Issachar Podcast: Recent Episodes
IssacharChurch
Know the Days & What must be Done.
Each week on the Issachar podcast, you’ll hear teaching from senior pastor Joshua Kennedy or an Issachar pastor. Get practical, relevant, biblical perspectives on topics that matter to you. Visit us at www.issacharchurch.com
Join us as we teach how to seek out victory no matter the challenge or circumstance life throws at you!God's Word tells us as believers, we are on a journey. We may be strangers in an unfamiliar land, but don’t think for one second God has left us to struggle through it alone! As believers born again, we are called to be more than simply survivors; it is our destiny to thrive and overcome any challenge presented before us.
Join us as we teach how to seek out victory no matter the challenge or circumstance life throws at you!God's Word tells us as believers, we are on a journey. We may be strangers in an unfamiliar land, but don’t think for one second God has left us to struggle through it alone! As believers born again, we are called to be more than simply survivors; it is our destiny to thrive and overcome any challenge presented before us.
Issachar Christmas Eve Message was one that was full of hope and joy, despite the cold weather. Despite temperatures dropping to -22 degrees with wind chill, Pastor Joshua encourages us to come together virtually and share in the spirit of Christmas. He reminded us that even though service had to be cancelled due to the cold conditions, we can still make sure to stay connected with friends and family. Pastor Joshua encourages us to live out our faith this Christmas season, even if it means not being physically present with one another. He also speaks of the importance of cherishing every moment we have even if things look different than what we expected because in the end, it is all part of God's plan.
Hebrews Pt 3 (Hebrews 4:14 - 5:10) We continue our Series "Greater" as we study Hebrews and who is Jesus.
Hebrews Pt 2 (Hebrews 3:1-6) We continued our new Series "Greater" as we study Hebrews and who is Jesus.
Hebrews Pt 1 (Hebrews 1: 1-4) We start our new Series "Greater" as we study Hebrews and who is Jesus.
PRAYING IN THE SPIRIT IS PART OF THE SPIRITUAL INHERITANCE OF EVERY BELIEVER.
- Wide sections of the Body of Christ, even large chunks of church history, lost the treasure of praying in the Spirit.
- No school of prayer would be complete without talking about praying in the Holy Spirit because we’re talking about a divine partnership between a believer and the Spirit of God.
THE HOLY SPIRIT IS OUR HELPER.
If you love Me, keep My commandments. And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever—the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will help you. John 14:15–17 NKJV
- The Holy Spirit is our Helper—the Paracletos, the one who comes alongside us and helps us.
- The Holy Spirit is for us, He’s in us, and He’s with us.
- The Holy Spirit leads and guides us into all truth.
- The Holy Spirit is our X factor; He is our holy advantage dwelling inside us.
The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen.
2 Corinthians 13:14 NKJV1. The Greek word koinonia (fellowship) is brotherhood or close, intimate friendship. 2. That close, intimate fellowship affects the way we pray.
PRAYING IN THE HOLY SPIRIT PRODUCES POWER, FAITH, AND ENERGY IN OUR SPIRITS.
But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit.
Jude 1:20 NKJVAbove all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. 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, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints—and for me, that utterance may be given to me, that I may open my mouth boldly to make known the mystery of the gospel.
Ephesians 6:16–19 NKJV1. Praying in the Holy Spirit acts like a spiritual generator, recharging our spiritual battery. 2. Praying in the Spirit is one of the weapons in our arsenal. 3. Praying in the Spirit is prayer in a spiritual language, not learned or known by the one praying, and is empowered and directed by the Holy Spirit’s function and ability. 4. Tongues is a loaded word in today’s evangelical Western church, but if Paul were to write today, he would probably use the phrase spiritual language.
THERE ARE 8 THINGS WE NEED TO KNOW ABOUT PRAYING IN THE SPIRIT AND WHY IT’S POWERFUL.
Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone. To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. For to one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit to another … the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the ability to distinguish between spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. All these are empowered by one and the same Spirit, who apportions to each one individually as he wills.
1 Corinthians 12:4–11 ESVIf I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.
1 Corinthians 13:1 ESV1. The gift of tongues or spiritual language is a gift of the Holy Spirit.
- Tongues is the language of angels, the language of heaven.
- Tongues should be motivated out of love.
For one who speaks in a tongue speaks not to men but to God; for no one understands him, but he utters mysteries in the Spirit.
1 Corinthians 14:2 ESV1. Praying in the Spirit is directed by God and directed to God. 2. The only one who can understand what we’re praying is God because we’re praying in a language that is given to us by the Holy Spirit and goes directly to God.
Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. Romans 8:26 NKJV
- Praying in the Spirit is praying mysteries.
- The Holy Spirit prays for us to the Father, bypassing our intellect or our ability to even hear what we’re praying according to the will of God over our lives.
- Not only are we speaking mysteries unknown to us, but the mysteries are unknown to the devil.
- When we pray in our known language, we’re limited by our own knowledge, our own perspective, and maybe even our own ability to believe what God wants to do in our lives.
- God the Father, however, knows exactly what the Holy Spirit is praying to Him on your behalf.
- When we come to the end of ourselves, our own knowledge, and our own faith, the Holy Spirit is like a sherpa, helping us climb up the mountain of prayer to the presence of the Lord, to pray properly at the right time, and to pray the right thing in mystery form to the heart of the Father.
But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit.
