4 Dangerous Prayers for 2023!

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Bend Church podcast Reverb in church exists to lead all people

to know love and live New Life in Jesus Christ.

We hope that you enjoy this message.

Well, good morning Riverbend Church.

Good morning here in Gainesville and everybody who made it in

through the crazy winner. Again, we had spring a couple

weeks a few days ago now we got winter again and so good morning

to you guys. Oh quit good morning to you.

So, Glad that that you guys are with us today and everybody

online. My name is Joe and I'm the

pastor here and if it didn't get to meet you today, here in

Gainesville, I'd love to meet you.

I know, Pastor Michael would love to meet you if he didn't on

the way in today at Oakwood. And so we're diving into week

four of our series, your will not mine.

And so, this Series has led us through 21 days of fasting and

prayer. Today is day 15?

And if you don't think I'm counting, you better believe

that I am six more days, six more days.

I you know, One thing I've learned is I look back on this

season and I go God, I'm so glad I did that Lord, it was good but

in the middle of it, you're like, whoa, come on now.

It's when you make a commitment of any kinds of the Lord.

I heard some people cutting out sugar, like you're going to

marriage counseling, just because you cut out sugar, you

don't have to go to counseling to get over this crazy.

The things that we've said, God I'm gonna I'm gonna put aside

something in my life that I like her love in order to get more of

you and also that you may have more of me.

And so, here's the thing. Thing.

Next Sunday, we're calling it break through Sunday, we've got

baptisms lined up, people that have gone from Death To Life

over the last several weeks, and they're going to make that

profession in Jesus public through baptism next week.

And so both here and at Oakwood, listen, if you haven't taken

that next step of baptism, what a better day, what better day to

do it? They don't break through Sunday,

January 29th. And so all you need to do, let

us know on your connect card. You can go online and shoot me a

message. There, you can find the baptism

info there or you can catch one of our Masters our staff in the

lobbies on the way out and just say, hey I want to talk about

baptism but we want to loo love to celebrate that with.

You also will be taking the Lord's supper together in all

our services, both campuses next week.

And so we're pressing onto this new year.

And here's what we've said so far in the series 2023, it will

be my best year yet. If I live it under the lordship

of Jesus Christ, not just acknowledging, God, not just

saying Lord. You know, I tip my hat to you.

I do believe in you but saying, God, I'm Already this year to

align myself under your will for my life.

What do you say? What do you want knowing that

that's going to be the most powerful and anointed year that

we can ever have under his lordship?

And so, our best year yet comes from the one who wants more and

better for us than we even know how to want for ourselves.

It really comes down to trusting in this prayer because this

really is a prayer and a statement Jesus, your will not

mind God, I want your will for my life and so what I want to

Here today is what I'm going to call for Dangerous prayers for

2023 and their prayers. That I really believe that if

you'll take this to heart today, you're going to have an outline

in your notes today in that bulletin there on the back.

There's if you take it there's a note guide there and I'd

encourage you to use it. And here's why this is going to

become a private prayer session between you and God at some

point this week. Maybe even every day this week.

And so when I wrote this, I started walking through it

myself and it's been powerful as I have prayed these prayers.

The Lord has started doing some new work in.

In me. And so it's kind of just me

shared my journal with you today, but when I say dangerous

prayers, there's automatically sort of a roadblock when I say,

I'm going to ask you to do something dangerous.

You know why we have conditioned ourselves?

So much to stay away from danger.

You think about, you know what Jeff and we were kids, man?

There's no helmets, no shoes, jump on the bike, you go do what

you want man. Do a backflip - hey try to stay

alive, Plato dark come home, but nowadays it's like got out of

hell. My elbow pad.

No, you gotta take. You can't take the training

wheels off. And listen.

I'm not knocking. I said I get it.

I get it. Like we have to we have to be

safe but sometimes when it comes to God's kingdom, what you'll

find out is our prayers are always like this Lord, just keep

us safe. Where are the prayers?

God call me out into something that I'm scared to death to do.

Where are the prayers? Like God?

