The Technology of Prayer

Welcome to the official podcast of Rock Hill Baptist Church 2

where we are focused on glorifying God, spreading the

gospel, and making disciples of Jesus Christ right here in the

heart of Greenville, SC. Each week we bring you a life

changing word from our Senior Pastor, Pastor Matthew D Long

Junior, or one of our anointed guest speakers.

We pray this message strengthens your faith, deepens your

understanding, and empowers you to elevate in every area of your

life. Let's join the service already

in progress. Romans chapter 12 verse one

Romans 12 · chapter mention

through 2. Thank you for John.

Appreciate you guys. You just track along with me.

We're going, we're going to move all throughout the night.

I I want to share Romans chapter 12, chapter 12 verses 1 and 2,

Romans 12 · chapter mention

chapter 12 verses one and two. I think that's where I want to

go. Didn't say I want to go, let's

go to Matthew. After that, which was around

July of July of 2024, I was at my office and and the the Lord

really began to speak to me about this year elevate.

This year Elevate. We were going through evolve and

young. I've said this, but I don't know

if I said this publicly, but 2024 was just a hard year for

me. That prophetic word.

Evolve was tough. It was tough to live out.

I was trying to preach as as much as I could.

I was trying to, but it was hard to digest.

I'm like, there's some words God give you that.

She's like, I don't like this one.

It's it's like medicine you get from your parents and not, not

all of it is a cherry flavored. Sometimes it, it is Castor oil.

It's, it's it, it don't taste good, but God knows it's good

for you. And so the Lord gave me this

instruction and he began to talk to me about the technology that

we need for the future. He said there's a technology for

every area in gift. There's a technology for the

Apostolic. There's Apostolic technology,

prophetic technology, evangelistic technology,

pastoral technology. Tell me there's a technology for

emerging and for emergence. There's a technology for

leadership. There's a technology for

fellowship. I'm going to say it again,

there's a technology for fellowship, he said.

Oftentimes this is the Lord game.

He says we struggle and not give things and graces because we

don't know the technology of what we are in and what we have

or where we are. So the question becomes, how do

we find good success? We find good success when we

search the scriptures for the technology of where we are, the

technology for the age, technology for the period of

time, technology for the era that we're in.

There's a technology for every dispensation.

I think the problem is we are willing to become students of

the past instead of proving students of the present.

And if we can say students of the present long enough, we will

receive the technology for that day.

I think COVID really showed us the digital divide.

It showed us how how easy there are those who have some

technology and those who do not. So this is various social

economic backgrounds is also in that same predicament where a

certain spiritual level, certain types of people have different

technological skills and are able to advance at different

levels. So we have to learn the

technology of an elevated space. We have to learn the technology

of an elevated place. The word for this year is

elevated. Help me out.

Turn to the neighbors. Elevate, elevate.

So because we have to elevate, we have to change up a tad bit.

Brother, Brother John, when I was younger, I can remember my

grandmother's house. We had this Rotary.

It's good to see you. We had this Rotary telephone,

right? We put our finger on the number.

We will roll it all the way over to the cling and then put our

finger in another number. It might have been 3 and it

didn't go as far, but we rolled it every time.

I remember as a child in Glenn doing that.

But but then I remember Braylon. I mean, I was around your age,

right? I was around almost 8 to 10 that

we went from that Rotary phone to a handheld phone.

Oh, are y'all? Are y'all with me?

You you tracking we we, we had that thing and you know it, it

would go but only so far huh. Unless you had, you know, the

corded phone. Y'all know them long cords.

But we had that handheld, you know had that long antenna.

They thought you were somebody. 2000s come in by 2K and all of a

sudden Spritz got this, this this little phone.

I never forget Jennifer Michelle having that phone.

Yeah. And I'm telling you, we thought

we were somebody for real because this one, a car phone,

this 1A Rotary phone. But this this was a cell phone

now, huh? What you talking about?

A cell phone we keep on going from early 2000s to mid 2000s.

We go from from that type of cell phone to to the Motorola

Razor phone. Thank you.

I about forgot the name of it. The rate that's sleek, you know,

slender cell phone. And now they got iPhones and and

praise the Lord, there is no other cell phone.

That's all right. I got plenty of all the night.

Hallelujah to God. No, no, my, my point of, of

proving that and going through that is tech.

