is called, “How to Start a Christian Podcast.” It will bless you – go and download it today. You can also WATCH these session on our Facebook Playlist at this link: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtKWeKtmv-BwgkquBTsSh-GznbmuUp_R2 (https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtKWeKtmv-BwgkquBTsSh-GznbmuUp_R2)
Scripture For Today:Isaiah 64:9“Do not be angry beyond measure, Lord; do not remember our sins forever. Oh, look on us, we pray, for we are all your people.”God’s Will is That ALL Be Saved pt 1We talked in previous teachings that saving the lost is God’s will. I mean, that is the reason Jesus came to this earth, lived a sinless life, died, rose from the dead and ascended to Heaven – to give US that blessed privilege of being saved. Amen! I know of nobody who would pray for a loved one who was lost and say to the Lord, “Lord, IF it is your will – save ‘so and so.’” That sounds ridiculous to us and even more ridiculous to God! God’s Word says it is God’s will that nobody should perish but that ALL should be saved. That’s in 2 Peter 3:9 and 1 Timothy 2:4. Amen! But much of our praying for loved ones or for the lost is not effective because we QUESTION the will of God in it. We also do not come to Him with CONFIDENCE and BOLDNESS like we just talked about in our study of 1 John 5:14-15. When someone has the confidence and the boldness to come to God and pray according to God’s will, then he or she can KNOW for a certainty that the prayers they are asking for will be answered. How can they know? Because they prayed according to God’s will – not against God’s will. “Well, brother Bob, how can we know we are praying according to God’s will?” Really? If you’ve been following this podcast for any length of time, I would venture to say at least once or twice per week I’ve taught you, referenced it probably a couple more times per week – and all year long – that you need to get into the Word of God on a daily basis. God’s Word IS God’s Will. Amen! Once a person prays this way, that should settle it once and for all in their heart that the answer has been assured. That heart faith should settle the decision forever! Amen! But, truth be told, most of the praying for our loved ones exists only in the natural and not in the spirit. What I mean by that is we pray with our emotions based upon what we see in the natural. And it just doesn’t work that way. For example, someone might pray, “God save our loved one.” Then we “wait and see” IF God answered our prayer. IF our loved gets saved, we believe God heard us. If that person continues to live in sin and, we believe they did not get saved within a short amount of time, we say, “Well, I guess God didn’t hear me…” What happens then? We go back and beg again, “God, save our loved one.” Folks, this type of praying is just filled with unbelief. It’s no wonder our loved one doesn’t get saved! “Well, brother Bob, how are we supposed to pray then?” I’m so glad you asked! Let’s take that question up tomorrow! Glory to God! Let’s Pray! Please subscribe to this podcast, leave us a quick 5 star review on Apple Podcasts to help us grow and be sure to visit our website for more information on our ministry: https://podcastersforchrist.com/ (https://podcastersforchrist.com). And while you are at the website, download the free resource I have for you… it is free and is called, “How to Start a Christian Podcast.” It will bless you – go and download it today. You can also WATCH these session on our Facebook Playlist at this link: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtKWeKtmv-BwgkquBTsSh-GznbmuUp_R2 (https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtKWeKtmv-BwgkquBTsSh-GznbmuUp_R2)
Scripture For Today: Psalm 142:1“I cry aloud to the Lord; I lift up my voice to the Lord for mercy.”Knowing the Will of God in Prayer pt 3If you have been following this prayer series for any length of time, you often hear me quote from 1 John 5:14-15… “And this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask any thing according to His will, He hears us. And if we know He hears us, whatsoever we ask, we KNOW that we have the petitions that we ask of Him.” Amen! Now, there are situations that will come up about which we do not know what to pray, how to pray – any of it. This is also outlined in Romans 8:26. But the Bible STILL gives us Light as to what to do in these situations. That is when we are going to have to trust the Holy Spirit to guide us. He’s on the inside of us. He’s not only there to assist us in prayer, but to lead us. To guide us in all of the affairs of this life. You can read that in John 16:13. When we do not know the Will of God in a certain situation, we cannot go to God with boldness (as we read in 1 John 5:14-15). Instead, we usually come in trembling and uncertain and possibly a bit fearful, just HOPING God will do something for us. God IS a merciful God and there will be times when we come to Him in that way and He will still help us. BUT – He desires to show us from His Word HOW to pray so that we can have Faith and confidence before Him. God’s absolute best is for us to KNOW HIS WORD. To know His Will. He wants us to understand this aspect of Him and then to pray in accordance with His Word and with His will. Amen! We can go to the Word of God and find out that God’s Will is ALREADY expressed in just about everything we may encounter in this life. Every need is already met by HIM. And you can find out about this IN HIS WORD. Amen! If you don’t know how to do this or if this is sounding a bit confusing – guess what – the devil is the author of that confusion. Amen! So if you are a bit confused, the best thing you can do is STOP and go to the Word. Study the Word. Read the Word. Spend time in the Word. When you do that – you spend time with HIM. Amen! You have probably heard the phrase that you are the sum total of the five people you most hang around. Right? Well, what if you spent time with the Father, Son and Holy Spirit as part of the five? How much different do you think your life would be if you started thinking, acting and behaving like the Father, Son and Holy Spirit? I can sum it up for you in one word – VICTORIOUS! Amen! So get into the Word and start spending time with Him – and become more like Him every single day! Start THINKING like He thinks. Amen! Let’s Pray! Please subscribe to this podcast, leave us a quick 5 star review on Apple Podcasts to help us grow and be sure to visit our website for more information on our ministry: https://podcastersforchrist.com/ (https://podcastersforchrist.com). And while you are at the website, download the free resource I have for you… it is free and is called, “How to Start a Christian Podcast.” It will bless you – go and download it today. You can also WATCH these session on our Facebook Playlist at this link: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtKWeKtmv-BwgkquBTsSh-GznbmuUp_R2 (https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtKWeKtmv-BwgkquBTsSh-GznbmuUp_R2)
Scripture For Today: 2 Kings 19:20“Then Isaiah son of Amoz sent a message to Hezekiah: “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: I have heard your prayer concerning Sennacherib king of Assyria.”Knowing the Will of God in Prayer pt 2If you have been following this prayer series for any length of time, you often hear me quote from 1 John 5:14-15… “And this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask any thing according to His will, He hears us. And if we know He hears us, whatsoever we ask, we KNOW that we have the petitions that we ask of Him.” Amen! What is it that gives us confidence, boldness and faith to stand before the Most High God in prayer? It is the Word of God. His Word. And His Word is Jesus and Jesus is His Word. Amen? Psalm 119:130 says, “The entrance of your words give Light.” In verse 105, it says, “Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path.” When we walk IN THE LIGHT of God’s Word, we are not walking in darkness – we are walking in the illumination of HIS light. Amen! Many times, when we pray, we pray in darkness because we are basing our prayers on what WE want, on what WE feel… NOT on the Word of God. Now, I’m talking about spiritual darkness or blindness concerning a subject or situation. Many people will pray not knowing WHAT God’s Will is when they should seek the Word first and base their prayers on what is contained IN His Word. Once you know the will of God, you can pray more effectively and see the answers to your prayers more quickly. But instead, we are actually praying in the dark (spiritually speaking). It is like a homeowner hearing a noise downstairs and thinks someone is breaking into his or her house in the middle of the night. They take their gun and just point it down the stairs and fire! Are they going to hit anyone? Probably not. They could, possibly – if the intruder was standing on the stairs. But other than that, no. This homeowner does not know some very important facts that they should be aware of BEFORE firing that gun. First, WHO is it. It could be their child coming home unexpectedly. Or the dog went downstairs to get something to drink and knocked the trash can over. They don’t know that for sure… Or, if it is an intruder, WHERE is this person right now? In another room? If the homeowner would call out “Whose there?” – chances are, if it was an intruder, that person would run off, not wanting to be identified, arrested or shot!” Bottom line, the homeowner should gather the facts needed to make a justified discharge of their weapon. Amen. Well, it works the same way when you are praying. You need to gather the facts concerning your prayer. What is it EXACTLY you are praying about? What does the Word say concerning this subject matter? Have you written out the scriptures you are going to stand on while presenting your prayer to the Father? These are things you should do BEFORE entering your prayer closet. Amen! We will leave it here for today… Let’s Pray! Please subscribe to this podcast, leave us a quick 5 star review on Apple Podcasts to help us grow and be sure to visit our website for more information on our ministry: https://podcastersforchrist.com/ (https://podcastersforchrist.com). And while you are at the website, download the free resource I have for you… it is free and is called, “How to Start a Christian Podcast.” It will bless you – go and download it today. You can also WATCH these session on our Facebook Playlist at this link: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtKWeKtmv-BwgkquBTsSh-GznbmuUp_R2 (https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtKWeKtmv-BwgkquBTsSh-GznbmuUp_R2)
Scripture For Today: Isaiah 26:16“Lord, they came to you in their distress; when you disciplined them, they could barely whisper a prayer…”Knowing the Will of God in Prayer pt 1If you have been following this prayer series for any length of time, you often hear me quote from 1 John 5:14-15… “And this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask any thing according to His will, He hears us. And if we know He hears us, whatsoever we ask, we KNOW that we have the petitions that we ask of Him.” Amen! In the next several sessions, we are going to do a deep dive into the meaning behind this verse. I want us to look at, especially, two words. Those are “confidence” and hears.” Under what conditions do we have CONFIDENCE that God hears us? Or another translation reads that as “we have BOLDNESS…” Boldness that God hears us. There is only ONE condition, “That we ask according to His will.” There is another thought that goes right along with this and it is found in verse 15. “And if we KNOW that He (God) hears us, whatsoever we ask (God), we know that we HAVE the petitions (or the request) that we desired of Him.” If God hears us when we pray, we know we HAVE the answer to the prayer we asked Him for. It gets no plainer than that. I don’t care who “theological” you want to act – the Word says what the Word says. And if the Word says it – IT (the Word) MUST be true! You are not trying to tell me that the Word “is not true” are you? I should hope not… But, if we look at the flip side of 1 John 5:14-15, we can infer there are prayers that God does not hear. Prayers that God does not listen to. Prayers that God does not answer. Uh-Oh! For example, God does not hear the prayers that are prayed in doubt and unbelief. Remember, God is only moved by Faith. God responds TO FAITH. Now, He will put up with a little doubt and unbelief if the person is a baby Christian, but is earnest and sincere in their prayers. But He expects MORE out of a mature believer. But, if we pray in Faith, according to His will – and we did an extensive study on HIS WORD IS HIS WILL – go back and listen if you need to – ONLY THEN can we have the confidence and the KNOWING that we received our prayers as answered. Amen! Also, it is important to note that without that type of confidence or boldness that John is talking about in verse 14, our prayers will be ineffective. If we do not fulfill our part in lining our prayers up with God’s Word (which is His will), then our prayers will not work. Period. God will only hear us when we pray in Faith and according to His Word (which is His Will). Amen! Let’s Pray! Please subscribe to this podcast, leave us a quick 5 star review on Apple Podcasts to help us grow and be sure to visit our website for more information on our ministry: https://podcastersforchrist.com/ (https://podcastersforchrist.com). And while you are at the website, download the free resource I have for you… it is free and is called, “How to Start a Christian Podcast.” It will bless you – go and download it today. You can also WATCH these session on our Facebook Playlist at this link: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtKWeKtmv-BwgkquBTsSh-GznbmuUp_R2 (https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtKWeKtmv-BwgkquBTsSh-GznbmuUp_R2)
Scripture For Today:Psalm 102:17“He will respond to the prayer of the destitute; he will not despise their plea.”Responsibility for Answered Prayer pt 5We have been discussing “Who’s responsible for our prayer’s being answered?” Yesterday, we left off with the FACT that God has done ALL that He is going to do when it comes to answering your prayers. If it concerns healing, finances, loved ones – it really does not matter – He has already done ALL that He is going to do! Jesus paid the complete, full price when He went to that Cross. There is nothing else to beg God for. There is nothing else to “wait on God for.” There is nothing else we can do except – BELIEVE IT IS ALREADY SO! I know this steps all over denominational toes out there! I know there are some well-meaning pastors and ministers that do not want to “get the people’s hopes up” that their prayer has already been answered – but the person can’t appropriate it (or whatever). Well, let me ask you this… Would you rather “get your hopes up?” Or would you rather I preach and keep putting you down and never giving you ANY HOPE whatsoever? Which would you rather hear? HOPE, right? Well, let me put to you like this… Where does your HOPE lie for eternal life? In Jesus… Where does your HOPE lie for the forgiveness of ALL your sins? In Jesus… So where should your HOPE lie for everything else in this life? Same answer.. IN JESUS! Amen! One more thing, then I’ll close… Let’s read Ephesians 1:3 “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, WHO HAS BLESSED US with ALL Spiritual blessings in Heavenly places in Christ.” OK – God HAS blessed us with WHAT? He has blessed us with ALL Spiritual blessings. That scripture does not say, “Who is going to, someday, bless us.” Does it? NO! It says HAS, past tense, BLESSED US. Do you believe God’s Word is True? Do you? Then you have to believe THAT VERSE, too! Amen! Another translation says, “with every spiritual blessing.” That means EVERY BLESSING there is to had – nothing left out – WE ALREADY GOT! Amen! In Christ there is all that we will ever need. All things have been provided for us – if we will only believe. Amen! Every need you will ever have in this life, from the time you were born until the time you will die, has already been met. EVERY – SINGLE – ONE! We also know, that we can appropriate the promises of God, the blessings of God, for our own lives. We also know that it is God’s WILL that every need be met because scripture says we are “Blessed with ALL Spiritual blessings.” That means NOTHING is left out or undone. So, “how do we appropriate” these promises? Through Faith and through prayer. Pray the Word over your situation and believe by Faith that the answer is already yours. YOU have the authority AND the responsibility for YOUR answered prayer. Amen! Let’s Pray! Please subscribe to this podcast, leave us a quick 5 star review on Apple Podcasts to help us grow and be sure to visit our website for more information on our ministry: https://podcastersforchrist.com/ (https://podcastersforchrist.com). And while you are at the website, download the free resource I have for you… it is free and is called, “How to Start a Christian Podcast.” It will bless you – go and download it today. You can also WATCH these session on our Facebook Playlist at this link: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtKWeKtmv-BwgkquBTsSh-GznbmuUp_R2 (https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtKWeKtmv-BwgkquBTsSh-GznbmuUp_R2)
Scripture For Today:2 Chronicles 32:20“A prayer of an afflicted person who has grown weak and pours out a lament before the Lord. Hear my prayer, Lord; let my cry for help come to you.”Responsibility for Answered Prayer pt 4We have been discussing “Who’s responsible for our prayer’s being answered?” Yesterday, I shared a couple of stories of how some people believe their denomination or their church membership qualifies them for healing, blessings or just all around requirement that God answer their prayers. What we learned is that you cannot earn your way into God’s blessings. Amen! Ok. We covered that in some instances, it may just be a detriment to your faith to be in a church that is teaching that sort of thing. “If you are part of THIS church, then you are a partaker of the blessing because God blesses this church. If you have a need and you are a member of this church, your need is already met, in Jesus Name.” Well, first off, like I said, it doesn’t matter WHAT church you belong to. It does not matter to God at all. You can be worshipping in your home, in some cases, better than you can worship corporately. I know that will get the ire up of some denominational pastors…but it’s true. I find I grow more spiritually when I study the Word myself and worship and pray myself than I ever could in a church setting week after week. I am not saying NOT to attend church. Not at all. Spiritually weak Christians NEED to go to church. At least they are hearing the Word. But there comes a time when YOU need to take responsibility for YOUR own spiritual well being. YOU need to spend time, ALONE, with God. Amen! Especially when it comes to having your prayers answered. You do not need to rely on some preacher spouting off unbelief over you! “Well, you never know what God is going to do…” “Well, if it’s God’s will – He will heal you…” and stuff like that. NO! It is more important for YOU to study the Word of God for yourself. Do not rely on others to prayer FOR you. You can ask someone whom you KNOW is rooted and grounded in the Word (with evidence of having their prayers answered – preferably filled with the Holy Spirit and speaking in tongues, too)! But do not let them pray FOR you. You need them to pray IN AGREEMENT WITH YOU! And YOU do the praying! Amen! God is not going to HEAL YOU. God is not going to do ANYTHING for you. It’s already been done! Amen! Jesus already went to the Cross. Died. Was Buried. And then ROSE from the dead! He defeated sickness, disease, death, hell and the grave! God has done ALL He is going to do. YOU need to tap into what has already been accomplished and already been provided. I’ll take it up there tomorrow. Amen! Yes, I know I left you with a cliff hanger! Come back tomorrow and I’ll explain it! Let’s Pray! Please subscribe to this podcast, leave us a quick 5 star review on Apple Podcasts to help us grow and be sure to visit our website for more information on our ministry: https://podcastersforchrist.com/ (https://podcastersforchrist.com). And while you are at the website, download the free resource I have for you… it is free and is called, “How to Start a Christian Podcast.” It will bless you – go and download it today. You can also WATCH these session on our Facebook Playlist at this link: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtKWeKtmv-BwgkquBTsSh-GznbmuUp_R2 (https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtKWeKtmv-BwgkquBTsSh-GznbmuUp_R2)
Scripture For Today: 2 Chronicles 32:20“King Hezekiah and the prophet Isaiah son of Amoz cried out in prayer to heaven about this.”Responsibility for Answered Prayer pt 3We have been discussing “Who’s responsible for our prayer’s being answered?” Yesterday, we looked at how a parent can take authority over sickness in the children. This also works for spouses, etc. Another area that seems to confuse people is their “status with God” based upon how long they’ve been born again; what denomination they are a part of; whether they have been living a “Godly life” as compared to “others.” I’ve heard some people come up and ask “Why (this other person) received their healing (in this meeting) and they don’t even attend this church? I’ve been “Full Gospel” for 25 years and I have not received my healing…Why?” The denomination a person belongs to has nothing to do with receiving healing, blessings, etc. Nothing at all to do with it! In fact, this type of attitude is actually the result of a self-centered, selfish and misguided belief that, because they are “Full Gospel,” they are something “special” in the eyes of God. God is not obligated to do anything because of how long you’ve been born again, how long you’ve been in a particular church or denomination. Period. God is not moved by your needs. God is not moved by your wants. God is ONLY moved by FAITH. Period! That’s it! If you want your prayers answered, you MUST do so BY FAITH. That’s it! That’s why Jesus said over and over and over again, “Be it done unto you according to your Faith.” Why did he do that? Because He also said many times, “It is your faith that has made you whole!” You see, God will not come to your help because of who you are or where you go to church. He will only come to your help based upon one thing – your Faith in Jesus! I also have heard, “I’ve been filled with the Holy Ghost for x number of years…” But they are still not receiving their prayers as answered. “Why?” The baptism of the Holy Ghost is NOT a prerequisite for healing or for your prayers being answered. A person can be healed before they are filled with the Holy Ghost. Want proof? Go look at those healed by Jesus in the New Testament. The Holy Spirit had not been poured out upon ANYONE while Jesus was on the earth. Amen! In fact, sometimes, being a member of these “Faith Churches” is probably more detrimental to someone receiving the answers to their prayers as answered. There are churches out there that try to make their church members believe that “being part of this church makes you somebody special.” That, my friends, is false teaching. That type of teaching is actually “cult” teaching. Is that what these pastors are trying to develop? Cult followings? I’ll just leave it there for today. Let’s Pray! Please subscribe to this podcast, leave us a quick 5 star review on Apple Podcasts to help us grow and be sure to visit our website for more information on our ministry: https://podcastersforchrist.com/ (https://podcastersforchrist.com). And while you are at the website, download the free resource I have for you… it is free and is called, “How to Start a Christian Podcast.” It will bless you – go and download it today. You can also WATCH these session on our Facebook Playlist at this link: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtKWeKtmv-BwgkquBTsSh-GznbmuUp_R2 (https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtKWeKtmv-BwgkquBTsSh-GznbmuUp_R2)
Scripture For Today:Isaiah 56:7“…these I will bring to my holy mountain and give them joy in my house of prayer. Their burnt offerings and sacrifices will be accepted on my altar; for my house will be called a house of prayer for all nations.”Responsibility for Answered Prayer pt 2We have been discussing “Who’s responsible for our prayer’s being answered?” Yesterday, I introduced the concept that it is really US that has the responsibility – not God (as most people believe). We learned yesterday, that healing is really God’s gift to us in and through our redemption. Amen! It is impossible for you to earn your healing just as it is impossible for you to earn your salvation. It’s all be paid for already through Christ Jesus. I remember one time I was preaching, I believe it was in Texas. I was preaching and I was talking on the subject of healing. So, naturally, at the end of the service I was praying for folks that came forward. I remember this one lady brought her daughter, probably 10-12 years old up for prayer. She said the daughter had a severe ear infection and had lost her hearing. I’m not going to go into detail her, because of the time, but I want you to know that I led that mother into praying for her own daughter! She brought her to the front for ME to pray… I explained to this mother that this child was HER responsibility and then I led the mother through a few scriptures and showed her that SHE had the authority here to take control. Amen! Needless to say, the mother prayed and the daughter could hear her pray! Praise God! You see, we want to try and push off the responsibility on someone else. She probably had taken the daughter to be prayed for by others and these other ministers had prayed, “Oh Lord, IF IT BE THY WILL – heal this little girl.” What was going on in those situations? The mother was not taking responsibility – so she passed that along to these preachers.. The preachers were not taking responsibility – so they passed it along to God… God, all along, was saying, “It’s not MY responsibility – I gave it to YOU!” (speaking to the parents of children or to we, ourselves, if we are old enough to understand). When I showed this mother that it was HER responsibility and that God had given HER authority in this situation (and I covered half a dozen scriptures that backed that up, amen) – she took authority and IMMEDIATELY seen results! Immediately, the daughter said she could hear her mother! Amen! Glory to God! This is what happens when WE take authority for answered prayer in our own lives and family. Glory to God! We will take it up here again tomorrow! Let’s Pray! Please subscribe to this podcast, leave us a quick 5 star review on Apple Podcasts to help us grow and be sure to visit our website for more information on our ministry: https://podcastersforchrist.com/ (https://podcastersforchrist.com). And while you are at the website, download the free resource I have for you… it is free and is called, “How to Start a Christian Podcast.” It will bless you – go and download it today. You can also WATCH these session on our Facebook Playlist at this link: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtKWeKtmv-BwgkquBTsSh-GznbmuUp_R2 (https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtKWeKtmv-BwgkquBTsSh-GznbmuUp_R2)
Scripture For Today:Isaiah 44:17“From the rest he makes a god, his idol; he bows down to it and worships. He prays to it and says, “Save me! You are my god!”Responsibility for Answered Prayer pt 1I want to share with you some very important aspects of receiving answer to your prayers. The one that most people struggle with is “Who’s responsible for our prayer being answered?” Now, before you get mad at me already and switch this program off, hear me out… Many people want to relieve themselves from all responsibility when it comes to receiving from the Lord. They want to put all the responsibility on God. Then, if their prayer is not answered, they can say, “Well, it must not be God’s will, because I prayed, “If it be thy will” and God didn’t do it… so that tells me it was not His will.” In other words, it’s human nature to try and put off all the responsibility on God. Even Adam did that in the Garden of Eden! He told God, “That woman that YOU gave me…” We cannot get away from OUR responsibility in prayer, even if we want to. Most of us don’t want to accept the responsibility – any of it – concerning whether our prayers are answered or not. We would rather put it all over on God. That way, we would never have to say, “I failed. I missed it.” God has given us the Light of His Word. The more we submit ourselves TO His Word and the more we conform ourselves TO HIS Word, the more successful our prayer life will become and we will find our prayers being answered more often. AMEN! People often ask me questions like, “Why don’t God heal me when I ask Him too?” Then, once they say that, they give me all of the reasons why God SHOULD heal them. “I did this and I do that and I gave this and I worked that… and…and… and…” People do not get healed based on their reasoning or qualifications. You cannot EARN healing any more than you can EARN salvation. Amen! Healing, Salvation, Provision and Prosperity – every single benefit has already been PAID FOR by the Lord Jesus! Amen! Healing is one of those “God given benefits.” Glory to God! If you want to see more success in receiving your prayers answered, be it healing, finances, or otherwise – my best advice is (and you’ve heard me say this before) – GET INTO THE WORD on a consistent, daily, basis! Amen! We’ll take it up more hear tomorrow! Let’s Pray! Please subscribe to this podcast, leave us a quick 5 star review on Apple Podcasts to help us grow and be sure to visit our website for more information on our ministry: https://podcastersforchrist.com/ (https://podcastersforchrist.com). And while you are at the website, download the free resource I have for you… it is free and is called, “How to Start a Christian Podcast.” It will bless you – go and download it today. You can also WATCH these session on our Facebook Playlist at this link: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtKWeKtmv-BwgkquBTsSh-GznbmuUp_R2 (https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtKWeKtmv-BwgkquBTsSh-GznbmuUp_R2)
Scripture For Today:2 Chronicles 6:21“Hear the supplications of your servant and of your people Israel when they pray toward this place. Hear from heaven, your dwelling place; and when you hear, forgive.”Giving Thanks pt 5We are in the season of “Thanksgiving” here in the United States, and these last few days we have been looking at the story of the 10 lepers to learn about “Thanksgiving.” We have focused on our story of the 10 lepers and the one that returned – only one, that returned to give Jesus thanks for healing him of this dreaded disease. Yesterday, I left you with the “cliff hanger” of three distinct words used in Luke 17:11-19 by Jesus that, in English, all say the same thing. But when taken in context to Hebrew that the lepers and disciples heard, convey an entirely different, deeper meaning than our English translation. One healed leper came back. One caught himself in the midst of the celebration, and returned to Jesus. He reversed his steps, put his family on hold, put the priest on hold, and came back to the cause of his celebration. His response and life situation were unique, but in the simplest sense of what he did his thankfulness led to action. And boy, did that turn out to be important! "Where are the other nine?" Jesus asked. Do you realize what this says? Jesus said, "Go, and show yourselves to the priests.” Jesus never commanded that any of them express thankfulness to God, or return to him, the healer. Nevertheless, that is what Jesus expected. Look at the Scripture again, and walk with me through this. We're going to look at three different words that are all trying to say the same thing. They're all saying that this leper-used-to-be is well. Look first at verse 15. "One of them, when he saw he was healed . . ." and stop there. This Greek word is "hi-a-tha," which is a purely medical term. It means to mend, to repair. It's like a broken bone finally mending. This guy was all patched up. Look at verse 17. Jesus asked, "Were not all ten cleansed? Stop there. This is a different word than hi-a-tha. This is "kath-a-ri-dzo," the root word for our "catheter." It, too, is a medical word in part, for it means, "remove the impurities." When a doctor inserts a heart "cath", angioplasty might remove a blockage of an artery. It will cause healing. Naturally, the Jewish connotations of this word are important, too. To be "cleansed" was exactly what the priest would be looking for, and would declare. It carried some religious overtones, too. And now, look at one more word. In verse 19, Jesus says to this very thankful man, "Rise and go; your faith has made you well." "Made you well . . ." that's a different word. It's not a medical word, necessarily, although it was used to describe the safe delivery of a baby. This is the word, "so-so," which means, "saved." The Greeks used it for people who escaped dangerous situations. Sailors surviving a storm at sea had been saved, they said. "So-dzo." When Matthew began his gospel, he started with the Christmas story. The angel told Joseph to name the Christ child "Jesus," because that name meant that he would "save people from their sins." He would "so-dzo" the people. When Paul described what would happen to a person who publicly professed Jesus as Lord and savior, he used this same word. ". . . If you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. (so-dzo). For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved (so-dzo!) (Romans 10:9-10). And Jesus says to this very thankful man willing to follow God before his circumstances changed - to worship God before he returned home - Jesus pronounces a complete healing, a wellness that passes all other wellness terms. This man, Jesus said, understands. Do you understand? I want to understand more and more about our wonderful Savior. Remember that a priest must...
Scripture For Today: Philemon 1:22“And one thing more: Prepare a guest room for me, because I hope to be restored to you in answer to your prayers.”Giving Thanks pt 4We are in the season of “Thanksgiving” here in the United States, and these last few days we have been looking at the story of the 10 lepers to learn about “Thanksgiving.” I pray that you’ve received some great inspiration on the importance of giving thanks during this week. Amen! With our story of the 10 lepers and the one that returned – only one. Only ONE that returned to give Jesus thanks for healing him of this dreaded disease. The others did nothing wrong, per se. They were doing exactly what Jesus had instructed them to do. He told them, “Go and show yourself to the priests.” That is what they were doing. But this one, unnamed man, decided it was more important for him to return and thank Jesus for the healing – BEFORE he was declared clean by the priests. He wanted to praise Jesus FIRST. We can learn a lot from that. Will you give Jesus praise – even before your family knows what blessing you received? Can you miss it? Sure you can. It's a short week for most folks, which means you might be horribly busy for one, two, or three days. You might have some time off, which means you've got some honey-do chores at home, some tasks at church, or some Christmas shopping to do at all the big sales. If you're traveling, you've got to get going. If you're hosting the family, you've got to cook. You've got to get to the grocery store. You've got to call the turkey help-line again and remember how to get it done. In a holiday week, it's possible to get all the way through Thanksgiving without ever actually STOPPING to be thankful! AMEN! Don't do that! Commit to it, and do it. That is worship. One healed leper came back. One caught himself in the midst of the celebration, and returned to Jesus. He reversed his steps, put his family on hold, put the priest on hold, and came back to the cause of his celebration. His response and life situation were unique, but in the simplest sense of what he did his thankfulness led to action. And boy, did that turn out to be important! "Where are the other nine?" Jesus asked. Do you realize what this says? Jesus said, "Go, and show yourselves to the priests. Jesus never commanded that any of them express thankfulness to God, or return to him, the healer. Nevertheless, that is what Jesus expected. What kind of action is Jesus looking for from you? Has God's Holy Spirit been urging you toward some action step? Had the Lord been tugging at you for some step of faith? Is there a family, a friend, or even a stranger in need of help this Thanksgiving season? Is there something you feel compelled to do? My best advice, based on what Jesus was looking for 2,000 years ago, is to take that step of action. Assume God is pulling you toward that area, or that action, and get it done. Otherwise, a prayer over the Thanksgiving meal will last about as long as that sensation of fullness after the meal. I don't know about you, but no matter how full I get on Thanksgiving Thursday, I always manage to eat well on Friday. Shouldn't our spirit of thankfulness last longer than that? Get it done! Look at the Scripture again, and walk with me through this. Tomorrow, were going to look at three different words that are all trying to say the same thing. They're all saying that this “used to be leper” is now healed and is well. But you will be surprised by what Jesus actually said and what this man and those around Jesus understood Him to say. HINT: It’s not what the English translation says… well, it IS, but yet, it is much, much deeper than that. So, I’ll just leave with that cliff hanger! Amen! Return tomorrow as we conclude this “Thanksgiving week prayer study in Prayer 2021! Let’s Pray! Please subscribe to this podcast, leave us a quick 5 star review on Apple Podcasts to help us...
Scripture For Today:1 Samuel 12:19“The people all said to Samuel, “Pray to the Lord your God for your servants so that we will not die, for we have added to all our other sins the evil of asking for a king.”Giving Thanks pt 3We are in the season of “Thanksgiving” here in the United States, and these last few days we have been looking at the story of the 10 lepers to learn about “Thanksgiving.” Now, Jesus says to these lepers, "Go and show yourselves to the priests." They look down at their bodies. The hands of one man are still mangled. Another man looks at his leg, which ends with a filthy rag at the knee. Another looks at his skin, and finds it as repulsive as ever. In other words, all of these men were no better off than they had been ten minutes earlier, when they had first spotted the famous teacher. And yet, they headed off in search of the priests. And on their way, they were healed. On their way, a hand reappeared, and tingled with life. A crutch tripped on a filthy rag, as it fell to the ground. The leg was back, healthy, whole, complete. The skin cleared, and the tiny hairs on a forearm turned from snow white to brown. One looked at the other, another looked at the rest, and the screaming started. The smiles broke into cheering, and a sweet madness. They raced off in the distance, not believing that the nightmare was finally over. But in order for the miracle to happen, these men had to start walking in faith before their circumstances had changed one tiny bit. You cannot wait until the problems are over to start walking in faith. You cannot put conditions on holy God. You cannot say, "Lord, as soon as there's enough money, I follow your instructions." You cannot pray, "Lord, if you'll just solve this issue in my family, I'll go to church." God might say, "Love me despite the disease. Obey me despite the lack of talent, or the lack of resources. Follow me now, despite the depression. Say no to the temptation, while it still is difficult. Praise me in the darkest of nights, and in the worst of circumstances." This is the nature of God, a God who loves you so much, He'll give you the opportunity to be thankful when nothing about your circumstances gives you that motivation. My friends, that is the very definition of faith. If you praised God only on the good days, only in the best of circumstances, it would not be faith at all. That would be more like a business arrangement - and this is not about business! Some of you are in horrible circumstances, right now. And what awaits you today, this week, is a forcing of the question. Will you be thankful despite the difficult circumstances? If so, you will have experienced faith. One of the men came back to Jesus, and praised God. He was thankful. He was public about it. He was loud - he wasn't shy at all. Why was he so loud? This guy had been forced to yell for as long as he'd had leprosy. Had it been years? He'd probably yelled so long, he didn't know how to come to the Lord quietly, or even in a normal voice. When he came back and fell at the feet of Jesus, he was just louder than the normal person, and he was praising God. This is an amazingly short application point. This week, be sure you take time to acknowledge God for his goodness. Be sure to actually be thankful. Be sure to gather everyone up for a prayer of Thanksgiving that's a real prayer of thankfulness. Don't miss the opportunity to worship God this week. And be loud about it! Amen! Let’s Pray! Please subscribe to this podcast, leave us a quick 5 star review on Apple Podcasts to help us grow and be sure to visit our website for more information on our ministry: https://podcastersforchrist.com/ (https://podcastersforchrist.com). And while you are at the website, download the free resource I have for you… it is free and is called, “How to Start a Christian Podcast.” It will bless you – go and download it today. You can also WATCH these session on our Facebook
Scripture For Today:Exodus 9:28“Pray to the Lord, for we have had enough thunder and hail. I will let you go; you don’t have to stay any longer.”Giving Thanks pt 2Since we are in the season of “Thanksgiving” here in the United States, I wanted to take a few days to share my thoughts, based on Bible Scriptures, about “Thanksgiving.” Yesterday, we left off looking at the story of the ten lepers who were healed by Jesus. This disease can take 30 years to run its course, and in that time span, entire limbs can simply fall off. It is, assuredly, a most horrible disease. We have nearly an impossible task in trying to fathom what it was like 2,000 years ago, when medical treatment as we know it today was almost non-existent. Beth Moore, in her book Jesus The One And Only, tells of an occasion she had to be near a modern-day leper colony. Something within her had always wanted to minister in a leper colony, but her trip overseas had given her the first opportunity to be near such a place. She walked by the entrance three times. She saw those who were suffering. She begged herself for a chance to go inside. But she could not. The reason? The smell overwhelmed her. She could not work up the stomach to go inside the colony. She could not bear the thought of witnessing for the Lord, but at the same time becoming violently ill as she faced human beings already acutely aware that they were different. The trip passed, and she was not able to go inside. And, I think, we gained a new appreciation of how bad this disease must have been in the days of Christ. It wasn't just the grotesque damage, or the attack to our sight. It wasn't just the loud cries, the attack to our hearing. It was also the smell of rotting, decaying flesh, overwhelming even our sense of smell. The emotional pain of a leper, however, must have been even worse than the physical pain. He was removed from his family, from his community. There could be no contact, whatsoever, with his children or grandchildren. None. Immediately removed. His wife would not be allowed to kiss him goodbye. He would not have allowed it, for fear that she, too, would become afflicted. Lepers tended to roam together, looking for food, begging for assistance from a great distance, learning to yell in loud voices, both from the need to warn others, and to beg for help from across the way. What would it have been like to have been removed from friends and family for a lifetime, and to have been forced to announce that removal on a daily basis? It must have been horrible. But, when they asked Jesus to heal them, He responded, “OK, go show yourself to the priests!” And, as they went, scripture say, “they were healed.” All ten. But in order for the miracle to happen, these men had to start walking in faith before their circumstances had changed one tiny bit. Is there a more potent lesson for us, on this Thanksgiving week? You cannot wait until the problems are over to start walking in faith. You cannot put conditions on holy God. You cannot say, "Lord, as soon as there's enough money, I follow your instructions." You cannot pray, "Lord, if you'll just solve this issue in my family, I'll start to church." You cannot put conditions on God! Instead, God places a demand for faith on us, before anything at all has changed. Think about that this week… Let’s Pray! Please subscribe to this podcast, leave us a quick 5 star review on Apple Podcasts to help us grow and be sure to visit our website for more information on our ministry: https://podcastersforchrist.com/ (https://podcastersforchrist.com). And while you are at the website, download the free resource I have for you… it is free and is called, “How to Start a Christian Podcast.” It will bless you – go and download it today. You can also WATCH these session on our Facebook Playlist at this link: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtKWeKtmv-BwgkquBTsSh-GznbmuUp_R2...
Scripture For Today:2 Thessalonians 1:3“We ought always to thank God for you, brothers and sisters, and rightly so, because your faith is growing more and more, and the love all of you have for one another is increasing.”Giving Thanks pt 1As we are now in the season of “Thanksgiving” here in the United States, I wanted to take a few days to share my thoughts, based on Bible Scriptures, about “Thanksgiving.” Let’s just do a quick history lesson of sorts, about the REAL Thanksgiving… Way, way back, in 1623, three years AFTER the Pilgrims landed at Plymouth, Mass., this celebration was started to give thanks to God for the provision of that year. You see, it was a tough going the first two years… The life and voyage the Pilgrims experienced was tough. They lost over half of the people they started, the winters were brutal, and they would have starved to death but for the Indians who were willing to help them out. The Pilgrims had a choice to make. They could give thanks to God for the fact they were alive and functioning. They could have cursed God for the fact they lost well over half of the people they left England with. Or they could have cursed God because they did not land in FLORIDA! The other choice they had was to just forget about what God did for them and just live out their lives. They chose to give thanks. Even though they had a lot they could complain about, they chose to give thanks. They knew who to give the glory to. We can go through life complaining or we can spend our lives giving thanks! We can relate this to the story in the Bible of the Ten Lepers that were healed by Jesus. Turn to Luke 17:11-19… Sometimes, we read this story too quickly. So I am actually going to take a few days to walk through this with you. We start with ten men who have the worst disease of their day. The physical ramifications are horrendous. Leprosy attacks the body, leaving sores, missing fingers, missing toes, damaged limbs. In many cases, the initial pain of leprosy gives way to something more terrible than that - a loss of sensation in nerve endings, leading to more damage to more body parts. The disease can take 30 years to run its course, and in that time span, entire limbs can simply fall off. It is, assuredly, a most horrible disease. We have nearly an impossible task in trying to fathom what it was like 2,000 years ago, when medical treatment as we know it today was almost non-existent. But the emotional pain of the lepers was actually worse than the physical pain. Be forcibly separated from their loved ones…was probably the toughest part. The loved ones would come and give them food, but they had to stay far away and leave it for them. Then the leper could approach and eat it. But often, especially if they were disabled, other lepers would come and eat it before they arrived. I know I’m about out of time for today. So let me close with this… These 10 lepers had heard about the miracles of Jesus. If there was anyone that could help them, it was Him. So, they asked Him to heal them. And He did. Scripture says as “they went their way” to show themselves to the Priests, ONE turned around and came back to give thanks to Jesus. One. And we are still talking about him to this day. We never hear about the other nine. Nothing. But we still talk about the ONE. So, in this season of Thanksgiving, please STOP and, just like the Pilgrims – and just like the ONE leper, make a decision to GIVE THANKS to the Lord for what He has provided. It may not be anywhere near what you were hoping to have reaped this past year. But you still can give Him thanks for what He has provided. And that is all that really matters… Happy Thanksgiving… Let’s Pray! Please subscribe to this podcast, leave us a quick 5 star review on Apple Podcasts to help us grow and be sure to visit our website for more information on our...
Scripture For Today: 1 Corinthians 11:5“But every woman who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered dishonors her head—it is the same as having her head shaved.”Using Your Prayers Like A Sniper Uses a Bullet pt 5We have been talking these past few days about “Using your prayers like a sniper uses a bullet.” Yesterday, I left off with a description of the “armor of God” and how it applies to YOU being Spiritually prepared to engage and destroy the enemy… The point I wanted to make, but we just ran out of time yesterday, is this… YOUR WORDS MATTER. But your words ONLY matter when they are lined up with God’s Word ON the matter. You cannot say one thing and mean another. You cannot claim one thing and then deny it in the next breath. You need to be “the same, coming and going out!” You cannot claim one thing in church and something else when you’re confronted with the world. It will not work For example, if you have a pain in your back that is stopping you from doing things you want to do – you can do two things… 1. You can claim the promises in the Word concerning healing. Concerning taking authority over your body and keeping it under subjection. Concerning claiming that Jesus bore your pain on that cross so you don’t have to. Concerning taking authority over the pain and COMMANDING (not requesting – commanding) that pain leave your body because it does not have your permission to be there! 2. You can claim all of that and then walk outside and someone sees you and asks, “How ya’ doing brother (or sister)?” And you go talking about your bad back! You just negated the whole thing! You just told that person, the devil, the angels and Jesus Himself that you did not believe the prayer and words you spoke! The devil just turns to Jesus and says, “I told you so…” And there is nothing Jesus can do… you gave the devil authority over that situation with your negative words! “Well, what should I say brother Bob? The pain is real and I’m hurting bad…?” You lay hold of the word of God. You start quoting scripture at that pain, the devil behind the pain and at the devil himself! Something along the lines of, “I tell you one thing – this pain that has been in my back is gone in the name of Jesus. I’m not moved by what I see or what I feel. I’m only moved by God’s Holy Word and in His Word it says, “By His Stripes, I was healed.” So if I was healed that means I’m healed now. Praise God! I give no devil, no demon and no spirit of pain ANY authority to be in my body! My body is the Temple of the Holy Ghost and pain has no right to be there. I declare, in the Name of Jesus, that HIS WORD is true, not the lies of the devil. Praise God! I AM healed, in Jesus Mighty Name. In fact, I’m so healed right now, I want to lay hands on YOU and impart some of this anointing that’s on me to YOU – praise God! I’ve gotten a double portion because I know in my heart that I AM HEALED and now I’m putting ACTION with my Faith and I’ll pray for you or anyone else that needs healing…Glory to God!" You get to doing things like that – no demon from hell will want to be anywhere around you. Amen! Praise GOD! Ok, I’m out of time. I pray you got something out of this series. That is what I meant by “Using your prayers like a sniper uses a bullet!” Amen! Let’s Pray! Please subscribe to this podcast, leave us a quick 5 star review on Apple Podcasts to help us grow and be sure to visit our website for more information on our ministry: https://podcastersforchrist.com/ (https://podcastersforchrist.com). And while you are at the website, download the free resource I have for you… it is free and is called, “How to Start a Christian Podcast.” It will bless you – go and download it today. You can also WATCH these session on our Facebook Playlist at this...
Scripture For Today: Luke 22:32 “But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.”
Using Your Prayers Like A Sniper Uses a Bullet pt 4 We have been talking these past few days about “Using your prayers like a sniper uses a bullet.” Yesterday, I left off with a quote from Ephesians 6:10-17. Let’s read it again… “Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.” There are some things involved in this scripture that relate to the title of these past few messages. Remember, our topic is “Using Your Prayers Like a Sniper Uses a Bullet.” A sniper does not just send rounds down range in a haphazard manner. He does not just point and pull. He deliberately, methodically, takes aim. Adjust for windage. Adjusts for elevation changes. All of these things affect a bullets flight path from the end of the rifle until impact. Think about this… A human target at 500 meters. You can be 1/8th of an inch off on your aim. By the time the bullet travels to the target, your almost two feet off target. Someone who is not trained or equipped to fire and engage targets at that distance will miss 99% of the time. That is why they just pump as much lead down range as they can. And they will usually miss. But one sniper. Trained. Equipped. Knowledgeable. Will take aim with one round. Fire. And Destroy the target 500 meters away. Sometimes farther. He makes EVERY SHOT COUNT. Now, let’s relate that to Ephesians 6. Notice that each piece of equipment is designed for a purpose. This scripture used a Roman soldier as the example of how EVERY CHRISTIAN is equipped by God for battle with the devil. EVERY CHRISTIAN. We will start with the head… the helmet of salvation. That is your security – you’re born again. You have your “loins girt about with the Truth.” God’s Word is the Truth! That’s what I’ve been sharing with you. The devil may tell you some “facts.” But facts do not equate TRUTH. Think about the “flat earth” beliefs. People would spue out FACTS. But when satellites started to photograph earth from space – the TRUTH came out. Amen! That’s why I tell you to use God’s Word – QUOTE IT – when you engage the devil. Next is your breastplate. It protects your vital organs. Your breastplate is RIGHTEOUSNESS with God. Nothing can get near you because you belong to God. You have right standing with Him. Amen! Next is your feet. Soldiers traveled on their feet. They needed to take care of their feet. Soldiers today do the same thing. I know. I lived that life for 12 years. Amen! You need to have your feet shod with the Gospel of Peace. That needs to take you wherever your commander – JESUS – tells you to go. Amen! Above all – take your shield of FAITH. Faith in your weapons. Faith in knowing God will protect you. The shield protects you from, how many arrows does this scripture say? ALL the fiery darts that devil will fire at you. YOU ARE PROTECTED FROM ALL OF IT – simply by your Faith. Faith in God. Faith in God’s Word.
Scripture For Today:1 Peter 3:7“Husbands, in the same way be considerate as you live with your wives, and treat them with respect as the weaker partner and as heirs with you of the gracious gift of life, so that nothing will hinder your prayers.”Using Your Prayers Like A Sniper Uses a Bullet pt 3We have been talking these past few days about “Using your prayers like a sniper uses a bullet.” I want you to notice a common element in everything I’ve been sharing with you about getting your prayers answered and answered quickly… YOUR WORDS. For almost the past month or month and a half, I’ve been focusing on YOUR WORDS. And your words need to match GOD’s WORD. If you are saying things other than what is in God’s Word, you are walking in unbelief – not Faith. If you are not walking in Faith, then you cannot tell the devil to do anything – because he KNOWS you don’t believe what you are saying! If you are walking by Faith and not by sight, then you are walking IN Faith. You are confessing what the Word says. You are denying the “facts” you see in the natural and aligning your words with what the Word says the end result will be. Have you ever had an argument with someone and you are trying to lay out the “facts” to them, but they don’t want to hear it? What usually happens? You throw up your hands and walk away. Right? Now, picture the devil arguing with you about receiving your prayers as being answered. You are not accepting his “facts.” You are denying his “facts.” He is trying to convince you these facts are the truth concerning your situation. But when you have SCRIPTURE to stand on, you can remind him what the Word of God says! You start quoting the TRUTH and not the “facts.” You start telling HIM what the end result is going to be. You start FIRING OFF your prayers like that and I can guarantee that he will not stay around you but will FLEE. That’s what the Word says, right? Resist the devil and he will flee. Well, you can’t resist him with YOUR words! Your words are firing blanks at the enemy! He will sit there all day and tell you what a fool you are. And eventually, you’ll start to believe it! But, when you start using the Word of God and start firing off scripture after scripture that SAYS what you are believing… those Words are like bullets being fired directly at the devil or demon. What does the Word say in Ephesians 6:10-17? “Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.” When you take a stand like that, I guarantee you the devil will flee. Guaranteed! We’ll take it up there again tomorrow because I want to show you something from these verses that will bless you immensely. Amen! Let’s Pray! Please subscribe to this podcast, leave us a quick 5 star review on Apple Podcasts to help us grow and be sure to visit our website for more information on our ministry: https://podcastersforchrist.com/ (https://podcastersforchrist.com). And while you are at the website, download the free resource I have for you… it is free and is called, “How to Start a Christian Podcast.” It will bless you – go and download it today. You can...