I'm so ready to have freedom in life transformation in my life

that I refuse to stay safe with you.

Of course, we want our kids to be safe and I want to be safe,

you know where my seat belt, too.

But I'm just saying, there comes As a point though where I'm like

God call me into something. So big that people are going to

think you're crazy. You're praying dangerous prayers

and so today I hope to convince you of some dangerous prayers

that you can pray, that literally can begin to call you

out. Like Peter onto the water, you

know, there's a story in the Bible.

Peter, Jesus came Walking On The Water.

Peter was in the boat. He was the only one that had the

courage to say Jesus. If it's, you call me out there

in the raging Storm, he didn't say Jesus, just keep us safe in

the boat. He said, help me get out.

And so he Stepped out and he walked on the water.

And so we're going to take this lesson today from a man who

originally prayed dangerous prayers, a lot of them.

And the reason that we know he prayed him as he gave us his

journal, God allowed his journal to actually be inspired part of

the word of God and we call it the book of Psalms.

But if you know what's you've got to know what songs really

is. This the book?

It's David's Journal. King.

David is his name, a journal. He wrote the 23rd.

Psalm the Lord is my shepherd. That's King David.

And here's what God had to say about David, as A young man God

was telling the current King Saul.

He said, you know what, because of your sin, you're not going to

be king anymore but I want you to look at this descriptive

statement about the guy that wrote this dangerous prayer.

He says, Saul your kingdom must send for the Lord has sought out

a man. And here it is, after his own

heart, a man who has the heart of God, who has the desire, like

the heart of God. And so, this is the only time in

scripture where God says that there's a man after my heart of

person after my heart person who wants to know me, Of me and live

a new life. Now, for sure, if you read about

David, he also had a lot of sin. We know about that, but it's

like his prayer life. If you see in his journal, he

constantly put things right size.

He brought himself back to God again.

And again through prayer, he prayed dangerous prayers.

Do you know why? David prayed dangerous prayers?

Because I've read his journal, several times called Psalms.

I read his story if you can find that first second first and

second Samuel but I looked at his story and he prayed

dangerous prayers because that's where true Transformation

happened. He prayed dangerous prayers

because they called him to step out on faith.

And trust God for big things, he prayed dangerous prayers because

they brought him into a deeper knowledge of God.

He got to know, God, more and surrender to God more.

And so today, it's going to come from to short verses in one of

the kind of his journal entries. Psalm 139.

And here's what it says. Search me, o God and know my

heart. Test me and know my anxious

thoughts, man. It's just powerful.

Point out. Anything in me that offends you

And lead me along the path to everlasting life.

So, if you just read through those words in your mind, you

just prayed a dangerous fear, not that they endanger your life

actually, Chris, who's over our technical.

So one of our elders here, he brought it up when I when I

share this message with a staffing said you know, it's

kind of deceptive because you're saying it's dangerous fairs but

really it's prayers that are going to actually lead you where

you want to go. They're not really that

dangerous because they're actually good for you.

But but listen, what I mean date?

Why do I say they're dangerous prayers.

When you pray this prayer, I'm going to break it down into four

prayers. When you pray this prayer, they

don't endanger your life. They endanger your pride.

They don't endanger your life. They endanger your confort.

They endanger the status quo in your life.

Do you know what else? They also endanger?

The secret sins that have been holding us back for a long time.

That's where the danger comes in.

They're dangerous to the enemy, the enemy that wants to strangle

you and choke you back and pull you back and pull you back from

God's best for you. They endanger the enemy and so

when I say they're dangerous fears, they aren't dangerous

peers, not in the way of like they're going to put your In

danger, they're gonna put your pride and comfort in our sin in

danger of losing the battle. So I want to go back through

these four prayers here. David first said this, he said,

God search me. And know my heart.

So here's the first dangerous prayer.

Three Little Words search my heart.

Search my heart. Lord.

Psalms also tells us that we should be still and know that he

is God. And when you put these two

things together that you're being still in the presence of

God and you're praying a prayer and then you're listening,

you're praying a prayer and you're not talking to God after

that, you're saying one thing in here, search my heart and then

you just pause before the Lord and let him start speaking.