There's a technology for every age.

It is still a telephone, right? At the end of the day, it is

still used for communication purposes.

I might have learned how to call using the Rotary phone, but I

can't use a Rotary phone. Oh, come on, open your mouth.

Can't, can't use it right now. What is it going to plug into?

Houses aren't even built for that design and specification.

So. So we got to tap in to the

technology of the day. Thank you for John.

Help me out. Turn to the neighbor.

Turn it. Tap into the technology of the

day. All right, so we got to tap into

the technology of the day. To tap into the technology of

the day. There are some things that we

must recognize and realize. But I, I want to read what I

tell you. Romans 12/1 and two who got it,

read it for me. I beseech you, therefore,

brother, by the mercies of God, that she presents your bodies of

living sacrifice. Come on here.

I love it. Prayer is not just a spiritual

exercise, it's a technology. It's a divine system of

communication, activation and transformation.

Just as technology in the natural world changes, also, we

must be mindful of technology in the spirit realm changes as

well. You ready?

OK, make sure you sit down. I just clicked off my notes.

AW told it says prayer is not preparation for the battle, it

is the battle. Prayer is a fuel for the journey

of life, providing energy, strength and direction.

Whether life brings moments of extreme joy or deep despair,

prayer sustains and empowers us. So questions I want you to think

about tonight. It's who taught you how to pray?

Who taught you how to pray? Kensley, I want you to think

about how do you engage with the technology of prayer

effectively, Effectively, how do you pray?

Well, we got to understand the technology or the functionality

of prayer. You ready?

Number one, it is to be connected to God.

Remember, I say connected to God.

I don't like your voice. Come on, say connected to God.

Connected to God. We've got to establish intimacy

with God. That's that's not connectivity.

Again, we got to establish intimacy with God before we get

deep and heavy tonight you got to establish intimacy with God.

I'm going to say it again before we can go deep tonight, you got

to establish intimacy with God. So when we establish intimacy

with God, check this out, we can then upload requests.

We can then upload requests. How we do that?

We do that through supplication, through intercession, and we

also do that through petition. And this is where we get stuck

sometimes because we upload our request, right?

And after we uploaded, and thirdly, we got to download the

revelation. That's where we receive God's

wisdom, knowledge and instruction.

So we got Bishop Belton tonight. Hallelujah.

And when we do that, then we have to upload the spirit.

That's the renewal, empowerment, transformation.

And then this last piece, that's where I want us really to get.

And that's the transference of power.

That that is where there is an activation of faith, activation

of healing, activation of deliverance of gifts.

Miles Monroe says prayer is the most powerful tool that humanity

has been given to affect the heavens and the earth.

The most powerful tool given to us.

So how do we how do we begin this intimacy with God.

It's through consecration at the very root we on day three of

fasting it's lit. Hopefully you have established

your own regimen, your own thing that you've given up.

It is not me prescribed. This is establishing intimacy

with God. In doing so, we go to Romans

12/1. And two, that you got to present

your body as a living sacrifice. That's a night you will have to

sacrifice your body. The yawns, because they're going

to come, the weariness, the tiredness, it's going to come.

As the Lord knows, I won't be at my bed.

You have to sacrifice it. The hunger, you have to

sacrifice it, right? Let me do so.

Then we put ourselves in position for God to then

download or send back something to us.

That's going to be absolutely great.

So, so let me give you some some components of this technology

tonight that we're going to use. Matthew chapter, chapter 18,

verse 19 and 20, Matthew chapter 1819 and 20.

I'm going to give you a lot of scripture.

Ain't got to flip to it until I tell you I ain't trying to wear

your fingers out quite yet. I believe you.

We got we got a way to go. Matthew 18, I believe 19 and 20.

Thank you, sister Princess, I'm telling you I appreciate you.

It says. And again I say unto you, that

if 2 of you shall agree on earth as touching anything, that they

shall ask, and it shall be done for them of my Father which is

in heaven. For where two or three are

gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.

Is that your Bible said, I heard you turning Second Chronicles,

2 Chronicles 20 · chapter mention

chapter 20, verse 2122. I preached it on Sunday,

preached it on Sunday. And when he had consulted with

the people Jehoshaphat, he appointed singers unto the Lord.