Scripture For Today:3 John 1:2“Dear friend, I pray that you may enjoy good health and that all may go well with you, even as your soul is getting along well.”Using Your Prayers Like A Sniper Uses a Bullet pt 2Yesterday, I opened a discussion about “Using your prayers like a sniper uses a bullet.” Some may have thought it was a bit “morbid” or “inappropriate” to discuss shooting and killing someone on a ministry related program. My response, “Get over yourself.” The fact is, we are at war. War is brutal. War is fatal. War involves killing or incapacitating your enemy BEFORE he does so to you! General George S. Patton, Jr. once said, “Your job is NOT to die for your country! Oh, no… Your job is to make the other guy DIE for HIS country!” The Apostle Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 10:3-5, “Though we walk IN the flesh, we are not waging WAR according to the flesh….” What Paul is saying here, is that we do not fight with armor. We do not fight with politics. We don’t fight with money. We don’t fight with all of the “humanistic” ways – the petty games – that unbelievers mess with. Then, Paul goes on to say, “…The weapons of OUR WARFARE are not of the flesh, but have divine power to DESTROY STRONGHOLDS. We destroy the arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take EVERY THOUGHT CAPTIVE in order to obey Christ.” AMEN! When we “entertain thoughts” that are contrary to the Bible, we run the risk of allowing those thoughts to remain IN our minds. On once they take up residence there, they have legal authority to stay. They have legal authority to continually talk to our minds. They have legal authority to allow worldly points of view to become dominant in our minds. And this often leads to discontentment. This often leads us AWAY from the Gospel and TOWARDS the world’s point of view on various subjects. Don’t believe me? Listen to what Paul said in Romans 7, verses 19 and 24… “I do not do, the good I want to do, but the evil that I do not want is what I keep on doing…Oh what a wretched man I am.” The fact is, the reason we have so many weak Christians is because we do not know how to control our minds using the Gospel. Period! And, this all falls back on us – the ministers of the Gospel. It’s our fault this nation is in the precarious position it is in right now. Because the preachers were more concerned with filling seats (and their offering plates) than they were with the souls of the community. Ok – I’m not going to get off on that tangent. You’ve heard me teach on this before… But, let me close with this… If you are having an issue – any issue – that is contrary to what the Bible says belongs to you (healing, finances, loved ones, etc.) – then YOU need to get that thought demon out of your mind and out of your heart. And you can’t do that with flowery little prayers that sound so ‘cute.’ No, you need to find ONE SCRIPTURE that references how you are supposed to think; how you are supposed to act. ONE scripture that could be similar to your – and LIFT THAT TO THE LORD IN PRAYER… THEN – once you tell the Lord this scripture belongs to YOU as a promise from HIM… THEN, you take aim at that demon and let the Word of God become ALIVE on the inside of you and you let that word “destroy the stronghold” within your mind and heart. That is using your prayer like a sniper uses a bullet! That one little demon that has been harassing you in your own mind – will either duck for cover and retreat – or take the full on BLAST OF HOLY GHOST POWER through your prayer! I know, I know. I’m over time again today. Let’s take it up here again tomorrow. Let’s Pray! Please subscribe to this podcast, leave us a quick 5 star review on Apple Podcasts to help us grow and be sure to visit our website for more information on our ministry: https://podcastersforchrist.com/ (https://podcastersforchrist.com). And while you are at the
Scripture For Today: Psalm 86:6 “Hear my prayer, Lord; listen to my cry for mercy.”
Using Your Prayers Like A Sniper Uses a Bullet pt 1 The last few days, we’ve been talking about not charging the atmosphere with unbelief. You need to realize, and I hope you do after all of this teaching I’ve done these last few months…but YOUR WORDS MATTER in the Spirit realm. You may not think they matter, but they do. The devil is a legalist. He will use your own words against. Jesus is a legalist, too. He will use your own words FOR YOU – if they are words of Faith. Amen! Jesus gave us HIS authority to rule and reign in this earth by using HIS NAME and HIS WORD to TAKE AUTHORITY from Satan whenever and wherever he raises his ugly head. Amen! When you read your bible (again, I hope you are reading your bible – not just reading it – but studying it…if not, you’re in a hopeless state to begin with. But I digress)… You NEVER hear God speaking doubt and unbelief. You NEVER hear Jesus speaking doubt and unbelief. That’s why WE SHOULD NEVER speak doubt and unbelief… In war movies, you see guys standing up and spraying the area with their weapon on full auto and it seems like they are cutting then enemy down left and right. After the smoke settles and things quite down, the camera pans and shows who our “hero” single handedly saved the day… As a former Cavalry Officer, all I can say is, “yeah – right…” In combat, you do not fire your weapon on automatic unless absolutely necessary. And then, it would only be for a brief, 3-5 seconds. Usually to lay down cover fire for your buddies as they move forward to closer cover to engage the enemy from a better position. If you want to inflict maximum damage on the enemy, you need to make every – single – shot… every – single – bullet COUNT! We had a saying, one shot, one kill. You see, a sniper is the most feared person on the battlefield. They can “reach out and touch someone” from a long distance. Effectively engage the target and eliminate the target – with ONE SHOT. This gets into the minds of others around them and they seek cover too. It inflicts damage on their moral as well as their ability to further engage with you! Amen! Our prayers need to be the same way… When you pray, don’t beat around the bush with a bunch of flowery talk to make yourself seem so spiritual that God just “has to listen to your request.” If you do that – you’re an idiot! Sorry – but hey – don’t shout me down when I’m preaching good! Amen! You need to identify the reason for the prayer. Healing, finances, whatever. And pray about that ONE THING. If a devil is involved – and that is not the case every time – but there could be some demon hanging around… fire off a round at that sucker too! Praise God! You’ll be surprised how quick your prayers are answered because the devil hanging around decided to high tail it out of town when you pray like that! Amen! I’m way over again today, but we’ll take it up there tomorrow. Let’s Pray! Please subscribe to this podcast, leave us a quick 5 star review on Apple Podcasts to help us grow and be sure to visit our website for more information on our ministry: https://podcastersforchrist.com/ (https://podcastersforchrist.com). And while you are at the website, download the free resource I have for you… it is free and is called, “How to Start a Christian Podcast.” It will bless you – go and download it today. You can also WATCH these session on our Facebook Playlist at this link: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtKWeKtmv-BwgkquBTsSh-GznbmuUp_R2 (https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtKWeKtmv-BwgkquBTsSh-GznbmuUp_R2)
Scripture For Today:Philemon 1:6“I pray that your partnership with us in the faith may be effective in deepening your understanding of every good thing we share for the sake of Christ.”Don’t Charge the Atmosphere with Unbelief pt 3Words. Your words. We have been studying from Genesis 1:1-4 in how God used HIS Words to create everything. Yesterday, we seen how God spoke LIGHT into being…and then we discovered, that this is referring to JESUS, not the suns and stars. JESUS IS the LIGHT of the world! Praise God! We also seen that each member of the God Head was identified in these verses. God is mentioned. The Holy Spirit (the Spirit of God) is mentioned…but where is Jesus? In verse 3 God said, “LIGHT BE – and LIGHT WAS.” And since Jesus IS the Light – this must be referring to HIM. Not that God “created” Jesus…but that is where He separated JESUS for the world – for Creation itself. The point I’m getting to is this… James 3:9 says ALL people are “made in the likeness of God.” In Romans 8:29, we read “For those whom he foreknew, he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the first born among many brothers…” In John 17:21, we read “That they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me and I in you, that they also may be one in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me.” 1 John 3:2 says, “We are God’s children NOW, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know – that when He (Jesus) appears, WE SHALL BE LIKE HIM…because we shall see him as He is…” I could go on and on… The point being – If you are born again – you are re-created on the inside into the image of Christ who is the image of God. Which means WE are in the image of our Heavenly Father… But it does not stop there. Jesus gave us HIS authority to rule and reign in this earth by using HIS NAME to TAKE AUTHORITY from Satan whenever and wherever he raises his ugly head. Amen! We NEVER hear God speaking doubt and unbelief. We NEVER hear Jesus speaking doubt and unbelief. WE SHOULD NEVER speak doubt and unbelief… If we are – it usually because there is a devil, like in the cartoons, standing next to you telling you how unworthy you are because of all you have done wrong in your life. But – if you TAKE AUTHORITY over that devil and command him using the Name of Jesus to LEAVE – he will leave. He has no choice. The ONLY one that has ANY CHOICE here – is YOU. You either believe it, receive it and walk in it… Or you don’t. The choice is yours. We will take it up here again tomorrow. Let’s Pray! Please subscribe to this podcast, leave us a quick 5 star review on Apple Podcasts to help us grow and be sure to visit our website for more information on our ministry: https://podcastersforchrist.com/ (https://podcastersforchrist.com). And while you are at the website, download the free resource I have for you… it is free and is called, “How to Start a Christian Podcast.” It will bless you – go and download it today. You can also WATCH these session on our Facebook Playlist at this link: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtKWeKtmv-BwgkquBTsSh-GznbmuUp_R2 (https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtKWeKtmv-BwgkquBTsSh-GznbmuUp_R2)
Scripture For Today: 2 Chronicles 6:20“May your eyes be open toward this temple day and night, this place of which you said you would put your Name there. May you hear the prayer your servant prays toward this place.”Don’t Charge the Atmosphere with Unbelief pt 2Words. Words are one of THE most important things about prayer that you can learn about. Yesterday, we looked at Genesis 1:1 – 4 and how that sets the tone for EVERYTHING else in the Bible. It all revolves around WORDS. Mainly, the Words of God! And, since the Bible is the inspired Word of God – the each and every word, each and every dot over each and every “I” and every comma or period are also inspired. To believe otherwise is unbelief in the God’s Word. I know I’m stepping all over spiritual toes out there right now. But I’m not just stepping on them – I’m going to start jumping up and down on them now… get ready! Praise God! Let’s look again at Genesis 1:1 – 4: “In the beginning, GOD created the heaven and the earth…” “And the earth was without form, and void, and darkness was upon the face of the deep…” “And the Spirit of God MOVED upon the face of the waters…” So, picture this with me… there is NOTHING. The earth HAD NO FORM. It was a void. Nothing. Darkness was there. Darkness is always referred to Satan. God is Light and in Him there is no darkness. That is how, yesterday, we determined that God had regulated Satan to this void. He was in nothing. NOTH-ING! Then, God shows up… NOTHING is happening. NOTHING. He’s just there, in the Holy Spirit, observing that there is NOTHING physical going on. But, on the inside – God has the entire plan. He knows the end from the beginning. To bring it to fruition – God had to DO something. He had to bring what was INSIDE of Himself, into being. How did He do that? WORDS! He spoke WORDS. Words that were inside of Him that described exactly what He desired to happen. He did not mince His Words. He did not say, “Ok…let me see a sun…” Then a sun appeared. No that would not work. What if the sun appeared on the other side of the earth. It would still be nightfall on one side and daylight on the other. No – God did not mince His Words. He spoke EXACTLY what was supposed to happen. Look at verse 3 now… “And God SAID – “LET THERE BE LIGHT!” And there WAS – LIGHT” Verse 4: “And God SAW – physical seeing here – THE LIGHT. And it was GOOD.” Amen! Who, does the Bible refer to, as the LIGHT of the world? JESUS! Remember where we are at here…God speaking the Words that are INSIDE OF HIM. God only saying exactly what He wants to come to pass. I truly believe that right HERE, in Genesis 1, is when JESUS – who was with God and who WAS God – became the third part of the God Head. Think about that. We have “GOD” in verse one. We have the Spirit of God (or the Holy Spirit) in verse 2. Now, we have “THE LIGHT” that was brought into the WORLD and it came about through THE WORD which means it was inside of God all along. And when God SPOKE the Word that was in Him… LIGHT BE – He could have said, “JESUS – LIGHT OF THE WORLD – BE!” And then the Bible says, “AND LIGHT WAS.” JESUS WAS now part of God giving light to the world! And we KNOW this was not a sun or star because the Bible is very clear these were not created until day four. Amen! Folks, I’m just trying to get you to read DEEPER into the Bible instead of taking it at face value. We are out of time for today – but, once again, we will take this up again tomorrow. Let’s Pray! Please subscribe to this podcast, leave us a quick 5 star review on Apple Podcasts to help us grow and be sure to visit our website for more information on our ministry: https://podcastersforchrist.com/ (https://podcastersforchrist.com). And while you are at the website, download the free...
Scripture For Today: Matthew 24:20“Pray that your flight will not take place in winter or on the Sabbath…”Don’t Charge the Atmosphere with Unbelief pt 1Words. Words are one of THE most important things about prayer that you can learn about. Do you remember the grade school rhyme that went, “Sticks and stones can break my bones but words will never hurt me?” It sounded cute. But it was filled with unbelief. Plus, if you were facing down a bully, he would usually stop using words and turn it into something that “could” hurt you! My point, and we’ve discussed this over and over, is WORDS MATTER. Your words matter. More importantly, The WORD OF GOD matters the most! So, if God’s Word, and Jesus IS the Word of God made flesh, matters THE MOST… And you words matter, let’s say, “second most,” Wouldn’t work out THE BEST if your words matched up with God’s Words in every situation? Think about this… What created EVERYTHING? God’s Words. Nothing happened until GOD SPOKE. Go to Genesis 1:1-4 and let’s take a look at it… “In the beginning, GOD created the heaven and the earth…” That heaven, by the way, is NOT where God resides. It is talking about SPACE. (singular and notice the lower case “h”) Later on, it talks about the atmosphere…but I digress… “In the beginning, GOD created the heaven and the earth…” “And the earth was without form, and void, and darkness was upon the face of the deep…” “And the Spirit of God MOVED upon the face of the waters…” So, picture this with me… there is NOTHING. The earth HAD NO FORM. It was a void. Nothing. Darkness was there. Elsewhere, we can read that “God is light.” And darkness always refers to the devil and evil, correct? Could it be that this was Satan’s dwelling after God kicked him out of Heaven? Jesus said He “saw satan fall like lightning, from Heaven and cast down to the earth.” Could this have been where Satan was cast into because of his transgression? It makes sense, if you think about it. God wants to SHOW Satan how mistaken he was in thinking “nobody could love and worship God unless God “makes them do it.” Then it is not out of Love, but fear…” So, when God decides to create man and show Satan that a free will being will choose God over all else, God decides to do it right where Satan can see it. Amen! I’m already out of time…so let’s finish these verses and take it up there tomorrow… “In the beginning, GOD created the heaven and the earth…” “And the earth was without form, and void, and darkness was upon the face of the deep…” “And the Spirit of God MOVED upon the face of the waters…” “And God SAID, “Light BE and Light WAS. And God saw the Light, and that it was GOOD.” Quick close in summary… Nothing was happening UNTIL GOD SPOKE WORDS. That is how powerful words are. And since WE are created in His image and Jesus has given us His authority – we can use Words to create, just like He did… Ok. Let’s leave it there for today… Let’s Pray! Please subscribe to this podcast, leave us a quick 5 star review on Apple Podcasts to help us grow and be sure to visit our website for more information on our ministry: https://podcastersforchrist.com/ (https://podcastersforchrist.com). And while you are at the website, download the free resource I have for you… it is free and is called, “How to Start a Christian Podcast.” It will bless you – go and download it today. You can also WATCH these session on our Facebook Playlist at this link: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtKWeKtmv-BwgkquBTsSh-GznbmuUp_R2 (https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtKWeKtmv-BwgkquBTsSh-GznbmuUp_R2)
Scripture For Today: Philemon 1:4“I always thank my God as I remember you in my prayers…”Why We Need Other Denominations pt 4
The past few days, I’ve been sharing with you some comparisons about various parts of the body working together – even though they all have different functions. The main thing I’ve been emphasizing is, no matter how small or insignificant the body part or function, if ALL of the parts are not harmonized and working together, the whole body suffers. Today, I just want to summarize for you what we’ve discovered about different denominations all being part of the Body of Christ. We realized, in our example, that it takes all different kinds of people and skills to work together with one goal – building the house. Each person has different areas of responsibility. Each person must get their job accomplished – often before someone else can come in and continue the building process. Each denomination, each church in your community – has a different responsibility. Each pastor has certain people he or she can reach. And each pastor has certain people that they will never reach. Even in the same church! When we had our church, not all the time, but often, I would say something to the effect of, “If something I have said today has tugged your heart and you want to receive Jesus as your Savior, come forward or let me know so we can pray together.” Then I would add, “If you are looking for a church, but you’re not sure if this church is right for you – it probably isn’t. I’m not going to beat around the bush here. If you tell me what you are looking for in a church – I know a lot of pastors in this town and I can introduce you or send you to a church that will minister to YOU.” You see, I want to build the Body of Christ. I did not – and I do not – need to have excess baggage in my ministry that holds me back from ministering to the people GOD has called me to minister to! I may offend many pastors by saying this, but so be it. STOP worrying about church attendance and START worrying about the Body of Christ as a whole! The first part is YOU trying to do SOMETHING. The second is God using YOU to do something! There is HUGE difference! Amen! That is what I mean by “We need different denominations!” YOU cannot minister to every person that walks through your doors to “see what you are about.” Stop pretending you can! Using the references to different skill sets that are necessary to build a house, I will close with this… Have you ever noticed it takes a former alcoholic to minister to an alcoholic? Or a former drug addict to minister to another drug addict? Or a former prostitute to minister to a prostitute? Why is that? Because they can relate. So, if you are a plumber, you need to go to a plumbers church. If you are a roofer, you need to go to a roofers church. If you are an electrician, you need to attend an electricians church. A plumber attending a roofers church, where the lingo is about roofing terminology and inside jokes, etc., is not going to “fit in.” Just like an electrician attending a plumbers church won’t fit in. You need to attend a church that is matched to you! Now do you see why we need all of the denominations we have? Each serves a particular purpose. But together, we are all building the Body of Christ! Let’s Pray! Please subscribe to this podcast, leave us a quick 5 star review on Apple Podcasts to help us grow and be sure to visit our website for more information on our ministry: https://podcastersforchrist.com/ (https://podcastersforchrist.com). And while you are at the website, download the free resource I have for you… it is free and is called, “How to Start a Christian Podcast.” It will bless you – go and download it today. You can also WATCH these session on our Facebook Playlist at this link: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtKWeKtmv-BwgkquBTsSh-GznbmuUp_R2...
Scripture For Today:2 Chronicles 6:34-35“When your people go to war against their enemies, wherever you send them, and when they pray to you toward this city you have chosen and the temple I have built for your Name, then hear from heaven their prayer and their plea, and uphold their cause.”Why We Need Other Denominations pt 3The past few days, I’ve been sharing with you some comparisons about various parts of the body working together – even though they all have different functions. The main thing I’ve been emphasizing is, no matter how small or insignificant the body part or function, if ALL of the parts are not harmonized and working together, the whole body suffers. In fact, if one part becomes infected and dies or becomes septic, the entire body may die! Even from something as insignificant as an infected hang nail on your little finger! Amen! Then, yesterday I shared about different contractors working together to build a house. I just want to go over that example again because I believe it is so powerful for what we are talking about. Remember, it takes different people with different skill sets to assemble an entire house and to do so effectively and on time. Amen! The body of Christ should function as efficiently as a group of people building a physical house. After all, we are ALL charged with building the Body of Christ on this earth. Amen! So, you would have your foundation crew come in first. This is kind of like the Apostles to the nations. Then, you would bring in your plumbers and have them install all of those lines. That is important to do before you start assembling everything else. You have to know where all of those pipes go. In fact, the foundation people cannot lay the solid foundation until the plumbers finish their work. Think about it! Then, the framers come and frame it all out. Then the, the walls go up and the electricians come and begin to do their jobs. As do the plumbers. While all of this is going on, the carpenters put up the walls and are laying out the interior walls. The window people are coming in to install window and doors. The roofers are coming in an enclosing the roof to keep everything dry. Then they come back to install the shingles and stuff. While all of this is taking place, coordination is being made to have the siding people come in; the painters, the landscapers and all of the other people to complete the “prettiness” of the house. How does that relate to various denominations? Some denominations are great at sending laborers into the field. Others at serving the homeless. Others at contributing to causes and printing the Gospel. Others are good at witnessing while others are good at distributing. Others are good at production and mass media. Others are good at holding to traditions and passing them down while others are great at changing with the times to reach a younger generation. Think about, when you went to YOUR church, you either attended because that is where your family has always gone; or you went because your old church was full of OLD people. Or it could be you grew tired of the same old messages and were looking for a new take on Biblical principles. You found a church that served that need. So you moved. Just like building a house, if ALL of the churches in your town, city or even just your neighborhood, would get together, pray, hold events and just work together instead of alone – so much more good could come. You would begin to TAKE BACK the streets from the drug peddlers and murderers and begin to actually DO the work of the Gospel instead of talking and wishing and hoping. Amen! I know I’m way over time. So let’s close with a prayer. Let’s Pray! Please subscribe to this podcast, leave us a quick 5 star review on Apple Podcasts to help us grow and be sure to visit our website for more information on our ministry: https://podcastersforchrist.com/ (https://podcastersforchrist.com). And while you are
Scripture For Today:2 Chronicles 30:18“Although most of the many people who came from Ephraim, Manasseh, Issachar and Zebulun had not purified themselves, yet they ate the Passover, contrary to what was written. But Hezekiah prayed for them, saying, “May the Lord, who is good, pardon everyone…”Why We Need Other Denominations pt 2Yesterday, we introduced the topic of why having various denominations in Christian circles is so important. The Bible in 1 Corinthians 12 verses 12 to 27, you can read about the importance Jesus puts on various parts of the body. His reference is there are many parts and each has a particular usefulness. If one part suffers, the whole body suffers. If one part is sickly and not taken care of, the whole body could die. If one part is removed or amputated, the whole body cannot function as it was designed. I shared an example of your little toe. Most people don’t even give it a thought unless something is wrong. But if you lost your little toe, it actually impedes your ability to balance yourself and could lead to falls and that could lead to something more serious. I also shared about building a house and the various parts and plans that go into that. I would like to emphasize that just a bit more today. I believe this is a very clear picture of the importance of the various denominations involved in building up the Body of Christ. I also use this example of utilizing specialist in everything you do. For example, we shared about laying the foundation before building the house. You cannot just go out on the street corner and ask someone to come and lay the foundation for your house. It just would not work out for you. There are people who have made it their specialty, their career, to learn all they can about laying solid foundations. There are churches and pastors who do the same. Their calling is to study, teach and share about the foundations of the Christ. The Word of God. If you ask a new born-again Christian to teach on laying a solid foundation in the Word, they would not be able to do it as effectively and efficiently as a seasoned pastor who has studied and taught on this subject for many, many years! And this is only the foundation we’ve been talking about. There are framers, plumbers, electricians, dry wall experts, painters, window installers, roofers, etc. All have a place in building a house. If you try to skip using any one of these people in building your house, it will not turn out correct. Would you hire a painter to do your plumbing and electrical work, too? Would you hire a roofer to lay the foundation? Both deal with building a house, but I don’t know if I’d trust a roofer to lay a good foundation. I don’t know if would trust a foundation expert to put a roof on my house! But, when working together, all of these experts can put a house up in almost no time. They are experts at working together and getting the task accomplished. On time and on budget (in most cases). What about interior designers? Would you trust them to do the plumbing? Would you trust an electrician to do your siding? NO. I pray that you are seeing the importance of having all of these individuals involved in their area of expertise and how they all work together to build your house. Churches and various denominations do the same exact thing – WHEN THEY WORK TOGETHER! And that is what we will talk more about tomorrow. Amen! Let’s Pray! Please subscribe to this podcast, leave us a quick 5 star review on Apple Podcasts to help us grow and be sure to visit our website for more information on our ministry: https://podcastersforchrist.com/ (https://podcastersforchrist.com). And while you are at the website, download the free resource I have for you… it is free and is called, “How to Start a Christian Podcast.” It will bless you – go and download it today. You can also WATCH these session on our Facebook Playlist at this...
Scripture For Today:1 Chronicles 5:20“They were helped in fighting them, and God delivered the Hagrites and all their allies into their hands, because they cried out to him during the battle. He answered their prayers, because they trusted in him.”Why We Need Other Denominations pt 1I’ve been around the block in Christian circles a few times. I’ve preached in Baptist churches, COGIC churches, Pentecostal churches, Presbyterian churches, Independent Baptist churches, convention centers, city parks, you name it – I’ve probably been there. Amen! I have associated with churches that have different doctrinal beliefs than I do. I have no problem fellowshipping or even preaching in these churches and hanging out with these pastors. First and most importantly of all – we are fellow Christian believers. Amen! I’ve shared in some circles that we are called to what? Build the church, which is the Body of Christ. The bible talks about us being a body made up of different parts. Each part has it’s own function. Even you little toe is important. Did you know that? If you lose your little toe, for whatever reason, your ability to balance yourself is also thrown off, just a little bit. Check it online and see if I’m not telling you the truth. Amen! The point I’m trying to make is this, just as the body is made up of various parts, and if one part is sickly or not operating the way it is supposed to be – the entire BODY suffers to some extent. And, if that part should become seriously sick, injured or worse – it is possible the entire body will end up dying. It works the same way within the church – which is the body of Christ. Amen! I’ve related it this way, to make it a little clearer for some people to understand WHY we need to fellowship, support and actually HELP churches and ministries that may not “believe” (doctrinally) the same way we do. Think of it like this… When a house is being built, new construction – or remodeled, etc. Do you just grab a hammer, saw and some wood and go to work yourself? NO! First, you have to get permits. Before you can do that, you have to have the blue print in hand. Can you make a blue print that meets all of the specs required for building permits? Can you hand your blueprint off to a construction worker and they can build the exact house you desire? Probably not, right? That’s just one example… Then, there is the preparation of the foundation. You don’t just go to building on raw ground. It has to prepared a certain way. Concrete poured, etc. Then the framers come in. Followed by the plumbers and electricians and the then walls are put and the roof is installed. Now, let me ask you, are each of those occupations important in building a house? Absolutely. Can you build a house without one or more of those people contributing to the building of the house? You could, but it probably would not pass inspection and would not turn out how you intended, right? It’s the same way with the Body of Christ. Jesus has the plan. He was there when the “foundations of earth was laid.” He knows how it is supposed to operate. So, if HE needs various denominations in order to accomplish His purpose in building HIS HOUSE – HIS Body – shouldn’t we do all we can to get along and work with one another? Absolutely. I’m already over time for today, so we will take it up here tomorrow. Let’s Pray! Please subscribe to this podcast, leave us a quick 5 star review on Apple Podcasts to help us grow and be sure to visit our website for more information on our ministry: https://podcastersforchrist.com/ (https://podcastersforchrist.com). And while you are at the website, download the free resource I have for you… it is free and is called, “How to Start a Christian Podcast.” It will bless you – go and download it today. You can also WATCH these session on our Facebook Playlist at this link: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtKWeKtmv-BwgkquBTsSh-GznbmuUp_R2...
Scripture For Today: 1 Samuel 1:16“Do not take your servant for a wicked woman; I have been praying here out of my great anguish and grief.”The Most Important Thing pt 3We have been looking at what the “Most Important Thing” is in our lives. Especially in the lives of Christian believes. Yesterday, we left off with an understanding that THE MOST IMPORTANT THING is hearing and believing the Word of God. We learned that before we can take action, we must believe something will work. In order to believe something will work, we MUST hear about that something. And the something we are referring to is HEARING THE WORD OF GOD. No matter what your need is, if you go to the Word of God and find something in the Word that can be related to your situation… where God answered someone’s prayer that could be similar to or relatable to your situation – YOU can stand on THAT WORD for your own situation! The will try to tell you it does not apply to you and you have not business confessing that. But you can tell the devil he proved your point because if he is a liar and that PROVES IT WORKED)! If you will do that, you will begin to see breakthrough’s in your life come faster than you ever thought possible. Healings. Financial blessings. Relationships restored. Loved one’s saved. Marriages become better than ever! WHY? Because you BELIEVE THE WORD YOU HEARD. THE MOST IMPORTANT THING IS… BELIEVING THE WORD OF GOD… That is THE MOST IMPORTANT THING. Let’s Pray! Please subscribe to this podcast, leave us a quick 5 star review on Apple Podcasts to help us grow and be sure to visit our website for more information on our ministry: https://podcastersforchrist.com/ (https://podcastersforchrist.com). And while you are at the website, download the free resource I have for you… it is free and is called, “How to Start a Christian Podcast.” It will bless you – go and download it today. You can also WATCH these session on our Facebook Playlist at this link: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtKWeKtmv-BwgkquBTsSh-GznbmuUp_R2 (https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtKWeKtmv-BwgkquBTsSh-GznbmuUp_R2)
Scripture For Today:1 Samuel 1:13“…Hannah was praying in her heart, and her lips were moving but her voice was not heard. Eli thought she was drunk…”The Most Important Thing pt 2Yesterday, I took a side journey down a path of knowing God’s will and we talked about “The Most Important Thing.” Most people would assume that the most important thing is about our salvation. And that is true – it is very important. But, I want to go deeper than that. You may believe your salvation is the most important thing. OK. Let me ask you this. Why do you believe you are saved? What happened that brought you to that realization that you were lost and would spend eternity in hell? Most people, me included, and I’m sure you, too – would say they came to that realization when someone shared the Gospel with them. It could also include any number of adverse circumstances in our life, most probably brought on by our own stupid decisions. Which brought to the brink of despair and that is when the Gospel Message finally was able to penetrate our thick skulls to where we started to contemplate it and it finally took root in our hearts and then WHAM – we asked Jesus to forgive us and become Lord of our lives. Right? Maybe not exact, but pretty close for most people… But, let’s exam what actually happened… We heard the Word. We believed the Word. We took action on the Word. Think about it… that is exactly what happened to us and happens to every believer. PERIOD. You hear the Word and believe the Word. Then you take action on the Word that you heard and believed. Romans 10:9-10 says, “If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead – YOU WILL BE SAVED.” Look at what the verse says. YOU confess… YOU BELIEVE… YOU WILL BE SAVED. Before you can confess, you must what? BELIEVE the Word. Before you can believe the Word, you must what? HEAR the Word. So, you believe the Word that you heard and then you what? CONFESS with your mouth and believe with your heart that what you just said is true. Right? So, let’s circle back… What is the MOST IMPORTANT THING? Hearing the Word. That MUST BE FIRST. What would then be the MOST IMPORTANT THING? After you hear the Word – you must BELIEVE THE WORD. If you believe it – then you act on what you believe. That is how your prayer of salvation worked! Can I get an AMEN from somebody somewhere? So the MOST IMPORTANT THING is believing the Word that you hear. You can “hear” with your eyes as your READ the Word. It is STILL THE WORD SPEAKING TO YOU! Amen! OK, I’m over again for today. I thought we would finish this today, but the Holy Spirit is doing something here. So we will take it up here again tomorrow. Ok? Let’s Pray! Please subscribe to this podcast, leave us a quick 5 star review on Apple Podcasts to help us grow and be sure to visit our website for more information on our ministry: https://podcastersforchrist.com/ (https://podcastersforchrist.com). And while you are at the website, download the free resource I have for you… it is free and is called, “How to Start a Christian Podcast.” It will bless you – go and download it today. You can also WATCH these session on our Facebook Playlist at this link: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtKWeKtmv-BwgkquBTsSh-GznbmuUp_R2 (https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtKWeKtmv-BwgkquBTsSh-GznbmuUp_R2)
Scripture For Today:Jeremiah 42:20“…that you made a fatal mistake when you sent me to the Lord your God and said, ‘Pray to the Lord our God for us; tell us everything he says and we will do it.’”The Most Important Thing pt 1We have been sharing a lot lately about praying for our loved ones; about standing on the promises of God’s Word; about not negating our prayers with our unbelief… I just want to emphasize the “Most Important Thing” or the “Most important denominator” in all of these sessions lately. I say “the most important thing” – not to exclude ANY part of God’s Word – but to make you think about what I’m about to share. IF you hold onto this one aspect – EVERYTHING in your life will begin to change… And it will begin to change IMMEDIATELY. What is that most important thing? That is KNOWING your prayers are answered – even before you pray – but especially once you pray! AMEN! How do I know that I have the petitions that I desired of Him? Because I KNOW He heard me! How do I know He heard me? Because I prayed according to His Will. How do I know I prayed according to His will? Because I prayed what was in His Word! And God’s Word IS God’s Will. Amen! So, when you pray according to God’s Word – you are AUTOMATICALLY praying according to God’s Will. Glory to God! Let’s look at the opposite perspective for a moment to show you how self-centered we can be… If God does not keep His promises in His Word – every single one of them – the HE IS A LIAR and not God! Don’t think I’m being blasphemous right now – I’m not. I’m saying, if God’s Word does not work ALL OF THE TIME – Then there are some areas where the Word of God will not work. And if God’s Word does not work ALL of the time – then there are some areas of life where someone else is God in those areas, namely – the devil. Which would then mean that Jesus did not completely defeat the devil. Which means there is still the possibility that your sins are not paid for… See how silly; how stupid, that perspective sounds? Do not accept that lie from the devil. Find a promise in God’s Word and STAND on that promise. If the devil or if your mind or your body tries to tell you “It didn’t work this time…” Just say out loud “Devil – YOU are a liar. God’s Word says ….” And then quote the scripture you are standing on… amen! We will take it up here tomorrow as we are all out of time for today. But I want to encourage you to read the Word of God and find the answer to your problems in the Word of God and STAND ON THOSE SCRIPTURES! Praise God! Do not compromise! EVER! Amen! Let’s Pray! Please subscribe to this podcast, leave us a quick 5 star review on Apple Podcasts to help us grow and be sure to visit our website for more information on our ministry: https://podcastersforchrist.com/ (https://podcastersforchrist.com). And while you are at the website, download the free resource I have for you… it is free and is called, “How to Start a Christian Podcast.” It will bless you – go and download it today. You can also WATCH these session on our Facebook Playlist at this link: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtKWeKtmv-BwgkquBTsSh-GznbmuUp_R2 (https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtKWeKtmv-BwgkquBTsSh-GznbmuUp_R2)
Scripture For Today: 1 Timothy 4:5“Because it is consecrated by the Word of God and Prayer…”Praying for Unsaved Loved Ones pt 2Yesterday, we started to discuss the topic of praying for our loved ones. I shared that, especially if the loved ones are under your care, kids, grandkids or parents, etc., YOU have spiritual authority to actually claim their salvation. That does not mean YOU make the decision for salvation FOR them. It means you can take authority in the spirit and fend off evil influences and loose angelic forces to continuously bring other believers across the path of your loved ones and witness to them. This does not apply to children too young to know what a decision of salvation means. Of course, they are covered by the blood to the age of majority, which simply means they understand what salvation is all about and are capable of making or rejecting Christ. If they appear to reject Christ’s offer of salvation, this is where YOUR spiritual authority can take over. You must start to confess their salvation and then hold onto your confession. Despite what your loved one says, does or implies – YOU cannot let of your prayer and confession for them. The devil will come at you, for sure, claiming “your prayer wasn’t answered” and all of that. He will replay all the bad stuff they are doing. Like I said, you need to pray Matthew 9:38 over them and ask the Holy Spirit to direct laborers across their paths. I know when I was praying like this for my family, according to God’s Word, which we already study IS HIS WORD, I would pray in BOLDNESS and confidence before God. When the devil would come at me that they might not EVER be saved – I would simply laugh – out loud and remind the devil that HE is a liar and the father of lies…which means if he says they are not saved then that is a lie. So the opposite MUST BE TRUE – They ARE Saved, in the name of Jesus! Then I would start praising God for answering my prayer of salvation for them and allowing the devil to come and confirm it by trying to tell me a lie that they were not saved – because there is no truth in anything the devil has to say! Praise God! Somebody just got a revelation right there! Amen! That goes back to what we were studying in 1 John 5:14-15… “and this is the confidence that we have in HIM, that if we ask anything according to His will, he hears us… and if we KNOW He has heard us, whatsoever we ask, we KNOW that WE HAVE the petition we have desired of Him.” Then add in the TRUTH of God’s Word concerning salvation, which we all know John 3:16, “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” And add in 2 Peter 3:9 that “The Lord is not willing that ANY should perish, but that ALL should come to everlasting life.” So we can rest in the TRUTH of God’s Word, including the TRUTH that “the devil is a liar and the father thereof and there is NO truth in him.” So, if the devil tells you one thing – the opposite is true. And if God’s Word says something – it is ABSOLUTELY TRUE. Did you get anything out of this today? Don’t negate your prayers just because the devil tries to tell you they did not work! In fact, the opposite is true – they DID work, you just have not seen the results in the natural yet. But, since you now know your prayers have been answered – START PRAISING GOD! And drive the devil nuts! Amen! Let’s Pray! Please subscribe to this podcast, leave us a quick 5 star review on Apple Podcasts to help us grow and be sure to visit our website for more information on our ministry: https://podcastersforchrist.com/ (https://podcastersforchrist.com). And while you are at the website, download the free resource I have for you… it is free and is called, “How to Start a Christian Podcast.” It will bless you – go and download it today. You can also...
Scripture For Today:Psalm 88:2“May my prayer come before you; turn your ear to my cry.”Praying for Unsaved Loved Ones pt 1We have been studying about praying according to God’s Will. The past couple of days, we focused on not negating our prayers by negative thinking, negative speaking and negative actions. I also hinted around that you can do the same thing when you pray for your loved ones and friends. I gave the example of my wife praying for me every single day for FOUR YEARS before I accepted the Lord into my life. That is FAITH! Amen! But, once I learned even more about the authority that we have in Christ, I gained the confidence to pray for my loved ones, my family, my kids, grandkids, etc. as if I was praying for myself or my wife. We HAVE that same authority. Amen! And, once I prayed for them to come to the Lord – that sealed the deal in my mind and in my spirit. I don’t have to beg God to save them anymore. I have HIS WORD on the matter. And HIS WORD is His Will (we have been studying that, amen)! And since He cannot lie and His Word is TRUE – I don’t have to keep ASKING for Him to save my family – it’s already a done deal! Praise God! Somebody just got that! Amen! You see, my family, living in my house are under my authority! Praise God! I went to battle many times with the devil over my kids. And bless God, WE WON many times, too. We have never lost! It may have appeared we were losing, but our confessions never changed and, long story short – WE WON EVERY TIME! The battle may not have appeared to go the way we wanted – but God still brought about the victory and the answer to our prayers. Amen! As far as my other relatives and friends, you may not have the authority to pray over the influences they are allowing into their lives. BUT – you can pray the Lord will send His laborers to cross their paths and witness for them. Amen! And there is not any devil in hell that can stop that from happening. Praise God! Now, let me say this, you DO have some authority for family members that do not live with you. Although they do not live under your IMMEDIATE authority, you can still rebuke Satan and command he take his hands off of your family members. You can also CLAIM their salvation in the Name of Jesus. Between binding the devil and loosing angels to bring witnesses across family and friends paths, you ARE changing the dynamics of their day to day lives and you are bringing about that change by the Word of God. Amen! These things are written for us to use and to believe and to stand on – in the Name of Jesus. This is not “wishful thinking.” This is Spiritual COMBAT at the highest level. And since Jesus has already won the war – He has given us the authority to USE HIS NAME here on earth. And we can use that authority effectively – if YOU will only believe. Amen! I know I’m over time so I have to wrap this up for today. But we will take it up right here again tomorrow. Let’s Pray! Please subscribe to this podcast, leave us a quick 5 star review on Apple Podcasts to help us grow and be sure to visit our website for more information on our ministry: https://podcastersforchrist.com/ (https://podcastersforchrist.com). And while you are at the website, download the free resource I have for you… it is free and is called, “How to Start a Christian Podcast.” It will bless you – go and download it today. You can also WATCH these session on our Facebook Playlist at this link: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtKWeKtmv-BwgkquBTsSh-GznbmuUp_R2 (https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtKWeKtmv-BwgkquBTsSh-GznbmuUp_R2)
Scripture For Today:Mathew 14:23“After he had dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray. Later that night, he was there alone…”Don’t Cancel Your Prayers pt 2We have been studying about praying according to God’s Will. And we focused in on, among other scriptures, 1 John 5:14-15 which says, “and this is the confidence that we have in HIM, that if we ask anything according to His will, he hears us… and if we KNOW He has heard us, whatsoever we ask, we KNOW that WE HAVE the petition we have desired of Him.” Yesterday, I left off with the example of YOU spitting in the face of God and calling Him a liar. For those of you that missed it, you can go back and watch it or listen to it. But let me ask you this: How do you think that would work out for you if spit in the face of God and called Him a liar in His Word – to His face? Yeah… pack your bags son, you’re going on a trip that you will never come back from. It would not end well, would it? But yet, that is what so called Christians do every time that add that stupid little phrase, “…if it be thy will” to the end of their prayers. If it were not for the Grace and Mercy of God – we would all be lost as can be. Sometimes, we are just to stupid to understand the Mercy of God – but there it is. Amen! We don’t mean to do it, but by our word and by our actions, that is exactly what we are doing. We are not consciously calling God a liar, but, in effect, we are. What if you had a financial need and asked your parents for $100. They told you they would deposit it via computer into your account right now! RIGHT NOW! Later in the day, you call them back up and ask them for a $100 again. They said, “we sent it earlier. It’s already there.” Then you reply with “I don’t have it in my hands. I guess you don’t really love me. I can’t trust a thing you tell me. If you ever decide to love me, please send me the $100. Goodbye.” Then you tell your spouse that your parents don’t really love you because they did not give you the $100 you asked for and that they said they would give you. If you were smart, when your parents “Gave you their Word” and said it would be there today – you should have gotten in the car and gone to the bank and tell the banker, “give me my money!” That would have been FAITH in the promise your parents gave you. You did not see the money. You did not see them send the money. You only had their word that they did. Amen! And you acted on their promise – in Faith – and went to the bank. And what was there waiting on you? Your $100. Amen! There is a process in place at the bank to protect your money, too. No random person can just walk in and take money out of your account. You have to go through the established procedures to prove it is really you to get the money that, what? ALREADY belongs to you! If you just walk into the bank and yell out, “GIVE ME THE MONEY!” - Well, that won’t end too well either, will it! But, if you go to the bank simply on faith in the word your parents gave you… You go into the bank and follow the procedures in place to ensure that ONLY YOU will receive the money… It is THERE in answer to your request. Now, put all of that in perspective of 1 John 5:14-15 again, “and this is the confidence that we have in HIM, that if we ask anything according to His will, he hears us… and if we KNOW He has heard us, whatsoever we ask, we KNOW that WE HAVE the petition we have desired of Him.” This is the confidence you have in your parents promise, that if you ask them for anything according to their willingness to provide it, they will hear you and, whatever it is you asked for, they will provide it to you and you will possess it. That’s 1 John 5:14-15 in the Brother Bob translation. Amen! The point being, it is the same type of faith in each example. You must believe the answer each provided (your parents and God through His Word). Then, you must
Scripture For Today:2 Kings 19:4“It may be that the Lord your God will hear all the words of the field commander, whom his master, the king of Assyria, has sent to ridicule the living God, and that he will rebuke him for the words the Lord your God has heard. Therefore pray for the remnant that still survives.”Don’t Cancel Your Prayers pt 1We have been studying about praying according to God’s Will. And we focused in on, among other scriptures, 1 John 5:14-15 which says, “and this is the confidence that we have in HIM, that if we ask anything according to His will, he hears us… and if we KNOW He has heard us, whatsoever we ask, we KNOW that WE HAVE the petition we have desired of Him.” We talked a bit yesterday about praying for your loved ones to be saved. I left off with the question, “Did God hear you when you prayed?” Your answer, I pray, was YES! Did you pray according to God’s Word? Is it God’s Word that EVERYONE be saved? YES! So we know it is God’s Word and God’s Will that everyone be saved, right? OK… So when you prayed for your loved one to be saved, God heard you; and we can read in 1 John 5:14-15 and in other scriptures that we did pray according to His Will. That means you will receive what you asked God for. Amen! “But, brother Bob, my loved ones still are not saved. They are living like heathens.” Let me tell you something, before I was born again, if you would have looked up the word “heathen” in the dictionary, it probably had my picture next to it. Amen! My wife prayed for me every single day for four years BEFORE I ever got born again. Look at 1 John 5:!5 again. “…if we KNOW that God hears us, whatsoever ever we ask, we KNOW that we have the petitions that we desire of Him.” Can I get an AMEN? If you pray according to God’s Word, the Bible…it says you HAVE the petitions you desire of Him. Not that you WILL have. That you HAVE – right now – in possession of – the YES from God. Amen! But your prayers WILL NOT WORK – if you judge the answer by what you currently see in the natural. That is not FAITH – it’s feelings. “Well, I just don’t feel healed…” “Well, I’m still just as broke as can be…” “Well, I guess my prayers aren’t getting answered…” I can hear you right now – that’s how some of you are praying. You pray for a miracle and then negate the entire thing by saying something stupid, like, “Well you never know what God is gonna do…” or some other anti-faith statement. When you add some stupid remark to the end of your prayer like, “…if it be thy will…” – WHEN YOU ALREADY KNOW WHAT THE WORD SAYS – which IS God’s will – then you are calling God a liar to His face during your prayer time! It would be like coming to your momma or daddy and ask, “Do you love me?” And they respond with, “Why of course I love you!” Then you spit on them and call them a liar! How would that make them feel? How do you think God feels when you do that to Him? That is what you are doing when you KNOW His Word says it is His will to do – whatever… healing, blessing, etc. And then you tell Him “I really don’t know if your word is true…but if it is, can you answer me so I know it’s true?” Folks, it doesn’t work that way. And I’m all out of time for today, so we will take it up here tomorrow. Let’s Pray! Please subscribe to this podcast, leave us a quick 5 star review on Apple Podcasts to help us grow and be sure to visit our website for more information on our ministry: https://podcastersforchrist.com/ (https://podcastersforchrist.com). And while you are at the website, download the free resource I have for you… it is free and is called, “How to Start a Christian Podcast.” It will bless you – go and download it today. You can also WATCH these session on our Facebook Playlist at this...
Scripture For Today:2 Kings 19:14“Hezekiah received the letter from the messengers and read it. Then he went up to the temple of the Lord and spread it out before the Lord.”How to Pray According to God’s Will pt 4We have been studying about praying according to God’s Will. Do you want to see something that a lot of Christians miss? Stick with me… John 15:7 says you will have whatsoever you will, but only under a special condition. Do you remember we covered this a few days ago? That condition is “If you abide in Jesus and His Word abides in you.” Amen! When God’s Word abides in you, that means it is ALIVE in you. When God’s Word is ALIVE in you, then you absolutely know what God’s will is in any matter. His Word IS His Will – we studied that a week or so ago. So, when you ask something according to the Word of God, then you are automatically asking for it according to God’s Will. Amen! That means you do not have to pray, “if it be thy will…” nonsense. For example, we know it is God’s will that the lost be saved, right? How do we know that? Because God’s Word tells us so. We can read it in John 3:16, “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” Isn’t that what it says? We also can read in 2 Peter 3:9 that “The Lord is not willing that ANY should perish, but that ALL should come to everlasting life.” There are a host of other scriptures that say basically the same thing. Right? So, you do not have to wonder; you do not have to pray or ask God, “Lord, if is your will to save my husband or daughter or grandchild – then please save them.” No – we already KNOW it is His will to save them. You don’t have to pray, “If it be thy will” to save ANYBODY! You absolutely KNOW it is His Will to save EVERYBODY because we have His Word on it, right? Now, back to 1 John 5:14, “and this is the confidence that we have in HIM, that if we ask anything according to His will, he hears us…” Let that soak in for a moment… “This is the confidence we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.” Did God hear you when you prayed for your loved one to be saved? Yes. Is it God’s will for every person to be saved? Yes. Didn’t you pray according to God’s Word for your loved one to be saved? Yes. If that’s the case, then did you pray according to God’s WILL for your loved one to be saved? ABSOLUTELY YES! Then you should have the CONFIDENCE that HE HAS HEARD YOU and that, what? 1 John 5:15 “and if we KNOW He has heard us, whatsoever we ask, we KNOW that WE HAVE the petition we have desired of Him.” In other words, if you ask according to the Word, it is according to God’s Will and He has heard you and He has GUARANTEED that YOU RECEIVE WHAT YOU ASK FOR! Oh, I could go on and on with this topic… over in Mark 11:22-24…but we are all out of time for today… Let’s Pray! Please subscribe to this podcast, leave us a quick 5 star review on Apple Podcasts to help us grow and be sure to visit our website for more information on our ministry: https://podcastersforchrist.com/ (https://podcastersforchrist.com). And while you are at the website, download the free resource I have for you… it is free and is called, “How to Start a Christian Podcast.” It will bless you – go and download it today. You can also WATCH these session on our Facebook Playlist at this link: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtKWeKtmv-BwgkquBTsSh-GznbmuUp_R2 (https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtKWeKtmv-BwgkquBTsSh-GznbmuUp_R2)
Scripture For Today:Matthew 26:44(This was Jesus praying in the Garden after He said, “Thy will be done…), So he left them (the disciples) and went away once more and prayed the third time, saying the same thing…”How to Pray According to God’s Will pt 3If there was ever anyone, ANYONE, who knew what the Will of God was – it was Jesus. Amen! But, in this story about his agony in the Garden of Gethsemane, we see Him asking if there was ANY OTHER WAY to accomplish the plan of Salvation, He was asking God to do it. But when He did not hear anything, no response whatsoever from the Father, He understood that everything written in the Bible about Him and about His sacrifice WAS God’s Will. Amen! The fact that here, we see Him returning to His disciples, only to find them sleeping, proved the fact that HE had to do this alone. It was ONLY His decision. The Father had made HIS decision. The fact that scripture talked about what was going to happen is proof enough of that! Jesus KNEW the scriptures. He KNEW what was required. But yet, as a temptation ONLY HE could overcome – and yes, there was a temptation to NOT go through with it… HE had to go back and remember what the scriptures had to say. What they said about Him. What they said about the sacrifice only HE could make. What they said about the future coming Kingdom. What they said about HE was the only way any other human being could EVER enter into a relationship with the Father – through HIM and only when HE went through with the ultimate torture, sacrifice and DEATH that awaited Him. But, He also had the promises of being RAISED UP from the dead. He had risen the dead. He understood that, as written in John 10:17-18, “The reason the Father loves me is that I lay down my life in order to take it up again. No one takes it (my life) from me. No one. I lay it down of my own accord. Since I lay it down, I also have the authority to take it up again. THIS is the charge I have received from my Father.” He understood that. He KNEW it was His destiny from before the foundation of the world was laid. Amen! Because of that, when He prayed to the Father that “if there is any other way – take this cup from me.” But when He did not hear one peep from the Father – He said, “not my will but YOUR will be done.” He did not ask, “Take this cup away from me if it be thy will.” He KNEW what the scripture said. He KNEW that the Word of God IS the WILL OF GOD. That is what we are reading here. Now, if that was good enough for Jesus – WHY on God’s green earth do YOU think it is not good enough for you? WHY? Go ahead… think of your excuse… I’ll wait. You can’t. Because there IS NO VALID REASON for YOU to pray “if it be thy will.” NONE. ZERO. If YOU know what the scriptures say – you know God’s Will on the matter. The only way you will ever know God’s will on the matter in front of you is to know the scripture. The only way you will ever know the scripture is – WHAT? You have to READ the scriptures! Ok, I’ve gone over again today… I pray you are getting this. It really is a matter of life or death that you understand what we are talking about. Life or death. Your life or your death. Maybe even the life or death of your spouse or kids. How about that? Get into the Word and LEARN what the Will of God truly is. Amen! Let’s Pray! Please subscribe to this podcast, leave us a quick 5 star review on Apple Podcasts to help us grow and be sure to visit our website for more information on our ministry: https://podcastersforchrist.com/ (https://podcastersforchrist.com). And while you are at the website, download the free resource I have for you… it is free and is called, “How to Start a Christian Podcast.” It will bless you – go and download it today. You can also WATCH these session on our Facebook Playlist at this...