You want to know if God speaks to you I dare you to get along,

put distractions aside get into a place.

Say these three words sincerely from your Your heart to the

heart of God. And then listen.

Listen to what the Lord may say to you or reveal to you.

When David said search my heart. What kind of search was he

talking about? Well, this week, I told you a

couple weeks ago, according got me are pods for Christmas and I

loved it because I listen to podcast, you know, working out

you can tune things out a little better, but I had one in my ear

and we were sitting in my truck and I'm not real good with them.

Like, they fall out of my ears. Sometimes it felt to me or down

between the seats. So we get out of the truck, we

go around, she's on her side. I'm I'm digging them.

I'm not going anywhere till I find this thing.

I just got it so we're digging all.

I couldn't find anywhere. Took everything out of the

backseat. I let the sea.

Seat back and forth. I mean I'm looking everywhere

and I cannot find the searching searching searching.

And so I'm like it didn't fall out the door, look under the

truck where we open the doors. And so I take my phone light and

it starts shining all around down in between the seats.

And I all of a sudden I catch a glimpse of the little shiny

piece, a little metal piece on the end.

It was reflecting. It was about 18 inches down in

this little cylinder plastic cylinder, right beside the seat

belt. And so I looked up online, how

to get to that? You got to take the Over seat

out and take the side of the center console off to get to it.

It's so I call Aaron, I called are Mulliken and because I, he's

got a bunch of tools that I was wondering, if maybe had like a

little claw tool or something that I could and he goes no but

you may be able to get it with a magnet.

So sure enough I went and I got one of those, telescoping

magnets. And I like fed at all the way

down in there and I just happened to pull out.

Barely got it back out, so there there it is, that's the second

time. I've dropped him in my truck and

couldn't find him by the way, but that time was crazy.

And so when I, when I thought David said, search my heart I

think he's talking about search like Joe was searching for his

lost are R-pod he wasn't giving up on it.

He was going to go get the magnet.

Listen, some of us, we need to let God take a telescoping

magnet to our heart and go down there and pull out some stuff

that he hadn't dealt with in a long time.

Come on, get on down in the god, listen, I'm good, I'm good Lord.

But no no search me God, get the magnet out on me.

God and go down in there and see if there's anything you need to

pull up that we hadn't talked about in a while.

Something you want to set me free from that I hadn't been

free from, let me give you a question to help you reframe

this search here. What is going on inside me?

Even if it doesn't make it outside me, this hurt my

relationship with God or hurting your relationship with your

spouse or your friends, or the people around you, what's going

on inside. And here's the argument just

because it's once it starts going on inside of you,

eventually it will make it outside of you.

I would I should have said that hap made it outside of me yet.

That is hurt my relationship with God, because think about

it. Where does where does sin start?

It starts in our heart, doesn't it didn't always come out in our

hands and our feet and our words, it starts in the heart.

Lust lust hides in the hearts and starts in the heart and it

also hides in the heart lust will hide in the heart and see,

God doesn't want us just to look good on the outside.

He wants to deal with that, inner hurt, and that inner pain

that's inside of us in that inner sin.

Battle that so he wants to help us in that struggle, anger,

hides in the heart, you can smile and tell everybody else.

Everything is Okay, nothing, nothing man, I'm fine today.

I'm having a good day and you can be raging inside rage hides

in the heart unforgiveness hides in the heart.

And I'm not saying this to send but we know this to be true past

hurt, and Trauma can also hide in the heart and be impacting

your entire life right now. And so Jesus was serious about

what was going on inside of your heart.

Look what he says a person who produces good things from the

treasury of a good heart of Treasury of a good heart.

And a person, produces evil things from the treasury of an

evil. Heart treasury's, Like,

overflow, overflow of my heart. What you say, flows from what is

in your heart. And on Jesus, Just Dropped a

Bomb here. What he says is if things are

making it out of your mouth then there's something deeper to them

because you know, sometimes people say things and they said

well I didn't mean what I said. I'm not saying we don't misspeak

sometimes but if it's a repetitive thing something that

just keeps going. It's not just a misspeak.