And that should praise the beauty of holiness as they went

out before the army, and to say, praise the Lord for his mercy

endureth forever. And when they began to sing and

to praise, the Lord sent ambushments against the children

of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Sierra, which would come against

Judah, and they were smitten. You ready?

I got two more for you. Psalms 47 and one.

It's one of my favorites. Psalms 47 and one.

Oh, clap your hands, all ye people, shout unto God with a

voice of triumph. Psalm 47 and one.

Acts chapter 1625 and 26. Acts 162526 I'm giving you some

work, kids, that you met me. Acts 162526 says.

And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed and sang praises unto

God, and the prisoners heard them, and suddenly there was a

great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were

shaken. And immediately all the doors

were open and everyone's bands were loosened.

Number one, we got to recognize the power of verbal agreement

and prayer and praise. Tell me out.

Turn to the name and say, neighbor, you got to open your

mouth. Braylon missed it.

Come on one more time. Turn to the name and say, hey,

neighbor, you got to open your mouth.

You got to open your mouth. We have to come into verbal

agreement and prayer and then praise.

Matthew 18, verses 19 to 20 establishes agreement, gives

Matthew 18:19–20

unity in the Spirit. So when we verbally agree in

prayer, we agree by saying, Amen, uh huh.

We agree by saying, yes, Lord, thank you, Clarence.

We agree by saying let it be. So we agree by saying Jesus.

All right. We are spiritually aligning our

faith with God's will when we verbalize together our

agreement. Now I've said this before, but

silence is this is the sound of the enemy.

Whenever there is silence, it is the sound of Satan.

So it is important that we open up our mouth.

It's it's, it's important that we speak up.

Glory to God, thank you, praise them.

Let me tell you another not only does a verbal agreement in

prayer and praise establish unity in the Spirit, but say it

activates the authority of heaven.

That's good right there. It activates the authority of

heaven. And in Jewish tradition,

witnesses were required to establish a legal matter.

So when we agree in prayer, we are bearing witness to the

promises of God. When we say yes, Lord, we are

saying, I cosign, uh huh. Yes, Lord, we say Amen.

Let it be so. Lord, we are literally

activating the authority of heaven on earth.

In the early church, Acts 4 and 24, we find that there they

lifted their voices with 1 accord.

When they lifted their voice with 1 accord, the Bible says

that the place that they prayed in was shaken.

That if we want heaven to kiss earth, if we want this world to

be impacted, we have to verbally agree with God.

Lord, I'm sorry, I feel my help are coming.

That that sometimes we struggle because we say everything except

for what God says. I'm sorry I feel them coming in

the roof and when we don't say but God says then we don't have

the echo of heaven on earth. Can I tell you something?

Thank you. I feel them.

I'm sorry. I issue right now is God has

already spoken, but he's trying to use you and my voice to now

say what he has spoken. But when we do not actually

articulate his word, it gets stuck in between heaven and

earth. So now we struggle with

frustration because God is trying to get a word to the

earth, but we appear. Come on, huh?

I'm sorry. He came in the room on me.

So, so we got to, we got to open up our mouth.

We, we got to verbally say, yes, Lord, it is.

So we got to say, Lord, have your way.

We got to say the Lord is my shepherd.

We, we got to literally open our mouth.

I'm getting ahead of myself, but but we have to say that because

of where we are at currently. Where we at currently.

All right, so I told you, number one, that with the power of

verbal agreement and prayer, one establishes unity in the spirit.

2 it activates the authority of heaven.

But thirdly, it allows for praise to break chains.

It allows for praise to break chains.

Now, the truth of the matter is that you don't praise the way I

praise. I don't brace the way you brace.

But what we have to do is praise.

Can I? Another issue we have, Braylon,

is we don't engage in togetherness verbally or

physically. So it allows our neighbor to

stay in chains. And we don't realize that when

we come together, whether it's in church, at work, at home,

that sometimes your silence is allowing the enemy to reign in

the lives of those around us. I told you tonight, it's just an

intensive for you. So God is charging us tonight,

before we ever get deep into this, to realize we've got a

one. Open up our mouths.

We got to clap those hands. We got to move our bodies.

Because if not, your silence is allowing the suffering of your

neighbor. I'm sorry, OK?

I just want to teach a little bit.