Scripture For Today:Jonah 2:7“When my life was ebbing away, I remembered you, Lord, and my prayer rose to you, to your holy temple.”How to Pray According to God’s Will pt 2We’ve been studying how “God’s Word IS God’s Will” these last several days. Yesterday, we started to look at “How you can pray according to God’s Will.” Although, on the surface, it looks like the same exact topic – “God’s Word IS God’s Will,” there are some unique points that I would like to make that will help to clarify and solidify this in your minds. While it is true that the believer will not find the answer to every specific problem you may encounter in life in the Bible, the answers you are seeking are still in there. The Bible promises us the Spirit of Truth (who dwells with in us) will guide us into ALL the Truth (that’s in John 16:13). A believer who is walking in fellowship with the Father, obeying the Father’s instructions (the Word), that believer can rest assured that the Holy Spirit will lead and guide him or her in all the affairs of this life. Period. Amen! This also means that, a believer, walking in fellowship with the Lord – through His Word – will not ask for anything outside of His Word, which is the Will of God. If a believer is NOT walking in fellowship with the Lord through His Word, he is NOT going to have a successful prayer life and he is NOT going to receive the answers to His prayers in any meaningful way. Amen! John wrote the Gospel of John and the Epistles or Letters of John. In 1 John 5:14, John wrote for OUR benefit, “And this is the confidence (boldness) that we have in Him (God), that if we ask ANYTHING according to His Will, He hears us…” That’s shouting ground right there. Amen! Then, in John’s Gospel, quoting Jesus, John wrote, “If you abide in me and my WORDS abide in you, you shall ask what YOU WILL, and IT shall be done unto you.” That was from John 15:7. John is just telling us “If we ask God for anything we find in His Word – He hears us. And if we are asking according to His Will, it MUST BE HIS WILL for us to have it!” AMEN! That’s shoutin’ ground right there! Can you shout Amen at that revelation? Some of you just got that point right there! Amen! Your eyes have been opened to the Truth – for many of you, it is for the very first time! Amen! Praise God! But, John is sharing a hidden secret here, one that most Christians either do not know about (usually because they are sitting in churches that refuse to teach it) – or they just refuse to believe God’s Word means what is says. John 15:7 says YOU will have WHATSOEVER THINGS YOU desire… under what circumstances? IF YOU abide in Jesus and in His Word – and allow His Word to what? Abide in you! When God’s Word abides in you, THEN you know God’s Will. Remember what studied last week, “God’s Word IS God’s Will.” His Word IS His Will, and when you ask according to what you find written in the Bible about your situation – and pray for the answer based on those scriptures – you never – NEVER have to pray, “If it be they will,” and watch your prayer request swirl around go down the proverbial drain… Amen! Let’s Pray! Please subscribe to this podcast, leave us a quick 5 star review on Apple Podcasts to help us grow and be sure to visit our website for more information on our ministry: https://podcastersforchrist.com/ (https://podcastersforchrist.com). And while you are at the website, download the free resource I have for you… it is free and is called, “How to Start a Christian Podcast.” It will bless you – go and download it today. You can also WATCH these session on our Facebook Playlist at this link: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtKWeKtmv-BwgkquBTsSh-GznbmuUp_R2 (https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtKWeKtmv-BwgkquBTsSh-GznbmuUp_R2) 2021 is the YEAR OF PRAYER! To help with this, Pastor Robert Thibodeau is...
Scripture For Today:Jeremiah 31:9“They will come with weeping; they will pray as I bring them back. I will lead them beside streams of water on a level path where they will not stumble, because I am Israel’s father, and Ephraim is my firstborn son.”How to Pray According to God’s Will pt 1We’ve been studying how “God’s Word IS God’s Will” these last several days. Bottom line, to know the will of God, you need to know His Word. Amen! Now, I want to look at this same subject from the perspective of how to pray ACCORDING to God’s Will. Now, if you just take what I just said, you should already realize that, in order to pray according to God’s Will – knowing that God’s Word IS God’s Will – then your lightning fast mind should understand HOW to pray according to God’s Will. Simply put, you need to pray according to God’s WORD in order to pray according to God’s WILL. Amen! Seriously, folks. There should not be any problem praying in line with the Word of God because if God’s Word says it – i.e. if God’s Word promises us something, in writing – we should know and understand that it is God’s intended purpose (HIS WILL) for us to HAVE IT! If we know it is His Will for us to have it (because He wrote it down for us to read and believe), we should be enjoying ALL that He has promised to us and made provision for us, IN HIS WORD! But the ONLY way you will know what has already been promised to us is IF you are READING and STUDYING His Word! PERIOD! Amen! Before I pray for ANYTHING, I find the answer for what I want or what I need in the Word. And if I don’t know what God’s will is for something, I find out what the Word has to say about it FIRST. Again, as we have been studying, “God’s Word IS God’s Will.” Amen! I don’t just pray to be praying. I would be wasting my time trying to pray for something that I do not truly know if it is God’s Will for me to have. I need to know what the Word has to say about the particular situation I’m facing. You need to as well. Amen! To try and pray, without knowing what the Word says, is usually going to end up as a WISH rather than a prayer. And a wish is just that – a wish! “Oh, I wish was feeling better…” What sounds like a statement of Faith? “Oh, I wish I was better…” or “By HIS Stripes – I’m already healed!” Which sounds better? “Oh, I wish I had the money to pay the light bill…” or “All of my needs are met according to HIS riches in Glory, by Christ Jesus!” Do you get the picture! I pray that you are getting this. In fact… Let’s Pray! Please subscribe to this podcast, leave us a quick 5 star review on Apple Podcasts to help us grow and be sure to visit our website for more information on our ministry: https://podcastersforchrist.com/ (https://podcastersforchrist.com). And while you are at the website, download the free resource I have for you… it is free and is called, “How to Start a Christian Podcast.” It will bless you – go and download it today. You can also WATCH these session on our Facebook Playlist at this link: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtKWeKtmv-BwgkquBTsSh-GznbmuUp_R2 (https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtKWeKtmv-BwgkquBTsSh-GznbmuUp_R2)
Scripture For Today:Matthew 26:42“He went away a second time and prayed, “My Father, if it is not possible for this cup to be taken away unless I drink it, may your will be done.”God’s Word is God’s Will pt 7We’ve been doing a deep dive on your need to study the Word of God for yourself and not relying only on the teachings of me, your pastor or other ministry leaders your entire life. YOU need to be studying the Word on a daily basis in order for you to survive and thrive in this fallen world on a daily basis. Amen! In yesterday’s study session, our subject verse was from Mark 14:35, where we see Jesus asking the Father that, if there was any other way of doing what was about to happen (going to the Cross), he would prefer that. But then, as soon as He said it, He said, basically, “Let your WILL be done.” In other words, if there is no other way, “let’s do it you way.” Today, we read the same account, but from the Book of Matthew. Notice this is now the second time Jesus prayed this to the Father. There MUST have been some doubt and unbelief presenting itself to Jesus while He was praying about what is about to happen. THERE MUST HAVE BEEN! The Bible says Jesus was tempted in all ways, just like we are. Here, the devil is tempting Him. From the text, we can assume he is whispering in the ears of Jesus, “You don’t have to do this. God is capable of doing it in any way He chooses. IF you are the Son of God, don’t you think He could swing some other plan into operation? I mean, after all, He IS God – and do anything! Haven’t you been preaching on that? Just ask Him to find some other way because you just do not want to do this thing…” Why do you think Jesus prayed, “Let you will be done?” He was hoping the Holy Spirit would tell Him there WAS another way… but when there was no immediate response, Jesus KNEW He had His answer. Go with the plan of God that had been predetermined from before the foundation of the world. Amen! We will all have similar opportunities to question God’s Will in certain situations. There are Muslim brothers and sisters in Christ who are faced with, basically, the same question on a daily basis. “Reject your claim the Jesus is Lord and the only way to Heaven – or you will die!” Each and every single day, Christians are being put to death simply for their Faith. Usually, here in America, we look at it as happening “over there” and not “over here.” But those times have already changed – for the worse – if you are a Christian! Christians are being polarized, demonized, shunned, ridiculed and BLAMED for everything going wrong in America right now! If we preach the Bible – we are labeled as racist, homophobic, gender phobic, transphobic, and whatever other labels are the “Words of the Day” in hell. The time has come where Christians, here in the United States, are beginning to see how difficult it is for our Muslim brethren to take their public stands of Faith in Jesus, despite the hardships or consequences. Christians here in America are basically impotent Christians. Weak, limp, unable to function as designed. Unable to bring joy or pleasure to anyone else’s life. Unable to influence another into making the True decisions for salvation in Christ alone. Unable to impact today’s society, political processes or culture in positive ways… And when we try, we are demonized, threatened, lose our jobs, jeopardize our health and our families well-being. And these things are just starting here! Soon, we WILL be just about like any other Communist nation or Muslim nation – probably a combination of the two. Then, we will long for the days where we could read our own Bibles and attend worship services. Instead, we will be on our own. Churches closed, preaching the Word outlawed or severely limited, etc. So, as we close for today, I want to pray that YOU will take the stand of Faith...
Scripture For Today:Mark 14:35“Going a little farther, he fell to the ground and prayed that if possible the hour might pass from him.”God’s Word is God’s Will pt 6We’ve been doing a deep dive on your need to study the Word of God for yourself and not relying only on the teachings of me, your pastor or other ministry leaders your entire life. YOU need to be studying the Word on a daily basis in order for you to survive and thrive in this fallen world on a daily basis. Amen! Sometimes, folks are in a position of pain and suffering. But YOU cannot just stop and preach them a quick sermon or sermonette. YOU need to be schooled in faith before you or anyone else can receive from God. The only way that can happen is when you study the Word for yourself. Let the Word explain itself to you. It will…it may not be immediate, but if you are pondering scriptures over and over in your heart – God will begin to explain them to you! It might be through a teaching I or some other minister conducts. It might be through other scriptures you read in the Bible. Scripture DOES interpret scripture. Amen! I shared an example several days ago about someone wanting to be prayed for so she could be healed. But her concept of healing was, “When you pray for me, if I receive my healing, it must be God’s will for me to be healed – if not, it’s not.” Folks, even though she had been sitting in church for years, listening to the Word – in fact, she was a Sunday school teacher – so she was instructing our most precious assets – our kids – in the things of God – yet, she was living in doubt and unbelief! It’s amazing… If we believe the Word like that, that if we pray for healing according to God’s Word – and don’t get healed – it MUST be because it is not God’s will for Him to heal ME. It may be His will to heal YOU – but not ME. That is ridiculous. God is NOT a respecter of one person over another. That is not how He operates. But, if you or someone you know says something like that, “Well, if I get healed, it’s because it’s God’s will to heal me. If it’s not His Will, then I won’t get healed.” If you believe that – WHY do you go to the doctor? Think about it… You want to be in the PERFECT WILL OF GOD, right? Well, the Word says we can “have the petitions we desire of Him.” Jesus taught the if we “Believe the things we say, we can have them.” And if your prayer for healing “If it be they will” is not answered, you conclude it is NOT God’s will to heal you. Which means it MUST be God’s will for you to be sick. Maybe to teach you something… keep you humble. “Oh, this must be my thorn in the flesh, just like the Apostle Paul. It’s just something I must endure…” OK… if that is what you are believing God’s Will is, WHY are you going to the doctor? Are you going to the doctor to GET OUT OF GOD’s WILL? Or are you putting your full faith and confidence in the doctor and in medicine. Or will you put your full faith and confidence in God. Your choice. Choose wisely. If it is God’s will for you to be sick – then taking anything so much as an aspirin would be YOU trying to get OUT of the Will of God for your life. Think about it… Let’s Pray! Please subscribe to this podcast, leave us a quick 5 star review on Apple Podcasts to help us grow and be sure to visit our website for more information on our ministry: https://podcastersforchrist.com/ (https://podcastersforchrist.com). And while you are at the website, download the free resource I have for you… it is free and is called, “How to Start a Christian Podcast.” It will bless you – go and download it today. You can also WATCH these session on our Facebook Playlist at this link: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtKWeKtmv-BwgkquBTsSh-GznbmuUp_R2 (https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtKWeKtmv-BwgkquBTsSh-GznbmuUp_R2)
Scripture For Today:Job 16:17“…yet my hands have been free of violence and my prayer is pure.”God’s Word is God’s Will pt 5Yesterday, I shared how people today are being led into a new form of the “Dark Ages” where they are being taught NOT to read the Word of God themselves. They are taught to rely on the pastor to do the studying and TELL them what the Word says. At least, his or her interpretation of what the Word says. And people today do not know if that interpretation is correct or not! Why? Because they never crack open their own bible and study it for themselves! I shared about how went to someone’s home, praying for them and explaining what the Bible had to say about their situation. I then asked to see their Bible because I wanted them to see the scripture with their own two eyes – and they could not find their Bible! That was PROOF they had not been reading the Word on their own! I’ve also visited some folks and they have their Bible right there on the coffee table in the living room. AWESOME, right? And when we start talking about the Word and I say, “Here, let me show you…” and reach for the Bible… And you can see the exact outline of the Bible in the dust on the coffee table. Not only has that Bible not been cracked open in weeks or months… but they are not cleaning and dusting their home on a regular basis either! Amen! Yup – I’m jumping up and down on your spiritual toes today! Amen! But, this goes to my point that church leaders are taking their congregations back into the Dark Ages where only the church leadership should study Word, interpret the Word and explain the Word. The people sitting under the teaching in church are either too stupid to understand the Word or if they read it on their own, they will discover the pastor has not been studying the Word either! Folks, the devil knows the Word of God inside and out, upside down and sideways on Sundays. He knows the Word better than you and I will ever know it! But it does him no good at all. He is in attendance at your church meetings and in ministry conferences, too! Not so he can get saved – that is predetermined and will never happen… But he is in their watching YOU. He is in there to steal the Word that has been planted into your heart before those seeds can take root and start to grow. He is there to whisper in your ear “don’t listen to this…it’s not for you…” And you would be surprised to find out how many people leave those meetings thinking those exact thoughts! We have to admit, the devil is slick… He’s still going to hell and lake of fire forever…but he is drawing as many misguided people with him that he can. I do not say this lightly or in jest – YOU need to be in the Word of God in your own quite study time. AMEN! That is the ONLY way you will find out what the Word says already belongs to you. That is the ONLY way you will know the perfect WILL OF GOD for your situation. That is the ONLY way you can take an unchangeable stand in the promises of God that He has for you. PERIOD! I want to pray for you right now that your Spiritual eyes have been opened now to the understanding that YOU need to study the Word for yourself. Amen! Let’s Pray! Please subscribe to this podcast, leave us a quick 5 star review on Apple Podcasts to help us grow and be sure to visit our website for more information on our ministry: https://podcastersforchrist.com/ (https://podcastersforchrist.com). And while you are at the website, download the free resource I have for you… it is free and is called, “How to Start a Christian Podcast.” It will bless you – go and download it today. You can also WATCH these session on our Facebook Playlist at this link: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtKWeKtmv-BwgkquBTsSh-GznbmuUp_R2 (https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtKWeKtmv-BwgkquBTsSh-GznbmuUp_R2)
Scripture For Today:Ephesians 6:20“…for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should.” God’s Word is God’s Will pt 4Yesterday, I shared an example of how ministries, churches, pastors and the like are doing a disservice to their members by using those television screens to post scriptures and notes and things during the services. The example I gave concerned a major league pitcher wanting to learn a new pitch. He went to all day seminar on how to throw this pitch – then, came to the game. He is in the 7th game of the World Series and his manager brought him into the game in the bottom of the ninth inning, up by one run, but with the bases loaded and two outs. They only need one out to win the entire World Series. But the batter he is about to face is the best hitter in the major leagues that year. The manager tells his pitcher, “I only want you to throw that new pitch you learned about today. It’s batters weakest pitch!” But this pitcher has never even thrown this pitch in practice! He has never even put his fingers around the ball in the prescribed manner. He has never had a chance to practice – at all. Most people would say that is a bad manager for expecting his player to do that! And you would be 100% correct! But that is what pastors and ministers are doing to their congregations each and every week! They are teaching what the Word of God says… But they are not allowing their members to practice the Word of God under their supervision BEFORE going into the biggest game of their life – LIFE in the world! Where the devil is trying to win each and every moment of each and every day. And HE has practiced! We need to be IN the Word each and every day. Not just listening to it like you are listening to me now. Not just watching, like you may be watching me right now. But actually, physically, opening the Bible and turning the scripture reference with your own two little hands. Amen! Then, taking notes in the margins of your Bible. YES – you can write in your Bible! Some people are like, “I could NEVER deface my Bible that way… I hold it in “reverence” too much to write in it…” Is that so? When was the last time you took it to church? If I visited your house, and this has actually happened to me, so I can share about this, and you said you were having issues with such and such… and I said, “The Bible says, in (and then gave a scripture reference that explained you already had the victory in this area)” and you said, “Really? The Bible says that?” And I said, “Oh yeah! In fact, let me see your Bible, I want your own two eyes to read it…” I’ve had folks give me a blank stare, look around and then call their wife or their husband and ask, “Where’s my bible? The pastor wants to show me something…” That tells me they are not reading the Word on a daily basis at all. They are relying on someone else to tell them what the Word says. In fact, that is exactly what the “Dark Ages” was all about back in the days of Martin Luther and such. The leaders of the church would not allow their people to read the Word on their own! It’s true, look it up! The legal authority in the Church said lay people could not read the Word for themselves because it might make people go crazy or they may misinterpret what they read. The only people who were “trained to rightly interpret the Word” was the ministry folks. That’s why Martin Luther, when he posted his note on the church door for all to read, created an awakening like had never been seen before then! Because the lay people read what he had written and started to question their church leaders about it! Then, they invented the printing press and the Gutenburg Bible was printed and started to be distributed. Praise God! The PEOPLE could begin to read the Word for themselves for the very first time! But
Scripture For Today:Matthew 19:13“Then people brought little children to Jesus for him to place his hands on them and pray for them. But the disciples rebuked them.”God’s Word is God’s Will pt 3Yesterday, I shared how some people can sit under anointed teachings for many, many years, but yet, they do not develop Faith in the Word of God. Oh, they may be born again – don’t get me wrong. But they never see continuous victory in the life over various circumstances the devil puts on them. He is able to put things on them, sickness in their body; financial oppression; attack their family, etc. etc. – because they truly do not know KNOW the Word of God concerning these things. They do not know His Word because they fail to read His Word and give HEED to His Word. What do I mean by that? Many times, our sermons, our teachings, etc., just go in one ear and out the other of the people we share the Word with. Those people will say things like, “That was a great teaching today! I just love sitting under the Word and having it explained in ways I can understand it!” But, if you run across them two hours later and ask, “How was church today,” they will respond with the same style of comment. Then, if you ask, “What did the pastor preach on? What was the topic?” You will be met with a blank stare. They can’t remember? Then they will respond with, “I don’t remember exactly, but it was good!” That makes about as much sense as someone saying to you, “I’ll tell you what, I had the best meal yesterday I’ve had in two years! It was awesome!” And you ask them “What did you have to eat?” And they replied with, “You know, I don’t remember… but it was awesome! I’ve never had a better meal!” Does that make sense? NO! But yet, that is EXACTLY what many Christians do concerning the Word of God that they heard taught just a few hours ago! And they cannot even remember one scripture reference from the Word of God either! You have probably said the same thing a time or two! Brother Bob is raising his hands, too! Because I’ve said the same thing… amen! But that is NOT the way it is supposed to be! In fact, I believe one of the main reasons for this today is because the churches are SPOILING you! Amen! Let me jump up and down on some spiritual toes as we get ready to close… Back, just a couple of decades ago, when most people went to church, they brought their Bibles with them! And the pastor would get up front and say, “Turn with me to – and give a scripture.” He would then wait a few seconds, looking out into the audience, as people were pulling out THEIR bibles and turning to the scripture so they could study it together! You would see people with their ink pens and paper, ready to take notes. Some would be writing in their bibles so they could remember things as they were reading them at home in their personal study time. But, now days, they put the scripture up on the big screen and the pastor just reads it and starts teaching. There is no “hands on experience” working in your own, personal bible anymore! None! Imagine a major league baseball pitcher. The best in the game. He attends a training session because he wants to learn a new pitch. When he arrives at the venue, he watches videos about how to throw this pitch. Then, they send him out into the live game situation. 7th game of the World Series. He’s never practiced the pitch. He has never thrown ONE BALL after all of the training videos. But now, he is put into the ultimate situation for a pitcher – game 7 of the world series. Maybe he’s a relief pitcher. And his team is up by one run in the bottom of the ninth inning with two outs and the bases loaded and the hottest hitter in baseball that year is coming up to bat. But the manager says, “I want you to take what you learned today and use it NOW. Do not throw any other pitch – just
Scripture For Today:Psalm 6:9“The Lord has heard my cry for mercy; the Lord accepts my prayer.”God’s Word is God’s Will pt 2Yesterday, we started to look at something that I said would grow your Faith exponentially in ways that you would never experience any other way. That is to know and understand that “God’s Word IS God’s Will.” Amen! We looked yesterday at 1 John 5:14-15 that says, “…and this is the confidence that WE HAVE – IN HIM! That, if we ask ANYTHING according to what? HIS WILL – He hears us. And if we KNOW that HE hears us, whatsoever we ask, we KNOW that we HAVE the petitions that we desire of Him…” Another translation says, “And this the BOLDNESS we have towards Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.” Almost immediately, our carnal, natural minds want to focus on the phrase, “…according to His will…” That is why many misguided people, pastors included, often pray, “Lord, do this or that, IF it be thy will…” Other times, we pray for things about which we already have God’s Word, so we KNOW His will concerning those things. When we insert a phrase that expressed doubt and unbelief, like “IF it be thy will…” it is incorrect and negates our entire prayer! We already KNOW His will because we know what His Word says! To say, “If it be thy will” when you already KNOW His Word and His will, is confessing YOU DOUBT His Word! You are telling Him, the angels and THE DEVIL that you really, really, REALLY deep down in your heart and soul, DO NOT BELIEVE HIS WORD! That is dangerous area for any believer to be operating in! Not believing His Word? How can you have faith in your salvation then? How can you have Faith that Jesus actually did what the Word said He did? How can you have Faith that Jesus is actually the Son of God manifested in the flesh? How can you have Faith that He really did rise from the dead? How can you have Faith that YOU are going to Heaven? How? Go ahead, I’ll wait…answer me… Folks, God’s Word IS the revealed Will of God! Therefore, if you learn and know what the Word of God says, YOU know what the will of God IS. Amen! Some misguided folks believe that the only way you can know the Will of God is by praying, “If it be they will.” I heard a famous preacher that I follow, well “followed,” back when I first began my walk of Faith. He has since gone on to be with the Lord… He said in a meeting one time, talking about this very thing, that once he was called to his deacon’s house because his wife was extremely sick. The deacon was obeying the word and called for him to come, based upon James 5:14-15. But this minister knew, even though this woman was a Sunday school teacher, her husband a deacon and they had been with him for close to 20 years, sitting under his teachings, etc., that she may not have developed a deep, abiding Faith in the Word. And the only way to find out, according to the Word, is “out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks.” So, as he prepared to anoint her and pray for her, he asked, “Sister, will you be healed as I anoint you with oil, lay hands on you and pray over in Jesus Name?” Her response, “I will be if it’s God’s Will.” He said, “How are you going to know if it’s God’s Will?” Now, the ONLY right answer there is “It’s in His Word. It says I’m healed, therefore I AM HEALED!” But she did not say that, she replied, “When you pray, IF I’m healed, THEN I will know it is God’s Will for me to be healed.” It’s amazing, how someone can sit under anointed teaching for most of their life and still MISS what the Word of God is truly about. AMEN! If it is IN the Word – It IS God’s Will. Period. End of discussion! Amen! Let’s Pray! Please subscribe to this podcast, leave us a quick 5 star review on Apple Podcasts to help us grow and be sure to visit our website...
Scripture For Today:1 Kings 8:44“When your people go to war against their enemies, wherever you send them, and when they pray to the Lord toward the city you have chosen and the temple I have built for your Name, (I will hear…)”God’s Word is God’s Will pt 1I want to go into a discussion today, of something that will move your prayer life along the path of success faster than anything else I know. That is the very fact – that when you come to understand “God’s Word IS God’s Will,” you will be able to stand on His Word in Faith in whatever situation you find yourself. In the Lord’s Prayer, it says, “Thy will be done, in earth as it is in Heaven…” Other scriptures, too numerous to list, always reference the same fact. Just like “Your Word is Truth.” When you start to put these thing into perspective, you can’t help but build up your mountain moving Faith! Amen! In First John 5:14-15, we read: “…and this is the confidence that WE HAVE – IN HIM! That, if we ask ANYTHING according to what? HIS WILL – He hears us. And if we KNOW that HE hears us, whatsoever we ask, we KNOW that we HAVE the petitions that we desire of Him…” Let’s break that verse down for a closer look… Confidence in Him (God the Father). What does it mean you can have confidence in someone? It means when they give you their “word,” you know they always keep it. If someone says they will do something, you understand they will do it. No matter what. Your past experience gives you a confidence that they WILL do what they said they will DO. Amen! Moving on… “If we ask anything, according to His Will, we know He (God) hears us…” If someone tells you they will do something, and your past experience with says they enjoy doing whatever IT is, and they have never failed to do this sort of thing in the past… you can have that CONFIDENCE (that we just talked about), that this person will do what they promised for you. Amen! The rest of the verse goes on to explain how we can rest in our confidence, that whatever this person has promised he or she will do – they will do it. We don’t have to give it a second thought. It is as good a done. Amen! If I tell my grandchildren that papa is going to do, “x, y, or z” for them, because of the relationship we have; because of their past experience of papa coming through on promises just like this in the past; because they KNOW in their heart (not just in their minds) that papa ALWAYS enjoys blessing them – they can rest assured BELIEVE that papa is going to deliver. In their mind – it’s “already been done.” Amen! That’s the type of confidence WE can have with God when we find a promise we need in the Bible. HE wrote down His promises TO US! Amen! Another translation of 1 John 5:14-15 says, “This the BOLDNESS we can have in Him…” BE BOLD in your Faith! Amen! I want to pray for you right now that you will just venture outside of your comfort zone a little bit – and BOLDNESS to simply believe what God has already promised in His Word WILL COME TO PASS in your life. This type of BOLDNESS – that His Word IS His Will – will bless you every single time you stand on His Word in YOUR prayer life. Amen! Let’s Pray! Please subscribe to this podcast, leave us a quick 5 star review on Apple Podcasts to help us grow and be sure to visit our website for more information on our ministry: https://podcastersforchrist.com/ (https://podcastersforchrist.com). And while you are at the website, download the free resource I have for you… it is free and is called, “How to Start a Christian Podcast.” It will bless you – go and download it today. You can also WATCH these session on our Facebook Playlist at this link: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtKWeKtmv-BwgkquBTsSh-GznbmuUp_R2 (https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtKWeKtmv-BwgkquBTsSh-GznbmuUp_R2)
Scripture For Today:Proverbs 31:2“Listen, my son! Listen, son of my womb! Listen, my son, the answer to my prayers!Tune Into God pt 8We’ve been studying for the past week on how to “Tune into God.” Yesterday, we gave a perfect example of believing you receive your IMMEDIATE needs being met, verses having a want met. We shared a very vivid example and if you missed yesterday’s episode, go back and catch up. I believe it will open your eyes. Amen! God can answer immediately in all things. I’m not saying He will not answer. I have personally seem Him deliver me in a financial need. I don’t have time to go into here, but – well…ok, let me share this because it will serve as an example. There was a time when we literally were living paycheck to paycheck. And the Veterans Administration was sending me a monthly check while I was taking college classes…and that was about our only income. And this was a NEED and not a want. I had called the government agency, it was the Veterans Administration, and they said the check was being printed that day and would be put in the outgoing mail later that afternoon. It normally would take another two days for it to arrive. Sometimes three. But I needed it the next day. And it was a NEED. I prayed… My wife and I went to the store and when we came back, out of habit, I looked in the mailbox and there was the check. It had not even been two hours after I called and was told it was being printed “that afternoon.” But here was the check. And the amazing part - There was not even a postage cancellation stamp in the corner! Then, about 30 minutes later, the mail truck went by putting our daily mail in the mailbox… I believe God sent an angel who grabbed that check as soon as it was printed and that angel, under orders from God, flew out and put it my mail box. You can’t talk me into accepting any other explanation. But that was the only income we had at the time and I needed that check to pay the rent without incurring a late fee (that would have eaten up even more of our finances). SO YES – God will answer financial NEEDS immediately as well. But, let’s talk about some other needs. Have you ever faced an extreme circumstance where you were facing death in the face? I have. My time in the military and a few instances as a police officer, I have faced the prospect of “this could be it.” How do you react in those situations? By FAITH. You see, faith WORKS every single time it is put to the test. Every single time. If you believe you will fail, guess what – you will. If you believe you will persevere – you will. That does not mean you can say over and over, “I believe I win; I believe I win; I believe I win” and then, miraculously, the enemy just dies of a heart attack right before you very eyes. It could happen, but that does not mean that. What I’m talking about is this… In those situations I was describing, I had to rely on my training. I had been trained for those exact situations. I had received the best training available. And the exact situation I was facing at that time, in my mind, though it was real, the training I had received kicked in. That is why the military trains so much! We used to say in the Cavalry, “We train today just as we will fight tomorrow.” We had another saying that “we train to be wet, cold, tired and miserable. And we are experts at it.” Amen! But, when you are facing death in the face, you need to rely on your training. Then, something called, “muscle memory” kicks in. I was trained in martial arts in my military days. That training served me as a police officer a few times. I remember one instance, this person loved to fight cops. I did not know it at the time of the traffic stop. But our dispatch did as they were running the tags. I heard them call another unit to come to my location and they gave a code word that meant I had a dangerous subject stopped. I did not react to the...
Scripture For Today:Job 21:15“Who is the Almighty, that we should serve him? What would we gain by praying to him?”Tune Into God pt 7Boy if that isn’t a scripture that’s applicable to society today. Amen! We have been talking these past few days about being “tuned into” God. Yesterday, I shared the example of you and your family being surrounded by a gang of thugs and your pray for immediate deliverance and help. Earlier that day, you prayed for your light bill to be paid. God has not answered either prayer – yet. You truly believe you need a couple of thousand dollars of income – Immediately – or the lights are being turned off and you will not have any food to feed the family. That is not a NEED – it is an immediate WANT. You may think you NEED it (and you do). But in reality, it is your fault you are in that position, right? We covered before that you were probably living outside your income, relying on credit cards to be paid with your income – but now that is lost. Right? Now, let’s say you are out on a walk with your family and group of thugs surrounds you and is threatening to kill all of you. They pull out their knives and they are getting ready to go to town on your family. You cry out to God… How would you like it if God answered, while you are about to be attacked, with, “Ok – I’m going to give you what you want. Once you get home, there is a $1000 check waiting for you in the mail box… It took me several weeks to get the right people to finally wake up and send it…but it’s there.” That’s what you WANTED right? That’s what you begged God for during the past several days. The $1000? That’s what you’ve been praying for… it was a WANT, right? OR – would you be praying for God for an IMMEDIATE answer to a very REAL NEED that you have concerning the safety of your family? Which one would you rather have God answer? THE NEED for immediate deliverance, right? You’re crying out to God, “PLEASE GOD, HELP US!” And about 5 seconds later, a police car just happens to turn the corner. The thugs see it and start running. Now, the police are in pursuit…and you and your family are safe. Would that be God answering an IMMEDIATE NEED that was totally out of your control - or your WANT which was based upon past mistakes you’ve made? Which one would you prefer God to answer? I think everyone would agree the immediate need would be priority. You still WANT the $1000 and it is needful…but as far as BELIEVING YOU RECEIVE WHEN YOU PRAY – are you seeing the difference as far as how quickly God can answer a NEED and how the WANTS will come… it will come… in due time. Again, God can answer immediately in all things. I’m not saying He will not answer. I have personally seem Him deliver me in a financial need. I don’t have time to go into here, but – well…ok, let me share this because it will serve as an example. There was a time when we literally were living paycheck to paycheck. And the Veterans Administration was sending me a monthly check while I was taking college classes…and that was about our only income. And this was a NEED and not a want. I had called the government agency, it was the Veterans Administration, and they said the check was being printed that day and would be put in the outgoing mail later that afternoon. It normally would take another two days for it to arrive. Sometimes three. But I needed it the next day. And it was a NEED. I prayed… My wife and I went to the store and when we came back, out of habit, I looked in the mailbox and there was the check. It had not even been two hours after I called and was told it was being printed “that afternoon.” But here was the check. And the amazing part - There was not even a postage cancellation stamp in the corner! Then, about 30 minutes later, the mail truck went by putting our daily mail in the mailbox… I believe God sent an angel...
Scripture For Today:Mark 11:17“And as he taught them, he said, “Is it not written: ‘My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations’? But you have made it ‘a den of robbers.’”Tune Into God pt 6We have been talking these past few days about being “tuned into” God. Yesterday, we began to look at our “needs verses wants.” And, truth be told, most of pray about our wants and not our needs. We are going to continue that line of teaching today… But I want to warn you – if you are one of those “sensitive” Christians who are easily offended when the Truth hurts, you may as well get out your Sport Cream or whatever, your Tylenol or whatever – because I’m going to jumping up on down on Spiritual toes today! Glory to God! You could have been praying for God to deliver you from financial oppression. And, truth be told, if you are honest, if your debts are out of control as compared to your income, it is usually because you lived beyond your means. You were spending today based on tomorrow’s income…and something happened to tomorrow’s income. The pandemic shutdown your business… or you lost your job. But the debts are still there and the debtors want their money. Whose fault is it? Don’t blame the economy - or China - or the government. They did not tell you to incur the debt. If you did not have the debt, yes, you might not have that 84” flat panel TV to watch the Super Bowl on… but you would not have the debt for it either. I’m not saying this to condemn anyone. I’m using it as an example of NEED verses WANT. You WANTED the TV. Now, you have a NEED for income to pay for it. If you would have saved $100 per month for several months, and then, if you still wanted it, you could have paid cash for it. But, you took immediate possession based upon several months of income in the future, which is now none existent. Again, I’m not perfect. I’ve done the same thing. That’s why I can talk about it…because I’ve experienced it. Have you noticed the best person to help another alcoholic to recover is a recovered alcoholic? Or the best person to help a drug addict is a former addict? That’s because they can speak from experience. That’s what I’m able to do concerning finances. We’ve made our mistakes in the past…and learned from them. That’s why I can share this with you. Not in condemnation – but from experience. Amen.. OK, enough on that…on with my example. You need a couple of thousand dollars of income – Immediately – or the lights are being turned off and you will not have any food to feed the family. That is an immediate WANT. You may think you NEED it (and you do). But in reality, it is your fault you are in that position, right? Now, let’s say you are out on a walk with your family and group of thugs surrounds you and is threatening to kill all of you. They pull out their knives and they are getting ready to go to town on your family. You cry out to God… How would you like it if God answered, while you are about to be attacked, with, “Ok – I’m going to give you what you want. Once you get home, there is a $1000 check waiting for you in the mail box… It took me several weeks to get the right people to finally wake up and send it…but it’s there.” That’s what you WANTED right? The $1000? That’s what you’ve been praying for during the last several weeks… it was a WANT, right? OR – would you be praying for God for an IMMEDIATE answer to a very REAL NEED that you have concerning the safety of your family? Which one would you rather have God answer? THE NEED for immediate deliverance, right? You’re crying out to God, “PLEASE GOD, HELP US!” And about 5 seconds later, a police car just happens to turn the corner. The thugs see it and start running. Now, the police are in pursuit…and you and your family are safe. Would that be God answering an IMMEDIATE NEED that was totally out of your control - or your WANT which...
Scripture For Today:Job 42:8“So now take seven bulls and seven rams and go to my servant Job and sacrifice a burnt offering for yourselves. My servant Job will pray for you, and I will accept his prayer and not deal with you according to your folly. You have not spoken the truth about me, as my servant Job has.”Tune Into God pt 5We have been talking these past few days about being “tuned into” God. Yesterday, we looked at having faith as large as ONE GRAIN OF RICE! Do you remember? If not or if you missed, go back and view it or listen to it. It was definitely a Holy Spirit led moment. Amen! I want to look now, at receiving answers to your prayer requests to God for the things you want. You can do this by simply believing the scriptures and the prayers you said actually worked. Notice I used a past tense on worked. Not that “they will work.” Not that “they are going to work.” But, when you prayed – they WORKED. The job was done. “Well, brother bob, what if I don’t see the results.” Let me ask you this. Are you saved? “YES” How do you know? “Well, Jesus said I was when I asked Him to forgive me and come into my heart…” Did you SEE any change your body? Did money start raining down from Heaven to help you financially? Did life suddenly become all sunshine and roses? “Noooo – but I still know I’m saved. By Faith!” EXACTLY! That is my point! YES – some people will see an immediate event or change. Someone they prayed for will instantly be healed. Someone you pray for to be healed will die. Did God answer your prayer? “No – they died…” But – where did they go? Once they died, where did they go? If they were Christians, they went to Heaven, right? So they have received a Glorified Body and they will never be sick again! “Yeah, but – I wanted them healed here…” First, “don’t’ Yeah, but – God. Ok. Second, what YOU want – was it backed up by scripture? Did you find a scripture that said, “So and so will be healed and stay here?” The answer, in case you are wondering, is NO. There is no scripture that guarantees you or anyone else will live forever on earth in this body. None. Our hope is in our eternal, glorified bodies with Christ. Amen. “But I don’t understand. You said to believe we receive and we could have it. I prayed and they died. I didn’t get what I wanted for the answer.” This can quickly turn into a very in-depth teaching…and I’m trying to keep this teaching short. We will go over this more in upcoming sessions. But let me say this… Notice what you just said in regards to this example. I wanted… I wanted… I wanted…I wanted them healed. I wanted my finances fixed. I wanted… Now, let’s go back to our scripture references. Remember, we are focusing all of our requests on scripture, right? That is the purpose of this training. Matthew 6:32 says, “…your Heavenly Father knows you NEED all of these THINGS.” Ok. So there are THINGS YOU NEED. Notice that… He is telling us to ASK FOR THE THINGS WE NEED… He expects us to come to Him in prayer, in the Name of Jesus, and ASK FOR THE THINGS WE NEED… One more time… NEED. Notice the words you uses in the example I provided… WANTED. There is a difference between a NEED and a WANT. I want a million dollars. But do I NEED a million dollars? Or would $1,000 meet my need that I’m faced with right now? See the difference? Amen! Let’s Pray! Please subscribe to this podcast, leave us a quick 5 star review on Apple Podcasts to help us grow and be sure to visit our website for more information on our ministry: https://podcastersforchrist.com/ (https://podcastersforchrist.com). And while you are at the website, download the free resource I have for you… it is free and is called, “How to Start a Christian Podcast.” It will bless you – go and download it today. You can also WATCH these session on
Scripture For Today:Psalm 72:15“Long may he live! May gold from Sheba be given him. May people ever pray for him and bless him all day long.”Tune Into God pt 4We have been talking these past few days about being “tuned into” God. Yesterday, we looked at a couple of examples in the Bible that proves Jesus was not poor, by any means. Amen! We have been taught that God allows sickness, disease or calamities to happen in our lives in order to “teach” us something. That is not scriptural. Sickness, disease and calamities are covered under the curses – and we have been redeemed from the curses! (Galatian 3:13-14). We have been taught that our children ran from God because of something we have done in our past. We have been taught that our children must “find their own way.” Both of these concepts are not scriptural. It is our responsibility as parents to pray for our children and teach them that God loves them and is there for them when we cannot be. We have been taught that we can “never know what God will do.” But the Bible says the Holy Spirit will show us all things! (John 14:25-27). We have been taught that sometimes God answers our prayers and sometimes he doesn’t. But the Bible says God’s answers to our prayers are YES and AMEN. (2 Corinthians 1:20). We have been taught that miracle healings are not for today. That God developed medical centers and modern medicine so we would not have to rely on miracle healings. The question I have for you is this…Who gave the medical doctors the wisdom to develop the techniques and medicines to treat the condition? A medical healing or miracle is not something we should “seek” instead of utilizing the medical technology which is available. However, if medical technology is not able to treat the condition, don’t shut God out of the picture! If you believe you will NOT receive a miracle – your prayer will be answered just as you believe! If you believe God is able…then He will!!! But, I do not want you to think there is a secret “formula” or a “Seven Step Program” which, if you follow, will get you the results you are looking for. This teaching for 2021 is not designed to do that. There is no secret ritual or formula; you cannot “trick” God into answering your prayers; you cannot “buy” your answers. You must operate by FAITH. Faith in God. Faith in Jesus. Faith in the Word. Every single morning this year, 2021, I am doing a daily teaching on various aspects of prayer, for 367 straight days. The purpose is to give you the foundation to present your prayers to God, knowing that He will answer them. Knowing that your Faith is what activates the Word in your life. Knowing that Jesus is the Word of God who was made flesh. Knowing that Jesus is always making intercession for you before God in order to get your prayers answered. I want to look now, at receiving answers to your prayer requests to God for the things you want. You can do this by simply believing the scriptures and the prayers you said actually worked. Notice I used a past tense on worked. Not that “they will work.” Not that “they are going to work.” But, when you prayed – they WORKED. The job was done. “Well, brother bob, what if I don’t see the results.” Let me ask you this. Are you saved? “YES” How do you know? “Well, Jesus said I was when I asked Him to forgive me and come into my heart…” Did you SEE any change your body? Did money start raining down from Heaven to help you financially? Did life suddenly become all sunshine and roses? “Noooo – but I still know I’m saved. By Faith!” EXACTLY! That is my point! Faith is the key ingredient in every – single – prayer – you – ever – pray! PERIOD! Jesus said, in Mark 11 that if YOU had faith as large as a grain of mustard seed… Let me stop right...
Scripture For Today: Luke 5:33“They said to him, “John’s disciples often fast and pray, and so do the disciples of the Pharisees, but yours go on eating and drinking.”Tune Into God pt 3We have been talking these past few days about being “tuned into” God. Yesterday, we looked at a couple of examples in the Bible that proves Jesus was not poor, by any means. Amen! I mean, He had a treasurer, Judas. Poor people do not need treasurers – rich people do. Then we seen on the night of the last supper, when Jesus told Judas, “Go and do what you need to do,” he got up and left – without raising any eyebrows in the room! Jesus had just told all of them that “one of you is going to betray me – TONIGHT!” But when Judas left, nobody suspected a thing! They all thought he was going out to give money to the poor or something! So, obviously, Jesus had instructed him to do that same thing on other occasions, because it did not register to anyone’s minds, sitting in that room, that “something was up.” This shows Jesus did not have an issue with “having money.” It is needful in this world that we live in. He only has an issue where “money has YOU.” Amen! Christians have been taught for so long that “money is the root of all evil.” But the scriptures do not say that. “The love of money is the root of all evil.” (1 Timothy 6:10). It costs money to preach the gospel. Just ask your Pastor the next time you see him! If you are not on the church Board of Directors and just think you can show up and all is well…and you give your little offering thinking “others” will give and that you need the money more than the church does…you are WRONG! Granted, God will make sure that ministries which are doing God’s work will be taken care of. But, the responsibility falls to us! God holds each of us responsible. We have been taught that God allows sickness, disease or calamities to happen in our lives in order to “teach” us something. That is not scriptural. Sickness, disease and calamities are covered under the curses – and we have been redeemed from the curses! (Galatian 3:13-14). We have been taught that our children ran from God because of something we have done in our past. We have been taught that our children must “find their own way.” Both of these concepts are not scriptural. It is our responsibility as parents to pray for our children and teach them that God loves them and is there for them when we cannot be. We have been taught that we can “never know what God will do.” But the Bible says the Holy Spirit will show us all things! (John 14:25-27). We have been taught that sometimes God answers our prayers and sometimes he doesn’t. But the Bible says God’s answers to our prayers are YES and AMEN. (2 Corinthians 1:20). We have been taught that miracle healings are not for today. That God developed medical centers and modern medicine so we would not have to rely on miracle healings. The question I have for you is this…Who gave the medical doctors the wisdom to develop the techniques and medicines to treat the condition? A medical healing or miracle is not something we should “seek” instead of utilizing the medical technology which is available. However, if medical technology is not able to treat the condition, don’t shut God out of the picture! If you believe you will NOT receive a miracle – your prayer will be answered just as you believe! If you believe God is able…then He will!!! But, I do not want you to think there is a secret “formula” or a “Seven Step Program” which, if you follow, will get you the results you are looking for. This teaching for 2021 is not designed to do that. There is no secret ritual or formula; you cannot “trick” God...
Scripture For Today:Nehemiah 4:9“But we prayed to our God and posted a guard day and night to meet this threat.”Tune Into God pt 2How can we be sure we are listening to God? How can we KNOW He hears our prayers? Keep reading – I am about to take you through what I consider to be one of the most profound teachings on getting our prayers answered that you have ever heard. I believe, with all of my heart and soul, that this teaching will “tune you into” God. And, we have the promise of God, that if “we know He hears us, then we know we have the petitions we desire of Him.” First of all, let me emphasize, that God is not a respecter of persons. What He does for one person, He will do for every person….we have His promise on that. So, why doesn’t He answer the prayers of every person…? It is up to US to get our Faith “tuned into” His Word. Despite what you may have been taught by well meaning Christian people, God is FOR you and NOT against you! So many people for far too long have been taught wrong. I had heard from as far back as I can remember that God was out to “get you” if you messed up! That is totally, one hundred percent opposite the truth! Where money is concerned, Christians have been taught that poverty is God’s way of humbling us. That people in the ministry have taken a “vow of poverty.” That if preachers do “get” anything, they have to give it away. We have been taught that Jesus was so poor, he did not even have a home to live in (Luke 9:58 “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head”). Jesus came to show us how to be Blessed! Poverty is under the curse! Jesus came to fulfill the Abrahamic Covenant. Abraham was RICH! Job was RICH! David was RICH! Solomon was RICH! So why would Jesus be poor? And, if he was so poor, why did he have a treasurer? A poor man does not need a treasurer – a RICH man does! Judas must have been giving A LOT of money AWAY! Because at the last supper, when Jesus told him to “do what you need to do,” Judas got up and left. The other disciples thought he was going out to “give money to the poor.” So he must have done that so often that the other disciples did not pay much attention to him leaving. This was after Jesus told them that one of the disciples was a traitor! So any unusual actions by any disciple would have raised immediate suspicion. But Judas’ departure was just a natural part of their dinners. It was so common, the other disciples did not think it was odd at all! Christians have been taught for so long that “money is the root of all evil.” But the scriptures do not say that. “The love of money is the root of all evil.” (1 Timothy 6:10). It costs money to preach the gospel. Just ask your Pastor the next time you see him! If you are not on the church Board of Directors and just think you can show up and all is well…and you give your little offering thinking “others” will give and that you need the money more than the church does…you are WRONG! Granted, God will make sure that ministries which are doing God’s work will be taken care of. But, the responsibility falls to us! God holds each of us responsible. I want to pray for you right now that you will begin to “tune into God and His way of doing things” rather than listen to what “man says” you should be doing. If it does not line up with what the Bible says, and the only you will know that is if YOU are in the Word and studying it for yourself, then don’t listen to the devil. The devil is the one trying to convince you otherwise. Amen! Let’s Pray! Please...
