Prayer | Pr. Matthew Chang

You're listening to a message to go from acts Church.

We hope this message will light up your tea.

And I'm gonna share a bit about especially about the

topic of prayer, and I'm gonna maybe take a different angle.

I'm assuming that most of you also have you know, uh,

try to instill a prayer full life, you know, but

they are sometimes they are up and downs, and there

are some challenges. Maybe you've done it for a few

years away, and there are some thoughts and some things

that you also like to answer. And also look to

the Bible in terms of like what does the Bible

teach about a prayer, How should we approach prayer, want

some of the challengers as well, and how we can

enter into prayer with a new, fresh, new perspective as well. Okay,

so turn with me to look chapter ten. Okay, look

chapter ten. It's a unique passage to talk about prayer.

Look chapter ten, verse thirty eight to verse forty too

familiar by unique passage. Okay, some slides and I'm going

to read here from verse thirty eight and the title

is very familiar. He says, Mary and Martha worship and

serf ooh, I thought it's about prayer, you talk about serving.

Oh haha, okay, let's connect. Okay, So verse thirty eight

it says, now it happened as they went that he

entered a certain village, and a certain woman named Martha

welcomed him into her house. And she had a sister

called Mary, who also sent at Jesus' feet and heard

his word. But Martha was distracted with much serving, and

she approached him and said, Lord, do you not care

that my sister has left me to serve alone?

Therefore tell her to help me. Okay?

And Jesus answered and said to her Martha, Martha, you

are worried and troubled about many things, but one thing

is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part which

will not be taken away from her.

Amen.

Now, when you how many, you're familiar with this passage?

Very familiar? Okay, So when you go first, go through

this passage, right, what's the first thing that comes into

your mind? So being so, what about serving? This one

means you know, maybe someone of you like it? Really,

I got someone who asked me to told me it

means a tour. You know, we just come and listen enough, Rediah,

like I think you're gonna give headache out to our

you know, our leaders. You, Oh my goodness, nobody's gonna

sell nobody, who's gonna do worship? Ready, communion? You gotta

help yourself out. Got everybody, go to everybody, go to family,

mine and by by, get your own rabina and get

your own and not break ready to just listen. How

but is that what it actually means? Ah see? Actually

this is a very very interesting passage. Okay, Now I

want you to I wanted to ask a few questions

and I want you to answer. Okay, So the first

question is who is Martha really upset with? Okay, it's

not a trick question. Who was Math really upset with?

Let me hear some candidates, anyone Okay, the husband says Jesus.

The wife said Mary. Okay, okay, okay, okay. There's there's

there's a lot of dynamic there. There's deep man, there's

deep man. There's a whole thing. I'm fact there. So

some I want to say, Jesus want to say, Mary,

How many of you saying Mary, Mary, Mary, Mary?

How many of you say Jesus? Oh, don't dare to

say that Jesus? Shy lah.

Anyone else any other candidate herself. This is some Christopher

Northern stuff.

You know.

This is the layer after another layer, going deeply and

deeply into the rabbit hole. Man, it was like, I'm

not I'm not angry if anyone. I'm angry with myself.

It's like you fight with your spouse and I'm not

angry with you.

I'm angry with myself. There's a deep stuff.

And wow, but if you look at it, who was

Matha really really upset with? And let's look at the

let's let's let's look at the verse. Right. He says

here that Lord, do you not care that my sister

has left me to serve alone? There's a loaded sentence.

You know. The sister is there. She was the one

who invited Jesus. Again, Matha invited Jesus. And it's every

it is a totally acceptable custom for every host who

invites a guest right to serve them like king.

True.

Now, and we don't know that serving is not just

getting yourself busy. It's serving is like worship, okay, and

anyways does and she does so she noticed that she

noticed notices that the sister is not helping, and Jesus

is not helping also, and there's the problem sister is

not helping and Jesus is not helping the situation as well.

So initially it's very It starts off, of course, Martha

getting upset with Mary, but then another reality sets in

why the reality is not just Mary is not helping.

Jesus is clearly in the house, Jesus is clearly aware

of what is happening. Jesus knows what Mary is doing.

Jesus knows what Martha is doing, and Jesus, I'm pretty

sure it is familiar with which at what territory, at

what status or emotional roller coaster that Martha is going

through right now.

Okay, she's right, and yet Jesus.

She felt that Jesus was non responsive and that creates frustration.

And then what that frustration she felt It reveals it

is that I know to serve alone and all don't.

So she feels like, first of all, Martha is not helping,

and then the second thing is Jesus doesn't care. Okay,

Mary is not happy, Jesus doesn't care, and I'm alone.

Three things tell me of you for familiar Sometimes when

you pray, when you ask God, and when you serve

and you feel these three things. People are not helping,

God doesn't care, and I'm alone, true eno, And all

these are happening while Jesus is still in the house.