Get set the stage #1 #1 the power of verbal agreement and

prayer. And praise 1 establishes unity

in the Spirit agreement. Agreement 2 activates the

authority of heaven 3 and also finds that praise breaks the

chain. So let's talk about this

clapping thing I told you in Psalms 47 and one.

I love the scripture. Shout unto God with a voice.

Clap your hands, I'm sorry, all your people, and shout unto God

with a voice of triumph. Here we find that clapping is a

weapon of warfare. I'm sorry I'm trying to come

back down since Jack, because I feel I'm all me heavy.

I'm trying to push them back. Clapping is a weapon of warfare.

It is not just something that's going to put a little pain in

between your hands, but clapping is a weapon of warfare.

Let me give you some scripture. Let me give you some scripture.

Second Kings chapter 13, verse 1718 and 19.

2 Kings 13 · chapter mention

Read it on your own time because I got to give the mic up.

My time's almost done. I said 45 minutes an hour, and I

was going to be done with my first one ready.

Second Kings chapter 13 verses 17 through 19 it's it's a good

2 Kings 13:17–19

story. It's an easy 1 you could use it

for your devotion. 1 morning the private the prophet Elisha

instructed the king to strike the ground with arrows

symbolizing victory. Clapping is a prophetic

declaration of triumph. Matter of fact, clapping is not

just for rhythm. It's a spiritual weapon.

The the word for clap is is takah.

I must say, Takah, listen to this.

Say it one more time. I want you to hear taka.

He ain't saying T say taka, she said Taka.

Taka means to strike or drive in.

To strike or to drive in clapping is a prophetic art or

act of striking down the enemy's plants.

So when I said come on, let's clap our hands, it ain't just me

telling you a filler for the service.

That ain't just me to pass some time.

We are literally doing a prophetic gesture.

Every single time we clap our hands, we are striking down the

enemy's plans, right? OK, now let me give you another

one. Clapping is also a sound unto

heaven. Check this out for a reprieve.

Have you ever have you ever you might not might not.

Have you ever been to a show before?

And at the end of the show you think, my lamb, that thing was

good. And you get the clapping and you

clap and you clap and who was on stage comes back on stage.

The our clapping is a repriver for heaven that we literally say

God, encore, encore, encore, do it again, God, do it again, God.

So our clapping is just ain't clap, clap.

No, no, our Clapper is saying do it again, Lord, do it again,

Lord, and strike down the enemy's plans.

Oh my God, ain't that good. OK, I got to move over because I

ain't got but a few minutes left.

Clapping is a weapon of warfare. But then also we got to lift our

voice in warfare. Now the voice is another weapon.

I told you earlier, you open up a mouth, but the voice is a

weapon to silence the enemy. It's it's, it is a weapon to

silence the enemy. Now let me break it back down.

Bring it back down so you can hear me again.

I told you that when you are silent, that is the sound of the

enemy. But check this out.

But when we use our voice, we then silence the enemy.

I ain't got time to go there. I feel them.

But I'm a I'm a leave it alone that we have to use our voice to

then shut down the enemy. Now y'all know like I know

sometimes the enemy, he don't come with a audible sound.

Sometimes he come in a little letter.

Y'all know how that letter can say a whole lot to you so you

got to go and you got to use your sound against that too.

Every those thoughts. Is that not what the word say

that try to come contrary to the word willed way of God.

It's just the cast. We cast it down by speaking the

word thank, thank you. That was I needed that right

there. So we got to use our voice, our

voice. You ready?

Joshua chapter 6, verse 20. Joshua chapter 6, verse 20,

Joshua 6:20 Joshua 6:20

Glory to God. Hallelujah.

Joshua chapter 6, verse 20. Because the text we all should

Joshua 6:20

know, I'll be to you well, the old school be to you Sunday

school. I said it, I thought about it.

That's antiquated Joshua chapter 6, verse 20.

Joshua 6:20

The Israelites shouted and the walls of Jericho fell down.

The sound in the natural caused a shift in the supernatural.

I'm going to say that one more time.

The sound in the natural caused a shift in the supernatural.

But I feel that Randy borders coming on me that sound does not

die. Sound reverbs.

It keeps on going until it can no longer be measured.