There's something in the heart and I'm not saying we should

point the fingers at everybody else you know where we need to

point to first right here this guy.

If there's something that keeps coming out of my mouth this

dishonoring God maybe Unholy language may be hating on

people, maybe. Cutting people down, eventually

you got to turn the gun and go, you know what?

It's not just, it's not just how I was raised.

It's not just me. Miss speaking, I got some heart

issues that I need God to deal with.

Do you know what sin does that hide in the living room and

kitchen of our hearts? Either it hides, an unfinished

basement and the dark closets. You know why?

I want, I don't want it to be exposed and so this is a

dangerous prayer. Lord search my Heart.

You know why? It's dangerous because you let

the holy spirit in and he's going to start working on you,

he's going to start bringing conviction, you haven't felt in

a while. He's going to call you to

confession and repentance and maybe even call us to Freedom.

So it's a transforming prayer, especially when we act on it.

So I dare you to play pray this prayer, this week.

If your pastor can, they are you and that's okay.

I dare you to get before the Lord in a quiet, place for a few

minutes, and go God search, my heart, searched my heart.

Now here's the thing. Once you do that, the spirit of

God won't force you to change. He invites you to change, it

gives you the power and authority, you need to change,

but he never ever forces you. Why?

Because he invites us, you know, this is, this is how the Holy

Spirit works. Works on us too.

We pray, this prayer. God begins to reveal things and

then, he allows us to walk and leave the oldest behind and step

into the new. You, it's a little bit at the

time, God knows we can't handle it.

All at one time, he gives us his Spirit.

Immediately, there's a new me living inside of me, because his

spirit is there, but now I've got a walk that out every day

and sometimes you feel like you went backwards, not forwards

some days but you get back up again and you walk for it again

and go God keep searching my heart.

Here's the second prayer. Test my mind.

Test my mind. Now there's a lot that I don't

like about this prayer. I actually have become more

comfortable with Lord, search my heart.

Then test my mind, Two reasons. One, the mind is where a lot of

crazy stuff goes on. I know.

None of y'all think crazy thoughts and you don't have bad

soundtracks in your head. Sometimes about yourself or

about the world around you or about your pastor about your

regret. But listen, sometimes that beats

me up and I don't know if I want to let God in on what's going on

in my mind even though he's already there.

But also to say, Lord, test my mind, there's already so many

mental health struggles, the enemy right now.

I really believe this. It is a, it is one of the

tactics of the enemy demonic attack, over the minds of God's

people. It's fine.

Your heart can belong to God, but it's almost like, don't give

him your mind though. Don't let the Lord in your mind.

Because Lord forbid, he may come in and start wanting to heal

that and rewire some things and ask you to change some things

and get some counseling and deal with some of the things that

have been that you've been you're wrong.

Wrong thought patterns, you've been dealing with the see

David's prayer. Here gets to the root of the

mental struggle. Look what he says.

Lord test me and know my anxious thoughts.

He gets very specific test me and know my anxious thoughts.

Do you know why this is a hard prayer because you're asking God

to test you. Nobody, I know loves to think

about that. I did.

God, will you just test my mind today?

Come on Lord, bring your test. I saw a meme and it made me

think about it. Some of you felt like this, this

last year me calling God to make sure I'm not on his strongest

Warriors list again in 2023. I saw this week is some people

told me when we're going into this fast and New Year, they

were like, listen, Joe 2022. God tested me.

Plenty, I'm not praying this. I'll pray search my heart, but

I'm gonna skip to the third period because I'm not praying

that one. Test me, Lord.

But look, what he was praying, though.

He was praying about anxious thoughts worries.

You know what? That gets at that gets it places

in our lives where we're not, trusting God.

So, here's the question. What worry Have I made bigger

than God in my life? Life.

King David had plenty to worry about you, go read his story.

Here's what you'll find out. He lived at War almost his

entire life. He lived at War either somebody

was gonna attack him or he had to go attack somebody when he

was a young man. God anointed him to be the king

and then for 15 years he pretty much was on the run from the

current King King Saul running for his life.