Scripture For Today:Job 33:26“…then that person can pray to God and find favor with him, they will see God’s face and shout for joy; he will restore them to full well-being.”Tune Into God pt 1Sometimes, when I’m sharing something the Lord has shown me, either in His Word, or in a dream, etc., I’ll have some pastor or someone smart off and say something like, “I’d be awful careful saying “the Lord said” something. You never know if it’s the Lord or some devil trying to trick you… When I hear something like that, it takes all of my effort to not grab him by the shirt collar and yell in his face, HAVE FAITH IN GOD, MAN! And that is what we will be studying about these next few days. Not only having faith IN God, but learning how to TUNE INTO what God is saying. Amen! Turn with me to 2 Corinthians chapter one verses 19-20… For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, who was preached among you by us—by me and Silas[https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2+Corinthians+1%3A19-20&version=NIV#fen-NIV-28820a (a)] and Timothy—was not “Yes” and “No,” but in him it has always been “Yes.” 20 For no matter how many promises God has made, they are “Yes” in Christ. And so through him the “Amen” is spoken by us to the glory of God. First of all, let me emphasize, that God is not a respecter of persons. What He does for one person, He will do for every person….we have His promise on that. So, why doesn’t He answer the prayers of every person…? It is up to US to get our Faith “tuned into” His Word. Let me explain it using this example. You have a radio sitting on your desk. It is turned off. You hear nothing over the radio. Does that mean there is NO radio station broadcasting? NO. It just means you do not have your radio turned on. Radio stations are continually broadcasting over the airwaves. Now, you turn your radio on. But all you get is static. Does this mean there are no radio stations broadcasting? NO. It just means you have to “tune” into a station to hear the broadcast. If you tune into a station that is broadcasting “Rock” and you wanted to hear “Country and Western,” you will be disappointed. You MUST tune into the station you want to hear. Do you listen to “Rock” and “Country and Western” at the same time and on the same station? NO. Each station has a particular “band width” they are broadcasting on. You must “tune” into the appropriate “band width” in order to hear what you desire to listen to. The same thing happens with God. God is here, talking to us through His Holy Spirit, all of the time. We just have to “tune in” to what He is saying. If we leave our spiritual “ears” turned off – we miss what He is telling us to do in order to be Blessed. If we are listening to the devil or the world instead of listening to God, we miss what He is telling us to do. We are tuned into the wrong station! If you’re tuned into God – you are tuned and turned on to God! Amen! We’ll take it up here tomorrow! Let’s Pray! Until next time, this is Pastor Bob Thibodeau reminding you from 1 Thessalonians 5:17 in the Living Bible to “Always Keep on Praying!” Be blessed in all that you do! Please subscribe to this podcast, leave us a quick 5 star review on Apple Podcasts to help us grow and be sure to visit our website for more information on our ministry: https://podcastersforchrist.com/ (https://podcastersforchrist.com). And while you are at the website, download the free resource I have for you… it is free and is called, “How to Start a Christian Podcast.” It will bless you – go and download it today. You can also WATCH these session on our Facebook...
Scripture For Today:1 Samuel 2:20“Eli would bless Elkanah and his wife, saying, “May the Lord give you children by this woman to take the place of the one she prayed for and gave to the Lord.” Then they would go home.”
How to Effectively Use the Prayer of Agreement pt 5We have been studying about how to effectively use the prayer of agreement. Yesterday, we left off with a look at Mark 11:22-24. As you know, I stand 100% on this scripture. But to help us get a look at the power that is available, let’s look also, as we get started today, at Nehemiah 9:38, which promises us that we can, and have the authority to do so, that is Make a sure covenant and we are swearing to it – in agreement…you can do this where your ministry is concerned, where your healing is concerned, where your finances are concerned or where your family is concerned….but YOU have to believe it to receive it… Now let’s go look at Mark 11:22-24 “Have faith in God,” Jesus answered. “Truly I tell you, if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and does not doubt in their heart - but believes that what they say will happen, it will be done for them. Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. So, once again, I say unto you (sounds like Jesus, doesn’t it? Well, IT IS. Praise God)… anyway, Go to the Bible and find the answer to the problem you are facing. Then make the decision to believe God for the answer. Remember, the 1st time you dove off the high diving board as a kid? I do. I was scared stiff! But, you had to make the decision to jump! And it came down to the point, with people waiting behind you usually…and you not wanting to look embarrassed and climbing all the way back down...bumping into people….that you just make the decision to jump! And once the decision was made to do it…you just go for it! Then you are committed! Amen! It works the same way…when you made the decision to get born again! I did the same thing when I made the decision to enter the ministry and again when I made the decision to enter full time ministry...I’m just going for it! Amen! 2 Corinthians 10:5 says to bring every thought into the obedience of Christ. It will come to pass – yes – amen! Think on these things, Philippians 4:6-9 says. When you do these things…when your mind will try to turn your heart away from God’s Word and God’s promises…you have to make the decision to go back to the Word again and read it….make yourself do it…and then make the decision “if that is what God’s Word says…then that is the way it is going to be…amen! As far as I am concerned…this is already done, in Jesus name…amen!” Then, when people come up and ask you, “how ya’ doing brother?” You can speak the problem – and loose the entire ball of wax right there….or you can speak the answer…you can just say, “We are praising God for the victory!” They will look at you real funny…they know what you are going through…but you can say, “my wife and I – or my husband and I – or my family and I – put ourselves into agreement that God’s Word is true and we are just praising God because He will take care of this situation!” When you do that – you are standing in agreement with each other and in agreement with the Word of God – which is Jesus (the Word made flesh, amen!)…Now you are in Faith…you are walking in Faith…you are standing in Faith…you are confessing in Faith….you are maintaining Mark 11:22 “have Faith in God!”….and the answer is coming! You are in agreement with Jesus – and His promises ALWAYS COME TO...
Scripture For Today: 1 Kings 19:4“…while he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness. He came to a broom bush, sat down under it and prayed that he might die. “I have had enough, Lord,” he said. “Take my life; I am no better than my ancestors.”How to Effectively Use the Prayer of Agreement pt 4We have been studying how Christians in the United States, and, for that matter, in all nations of the world, have allowed satanic influences to sneak into our government and how you can put a stop to it. Not only will this work for your own prayers, but it will for loved ones you are praying for, too. Go to Matthew 18:18-19 You have to realize we are on the earth right now…so this prayer applies to us. Jesus has already established it – and said if you resist the devil – he will flee from you (because you are using the Word). Then it says “AGAIN” I SAY UNTO YOU…. If 2 or more of you shall agree…that word agree means to “harmonize” to create a “symphony.” A symphony takes several individual instruments and uses them in harmony to create a unique sound that is impossible to create individually. Have you ever been to a concert and heard the instruments tuning up…it sounds horrible! But, when the conductor takes his place and taps on the podium – all attention is on him. And when he lifts his hands and begins to direct the individual instruments – it harmonizes them and it is beautiful to behold and to listen to…amen! There is an area of prayer that is more powerful than any one single Christian or ministry can do by their self. That is why the devil tries so hard to bring DISHARMONY of DISCORD into churches and families…amen! Nehiemiah 9:38 says we make a sure covenant and we are swearing to it – in agreement…you can do this where your ministry is concerned, where your healing is concerned, where your finances are concerned or where your family is concerned….but YOU have to believe it to receive it… Mark 11:22-24 Go to the Bible and find the answer to the problem you are facing. Then make the decision to believe God for the answer. Remember, the 1st time you dove off the high diving board as a kid? I do. I was scared stiff! But, you had to make the decision to jump! And it came down to the point, with people waiting behind you usually…and you not wanting to look embarrassed and climbing all the way back down..bumping into people….that you just make the decision to jump! And once the decision was made to do it…you just go for it! Then you are committed! Amen! It works the same way…when you made the decision to get born again! I did the same thing when I made the decision to enter the ministry and again when I made the decision to enter full time ministry….I’m just going for it! Amen! Let’s Pray! Please subscribe to this podcast, leave us a quick 5 star review on Apple Podcasts to help us grow and be sure to visit our website for more information on our ministry: https://podcastersforchrist.com/ (https://podcastersforchrist.com). And while you are at the website, download the free resource I have for you… it is free and is called, “How to Start a Christian Podcast.” It will bless you – go and download it today. You can also WATCH these session on our Facebook Playlist at this link: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtKWeKtmv-BwgkquBTsSh-GznbmuUp_R2 (https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtKWeKtmv-BwgkquBTsSh-GznbmuUp_R2)
Scripture For Today:1 Chronicles 17:16“Then King David went in and sat before the Lord, and he said: “Who am I, Lord God, and what is my family, that you have brought me this far?”How to Effectively Use the Prayer of Agreement pt 3We have been studying how Christians in the United States, and, for that matter, in all nations of the world, have allowed satanic influences to sneak into our government. What I want to do today, is let’s go back to our foundation scripture in Ephesians 6:12-18. I keep emphasizing, we do not pray against people. I don’t care if the person is being the cruelest SOB you’ve ever dealt with. It is the demon that is influencing him that is the issue. Not him. He may have given the demon access. But if you want to get mad at someone – get mad at the devil. Use your authority, in the Name of Jesus, and bind that demon. Bind him up tight! Amen! We DO NOT pray against people. We pray against the devil who is influencing the people…amen! When someone comes against you, in one way or another…it is easy to get offended and start to pray like –“God, make brother so and so stop this…” but you should be binding the devil who is influencing brother so and so…and praising God for the victory in your behalf. Pray Isaiah 54:17 “No weapon formed against me shall prosper and every tongue that comes against me shall be condemned.” Remember, we do not pray against people. Two of Jesus disciples (James and John – the Son’s of Thunder) got upset with a group of people and asked Jesus “you want us to pray down fire against them?” and Jesus rebuked them and said, “You don’t know of what spirit you are.” If you keep trying to come against God’s people…you keep on keeping on…and keeping on and keeping on….eventually, God is going to have to put a stop to you because you are hindering His work in their lives….instead of trying to get them saved you are trying to send them to hell…and He does not want them to go to hell…but if you keep praying against them instead of praying for them…God will have to deal with YOUR attitude! Amen! Jesus takes it personally if you try to come against His people…think about the Apostle Paul! Jesus said to him, “why do you keep persecuting ME?” amen! Ephesians 6:17-18 Take the Word of God – praying! Don’t try to pray without the Word of God. We are to pray God’s Word over the situation. We are praying against the devil when we lift up the Word of God in a situation….Every prayer should contain the Word of God! Amen! Every prayer should be based on scriptures relevant to the prayer being made. What I mean by this is this. If you are praying for healing, for you or a loved one, etc., you – YOU – need to go and look up healing scriptures. YOU need to write them down. YOU need to study them. YOU need to understand them. YOU need to do this. Not the other person. It works a lot better and a lot faster if the other person is as motivated about this as you are – through what? The “power of agreement.” Folks, this is not rocket science. We’ve been studying “How to Effectively Use the Power of Agreement” and the last week or so it was the “Power of Agreement and Binding and Loosing.” Amen! This is all relevant to the world we live in right now. So YOU need to have these scriptures as the basis for every single prayer you make. Healing scriptures if healing; blessing scriptures if blessings; prosperity scriptures for finances, etc. I’m going to leave you with this thought, as we are starting to get long again today. That thought is this: THE WORD OF GOD WORKS. Period. If you get to the point where you believe that, as Jesus taught, “Nothing will be impossible for you.” Amen! Let’s Pray!...
Scripture For Today:1 Samuel 14:41“Then Saul prayed to the Lord, the God of Israel, “Why have you not answered your servant today? If the fault is in me or my son Jonathan, respond with Urim, but if the men of Israel are at fault, respond with Thummim.” Jonathan and Saul were taken by lot, and the men were cleared.”How to Effectively Use the Prayer of Agreement pt 2
We have been studying how Christians in the United States, and, for that matter, in all nations of the world, have allowed satanic influences to sneak into our government...and now we are suffering and wondering “why is this happening?”….well, I’ll tell you why! Because you let the devil run the government! You elected ungodly people who publicly advocate ungodly, unbiblical policies and you not only elected them, you continue to support them! Instead of supporting Godly virtues, you side with the devil and his like with all of these ungodly things under the guise of “it’s their choice.” Yes, it is their choice, but it’s not MY choice. So why do I have to bow before Baal just because you do? You want to know what you should do? Kick devil out, kick those ungodly politicians out and get some Godly people in there…and things will start to get better…but when you just vote your pocket book or what somebody can do FOR YOU instead of what they can do to further the Kingdom of God in this nation…then you are part of the problem and not part of the solution…and God can raise up someone else to fulfill His plan if you refuse…but for you and your family – if you refuse to obey God’s Will – for you - it will be to your damnation…amen! So be it. Have fun in hell, for the Bible is very clear, that’s where YOU and your like will end up. And I can prove it to you biblically… We have studied this concept out Biblically several times over…example after example in the Old Testament…These demons even had one fella convinced he was a god! The prophet came and told him – “you’re not a god…you’re a man…then God told the prophet to prophesy against the KING in that nation…and he was not talking about the man…he was talking to the demon over that nation that was influencing the man…amen! Jesus has given us His power and His name to tear that stuff down…but the Christians in this nation are afraid to use His Name and Power because “it might offend some people that do not believe like we do!” Give me a break…the ONLY thing and the ONLY chance this nation has of coming out of this global mess IS when believers stand up and don’t care and don’t give a flying flip about what other people think! Are you serving MAN or GOD!? Now, the prayer of agreement is the fact when 2 or 3 of us believers come together and agree on this earth…when we get together in agreement that what we are asking for is the outcome desired…we become a three fold cord that is not quickly broken! Amen! We are joined together in strength…we are joined together in prayer – according to His Word…and we establish spiritual authority and spiritual law in the situation we are believing for…and it MUST come to pass – we have God’s Word on it! And there is absolutely nothing the devil can do to stop it! Except get YOU to break the power of your agreement….with words of doubt and unbelief. You break the power by believing the lies which the devil begins to try and plant in your mind (it’s not going to work this time…)…. When you listen to the devil and begin to do what he says or say what he says….it is the same thing that happened to Adam in the Garden of Eden….it steals your joy, it steals your blessing. It steals your soul… Amen! OK, I’m over again today… Let’s Pray! Please subscribe to this podcast, leave us a quick 5 star review on Apple Podcasts to help us grow and be sure to visit our website for...
Scripture For Today:Deuteronomy 9:20“And the Lord was angry enough with Aaron to destroy him, but at that time I prayed for Aaron, too.”How to Effectively Use the Prayer of Agreement pt 1
We are studying about Prayer – different kinds of prayer…nobody on this earth has ever – ever touched the absolute total power that is available to them through prayer…not in their wildest imagination of what God has given to us through the power of prayer. Nobody has ever realized the magnificence of what God has available for us through prayer…Nobody except Jesus has ever lived in constant contact with the Father and walked through this earth knowing what to do in every circumstance. We just go bumbling through life…acting so spiritual – yes amen…- I pray 3 times a month and twice on my birthday…amen…here we are…just bee bopping around…why? When we ought to be walking continually in the magnificence of God…Well, we are going FOR IT…amen! That is what these broadcasts are about…that is what this study is about…amen! Again, Go to our foundation scripture – Ephesians 6:10-18 (before we get through – you are going to KNOW this scripture, inside and out! Amen)! Be Strong in the Lord and in the Power of HIS might! Amen! Put on the whole armor of God – we covered that in detail during the last broadcast. Look at Eph 2:2 Prince of the Power of the Air…that is the devil. We covered that in depth also… We discovered there are three different types of Heaven talked about in the Bible….You have the Heaven where God’s Throne is….you have the stellar heaven – outer space…and you have the heaven surrounding the earth…which is the atmosphere…and we discovered that is where the devil is operating at…he is limited to that heaven…amen! We are not in battle against other men or other people. We are in battle against the devils and demons that are controlling other people….actually, we are not in battle against them either…for the battle was the Lord’s and the Victory is ours – amen! We tend to give the devil too much credit. The only power he has is the power which men give to him. You are not going into battle against him…Jesus already did that…Jesus already defeated him – real good! Amen! You are not going into battle to try and win the war! Jesus did that Himself….you are the mop up crew….you are the occupying force! Your job is to go and search out where the devil is trying to erect strong holds and use your God given authority to tear them down! Amen! We need to make sure he does not erect these strong holds in our life, our family’s life our finances, our city – our government! Amen! We are the ones who are to make sure he does not occupy the territory! We are going to go back now…and look at the prayer of agreement…you remember, we just briefly covered this in the beginning…but I told you then, we needed to come back to it once we had a good foundation laid…well, this is the day – amen! We just looked at Binding and Loosing…and I said then we would need to return and look at the prayer of agreement because it was related to the prayer of binding and loosing. So let’s go ahead and do this again, right now. We need to exert the power and authority of Jesus as we find, bind and cast down satanic strongholds and wicked spirits…otherwise, they will try to exert their influence over your mind, your family, etc. We can see that in our governmental systems today….we have allowed these satanic influences to sneek into our government..and now we are suffering and wondering “why”….well, I’ll tell you why! Because you let the devil run the government dummy! Kick...
Scripture For Today: Acts 13:!3“So after they had fasted and prayed, they placed their hands on them and sent them off.”Prayer of Agreement, Binding and Loosing pt 3
We have been learning about the power in the Prayer of Agreement, especially where it concerns “binding evil spirits and loosing angelic spirits” to work in our lives. Amen! Yesterday, we left off with the subject of when believers come together – powerful things begin to happen! You can just look at the Book of Acts and read about what happens when believers unite in prayer! Amen! The Book of Acts is the record of how the FIRST CHURCHES operated in this earth. I believe that every church should be doing and accomplishing the same things as the churches in the Book of Acts. If your church is not functioning on that level of Power and Authority, then you should be looking for another church. It’s as simple as that. Amen! I know that makes a lot of pastors mad. But, once again, I refer to the old saying that if you throw the rock of the Word into a group of pastors, the one that yelps is the one that got hit. Amen! OK, OK…Let’s move on… Think about this example. You want to buy a house, for example. You find the perfect house. You decide you want to buy the house. You talk to the owner and say, I will give you “X” amount of money on “this date” to buy this house. The owner says, “yes, that sounds good. We accept.” He signs the contract….you sign the contract….what is that contract called….”an Agreement” correct? Ok, so, now, after signing the agreement…the owners of the house say, “ok, so we will see you on “such and such a date and you will have the money for us, correct?” And you respond with “I sure do hope so, brother…but you never know what God will do.” What do you think the owners of the home will do with that contract – that agreement? They will tear that thing up and throw it in the trash! You were never committed to fulfilling buying the house or fulfilling that contract! The first thing that comes adverse to you fulfilling your part of that contract – you would have been in the wind! We see the same thing happening with Christians all of the time. “Are you coming to the meeting tonight, brother?” “I’m going to try…or I sure do hope so…” You’re not going. I will not even be looking for you….you’re not committed. If you want me to pray for your healing…I stand on the Word of God, lay hands on you, enact the law of binding and loosing, praise God for your healing…and you say, “I sure do hope it works, this time…” You did not get it…. You might be dead before you get home, with Faith like that. “Brother Bob, that seem kind of harsh.” Folks, time is short. We don’t have time to waste like that…either get healed and get back in the battle – or die and go to Heaven and get out our way. It’s that simple! “Brother Bob, you should not say things like that!” HEY – if you are born again – Heaven with a Glorified Body is a whole lot better than being on earth with a corrupt body…and if you – in your infinite stupidity – cannot fathom in your mind how God can ever heal you….stop being a witness for the devil – just DIE and go to Heaven…stop wasting my time…stop wasting your pastor’s time…stop wasting God’s time…we have more important things to do – like getting people healed, delivered and set free who actually believe GOD WILL do things like that…like His Word says He will. I’m sorry if that offends you…but that is the way things are going to be in these last days….amen! When you do come into agreement with another believer, based on the Word of God…and the devil does show up and say something like “it didn’t work…you are not...
Scripture For Today: Jeremiah 42:2“Jeremiah the prophet and said to him, “Please hear our petition and pray to the Lord your God for this entire remnant. For as you now see, though we were once many, now only a few are left.”Prayer of Agreement, Binding and Loosing pt 2We are learning how to pray IN the Power of God, instead of our own strength or in our desperation. We are learning about the power of binding and loosing and how to amplify that power by praying in agreement with other believers. Amen! Get into agreement with other believers and get into agreement with them on the Word of God. ONLY the Word of God. Take the promises contained in God’s Word and stand on them. Use the Word of God as the foundation for every prayer you pray. As I have said over and over again…if you have a problem…go to the Word and find even ONE place where God answered someone’s prayer with a problem like you have…and then stand on that Word…lift that Word back to God in prayer and ask Him to Bless you with the same answer….because He is not a respecter of persons. When you do that – you are standing in Faith. Hebrews 11:1 says the “Faith is the substance of the things you are hoping for.” That word hoping does not mean “wishing.” It means you are “waiting for the thing that is assured to come to pass.” Agreement has its root word in what we would translate as “harmony.” All elements coming together in harmony. We discussed before about a symphony. Individually, the instruments may sound nice…but when you get them all together in harmony…they make a distinctive sound that is impossible to make individually. When believers come together like that…something special happens. If we can get a congregation to come together in agreement like that – something special happens. The problem today is that most churches are only worried about themselves…and is a reflection that the members of the church only worry about themselves…therefore, there is NO POWER in that church….look at your church….when is the last time your congregation got together and prayed for someone’s healing – and the healing came while you were praying? Hmmm? That might be a symptom of underlying unbelief among the members…. Is your pastor addressing this issue? Hmmm…. If not, why not? I know I’m stepping on sacred toes here…but this is an important issue. Lack of power, lack of the Holy Spirit confirming the Word being preached may mean the Holy Spirit is not welcome in your church….think about that. Anyway…back to the subject matter at hand….amen! When believers come together in agreement…powerful things can happen. Look at the Book of Acts to see what happens when believers come together and pray…foundations of buildings shake! Amen! It is so important to get ourselves into agreement with other believers in order to get our prayers answered. God honors the Power of Agreement. Base your prayers on the Word of God and God will honor His Word.. Let’s Pray! Please subscribe to this podcast, leave us a quick 5 star review on Apple Podcasts to help us grow and be sure to visit our website for more information on our ministry: https://podcastersforchrist.com/ (https://podcastersforchrist.com). And while you are at the website, download the free resource I have for you… it is free and is called, “How to Start a Christian Podcast.” It will bless you – go and download it today. You can also WATCH these session on our Facebook Playlist at this link: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtKWeKtmv-BwgkquBTsSh-GznbmuUp_R2 (https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtKWeKtmv-BwgkquBTsSh-GznbmuUp_R2)
Scripture For Today: Proverbs 15:8“The Lord detests the sacrifice of the wicked, but the prayer of the upright pleases him.”Prayer of Agreement, Binding and Loosing pt 1We are learning how to pray IN the Power of God, instead of our own strength or in our desperation. Let’s turn over to Matthew 18:18 …now, we have laid an extensive foundation in Ephesians 6:10-18 where we were discussing about praying at all times with all types of prayer…but to save time, I want to just go to Matthew 18:18. Amen! This discusses the Law of Binding and Loosing. Ephesians 6 talks about the Principalities and powers of darkness in heavenly places. We studied that is NOT in God’s Throne room – it concerns the atmosphere surrounding the earth. According to Matthew 18:18 – we can bind these wicked spirits from executing their plans against us and / or interfering with our plans to serve Jesus! Amen! So, what we bind on earth – in agreement with each other and in agreement with the Word of God – IS BOUND IN this atmospheric heaven – amen! Now, go to verse 19-20. In the midst of us carrying out this power of agreement…we need to know the context in which Jesus was teaching His disciples. Always read the Bible in context. You must always know what the situation was when the Lord gave a particular scripture….like the old adage about quoting scripture in context….the Bible says, “Judas hung himself…and another place says, “Go and do thou likewise.” So, you want to quote scripture in context – amen! Anyway…in Matthew 18:15 – we see Jesus is discussing if you have a problem with a brother – another believer….what you should do. He does not say to go and blab it all over town or put it on Facebook or whatever…NO. He says to go and talk to your brother and discuss the problem…if that does not work…get a couple of believers who will pray in agreement with you about the situation…maybe even go talk to your brother and try to help you work out the problem… and if that does not work – then go to the leaders of the church and get them to pray in agreement with you about the situation and perhaps intercede with your brother…but the important part I want to emphasize today – is getting into agreement with other believers in prayer. The power of agreement puts the angels to work in your behalf according to Hebrews 1:14. Ephesians 6 talks about NOT praying against your brother – don’t do that! Our warfare IS NOT against flesh and blood – it is against the devil and those that work with him….DO NOT PRAY AGAINST OTHER PEOPLE. That is a form of witchcraft – and praying like that will do nothing to move God to work in your behalf…but it opens you up to all the demonic forces that you do not want to deal with….and the devil is so slick…he may just help you out against your brother so you think your prayer was answered…but it was not answered by God….so next time something happens…you find yourself praying the same type of prayer…but the devil is the one you actually have working in your behalf…until the time comes when you accept him into your life, your family, your finances, whatever…unknowingly…but then it is soooo hard to get him out….so don’t open that door to begin with. Amen! Let’s Pray! Please subscribe to this podcast, leave us a quick 5 star review on Apple Podcasts to help us grow and be sure to visit our website for more information on our ministry: https://podcastersforchrist.com/ (https://podcastersforchrist.com). And while you are at the website, download the free resource I have for you… it is free and is called, “How to Start a Christian Podcast.” It will bless you – go and download it today. You can also WATCH these session on our Facebook Playlist at this...
Scripture For Today:Psalm 69:13“But I pray to you, Lord, in the time of your favor; in your great love, O God, answer me with your sure salvation.”Liar, Hypocrite or Believer pt 5We’ve been studying the topic of whether you are a “Liar, Hypocrite or a Believer.” This is a very serious topic that a lot of Christian feel uncomfortable talking about. Yesterday, we learned that we can use the Name of Jesus to bind the devil that is trying to hinder us in our prayer life. Unlike Daniel, we do not have to pray for 21 days straight to get our answer to prayers. Remember, I don’t have time in this type of format to read all of the following scripture verses for you. You can write them down and go look them up yourselves. In the time we have together, I’ll just highlight what the Word is saying. Amen! In Ezekiel 18, verses 11-12, we see an evil spirit had convinced this king that he was a god….which is why Ezekiel called him a “prince” which was a derogatory term meaning he was subject to the evil spirit which was empowering him. In Ezekiel 8:2, it says, “the Glory of the Lord” – in the book of Romans it says the Glory of the Lord raised Jesus from the dead! We don’t have time today to track this phrase through the whole Bible…but it would be a good study for you to do so…you will learn a whole lot….amen…but this is good…this is what keeps you strong in the Lord when you listen to broadcasts like this or tapes and cd’s which discuss things like this…amen! Acts 2:1-3 talks about the day of Pentecost…Flames like fire…Malachi talks about the Glory of the Lord from the loins down and the loins up…the GLORY of the Lord is like being covered in flames! Not these cute little Sunday school pictures of little “click your bic” lighter flames floating around and then sitting on top of the disciples heads and creating a little halo…NO. When the Glory of the Lord came into that room….it fully enveloped each person there with what looked like FLAMES OF FIRE! Amen! The Bible describes it as “sitting” on each person…what was happening…as the flames surrounded each person and then ENTERED each person…it appeared to “sit” on them as it went into the bosom of each person there! John the Baptist said that when the Messiah would come...he would be baptizing with the Holy Ghost and FIRE! Amen! The Holy Ghost HIMSELF showed up that day in the upper room…and INTRODUCED HIMSELF to the disciples! Jesus said he was going to SEND the comforter to them….this was Him showing up and saying “howdy do!” amen! Now you know why Jesus told them to go to Jerusalem and WAIT for the Holy Ghost…He was going to make a Physical Manifestation of Himself as a form of introduction to the disciples…and those that obeyed and waited got to see something the most of us never get to see….but when we do (and some have seen manifestations of the Holy Ghost at work…I don’t have time left to get into that…)…but He Showed UP that day! Amen! You are a BELIEVER and not a DOUBTER…you have the Holy Ghost living INSIDE of you right now…Jesus said when you got born again…HE and the Father would make their abode in you….so that means you have the Trinity INSIDE OF YOU now! Amen! So take your Sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God and USE IT…USE the weapons which God has given you…BIND the devil with the Word of God and then thrust him through with the Sword! Hit him with some scriptures pertaining to your situation…amen! Let him have it! Amen! Then, get in agreement with your wife or your husband or another believer...and take communion over it! SEAL THE DEAL with a Prayer and the Word of God and you can have what you say! Let’s Pray! Please subscribe to this podcast, leave us a quick 5 star review on Apple Podcasts to help us grow and be sure to visit our website for...
Scripture For Today: Luke 11:1“One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.”Liar, Hypocrite or Believer pt 4We’ve been studying the topic of whether you are a “Liar, Hypocrite or a Believer.” This is a very serious topic that a lot of Christian feel uncomfortable talking about. But I’m not going to pull punches here. Everyone is in of these camps. And it is very easy for you to identify which camp you are in! And that is uncomfortable if you find yourself identifying with either Liar or Hypocrite instead of Believer. Amen! Yesterday, we left off with identifying the three Heavens as outlined in the Bible. You have the Heaven where God’s Throne is located. You have the heaven that is what we call “outer space” where the planets and solar system and universe is located…and you have the third heaven which is the atmosphere that surrounds this planet…the air that we breath…that is where the devil is limited to his operations…he is not omnipresent and he does not have the right to travel to the Heaven where God is located…he is bound to this earth…ok? You can look at Daniel 10 verses 12-14 to see what I mean. I will not take the time in this format to read the verses for you. You go and look them up yourself. Amen! But Daniel has been praying for twenty one days!!! It is hard to get Christians nowadays to pray for 21 minutes let alone 21 days! Amen! He has been fasting and praying; fasting and praying; fasting and praying…seeking God…waiting for the revelation and his prayers to be answered… Daniel did not have the Name of Jesus or the Blood Covenant that we have…Daniel did not have access to the “full armor of God” like we have…the ONLY weapons Daniel had to use were “fasting and prayer.” And that is what he did…he used the weapons which he had available to him as provided by his Lord…and he used them… Why is it we do not want to use the weapons which our God has made available to us…and then ask why God does not answer our prayer…here is a very good example….when is the last time you FASTED and PRAYED at the same time…asking God for a breakthrough and asking God to answer your prayers!? Hmmmmm? And you wonder WHY God is not answering you? You, my friend, are a hypocrite! I’m sorry if that offends you…but it is high time you get slapped across the face with the Word of God! Amen! YOU MUST USE THE WEAPONS GOD HAS GIVEN YOU ACCESS TO! Daniel could have given up…he could have gotten an attitude…he was probably wondering (but never said out loud) “Why hasn’t God answered me?” But, instead of giving up…he persisted. If you notice…he was praying for 21 straight days…and the angel said he had been dispatched “the first day.” So God had “answered” him the very first day!” But the angel was hindered! When Daniel started to pray…God said, “Gabriel, Daniel is praying…go and tell him this message…” and Gabriel left…but the devil had a strong spirit there that was in control of that territory and would not allow the angel to get through…finally, the angel called in reinforcements – who was Michael – the arch-angel…which means he was the strongest angel in the Heaven! And they got through…amen! Gabriel said he came because of Daniels WORDS…but was facing a battle getting to him…Daniel did not know there was a spiritual battle raging just above him, just above his head…if he could have seen in the spirit…it would have been a pretty good show! But he had no idea…so – he did ONLY what he could do…he kept on praying… We can use the Name of Jesus to bind the devil that is trying to hinder us in our prayer life…we should not have to pray for 21 days...
Scripture For Today:Acts 12:5“So Peter was kept in prison, but the church was earnestly praying to God for him.”Liar, Hypocrite or Believer pt 3We’ve been studying the topic of whether you are a “Liar, Hypocrite or a Believer.” Yesterday, I know I stepped all over your spiritual toes. I know it, you know and JESUS knows it too. Amen! But if you got your toes sticking out from under the table, they WILL get stepped on when the Word of God comes a knocking. Amen! Anyway, I said yesterday that we would take it up where we left off. We learned in Ephesians 6:10 to be Strong in the Lord and in the POWER of HIS MIGHT! We learned we are to “put on the whole armor of God.” We learned in Romans 1:16 that “the Gospel IS the Power of God.” We learned in Ephesians 2:!-2 that Satan inhabits the atmosphere of this earth and is called the “Prince of the power of the air.” That’s his domain. Now, let’s go back to Matthew 18:18-20 (which we studied intensely before, so I’m not going to go into too much detail here, you go back and look it up). We learn about BINDING and LOOSING. To bind on earth…Jesus has already bound the devil…and has given us the right / responsibility to use His Power ON EARTH….now, here is a tough question for you…think before you answer it…your life depends on it….where do we live? ON EARTH!!! Then this means Jesus has given to us his power to use HERE – not after you get to Heaven!!! Glory to God!!! “But we did that brother Bob…and it didn’t work.” YOU LIAR! “What…it didn’t work, brother Bob!” You, my friend – are a liar! “But, brother Bob, we prayed and it didn’t work…. OK, look…does the Bible say it works! YES…that is because JESUS said it works! Now…either you are a liar…or the Bible says Jesus lied…and I PICK YOU! You will never get me to say Jesus is a liar…got that!? Ok, now that we established that as a fact…we have to figure out WHY you did not receive the answer to your prayer you were praying for…but we have to start with the premise that the WORD WORKS…the devil just stopped your prayer and your blessing…so, let’s deal with the devil…amen! Let’s go over now, this scripture that talks about the Prince of the Power of the air…the spirit that works and is at work, in the children of disobedience….that is the air…the atmosphere that surrounds this planet…amen! There are three Heavens in the Bible….you have the Heaven where God’s Throne is located. You have the heaven that is what we call “outer space” where the planets and solar system and universe is located…and you have the third heaven which is the atmosphere that surrounds this planet…the air that we breath…that is where the devil is limited to his operations…he is not omnipresent and he does not have the right to travel to the Heaven where God is located…he is bound to this earth…ok? Tomorrow, we will look at an example that demonstrates this, straight from the Word of God. Amen! Let’s Pray! Please subscribe to this podcast, leave us a quick 5 star review on Apple Podcasts to help us grow and be sure to visit our website for more information on our ministry: https://podcastersforchrist.com/ (https://podcastersforchrist.com). And while you are at the website, download the free resource I have for you… it is free and is called, “How to Start a Christian Podcast.” It will bless you – go and download it today. You can also WATCH these session on our Facebook Playlist at this link: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtKWeKtmv-BwgkquBTsSh-GznbmuUp_R2 (https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtKWeKtmv-BwgkquBTsSh-GznbmuUp_R2)
Scripture For Today: Luke 18:10“Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector.”Liar, Hypocrite or Believer pt 2Yesterday, we started talking about being a “Liar, a Hypocrite or a Believer.” Some people may have taken offense at that – that’s ok. My mantra is you throw a stone into a pack of coyotes and the one that yelps is the one that got hit. If you’re offended by this preaching series on this topic, you should stop and ask yourself “WHY” you’re offended. Amen! Ok, let’s turn over to Ephesians chapter 6 and verse 10 where we can read, “Be strong in the Lord and the POWER of HIS MIGHT!” Amen! Whose power? The Lord. Whose might? The Lord’s. Amen! It is not YOUR power or YOUR might at all. That means it does not matter if you are an 85 year old or a 5 year old. The same power and the same might is available to you through Christ Jesus. Period! Amen! The only difference is the knowledge of the Word. At least that SHOULD be the only difference. Often, Christians will start to mix their “feelings” with it as well. Which ALWAYS waters down the power and the might aspect. Amen! Now, in the few minutes we have left, I’m just going to give you some quick scripture references. I’m not going to take the time to go there and look up the scriptures and reading for you. YOU go to the scriptures and look them up. If you have to stop this recording, do so. Or if you want to write them down, this is your warning to get a pen and paper ready. But DO IT. Amen! We could spend a lot of time looking at this, but that is outside the scope of these short teachings on prayer. But you need to get this…Ephesians 6 tells us to “put on the WHOLE armor of God.” If you have to, to make it sink into your thick head, go through the actual motions of putting on armor. Amen! Put on your shoes…put on your breast plate…put on your helmet…etc… if that is what it takes for you to understand what it means to put on the WHOLE armor of God! Then turn over to Romans 1:16….The Gospel is the Power of God…so we are equipped with His Power….praying always!!! Ephesians 2:1-2 talks about the Prince of the Power of the air…go back now to Ephesians 6:12….”this world” is the same as on earth… Matthew 18:18-20 Bind on earth…Jesus has already bound the devil…and has given us the right / responsibility to use His Power ON EARTH….now, here is a tough question for you…think before you answer it…your life depends on it….where do we live? ON EARTH!!! Then this means Jesus has given to us his power to use HERE – not after you get to Heaven!!! Glory to God!!! “But we did that brother Bob…and it didn’t work.” YOU LIAR! “What…it didn’t work, brother Bob!” You, my friend – are a liar! “But, brother Bob, we prayed and it didn’t work…. OK, look…does the Bible say it works! YES…that is because JESUS said it works! Now…either you are a liar…or the Bible says Jesus lied…and I PICK YOU! You will never get me to say Jesus is a liar…got that!? Ok. Now that we established that fact, I have to leave it right there for today! Praise God! I know I’ll get some comments from that one. Save your time, bubba, I’m not EVER going to change my mind. The Bible is the TRUTH and nothing BUT THE TRUTH. If you have anything else to say about it – go to the Lord and tell Him to His face His Word didn’t work and that HE is a liar! I would not recommend it. But if that’s what you want to say and believe, have at it. We are going to pick it up again tomorrow right here. I want to pray with you right now that you will begin to link these scripture verses together and SEE just what Power and Authority really belongs to you! Amen! Don’t be a liar. Don’t be a hypocrite. Be a BELIEVER! Amen! Let’s Pray!
Scripture For Today:Matthew 21:13“It is written,” he said to them, “‘My house will be called a house of prayer,’ but you are making it ‘a den of robbers.’”Liar, Hypocrite or Believer pt 1We’ve been talking the past few days about not “conning God” into “giving you stuff.” That is not the purpose in prayer. Prayer is designed as THE WAY to communicate with God. Kind of like “picking up the telephone” and calling the Throne Room. Amen! But, prayer is also much more than phoning in your “to go order.” But that is what most people (and I’m talking Christians here) do with God. The have the concept that when something is wrong or they are in some kind of need, “Let’s pray!” There was a church I was speaking at one time in Texas. They were a small church with maybe 20 people in attendance. I was the guest preacher for a Sunday night church service (which usually means less than the 20 in attendance that come on Sunday mornings). As I was walking up from the parking lot, two of the elders were outside, smoking in front of the building. Now, don’t get me going on smoking. Smoking in front of the church doors, no less. But, as I was walking up, I could tell they were talking about needing a new roof on the church. But they could not afford the price tag. Just as I got up to greet them and pass by, one said to the other, “I guess we’ll just have to pray.” The other man responded, “Has it come to that?” These were ELDERS in the church! But this type of attitude is rampant in Christian circles! Amen! Prayer time should not be “phone in my order” time to God. It should be fellowship time. Time to just bask in the presence of the Creator or all things. I want to share an example with you that I pray will open your eyes to what we have been calling prayer compared to what God would like us to do in prayer. Many of you have children. Some of you probably have grandchildren. I know I do. I’ve got 7 grand kids. Most are grown up now, the last three are teenagers and will adults in just a few more years. I love the time I get to spend with them, talking to them about what their plans are in life. Providing some guidance if asked (sometime even when it’s not asked for – amen). I’m sure you enjoy spending time with your children and grandchildren as well. But what would you think, if every single time they came into the room where you were at, they said, “Daddy, or Momma or Grandpa or Grandma, I need you to buy me a new car; a new computer; I need a new cell phone; I want you to give me $1000 so I can buy new clothes; I want; I want; I want; I want. I need; I need; I need and I want YOU to GIVE IT TO Me! Answer my request, please! Right now! I want to thank you for it in advance. Goodbye, talk to you tomorrow. You can just send it right on over, OK? How would that make you feel – if it happened EVERY SINGLE DAY? That’s what God experiences with most Christians! Instead of just coming in and spending time in your presence, not asking for anything – maybe just being WITH YOU is enough. If your child or grandchild just came up and sat at your feet, listening to your stories (which is what the Bible is – God’s stories, amen). Then, they look up in your eyes and say something like, “I love you. I love just being here.” And you can tell they really mean it… What would YOUR response probably be? Something along the lines of “What do you need, darlin’?” Right? I know that’s what THIS grandpa would do! Well, let’s start treating our prayer time the same way. Amen! I want to pray with you now that you have grasped what I’ve been talking about here. Tomorrow we will take it up here and talk about not being a hypocrite or liar as well. Let’s Pray! Please subscribe to this podcast, leave us a quick 5 star...
Scripture For Today:Luke 9:29“As he was praying, the appearance of his face changed, and his clothes became as bright as a flash of lightning.”Don’t Con God pt 2Yesterday, I introduced the topic of you need to stop trying to “con God” into giving you stuff, being at your beck and call like some kind of servant. “Give me this and give me that” type of prayers. He IS NOT your servant! You are HIS servant! Get it? Do you understand that? He will give you whatever you need to complete your assignment in SERVING HIM! But He also knows exactly what resources you need to complete your assignment. So don’t try to “con Him” into giving you something you do not need. In the military, a commander may assign a mission that needs to be accomplished to achieve the overall unit mission. If he says, “Take that hill” and sends you on your way – you will fail. Miserably. You will probably die in the process. But, if he says, “Take that hill, just tell me what you need” – then you will receive the resources you will need to accomplish the mission. If you come back and tell him you need a division of tanks with full artillery and air support, he will probably look at you like you’re a fool. Amen! My military folks out there are saying “Amen!” Amen? So don’t go to God telling Him you need $10 million dollars so you can support a mission work in Africa! If God told you to do something, HE will provide you the resources TO DO IT! If it only requires you send $100 per month to that African orphanage, then that is all the extra resources you will receive. At the same time, if you only are sending $50 per month, and God is providing you the $100, you are in disobedience. Which means you are sinning. It also means you are mishandling God’s resources. Which means He can’t trust you. But, if you are sending the $100 God provides you, then you are doing His Will. And God respects that. This shows He can trust you. And if you ADD, say an extra $50 or $100 to whatever it is God has provided you – as an “over and above offering,” you truly will have His attention! Because it means you are trusting in His work and want to be a blessing also! This will result in you being BLESSED even more, because now, God sees that YOU are following His ways. You are following His laws of seed, time and harvest. He sees He can trust you to handle whatever He gives to you wisely. Amen! This will almost ALWAYS result in God sending additional resources your way. It may be your church decides to sow an offering into your work in the African orphanage. Now, instead of $100, instead of the $150 you were sowing or whatever – you are now able to sow $500 a month into that work. Do you see how this works? Get off your “high horse” and stop trying to “con God” into GIVING you more! All you have to do is to DO MORE with what He has already provided! Amen! Let’s Pray! Please subscribe to this podcast, leave us a quick 5 star review on Apple Podcasts to help us grow and be sure to visit our website for more information on our ministry: https://podcastersforchrist.com/ (https://podcastersforchrist.com). And while you are at the website, download the free resource I have for you… it is free and is called, “How to Start a Christian Podcast.” It will bless you – go and download it today. You can also WATCH these session on our Facebook Playlist at this link: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtKWeKtmv-BwgkquBTsSh-GznbmuUp_R2 (https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtKWeKtmv-BwgkquBTsSh-GznbmuUp_R2)
Scripture For Today:Mark 12:40“They devour widows’ houses and for a show make lengthy prayers. These men will be punished most severely.”Don’t Con God pt 1We have been studying, pretty in depth, about prayer. Not just your normal, wimpy, wamsy panzi style of a study in prayer….not like you usually will receive in one of the many secular style, popular weak kneed – come as you are with your latte style churches…where every sermon and every service is a pep rally. Not your old fashioned, “let us come “reverently” to His Holiness as worms” style of prayer… NO – we have been studying how to have EFFECTIVE PRAYER…prayer that is based on the Word of God – How the BIBLE teaches us we should pray…how the BIBLE says BELIEVERS should pray….how GOD EXPECTS US TO PRAY…. We have been studying what prayer really is – it is NOT trying to get God to do something…HE has already done all He is going to do…HE SENT JESUS! Prayer is not DEMANDING something from God…NO – prayer is a form of communication – not to make your needs known to God (for He already knows what you need even before you ask Him)…Well brother Bob “if he already knows what I need – why doesn’t He give me what I need before I ask Him…and why do I still have to ask!?” Well, first of all – YOU are not in a position to TELL God what you need. WHATT? That’s right…….if God gave you what you “thought” you would need…it could destroy you….remember the scripture of “prosperity destroys the fool?” that we covered last week? If you ask God – “I want 10 million dollars” and he gave it to you…and you are a fool – “a fool and his money are soon parted” and you just increased the wealth of the kingdom of the devil by a bunch! NO – you do not tell God what you need. You can ASK God if it is HIS WILL for you to receive 10 million dollars….and don’t try to con God into giving it to you by your self righteous lies….you know what I mean…”God if you give me this 10 million dollars I can do soooooo much for you…I will give some to the ministry….I will send some to some poor old soul in Africa….I would not have to work….I could just travel and preach the gospel for you….I could be on TV with my own television show and preach the gospel…I could open my own church…God, I could do so much with this money….” WHATEVER!!! God knows your heart….if He just gave it to you…it would not be two weeks and you would be kicked back on some island beach…telling God that after this vacation, you will work for Him….I mean…I deserve it…then, you know God, 10% of this money is such a big chunk of change….I don’t think I should give it all to some ministry…I better hold onto it…I need this new car…I mean the old one is getting old…and my wife needs her a new car too…and we need a new house Lord…I mean, you don’t want your preacher living in an old house do you…? You know what I mean! NO - God knows what is in your heart…and if you can only handle 10K dollars…that is all he is going to give you…if you can’t handle that…He will only give you a couple hundred at a time. Amen! don’t listen to me in the self righteous attitude! I can hear you listening to me right now!!! Praise God!!! Let’s Pray! Please subscribe to this podcast, leave us a quick 5 star review on Apple Podcasts to help us grow and be sure to visit our website for more information on our ministry: https://podcastersforchrist.com/ (https://podcastersforchrist.com). And while you are at the website, download the free resource I have for you… it is free and is called, “How to Start a Christian Podcast.” It will bless you – go and download it today. You can also WATCH these session on our Facebook Playlist at this link: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtKWeKtmv-BwgkquBTsSh-GznbmuUp_R2...