I think it was National Geography who had had did this,

this study of sound, and they showed that sound when it is

utilized in the earth, when we give sound, put off sound that

it looks like bounces on the earth, that it almost looks as

if somebody just jumps on the earth.

Can I tell you that every single time, Dickenhauser, you open

your mouth and you give God your sound that physically God can

see your sound? That a prayer.

Oh, I feel like going there, Dick, help me that a prayer that

you might have prayed 10 years ago could be bouncing around you

and God literally sees you. Can I tell you that your sound

is so important that allows God come here because you need some

Bible right? To inhabit, to live in, to

dwell, to step in. Why?

Because your sound allows God to locate you.

Save it me, Bradley, I said your sound allows God to locate you.

So you can't just get caught up in your own self.

I'm sorry, this thing is good. You can't get caught up in your

mind. You got to come out of your mind

and let God come through your mouth.

You in the room. I said you got to get out of

your mind and let God come through your mouth because God's

trying to respond to himself. I'm sorry.

I'm sorry. I'm not the guest tonight, but I

feel his glory. God's trying to come to us and

He's trying to do that through us.

So when we don't allow God through us, we live with this

constant battle that is not ours.

I'm sorry. I just I'll give you the profit

a little later. But but but we live with this

that we should not fight in, we should not deal with because God

loves us so much. So he wants his reflection, He

wants his sound, He wants his essence, his being not to just

be in us, but to come through us.

OK, I'm going to leave it alone. I'm going to give it over.

So we got to lift our voice. We got to clap our hands and we

got to do it together. We got to do it together.

We, we, I'm going to say again, we've got to do it together, not

not just in church, but but your family.

You got to do it together. You're going to have to practice

at the house. We're going to have family time.

We're going to pray. You're going to say Amen.

You're going, we're going to pray.

You're going to say Jesus, you're going to pray, You're

going to say thank you, Lord. I'm a prayer and I'm going to

say thank you, Jesus. I'm a prayer and I'm going to

say, yes, Lord, we've got to get in the habit of doing this if it

is. I mean, literally, I've been

feeling this for a long time. If we do not get in the place of

training and discipling, we will lose more time than we have

living in this earth. I'm sorry.

There's, there's an extreme importance that we allow our

family groups to come back to the point of being trained and

this spiritual warfare tactic of clapping using our voice

together, is that OK? The technology of prayer

incorporates all of this. So when we're praying, it's more

than us closing our eyes. It's more than us using our soft

voice that that, come on, stay with me, that when we pray, we

have to actually engage completely intentionally.

You can't allow something distract you, but you're going

to have to lock in with yourself and with your neighbor.

And when we do that, we are able to get from God immediately what

we need. I know folks are like God don't

speak. He does speak.

The problem is we can't hear him.

Why? Because we in our minds, we in

ourselves. Come home, Dick, Andy, go teach

for me tonight. But we we do, we get stuck in

ourselves and it causes us to lose time.

Time is not who, let me say it's another way.

God is not bound or constrained by time, but he gives time as

you come here, you're ready. He gives time as something for

us to use as a tool. The issue is anything you don't

know how to use becomes a weapon.

So time becomes weaponized in our life and we say Lord, five

years done went by Lord 20 years of no, because we got to learn

how to come in. But they say redeem the time and

that what your Bible say we got to do that.

How do we do that for I got to get myself together.

I'm going to get myself all that together.

You ready to come back in baby now.

So I'm going to go into a short period of prayer.

I want you within yourself to really go to God.

We, we, we got to do some repentance first.

We, we got to 1st go to God and say, Hey, let me get rid of some

of this. I want you to let all that go.

I want you to talk to the Lord for yourself.

Then I'm going to shift in prayer and just go with this the

the Spirit. Thank you for tuning in to the

Rock Hill Baptist Church 2 Podcast.

We pray today's message planted something in your spirit and

gave you the strength to keep growing here at the Rock Hill

Baptist Church 2. We're a growing church and

growth starts with one step. If you're ready to go deeper,

visit us online at www.myrockhill2.org and click

Next Steps to get connected, join a ministry, or give your

life to Christ. Be sure to follow the podcast so

you never miss a message and share this episode with someone

you know is ready to grow too. And remember, no matter what

comes your way, you were built to elevate.

Until next time, walk in purpose, live in power, and grow

in grace.