You lived on the run for that long and he'd actually done.

Nothing wrong. This guy was an evil guy that

was just after him at the end of David's life.

One of his sons tried basically Roku and tried to overtake the

kingdom. And so even at the end of his

life, it ended in total chaos, and War.

And so David constantly had reason to worry and yet here he

says, Lord will you test my anxious thoughts?

Show me where I'm not trusting you God, where have I made my

worries bigger than my God see this is the crazy thing.

We trust that we have a God who that when we die and our body is

here and our spirit is gone. We trust that he's going to take

us to heaven. But we don't trust that he's

bigger than whatever we're worried about currently many

times. Do we?

God, I know you going to take me to heaven when I die.

But do you really care about my day to day?

And he does see, this is dangerous prayer, invites the

Holy Spirit to search our minds and point out.

Where am I? Not trusting you God.

That's what David was getting at.

God, I'm probably overlooking some things.

Where am I? Not trusting.

You remember what Paul said about worry?

Philippians 4. He said this don't worry about

anything and that statement always ticks me off because I

love it. Don't you just love it when

you're Stressed out and people say hey don't worry.

You just want to go like give a little smack real quick.

It means nothing. Right it's empty words.

Don't wear hey hon, don't worry about that.

Do you know? That makes no sense but here's

what happens. Paul gives us what to do here

instead. Pray about everything, tell God

what you need, it's okay. God welcomes our prayers.

We've used this in our prayer, service God, welcomes.

Our prayers. He wants you to tell him.

Your needs. So when we say I'm praying, your

will not mine. That doesn't mean that I can't

pour my desires out to the Lord. He welcomes that.

He says, tell God what you need. But then also, here's part of

our prayer life. Thank him for what he has done.

And by the way, gratitude in prayer time will change your day

completely. Another challenge.

I'll give th not part of the dangerous prayers.

Another challenge. I'll give to you.

Start your journal or start your prayer time with his many, good

things from your past. As you can remember that God has

done for you before you worry about the worries of the day.

Thank God for everything he's already done.

I kind of like to do this backwards first, thank God and

then tell him what I need because he gets my mindset.

A lot of times it says that then you're going to experience God's

peace which exceeds anything we can understand.

And this is I love this verse because it's in the midst of

anxiety, it doesn't say he has to remove what we're anxious

about. We don't have to be healed from

our anxiety, to find his speech right in the middle of it.

He can speak peace right over you right in that moment and

sure you may have to go out and keep working on, whatever's

making you anxious and get to the root of it and dig down and

get some help and get a prayer counselor and get some friends

around you. But but the truth is Is God can

speak peace. That is separated from

circumstances. And it says his piece is going

to guard your hearts and Minds as you live in Christ.

Jesus. So let me give you in short what

Paul was saying here. If you will let worry prompt you

to prayer, you'll find peace there if you'll let Worry Be

Your prompt to prayer, what do we usually do?

When we worry where we start thinking about more things that

could go wrong and we just fixate on it.

So one of the rewiring our brains thing that I think David

had learned to do and God wants To do every time we feel

worried, let that prompt us to pray to the God who can change

it. One of the things that I've

started to do over the years, I've done this several times.

When I find myself really stressed and worried whether

it's about family ministry, sometimes the agenda just seems

so long. Like, God, how am I going to get

everything done and start worry where he just builds up,

anxiety, can come from that, but I'll make a list sit down and

make a list of everything you're worried about.

One thing I've learned is you SLI not as long of a list as I

thought it would be. I thought I could fill up a page

and really it's like three or four things maybe five or six

things at the most shot, I write down what I'm worried about and

then I look at the things that would never happen.

Look at the things and go. You know what that that's never

happened to me before. It's probably never going to

happen to me. And so, I just got to give that

to the Lord. And then look at what you have

left on the list, Circle, the things on my list is what I do.

I Circle the things that I have control over, God has given me

some Authority and control in my life.

The things I'm worried about that, I Do something about.