Scripture For Today: 2 Kings 6:17“And Elisha prayed, “Open his eyes, Lord, so that he may see.” Then the Lord opened the servant’s eyes, and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.”Prayer That Changes Things pt 4When I was first born again….I could ask my pastor to pray for me or other people of faith…and receive my healing or whatever it was I was needing…but there came a time when those prayers did not work anymore…which signaled it was time for me to grow up spiritually and begin praying for myself. Our families are the same way…you cannot expect momma to pray for you and you have been saved 20 years…you cannot continue to pray for you kids and they have been grown and on their own for 20 years…you CAN and SHOULD pray for them….I’m not saying don’t do that…but what I am saying is there comes a time when they will have to stand on their own two feet, spiritually speaking! Amen! Just like in the natural…there comes a time when a baby will begin to walk on its own….you want it to happen…if a 15 year old is still trying to crawl around the house and refusing to walk…you would say something is wrong…amen! Now, when baby first starts to take its first steps…it will fall down and you should be right there to catch it and make sure it is not hurt…it will fall down…it will bump into things…it will wobble all over the place…but after just a few days…it realizes how to get things to operate together – and then it is off to the races! Amen! It is the same way spiritually…when you first find yourself in the situation where the prayers of others are not working like they used to…that is your key that the Lord is telling you it is time for YOU to take authority over this situation and learn to fend for yourself a little bit…you will fall, bump into things…get bruised a little bit here and there…but when you come out on top…and you will with Jesus on your side…there will quickly come a “learning” that NOW – the devil cannot operate in your life in that area anymore!!! Then it is off to the races as far as you learning how to operate in your faith is concerned! Amen! You will become a Spiritual Track Star! Amen! SO – having done all to stand (in God’s armor and His Power, His Might and His Authority) – STAND! “How long do I have to stand, brother Bob?” FOREVER! “Whaaaat? Forever?” YES – the Word of God is forever, isn’t it? When you finally make the decision that no matter what – you are not giving up and you are not giving in…you are going to stand until you get your breakthrough or not get it…but you will not back down…when your faith reaches that point of maturity…you will find you do not have to stand very long…amen! But if you are just going to “try” to stand…or you are going to “try” tithing…or you are going to “try” seed time and harvest, sowing and reaping…or you are going to “try” fasting….it will never work… So, make the decision and just DO IT! I sound like a Nike commercial…but that is where they got it from…make the decision – and DO IT! And you will WIN every time. Let’s Pray! Please subscribe to this podcast, leave us a quick 5 star review on Apple Podcasts to help us grow and be sure to visit our website for more information on our ministry: https://podcastersforchrist.com/ (https://podcastersforchrist.com). And while you are at the website, download the free resource I have for you… it is free and is called, “How to Start a Christian Podcast.” It will bless you – go and download it today. You can also WATCH these session on our Facebook Playlist at this link: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtKWeKtmv-BwgkquBTsSh-GznbmuUp_R2 (https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtKWeKtmv-BwgkquBTsSh-GznbmuUp_R2)
Scripture For Today:2 Corinthians 13:7“Now we pray to God that you will not do anything wrong—not so that people will see that we have stood the test but so that you will do what is right even though we may seem to have failed.”Prayer That Changes Things pt 3Yesterday we started to look at the prayer of binding and loosing. We seen in Matthew 18:18 where Jesus talked about “binding and loosing.” It is part of the blessing. It is part of our authority to use His Name. Amen! It is our responsibility to bind the devil wherever we find him trying to operate…anywhere on the earth…you see a news story come on tv… can and should be praying against the situation and binding the devil at work in that area of the world…when believers come together and start doing that…you will see dramatic things happen and nobody will understand why…except believers! Amen.. I remember a few years back a hurricane developed in the Gulf of Mexico and was headed straight towards LA….all the forecasts said it would be direct hit…then, it suddenly turned right and headed to Florida….they said it would be a direct hit…then it turned right and headed south back into the Gulf! It spun around out there and ended up impacting the highlands of Mexico…the weather people did not understand it…but what happened was believers started praying and it changed things – amen! Another hurricane a few years later out in the Atlantic Ocean was heading straight for Florida…then, when they thought it would be a direct hit…suddenly turned and went right up the coast and then out into the ocean…never making land fall….so prayer DOES CHANGE THINGS!!! Amen! But, when you pray against something…sickness, lack or whatever…and then begin to speak words of doubt concerning God’s ability to handle the situation…you negate the entire process…. “Yes, brother Bob, I believe God heals me…but I just thank Him for making me sick with this cancer…it made me draw close to Him….Praise God…! NO! God does NOT have cancer, flu or anything else that makes people sick…it could not stand in His presence. You would not give your kids cancer to get their attention would you? Would you pray, “Oh God, please give my baby cancer so she will come to know you?” NO – so stop believing God would do that to His kids…amen! When you do that, you are taking the Lord’s Name in vain…and buddy, you do not want to go down that road! Amen! Now, let me give you a word of advice…you need to keep you gun loaded at all times with one or two scriptures you can quote out verbatim and a moments notice and FIRE at will right at the devil… I remember in the military…I was a Cavalry Scout Platoon Leader…if we can across the enemy unexpectadily…we could call the mortar platoon on the radio and request “Immediate Suppression” and give the coordinates for them to fire to…. In artillery, there are different rounds of ammunition for different purposes…depending on whether you are firing at personnel in the open or lightly skinned vehicles, jeeps, trucks, etc. or heavy armored vehicles like tanks and things like that….but if you just pop around the corner and run smack on into something…you call for “Immediate Suppression.” That tells the mortar team that you need Rounds on Target NOW! They don’t have time to go get the appropriate rounds designed just for that situation, cut the timing charges, etc…etc…they just fire whatever is inside their tubes at that moment and get rounds down range to where you told them to shoot….it is designed to make the enemy duck while you take cover…and while you are taking cover and putting your rounds on the enemy as well…the mortar team is then preparing the appropriate rounds for the situation and loading them…so when you come back in a minute or so and call, “FIRE FOR EFFECT” they send a special delivery package to...
Scripture For Today: Nehemiah 1:4“When I heard these things, I sat down and wept. For some days I mourned and fasted and prayed before the God of heaven.”Prayer That Changes Things pt 2Yesterday we started to look at how “Prayer Changes Things.” We learned that Faith is what makes prayer work and not the other way around. Long, tedious, emotional prayers do nothing to impress God. Amen! God is moved only by FAITH. And Faith in His Word. That’s it. He’s not moved by your needs. He’s not moved by your circumstances. He is only moved by your FAITH IN HIS WORD. So get over yourself and your long, drawn out prayers! Now, as I said, Faith makes prayer work! Prayer DOES NOT make Faith work! Let me say that again one more time so you can understand it….Faith makes prayer work – prayer does not make Faith work. You can use your faith without being in a state of prayer…but you cannot pray without using your faith.. Prayer that changes THINGS – these kinds of prayers bring circumstances in line with the Word of God…. Look at your salvation as an example…you just did not wake up one day and begin to cry out to God… “God, I am going to hell…I need you to save me…save me now!” Then someone comes along and says, “ask Jesus to save you and come into your heart.” And you say, “I can’t…I am a sinner…I need God to save me so I can ask Jesus to come into my heart…but I can’t do that until God saves me…. OH GOD HELP ME!” No, that is totally backwards…yes you are a sinner…yes you need saving…but God has already sent Jesus to save you…and He did…He did all that needed to be done…all you have to do is receive it….amen! All you had to do was activate your Faith that what God’s Word says is true…ask Jesus to save you according to the Word of God…and believe He did! That is putting your faith in action according to the Word of God and believing it worked… The same kind of faith works concerning healing, finances, whatever…it works the same exact way. Jesus bought your salvation…the same cross, the same body, the same blood, the same sacrifice also bought your healing. It also bought your financial deliverance, and everything else you need….but you need to access it using the same faith...and when you pray that way…you are into a prayer that changes things! Amen…then you go over into a prayer of thanksgiving and praise….Glory to God! Matthew 18:18 The prayer of Binding and Loosing…we studied this last time a little bit…Jesus has taken all of satan’s authority and power…now the only power that sucker has is what men give to him…Jesus took it all…He said “All power and authority, in Heaven and in earth, has been given to me…now YOU go…” He is telling us to go in His power and His Authority…amen! It is our responsibility to bind the devil wherever we find him trying to operate…anywhere on the earth…you see a news story come on tv… can and should be praying against the situation and binding the devil at work in that area of the world…when believers come together and start doing that…you will see dramatic things happen and nobody will understand why…except believers! Amen.. Ok, I’m getting ready to go over time again today, so we will leave it right there. Praise God! I get excited when I’m sharing these insights into the Word of God and the Kingdom of God and the Power that belongs to us through Christ Jesus. I can’t help but get excited, amen! If you’re not getting excited, you need to check your Faith, brother or sister! Your woods wet! Amen! You should be shouting right now! Praise God! Ok, Let’s pray! Please subscribe to this podcast, leave us a quick 5 star review on Apple Podcasts to help us grow and be sure to visit our website for more information on our ministry: https://podcastersforchrist.com/ (https://podcastersforchrist.com). And while you are at the website, download...
Scripture For Today:Acts 28:8“His father was sick in bed, suffering from fever and dysentery. Paul went in to see him and, after prayer, placed his hands on him and healed him.”Prayer That Changes Things pt 1All year long, we have been studying about various kinds of prayers. But one thing that should be apparent to you by now, is that “Prayer that Changes THINGS!” Amen! And prayer in the name of Jesus what WILL change things! Through this study – we want to learn to access ALL the things Jesus gained for us at the cross and through His sacrifice…Amen! Let’s look at Ephesians 6:10-18: “Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints.” In the Power of HIS might…YOU put on the FULL armor of God…it’s His armor and He has given to Jesus – who wore it successfully while He was here on the earth….and then Jesus is giving it to YOU to wear! Amen…! He gives us His armor and His Power and His Might and His Authority – Amen! The FULL armor of God ENABLES us and gives to us HIS Power and Might that comes with His armor… This is what you are learning here…How to pray IN the Power of God and not as so many people do as they rehearse the problem and circumstances… “I’m so broke – I can’t pay attention….I’m so sick…I’m so desperate…OH GOD, why don’t you help me?” Actually, that is NOT a prayer at all – it IS rehearsing and giving authority to the problem! Verse 12…We are NOT wrestling against flesh and blood…man is not your problem…the devil will use man…but the problem is the devil…that is one you need to be praying against…amen! Ephesians 2:2 talks about the Prince of the Power of the Air…that is the atmosphere…not in Heaven…Heaven is secure…the devil has no access there…but from Heaven down…he has principalities and rulers of the darkness in place…these are the ones we are in battle against and the ones we need to pray against…amen! When we stand and wear God’s armor…we need to wear ALL of it! He spells out everything we need to do prior to Ephesians six in this life…he talks about what to do if you are an employer…an employee…what to do in your family…so after you do these things he instructs…STAND! Different kinds of prayer require different things we need to do when praying in order to accomplish specific things and desires we want to come to pass…But in EVERY type of prayer…there are certain laws which must be implemented…We always use the name of Jesus; we always pray in the Power of His Name; we always use His Authority; we always stand in our Faith. Faith makes prayer work! Prayer DOES NOT make Faith work! Let me say that again so you can understand it….Faith makes prayer work – prayer does not make Faith work. You can use your faith with out being in a state of prayer…but you cannot pray without using your faith.. Prayer that changes THINGS – these kinds of prayers bring...
Scripture For Today: 2 Thessalonians 1:12“We pray this so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.”Prayer and Financial Blessings pt 5We’ve been studying about Prayer and Financial Blessings these last few days. Yesterday, I left off with 2 Corinthians 9:8-11 as we learned: “God loves a cheerful giver and makes every grace abound toward you – NOW look at that – that YOU will ALWAYS have ALL sufficiency in ALL things and that you may abound to every good work!” He has given to the seed you are to sow…and it causes in us thanksgiving to God. I have never given an offering and had someone tell me, preacher or otherwise…NO, I don’t want it. Don’t give my any money…don’t give me anything…NO – it is ALWAYS received with Joy…it caused thanksgiving to God – every time…amen! My job – I’m not talking about your tithes right now…I’m talking about your offerings. My job, my place in this – is to teach you how to dedicate, give and act on the Word of God so that you are not a child of disobedience… thereby closing the door to the devil. I represent the love of Jesus Christ so you can sow into good ground that is out doing the Word of God, proclaiming Jesus and Salvation in His Word throughout the entire world…that’s what we are doing…amen! On a daily basis…so this is GOOD GROUND…amen! Once you have obeyed the Word of God, you have planted your seed, you are a child of obedience – now is the time to realize some additional things. You don’t call out to God and say, “Send me $500 or a million dollars or whatever.” It is already in the earth…He created ALL things…so all things you need is already in the earth…He is NOT going to rain money down from Heaven…no…. Realize the devil is keeping your harvest from you. So, give cheerfully and joyfully, after praying and seeking God of where he wants you to sow and to tithe…if you are not tithing…you are just wasting your time here anyway….you NEED to tithe or you will never get the harvest you are seeking or believing for. Tithe FIRST…. Tell the devil…”take your hands off of my money in the Name of Jesus. I bind you from touching, holding or interfering with my money according to the Law of binding and loosing in Matthew 18:18 and I loose my money from your control. I charge my ministering spirit angels according to Hebrews 1:14 for you to gather up my money – I loose you in Jesus Name to go and cause what God has purposed to come into my hands – NOW. These things concern what you need in your life. Not so you can sit at home and watch TV without any bills. NO…it is in order to establish His covenant…which is to preach the Word to the world…amen! To give to the poor, to disperse abroad…to be the answer to this generation – everywhere on this earth. Let’s Pray! Please subscribe to this podcast, leave us a quick 5 star review on Apple Podcasts to help us grow and be sure to visit our website for more information on our ministry: https://podcastersforchrist.com/ (https://podcastersforchrist.com). And while you are at the website, download the free resource I have for you… it is free and is called, “How to Start a Christian Podcast.” It will bless you – go and download it today. You can also WATCH these session on our Facebook Playlist at this link: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtKWeKtmv-BwgkquBTsSh-GznbmuUp_R2 (https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtKWeKtmv-BwgkquBTsSh-GznbmuUp_R2)
Scripture For Today: Numbers 21:7“The people came to Moses and said, “We sinned when we spoke against the Lord and against you. Pray that the Lord will take the snakes away from us.” So Moses prayed for the people.”Prayer and Financial Blessings pt 4We’ve been studying about Prayer and Financial Blessings these last few days. I know that there are some well meaning people out there, misguided, misinformed and not scriptural at all – that claim it is NOT God’s will to prosper you. Maybe someone else, but definitely not you (and of course, they are not blessed either when you observe their lifestyle and finances). You may be one of them that have been shooting your mouth off for so long – about how it’s not God’s will to prosper anyone… “Well, I don’t need a million dollars…I’m good with just my little bit here…” Well, give the million into the ministry and keep what little bit you need….amen! If God were to prosper you…your pride and arrogance would stop you from receiving it…simply because you have been shooting your mouth off for so long in front of so many people that now you would be embarrassed to say God has Blessed you with wealth…amen…you would be passing up the best deal of your life because of pride. Jesus has come as our High Priest, witnessed to by the Holy Spirit that He lives. And is OFFERING you His ability to manage your finances….so what do you have to offer Him in return? You lift up your offering to Him...in prayer, and say, “Jesus, I have something here to offer you. I believe, according to your word in the book of Hebrews, that you accept and administer my offering. I also believe your word that says Here – on this earth, men that die receive the offerings for you. So, I believe that Brother Bob will receive my tithes and offerings for that reason. Amen. SO, I believe you are receiving my offering and that makes me joyous, therefore, I believe I qualify according to 2 Corinth 9:8-11 “God loves a cheerful giver and makes every grace abound toward you – NOW look at that – that YOU will ALWAYS have ALL sufficiency in ALL things and that you may abound to every good work!” He has given to the seed you are to sow…and it causes in us thanksgiving to God. I have never given an offering and had someone tell me, preacher or otherwise…NO, I don’t want it. Don’t give my any money…don’t give me anything…NO – it is ALWAYS received with Joy…it caused thanksgiving to God – every time…amen! Let’s Pray! Please subscribe to this podcast, leave us a quick 5 star review on Apple Podcasts to help us grow and be sure to visit our website for more information on our ministry: https://podcastersforchrist.com/ (https://podcastersforchrist.com). And while you are at the website, download the free resource I have for you… it is free and is called, “How to Start a Christian Podcast.” It will bless you – go and download it today. You can also WATCH these session on our Facebook Playlist at this link: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtKWeKtmv-BwgkquBTsSh-GznbmuUp_R2 (https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtKWeKtmv-BwgkquBTsSh-GznbmuUp_R2)
Scripture For Today:Ezra 6:10“…so that they may offer sacrifices pleasing to the God of heaven and pray for the well-being of the king and his sons.”Prayer and Financial Blessings pt 3We’ve been studying about Prayer and Financial Blessings these last few days. I pray that your mind is beginning to comprehend a lot of the misconceptions that have been taught by some, for and against, financial blessings. The truth of the matter is, you need to be blessed financially in order to make an impact with the Gospel in this earth. That does not mean if you give God $100 He is going to send you $1 million! It does mean, that if the $100 was a significant offering for you, He will view it as significant and bless you – let’s say – SIGNIFICANTLY in return! Amen! WHY? Because He sees your willingness to do what you can with what you have. And if went over and beyond by giving sacrificially that $100, He will bless you for your part in it. This means that what you have left over will go farther than it could have ever gone if you had NOT given to the Lord’s work. Amen! 2 Corinth 9:6-7 Give – not grudgingly or of necessity because some preacher is putting pressure on you. Our giving is to be to the Lord as an offering. What is an offering? It is an OFFER. He does not have to receive your offer…think of a real estate transaction…You establish what you want….someone comes in and say, No, but how about this…you can say NO. God is the same way…He establishes what He wants and what He wants done and how it should be done….you come in and say, How about this…? He can say NO…you need to do what He say. Amen. God did not accept Cain or his offering. Because God did not accept what Cain was giving Him. God told him to get his attitude right and he would be accepted…but instead of overcoming the sin – he overcame Abel!...but even in that sin…God still had mercy on him and established that nobody was supposed to exact revenge on Cain…giving him chances to repent, etc. If you make Jesus an offering, the faith comes in when you believe he receives it. He is appointed here on this earth to receive our tithes and our offerings as a witness that He lives. Lets say there is someone who is extremely successful…a Rockefeller or Donald Trump type of person…He has enough money several fold over…amen…He knows what to do with money and make more….all you have do is get him to accept your $50 or whatever..and do what he does best…and you know your needs will be taken care of …..amen….kind of like – mutual funds operate in this economy…for the “mutual benefit” of all involved. But, you think to yourself…my little bit isn’t going to impress him…he won’t even accept it…I’m just wasting my time and my money…Jesus is the MOST prosperous person in existence…amen! He is the Heir of ALL things…He can buy and sell Donald Trump several times over and not even put a dent in His bank account in Heaven..amen! Jesus can do more with 50 cents than others can do with all the rest the millions they think they have..amen… WHY? Because He knows what to do with it. He knows how it works. Not what Mr. Trump or whoever else you can come up with thinks they may know how it works… Jesus says if you will bring it to Him, “I will administer your finances for you and start mixing your money with mine…that would be enough for you and your posterity well into the future.” Amen.. You can’t get a better deal than that – anywhere…! Let’s Pray! Please subscribe to this podcast, leave us a quick 5 star review on Apple Podcasts to help us grow and be sure to visit our website for more information on our ministry: https://podcastersforchrist.com/ (https://podcastersforchrist.com). And while you are at the website,...
Scripture For Today: Acts 16:16“Once when we were going to the place of prayer, we were met by a female slave who had a spirit by which she predicted the future. She earned a great deal of money for her owners by fortune-telling.”Prayer and Financial Blessings pt 2Being rich does not mean you have a million dollars in the bank…it means you have everything you need through and by Christ Jesus…amen! We are in the Study of Prayer…have been for several sessions and we will continue to do so until the Lord leads otherwise – but I am believing it is to bring you up to the next level of your relationship with Jesus and the Father…amen! Most of the prayer requests we receive in this ministry have to do with finances. So, I want to take some time today to go over praying for your finances – Biblically. We are going to apply some of the things in prayer and in the Word that have to be dealt with because they are peculiar to the area of finances, and they have to be handled in a little different manner. Some people have the idea that God doesn’t want you to be blessed financially. “Prosperity ruins the fool.” So, what you need to do is study what a fool is and what a fool does – and don’t do that anymore! That will put you in a position to prosper, amen! Where Philippians 4:19 can take over and you will be Blessed…amen.. As you study, you will find out that the poverty doctrine is not in the Bible. You can adept that concept if you want to…by taking a few verses out of context and mixing it in with some eastern style religions and things like that…but it is not God’s will for you or any believer to be poor and broke, amen! Because of the time element involved in this broadcast, let me read some scriptures that are based in God’s Word in our Study of Prayer – then I will look at some things concerning finances specifically…amen. Eph 6:10-18 especially verses 17-18….they talk about praying all different kinds of prayer…remember, we do not wrestle against flesh and blood (other people)…we wrestle against the devil..amen. Remember that. People are NOT your enemy, the devil is. So – pray with all different kinds of prayer that are specific to the need you are facing. Today, we will look at praying for our finances and operating in God’s economy versus the world economy. Math 18:18-19 Bind on earth not binding in Heaven…but binding in the atmosphere around this earth...that is where the devil operates. We have the name, the power and the authority to use the name of Jesus to bind the devil and all the little demons when they come against us. Use the Name...amen! The devil does not have any authority over you. He does not have ANYTHING over you. Or over your goods and money either...amen… Jesus took care of that. I want to pray with you right now that you start to look up and pray over scriptures that have to deal with your money and finances. Not that every person here will be materially wealthy – that’s not the point – it could happen – but that is not the point. The point of all of this is to allow you to have MORE to bless the Kingdom of God with! Amen! You cannot out give God. Period! And we will get more into this tomorrow. Amen! Let’s Pray! Please subscribe to this podcast, leave us a quick 5 star review on Apple Podcasts to help us grow and be sure to visit our website for more information on our ministry: https://podcastersforchrist.com/ (https://podcastersforchrist.com). And while you are at the website, download the free resource I have for you… it is free and is called, “How to Start a Christian Podcast.” It will bless you – go and download it today. You can also WATCH these session on our Facebook Playlist at this link: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtKWeKtmv-BwgkquBTsSh-GznbmuUp_R2...
Scripture For Today:1 Kings 8:54“When Solomon had finished all these prayers and supplications to the Lord, he rose from before the altar of the Lord, where he had been kneeling with his hands spread out toward heaven.”Prayer and Financial Blessings pt 1Yesterday, we started to look at the relationship between our prayers and financial blessings. The point I left off with yesterday was the misconception that “every believer is going to be rich!” And some other such teachings that others accuse the “Word of Faith” movement to be claiming. And, to be truthful, there are some preachers and ministries that make that area their focus. But the fact remains, you cannot be a blessings to others if you are barely scraping by. Right? In order to be a blessing – you must be BLESSED with whatever it is you are trying to help others with. It just makes sense, right? If you are blessing others with fixing up their cars as part of your ministry, you should know everything there is to know about fixing up cars. If you are blessing others with helping them to lose weight and to get into prime physical conditioning, you can’t weight 400 pounds and be unable to walk across the room. Well, the same thing happens concerning finances, giving, blessing others and supporting ministry work. If you don’t have two nickels to rub together, it’s terribly hard to support missionary work in Africa. Amen! The point I’m trying to make is this… YES – you must be blessed financially in order to impact this world with the Gospel of Jesus Christ through your giving. But, you do not need to be filthy rich to do so. You just start where you are at. Amen! If you have $20, give $2. Give the tithe. If you only have $200, give $20. Give the tithe. Start there. I’m not going to say God will “rain money down from Heaven upon you” for giving $2. But if that is all you have – He will make sure the other $18 goes farther than it could have if you would have held on tightly to it! Amen! Let’s Pray! Please subscribe to this podcast, leave us a quick 5 star review on Apple Podcasts to help us grow and be sure to visit our website for more information on our ministry: https://podcastersforchrist.com/ (https://podcastersforchrist.com). And while you are at the website, download the free resource I have for you… it is free and is called, “How to Start a Christian Podcast.” It will bless you – go and download it today. You can also WATCH these session on our Facebook Playlist at this link: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtKWeKtmv-BwgkquBTsSh-GznbmuUp_R2 (https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtKWeKtmv-BwgkquBTsSh-GznbmuUp_R2)
Scripture For Today:Psalm 143:1“Lord, hear my prayer, listen to my cry for mercy; in your faithfulness and righteousness come to my relief.”Prayer and Miracles pt 5Yesterday, we talked about the miracle of a brother or sister in Christ that, for whatever reason, was living in and committing some type of sin. You went to them in love and they rejected you. According to scripture, you are supposed to take another brother or sisters with you again and try to reason with them. If they refuse again, we are told to take it to the church leadership. If they reject the church elders, then they are to be publicly shunned by the church membership. All of this in an effort to make them realize they are sinners that need to repent. Amen! It’s not out of hate or anything like that. It’s out of Love. The Love of God. Matthew 18:19-20…get into agreement with the elders…that God will open the guys eyes and he will come to his senses…but leave it alone after that…because if you keep it up and keep fussing with the guy…and let him interfere and affect your prayer life…then your prayer life won’t work…and we don’t want that, do we? As I get ready to close…I want to clarify what the word AGREEMENT means…the Greek word actually translates as “harmony or to harmonize and to make like a symphony.” It brings all of the individual instruments together in harmony. Jesus is in the midst of us – he is there in agreement with us…and the power of God moves in our behalf to carry out the prayer of agreement. We are a 3 part being…we are a spirit, we have a soul and we live in a body. We need to get our soul to be in agreement with our spirit…our spirit is what responds to the Word of God….it is the only part of our being that is in total agreement at all times with the Word…the Body, which is what we live in, responds only to the physical elements of the world…that is what it is designed to do. Our soul must make the decision which one it will follow…that is free will. If we decide we want to follow our flesh…then that is the direction we flow and it is the results we reap…if we want to follow the Word of God and receive what God says we can have…then we must align our soul with our spirit…and then we outnumber the body two to one…and it will follow along. We will be teaching more on that in a later broadcast…but the point I want to make sure you understand is this…we need to be in agreement between our spirit, soul and body…and we need to be in agreement between each other…and notice the word in Mathew 18:19-20….it says “THEY” shall ask…we need to ASK – and ask based upon the Word of God…amen! Not hoping and wishing…but asking in Faith. That’s what I want you to do right now…I want to pray with you…if you have a need that you are looking for someone to pray in agreement with you on – this is your chance. Amen! Just pray this with me as if I was in the same room with you, putting my hand on your shoulder. Amen! There is not time nor distance with God. Let’s Pray! Please subscribe to this podcast, leave us a quick 5 star review on Apple Podcasts to help us grow and be sure to visit our website for more information on our ministry: https://podcastersforchrist.com/ (https://podcastersforchrist.com). And while you are at the website, download the free resource I have for you… it is free and is called, “How to Start a Christian Podcast.” It will bless you – go and download it today. You can also WATCH these session on our Facebook Playlist at this link: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtKWeKtmv-BwgkquBTsSh-GznbmuUp_R2 (https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtKWeKtmv-BwgkquBTsSh-GznbmuUp_R2)
Scripture For Today:2 Chronicles 33:19“And how God was moved by his entreaty, as well as all his sins and unfaithfulness, and the sites where he built high places and set up Asherah poles and idols before the time he humbled himself—all these are written in the records of the seers.”Prayer and Miracles pt 4We have been talking these last few days about Prayers and Miracles. I want you to understand that you need to base your prayers on the Word of God and ONLY the Word of God. Not on how you feel. Not on what you want someone else to do, etc. Stay out of witchcraft – which involves praying for someone else to “do something” or “give you something.” That is not of God, it’s of the devil – as we studied yesterday. If you have a need for God to move in some area of your life, go to God’s Word and find out what it says about your situation. Look it up…find out what the Bible actually says….not what you “think” it says….what it “actually” says. Here is an example… “The man that spares the rod spoils the child.” Have you heard that one? Well, that’s not in the Bible! What the Bible says is the “man who spares the rod – hates his child!” There is a difference. “Well, I guess I better go and beat that boy then.” NO…God is not encouraging Child Abuse, either….go to the Word and find out how you are to raise your kids…God’s Word is very specific… so – Go and read it yourself…find out what God is saying about your situations and use that Word in your prayers. Look at Matthew 18:15. If your brother offends you…don’t go blab it to the whole town or put it on Facebook or anything else…it says go to HIM…and if he does not want to hear what you have to say….then go and get two or three others… “If I just tell you what he is saying…it is just me talking…so I need you to go with me…” Then, pray in agreement…Jesus is in the midst of you then when you go up there….if he reacts the same way, doesn’t want to hear you, etc…then go to the church…that does not mean go blab it the church social, either…it means go to the church leadership, the elders…let them try to intercede. God is like that too, you know…He does not go blabbing stuff you have done all over town either…aren’t you glad about that!!! But, go to the elders and make them aware of what is going on…Because this is affecting the fellowship and the prayer life of the church…then, Jesus said we are to treat him AS a heathen…it did not say he WAS a heathen…we are to treat him AS a heathen as far as our relationship with him…in other words – leave him alone…don’t interact with him…and don’t pray for him…leave him out of your prayer life….don’t go “binding him” or anything else…remember – our warfare IS NOT against man – it is against the devil….remember that scripture? The entire purpose is to get HIM to realize he (or she) needs God. Get them to the place where they, the Bible says, “come to themselves” and realize they need to repent and get right with God. Then and only then should they be welcomed back into the fellowship. Now we’ve been talking about prayer and miracles, right? Would you call that a miracle? When prayers were answered concerning a person who was running as fast as they could away from God – but came to themselves and repented and got back into right fellowship with God? I would! Amen! Ok, again, I’m way over time for today. Let’s Pray! Please subscribe to this podcast, leave us a quick 5 star review on Apple Podcasts to help us grow and be sure to visit our website for more information on our ministry: https://podcastersforchrist.com/ (https://podcastersforchrist.com). And while you are at the website, download the free resource I have for you… it is free and is called, “How to Start a Christian Podcast.” It will bless you – go and download it today. You can...
Scripture For Today:Acts 11:5“I was in the city of Joppa praying, and in a trance I saw a vision. I saw something like a large sheet being let down from heaven by its four corners, and it came down to where I was.”Prayer and Miracles pt 3We have been talking these last few days about Prayers and Miracles and how they go hand in hand. Amen! I pray your eyes are being opened to the fact that we are not supposed to living day by day dependent on God’s miracles to see us through! We should be walking with our Spiritual eyes opened and our Spiritual ears attuned to follow the lead of the Holy Spirit so we stay out of trouble and walk the path that God wants us on. Amen! When you go to bed at night…and you are still awake…you should be praying…just lay down and praise God for the day you had, the peaceful night sleep and the day He is planning for you tomorrow! Amen!!! But, I have to warn you…once you start praising Him…you may not go to sleep right away…! Remember the kiddie prayer you said as a child? “Now I lay me down to sleep, I pray the Lord my soul to keep. May the angels watch me through the night and wake me with the morning light. Amen!” Well, Jesus said we should come to His Throne as little children…if you stop and think about that prayer…it was a good prayer….Later we will take up the study of the different kinds of prayer…but I want to remind you, again, that we are studying Prayer miracles…Prayer change THINGS - not people…Not prayer that changes God…we are studying prayer that changes THINGS. Amen! Don’t get caught up in “tradition” during your prayer time. Don’t get into the habit of quoting the same thing over and over and over during your prayers…it does not impress God. Think about it from God’s perspective….sometime just sit back and look at it like you were God…would you be impressed with your prayer…probably not. Think about it like a parent and your child comes in and just says the same thing, in the same order, with the same emotion, each and every day.... “Morning…what’s for breakfast…what time are we leaving for school…ok, bye..” No emotion…no hugs…nothing… You can’t do all of your “flowery” talk…all of your yakkity yack….it’s not impressing God and is not getting your prayers answered either…that’s why you are not seeing any results….rout memorization of scripture and saying it in prayer does not impress God. Get out your Bible, find the scripture…and lift it to Him in Prayer…that’s what is called “returning His Word” to Him….for His Word does not return to Him void… it accomplishes what He pleases and always prospers where He sends it…” amen! So, ALWAYS…let me say that again in a way you can understand it…ALWAYS…base your prayers on what God has already said in His Word… and you WILL start to see your prayers being answered…you will start to see things happening that the world say, “It’s a miracle!” But you’ll be like – “No – It’s God!” Amen! And I don’t mind telling you…there are about 99.9% of the churches out there that pray wrong…they are praying route prayers that are so general in nature, I don’t even think God claims them as His own. Amen! I don’t even ask them to pray for me…I won’t submit a prayer request to them because I don’t want them praying some weird thing over me…..amen!!! I’m not saying that to be mean…I’m just very particular in who I want praying over me, my family, our ministry and situations we come against…I don’t want to get over into unbelief and witchcraft and other stuff that some of these churches get into during their prayer time…. “Unbelief…and Witchcraft brother Bob?” Yes… When they just pray rout prayers…there is no Faith in them… it is just wasted air…and since there is not Faith with it…it is UNBELIEF….and when a prayer is prayed in Unbelief…it is of the devil…which empowers the devil to work….and since this type...
Scripture For Today: Psalm 66:20“Praise be to God, who has not rejected my prayer or withheld His Love from me!”Prayer and Miracles pt 2Yesterday, we introduced the subject of “Prayer and Miracles.” We outlined the fact that a miracle is simply God imposing His will and actions in such a way that it overrides the natural order of things. Such as healing a broken arm in six seconds instead of six weeks. But when x-ray or an MRI is done, it looks just like an arm that had undergone the entire healing process. That was just one example. Amen! But we also discussed that it is not a good way to live if you are dependent on miracles coming your way on a daily basis – especially if it is a result of you messing things up in the natural! Ok…Like I said, I believe in miracles…I believe in signs and wonders….I walk and believe according to Mark 16:15-21….but, we also need to look at Ephesians 6:16-18 and take OUR SHIELD OF FAITH and OUR SWORD OF THE SPIRIT and we should always be praying with all different kinds of prayer…all different manners of prayer. We will be studying them…in Matthew we will see that the Prayer of Binding and Loosing is first, followed by the Prayer of Agreement….but, for clarity purposes…I want to start with the Prayer of Agreement…because I believe it will help you to grasp the rest…amen! Ok, we are wearing God’s armor…praying always…every waking moment…I want you to remember our three basic points we started this series with: We do not try to get God’s attention with our prayers… We do not try to change God with our prayers… We DO communicate with God with our prayers so we can receive from Him what He has already said belongs to us. Your prayer life should be your most consistent thing you do each and every day – all day long…because JESUS IS IN YOU! He said that “he and the father will come and make their abode” in each and every believer….are you a believer? If so, then GOD Himself and Jesus – is in you right now…everywhere you go, they go…everything you do – you are making them do….stop and think about the club you went to last night and who you went home with last night….if you are a believer…….hmmm…I’ll leave that alone for right now…but I want you to see this…that is why I said that decisions we make affect our lives….and if we stay in a constant state of communication with God through Prayer…we avoid a lot of things that have brought strife into our hearts…some people have gone to clubs and had bad things happen to them….diseases…rapes…murders…the list goes on and on…if they would have only NOT gone to the club…these things would not have happened. I’m not saying these things to be mean…I just, again, want to bring to your attention that the decisions we make have ramifications that can last for years…. Thanks bet to God for the Blood of Jesus which cleanses us from ALL our sins…AMEN! We are not under condemnation…we are under GRACE! Amen! If what I just said convicted you of your sin…REPENT! Ask Jesus to forgive and to help you….amen! I don’t know what you have gone through….I don’t need to know and I don’t want to know…it is between you and God through Jesus….amen!!! It is NOBODY else’s business either….just you and Jesus – Jesus washes it away…and leads you to the father….and the father sees nothing but Righteousness when He sees you…amen!!! Well, I’m already over time for today, so let’s stop right here. We will take it up again tomorrow. Let’s Pray! Please subscribe to this podcast, leave us a quick 5 star review on Apple Podcasts to help us grow and be sure to visit our website for more information on our ministry: https://podcastersforchrist.com/ (https://podcastersforchrist.com). And while you are at the website, download the free resource I have for you… it is free and is called, “How to Start a Christian...
Scripture For Today:Acts 16:13“On the Sabbath we went outside the city gate to the river, where we expected to find a place of prayer. We sat down and began to speak to the women who had gathered there.”Prayer and Miracles pt 1Prayer ought to be part of your life – continuously. From the moment you wake up in the morning until you go to bed at night, you should be in a state of constant communication with God – all day long each and every day! Go to Ephesians 6:10-18 which is the base foundation for our study in prayer… You are the one who has to stand and speak to the devil…God is not going to do it for you, Jesus is not going to do it for you…they have already done all they are going to do…Jesus gave you His Name, His Power, His Authority to deal with the devil and He is expecting you to do so yourself. Now, that is not to say, in certain situations, where you are about to be overwhelmed by demonic forces – Jesus might intervene to set the battlefield more evenly….as matter of fact, when that happens – we call it a “miracle.” Miracles are nice…but, let’s take a quick look at what a miracle really is. A miracle is God imposing His Will and Actions in such a way as to override the natural order of things….now, it may be awesome to have a miracle…and I have had a few in my life…more than a few…but, if a miracle is the sort of thing that God has to have move into your life because you have just totally screwed everything up and it is the only way He can try to restore some order…that’s “messed up.” It is nice to have miracles…but wouldn’t it be a whole lot better and wouldn’t your life be more enjoyable…if you could live a Blessed Life without needing God to intervene all the time to do a miracle and clean up your messes? Amen! I’m not trying to be mean here, just honest…I want you see this. For example… Let’s say there is someone with a broken arm…the natural process of healing takes about 6 weeks or so….but, a miracle accelerates the actual healing process into about 6 seconds!!! Same process – God just accelerates the time aspect! Someone who is disabled, can’t walk…God heals them and accelerates the healing process – or starts it where it had stopped – and the person leaves walking….but God is the one who is moving… moving to FIX something that WE have messed up.. “Brother Bob, what could that person who is disabled could have done….?” Well, in some cases – absolutely nothing…but in most cases…diabetes could have the basis…or some other disease…car accident, whether the persons fault or not…there as still some sort of “error” on “somebody’s” part… that the end result, perhaps even years later, was this person being unable to walk. And we need God to intervene. Now, again, don’t get me wrong…I believe in miracles….I just want to get you to the point where you don’t need a miracle each and every day from God, just to fix mistakes you have made…..if I can get you into a constant state of communication with God, you will receive insight into situations and you will avoid a lot of the mistakes you have been making…and you will not need a supernatural visitation to fix things…suddenly – things will begin to work in your behalf, where before it seemed like everything was going wrong….amen!!! Let’s Pray! Please subscribe to this podcast, leave us a quick 5 star review on Apple Podcasts to help us grow and be sure to visit our website for more information on our ministry: https://podcastersforchrist.com/ (https://podcastersforchrist.com). And while you are at the website, download the free resource I have for you… it is free and is called, “How to Start a Christian Podcast.” It will bless you – go and download it today. You can also WATCH these session on our Facebook Playlist at this link: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtKWeKtmv-BwgkquBTsSh-GznbmuUp_R2...
Scripture For Today: Ezra 10:1“While Ezra was praying and confessing, weeping and throwing himself down before the house of God, a large crowd of Israelites—men, women and children—gathered around him. They too wept bitterly.”Our Rights Under Prayer pt 14We have been studying about “Our Rights Under Prayer” these past weeks. Yesterday, we established the fact that when we are born again, WE ARE the seed of Abraham. Amen! But, much more than that, we also have something that the world does not have. We become CHILDREN of the Most High God! We have a Covenant with God our Father that comes through only through Christ Jesus. Are YOU Abraham’s seed? YES! Are you a Child of God? YES! Well, if that is the case…you ought to be delivered from whatever the devil is trying to bring on you! Don’t let that fool try and trick you into “suffering for God.” God doesn’t want you to “suffer” for Him! He sent Jesus to “suffer for YOU.” And there is no more “suffering” to do! If there was…that means Jesus did not “suffer” enough. And if he did not “suffer enough,” that means there is still some sin out there that we have not been delivered from…and which means there is still sin out there that we have to go to hell over…which means our salvation is not guaranteed! But that is NOT the case. Jesus paid it ALL! AMEN! So, we have established the fact that God sent Jesus to pay the entire sin debt. Nothing is left over on our accounting books to be paid by us… that means we are NOW in a “right” relationship with our Heavenly Father and our big brother – Jesus! Which means their ears are open and listening to what we are saying and listening for our prayers…. These last few days, I’ve been going WAY over my time that I’m supposed to be keeping these teachings to. So I’m just going to give you the scripture references that I would normally use in a deeper teaching on this subject. You go and look them up. That’s part of your homework assignment, amen! I’ll just summarize them for you in this teaching series, except when I want to make a specific point. Amen! So go to 1 Peter 3:12 and see that God is LISTENING for YOU. What is He listening for you to do? PRAY! And the promise that God is going to listen to your prayers is not just to a select few. It is not just to those who “live right.” Although God is not obligated to answer the prayers of the unrighteous…if you have been living that way and want to change…to repent…to accept Jesus as your Lord and ask for the forgiveness of your sins and then ask Him to clean up the mess you made…He will. But, if you are a born again believer…you have a right to make a prayer request to your Father and expect Him to answer it. He promised He would!!! Go look at Romans 4:16…the promise is sure to ALL the seed! By Grace…which means by God’s FAVOR! It does not matter who the BELIEVER is…smart or dumb; educated or not; black, white, yellow or red…it makes not difference to God…he is not a respecter of persons… He gives His righteousness to YOU…He gives to YOU right standing in His eyes. You are a bought SON or DAUGHTER with the blood of Jesus…He counts that blood as precious and He counts YOU as precious. Just like you would give your kids something they need if they ask you….He gives you the things you need if you ask Him… “Seek ye first the Kingdom of God and His Righteousness and ALL these ‘things’ will be added to YOU,” Jesus said… In Romans 5:17, we are told there was enough death to go around…so much so that they thought it was over…but GOD…says His Grace abounds to much MORE than that. His Righteousness is His GIFT… you can’t buy and you can’t earn it…you can’t get...
Scripture For Today:1 Samuel 1:12“As she kept praying to the Lord, Eli observed her lips moving, but could not discern the words…”Our Rights Under Prayer pt 13We have been studying about “Our Rights Under Prayer” these last few days. We have something that the world does not have. We have a Covenant with God our Father that comes through only through Christ Jesus. We need to understand what God the Father has to say about our Covenant with Jesus! Amen! How do we know that God said it? We have to go to His Word….so let’s do that…. First, you have to believe in the Covenant the way Jesus believed in the Covenant…the way Abraham believed in the Covenant… the way God BELIEVES in the Covenant….it is NOT just a one sided deal! God established the Covenant with man and with Abraham so that “Whosoever believes…” is able to enter the Covenant. And when a Covenant person does what the Covenant requires and refused to compromise….they receive what the Covenant says they can have. Go to Luke 13:16 and see how Jesus operates in this Covenant for the benefit of someone else…even when the religious leaders of the day said “you are not supposed to believe that way…” This woman was a daughter (or descendant) of Abraham. She was a Covenant person. Which means any one of those so called preachers in her day could have prayed for her healing before God and God would have honored their prayer…but didn’t. Jesus did. And he (and she) got the results. Which means SHE BELIEVED she was supposed to be healed. She probably believed it all along…but NOBODY joined their faith to hers in agreement and interceded on her behalf to God…so they just left her to suffer…until Jesus showed up one day… If you go now to Galatians 3:13-14, 29…you can see what this means for you and I today. Are YOU Abraham’s seed? YES! Well, if that is the case…you ought to be delivered from whatever the devil is trying to bring on you, too. Don’t let that fool try and trick you into “suffering for God.” God doesn’t want you to “suffer” for Him! He sent Jesus to “suffer for YOU.” And there is no more “suffering” to do! If there was…that means Jesus did not “suffer” enough. And if he did not “suffer enough,” that means there is still some sin out there that we have not been delivered from…and which means there is still sin out there that we have to go to hell over…which means our salvation is not guaranteed! But that is NOT the case. Jesus paid it ALL! AMEN! We are walking in victory each and every day we are alive on God’s green earth! Can I get an Amen? Praise God! Let’s Pray! Please subscribe to this podcast, leave us a quick 5 star review on Apple Podcasts to help us grow and be sure to visit our website for more information on our ministry: https://podcastersforchrist.com/ (https://podcastersforchrist.com). And while you are at the website, download the free resource I have for you… it is free and is called, “How to Start a Christian Podcast.” It will bless you – go and download it today. You can also WATCH these session on our Facebook Playlist at this link: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtKWeKtmv-BwgkquBTsSh-GznbmuUp_R2 (https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtKWeKtmv-BwgkquBTsSh-GznbmuUp_R2)
Scripture For Today:Job 42:10“After Job had prayed for his friends, the Lord restored his fortunes and gave him twice as much as he had before.”Our Rights Under Prayer pt 12You DID not receive your salvation UNTIL the moment you “heard the Gospel and Believed it.” You may have “heard” the same scripture and the same Gospel your entire life…but “one day” your heart and your spirit man and your intellect and your mind all synched up for one moment of time….and the spirit man “heard” the Gospel and the mind reasoned it out and said “YEAH!” And YOU BELIEVED! And when you believed – you got saved! And when you got saved – you entered into covenant with Jesus. And when you entered into covenant with Jesus – you entered into covenant with God the Father. And when you entered into covenant with God the Father – you put yourself into position to be BLESSED! AMEN!!! So, you have to go to what God said and put IT as first place and primary authority in your life. You cannot put God’s Word as second place or a lower priority than ANYTHING else…not work, not family, not watching TV – NOT ANYTHING. Receiving is the Key – and you have to come to the point that you realize “you have the RIGHT TO BELIEVE.” The “right to believe” that Jesus is Lord over your life. The right to believe that HE already defeated the devil that is bugging you right now. The right to believe that JESUS will “hear your prayers and answer your prayers.” Once you do that, you have the same rights to receive ALL your needs being met – according to God’s RICHES in Glory….by and through Christ Jesus! AMEN! Jesus has already come to this earth to meet your needs. He came here and DIED here to meet your needs. He came here, died here and then ROSE from the dead, to meet your needs. Jesus came here, died here and rose from the dead, walked here among men and then ascended into Heaven – in order to meet your needs. Jesus came here, died here, rose from the dead here, walked here among men and ascended into Heaven and has sat down at the right hand of the Father, so He can lean over and make intercession for YOUR NEEDS TO BE MET! He said “WHOSOEVER WILL” believe this can receive this…..that’s YOU! Go to Luke 13:15-16 “Since she is the daughter of Abraham, shouldn’t she be loosed?” she is in covenant. Galatians 3:13-14.29 If you belong to Jesus, then you are the seed of Abraham and you have the “right” to believe. You have the “right” to BELIEVE…. Don’t let the devil try to tell you, “you don’t REALLY believe that, do you?” That’s the trick he worked on Eve and has been working ever since on mankind. Don’t fall for it…you tell him – I BELIEVE THE WORD OF GOD, especially the part, Mr. Devil, where Jesus beat your brains out – NOW GET OUT OF HERE, in the Name of Jesus! If you want to walk in that kind of confidence. If you want to BELIEVE like that, let’s start with the most important decision you will ever make….Believe you receive your covenant standing with Jesus – and through Him – your covenant standing with the Father. Let’s Pray! Please subscribe to this podcast, leave us a quick 5 star review on Apple Podcasts to help us grow and be sure to visit our website for more information on our ministry: https://podcastersforchrist.com/ (https://podcastersforchrist.com). And while you are at the website, download the free resource I have for you… it is free and is called, “How to Start a Christian Podcast.” It will bless you – go and download it today. You can also WATCH these session on our Facebook Playlist at this link: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtKWeKtmv-BwgkquBTsSh-GznbmuUp_R2...
Scripture For Today:2 Chronicles 7:15“Now my eyes will be open and my ears attentive to the prayers offered in this place.”Our Rights Under Prayer pt 11We have been talking about “Our Rights Under Prayer” and how important it is that we understand our rights. Just like knowing what are rights are under the Constitution of the United States, we need to know our rights Under Heaven as it concerns prayer as well. Genesis chp 2 talks about the Blessing of the Lord and how He gave us a command to “Have Dominion” over all of creation! But yet, we allow others and we allow circumstances to have dominion over us! It’s NOT supposed to be like that. Most people, when they pray, they are trying to make deals with God. They will pray things like, “If you Bless me – then I will do this and that…” But that’s backwards! Find out what God wants you to do – then do it! Then the Blessing comes upon you and overtakes you….that is what the Blessing is designed to do and how it is designed to work. For example: your kids are hungry. The bread is at the store. You can say…” I know there is bread at the store. I know you are hungry. Someday, if you are really good, perhaps the bread will come to us from the store.” NO! You go TO the store – obtain the bread – then feed the kids. You don’t start by trying to “be good” and “hope” the bread comes to you. You must put forth the effort to go and get it! Amen! Go to 3 John 2 God wants you well, spirit, soul and body. He wants to Bless you. And YOU want to be Blessed – right? So, you need to find out what God says you should do – and do it! Then, you WILL be Blessed – you have His Word on it! And God is not a man that He should lie! Read Matthew21:21-22; Mark 11:24; Luke 18:1 Our struggle is not with God – God is the answer to the problem…not THE Problem! What would be the use of praying always if could not obtain what we are always praying about? You can’t get “good enough” to “get” God to answer your prayers. Our prayer life is based upon our covenant with Jesus. Period! Nothing else! It is because of Jesus that God will answer our prayers. It is because of “Good” Jesus was and is. Not because of how “good” we try to be. It is because we have entered into covenant with JESUS and God has entered into covenant with Jesus – so therefore WE have covenant with God! The KEY to all of this – the common denominator in the whole thing – is in BELIEVING. Believing in our covenant. Believing in Jesus. Believing in what HE did for US. Believing that the price of our sin has been paid – in full. Believing the God will honor His Word, His Promise to Jesus – that He will Bless those who Bless Jesus – how do we do that? By doing what He told us to do – BELIEVE! That is all we have to do! Believe! “But, brother Bob, I just don’t know if I can do that. You don’t know what my finances are like…you don’t know what the doctor told me was wrong…you don’t know…you don’t know….you don’t know” YOUR RIGHT! I don’t know…but I DO KNOW who has the answer you are looking for! JESUS! But, you can only know what to believe FOR if you know what the person you are believing has said. You can only know what they said if you talk to them. You did not receive Jesus as your Lord and Savior UNTIL you BELIEVED what God said about Jesus and what He did on the cross. Let’s Pray! Please subscribe to this podcast, leave us a quick 5 star review on Apple Podcasts to help us grow and be sure to visit our website for more information on our...