Jude 1:20 NKJVAnd because lawlessness will about, the love of many will grow cold. Matthew 24:12 NKJV
He who speaks in tongue edifies himself, but he who prophesies edifies the church.
1 Corinthians 14:4 NKJV4. Praying in the Spirit builds us up spiritually.
- There are many forces at work in our culture and in this world that are attacking our faith, trying to weaken and cause our hearts to grow cold.
- We need to build ourselves up in our most holy faith, and one of the ways we do this is by praying in the Spirit.
- Praying in the Spirit supercharges our faith and gives us the endurance we need to live in this world and follow Jesus.
For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays, but my mind is unfruitful.
1 Corinthians 14:14 ESVBut we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us. 2 Corinthians 4:7 NKJV
To them God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles: which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. Colossians 1:27 NKJV
- Praying in the Spirit comes from the spirit and not from our intellect.
- We pray out of our spirits.
- We pray in concert with the Holy Spirit.
- There is a time to pray out of our intellect, but we also need to pray in the Spirit from our spirit.
- We pray out of the place within where faith resides and where the Kingdom of God resides, and that’s where strength and power come from in our prayer lives.
What am I to do? I will pray with my spirit, but I will pray with my mind also; I will sing praise with my spirit, but I will sing with my mind also. 1 Corinthians 14:14 NKJV
- Praying in the Spirit is something we’re called to do utilize right alongside with praying with our minds.
- We pray in the Spirit and with our understanding; we do both.
- There is a place to pray and even worship in tongues to take a melody and to simply speak it and sing it to praise God with it.
But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God. For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God. Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God.
1 Corinthians 2:10–12 NKJV7. When we pray in the Spirit, the Holy Spirit intercedes for us based on God’s will.
a. When we pray in the Spirit, we can be confident that it’s perfectly prayed and that the Holy Spirit is interceding perfectly according to the will of God.
I wish you all spoke with tongues, but even more that you prophesied; for he who prophesies is greater than he who speaks with tongues, unless indeed he interprets, that the church may receive edification.
1 Corinthians 14:5 NKJV8. Paul encourages every believer to pursue a personal prayer language.
- We simply ask Jesus for it in faith and receive it by faith in Jesus’ name.
- Jesus said speaking in tongues should be indicative and characteristic of the life of believers.
- We ask Jesus to fill us with His Holy Spirit, giving us the ability to pray in a spiritual language, and then we begin to sing or speak it, allowing it to flow out of our innermost beings.
And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned. And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.
Mark 16:15–18 NKJV 1. Why is praying in the Holy Spirit part of the spiritual inheritance of every believer? 2. What preconceived notions do you hold regarding praying in the Holy Spirit or speaking in tongues? What did you learn from this session that may have changed your understanding about what praying in the Holy Spirit is? 3. Have you ever experienced a surge of power, faith, or energy in your spirit after praying in the Holy Spirit? How did that impact your situation or life at the time? Explain. 4. Why is the Holy Spirit capable of interceding to a greater degree than our minds and intellects alone? What can you do to increase your trust in the Holy Spirit as your personal advocate and intercessor? 5. According to 1 Corinthians 14:5, the apostle Paul states that he desired all believers to speak in tongues. Pastor Lee says he spends half of his secret place time praying in the Spirit. What can you do to develop in the gifting of tongues? How does practicing this gift in the secret place impact your ability to use this gift publicly?
Key Scriptures:
John 6:63
Romans 8:1-2
Genesis 1 & 2
John 20:22
Questions:
- Read Genesis 1 & 2. In Genesis 1, we read that God created man from Himself. Genesis 2, we read that man was formed from the dust of the ground. Which is it?
- It's both. God created us a spirit. That is what and who we really are. That's who God is John 4:24, and that's who we really are. The Spirit is what gives life.
- Read John 6:63. Where does life come from? What typically dominates our life, flesh (physical) or spiritual?
- Does this mean God's Word offers no physical benefit?
- Read Romans 8:1-2.
NKJ - "There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit."
What is the significance of the words "in" and "after?"
Prayer:
How you allowed life to skip over the "thrills" Pastor Joshua opened with? Jesus was the most exciting person in history. People were healed, lives were changed, and no one who met him stated the same. Why are so many Christians tired, worn out, and dried up? Take time this week and ask the Holy Spirit to breathe life back into the mundane parts of your life.
Explore:
Do you want to go deeper with this teaching? Listen to the Issachar Podcast for more questions and resources.
Key Thought:
The Bible never refers to the Holy Spirit as "It." Because He is not an "It." He is a person. You won't develop a personal relationship with Him if you don't see Him as a person.
Key Verses:
- John 14:16-17
- John 16:7-11
- Acts 5:3-4
What truths stand out to you as you read these verses?
What is the Holy Spirit saying to you through these Scriptures?
Key Question:
This week we learned that the Holy Spirit wants to have a personal relationship with us. Take a moment to think about some of the ways He has been your Helper, friend, and God in the past week. What would this look like to you? In what ways could your relationship with the Holy Spirit be more Personal?
Other Resources:
The New You & The Holy Spirit
By Andrew Wommack
10 Reasons its better to have the Holy Spirit
By Andrew Wommack
Flowing in the Supernatural
By Greg Mohr
Issachar Church is hosted by Joshua and Gina Kennedy. Episode 1 covers the purpose of this podcast and also Josh shares his excitement on getting ready to share his favorite topic.