I'm going to prepare for that. I'm going to work on that.

I'm going to work towards eliminating that worried by

being prepared and then there's another thing on the list.

There are things that are out of your control.

It's not that they're not important.

Like sometimes, you know, when you know my going to get in a

car wreck if some going to happen to me that's out of my

control, I can be safe and I can be wise but there's so many

things out of my control you know what you have to do with

those trust. Those to the Lord that loves you

more than, you know how to love yourself and then you can move

on with your day sometimes with a And full of things that you

can do something about, let me give you the third dangerous

prayer here. Here it is reveal.

I want to tell you what, the first to everybody's going to be

okay with these. This one right here, I hate.

I honestly sometimes in my flesh.

I hate this. One reveal.

My sinful actions. Mmm.

He's here. What here's what David said,

here's how it translates out. Look at look what he said.

Point out anything in me that offends.

You who that's a strong prayer, get quiet before the Lord and go

God, will you point out anything in me that offends?

You I really believe that this may be one of the keys to

Revival in the church and by Revival.

I mean us being fully experience of the Holy Spirit completely

filled with his Spirit completely led by his spirit.

I believe that prayer point out anything in me, that defends you

an older translation of this says Lord show me my evil ways.

That's where I get the Deeds, the action piece is looking at

the language here. Lord, reveal my sinful actions.

I don't think David was praying about a sin that he was aware

of. I don't think he was currently

living in, you know, sexual sin, or living with unforgiveness

openly and just saying, God will you just show me?

I don't think it was a blind eye like that.

I think David had already confessed, he wasn't coming to

the Lord playing dumb. I think what he was saying is

God, Is there any sin that I'm not aware of in my life?

See what if there's something holding you back in your prayer

life and you don't even realize it anymore.

Let me give you a question to help.

You think about this prayer Dua, have a sin blind spot in my

life. You know, when you're driving

down the road and you gon pass, or you going to, you know,

Interstate for changing lanes, every vehicle has some sort of

blind spot even with the cameras and all the technology in the

blind spot mirrors. It seems that there are still

still some blind spots as far as where we can't see and you just

can't see everything around. And so the deal with blind spots

is, you can't know that they're there.

B looking. You just have to assume that

they're there. I just assumed Are there and I

thought about this, we would be better, spouses friends,

Brothers and Sisters in Christ and neighbors.

If we started with the assumption that I probably have

a blind spot that I'm not aware of in my life.

Think about that for a minute. What if you?

And I just decided every morning we woke up before the Lord God.

I know that I think I'm doing pretty good today and I'm not

going to live in the glooms today, but I will say this got I

probably have a sin blind spot. Will you reveal that to me?

I need God and I need others to help me at times.

So many relationships are separated out, so many families

are torn apart because of sin, blind spots, and people

unwilling to pray this prayer. God, do I have a blind spot?

Lord, search me and reveal my sinful actions.

So what are blind spots? You know, the first thing that

blind Sparks are blind spots. Are there things that you are

ignorant to you just don't know it.

You don't know that. God's word says, you shouldn't

do that. You don't know that God's word

says you should be doing something.

And so you just live in in a way, maybe hurting yourself and

hurting hurting others and don't realize it.

And so this is where we have to get.

So intentional about opening, God's word and saying, God, I'm

not coming to your word with my own thoughts, I'm coming to your

word, to let it speak to me, you speak truth into me.

Also, you can ask a trusted friend and I get that.

This is hard because it has to be somebody that, you know,

loves you and they don't have an agenda.

You cannot ask somebody that has an agenda in your life to this

question. Do I have a blind spot but you

need somebody. If you really want to step into

all God has for you in 2023, you need a brother, a sister,

somebody who cares for you enough?

And you know, they don't have an agenda they actually just want

good for me and get in a quiet place with them and just go

listen, you see my life. You kind of see my behind the A

little bit. Is there any blind spots that

you see that I may not be aware of?

No, you got to be careful because that is a painful

question, right? That's why there has to be

trust. There has to be love between the

people. You could go to a counselor and

I may not be a bad thing. If you tell them your story and

go. Hey, do you see any blind spots?