Scripture For Today: Acts 27:19 “Fearing that we would be dashed against the rocks, they dropped four anchors from the stern and prayed for daylight.” Our Rights Under Prayer pt 10We have been talking about our blood bought RIGHT to pray and to expect results. I pray you are getting a lot out of this in-depth teaching on prayer. I know I am. Praise God! God will bless you financially or with whatever “stuff” you need…If He said He would do something – and put it in writing – you can best believe He will live up to His end of the contract. But it is just that – a contract. Which means, “if you do this, I will do that.” Are you holding up your end? God said He would meet our needs. He said He would Bless us…but with the Blessing comes persecutions. As long as you are quiet and remaining “humble and poor,” people have no problems with you… but when become vocal and Blessed and prosperous – they start to talk about you…! What I say is, “Let them talk!” Praise God! You are being a witness for Jesus! Amen! Remember, whoever controls the money controls the world. Look at the business culture in the US. Look at what is being taught in schools….The companies that have the money control what is being taught in schools. “Oh, brother Bob, I thought the government had control over that?” Yes, they do…but who are the big donors to these politicians? Look at the printing companies. For the sake of the almighty dollar – you can see who is in love with money – they are the ones who compromise and print pornography, etc. We are going to get into some exciting stuff now in these last few minutes. We will be getting into some details that might make some of you mad…too bad! You have to get everything we have been studying up to now – and use it as a solid foundation for all the different types of prayers will be studying soon. The prayer of petition; prayer of supplication; prayer of intercession; prayer of healing, finances and blessings; prayers of binding and loosing, etc. First, God’s Will is His Word. You cannot have faith in anything you are asking and believing God for – if you do not know His Word or His Will. “I don’t know if it’s God’s will to heal me, brother Bob.” Well, if it’s not His will to heal you – why are fighting against God? Why are you going to the doctor’s office and spending all that money? Why don’t you just go lay down and die and be in God’s perfect will? WHY??? Because you know it is not God’s will for you to die – that’s why you are trying to get well….but who are placing your faith in, God or Man? If you did not believe in getting healed, you should not even take an aspirin when you have a headache! Now, as silly as that sounds…it is the truth. God sent Jesus to the cross to bear our sicknesses…and He took ALL of them. There is no sickness or headache or stomach ache that He cannot remove from you – he bore them all in His body on the cross. Let’s Pray! Please subscribe to this podcast, leave us a quick 5 star review on Apple Podcasts to help us grow and be sure to visit our website for more information on our ministry: https://podcastersforchrist.com/ (https://podcastersforchrist.com). And while you are at the website, download the free resource I have for you… it is free and is called, “How to Start a Christian Podcast.” It will bless you – go and download it today. You can also WATCH these session on our Facebook Playlist at this link: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtKWeKtmv-BwgkquBTsSh-GznbmuUp_R2 (https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtKWeKtmv-BwgkquBTsSh-GznbmuUp_R2)
Scripture For Today:Acts 10:9 “About noon the following day as they were on their journey and approaching the city, Peter went up on the roof to pray.” Our Rights Under Prayer pt 9We have been talking about our blood bought RIGHT to pray and to expect results. I pray you are getting a lot out of this in-depth teaching on prayer. I know I am. Praise God! Folks, we need to learn how to roll the cares of this world over on the Lord…don’t hold onto them. Let Him have them and then enter into His rest. Hebrews 4:11-12…rest in God and rely on His power instead of our weaknesses. So, how should God’s people pray? What is God’s will concerning “things” or “money” etc. Well, before we get into a study about that…I want to state unequivocally my position on this. I want to make this absolutely clear…this is being recorded – so I am putting my position out there up front. I don’t want you to think I am going to talk about money and finances because I want you to give into this ministry for selfish reasons. Far be it from that. If some other ministries operate that way and abused their partners, etc. in that manner – that is between God and them…but you do not meet my needs…I meet my needs. I meet them through my giving to God, not by you giving to me. The past 11 years I have been broadcasting, I have intentionally avoided any strong teaching in this area. We have “brushed” up against it a couple of times…but never really gotten into a deep study on giving….just for the reason that some people would think I was doing this to get money…and that just is not the case. Some people will say, “Money is the root of all evil.” And that statement would be totally wrong. Money is not evil in and of itself. God has established money as the “thing” that allows his people to transact business in the world system to meet our needs and the needs of other people. It is the “love of money” that is the root of all evil. So – just from that one example – find out what the Bible really says about any situation before you go spouting your mouth off. God will bless you financially or with whatever “stuff” you need…If He said He would do something – and put it in writing – you can best believe He will live up to His end of the contract. But it is just that – a contract. Which means, “if you do this, I will do that.” Are you holding up your end? God said He would meet our needs. He said He would Bless us…but with the Blessing comes persecutions. As long as you are quiet and remaining “humble and poor,” people have no problems with you… but when become vocal and Blessed and prosperous – they start to talk about you…! What I say is, “Let them talk!” Praise God! You are being a witness for Jesus! Amen! Let’s Pray! Please subscribe to this podcast, leave us a quick 5 star review on Apple Podcasts to help us grow and be sure to visit our website for more information on our ministry: https://podcastersforchrist.com/ (https://podcastersforchrist.com). And while you are at the website, download the free resource I have for you… it is free and is called, “How to Start a Christian Podcast.” It will bless you – go and download it today. You can also WATCH these session on our Facebook Playlist at this link: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtKWeKtmv-BwgkquBTsSh-GznbmuUp_R2 (https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtKWeKtmv-BwgkquBTsSh-GznbmuUp_R2)
Scripture For Today:Luke 18:11“One of those days Jesus went out to a mountainside to pray, and spent the entire night praying to God.”Our Rights Under Prayer pt 8We have been talking about our blood bought RIGHT to pray and to expect results. We have been getting pretty in depth about our prayer rights – and we are nowhere even close to finished…as a matter of fact – we are just beginning to get to some good stuff!!! Amen! Turn to Romans 8:26: “In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. Our weapons are not carnal, but spiritual. Our weapons are the Name of Jesus, the Word of God and the Power of the Holy Spirit. We have the RIGHT to use these weapons and we have the RIGHT to expect results – when we pray correctly and use the Name of Jesus effectively. Well, brother Bob, I just believe in bombarding the gates of Heaven until I see results. Ok, one question…what scripture are you basing that on? “Well, brother, that’s how grandma taught me to pray.” Well – brother – that is all the faith grandma had to walk in….but we should be walking in a lot more revelation than what she had. We should be walking in a lot more power than the old time evangelists. We are living in the last of the last days…and our eyes are seeing things the prophets of old desired to see but couldn’t…we are hearing things they desired to hear but couldn’t….so don’t base your faith on outdated ways of praying. Here is another fact for you to consider. According to the Bible, how big is Heavenly Jerusalem? By some estimates, between 1200-1500 miles square and high. So, that means you are out there at least 750 miles from the Throne of God….and we are told that we have access to come BOLDLY into the throne room and approach the Throne of Grace! So, how silly do you think you seem in the eyes of God and the eyes of Jesus and all the angels, standing out at the gate, with an open invitation to come into the throne room anytime you want to get anything you want…and you are standing out there yelling at the gate (and it’s not locked…you can come in if you want…)? Roll the cares of this world over on the Lord…don’t hold onto them. Let Him have them and then enter into His rest. Hebrews 4:11-12…rest in God and rely on His power instead of our weaknesses. Let’s Pray! Please subscribe to this podcast, leave us a quick 5 star review on Apple Podcasts to help us grow and be sure to visit our website for more information on our ministry: https://podcastersforchrist.com/ (https://podcastersforchrist.com). And while you are at the website, download the free resource I have for you… it is free and is called, “How to Start a Christian Podcast.” It will bless you – go and download it today. You can also WATCH these session on our Facebook Playlist at this link: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtKWeKtmv-BwgkquBTsSh-GznbmuUp_R2 (https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtKWeKtmv-BwgkquBTsSh-GznbmuUp_R2)
Scripture For Today: Luke 6:12 “One of those days Jesus went out to a mountainside to pray, and spent the entire night praying to God.”Our Rights Under Prayer pt 7We have been talking about our blood bought RIGHT to pray and to expect results. We have been getting pretty in depth about our prayer rights – and we are nowhere even close to finished…as a matter of fact – we are just beginning to get to some good stuff!!! Amen! We don’t pray to try to get God to do something. We don’t pray to get people to do something. We don’t pray to try and impress God and we don’t pray to try and impress people. Now that I said that…I probably stepped all over a bunch of sacred cows out there…be cause those four statements probably eliminated 90% of all prayers being prayed nowadays. No wonder we are not seeing our prayers answered the way we should be. When you pray…do use Elizibithian English? Thoust shalt doest…? How silly do you think that sounds to God to have someone from Georgia, Mississippi or Texas speak like that? As a matter of fact, even the English do not talk that way anymore…and that is where that came from. Don’t try to con God into answering your prayers by trying to make yourself sound so “holy.” You know what I’m talking about…. God knows you are a sinner. He knows if He left you to yourself, you would be heading straight to hell. Praise God He did not leave you or me or any person who will just BELIEVE in Jesus…He did not leave us to ourselves…He sent His Son to save us! Then He gave us the Holy Spirit so we can communicate with God…amen? You don’t have to worry about going to God and telling Him about the terrible sin you have committed…He knew about it before your conscious convicted your heart about doing it. He knew about before you did! When you tell God about it and confess is not when He finds out about it…that is when you get rid of it! You don’t have to keep coming to Him and telling Him how unworthy you are….when you do that, you discount what Jesus did at the cross. You are basically telling God that what Jesus did was not enough. As a matter of fact, when you do that or when people do that, they are usually trying to impress other people. Just go before God and talk to Him like you would any other person…Just tell Him about your problems like you were talking to a friend. If you have a problem, find it in the Bible. Then talk to God about the scripture you found. That is taking the problem to Him and presenting Him with the answer He has pre-ordained as belonging to believers… When you do that, you are actually communicating with God. Now, look at the word, communicate. The root word, the base word, is “to commune.” Communion. John 16:23 Jesus said, basically, “up to now, you have not asked anything of the Father ‘in my name.” (Now, lets look at what that means – in my name)…..Jesus continued, “but from now on, you will ask the father in my name and He shall give it to you.” Let’s Pray! Please subscribe to this podcast, leave us a quick 5 star review on Apple Podcasts to help us grow and be sure to visit our website for more information on our ministry: https://podcastersforchrist.com/ (https://podcastersforchrist.com). And while you are at the website, download the free resource I have for you… it is free and is called, “How to Start a Christian Podcast.” It will bless you – go and download it today. You can also WATCH these session on our Facebook Playlist at this link: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtKWeKtmv-BwgkquBTsSh-GznbmuUp_R2 (https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtKWeKtmv-BwgkquBTsSh-GznbmuUp_R2)
Scripture For Today: Jonah 4:2 “He prayed to the Lord, “Isn’t this what I said, Lord, when I was still at home? That is what I tried to forestall by fleeing to Tarshish. I knew that you are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abounding in love, a God who relents from sending calamity.”Our Rights Under Prayer pt 6We have been studying about “Our Rights Under Prayer” these last few days. I pray that you are getting a lot out of this study. It is so important to your Spiritual well-being. Not only that, but if you are to fulfill the Great Commission in order to speed the return of Jesus, you will definitely need to know how to pray and get your needs met as the entire world falls apart around us. Amen! There are different types of prayer covering different situations you may find yourself in…but the common denominator in them all is JESUS. There are different kinds of prayer that require different requests…basically, different rules regarding how you approach the prayer to God… You don’t just say, “let’s pray.” Just like in sports…you don’t just go and say “let’s play sports.” Ok, what are we going to play…baseball, football, soccer, golf, running…what? There are different rules regarding how to win…the same thing in prayer…what is the need? What equipment do you need (in other words…is the need physical – we need healing scriptures…is the need financial…we need to sow a seed….is the need for a job…we need to sow a seed by helping someone else…is the need for a lost loved one…we need to conduct intercessional prayer in their behalf…)… so we just don’t say, “let’s pray.” We must know what we are going to pray about and what rules we are going to pray by…that is the purpose of this series on prayer…by the time we finish – you will KNOW HOW TO PRAY and WHAT TO PRAY and WHAT THE RULES ARE!!! Just like attending spring training in baseball or training camp in football…everyone there “knows” how to play their game – or they would not be there…but, the coaches ALWAYS start with the basics….Coach Lumardi always started his training camp, in front of the Green Bay Packers who may have just won the championship a few months back…by holding up a football and saying, “This is a football. The objective on offence is to take it down the field to the end zone… the objective for defense is to stop the other team from doing the same thing.” That is going back to the basics! Then, he would ‘build’ upon that foundation…and he became one of the greatest football coaches in history…Your prayers can be the same way…you can become one the greatest prayer warriors in existence…If you start with the basics. Ok, so, the righteousness in God that you already have gives you the RIGHT to BELIEVE and to RECEIVE the expected results. John 16:23 In THAT day…what day, well go to John 16:7-9…and John 16:13-14… In THAT DAY, Jesus said, you will not have to ask me for ANYTHING…but, what you ask God for – in the NAME of JESUS – HE WILL GIVE IT (the thing you are asking for) TO YOU!!! 1 John 4:14-15 states that if “ask anything according to His will” (how do we know if we are asking something according to God’s Will? We have to know what He said He would give us…) If I tell someone I will pay their rent for them…then they can “expect” me to do so. But, if someone just says, “I’m believing Brother Bob will show up at my house today and pay my rent…” and I never told them I would or told someone else that I was going to do that…that is NOT believing…it is “wishing.” You cannot go to God and say, “Oh, God, I believe I receive my million dollars…in the name of Jesus.” Did God tell you He was going to give you a million dollars? Where did he tell you that…? Now, if you need a million dollars…He did say...
Scripture For Today: Jeremiah 32:16 “After I had given the deed of purchase to Baruch son of Neriah, I prayed to the Lord…”Our Rights Under Prayer pt 5We have been studying about “Our Rights Under Prayer” these last few days. My prayer for you is that your Spiritual eyes are being opened to the power that is available to us through prayer – and that you have a RIGHT – a Spiritual Right – to pray and expect your prayers to be answered. Amen! We have a special relationship with God that other people in this earth do not have…we have a RIGHT to expect God to answer our prayers! That may sound pretentious to some…that may sound blasphemous to others…that may sound sinful to even others…but it is TRUE! Praise God!!! It’s in His Word! And if HE put it in HIS WORD – that means HE expects US to BELIEVE IT! AMEN! Muslims do not have that right…that is why they hate Christians so much. Hindu’s do not have that right…that is why they oppress the Christians in their society…the same can be said for different people groups and different religions all around the world….they hate believers as a whole because believers BELIEVE!!! AMEN! That is what this study in prayer is all about…to get YOU to the place where YOU BELIEVE!!! And not just to believe it because Pastor Bob says to believe….not just to believe because some other preacher told you it should be so…YOU have to believe because GOD said it was so! AMEN?! How do we know that God said it? We have to go to His Word….so let’s do that…. First, you have to believe in the Covenant the way Jesus believed in the Covenant…the way Abraham believed in the Covenant… the way God BELIEVES in the Coventant….it is NOT just a one sided deal! God established the Covenant with man and with Abraham so that “Whosoever believes…” is able to enter the Covenant. And when a Covenant person does what the Covenant requires and refused to compromise….they receive what the Covenant says they can have. Go to Luke 13:16 and see how Jesus operates in this Covenant for the benefit of someone else…even when the religious leaders of the day said “you are not supposed to believe that way…” This woman was a daughter (or descendant) of Abraham. She was a Covenant person. Which means any one of those so called preachers in her day could have prayed for her healing before God and God would have honored their prayer…but didn’t. Jesus did. And he (and she) got the results. Which means SHE BELIEVED she was supposed to be healed. She probably believed it all along…but NOBODY joined their faith to hers in agreement and interceded on her behalf to God…so they just left her to suffer…until Jesus showed up one day… Let’s Pray! Please subscribe to this podcast, leave us a quick 5 star review on Apple Podcasts to help us grow and be sure to visit our website for more information on our ministry: https://podcastersforchrist.com/ (https://podcastersforchrist.com). And while you are at the website, download the free resource I have for you… it is free and is called, “How to Start a Christian Podcast.” It will bless you – go and download it today. You can also WATCH these session on our Facebook Playlist at this link: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtKWeKtmv-BwgkquBTsSh-GznbmuUp_R2 (https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtKWeKtmv-BwgkquBTsSh-GznbmuUp_R2)
Scripture For Today:Isaiah 37:15“…and Hezekiah prayed to the Lord…”Our Rights Under Prayer pt 4We have been studying about “Our Rights Under Prayer” these last few days. My prayer for you is that your Spiritual eyes are being opened to the power that is available to us through prayer – and that you have a RIGHT – a Spiritual Right – to pray and expect your prayers to be answered. Amen! God is not “out there” somewhere and we are wayyyyy down here. God is not “soooo Good” and we are sooooo bad that He will not answer your prayers. That maybe true, that He is soooo good and we are sooo bad….but we don’t have to go through life trying to get God to, perhaps, one day….take notice of us. Prayer is NOT trying to “get” God to do something. Prayer is communication with God…receiving what He has already given to us, in Christ Jesus! These things need to be received and brought from the Spiritual into the natural. How God does it is up to Him…our only job is to know and to believe that He will! AMEN. We are so far “out of step” with God, that’s not the way it was create, it is not the way we were created – it is not the way it is supposed to be. We were created to have walked with God hand in hand, with all that belongs to us in Heaven and with God. So, what may seem like a miracle to us is just how God normally does things! AMEN! So, if God wants to be and do a “miracle” in our life and on our behalf or if he wants to us another believer to Bless us – it should not matter to us – it’s how God normally does things! It’s not up to us – its up to Him! Amen. Jesus has already redeemed us from the curse of the Law. The entire curse. You need to read Deuteronomy 28:16 thru the end to see just what is included in the curse and what it is we have been redeemed from! He paid the entire price for YOU. He did it so you can have the authority that originally belonged to you in the Garden of Eden. You – yes YOU – have dominion. Let’s Pray! Please subscribe to this podcast, leave us a quick 5 star review on Apple Podcasts to help us grow and be sure to visit our website for more information on our ministry: https://podcastersforchrist.com/ (https://podcastersforchrist.com). And while you are at the website, download the free resource I have for you… it is free and is called, “How to Start a Christian Podcast.” It will bless you – go and download it today. You can also WATCH these session on our Facebook Playlist at this link: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtKWeKtmv-BwgkquBTsSh-GznbmuUp_R2 (https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtKWeKtmv-BwgkquBTsSh-GznbmuUp_R2)
Scripture For Today: Psalm 122:6“Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: “May those who love you be secure.”Our Rights Under Prayer pt 3We have been studying about “Our Rights Under Prayer” these last few days… I’m telling you folks, I can feel the Lord leading us into some things that need to be said that haven’t been said. At least they haven’t been said lately in churches in this nation, for whatever reason… Well, truthfully, I believe the reason most churches refuse to talk about the things we are going to talk about in this study over the next few weeks – on a daily basis – is because they are SCARED to! And I’ll get more into that as we go. Amen! Acts 2:21… “Whosever will take the Word of Jesus as final authority and lift His Words back to Him in Prayer will receive what the Word says they can have – according to their Faith in those Words.” Prayer is NOT trying to “get” God’s attention. Prayer is stating what we believe already belongs to us! Amen! Let me ask you… What problems are you dealing with right now? Physical problems? Family problems? Financial problems? Work problems? What I want you to realize today, is that we don’t have to put up with the problems of this world…! Oh, we must live in this world. Don’t get me wrong. There will be problems that arise during the course of the day and week and in our lives. But, when they raise their ugly heads…what should we do? You see, through Jesus, we can be victorious in ALL our problems. “Oh, brother Bob, I knew you were going to say that…but you just don’t know what I’m going through.” You’re right! I don’t! But I know who does! JESUS! If we learn to lean on Him and to trust in Him – He WILL bring us through! It doesn’t mean, that once you are a Christian, you can just “float” through life. But, we can live here and overcome ALL the problems the devil brings at us by trusting in Jesus to see us through. If we stay in the Word, studying on a daily basis…going to Him in prayer on at least a daily basis…listening to Him as we go through the day and week…listening to the little “leadings of the Spirit” as we go through our days…we can avoid a lot of the problems that pop up. And we will be more aware of problems when they first arise…instead of letting them “fester” and get worse before we take authority over them. We should KNOW at all times in whom we can trust. When these problems come up, we should view them as an attack of the devil…for that is truly what they are. And they are not just an attack on us, our ministries, our families, etc…they are an attack on the Lordship of Jesus Himself! You see, if the devil can get us to take our eyes off of Jesus and focus on the problems…that means he has succeeded in eroding our Faith in the Word, our Faith in Jesus, our Faith in our Father in Heaven…to deliver us from evil and to provide for our every need according the Father’s riches in Glory, by Christ Jesus! So, the attacks and problems we are encountering are the devil’s assault on Jesus Himself – His authority in the earth and over our lives… Don’t sit there and think Jesus WILL NOT respond. But, other than in extreme cases – and truly at His prerogative – He WILL NOT deal with the devil one on one…He has already done that – and WON! So, for Jesus to come down here to fight YOUR battles for you would mean that what He did before was not enough….but it was MORE THAN ENOUGH! AMEN!!! Jesus has given us HIS authority to deal with the devil whenever and wherever we find him…and His authority which He has given us is MORE than enough to defeat the devil in whatever problems that sucker brings into our lives…and make him wish he hadn’t! AMEN! This series on the Study in Prayer is designed to
Scripture For Today:2 Kings 9:15“And Hezekiah prayed to the Lord: “Lord, the God of Israel, enthroned between the cherubim, you alone are God over all the kingdoms of the earth. You have made heaven and earth.”Our Rights Under Prayer pt 2Last time we began a new series on Prayer. We are going to be going indepth on our study in prayer…I want you to be able, when you finish this study, to take the devil “head on” in any attacks he initiates – and know, without any shadow of a doubt, that you are going to kick his rear end so hard he will have to take the 1000 year incarceration just to recover! AMEN?! In Luke 18:1 – we see we are to pray “always”…and that we should “always be praying.” That does not mean 24 hours a day….it means we need to be in a constant state of prayer…anything that is not lining up with the Word of God, we speak the Word of God over it….be it a parking place at the mall or somebody cutting us off on the highway or short changing us at the bank….don’t get mad!!! Just declare the Word of the Lord over the situation and thank Him that He is working it all out! AMEN! From the point in time that you make Jesus your Lord and Savior, and you pray the prayer of repentance, Jesus treats you just like you have never sinned. That opens you up to all other avenues of prayer and you qualify for answers and deliverance based upon those prayers. But you have to speak Words of Faith…you do not start off by claiming and telling Jesus how wrongfully you are being treated…how unfair people are being to you…you don’t start off by bad mouthing other people (and especially other Christians!)….if they are treating you bad…SO WHAT! Don’t try to “get even” or anything like that…”Vengance is MINE saith the Lord! And I will repay!” What He is saying is He will take care of you and He will take care of jerking the slack out of the other persons chain as well. He will try to use what they did to you to get their attention and get them saved! Wouldn’t it be nice to know, down the road, if that person came up to you, apologized and gave you a testimony about “how bad they felt…and through that, when you did not retaliate the way they were expecting…they wanted to know “why”? And they ended up finding the Lord, repenting, receiving forgiveness and now they are asking you to forgive them, too?! Wouldn’t that be a lot better than you taking matters into your own hands, maybe making things worse, getting into trouble with the law or something…and the person NEVER got saved? And when you get Heaven, you get talked to by Jesus!!! So, role the care of it over on Him, Amen? You have to start where you are at. You might be in Jail…you might be homeless, in debt, sick, body ravaged by disease…wherever and whatever you find yourself in right now…START THERE! Don’t say, “well, when I get this fixed, I will start to serve the Lord and spend time in prayer, etc.” The devil will make sure you NEVER have the opportunity to start that…you have MAKE the time to do it…MAKE the time to Praise Him NOW, while you are going through stuff….that is where He receives the Praise…and it is how YOU receive the Power from on High!!! Once you find out who you are in Christ Jesus – you will suddenly realize – YOU ARE FREE!!! Free from debt…free from bondage…free from sickness…free from disease…free from persecution…free from whatever has been holding you back! You might be in business for yourself right now…and the recession and COVID is just ravaging your business…you can’t find two dimes to rub together…you might be in debt right now…so far behind on your bills that the bill collectors have stopped calling you…(that does not mean you don’t try to pay your bills…it is an example that I am using that says they have given up...
Scripture For Today:1 Kings 8:38“and when a prayer or plea is made by anyone among your people Israel—being aware of the afflictions of their own hearts, and spreading out their hands toward this temple…”Our Rights Under Prayer pt 1All of this year, our ministry has been focused on prayer. I want you to be able to take the devil “head on” in any attacks he initiates – and know, without any shadow of a doubt, that you are going to kick his rear end so hard he will have to take the 1000 year incarceration just to recover! AMEN?! We hear a lot today about “our rights.” Our constitutional rights. Our civil rights. Just about any kind of “rights” you can think of. I want to look at our PRAYER RIGHTS. Specifically, not the rights guaranteed to us under the Constitution, but our RIGHTS GUARANTEED TO US THROUGH PRAYER! Amen! There are safe guards built into the prayer system – not to keep us from accessing the things of God, but to keep the devil from getting to it. It is like using a bank to protect our assets and money. James 4:2-3 “You desire but do not have, so you kill. You covet but you cannot get what you want, so you quarrel and fight. You do not have because you do not ask God. When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.” It is not God’s will for us to be sick and die It is not God’s will for any of us to be tormented. It is not God’s will for you to be under condemnation for mistakes you made that may have contributed to the circumstances you are currently facing. You need to make the decision that whatever the doctors say, or whatever others say – is NOT the final Word…God’s Word is the final authority.
You MUST KNOW that God’s Word is His will. That God is NOT moved by your need or your crying and tears and your begging or your spending 10 hours in prayer crying out to Him to help you… God is ONLY moved by Faith…Your Faith…Faith in HIS WORD Luke 18:1, Jesus emphasized that Men should always pray…always…always pray – not cave in, not quit and not give up! Amen! The ONLY situation from which there is no deliverance – is when you REFUSE to pray. We learned several sessions ago, that you do not need to be wasting precious time trying to get in touch with the Pastor or others to ask them to pray…Instead, others should be seeking YOU to ask YOU to pray….because YOUR prayers are getting answered! Amen! Life Happens… The world is full of troubles. If you fall apart and go get drunk, go get high, or whatever…when you finally wake up or sober up and come down from your high…the problems are STILL THERE. So, you go get your Bible that you have not read in 10 years…and “try” to “get” God to do something for you…but it doesn’t work…it doesn’t work that way… WHY? Because you are leaning on Old, Traditional religious teaching that God does not want you to have “anything”…He doesn’t listen to you because you are or have been a bad person or done bad things…God is mad at you – or whatever….! You have to understand. You have a communication channel that is a direct line TO God…AMEN! It is a line the devil cannot even tap into…AMEN! He does not have access to it… It’s like going to the bank to get your money out…you have to follow the procedures at the bank for getting your money…not because they don’t want you to have your money…they are trying to protect your money from the thieves out there that are trying to get it! A great preacher named Rufus Mosley once was crying out the to the Lord for something…having spend almost an hour on the floor in prayer, crying out…begging…and he got quiet for a moment and started thinking, “Here lies a man who knows absolutely nothing…doing all the talking to someone who knows...
Scripture For Today:Philippians 1:4“In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy.”Prayer and God’s Will pt 2Yesterday, we started to look at God’s will in prayer. We discovered that, in First John 5:14-15, God says, “And this is the confidence that we have in Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, he hears us; And if we know He hears us, whatsoever we ask, we KNOW that we have the petitions that we desired of Him.” We also learned that to pray, “…if it be thy will…” at the end our prayers negates the entire prayer and demonstrates unbelief on our part! God’s Word is His will. If you know the Word, you know the will of God. If you know that your prayer is based on His Word – then you should know your prayer request IS the will of God. There should be no doubt. To pray, “…if it be thy will…” is telling God, the devil and your own mind “I don’t really believe you will give me what I’m praying for, so this is my ‘out’!” Some people believe, let’s talk about healing as an example. Some people believe that if someone prays for them to be healed, and they are healed, it must have been God’s will for them to be healed. But, on the same token, they also believe that if someone prays for them to be healed, and they are not healed, it must be God’s will for them NOT to be healed. Are you one of “Them?” It’s amazing to me how many people profess Faith in Christ; they profess to HAVE FAITH; the profess to know the Word of God – but yet, they pray, “…if it be thy will…” as if they don’t know the will of God in their situation! It’s crazy! These poor Christian souls have sat under the teaching of the Word for YEARS! And someone new to the Faith comes in, reads the Word, understands that the Word of God is the will of God – and just believes what the Word of God says! Their prayers are answered and the other Christian wonders, “Why won’t God answer my prayer?” It’s because their prayers – YOUR PRAYERS (if you are praying “…if it be thy will…”) are based on unbelief! God is not going to answer an unbelievers prayer! Let’s close with one more scripture. One I’m sure will upset some of you “traditionalists” who believe it is scriptural to pray “…if it be thy will…” Are you ready? Mark 11:23-24 says, “For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith. Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.” That’s pretty clear, isn’t it? Unless you are one of them “traditionalists” don’t believe the Bible actually says what it says… Folks, you cannot pray “…if it be thy will…” and receive your prayers as answered according to Mark 11:23-24. You cannot pray Mark 11:23-24 and end it with “…if it be thy will…” The two just do not go together. Each verse negates the other. And since you are wrong to be praying against the will of God – that means your prayers go unanswered. I’m way over time again today. So we will take it up here next time. Let’s Pray! Please subscribe to this podcast, leave us a quick 5 star review on Apple Podcasts to help us grow and be sure to visit our website for more information on our ministry: https://podcastersforchrist.com/ (https://podcastersforchrist.com). And while you are at the website, download the free resource I have for you… it is free and is called, “How to Start a Christian Podcast.” It will bless you – go and download it today. You can also WATCH these session on our Facebook Playlist at this link: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtKWeKtmv-BwgkquBTsSh-GznbmuUp_R2 (https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtKWeKtmv-BwgkquBTsSh-GznbmuUp_R2)
Scripture For Today:Romans 1:10 “…in my prayers at all times; and I pray that now at last, by God’s will, the way may be open for me to come to you.”Prayer and God’s Will pt 1Over these next few sessions, I want to discuss with you the subject of God’s will in prayer. We know that it is God’s will that we receive answers to prayer and that we bear much prayer fruit as we pray according to the Word of God. But, it is absolutely true that God wants us to have confidence in His Presence when we pray according to His Word (which is His will). Amen! First John 5:14-15 says, “And this is the confidence that we have in Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, he hears us; And if we know He hears us, whatsoever we ask, we KNOW that we have the petitions that we desired of Him.” Can you say, “AMEN” to that? Praise God! Another translation of First John 5:14 says, “And this is the BOLDNESS we have toward Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us…” If you are like most Christians, our minds immediately grasp that phrase, “…according to His will…” That is why many people will pray, “Lord, do this that or the other thing, IF IT BE THY WILL…” But that is NOT Faith. That is doubt and unbelief in its rawest form! God’s Word IS His Will! Sometimes we pray for things which we already have God’s Word that specifies His desire for us – and we KNOW exactly what His Word says – so that means it is HIS WILL. Amen! So it is 100% incorrect to insert the expression, “IF it be thy will…” into our prayers when God’s Word specifically says what His will is in the situation we are praying about! Amen! To say, “If it be they will” when you already know what God’s Word says, is confessing before God and man (and the devil) that you doubt God’s Word. You don’t really believe it! Shocking, isn’t it? Many of you have been praying that way for years and years. And you’ve been 100% wrong for all of those years, too. And when you pray, “if it be they will” – your prayer will not work. Period. Remember, God’s Word is God’s will. God’s Word is the revealed will of God. Therefore, if you know what the Word says, you know what the will of God is. Amen! Let’s Pray! Please subscribe to this podcast, leave us a quick 5 star review on Apple Podcasts to help us grow and be sure to visit our website for more information on our ministry: https://podcastersforchrist.com/ (https://podcastersforchrist.com). And while you are at the website, download the free resource I have for you… it is free and is called, “How to Start a Christian Podcast.” It will bless you – go and download it today. You can also WATCH these session on our Facebook Playlist at this link: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtKWeKtmv-BwgkquBTsSh-GznbmuUp_R2 (https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtKWeKtmv-BwgkquBTsSh-GznbmuUp_R2)
Scripture For Today:1 Samuel 1:10“In her deep anguish Hannah prayed to the Lord, weeping bitterly.” How to Interpret Scripture pt 2Yesterday, we learned the importance of interpreting Scripture in light of other scriptures. So, before we move on to a different topic, this one is so important, I wanted to go back and emphasize a couple of things for you. You’ve heard me talk about creating your “Prayer of Petition” and how important it is to KNOW that YOU KNOW what you are going to pray about! Amen! And the ONLY way you can do that is by doing your own Bible research and study. I’m not talking about your daily Bible reading or for studying for 10 or 20 minutes. I’m talking about doing a Master’s Thesis type of research. I know I lost a lot of you right there! “Well, brother Bob, I just don’t have the time to do something like that!” No problem. I understand. You can continue to wallow in your same situation that is causing you problems. No problem. Go for it. I can’t MAKE you study the Word. I can’t PRAY for you when YOU are supposed to pray yourself.
And you can’t pray unless you KNOW that your prayers are based on God’s Word. And you can’t know God’s Word unless you spend the time to READ God’s Word. That’s the ONLY WAY. Yes, you can listen to teachings such as this… Yes, you can watch or listen to teachings on TV or the internet… BUT NONE OF THAT should replace YOUR OWN STUDY TIME! Think of it like this… You’re in some kind of trouble. It could be a health condition. It could be financial. It could be a legal problem. Whatever…it doesn’t matter. The reason it doesn’t matter is because your Grandfather knows the exact doctor to call and get you to the front of the line. Or he’s super rich and is known for helping family members out without blinking an eye. Or he knows the top notch lawyer or someone in high places that can make all your legal problems go away. You follow me? Amen! But, you just send your best friend to go see him. You just are too busy going to the gym and doing your workouts in addition to work. Or you need to watch your favorite reality television show. You just figure your best friend can go and take care of talking to your grandfather for you. What is wrong with that picture? Your grandfather LOVES YOU! He wants a relationship with YOU. I know… I’m a grandfather and would do ANYTHING for my kids or grandkids. But NOT if they never want to come see me. Not if they do not stop by from time to time just to hang out – even if it’s not as often as I would like. But just because they make the effort to come by without me continually begging them to stop by. Now, do you see the problem with NOT spending time in God’s Word? When you spend time in God’s Word – you are spending time with GOD – your Heavenly Father! And you are spending time in the presence of Jesus as well. Both of them want to have a great relationship with YOU! And you need to study the Word AND spend time in prayer. Amen! Just like I would NEVER try to give my kids or grandkids bad advice – God will not do that to you either! Right? So if you read ONE scripture, I don’t know…maybe like Matthew 17:24-27 where Peter is told to go fishing and take up the first fish and the tax money will be in the mouth of the fish. Now, if you take that verse and build up your expectations all around that one verse, you’d be wrong. If you decided to quit your job and go fishing every day – and expect God to give you a fish every day that has your days wages in it’s mouth – how long do you think you could keep that up? What’s wrong? You seen the scripture. You seen it work. Now you go to “what God did for one He will do for another” and “God is not a respecter of persons, etc.” And suddenly you have your own belief system. Maybe even your own denominational teachings! And, you believe it is built on the Word of God! Is it?
Scripture For Today:Exodus 8:29“Moses answered, “As soon as I leave you, I will pray to the Lord, and tomorrow the flies will leave Pharaoh and his officials and his people. Only let Pharaoh be sure that he does not act deceitfully again by not letting the people go to offer sacrifices to the Lord.”” How to Interpret Scripture pt 1As we were studying the past several sessions on what various Apostle’s had to say about prayer, we also learned we had to take the scriptures in context. You cannot take a scripture out of the setting it was written in and try to make it say something that contradicts what the rest of the Bible says, right? There is one major way we can learn to interpret Scripture that will almost always work. Are you ready to learn it? We need to interpret Scripture – IN LIGHT OF OTHER SCRIPTURES! Amazing! Right? What you need to do is look up all of the scripture references you can find that talk about the problem or situation you are facing. You’ve heard me talk on this before in laying out a Prayer of Petition, right? When we put all of the relevant verses together, then something powerful will start to happen… They all start to support, amplify and clarify one another! They will all fit together and actually bring clarity and a special anointing on the verses as you pray them. Amen! Isn’t that what you would normally want when studying God’s Word? Too many times, someone will read “a verse” in the Bible and suddenly have a great “revelation.” They will build an entire belief system around ONE VERSE. The problem with that is when you see other scriptures that reference the same thing, but do not say the same thing as your “favorite” verse, you’re in trouble. You either ignore one and cling to the other – or cling to one and ignore ALL the others that may disagree with you. For example, Mark 16:17-18 discuss “These signs shall follow those that believe…” and then it says, “…and they shall take up serpents…” There have been some people that actually believe they need to be a snake handler in order to demonstrate their faith. And some people have died in the process. Amen! I hate snakes. I will not handle one, period! But, besides that point, that verse does not create a specific command to handle snakes, like some would interpret that. Paul was bitten by a snake by accident. He did not intentionally handle the snake, right? So that means, he had a RIGHT (a scriptural and Spiritual RIGHT) to believe and stand on Mark 16 for his healing. Do you want further proof? Name ONE disciple or Apostle that handled snakes to PROVE they had Faith. You can’t! There is not ONE example! Amen! Do you see how some people would take a verse out of context with NO support from any other scripture in the Bible? That is why you need to follow the Biblical Law of Bible Interpretation – which says that Scripture is to be interpreted in Light of other Scriptures! Amen! How simple is that? If you understand this now – shout AMEN SOMEBODY! Glory to God! Let’s Pray! Please subscribe to this podcast, leave us a quick 5 star review on Apple Podcasts to help us grow and be sure to visit our website for more information on our ministry: https://podcastersforchrist.com/ (https://podcastersforchrist.com). And while you are at the website, download the free resource I have for you… it is free and is called, “How to Start a Christian Podcast.” It will bless you – go and download it today. You can also WATCH these session on our Facebook Playlist at this link: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtKWeKtmv-BwgkquBTsSh-GznbmuUp_R2 (https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtKWeKtmv-BwgkquBTsSh-GznbmuUp_R2)
Scripture For Today:James 5:18“Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced its crops.”What Jude Had to Say About PrayerThese past several sessions we have been learning what various Apostles had to say about prayer. We started with Paul, then Peter, then John and also James. Now, I want to look at one of the shortest chapters in the Bible, written by the Apostle Jude, and see what he had to say about prayer. Let’s read from Jude 20: “But you, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost…” Praying in the Holy Spirit is praying in the Holy Ghost – the term Holy Spirit and Holy Ghost are interchangeable. So Jude, right here is talking about praying in the Spirit. What Jude said here, agrees with what we already learned Paul said to Church at Corinth. Paul said in 1 Corinthians 14:4, “He that speaks in an unknown talk EDIFIES himself…” Speaking or praying in tongues edifies YOU. The word “edify” means to build up. So, praying in tongues edifies, or builds up, the believer. Now, we see in Jude 20, it says, “But you, beloved, BUILDING UP YOURSELVES on your most Holy Faith, praying in the Holy Spirit…” Praying in the Holy Spirit is a means of spiritual edification and a way to spiritually “build yourself up” or in other words “get stronger in the faith.” This will not “GIVE YOU FAITH,” because Romans 10:17 clearly says that Faith only comes by “hearing the Word of God.” But praying in the Holy Ghost helps you to BUILD UP the Faith you already have. Amen! I believe we are foolish to try and take a text out of the context of its setting and try to prove something with it. I’ve seen some pastors take Jude 20 and try to prove that praying in tongues GIVES us faith. But that is not what this verse says. Again, Romans 10:17 clearly tells us that Faith ONLY comes from “hearing, and hearing from the Word of God.” Amen. Praying in tongues, or the Holy Ghost, helps you to BUILD up the Faith you already have. Amen! I want to pray for you right now that you are grasping this context of Jude 20 and that you will start to pray in other tongues during your prayer time. This will help to build yourself up, spiritually, into a powerful man or woman of God. One that the devil will tremble at YOUR presence and one that God the Father can bless – because He sees how powerful in the Spirit you have become. Let’s Pray! Beloved, I pray above all else, that YOU would prosper and be in health, even as you mind, your will and your emotions prosper – so YOU can share the Gospel with others and tell them what wonderful things Jesus has done for you – once you accepted Him as your Savior. Most important of all – is the forgiveness of your sins and the Gift of everlasting life. Amen! Please subscribe to this podcast, leave us a quick 5 star review on Apple Podcasts to help us grow and be sure to visit our website for more information on our ministry: https://podcastersforchrist.com/ (https://podcastersforchrist.com). And while you are at the website, download the free resource I have for you… it is free and is called, “How to Start a Christian Podcast.” It will bless you – go and download it today. You can also WATCH these session on our Facebook Playlist at this link: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtKWeKtmv-BwgkquBTsSh-GznbmuUp_R2 (https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtKWeKtmv-BwgkquBTsSh-GznbmuUp_R2)
Scripture For Today:Acts 10:30“Cornelius answered: “Three days ago I was in my house praying at this hour, at three in the afternoon. Suddenly a man in shining clothes stood before me…”What John Had to Say About Prayer pt 8The last several days, we have been studying what John had to say in 1 John 5:16 about a “sin unto death.” “There is a sin unto death: I do not say that he shall pray for it.” Notice that this is something God told us NOT to pray for. Amen! But, John also told what we ARE SUPPOSED TO pray for! We can read this in 3 John 2: “Beloved, I wish above all things that you may prosper and be in health, even as your soul prospers…” According to my Strong’s Concordance, the Greek word “wish” actually implies, “to pray.” So we could read this verse as, “Beloved, I PRAY above all things, that you may prosper and be in health, even as your soul prospers.” Now, we have already established the fact that the writers of the Bible were inspired by the Holy Spirit in all things they wrote. If it were not so, they would not be included in the Word. Amen! So, if John was motivated by the Holy Spirit to pray for those believers he was writing to (which includes US, amen?), then it was the desire OF the Holy Spirit for every believer to PROSPER! It has to be for every believer – because God is not a respecter of persons (you can read that in Acts 10:34). So it is scriptural for us to pray that believers would prosper and be in health, even as their soul prospers. And notice, John said he prayed this – ABOVE ALL THINGS that he prayed for! Now, I can hear some of those denominational mis-instructed preachers saying, “There he goes again, misinterpreting the Bible…” But let me ask you, “old buddy,” is what I just read THE BIBLE? If it is – then what does the Concordance say? And if what I just shared is EXACTLY what the Word of God says, who is the one trying to misinterpret the Bible to say something it does not say? In other words – YOU need to repent for NOT praying that other believers, including yourself – PROSPER. That’s financial prosperity included, in-case you’re too dense to understand the meaning of the Word of God. I swear, some people need help to misinterpret the Bible. Amen! This scripture is talking about financial and material prosperity as well as good health and soul prosperity. God wants us to be healthy physically AND financially! WHY? Because if we use the prosperity HE provides for us – it is to share the Gospel and NOT to kick back and take it easy and eat chocolate bon-bons all day long. He needs us to take the WORD out into the world and share it. Amen! And that take MONEY. Amen. But notice something else here… God wants us to prosper, not just financially and not just physically. He wants our SOUL’s to prosper, too! In case you did not know, YOU are a spirit. YOU live in a body. YOU have a soul – which is made up of your mind, your will and your emotions. And God wants your SOUL to prosper. That means you need to have a prosperous mind, a prosperous will and prosperous emotions. This entire scripture verse describes the Will of God for every believer to PROSPER in every area of our life: Financially, Physically, Mentally, Materially, and Emotionally. WHY? Because that allows us to share the Word of God and the Gospel of Jesus with others without worrying about “How are we going to get there?” Because everything encompasses those three things. Amen! So John is making it very, very clear here, that we are SUPPOSED to pray for our PROSPERITY – in every realm of our spirit and physical being. Amen! I want to pray for YOU right now – just as John prayed! Let’s Pray! Beloved, I pray above all else, that YOU would prosper and be in health, even as you mind, your will and your emotions prosper – so YOU can share the Gospel with others and tell them what...
Scripture For Today: 2 Thessalonians 3:2“And pray that we may be delivered from wicked and evil people, for not everyone has faith.”What John Had to Say About Prayer pt 7The last several days, we have been studying what John had to say in 1 John 5:16 about a “sin unto death.” “There is a sin unto death: I do not say that he shall pray for it.” Then we referenced the five qualifications outlined in Hebrews 6:4-6 which outline the ONLY time that someone may commit a “sin unto death.” 1. They are enlightened and see their lost condition and need for a Savior. 2. They have tasted of Jesus Christ and been born again. 3. They are filled with the Holy Ghost. 4. They have grown Spiritually enough so they are not just a “baby Christian” feeding on the milk of God’s Word. They are Spiritually mature enough to be feeding on the “meat” of God’s Word with a deeper understanding. 5. They have had the Gifts of the Holy Spirit, or the “powers of the world to come” operating in their lives and ministries. We covered a couple of situations in how someone can meet these five criteria. I focused on someone who leaves the Christian Faith and swears allegiance to another, like Islam. I also shared with you how someone may be in a situation where they must act a certain way and do certain things, but that they are still maintaining their faith in Christ. Usually, this will involve someone who is not in the ministry, not walking in the Gifts of the Spirit, etc. How will you know if someone has committed a “sin unto death” or not? Again, the obvious would be someone who curses Christ, swears allegiance to another and persecutes Christians who refuse to do the same. You see this in the Middle East on a daily basis. But yet, there are plenty of Christian brothers and sisters there that refuse to kowtow to the demands that they recant their Faith. And they suffer greatly for it. Some pay with their lives. But they refuse to renounce Christ because they understand they are only passing through this life. Amen! So, again, “How will you know whether or not pray for them?” is the question. John said in 1 John 5:16, “There is a sin unto death: I do not say that he shall pray for it.” The best way I can explain it is, if the Holy Spirit tells you NOT to pray for a person, THEN it is too late. They have already committed a “sin unto death.” There have only been a couple of instances in my last 27 years where the Lord told me “stop praying for them.” In every instance, it involved a fellow brother and laborer in ministry who had fallen into sin and left the ministry. When I inquired to WHY, this scripture came to the forefront of my mind. I may have had some inkling as to what their life had become and knew it was in opposition to the Lord – but I’ve prayed for others that had left the faith as well and they came back into right standing with God and repented of their sins. They may not have gone back into the ministry, and they shouldn’t have, but at least they came back to the saving Grace of God. But why these others was I told to “stop praying for them?” Because they had sworn off the Blood of Christ. They had committed the unpardonable sin. The Lord showed me that. Then He showed their ultimate destination… The Lake of Fire. Forever. It is a sad, sad thing when the Lord shows you that you need to stop praying for someone. I cannot even describe the sickening feeling. And if I feel that way – I can imagine how it must make the Lord feel. Amen… I want to pray for you, right now, that if you have any loved one – or if YOU, yourself, are listening to me right now and you are sorrowful for your sins, it’s not too late. As you can see from the five criteria, the people who are beyond repentance have no sorrow for
Scripture For Today:Acts 8:24“Then Simon answered, “Pray to the Lord for me so that nothing you have said may happen to me.”What John Had to Say About Prayer pt 6The last several days, we have been studying what John had to say in 1 John 5:16 about a “sin unto death.” “There is a sin unto death: I do not say that he shall pray for it.” Then we referenced the five qualifications outlined in Hebrews 6:4-6 which outline the ONLY time that someone may commit a “sin unto death.” “For it is impossible for those who were once ENLIGHTENED, and have TASTED OF THE HEAVENLY GIFT, and were MADE PARTAKERS OF THE HOLY GHOST, and have TASTED THE GOOD WORD OF GOD, and THE POWERS OF THE WORLD TO COME, IF THEY SHALL FALL AWAY, to renew them again unto repentance, seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put Him to an open shame.” Yesterday, we learned exactly what this meant. That a believer, and not just a believer, but someone who was operating in the Gifts of the Spirit and understood the Power of God, swore off Christ and began to swear allegiance to a false god. It could be leaving Christianity and convert to Islam or whatever. We learned that a believer, even a person who had operated in the Gifts of the Spirit, even a minister of God and a preacher, could sin terribly – but still not fulfill the five criteria of committing a “sin unto death.” It takes someone who totally swears off their salvation in Christ alone and, basically, swears allegiance to another. Or to themselves. That type of sin is the ONLY SIN that fulfills all of the five criteria. This is not the sin of lying or cheating or anything like that. God will still forgive you of those sins if you genuinely are sorry for your sin and you confess them to Him. The writer of Hebrews explains, in detail, that person can only commit a sin unto death who, “…hath trodden under foot the Son of God and has counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he has been sanctified, as an unholy thing and has done despite unto the Spirit of grace.” If you are familiar with church history, you know the Hebrew Christians were under great persecution. And they were constantly tempted to go back to Judaism. You see, when a Jew accepted Christ, they were cut off from their family, their kin folk, their friends, their business associates. And their social support system. As a result, Christians in that day had it very, very difficult. They suffered emotionally and financially and every other way, too. But Paul was issuing a warning to them. He was saying here, “If you go back to Judaism, then you are going to have to deny Christ to do it. You are going to have to deny that He is the Messiah. You will have to deny that He is the Son of God. And to deny Christ like that is the same thing as saying that the Blood of the New Covenant, the Blood of Christ, is an unholy thing and worthless…” And it is the same way today. If you were to convert to Islam, you would have to swear to that, too. What do you think all of the persecution is against Christians in Muslim nations is about? They try to force believers to renounce Christ and swear allegiance to Mohammed. A believer cannot do that. But – let me emphasize the five points again… I’m already out of time, so I’ll just summarize here and then we will take this up again tomorrow… A believer in a Muslim country is under great persecution. Some are babies in Christ. They have realized He is their Savior and have accepted Him as such. But they are not operating in the Gifts of the Spirit. The Lord showed me this when our radio station started to be listened to – a lot – from Muslim nations. Almost 1/3 of our listeners come from what is known as the 10-40 window. Amen! What the Lord showed me was, these brothers and sisters in Christ need to act and behave a certain way, publicly, in the environment in which they live. But when they
Scripture For Today:Luke 22:45“When he rose from prayer and went back to the disciples, he found them asleep, exhausted from sorrow.”What John Had to Say About Prayer pt 5Yesterday, we started to discuss what John had to say in 1 John 5:16 about a “sin unto death.” “There is a sin unto death: I do not say that he shall pray for it.” Then we referenced the five qualifications outlined in Hebrews 6:4-6 which outline the ONLY time that someone may commit a “sin unto death.” “For it is impossible for those who were once ENLIGHTENED, and have TASTED OF THE HEAVENLY GIFT, and were MADE PARTAKERS OF THE HOLY GHOST, and have TASTED THE GOOD WORD OF GOD, and THE POWERS OF THE WORLD TO COME, IF THEY SHALL FALL AWAY, to renew them again unto repentance, seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put Him to an open shame.” Those qualifications can ONLY apply to a believer – not a sinner. Let’s look at the qualifications that MUST happen for a person – a believer – to commit a “sin unto death.” 1. They are enlightened and see their lost condition and need for a Savior. 2. They have tasted of Jesus Christ and been born again. 3. They are filled with the Holy Ghost. 4. They have grown Spiritually enough so they are not just a “baby Christian” feeding on the milk of God’s Word. They are Spiritually mature enough to be feeding on the “meat” of God’s Word with a deeper understanding. 5. They have had the Gifts of the Holy Spirit, or the “powers of the world to come” operating in their lives and ministries. In order for a believer, a Christian, to commit a “sin unto death,” ALL FIVE of those qualifications MUST be met. Because of this serious, stringent qualification, you can see why very, very few believers would ever commit such a thing. It is a tragic situation, when a believer who has been saved, Baptized with the Holy Spirit, operated in the Gifts of the Spirit, taught on and have such a deep revelation of scripture, probably worked in ministry in some form or fashion (if not the five fold ministry – at least in the helps ministry or prayer ministry) – and then, for some reason, SWEAR OFF CHRISTIANITY AND JESUS CHRIST and leave the Faith. It could be someone who becomes a Muslim or Buddhist. It could be someone who is bitter at losing a loved one – whatever the case may be. Think about it – you are casting aside the Blood of Christ as being worthless. I’m not talking here about a believer who leaves the church because they fell into sin. Whatever it may have been. Adultery, addiction of some sort, etc. and they feel unworthy of their salvation. They feel they have done something so horrible, there is no way Jesus could ever love them again. They feel miserable about their sin, but feel their future in eternity is hopeless… I’m not talking about someone like that. Why would the “sin unto death” rules not apply to them? Didn’t they leave the church? Yes. Didn’t they commit horrible sins? Yes. So why wouldn’t that apply? Because the Holy Spirit is convicting their heart. They are ashamed and sorrowful for what they did. But because they did it willingly, they feel THEY have committed a sin worthy of death. But if they are sorrowful and the Holy Spirit is convicting their heart – that means the Holy Spirit is still IN THEIR HEART! If they swore off Christianity and swore allegiance to Islam or something like that – different story! If they swore off Christianity and worked to oppress Christians, etc. – different story. But, just because someone committed a sin – even murder – that does not mean they cannot be forgiven! There is NO SIN that the Blood of Jesus cannot cover. Amen! NONE. NOT ONE – except – the “Sin Unto Death” of swearing allegiance to another higher power other than Jesus – AFTER YOU HAVE...
Scripture For Today:2 Samuel 15:31“Now David had been told, “Ahithophel is among the conspirators with Absalom.” So David prayed, ‘Lord, turn Ahithophel’s counsel into foolishness.’”What John Had to Say About Prayer pt 4We have been looking at what the Apostle John has to say about prayer. Yesterday, we looked at the first part of what John wrote in First John 5:16, but today I want to look at the rest of verse 16: “There is a sin unto death: I do not say that he shall pray for it.” So, the question is, “What is a sin unto death?” I want to be very clear here. A “sin unto death” is NOT a sin that a sinner can commit. Over the last few days that we have been studying this verse, we have come to understand that John is speaking here – to BELIEVERS. Born again Christians. This part of verse 16 is also speaking about believers. Go back to the first part of verse 16, “If any man sees his BROTHER sin a sin that is not unto death…” John was not talking about physical death here, but Spiritual death or eternal separation from God. This is the sin of denying Christ. This verse is speaking about Christians who make a conscious decision to reject Jesus Christ. Only – here me – ONLY mature Christians can make that type of decision and commit this type of sin. In Hebrews 6:4-6, we see the five qualifications that a believer would have to fulfill before he or she would be guilty of committing this unpardonable, “sin unto death.” Hebrews 6:4-6: “For it is impossible for those who were once ENLIGHTENED, and have TASTED OF THE HEAVENLY GIFT, and were MADE PARTAKERS OF THE HOLY GHOST, and have TASTED THE GOOD WORD OF GOD, and THE POWERS OF THE WORLD TO COME, IF THEY SHALL FALL AWAY, to renew them again unto repentance, seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put Him to an open shame.” Before Christians can be found guilty of committing this “sin unto death,” they would need to fulfill all five conditions mentioned in that scripture and apply them to their life. In summary, I’ll list them all again here: 1. They are enlightened and see their lost condition and need for a Savior. 2. They have tasted of Jesus Christ and been born again. 3. They are filled with the Holy Ghost. 4. They have grown Spiritually enough so they are not just a “baby Christian” feeding on the milk of God’s Word. They are Spiritually mature enough to be feeding on the “meat” of God’s Word with a deeper understanding. 5. They have had the Gifts of the Holy Spirit, or the “powers of the world to come” operating in their lives and ministries. So, from this list, you can see that very few believers could ever qualify for committing the unpardonable sin, or the “sin unto death.” I will talk more about this next time. Right now, I want to pray for you, that you will have an understanding and know that you have not committed this “sin unto death,” or you would not be listening to me right now! Amen! Let’s Pray! Please subscribe to this podcast, leave us a quick 5 star review on Apple Podcasts to help us grow and be sure to visit our website for more information on our ministry: https://podcastersforchrist.com/ (https://podcastersforchrist.com). And while you are at the website, download the free resource I have for you… it is free and is called, “How to Start a Christian Podcast.” It will bless you – go and download it today. You can also WATCH these session on our Facebook Playlist at this link: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtKWeKtmv-BwgkquBTsSh-GznbmuUp_R2 (https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtKWeKtmv-BwgkquBTsSh-GznbmuUp_R2) 2EHQsnwSX0UB49lheM5R
Scripture For Today:Proverbs 11:26“People curse the one who hoards grain, but they pray God’s blessing on the one willing to sell.”What John Had to Say About Prayer pt 3We have been looking at what the Apostle John has to say about prayer. We have been looking at what John wrote in First John 5:14-15, but today I want to look at verse 16: “if any sees his brother sin a sin which not unto death, he shall ASK, and he shall give him life for them that sin not unto death…” If you notice, John is talking about ASKING. Which is a form of prayer, right? For example, if you ask God to forgive someone according to 1 John 5:16, then that request is according to God’s Word – which means it is His Will. Amen! That means God WILL answer that prayer request! Praise God! This is especially useful when you have a loved one that you are praying for. Now, let me clarify something here… You cannot pray a sinner into Heaven. Salvation and the forgiveness of sins is only available individually. Each person must make that decision for themselves. You cannot pray in your children or grandchildren. You cannot pray in your mother, father, brother or sister. You cannot pray in your spouse. But, once they confess Jesus as their Savior, once they are born again – this opens up 1 John 5:16 for you in some situations. Let me explain. Let’s say someone you love, your spouse, parents, children, grandchildren – even a co-worker or next door neighbor, etc., is a believer. Do they commit sins, even though they are a believer? Let me ask YOU, since you became a believer, have YOU committed any sins? Yes! Of course! Have you been forgiven? Have you asked Jesus to forgive you of your sins? Every single one of them? Is it possible you may have forgotten a few along the way? Yes! Of course! Does that mean you will go to hell? No. Not if you are a believer. Again, just like 1 John 5:16 says, I am not talking about a “sin unto death” (I’ll get to that soon). But it could cost you one of your “crowns of rewards” in Heaven. Not your salvation, just some of the rewards. I don’t have time to go into all of that – you can study it out on your own. But, let’s continue with the example… Let’s say your loved one is in a car accident and unresponsive in the hospital. Doctors say it does not look promising. What about the unconfessed sin in their life at that point in time? You know they are going to be with the Lord, it’s just the unconfessed sin MAY cost them some of their Heavenly rewards. You would rather they wake up and confess their sins and ask the Lord for forgiveness – but that may not be possible. What then? 1 John 5:16 specifically says, “if any sees his brother sin a sin which not unto death, he shall ASK, and he shall give him life for them that sin not unto death…” This means YOU can ASK the Lord to forgive them – and HE WILL! Why? Because YOU ASKED! Then, IF they do pass away, this area of their life and salvation has been taken care because YOU obeyed the Word of God! Amen! Ok, this is going long again today. I want to pray for YOU right now that you would begin to implement this in your personal prayer time. Cover your family and loved ones and friends like this in prayer. Amen! Let’s Pray! Please subscribe to this podcast, leave us a quick 5 star review on Apple Podcasts to help us grow and be sure to visit our website for more information on our ministry: https://podcastersforchrist.com/ (https://podcastersforchrist.com). And while you are at the website, download the free resource I have for you… it is free and is called, “How to Start a Christian Podcast.” It will bless you – go and download it today. You can also WATCH these session on our Facebook Playlist at this link: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtKWeKtmv-BwgkquBTsSh-GznbmuUp_R2...
Scripture For Today:1 Corinthians 11:13“Judge for yourselves: Is it proper for a woman to pray to God with her head covered?”What John Had to Say About Prayer pt 2Yesterday, we started to look at what the Apostle John has to say about prayer. Today, I want to look at what John wrote about the teaching of Jesus in the Gospel of John, Chapter 15 and verse 7: “If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, you shall ask what you will and it shall be done unto you.” Notice what these words say. They correspond directly with what we read yesterday in First John 5:14-15: “And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, he hears us; and if we know that he hears us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him.” In other words, if we know God hears our prayer and our petitions, then we can KNOW (which the Amplified Bible says, “We can have the assured confidence” that we HAVE the petition that we desired of Him. I’ve taught on the “Prayer of Petition” before – extensively. I’m not going to launch out into a deep teaching on it again. Go back in the archives and look it up. But, for those that may not have heard that teaching, or for those that need a refresher, let me just explain the concept to you… First, to present a petition before God to have a particular need met, whether it is healing for you or a loved one; whether it concerns finances or employment or whatever, you must be VERY SPECIFIC. This is not one of those “general prayers” that you pray during your prayer time. You need to go about it like a lawyer presenting a case before a judge in court. In fact, you are presenting your case before the Great Judge. God Himself. Amen! Just as a lawyer would take hours to prepare a case that he or she would present before the Supreme Court of the land, you should take your time and prepare your prayer of petition. That means looking up EVERY scripture that has anything at all to do with your situation. Every single scripture. Write them down, by hand (not on the computer). Why? Because by writing them each by hand, you must mentally read and then write the scripture out. This reinforces the scripture in your mind. Then, you write out your “petition.” What are you asking God for? What is it you want Him to do? What is the “ruling” you want Him to issue in regards to your petition? You then state your case in a summary statement right up front. Maybe something similar to: “Father God, I request you heal my body of this (cancer or whatever it is). I know you have healed others in the past that have had the same thing. I know you honor your Word. In fact, there have been other cases in which you have issued this type of ruling from your Word. In the following situations, your Word says: (and then you list every single instance and scripture reference you found in your research). Then, finish it off by saying, I pray all of this IN THE NAME OF JESUS. That is a quick summary of the Prayer of Petition. Do not rush this. It may take you a week to write it out. It may take you an hour or more to pray. That’s OK. That’s the way it should be! Now, I want to pray for you… Let’s Pray! Please subscribe to this podcast, leave us a quick 5 star review on Apple Podcasts to help us grow and be sure to visit our website for more information on our ministry: https://podcastersforchrist.com/ (https://podcastersforchrist.com). And while you are at the website, download the free resource I have for you… it is free and is called, “How to Start a Christian Podcast.” It will bless you – go and download it today. You can also WATCH these session on our Facebook Playlist at this link: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtKWeKtmv-BwgkquBTsSh-GznbmuUp_R2 (https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtKWeKtmv-BwgkquBTsSh-GznbmuUp_R2)
Scripture For Today:Acts 9:11“The Lord told him, ‘Go to the house of Judas on Straight Street and ask for a man from Tarsus named Saul, for he is praying…”What John Had to Say About Prayer pt 1We have been studying what the Apostles had to say about prayer. We covered what Paul and Peter had to say. Today, we shift over to see what John had to say about prayer. We start by looking at First John 5:14-16: “And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, he hears us; and if we know that he hears us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him. If any man sees his brother sin a sin that is not unto death, he shall ask, and he shall give him life for them that sin not unto death. There is a sin unto death; I do not say that he shall pray for it…” John is giving us some important principles here. Many times we dwell only on the things Jesus said about prayer or the things Paul said about prayer. But we have missed some other good nuggets of truth in the Bible from other writers that can help us in our praying. But notice, in these verses, the word “pray” is not used at all. Instead, the words “ask” and “petitions” are used. In verse 14, it says, “And this is the confidence that we have in him…” What is this “confidence” that John is talking about? He goes on to explain, “…that, if we ASK anything according to his will, he hears us!” Remember this, if whatever you ask is according to God’s Word, it IS according to God’s Will. Amen! Some people think that the verse says, “Well, you pray for it and if it is God’s will, he’ll give it to you. If it’s not, He won’t.” But that is NOT what John said! John said, “…if we ASK any thing ACCORDING TO HIS WILL, He hears us; and if we know He hears us, whatsoever we ASK, we know that we HAVE the petitions that we desired of Him.” Amen! Always remember that God’s Word IS His Will. Praise God! If you have a situation, if you can find an example in the Bible where God answered a prayer that met a need similar to what you need – PRAY THAT SCRIPTURE! Lay it out in a prayer of petition (I taught on that before – I’ll probably do so again. But Google it or look it up to see how to format your prayer of petition. IT IS NOT a quick “wham bam thank you God” type of prayer)! Then, when you pray, use your petition and use that scripture just like a lawyer would present prior court rulings for his client. Similar to, “As you did for this person, I’m asking you to do the same for me. For you are not a respecter of persons, what you did for one, I know you will do for another. I’m asking you for (healing, finance, whatever)….” Do your research on this and you find out that Brother Bob is spot on here. I’ve used this “Prayer of Petition” as outlined by John in his letter, First John 5:14-16, for the last 25 or 26 years. It works! Let’s Pray! Please subscribe to this podcast, leave us a quick 5 star review on Apple Podcasts to help us grow and be sure to visit our website for more information on our ministry: https://podcastersforchrist.com/ (https://podcastersforchrist.com). And while you are at the website, download the free resource I have for you… it is free and is called, “How to Start a Christian Podcast.” It will bless you – go and download it today. You can also WATCH these session on our Facebook Playlist at this link: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtKWeKtmv-BwgkquBTsSh-GznbmuUp_R2 (https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtKWeKtmv-BwgkquBTsSh-GznbmuUp_R2)
Scripture For Today:Acts 6:6“They presented these men to the Apostles, who prayed and laid their hands on them.”What Peter Had to Say About Prayer pt 3We have been studying what the Apostle Peter had to say about prayer. Yesterday, we looked at 1 Peter 3:2-7. Today, I want to move over to 1 Peter 4:7, which says: “But the end of all things is at hand: be ye therefore sober, and watch unto prayer…” Peter wrote this under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. He wrote this letter to believers and it included some general instructions for believers living in that day and time. And since God never changes, we can infer that it is written for us today – in our day and time. Amen! So, by the Spirit of God, Peter is looking down into the future to our day and time and begins to talk about events happening today – that we can see happening all around us! Amen! Jesus told us in Mark 13:33, “Take heed, watch and pray, for you know not when the time is.” Peter said, looking at the same thing Jesus was talking about through the eyes of the Holy Spirit, “…the end of all things is at hand, be ye therefore sober and watch unto prayer.” Jesus was talking about the last days and Peter was talking about the last days. And we are LIVING in the last days that both of them were talking about! Amen! Remember, we talked about not hindering your prayers a few days ago, right? We learned the “eyes of the Lord are over the righteous and his ears are open unto their prayers,” right? That was in 1 Peter 3:12. Well, we also learned that WE are the “righteousness of God” through Christ, right? So when we put all of this together, what do you see? Jesus and Peter are both talking about the day and time in which we live. That’s number one. Number two: Both Jesus and Peter are talking to believers. Number three: If you are born again, then you are a believer and re-created in the Righteousness of God through Christ, right? Number four: The eyes of the Lord are OVER us – or you could say “watching over us.” Number five: The ears of the Lord are OPEN to our prayers. Sum it all up and you can clearly see that, even though we are living in the worst times of humanity – the Lord has clearly stated that HE is going to look out for US and answer our prayers when we call on Him in Faith. Not based on anything that WE have done – but on what HE has done. I’ve got to stop here for today – otherwise I’m about to go into an in-depth teaching that is outside the scope of what this daily inspirational prayer teaching is supposed to be about. Praise God! I don’t know about you, but I get excited when I start thinking along these lines. Amen! If you’re not on fire right now for the Lord – your wood is wet. Bless God! Let’s Pray! Please subscribe to this podcast, leave us a quick 5 star review on Apple Podcasts to help us grow and be sure to visit our website for more information on our ministry: https://podcastersforchrist.com/ (https://podcastersforchrist.com). And while you are at the website, download the free resource I have for you… it is free and is called, “How to Start a Christian Podcast.” It will bless you – go and download it today. You can also WATCH these session on our Facebook Playlist at this link: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtKWeKtmv-BwgkquBTsSh-GznbmuUp_R2 (https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtKWeKtmv-BwgkquBTsSh-GznbmuUp_R2)
Scripture For Today:1 Corinthians 11:4Every man who prays or prophesies with his head covered dishonors his head”What Peter Had to Say About Prayer pt 2We have been studying what the Apostle James had to say about prayer. Yesterday, we shifted over to anther disciple, Peter, to see what he has to say about prayer. Amen! Let’s look at 1 Peter 3:2-7 “While they behold your chaste conversation coupled with fear. Whose adorning let it not be that outward adorning of plaiting the hair, and of wearing of gold, or of putting on of apparel; But let it be the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price. For after this manner in the old time the holy women also, who trusted in God, adorned themselves, being in subjection unto their own husbands: Even as Sara obeyed Abraham, calling him lord: whose daughters ye are, as long as ye do well, and are not afraid with any amazement. Likewise, ye husbands, dwell with them according to knowledge, giving honour unto the wife, as unto the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life; that your prayers be not hindered.” This passage of Scripture is talking about prayer. Prayer WORKS! Amen! God has given us His Word to teach us how to pray and to teach us how to receive answers to our prayers. If our prayers are NOT working, we need to examine these areas which the Apostle Peter has shown us in this scripture to find out WHY! Peter says something else in verse 12 of this chapter. He says, “For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous and his ears are open unto their prayers; but the face of the Lord is against them that do evil.” The eyes of the Lord are over the righteous. WE are the righteous ones whom Peter is talking about here! WE are in Christ! He is the Righteous One! Amen! As a believer, WE are in the Body of Christ, right? Therefore, we are the “Righteousness of God” in the earth (2 Corinthians 5:21)! Let me ask you this – do you think the Body of Christ is UNRIGHTEOUS? Certainly NOT! Amen! Since the Head of the Church, Jesus, is Righteous, then we – THE BODY – are righteous, too! If we are IN HIM, we are now new creations IN CHRIST. Do you think God the Father created any unrighteous creatures? No! What does the rest of that scripture say? “…but the face of the Lord is against them that do evil.” Thank God, that God is not against US! Amen! We are God’s children and we are the Righteousness of God IN CHRIST (2 Corinthians 5:21) and His ears are open to our prayers! Amen! I pray you are getting the concept here! Peter is telling us in verse 7 that we – YOU AND I – can hinder our own prayer life! God is not the one who is hindering our prayers. He doesn’t refuse to listen to us or hear us. WE HINDER our own prayers by not obeying the Scriptures! Let’s strive to make sure that we are not hindering our prayer life so our prayers can be answered by the Most High God, through Christ our Lord. Amen! Let’s Pray! Please subscribe to this podcast, leave us a quick 5 star review on Apple Podcasts to help us grow and be sure to visit our website for more information on our ministry: https://podcastersforchrist.com/ (https://podcastersforchrist.com). And while you are at the website, download the free resource I have for you… it is free and is called, “How to Start a Christian Podcast.” It will bless you – go and download it today. You can also WATCH these session on our Facebook Playlist at this link: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtKWeKtmv-BwgkquBTsSh-GznbmuUp_R2 (https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtKWeKtmv-BwgkquBTsSh-GznbmuUp_R2)
Scripture For Today:Luke 9:28About eight days after Jesus said this, He took Peter, John and James with Him and went up onto a mountain to pray.”What Peter Had to Say About Prayer pt 1We have been studying what the Apostle James had to say about prayer. Now, we are going to shift over to anther disciple, Peter, to see what he has to say about prayer. Amen! Let’s look at 1 Peter 3:7: “Likewise, you husbands, dwell with them according to knowledge, giving honor unto the wife, as unto the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life, that your prayers are not hindered.” Of course, Peter is talking here about a husband and wife who are both saved because he said, “being HEIRS together of the grace of life.” Amen! This verse applies to married couples who are both born again. This verse is telling us that a husband or wife can HINDER their own prayer life! So, I guess you could say, what Peter is trying to get across to us is “Don’t Hinder Your Own Prayers!” Amen! I believe we all know that a saved husband and wife can either help or hinder one another spiritually. They can pull together or they can pull apart. So Peter, in this scripture, gives both, husband and wives some clear instructions. In verse 3, he starts off saying, “Likewise, you wives, be in subjection to your own husbands; that, if any is not obeying the Word (talking about the Word of God), they also may, without the Word, be won by the conversation of the wives.” The word “conversation” here in this verse means their “manner of life or conduct.” Peter suggests that one’s Godly conduct or behavior is a way of winning folks to the Lord without necessarily preaching at them all of the time. Amen! I can attest to this fact in my own life. My wife was born again almost four years before I was. She kept after me to go to church with her, etc. But I usually did not go. I would drive her and the kids to church, drop them off and go to the gym. On a rare occasion, like most heathens, I would attend church at Christmas or Easter. But that was about it. But she continued to pray for me. She was always there for me. Even though I was raised as a Lutheran by loving grandparents, I was under the false impression that I was already born again. The devil had me trapped in a lie and I was deceived. In fact, if you would’ve looked up the word “heathen” in the dictionary back then, it probably would’ve had my picture next to the word. That’s how lost I was and did not even know it. But, my wife kept praying. Despite all I could do or act or say to the contrary – she kept on praying! Thank God for a loving wife that is born again and saved. Four years later, I was on the verge of taking my own life when I received the Lord as my Savior – and my entire perspective on EVERYTHING changed! In an instant – I realized I had been deceived about my salvation. But that night, January 25th 1992 at 1135pm ET in a little empty apartment in Columbus, GA – I was born again – FOR SURE! Amen! You’ve probably heard my testimony before so I will not take the time to go through it here – but the first person I wanted to share this with first was my wife! Amen! She had been praying for me all those years – and the Lord heard her prayers. Amen! Glory to God! I want to pray for YOU right now as well. Let’s Pray! Please subscribe to this podcast, leave us a quick 5 star review on Apple Podcasts to help us grow and be sure to visit our website for more information on our ministry: https://podcastersforchrist.com/ (https://podcastersforchrist.com). And while you are at the website, download the free resource I have for you… it is free and is called, “How to Start a Christian Podcast.” It will bless you – go and download it today. You can also WATCH these session on our Facebook Playlist at this link: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtKWeKtmv-BwgkquBTsSh-GznbmuUp_R2...
Scripture For Today:Nehemiah 1:6“…let your ear be attentive and your eyes open to hear the prayer your servant is praying before you day and night for your servants, the people of Israel. I confess the sins we Israelites, including myself and my father’s family, have committed against you.”What James Had to Say About Prayer pt 14We have been studying what the Apostle James had to say about prayer. We have been studying the verses from James 5:13-18: “Is any among you afflicted? Let him pray. Is any Merry? Let him sing psalms. Is any sick among you? Let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the Name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he has committed sins, they shall be forgiven him. Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that you may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. Elijah was a man subject to like passions as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain, and it did not rain on the earth by the space of three years and six months! And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain and the earth brought forth her fruit.” Yesterday, I shared the reason I am able to receive prayers as answered is because I never give up on receiving my prayers as answered! Glory to God! Sometimes they are answered immediately and sometimes it may take a few day. In some instances, it may take years. But I never give up. Let clarify that one minute… I never give up unless I’m moved by the Lord to “let it go.” And usually, in those instances, it something that “I wanted to do” – but later found out, in the process of time, it would have turned out worse for me to have that prayer answered. You may find out the same things. It could be a career change or someone you think could be your partner in life – only to find out later it would have been disastrous. Amen! One example I can use, for me personally, was a career choice I had made. I was working and was doing really, really good. I’m talking one of the top rated agents in our company on a nationwide basis good. Amen! But then, it started shifting. Things were not working like they were supposed to and soon, I felt it was better to move on. But I kept praying it would turn around… But those prayers were not being answered. Then, one day, I sensed the Lord saying, “Let it go…” Soon after, the entire organization I was a part of collapsed. Things like that is what I’m talking about today. There will be times when your prayers are not being answered. There is always – ALWAYS – a reason. It could be some sin in your life; some sin in the person you’re praying for, their life. Or it could just simply be it is NOT the Lord’s plan. You need to be spiritually sensitive to these things. Amen! I want to pray for you now that you will begin to pray without ceasing, for yourself and others; that you will pray without saying anything similar to “Well, that didn’t work” and things like that. But that you will also seek the Lord’s Wisdom in matters where it seems your prayers are NOT being answered. Amen! Let’s Pray! Please subscribe to this podcast, leave us a quick 5 star review on Apple Podcasts to help us grow and be sure to visit our website for more information on our ministry: https://podcastersforchrist.com/ (https://podcastersforchrist.com). And while you are at the website, download the free resource I have for you… it is free and is called, “How to Start a Christian Podcast.” It will bless you – go and download it today. You can also WATCH these session on our Facebook Playlist at this link: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtKWeKtmv-BwgkquBTsSh-GznbmuUp_R2 (https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtKWeKtmv-BwgkquBTsSh-GznbmuUp_R2)
Scripture For Today: 2 Chronicles 6:39 “(…hear their prayers…) from heaven, your dwelling place, hear their prayer and their pleas, and uphold their cause. And forgive your people, who have sinned against you.”What James Had to Say About Prayer pt 13We have been studying what the Apostle James had to say about prayer. We have been studying the verses from James 5:13-18: “Is any among you afflicted? Let him pray. Is any Merry? Let him sing psalms. Is any sick among you? Let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the Name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he has committed sins, they shall be forgiven him. Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that you may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. Elijah was a man subject to like passions as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain, and it did not rain on the earth by the space of three years and six months! And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain and the earth brought forth her fruit.” Yesterday, I discussed the first time I was in a position to pray for someone else and they were depending on ME to do the praying and expecting the result. That person was my daughter and the subject was a abnormal sonogram that depicted the baby in her room with a head shaped like a football and no blood supply to the brain. She was told this on Friday afternoon and the doctor office scheduled her to visit another doctor on Monday morning for her “options.” I’m not going to go into all the details like I did yesterday, if you missed it, go back and listen. The bottom line though, is in 3 days-time, a baby was recreated in the womb that the specialist said, “was perfect.” That one event shot my Faith so high, it still has not come down. When I pray now, I EXPECT the prayer to be answered. And it usually is! Praise God! Sometimes, immediately. Sometimes over time. And yes, there have been some where we did not see the prayer answered. But that is NOT of my concern. There are things the individual may not disclose which may be impeding them receiving the answer from manifesting. But, I can say, that no matter what happens, answered or not, I’m still believing FOR the answer for them! Even years later! Amen! And I’ve received testimonies from people years later that the thing we prayed for finally came to pass! Amen! Do not ever give up on your prayers before God! What did Jesus teach us in Mark 11:22-23, when the disciples asked him why their prayers were not being answered? “…Have Faith in God…whosoever should say to this mountain, be thou removed and cast yourself into the sea, and should not doubt in his heart, but shall believe those things he says shall come to pass, he shall have whatsoever he says…” That is MOUNTAIN MOVING FAITH! And it can belong to YOU! Amen! Again today – I’m way over time! Let’s Pray! Please subscribe to this podcast, leave us a quick 5 star review on Apple Podcasts to help us grow and be sure to visit our website for more information on our ministry: https://podcastersforchrist.com/ (https://podcastersforchrist.com). And while you are at the website, download the free resource I have for you… it is free and is called, “How to Start a Christian Podcast.” It will bless you – go and download it today. You can also WATCH these session on our Facebook Playlist at this link: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtKWeKtmv-BwgkquBTsSh-GznbmuUp_R2 (https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtKWeKtmv-BwgkquBTsSh-GznbmuUp_R2)
Scripture For Today: 2 Samuel 7:18“Then King David went in and sat before the Lord, and he said: “Who am I, Sovereign Lord, and what is my family, that you have brought me this far?”What James Had to Say About Prayer pt 12We have been studying what the Apostle James had to say about prayer. We have been studying the verses from James 5:13-18: “Is any among you afflicted? Let him pray. Is any Merry? Let him sing psalms. Is any sick among you? Let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the Name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he has committed sins, they shall be forgiven him. Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that you may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. Elijah was a man subject to like passions as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain, and it did not rain on the earth by the space of three years and six months! And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain and the earth brought forth her fruit.” Yesterday, we left off by pointing out that we are NOW the “Righteousness of God!” Amen! That is a very important concept you must come to accept! This is what will get your prayers answered! I remember a time, way back when, as I was just being introduced to the Word of Faith, where I could not pray my way out of wet paper bag. I would ask someone else to pray for me and “WHAM” I would have my prayer request answered! Then, there came a day when I did not have someone TO PRAY with me… I will not go into all the details, but it involved my daughter who was pregnant with my granddaughter at the time. Early on in the pregnancy. I had just graduated from a great, Faith based Bible school in Texas. I was on fire for God and BELIEVED I could move mountains by speaking to them! Amen! You get the picture? My daughter came home crying. She said there was something very wrong with the sonogram. She had it video taped. She said the doctor told her there was no blood supply to the brain (there was a big medical term for it, but that is what it boiled down to). He was going to make her an appointment with another doctor to “give her some options.” And we all know what kind of “options” they were talking about… I asked her what she wanted to do? Her response was, “I believe if YOU pray, God will heal my baby.” NOW I WAS the other person whom someone wanted to pray for them! And this was personal, too! I called the Bible school wanting to speak to the instructor who had taught on healing and prayer, etc. But the school staff had gone on vacation after the graduation! So I was going to go it on my own. Long story short, I started to share with my daughter some scriptures on healing. The one I started with was John 10:10 and we went through about 20 scriptures until I could see “faith” light up her eyes. She was starting to get it! We prayed and about 1 minute later, the phone rang. It was the doctor’s office and they had scheduled her an appointment with this other doctor to “give her some options.” This was Friday afternoon about 3pm and the appointment was Monday at 8am. My son-in-law could not take off work (he had to give notice), so I went with my daughter to the appointment. Again, she asked them to video tape the sonogram. But the doctor kept scratching his head, referring to the chart, doing measurements and finally, he asked, “Why are you here? This is a perfectly normal little girl!” The two videos showed, what looked like, two completely different babies! There was definitely a difference that could be seen! Our testimony ever since has been that God healed the baby in less than 3 days – when we prayed in Faith! I’m not a prophet. I’m nobody special. I’m not a prayer warrior or some great intercessor or some great evangelist. But I am a Child of the Most High God, an Heir of God and a Joint Heir with
Scripture For Today: Psalm 5:2 “Hear my cry for help, my King and my God, for to you I pray.”What James Had to Say About Prayer pt 11We have been studying what the Apostle James had to say about prayer. We have been studying the verses from James 5:13-18: “Is any among you afflicted? Let him pray. Is any Merry? Let him sing psalms. Is any sick among you? Let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the Name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he has committed sins, they shall be forgiven him. Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that you may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. Elijah was a man subject to like passions as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain, and it did not rain on the earth by the space of three years and six months! And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain and the earth brought forth her fruit.” Yesterday, we left off by pointing out that James emphasized to us that “Elijah was a man who was subject to like passions” – just like us! He faced temptations, trials and things that would go wrong when they were supposed to go right. He had bad days and good days. He caught the flu and would stub his toes and get rocks stuck in his sandals – all the things that happen to us. Amen! James did NOT say, “Elijah was a prophet and that’s why God would answer him!” No! He said, “Elijah was a man who prayed!” Glory to God! God will not hear a prophet pray any more quickly than He will hear any other believer pray. Remember, it’s not the one praying who gets the job done anyway! The James clearly says, “The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. Right? The Amplified Bible explains it even better. Listen to this: “The earnest, heartfelt, continued prayer of a righteous man makes tremendous power available – dynamic in its working!” Praise God! That’s what I want in my prayer life? How about you? I can hear someone right now, “Well, brother Bob, if I was as righteous as Elijah, I could pray that way and get results, too. But I’m not!” Wait a minute, now! If you are born again, you’ve been given the Righteousness of Christ! He took your sins and gave you His Righteousness! Are you saying the Righteousness of Christ IS NOT GOOD ENOUGH? Please tell me that is not what you are saying or believing! 2 Corinthians 5:21 says, “YOU are the righteousness of God!” Surely you are not saying the “Righteousness of God” is not enough? GOD, your Heavenly Father, MADE you righteous through Christ! Surely you are not saying that is not enough! Are you? It is IMPOSSIBLE to make yourself righteous…that’s why Jesus had to go to the Cross! When I first started studying Faith – that was so difficult for me to understand. But when I started to see various scripture in the Bible, which is what? The TRUTH! Right? “They Word is Truth!” So that means the Bible does not lie, right? When I started to see all of these scriptures saying “I’ve been made the righteousness of God” – it finally dawned on me… “I’ve been MADE the righteousness of God!” Praise God! I pray you are getting that, too! Amen! I want to pray for you, right now, that you understand this part of what we’ve been studying that James made it a point to share with us. Let’s Pray! Please subscribe to this podcast, leave us a quick 5 star review on Apple Podcasts to help us grow and be sure to visit our website for more information on our ministry: https://podcastersforchrist.com/ (https://podcastersforchrist.com). And while you are at the website, download the free resource I have for you… it is free and is called, “How to Start a Christian...
Scripture For Today:Psalm 4:1“Answer me when I call to you, my righteous God. Give me relief from my distress; have mercy on me and hear my prayer.”What James Had to Say About Prayer pt 10We have been studying what the Apostle James had to say about prayer. We have been studying the verses from James 5:13-18: “Is any among you afflicted? Let him pray. Is any Merry? Let him sing psalms. Is any sick among you? Let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the Name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he has committed sins, they shall be forgiven him. Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that you may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. Elijah was a man subject to like passions as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain, and it did not rain on the earth by the space of three years and six months! And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain and the earth brought forth her fruit.” We’ve been studying about verse 15 and 16 these last few days. Mainly about the importance of someone confessing their sins to God and placing themselves, the Bible says, “cleansing ourselves,” in right-standing with God so we can be in position to receive our prayers as answered. James concludes verse 16 by saying, “The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.” Then, in verse 17, James gives us an example of a righteous man. At first, when I read those scriptures, I did not understand what point James was trying to make! After pondering it for a bit, I realized EXACTLY what he was trying to get across to us! James was saying the Elijah was a human man, just as we are. In other words, Elijah did not receive the answers to his prayers because he was some kind of super prophet. We may THINK he is – but the point James is trying to get us to understand is – he WASN’T! In James 5:17, he clearly says, “Elisha (speaking of Elijah) WAS A MAN…” That gives hope for you and me! Praise God! Let’s read the entire verse: “Elijah was a man subject to like passions as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain, and it did not rain on the earth by the space of three years and six months! And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain and the earth brought forth her fruit.” You may say, “Yeah, BUT… Elijah WAS a prophet. And that was the Prophet Elijah praying! I’m not a prophet – I’m just lil’ ol’ me!” Yes, Elijah was a prophet. He was a great man of God. And he certainly was righteous! But James said he was a man, what? “subject to like passions as we are!” He faced the same challenges we face each and every day! He was just like us! Amen! James did not say, “Elijah was a prophet who knew how to pray!” He did not say, “Elijah was a prophet who had special favor with God!” James did not say anything like that about Elijah, did he? NO! He said, “Elijah was a man just like us!” Praise God! I’m going to stop there for today. I want you to think about that. Amen! Let’s Pray! Please subscribe to this podcast, leave us a quick 5 star review on Apple Podcasts to help us grow and be sure to visit our website for more information on our ministry: https://podcastersforchrist.com/ (https://podcastersforchrist.com). And while you are at the website, download the free resource I have for you… it is free and is called, “How to Start a Christian Podcast.” It will bless you – go and download it today. You can also WATCH these session on our Facebook Playlist at this link: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtKWeKtmv-BwgkquBTsSh-GznbmuUp_R2 (https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtKWeKtmv-BwgkquBTsSh-GznbmuUp_R2)
Scripture For Today: Exodus 8:28 “Pharaoh said, “I will let you go to offer sacrifices to the Lord your God in the wilderness, but you must not go very far. Now pray for me.”What James Had to Say About Prayer pt 9We have been studying what the Apostle James had to say about prayer. We have been studying the verses from James 5:13-18: “Is any among you afflicted? Let him pray. Is any Merry? Let him sing psalms. Is any sick among you? Let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the Name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he has committed sins, they shall be forgiven him. Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that you may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. Elijah was a man subject to like passions as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain, and it did not rain on the earth by the space of three years and six months! And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain and the earth brought forth her fruit.” Yesterday, we focused on verse 16, “Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that you may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.” We left off yesterday discussing the need for someone to repent of their sins and accept Jesus as their Savior in order to enter into a relationship with the Most High God – who CAN heal them of their sicknesses, etc. Not that God would not do it IF it was His Will to do so… It’s just that God cannot bless what He’s already cursed. And He has cursed sin. And if the person is living in sin, unrepented sin, willful sin – WHY would God heal him (or her)? The Bible says we are to “cleanse ourselves” of any sin that defiles us. That’s in 2 Corinthians 7:1. We can only do that through confession and repentance before God. The Bible says in First John 1:9, “If we CONFESS OUR SINS, He is faithful and just to FORGIVE OUR SINS and to cleanse us from ALL unrighteousness.” So, once again, we see that WE are responsible for cleansing ourselves – and we do that by confession of our sins before God. It is not necessary that we confess them before men. It is not necessary that we confess them one at a time or try to remember them all… “I took a cookie when I was 12 when I wasn’t supposed to… I said something mean to my sister when I was 13…” or anything like that. We were BORN in sin. We LIVED in sin. We ENJOYED sin. WE ARE SINNERS – and for those that confessed they are or were sinners – we were, what does scripture say? SAVED BY GRACE! That is what we need to make the sick person understand when they ask us to pray for them – that they NEED to receive Jesus as their Savior and have their sins cleansed once and for all time. Amen! Lead them into that spiritual condition – and THEN pray for their healing. You will be astounded at how fast God raises them up! Why? Because they are His children now! Praise God! Amen! I could go on and on… but I won’t. Let’s Pray! Please subscribe to this podcast, leave us a quick 5 star review on Apple Podcasts to help us grow and be sure to visit our website for more information on our ministry: https://podcastersforchrist.com/ (https://podcastersforchrist.com). And while you are at the website, download the free resource I have for you… it is free and is called, “How to Start a Christian Podcast.” It will bless you – go and download it today. You can also WATCH these session on our Facebook Playlist at this link: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtKWeKtmv-BwgkquBTsSh-GznbmuUp_R2 (https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtKWeKtmv-BwgkquBTsSh-GznbmuUp_R2)
Scripture For Today: Acts 8:22 “Repent of this wickedness and pray to the Lord in the hope that he may forgive you for having such a thought in your heart.”What James Had to Say About Prayer pt 8We have been studying what the Apostle James had to say about prayer. We have been studying the verses from James 5:13-18: “Is any among you afflicted? Let him pray. Is any Merry? Let him sing psalms. Is any sick among you? Let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the Name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he has committed sins, they shall be forgiven him. Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that you may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. Elijah was a man subject to like passions as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain, and it did not rain on the earth by the space of three years and six months! And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain and the earth brought forth her fruit.” Yesterday, we focused on verse 16, “Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that you may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.” We learned that if a person is sick, possibly dying and needing prayer, we can and should go over and pray for them. Remember the first part of this scripture, we learned that a believer, if able, should be praying for themselves. But we are talking here about someone, believer who is incapacitated or unable to pray – or an unbeliever who doesn’t know the first thing about praying effectively. We studied that this person needs to repent of his or her sins before the anointing oil and/or prayer is made for them. God is not going to bless what is already cursed. It just does not work that way. There is no way they will receive their healing with unconfessed sin in their life. They must confess it before the Lord, in private to you or the pastor or the elders – this IS NOT a public confessional meeting as some religions profess is needed – amen! But it will not matter WHO prays for you or for a person who is lost and in this condition – if they refuse to admit they are a sinner before the Lord. It just will not work. They will not receive their healing… Now, I guess I should pause here and say, “YES – anything is possible with the Lord.” I’m not going to say Jesus will not answer our prayer and heal them. But, let’s just say that God is not obligated in any way to answer their prayer because they REFUSE to confess their sins FIRST. They must do their part in order to trust God to do His part. Amen! And that goes for believers, too! Don’t just shut down unbelievers in this way. Amen! It would do us all good to examine ourselves every now and then to see if we have any unrepented sin still clinging to us in our lives. If so, we need to get rid of it because, as we’ve learned, “God cannot bless what He has already cursed.” He is not going to bless you financially just so you can kick back, watch TV and eat chocolate bon-bon’s all day long. Amen! If He blesses you financially, it is so YOU can be a financial blessing to someone else. Period. He is simply using you as a distribution channel so the Gospel can be shared with others. Don’t get greedy or tight handed when it comes to giving finances. Amen! I think that would be a good spot to end today. I’ll just let you ponder that last thought until tomorrow. Amen! Let’s Pray! Please subscribe to this podcast, leave us a quick 5 star review on Apple Podcasts to help us grow and be sure to visit our website for more information on our ministry: https://podcastersforchrist.com/ (https://podcastersforchrist.com). And while you are at the website, download the free resource I have for you… it is free and is called, “How to Start a Christian Podcast.” It...
Scripture For Today: John 18:1“When he had finished praying, Jesus left with his disciples and crossed the Kidron Valley. On the other side there was a garden, and he and his disciples went into it.” What James Had to Say About Prayer pt 7We have been studying what the Apostle James had to say about prayer. We have been studying the verses from James 5:13-18: “Is any among you afflicted? Let him pray. Is any Merry? Let him sing psalms. Is any sick among you? Let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the Name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he has committed sins, they shall be forgiven him. Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that you may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. Elijah was a man subject to like passions as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain, and it did not rain on the earth by the space of three years and six months! And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain and the earth brought forth her fruit.” Yesterday, we left off the importance of making yourself available to pray for those who are incapable of praying for themselves. Be it sickness, on their death bed or perhaps addicts of some kind that request prayer. If they are able to ask, then they are able to receive. Not just receive healing but able to receive Jesus! Amen! And that is the whole purpose of praying, interceding for others, etc. The purpose to get them to the point where they are able to say, “JESUS SAVE ME!” Amen! Jesus doesn’t need you here for any other reason than that. Period! You can’t save anyone. You can’t recreate the earth. You can’t handle wars and rumors of wars. You cannot do ANYTHING for Jesus EXCEPT represent Him to others and pray for them. That takes me to the next part of the verse, in verse 16: “Confess your faults to one another, and pray one for another, that you may be healed…” Do not take verse 16 out of context! Many people think it is referring to public confessions sin. But you don’t go to church to have a confession meeting! You can’t find that anywhere in scripture! I know there is religion that has made it – they made it – a religious duty of some sort. But it is UNSCRIPTURAL in nature. What James is talking about here is if a sick person sends for the elders of the church to come and pray for him, if he has sinned, he will have to confess it TO THE LORD. The sick person cannot just pick and choose which parts of this verse they want and what parts they don’t. He or she must obey the part about confessing their sins TO GOD! Amen! If a person is asking for prayer for healing, but has unconfessed sin their life, they will not receive their healing just because somebody, the elders of the church, came and anointed them with oil and prayed for them. When you combine this with the prior verses, you can see it, plain as day: “And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he has committed sins, they shall be forgiven him. Confess your faults one to another, and pray on for another, that you may be healed...” So James is saying, go ahead and call for the elders of the church to come and pray for you – but confess your sins and get rid of them, and then, when they pray for you, you WILL BE HEALED and God shall raise you up from that sick bed! Amen! The opposite of that is also true. If you do not confess your sins to God, then He is under no obligation to answer the elder’s prayer and heal you. You will remain sick because YOU did not do what YOU were supposed to do. Oh, praise God. I’m out of time for today… We will take it up here again tomorrow. Let’s Pray! Please subscribe to this podcast, leave us a quick 5 star review on Apple Podcasts to help us grow and be sure to visit our website for...
Scripture For Today:2 Chronicles 6:38“…and if they turn back to you with all their heart and soul in the land of their captivity where they were taken, and pray toward the land you gave their ancestors, toward the city you have chosen and toward the temple I have built for your Name…”What James Had to Say About Prayer pt 6We have been studying what the Apostle James had to say about prayer. We have been studying the verses from James 5:13-18: “Is any among you afflicted? Let him pray. Is any Merry? Let him sing psalms. Is any sick among you? Let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the Name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he has committed sins, they shall be forgiven him. Confess your faults one to another, and pray on for another, that you may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. Elijah was a man subject to like passions as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain, and it did not rain on the earth by the space of three years and six months! And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain and the earth brought forth her fruit.” Yesterday, I left off with a discussion of weak Christians who feel the need to call everyone in the prayer chain for mild ailments that they should have the Spiritual authority to take care of through praying by themselves! Amen! When you look at verse number 14, James clearly says that if a person is unable to pray for themselves, if they are so sick, etc., THEN you call for the elders of the church to come, anoint the person with oil and pray for them. If you read this verse with that intent, it makes complete sense. And it clears up any misunderstanding of needing other people to intercede for you and for you to keep bother others every time you have a headache. Amen! If you continue reading, James says, “let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the Name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he has committed sins, they shall be forgiven him.” That does not mean the person is sick because he committed some serious sin. It could be – but it does not mean that. James is simply saying that the reason SOME people are sick is because they have been living a life of sin. Think about drug addicts, etc. They get all sorts of diseases because of the life they choose to live. When their body actually starts shutting down, they get desperate and may actually call a believer who has been witnessing to them before to come and pray for them. If that’s you, then you go over and pray – in Faith with no doubting. And when the Lord raises them up, do you think that you will have their attention? Of course! That is the time to start witnessing to them and telling them the rest of the verse… “…if he has committed sins, they shall be forgiven him. Confess your faults one to another, and pray on for another, that you may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.”
You then have an opportunity to lead them to the Lord in prayer. Amen! Isn’t that what it is all about to begin with? Amen! “Well, brother Bob, what if they go back out and sin again?” First, that is between them and the Lord. Second, your only job is to be tool in the Lord’s hand. Third, if you do your job and the Lord does His job – and the person still falls back into sin, at least they MAY have actually meant the prayer when they prayed it. And that is all it takes. We have all sinned and come short of the Glory of God – even after we were born again! I know I have…and I know you have, too. Amen! Look, this is already getting long for today, so I’ll wrap up with this… The true Spiritual condition of any person is none of your business. Period. It is between them and the Lord. Your only job is to witness...