What am I missing here? And that's a question that I've

asked my counselor before is there at what am I missing here.

But the second thing is not things, you're ignorant.

To is things that you've become callous to, that's a blind spot.

And what I mean by that, you You used to feel the pain of Sting

of conviction, when you send to get Scott in that area.

But then over time, you just kept pushing the Holy Spirit

off, push it all, sing God, I'm good, I'm good.

And then eventually even though the Lord wants to convict you

and free you of something, it's become sort of a pet that you're

just Catalyst to you, don't, you don't feel the sting anymore.

And so we have to get to a point where we're going, I'm not

looking to social media or what's popular to get fed.

Because I may be calloused I need to go back to God and say,

God, what do you say? I need people who love me and I

need to be humble enough to lay down my pride and let somebody

in and say, hey what have I become callous to in my life?

I really believe that can lead to a lot of transformation.

You need to be careful. Let the spirit lead you if

that's a person but you know if you're married in the room I may

be a question for your spouse. And again you got to have trust

and love. Y'all are supposed to be for

each. Working on your marriage all the

time. And so it may be a good question

to ask in the right situation but see we have to have the help

of the Holy Spirit and someone who loves us to lay aside pride

and listen. So why in the world would we go

through dangerous prayers? Like this?

Why? Because it's the path to

Freedom, that's why sometimes sin can even limit our prayers.

Did you know, that specifically in how we treat the people

around us of our sin is overflowing the people around

us, first Peter, Peter Talking about husband and wife

relationship sand. Here's what he said.

I read it to you because what he was saying, he was saying,

sometimes husband's you're praying.

And God is not working in your prayers because of how you treat

your spouse. Look at this.

He said you should treat her as you should.

So your prayers will not be hindered in that crazy thought

that God cares. So much about how you treat the

people around you about, whether there's blind spots and calluses

whether you're ignorant, some things you need to be doing and

it doesn't have to just be your spouse.

I think it could be. How do you in your circle?

Maybe God's. Your prayers are being hindered

because of how you've been treating the people around you

and you need help. Show me you need to pray the

prayer with David. God show me pointed out.

I want to be holy. Here's the last prayer, though.

The last piece of this and it piece.

It's really simple. Lead me to New Life leaving two

new life. Look what, look what David said

here. He said lead me along the path

to everlasting life, and he wrote this before, For Jesus

walked on the earth before he went to the Cross, before he

ascended. Before, he poured out the spirit

and really the church age was burst.

This was before that. So everlasting life would have

been understood as a path in this world.

That was going to lead you to be with Jesus forever leads you to

be with God forever, everlasting life for us.

So, we know it doesn't start in heaven.

It starts the moment we surrender ourselves to Christ,

that's where New Life Begins. So the prayer prayer like this.

It's not just the Lord lead me to Heaven one day.

It's a I know that you want to transform my life on this Earth.

Before I ever get to heaven, you may want to change somehow, I'm

speaking change what's going in my heart, and in my mind, and in

my relationships, and in my actions, I know you want to

change that. Jesus is so Lord.

Will you lead me to New Life and say we can't pray a prayer like

that unless we're willing to put our feet in it, unless we're

willing to put our shoes on and say God I don't want to be so

prideful to think that I've got it, all figured out, Lord I

don't, here's what Paul said to the church at Corinth.

Anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person.

The old life is gone or another way to think about that.

The old life has passing away and the new life has begun.

Ever thought about this. God wants you to live New Life,

probably for every single one of us, there's an old habit or an

old tendency or there's some trauma in your past or some pain

from how you were raised or something you've been through.

And you're just assuming that it's this.

How you got to live the rest of your life?

I look at the scripture, I believe God wants to make you

new but I don't think you can find the newness without praying

these other prayers. God search me, test me reveal

myself. To me and Lord lead me into New

Life. See it's still a choice to

follow the leading. Once we pray for leading, we

have to say, God, I'm gonna put my yes on the table just like

Isaiah. I'm not going to wait until you

tell me what I'm supposed to do. Lord, I'm gonna put my yes on

the table now. So can I give you a question

here? Oakwood.