Scripture For Today:1 Kings 6:18“As the enemy came down toward him, Elisha prayed to the Lord, “Strike this army with blindness.” So he struck them with blindness, as Elisha had asked.” What James Had to Say About Prayer pt 5We have been studying what the Apostle James had to say about prayer. We have been studying the verses from James 5:13-18: “Is any among you afflicted? Let him pray. Is any Merry? Let him sing psalms. Is any sick among you? Let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the Name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he has committed sins, they shall be forgiven him. Confess your faults one to another, and pray on for another, that you may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. Elijah was a man subject to like passions as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain, and it did not rain on the earth by the space of three years and six months! And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain and the earth brought forth her fruit.” We studied the first part, “Is there any among you that is afflicted.” We studied the second part last time, “Is any Merry?” Today, we will study the last part, “Is any sick among you?” What does James say if you or someone you know is sick? He’s very specific. He says, “Let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the Name of the Lord.” What the intent here, is that if someone is sick, but able to pray for themselves, they should. We covered that under “Is any among you afflicted.” What James is saying here, is if a person is so sick, they are unable to pray for themselves, THEN you call for the elders of the church to anoint the person with oil and pray for them. This does not mean, what some Christians think, that if you have a headache, you must activate your church prayer chain, call the pastor and have him come over and anoint you with oil and say 12 Hail Mary’s or whatever, dance in a circle and then baptize you six times in the bath tub! You may laugh, but there are people out there, listening to me right now, who want to call their pastor for every little thing that ails them. “Oh, won’t you pray for my big toe? I stubbed it on the chair!” That is not what this verse means! Your congregation will wear your pastor out if every person called for every little thing and expected him to come running over with a bottle of oil. Amen! I can hear pastor’s right now saying, “Amen, brother Bob – preach it!” I’m just going to stop right there for today. WHY? Because I want to talk a bit more on this topic and if I get started right now, well, we will be going way over. So, instead, I want to PRAY FOR YOU right now. Yup! Here’s your chance! If you have a stubbed toe or a headache, I’m going to pray for you and you will experience something you never thought possible! That’s right! What is it? YOU will learn that it is YOUR responsibility to pray for yourself and your loved ones when something minor like that ails them. It may shock you! It may offend you! But guess what – it’s what James says YOU are supposed to be doing! Amen! Let’s Pray! Please subscribe to this podcast, leave us a quick 5 star review on Apple Podcasts to help us grow and be sure to visit our website for more information on our ministry: https://podcastersforchrist.com/ (https://podcastersforchrist.com). And while you are at the website, download the free resource I have for you… it is free and is called, “How to Start a Christian Podcast.” It will bless you – go and download it today. You can also WATCH these session on our Facebook Playlist at this link: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtKWeKtmv-BwgkquBTsSh-GznbmuUp_R2...
Scripture For Today: Psalm 141:2 “May my prayer be set before you like incense; may the lifting up of my hands be like the evening sacrifice.” What James Had to Say About Prayer pt 4We have been studying what the Apostle James had to say about prayer. We have been studying the verses from James 5:13-18: “Is any among you afflicted? Let him pray. Is any Merry? Let him sing psalms. Is any sick among you? Let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the Name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he has committed sins, they shall be forgiven him. Confess your faults one to another, and pray on for another, that you may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. Elijah was a man subject to like passions as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain, and it did not rain on the earth by the space of three years and six months! And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain and the earth brought forth her fruit.” We looked at the first part, “Is any among you afflicted?” Now, we will look at what James had to say next. “Is any merry?” The rest of that verse says, “…let him sing psalms.” That’s easy! I don’t think I have to go into an in-depth teaching on what this portion of the verse means. At least I hope I don’t! Everyone finds it easy to sing when you’re happy, right? The issue is WHAT TO SING! Don’t go singing worldly songs that cuss or talk down to your spirit man. Sing worship songs! Sing THE PSALMS – just like James said! Amen! Everyone knows at least a childhood Bible song, like “Jesus loves me this I know, because the Bible tells me so…” Some may say something like, “I don’t want to sing that song, it’s for kids…” But the Bible says we are to have what? “Child-like faith!” AMEN! To be truthful, Brother Bob sings that song often! Several times per week! I might be driving down the road to the store or something and I’ll start humming in my head and the next thing I know, I’m sing the entire song out loud! Amen! Right there in my car - because if I sang it out in public, I’d probably be asked to stop… not because it’s a Bible song, but because of my voice. Amen! But even those of who can’t sing with great ability can definitely make a joyful noise unto the Lord, right? And trust me, when you can break forth into spontaneous singing of praises to our Lord – He does enjoy it! Despite how it sounds to us or others around us. I can guarantee, that when you sing songs of praise – even child-like songs of praise – to the Lord – HE ENJOYS IT! Amen! Remember, “Out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks.” So when you start to notice that you are singing songs of praise the Lord, you can know it is pleasing in His ears. And He will bless you even more for it. Amen! Let’s Pray! Please subscribe to this podcast, leave us a quick 5 star review on Apple Podcasts to help us grow and be sure to visit our website for more information on our ministry: https://podcastersforchrist.com/ (https://podcastersforchrist.com). And while you are at the website, download the free resource I have for you… it is free and is called, “How to Start a Christian Podcast.” It will bless you – go and download it today. You can also WATCH these session on our Facebook Playlist at this link: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtKWeKtmv-BwgkquBTsSh-GznbmuUp_R2 (https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtKWeKtmv-BwgkquBTsSh-GznbmuUp_R2)
Scripture For Today: Daniel 6:13“Then they said to the king, “Daniel, who is one of the exiles from Judah, pays no attention to you, Your Majesty, or to the decree you put in writing. He still prays three times a day.”What James Had to Say About Prayer pt 3We have been studying what the Apostle James had to say about prayer. We had been studying, quite extensively, what the Apostle Paul had to say about prayer, but now I want to expand that into what other Apostle had to say – and we started with James, the brother of Jesus. We left off yesterday about the importance of praying for yourself and not always relying on the others to pray for you! When you learn to do your own praying, that is when you will move over into greater and greater victories. Amen! Every time you pray for yourself and you see your prayers as answered – your Faith grows exponentially! But if you depend on others to pray for you, YOUR faith actually gets weaker! Why? Because you are not exercising your faith! Think of it as working out physically for a minute… Let’s say you know you should be working out, lifting weights and all of that, but you’re just too busy. You really don’t have the time. You have so many other things to accomplish, you just cannot afford the 30 minutes every day you know you should be working out. Then, one night, an intruder comes into your home and threatens your family! You tell him, WAIT HERE, I have to go call the police! Or, WAIT HERE – and you run downstairs and start to lift some weights so you can become strong enough to fight him! Either one of those scenarios will not play out very well for you – OR YOUR FAMILY! They were depending on YOU to protect them! And you let them down! Now, think about what would have happened IF you had been working out on your own for a few years before that night when an intruder came into your home… You could have resisted him and, seeing he could be in trouble trying to fight you – he would flee! Amen! What does the bible say, “Resist the devil and he will what? FLEE!” Amen! And guess who said that? JAMES! Praise God! In James chapter 4 verse 7! Amen! But, if you never worked out – the moment you needed that physical strength, that moment your family needed you – you would have been weak and unable to perform your duty to protect them. The same can be said for Spiritual strength! If you never work out yourself Spiritually, you will be WEAK when it comes time for you to pray for yourself or your family member. And that is not how it is supposed to be! Amen! I want to pray for you that you will begin to take your prayer time with the Lord seriously! This is not just a “check the box and done” type of thing. It can be, literally, a matter of life or death for you or a member of your family. Let’s Pray! Please subscribe to this podcast, leave us a quick 5 star review on Apple Podcasts to help us grow and be sure to visit our website for more information on our ministry: https://podcastersforchrist.com/ (https://podcastersforchrist.com). And while you are at the website, download the free resource I have for you… it is free and is called, “How to Start a Christian Podcast.” It will bless you – go and download it today. You can also WATCH these session on our Facebook Playlist at this link: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtKWeKtmv-BwgkquBTsSh-GznbmuUp_R2 (https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtKWeKtmv-BwgkquBTsSh-GznbmuUp_R2)
Scripture For Today: Luke 22:41 “He withdrew about a stone’s throw beyond them, knelt down, and prayed.” What James Had to Say About Prayer pt 2Yesterday, we started to look at what the Apostle James, the Lord’s brother, had to say about prayer. We looked specifically at James 5:13-18, which reads: “Is any among you afflicted? Let him pray. Is any Merry? Let him sing psalms. Is any sick among you? Let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the Name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he has committed sins, they shall be forgiven him. Confess your faults one to another, and pray on for another, that you may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous availeth much. Elijah was a man subject to like passions as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain, and it did not rain on the earth by the space of three years and six months! And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain and the earth brought forth her fruit.” We left off discussing one of the big areas Christians today fail to do, not all Christians, but enough that we can clearly see some are lagging behind in their Faith. That area was the first one James discussed, “If any among you are afflicted? Let him pray!” We learned that many Christians today do not do that! They would rather pick up the phone and have someone else do their praying for them! But according to James, if you are going through a test or trial – which is what we discovered that word “afflicted” means (it does not mean a sickness or disease), WE – YOU – are the one who is supposed to pray for yourself. PERIOD! That does not mean we are not supposed to pray for one another! I am not saying that at all. But God clearly wants us to be Spiritually mature enough to pray for ourselves FIRST!
When you learn to do your own praying, you will begin to experience greater and greater victories in life! Why? Because you are building and strengthening YOUR FAITH. When you have to depend on others to do the praying for you, you are putting your faith in THEM – not God! And when you habitually become accustomed to asking others to pray for you, you actually weaken your faith and become an easier target for other attacks from the devil. You will continue to need the assistance of someone – a person – to do your praying for you. And there will come a time, when nobody will be immediately available and you will not be able to pray yourself out of a wet paper bag! Something as simple as sneeze could end up having you fall down stairs and break your leg or your neck! That may be an extreme example, but you understand the importance of what I’m sharing here, right? God wants YOU to triumph in EVERY situation and circumstance you could find yourself in throughout your life. He did not design you to fail. Far from it! He designed you to be the VICTOR! To have VICTORY in, by and through Christ Jesus! And just as Salvation is between YOU and the LORD, so is your prayer life! So when you find yourself facing a test or trial, no matter what it is, an ingrown toenail to something absolutely horrific and dangerous, do not, let me repeat – DO NOT – go to others for prayer first. YOU do YOUR PRAYING – FIRST! Start to exercise that Spiritual authority YOU have – FIRST! You may be surprised how powerful your prayer life will be! So much so – others will start calling YOU! Amen! Let’s Pray! Please subscribe to this podcast, leave us a quick 5 star review on Apple Podcasts to help us grow and be sure to visit our website for more information on our ministry: https://podcastersforchrist.com/ (https://podcastersforchrist.com). And while you are at the website, download the free resource I have for you… it is free and is called, “How to...
Scripture For Today: Colossians 4:3“And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains.” What James Had to Say About Prayer pt 1For the last several sessions during the past month, we studied what the Apostle Paul taught us about prayer. That does not mean other Disciples did not teach about prayer. I did not want to infer that at all. So, let’s see what some others have taught us in the Word about prayer. We will start with the Apostle James, the Lord’s brother. In James 5:13-18, we read: “Is any among you afflicted? Let him pray. Is any Merry? Let him sing psalms. Is any sick among you? Let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the Name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he has committed sins, they shall be forgiven him. Confess your faults one to another, and pray on for another, that you may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous availeth much. Elijah was a man subject to like passions as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain, and it did not rain on the earth by the space of three years and six months! And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain and the earth brought forth her fruit.” Notice here, what James had to say about prayer. He asks three separate questions in this passage of scripture. First, he asks, “Is there any of you afflicted?” Next, he asks, “Is there any of you that are merry (or happy and blessed)? Finally, he asks, “Is there any of you that are sick?” James was talking about three different thing. For example, “afflicted” and “sick” are not the same thing. These two words as used here cannot mean the same thing because James gave two different sets of instructions, one for each of those words. He gave one instruction for the “afflicted” (Let him pray) and a different instruction for someone who was “sick” (call for the elders of the church to pray for him). The Greek word for “afflicted” in James 5:13 is not referring to illness. It is not referring to, what we call “physical afflictions” at all. “Afflicted” in this verse means “to suffer trouble.” In other words, this type of affliction is a test or trial of your faith. James was saying that if YOU, as a believer, are being tested or tried by what we call the “storms of life,” YOU are to do YOUR OWN PRAYING. But far too many Christians are so weak knee in their Faith, they call for others to pray for them over every little thing. Most Christians, when they are facing a test or trial of some kind, instead of going straight to the Lord in prayer; instead of taking Spiritual authority over the situation using their own Faith, they call for OTHERS to do their praying FOR THEM! Notice here, James did not say one word about getting someone else to pray for you if YOU are afflicted, tried or tested. Not ONE WORD AT ALL. Did you ever stop to think about that? I’m going to stop there for today. I want you to ponder – and pray – about what we learned today. This will revolutionize your prayer life! As we said before, when you start to pray according to how the BIBLE says we are to pray – you will begin to see the results the Bible says you will have. It’s amazing how that works, right? Let’s Pray! Please subscribe to this podcast, leave us a quick 5 star review on Apple Podcasts to help us grow and be sure to visit our website for more information on our ministry: https://podcastersforchrist.com/ (https://podcastersforchrist.com). And while you are at the website, download the free resource I have for you… it is free and is called, “How to Start a Christian Podcast.” It will bless you – go and download it today. You can also WATCH these session on our Facebook Playlist at this...
Scripture For Today:1 Chronicles 29:10 “David praised the Lord in the presence of the whole assembly, saying, “Praise be to you, Lord, the God of our father Israel, from everlasting to everlasting.”Praying for Our Food pt 4We’ve been studying about praying for your food, sanctifying your food according to God’s Word and not following the doctrine of devils. I left off yesterday discussing the importance of praying for your food, especially when you are eating out at restaurants and such. I shared how you don’t know if the food was handled properly. You don’t know the cleanliness of the back kitchen area. You don’t know where the food came from in the first place. You don’t know the people who handled your food or cooked your food. That is a lot of unknowns as compared to cooking your food at home. Now, I want to emphasize, I am not saying we should not be concerned about eating healthy for our bodies. Lord knows I love a good steak and baked potato smothered in melted butter. But, I also know, if I ate that every day, or more than every now and then for that matter, it would not be healthy for my body. Amen! We need to use wisdom in this area. I’m simply saying that we need to sanctify our food with the Word, through prayer and the giving of thanks. When we go out to eat, I pray over the food, I pray for those handling the food and preparing the food. Amen. I cover all those bases – and then give the Lord thanks FOR the food itself. Praise God! That is sanctifying the food with thanksgiving. Amen! Now, we’ve been talking specifically about 1 Timothy chapter 4. This chapter is talking about meats, which the Bible says, “…God has created to be received with thanksgiving of them which believe and know the truth.” However, this principle applies to ALL food we eat. We should sanctify all of our food, not only the meat, not only when we go out to eat – but all of it. And, I have to admit, my wife is a lot better at this than I am. She has to remind me sometimes to “pray” – especially if I’m hungry! Praise God! Now, I’m not preaching on this to be mean. I’m doing it out of love. I believe Christians should come to know the truth regarding this subject. And where can we find the truth? In God’s Word! Amen! Sometimes, someone will tell me, “Well, I can’t eat this or I can’t eat that, it makes me sick.” I usually don’t say anything to them, but I really wonder why they don’t sanctify their food. If they did, they wouldn’t get sick! They will find out that most of the foods that were bothering them before won’t bother them anymore. Amen! We just need to believe God and obey His Word in this area of our lives. I want to pray with you right now that you will begin to do just that! If there is food you enjoy eating but it’s been making you sick so you have been avoiding it, PRAY! Sanctify it before you consume it! Trust God and His Word in these matters. Walk by Faith concerning the food you eat – and reap the benefits. Amen! Let’s Pray! Please subscribe to this podcast, leave us a quick 5 star review on Apple Podcasts to help us grow and be sure to visit our website for more information on our ministry: https://podcastersforchrist.com/ (https://podcastersforchrist.com). And while you are at the website, download the free resource I have for you… it is free and is called, “How to Start a Christian Podcast.” It will bless you – go and download it today. You can also WATCH these session on our Facebook Playlist at this link: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtKWeKtmv-BwgkquBTsSh-GznbmuUp_R2 (https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtKWeKtmv-BwgkquBTsSh-GznbmuUp_R2)
Scripture For Today:2 Kings 4:33“He went in, shut the door on the two of them and prayed to the Lord.”Praying for Our Food pt 3We’ve been studying about praying for your food, sanctifying your food according to God’s Word and not following the doctrine of devils. Yesterday, I left off discussing what to do when someone approaches you and says it is sinful to eat pork or any such thing. Crabs, shrimp, etc. could be included in that list of “bad foods.” Amen! I explained that you can eat whatever you want if you will pray and sanctify it according to God’s Word. Some people will then tell me, “Well, I can’t do that.” Now, is this a personal decision of something they do not want to do because of a religion or religious issue, health issue or just a personal choice? Yes, it does matter. I have one daughter who will not eat meat of any kind. I also have a grand-daughter from my other daughter, I have two daughters and seven grandkids, and she does not want to eat meat or fish. Those are personal choices they make. It’s not because papa told them they shouldn’t. It’s not because they believe they will go to hell if they do so. It’s simply a diet they have chosen to follow. And I’m ok with that. Neither one of them try to influence any other member of the family, their friends or anyone else NOT to eat meat or anything like that. If they did, they would in the wrong. But if it is a personal choice, it’s ok. But what about these cults and even some believers who delve into these areas of food and diet and God’s will and going to hell if you eat the wrong foods? We need to be careful of getting too far off into any ditch on either side of the road in any area of life, including diet. Amen! Let’s just continue to heed the scriptures. “For every creature of God is good and nothing to be refused, if it be received with thanksgiving.” That’s in 1 Timothy 4:4. I think the Bible speaks for itself and makes it very plain for us to understand. Amen! The Bible says, “…nothing is to be refused if it is received with thanksgiving.” Amen! Receiving the food you eat – with thanksgiving, makes a difference. It also sanctifies the food because of the Word and of prayer. That’s why it is so important to pray over your food – especially when you go out to eat. Amen! You don’t know several very important factors concerning food that is prepared for you when you go out to eat. You don’t know if the food was handled properly. You don’t know the cleanliness of the back kitchen area. You don’t know where the food came from in the first place. You don’t know the people who handled your food or cooked your food. That is a lot of unknowns as compared to cooking your food at home. That is why, whenever we go out to eat, we make a point of praying over our food, publicly and out loud, too! Praise God! We want to sanctify every bit of food that we are about to eat. From the bread sticks to the main course and to desert. Amen! We receive it via prayer and with thanksgiving. Amen! We are about out of time for today, but I want you to realize, that when you do that, the food you eat will not hurt you or make you sick. Nothing I ever eat hurts me. Why? Because I’m a doer of the Word. I obey what I read. Amen! I want to pray for you that you will begin to pray over your food when YOU go out to eat. If you do, and pay attention, you’ll notice you do not get those gastro-intestinal problems like you usually get. Amen! Because the food you are now eating has been sanctified by the Word of God! Let’s Pray! Please subscribe to this podcast, leave us a quick 5 star review on Apple Podcasts to help us grow and be sure to visit our website for more information on our ministry: https://podcastersforchrist.com/ (https://podcastersforchrist.com). And while you are at the website, download the free resource I have for you… it is free and is called, “How
Scripture For Today:1 Peter 4:7“The end of all things is near. Therefore be alert and of sober mind so that you may pray.”Praying for Our Food pt 2We’ve been studying about praying for your food, sanctifying your food according to God’s Word and not following the doctrine of devils. Let me give you an example of what I mean by following the doctrine of devils when it comes your diet, what you eat or consume. I knew a minister that would focus on teaching people what to eat and what not to eat. He shared the Word concerning salvation and the forgiveness of sins and all that – but, like you have some preachers who focus on prosperity and others on healing, etc… He focused on diet. In other words, what you should eat and what you should not eat. This minister would use the Old Testament scriptures to back up what he was teaching. Old Testament Jews were told by God that there were some creatures they could eat and some they could not. Nobody was finding fault with that teaching. But, in the New Testament, we read in 1 Timothy 4:4, “For every creature of God is good, and nothing to be refused, if it be received with thanksgiving.” In the preceding verse, verse three, Paul tells us what seducing spirits and doctrines of devils would teach, “Forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from eating meats, which God has created to be received with thanksgiving of them which believe and know the truth.” Folks, if the devil can get people off doctrinally in all these side issues, he can keep the Body of Christ from effectively preaching the Gospel. That is the Great Commission that was given to the church in Mark 16:15, where it says, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature…” Amen! Notice the Great Commission does NOT say, “Go and preach my rules of diet into all the earth.” I’ve had some members of my own Board of Directors that refused to eat pork. I was ok with that. That’s their decision. They did not try to force their belief in this area on me. We are still friends to this day. Amen! But, when someone comes up and says, “You can’t eat pork!” That is where I draw the line. And I do so in love and using scripture. I simply tell them I can so. God said so. He told me I can sanctify my food by praying over it. Then I share 1 Timothy 4:1-5 with them, which says, “Now the Spirit expressly says that in later times some will depart from the faith by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons, 2 through the insincerity of liars whose consciences are seared, 3 who forbid marriage and require abstinence from foods that God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth. 4 For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, 5 for it is made holy by the word of God and prayer.” We are all out of time for today, but I’ll take it up here again tomorrow. Let’s Pray! Please subscribe to this podcast, leave us a quick 5 star review on Apple Podcasts to help us grow and be sure to visit our website for more information on our ministry: https://podcastersforchrist.com/ (https://podcastersforchrist.com). And while you are at the website, download the free resource I have for you… it is free and is called, “How to Start a Christian Podcast.” It will bless you – go and download it today. You can also WATCH these session on our Facebook Playlist at this link: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtKWeKtmv-BwgkquBTsSh-GznbmuUp_R2 (https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtKWeKtmv-BwgkquBTsSh-GznbmuUp_R2)
Scripture For Today:2 Timothy 1:3“I thank God, whom I serve, as my ancestors did, with a clear conscience, as night and day I constantly remember you in my prayers.”Praying for Our Food pt 1We’ve been talking about following scriptural instructions that the Apostle Paul has given to the Church – which means he, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, has given to us as well.
In addition to praying for those in authority and to rightly divide New Testament scriptures, Paul also told us how to sanctify our food. Paul was talking about prayer. Let’s read the entire context and find out exactly what he was saying concerning sanctifying our food.
We can read this in 1 Timothy 4:1-5:
“Now the Spirit expressly says that in later times some will depart from the faith by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons, 2 through the insincerity of liars whose consciences are seared, 3 who forbid marriage and require abstinence from foods that God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth. 4 For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, 5 for it is made holy by the word of God and prayer.”
In verse 1, Paul was talking here about people who had been in the Faith, but who had departed from the Faith. He was not talking about sinners or heathen because he said, “Now, the Spirit speaks expressly, that in the later times, some will depart from the Faith, devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and the teaching of demons.”
Those who teach doctrines of devils teach believers that they are not to marry and that must abstain from eating meat and all sorts of weird stuff. Have you ever come into contact with anyone who told you that you cannot eat any meat? I guess we all have at some point in time.
I’m not talking about someone who makes an individual choice not to eat meat. I’m talking about someone who says you will go to hell if you eat meat. That type of person.
Notice here, the Apostle Paul emphasizes his point. He says, “…the Spirit speaks EXPRESSLY…” In other words, Paul is saying that this what the Holy Spirit is saying to us. So Paul is saying he is speaking under the authority of the Holy Spirit.
A few folks have said, “Oh, that’s just Paul speaking about his own feelings about this stuff.” But, when they say things like that, they are really saying that Paul’s statement is NOT inspired by the Holy Spirit. Which puts them at odds with the entire Bible.
Why? Because the Word says, in 2 Timothy 3:16, that “ALL scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness.”
So, when you look at like that, it is really the devil who promotes and inspires that kind of thinking. And he does it to lead people astray and get them off course from following the Bible.
We will continue this discussion tomorrow. Amen!
Let’s Pray!
Please subscribe to this podcast, leave us a quick 5 star review on Apple Podcasts to help us grow and be sure to visit our website for more information on our ministry: https://podcastersforchrist.com. And while you are at the website, download the free resource I have for you… it is free and is called, “How to Start a Christian Podcast.” It will bless you – go and download it today.
You can also WATCH these session on our Facebook Playlist at this link: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtKWeKtmv-BwgkquBTsSh-GznbmuUp_R2
Scripture For Today:2 Corinthians 1:11“…as you help us by your prayers. Then many will give thanks on your behalf for the gracious favor granted us in answer to the prayers of many.”Rightly Dividing the New Testament ScripturesWe have been looking at the importance of following instructions given by Jesus in the New Testament. We also looked at the importance of following the instructions given by the Apostles in the first century church.
Many Christians often have trouble understanding the distinction between Jesus’ teaching and Paul’s teachings. That is why they have difficulty interpreting New Testament scriptures correctly.
Some people, I’m talking preachers here, say that “Jesus contradicted Paul” or they will say, “Paul contradicted Jesus.” But they don’t know what they are talking about! The Bible does not contradict itself! That’s teaching of unbelievers who are trying to subvert the Bible. Amen!
Paul did not contradict Jesus and Jesus did not contradict Paul. It is the simplest thing in the world to understand this issue. Paul himself gave us the key. He said, “Study to show yourself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the Word of Truth.” Amen! That’s in 2 Timothy 2 verse 15.
The reason that some things Paul said seemed a little different than what Jesus said, and what Jesus said seemed a little different from what Paul said in some small areas, is the Jesus was primarily teaching the Jews, as we taught a few days ago. Amen!
He was not talking to the church. There was no church. The church did not exist when Jesus was in His earthly ministry. Some of the things Jesus said to the Jews, under the Old Covenant, does not apply to the Church. There is no use in trying to apply some of His teachings to the church today.
And, what Paul said to the Church, to BORN AGAIN PEOPLE under the New Covenant, were not meant for the Jews living under the Old Covenant. When you “rightly divide the Word,” it all makes sense. Amen!
We’ve already studied how Paul gave us specific instructions for prayer. Go back and listen to those teachings again. We are to pray for those in AUTHORITY FIRST. He also said we are to “lift up holy hands and do not doubt” when we are praying. Amen!
I want to pray with you right now that you are comprehending the importance of what we are learning here. There is not contradictions in the Bible. There are no contradictions between what Jesus was teaching the Jews under the Old Covenant and what Paul was teaching the Born Again believers under the New Covenant. Amen!
Let’s Pray!
Please subscribe to this podcast, leave us a quick 5 star review on Apple Podcasts to help us grow and be sure to visit our website for more information on our ministry: https://podcastersforchrist.com. And while you are at the website, download the free resource I have for you… it is free and is called, “How to Start a Christian Podcast.” It will bless you – go and download it today.
You can also WATCH these session on our Facebook Playlist at this link: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtKWeKtmv-BwgkquBTsSh-GznbmuUp_R2
Scripture For Today:Acts 9:40“Peter sent them all out of the room; then he got down on his knees and prayed. Turning toward the dead woman, he said, “Tabitha, get up.” She opened her eyes, and seeing Peter she sat up.”Following Instructions pt 3We have been looking at the importance of following instructions given by Jesus in the New Testament. We also looked at the importance of following the instructions given by the Apostles in the first century church.
We left off yesterday with the main reason you see modern day churches disregard the importance of following New Testament instructions. The reason: The instructions are condemning the way they are living their lives.
They would rather live the way they want; worship the way the want and follow what they want, rather than follow the Bible’s instructions. Specifically, how New Testament believers should be living their lives and Worshipping God.
Do you want a really easy example?
Look at how many churches refuse to preach against homosexuality today.
Want another example?
How about churches that do not condemn sinful lifestyles – no matter what it is?
They would rather use the false belief that “we don’t want to preach people under condemnation. We want to preach good things so that, maybe they will come back. And IF they come back, then they will be exposed to the Love of God and then give their heart to the Lord.”
Hogwash! All of it!
It is nothing more than trying to fill the seats to collect the offerings. That’s it.
If we fail to follow the New Testament instructions for how churches should be operating, then we are teaching a false doctrine.
If we, as believers, do not believe the things the New Testament instructs us to do, then we are believing the lies of the devil.
It’s easy for a person to say, “Well, I just don’t believe that way” when the Bible says something they don’t want to hear.
OUCH! Am I stepping all over your spiritual toes? It’s about time somebody did. Obviously your pastor isn’t doing it.
Jesus did not deal with some things in His earthly ministry that Paul dealt with in his teachings. The reason Jesus did not deal with them is because Jesus was not ministering to the CHURCH. He was TEACHING and ministering to the JEWS. Go read it for yourself…
The CHURCH was not in existence when Jesus was on the earth. Think about it! The Church did not come into existence until after the Day of Pentecost. Amen!
So, when Paul was in his ministry – the church WAS in existence. And the Holy Spirit was inspiring Paul to write down Holy Spirit inspired instructions to help the church. He was writing these letters TO THE CHURCH. Amen!
How many of you just got a revelation about that today!
Praise God!
Let’s Pray!
Please subscribe to this podcast, leave us a quick 5 star review on Apple Podcasts to help us grow and be sure to visit our website for more information on our ministry: https://podcastersforchrist.com. And while you are at the website, download the free resource I have for you… it is free and is called, “How to Start a Christian Podcast.” It will bless you – go and download it today.
You can also WATCH these session on our Facebook Playlist at this link: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtKWeKtmv-BwgkquBTsSh-GznbmuUp_R2
Scripture For Today:Luke 22:39“Jesus went, out as usual, to the Mount of Olives to pray, and his disciples followed him.”Following Instructions pt 2Yesterday, we started to look at the importance of following instructions given by Jesus in the New Testament. We also looked at the importance of following the instructions given by the Apostles in the first century church.
I mean, if there was ever an importance of establishing HOW a church should function and operate, you think Jesus would make sure the pattern was established with the first churches being formed so we could follow that pattern down until His return, right?
To do that, He sent the Holy Spirit to inspire some of the disciples and Apostles to write these instructions for us. The Apostle Paul is the example we have been studying.
In 1 Timothy 2:8 he said, “…lifting up Holy hands, without wrath and doubting” – but yet, there are some that do not want to follow those instructions. I was one of them for awhile, as I shared yesterday.
We also shared about how some people will say, “Well, those instructions are not for us today.” Even how some will say, “I don’t follow Paul. Don’t teach me about Paul. I follow Jesus alone. I only read His Gospels. The rest is of men.”
Well, why don’t you just rip out those other letters from your Bible. That is basically what you are telling us? You are telling Jesus you don’t care IF He inspired those writers to write down HIS instructions for us – if you don’t hear from HIM directly – it’s of the devil.
Now, there are times when Paul said he was making judgements on what HE understood. It was his opinion on certain matters. He would say something like, “After MY judgement: and I think also that I have the Spirit of God…” That is in 1 Corinthians 7:40.
He is making it clear that this is HIS opinion. But that he believes he has heard from the Holy Spirit concerning the matter under discussion.
Amen!
So, if Paul was speaking under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, then WE should be under obligation to listen! Amen! If the Holy Spirit inspired him to write these letters to the churches that profess Faith in Christ – then they also apply to churches today that profess Faith in Christ.
Which means, if your church IS NOT following these instructions….
I’ll just leave it at that… You can read between the lines and hear from the Holy Spirit yourself concerning whether or not you should heed the false teachings of those kinds of churches or listen to teaching inspired by the Holy Spirit as laid out for HOW churches and believers SHOULD be operating.
Amen!
The reason some people don’t want to follow that kind of preaching from the Bible is because it condemns what they are doing.
We will just let that hang there for you to ponder today. We will take it up here again tomorrow.
Let’s Pray!
Please subscribe to this podcast, leave us a quick 5 star review on Apple Podcasts to help us grow and be sure to visit our website for more information on our ministry: https://podcastersforchrist.com. And while you are at the website, download the free resource I have for you… it is free and is called, “How to Start a Christian Podcast.” It will bless you – go and download it today.
You can also WATCH these session on our Facebook Playlist at this link: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtKWeKtmv-BwgkquBTsSh-GznbmuUp_R2
Scripture For Today: Mark 14:28 “…Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.”Following Instructions pt 1When it comes to the Bible, it has been said that the Old Testament is the New Testament concealed and the New Testament is the Old Testament revealed. In other words, you cannot just pick and choose which you would like to follow. Both make up the entire Word of God. And you cannot or should not add to either, as the Word of God is complete and perfect.
Therefore, if we find instructions on how to have a deeper relationship with God, our Heavenly Father, we need to follow the instructions given. There is no other way.
In Old Testament times, it was through strict obedience and obeying the Law. It required animal sacrifices, etc. But we also understood that, one day, the Messiah would come.
In the New Testament, we see that Jesus is the long awaited Messiah. He fulfilled every single prophecy in the Old Testament concerning the Messiah. Therefore, we should be doing what HE says to do in order to have a closer, deeper relationship with the One True God.
And Jesus said it was ONLY through Him. There was no other way. Period. We understand that. Amen!
But, we also need to follow instructions given in the New Testament. Jesus, through the Holy Spirit, provided instructions to His disciples and Apostles once He ascended to Heaven. Because of the Holy Spirit dwelling in believers, He is able to bring, “all things to our remembrance” just as He said.
I don’t think any Christian would object to following instructions that are given in the New Testament. If a person objects to New Testament instructions, something is not right in their Spiritual walk.
We’ve been studying things such as “…lifting up Holy hands, without wrath and doubting” from 1 Timothy 2:8 are part of the instructions we’ve been given.
If Paul was writing under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, and he was, then we should follow the instructions Paul gave to us. The same goes for the other books of the New Testament.
I’ve heard a story of a man who told a Faith preacher I know that he disagreed with what was being taught. You know the type – 100% denominational teaching and anything to do with Faith other than Salvation alone is “hypocrisy” style preaching…
Well, this man told the preacher, “I don’t that stuff is for us today.” You’ve probably heard similar statements yourself from time to time. When confronted with “this is what the Apostle Paul preached,” the man retorted, “Don’t’ tell me what Paul said, I don’t follow Paul, I follow Christ alone.”
He said that to seem “holy.” He said that to say “he was a true believer in Jesus.” He said that to try and undermine Faith preaching and Faith preachers.
But if someone believes that way, then you should tear out all of the books of the Bible that Paul wrote. Just rip them right out of your Bible!
We will take this up here again tomorrow, but the reason you would not do that is because ALL of the Bible is inspired by the Holy Spirit, including those things written by Paul. Amen!
Right now, I want to pray that you will begin to see instructions provided for us throughout the New Testament – and then make a sincere effort to follow and obey those instructions that you find. They are there for a reason – to help you draw near to our Heavenly Father through Christ Jesus. Amen!
Let’s Pray!
Please subscribe to this podcast, leave us a quick 5 star review on Apple Podcasts to help us grow and be sure to visit our website for more information on our ministry: https://podcastersforchrist.com. And while you are at the website, download the free resource I have for you… it is free and is called, “How to Start a Christian Podcast.” It will bless you – go and download it today.
You can also WATCH these session on our Facebook Playlist at this link: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtKWeKtmv-BwgkquBTsSh-GznbmuUp_R2
Scripture For Today:Daniel 9:21“…while I was still in prayer, Gabriel, the man I had seen in the earlier vision, came to me in swift flight about the time of the evening sacrifice.”Lifting Up Your Hands in Prayer pt 2Yesterday, we established the fact that the Apostle Paul had instructed to pray without doubting, just like Jesus did. We looked at 1 Timothy 2:8 which reads:
“I will, therefore, that men pray everywhere, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting.”
We then linked that to what Jesus taught in Mark 11:23-24:
“…verily I say unto you, that whosoever shall say to this mountain, be thou removed and be thou cast into the sea; AND SHALL NOT DOUBT in his heart, but shall BELIEVE that those things he saith shall come to pass; he shall HAVE whatsoever he saith. Therefore, I say unto you, What things soever YOU desire, when YOU pray, believe that YOU receive them, and YOU shall HAVE THEM.”
But Paul also said in 1 Timothy 2:8 to pray “lifting up holy hands without wrath. “ Many people who come from denominational church backgrounds may find it difficult to lift up their hands in praise and prayer. I know, I was like that before. In a Faith based bible school, too! Amen!
We had praise and worship first thing every morning in the sanctuary. People would be raising their hands in worship and, to me, it seemed weird. It seem unnatural. I did not see anything wrong in what they were doing. But to me, and how I was raised, it was unnatural. It made me feel ‘funny.’
I was raised as a Lutheran, they did not sing or pray like that…
Then, I was a heathen for over 20 years – I definitely did not do anything like that…
You’ve heard my testimony about joining the Independent Baptists after I was born again. They definitely did not do anything like that!
But as I was exposed more and more to the Faith community, I continued to see them enter into praise and worship and raising their hands, speaking in tongues and just enjoying the presence of the Holy Spirit. I wanted more of that.
But when it came to ME lifting my hands, I was hesitant.
Eventually, one day, the music and words and atmosphere were so powerful, I raised ONE hand. Yup! ONE! That was a major breakthrough for Brother Bob!
Over the course of a few more months, I noticed I was keeping one hand up almost all the time in worship. And if it was REALLY GOOD – I had both up! I had not even noticed I was lifting up both hands sometimes.
What was happening? My spirit man was starting to surpass my natural mind. AMEN!
So, do you have to lift your hands in worship, or, as we are discussing here, in prayer? No. It is not a requirement.
But, if the Apostle Paul said “not to doubt,” and we obey THAT part of the scripture, then we should also obey the rest of it, too. Right? He said to “lift up holy hands.”
Stop picking and choosing what you will obey and what you will cast aside! Just OBEY!
And watch the doors of Faith come bursting open and flooding into your heart as you do!
Amen!
Let’s Pray!
Please subscribe to this podcast, leave us a quick 5 star review on Apple Podcasts to help us grow and be sure to visit our website for more information on our ministry: https://podcastersforchrist.com. And while you are at the website, download the free resource I have for you… it is free and is called, “How to Start a Christian Podcast.” It will bless you – go and download it today.
You can also WATCH these session on our Facebook Playlist at this link: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtKWeKtmv-BwgkquBTsSh-GznbmuUp_R2
Scripture For Today:Isaiah 63:7“I will tell of the kindnesses of the Lord, the deeds for which he is to be praised, according to all the Lord has done for us— yes, the many good things he has done for Israel, according to his compassion and many kindnesses.”Lifting Up Your Hands in Prayer pt 1I think we can pretty well agree that everyone needs to be praying. Amen?
I think we can pretty much agree that YOU need to pray – as well as I. Amen?
But did you know, there are explicit instructions the Apostle Paul has given us concerning HOW we pray?
We studied before about making intercession for all men, for kings and all that are in authority. I’m not going to go back over that, as we covered it pretty in-depth.
But in 1 Timothy 2:8, Paul also gives us some specific instructions. Let’s look at that verse.
1 Timothy 2:8:
“I will, therefore, that men pray everywhere, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting.”
Most Christians today, I would venture to say, DO NOT DO THAT!
We should know, more than others, that we are to pray without doubting! Jesus Himself told us to pray without doubting! Turn over to Mark 11:23-24:
“…verily I say unto you, that whosoever shall say to this mountain, be thou removed and be thou cast into the sea; AND SHALL NOT DOUBT in his heart, but shall BELIEVE that those things he saith shall come to pass; he shall HAVE whatsoever he saith. Therefore, I say unto you, What things soever YOU desire, when YOU pray, believe that YOU receive them, and YOU shall HAVE THEM.”
Amen! Glory to God!
But there are Christians who want to argue with Jesus!
Can you imagine walking up to a homeless person holding a sign asking for money – and you tell him, “Do you believe that if ask me, I’ll give you $10,000?” And the homeless guy wants to argue with you?
“Well, you don’t really mean that! Why in the world would you want to do that?”
You tell the guy, “Ask.”
And the homeless guy say, “Ok. Give me $10,000.”
Then you turn around to go get it out of your car. And he says, “See – I knew you wouldn’t do it. Just leave me alone. I don’t need you and I don’t need your money…”
That is what Christians are like today! I’m talking about Spirit filled believers!
They pray for their needs to be met – and if Jesus doesn’t reach into His pocket and pull out what you need immediately, they doubt He will do it all. Amen!
I hope I’m stepping on some Spiritual toes today!
We will take it up here tomorrow, but let me leave you with this little nugget of Wisdom…
God is not creating any more wealth or any more money in this world. He took care of it all at Creation. Now, when He needs to get some additional money to YOU – He has to work through other people to do so!
Just like you went to the car to get the money for the homeless guy, Jesus has to go find a willing and able believer to get money to you. It takes some time to do so. He can find someone who will do it immediately – I’ve seen it happen.
But it is not unusual for a period of time that must go by until it actually arrives in your hands.
But Christians today are like the homeless guy in this example. If they don’t see it in the natural immediately, they get offended and start cussing out Jesus!
Let’s Pray!
Please subscribe to this podcast, leave us a quick 5 star review on Apple Podcasts to help us grow and be sure to visit our website for more information on our ministry: https://podcastersforchrist.com. And while you are at the website, download the free resource I have for you… it is free and is called, “How to Start a Christian Podcast.” It will bless you – go and download it today.
You can also WATCH these session on our Facebook Playlist at this link: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtKWeKtmv-BwgkquBTsSh-GznbmuUp_R2
Scripture For Today:Isaiah 38:2“Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to the Lord,”Changing the Nation Through Prayer pt 3Yesterday, we talked about how the prayers of righteous people can change a nation. And then we're going to be continuing down this path today as well. We discussed how Isaiah under the inspiration of the holy spirit went to the King's palace to just to, to walk in and say, I want to see the king. And he just didn't do that. Okay. It's you're, you're just not supposed to do.
That, but yet he did. And how he told us how he told Hezekiah, “God says, get your affairs in order because you are going to die.” And he turned around and walked out and Hezekiah prayed. And it wasn't some little cutesy prayer like, “Oh Lord, just bless me and bless my family and bless this palace. And bless the servants.”
He prayed and he truly repented of his sins!
So God stopped Isaiah before he could leave the palace grounds and told him “I've heard Hezekiah’s prayer. Go back and tell him I've heard him. And I will grant his request and I will extend his life for 15 more years.”
Folks, our prayers go to the Throne Room of Heaven. Our prayers are presented as a prayer of petition before the creator of the universe.
Do you think if you had the authority walk into the President's Office, on any given day, if you just showed up whenever you needed to talk to him, and you say, “Sir, I want to present this petition to you.” Do you think he'd look it over?
And he had already promised you before, he had given his word, that if you ever come into his office and give him a written prayer of petition that he could take actionable work on, He would grant you whatever you wanted? As long as it was legal, as long as it lined up with the constitution, do you think for even one second, you could walk in like that and then he would just wad it up and throw it away?
Maybe today's president would do that. Maybe the politicians today would do that. But if he was your father, do you think he would do that?
Of course not. Which is why God says, “Whatsoever things you desire, Put it down into a prayer petition and whatsoever petitions you desire, I will grant to you.
Folks Hezekiah was definitely a king that was Ordained by God. He may not have been perfect and all that, but he was still a Jewish person who obeyed the Jewish customs who believed in the Jewish God.
He understood who Isaiah was. Isaiah was a prophet of the most high God. And when Isaiah just showed up and said, “Get your affairs in order, thus saith, the Lord, you are not coming down off that bed,” He believed him!
And he prayed and he repented of his sins.
And God heard him.
And God still could use him, now that he had his attention!
Folks, you just do not understand the power and the authority you have in the Kingdom of God!
Demons tremble, or they should be, when you walk by! Demons, have no authority over you, unless you give them that authority.
When you come on the scene to assist a brother or sister in the Lord, and you put yourself in agreement with their prayer and you start speaking the word of God, you begin to resist the devil and he will what? Flee!
He's not going to sit there and take it. He's not going to sit there and try and fight you over it. If he's fighting you, it's because there's some doubt and unbelief in your heart. That's the only reason. Every demon must flee. When you resist him with the word of God, they have no choice in that matter.
The only person that has a choice is you. You are the only one that can choose to pray or not the pray. You're the only one that can choose to believe or not to believe.
The angels believe and the devils believe, but it doesn't do them any good.
You are the only one that has the authority to change things in this nation, without firing a single shot.
You are the only one that has the authority to pray to the creator of the universe that He would intercede in the affairs of this nation.
God can change the leadership one way or another. Some will just be voted out of office. Some will get sick and die. Some will just decide it's time for them to leave. It doesn't matter. They left!
You're the only one that has the authority to pray for like that. The only person is you, as a collective body of Christian believers.
The problem with what's going on in this nation right now is because believers like you and me have failed to do their job. If this was the military, every one of us would have been court-martialed by the most high God for dereliction of duty. That's how serious this is.
Now. I'm going to pray with you right now that you would get a Christian backbone in you, that you would stand up and take your rightful place of guard duty and stand guard over the affairs of this nation and the world. If a demon tries to come into your area of responsibility, just like you teach privates in basic training, call out “Sergeant of the guard posts number three” or wherever you're at. You're calling for help from the most high Himself. And then you resist that demon. You resist that devil that's intruding into the air area.
You take authority, you'd put him under fire and then allow the angels of God, the backup to come in and make sure that he leaves praise, God!
Don't shut me down when I'm preaching good!
Let’s Pray!
Please subscribe to this podcast, leave us a quick 5 star review on Apple Podcasts to help us grow and be sure to visit our website for more information on our ministry: https://podcastersforchrist.com. And while you are at the website, download the free resource I have for you… it is free and is called, “How to Start a Christian Podcast.” It will bless you – go and download it today.
You can also WATCH these session on our Facebook Playlist at this link: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtKWeKtmv-BwgkquBTsSh-GznbmuUp_R2
2021 is the YEAR OF PRAYER! To help with this, Pastor Robert Thibodeau is conducting a DAILY short study in all aspects of prayer!
Scripture For Today: Isaiah 38:2 “Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to the Lord,”Changing the Nation Through Prayer pt 2Yesterday, we talked about how the prayers of righteous people can change a nation. We will be continuing down this path today as well.
We discussed how Isaiah, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, went to the kings palace and demanded an audience. As we studied, you just don’t walk up and demand to speak to the king! You can’t do it to a president, what makes you think you could do it to a king? Amen?
Then, how Isaiah was ushered into the kings bed chamber – and then just flat out told him, “Thus saith the Lord, get your house in order boy! You are going to die!” Then turned around and left!
In today’s verse, we see this so affected Hezekiah, that HE humbled himself and prayed to the Lord our God! Amen! And, because he humbled himself, God stopped Isaiah before he could even leave the palace grounds and told him, basically, “Go back! Your message worked! The king has humbled himself before me. So go back and tell him I have heard his prayers and will grant him an additional 15 years of life.”
Amen!
Don’t you desire to see your prayers answered like that? Where you could pray and have a prophecy declared over you or your family that wasn’t all that glorious to begin with – changed? Would you rather have it be that way – or the prophecy concerning some not so great things come to pass?
Well, it works the same way where interceding for your nation is concerned.
In much the same way that that Hezekiah prayed, we can change the damnation prophecy that is hovering over this nation right now! Amen!
I believe Christians are about to change some things, some very public things, about this nation. I believe the effectual prayers of righteous people are answered. And their prayers – YOUR prayers, about to be answered in miraculous ways. Ways that will astound and amaze unbelievers in such a way that they will ask, “How is your prayers are answered so quickly?”
And that is where you can pop in and give your personal testimony, share the Gospel and other such things. But it must all be in accordance with 1 Timothy 2:1-2, which says
“I exhort therefore, that FIRST OF ALL, supplications, prayers, intercessions and giving of thanks be made for ALL men; for kings and for all that are in authority; so that WE might live a quiet and peacable life in all godliness and honesty.”
We studied about this scripture and the importance of praying for those in authority – and we are to do that. But not just pray “for them” – but to pray they will be brought under conviction!
Pray that the conviction is so strong and so powerful – that they actually have the HELL scared out of them! Amen!
Pray that their very core of the being will be shaken – shaken to the core, if you will. Amen!
Just like Hezekiah was shaken to his core, prayed, repented and God IMMEDIATELY answered his prayer – you and I can have and see the same results as WE pray for our leaders and those around us.
Amen!
Let’s Pray!
Please subscribe to this podcast, leave us a quick 5 star review on Apple Podcasts to help us grow and be sure to visit our website for more information on our ministry: https://podcastersforchrist.com. And while you are at the website, download the free resource I have for you… it is free and is called, “How to Start a Christian Podcast.” It will bless you – go and download it today.
You can also WATCH these session on our Facebook Playlist at this link: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtKWeKtmv-BwgkquBTsSh-GznbmuUp_R2