Can I give you this question this morning?

Where is Jesus calling you to leave some old knee behind and

live New Life? What is the area that you still

been holding back from God? And listen, I know I'm harping

on this because the Lord just goes to show, take it back to

him again. Take it back to him again.

There's still some people that haven't got freedom, that God

wants them to give God wants them to get it.

Maybe the freedom has it come because you've never surrendered

your life to Christ and, you know that he's calling you

today. Listen, there is a God that

loves you in spite of everything you've ever done.

He loves you. He desires to give you new life.

He doesn't want you to have to live.

Live with the pain of loneliness, separated from him

anymore, you don't have to get your act together, you don't

have to change yourself to come to him.

All you need to do is surrender to him and maybe New Life can

start for you today. But what area of your life, have

you been holding back on the Lord and during this 21 days, my

prayer has been God search, our hearts and our minds and

revealed our sin and help us confess and repent lead us to

New Life. When we get on the other side of

January may we be walking in more new life than we ever had

before the new life? Me the anointed me the as God

intended me to be version of me. I wrote this in my journal at

some point. And I didn't write it for you.

I would think about a message. When I wrote it, I was writing

it to me. But here's what I wrote many

times. The only thing standing between

you and that was Joe between you Joe and your best year yet, is

the decision to act on what the holy spirit is prompting you to

do. Will you bow with me across the

room Oak? What I want you to stay with me.

Bow with me, if you lose focus, when you bow your head, you can

just keep looking at me right now because we're not done yet.

So I want you to hang with me, hang with me right here.

Here. What is the holy spirit prompted

you to do? But you've been pushing back

against it. What area of surrender or what

prayer of search me? Reveal it Lord.

What confession prayer? Do you need to pray?

Where is God calling you to act? But you've been holding back and

listen. Today is the day, maybe for you.

It's time to surrender your life to Jesus Oakwood.

Maybe it's time your God, brought you right there where

you are to surrender your life to Jesus Christ today, because

that is the next step. And maybe you already know that

you've got wrong and you need to be forgiven but you want to

experience his new life. Listen, if you're here in

Gainesville, if you're there at Oakwood, I want you to pray this

prayer, if that's you and you go, Joe, I'm ready to experience

New Life. Pray it from your heart, to the

heart of God. Just say this Jesus today, I

Surrender my life to you. I'm asking you to save me and

forgive me. And give me new life that you

promised. Just tell him say you're my

Lord. I'm going to let you be the boss

in my life, the best. I know how from this day

forward. I'm ready to follow you.

Let me just tell him. Thank you.

Jesus, for saving me. Amen.

Listen, if that was you. I want you real quick before we

move forward. Just raise your hand if that was

you today. He said Joe, that was me.

I just did that. Thank you anybody else?

Hear you? Say come on John.

I did that. Just thank you.

I see you. Anybody else?

Praise You Jesus. Awesome.

Listening for you guys. I would love to celebrate with

you Oakwood. We love to Celebrate Pastor.

Michael, would you surrendered your life today?

Here's what I want for the rest of us.

We're going to turn this into just prayer session down in the

front here in an oak wood to its.

So I don't want you to feel like you got a hold back today.

If the spirit has prompted you on something, I want to ask you

to let a prayer begin the rest of your week.

And what I mean by that come to a place.

If you're physically able, you can come sit on the front.

You can come kneel at the front and begin to pray about the

things that the Lord wants to bring new life to you in.

In these areas. I want to pray for you and I'm

Invite you to respond to Jesus. Thank you for salvation today.

Thank you for these dangerous prayers that endanger our pride

in our sin and our old cells. And God I'm asking you even now

Lord, help us respond in obedience to you today.

Lord, reveal it. That we make forsaken confess it

in Jesus name. Will You Stand Together

everywhere? Oakwood stand.

Come on down as the band Legion since morning.

Thank you for listening to the river.

Bend Church podcast. Learn more about who we are as a

church and how to connect, you can head over to our website for

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