Jesus is right in front of you, and these can

come out. You know, nobody cares about me, and God

doesn't care about me, and my family doesn't care about me,

and I'm all alone in this. I'm going to be

left with the leftovers of life. True, it sounds it

things because these are a lot of times, a lot

of these things haunts a lot of us. Why do

you think sometimes people don't want to, sir, don't want

to volunteer, hesitate and everything. You know why because the

same thought is in everybody's thoughts, and it can happen

right in the house of God. Even Jesus appears in

front of yourself. I tell you it can happen as well.

You get me right, It's so real. And then you

know what happens after that? What happens after that? You

see when you frustrated that there's a few options, when

you know, but Martha chose the nuclear option. You know,

she chose to press the nuclear button. You know what's

the nuclear button? And not tell Jesus what to do

that she didn't tell Mary. You know, she tells Jesus

to tell Mary.

You know, ah, this is king man.

You tell Jesus himself, you know, because your frustration is

boiling over now you read this possition that when you

fresh like you realize it not you will do dare

to say it to your spouse, you know, to your

sister is not happen. You tell your mother to tell

the sister unrecognizable read know. See she was so upset

and she and her understanding, her relationship with Jesus U

in this circumcept has been so tense and Sow you know,

went through such a fire and trial that she decided

she she concluded she's alone. She concluded she needed to

take charge and that includes telling Jesus what to do

because I think God doesn't really care, because he cares,

he wouldn't leave me like em. And that's the that's

the sad thing. You know a lot of times when

we come into our prayer, and prayer is not just prayer,

you know, prayer is a is the demonstration and the

what they call it, uh, this is the demonstration of

your inner understanding and relationship of God. You get what

I'm saying, No, it is. It is a manifestation and

the demonstration of your the strength of your relationship and

the accuracy of your relationship with God. If it's not strong,

you willn't really pray one. It's just not worthwhile it's

true or not. It's true or not, you won't really

bother one and not because your vision of whether God cares,

whether God can, whether God is willing, whether God is

angry or not. It's not stable or not, you wouldn't

bother doing that one or not, you know what I'm saying. Not.

And so because of that, we see that Jesus comes

in and does something. And a lot of times I

want to tell you that before God answers your prayer,

before God gives you your provision, and a lot of

times so called peace, right, there's one thing he does

first before anything else. I will even say that a

lot of times when we pray, right, we want peace.

The world wants peace. You know, don't shake things up,

don't offen, don't do anything. But before all this piece

was the one thing that you need to have first.

What is more important? What is more pre eminent than peace? Anyway?

Why is more important than peace? No, truth, Truth is

more important than peace because without truth you cannot have

real peace. I'm saying you no real peace. God will

never short change you, to give you a fake peace,

to let you build your peace on something else rather

than the truth, because the truth will set you free.

And that's what I'm saying, not more than anything else.

So when you understand truth, then you understand what is

of truth value, what is worth fighting for, then your

peace will build on that. If you just pursue peace

at any other course, even at the course of truth,

you're building on something that cannot cannot stand on. I'm saying, no,

peace is more important than truth, is more important than

any anything else. You see in this situation. What did

Jesus do He reveals, He provides revelation. He provides truth

into the situation of Martha. He didn't say, oh, math Mater,

oh okay, I tell Mary right not to help you

right now, keep the peace.

Or anything's already No.

No. God uses every situation, every frustration, as a teaching point.

What does he do?

He reveals? What does he reveal? Math Mother?

And the revelation is you are worried and troubled about

many things. That's the first revelation. The second revelation is

but one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that

good part which were not taken away from What did God?

What did Jesus just reveal? Jesus reveal what is eternal?

So how can you have peace without knowing what is eternal?

That is why truth is more important than anything else,

you know what I'm saying. Now, A lot of people

the world will ask you the key peace, peace, but

not a lot of times the pursuit of truth can

sometimes actually will go past the path of being offensive

as well. You get men, right, you want to please everybody?

Oh no, no, no, no, no no no. Truth is more

important than anything else. I am the way, the truth

and the life. Yeah, I'm saying, you know, peace and

the way, the peace and the life.

No, no, no, the truth and the life.

There are many people who will tell you many ways,

but Jesus is the way because he tells the truth.

And we know he tells the truth because he is

the only one who is reason back to life. Ah,

because it's not then then it's actually one full sentence. Now,

I am the way because there are many ways, but

I am the way because I tell the truth. And

you know I tell the truth because everyone who died

remained that I came to life. Ah, you see what

I'm saying. I don't just tell you that, just don't

claim I demonstrate I tell the truth, because only the

one who reasoned from the dead can can tell you

that that I am the truth. I'm saying, No, I

cannot tell you about London unless I've been to London

and back.

Before you get what I'm saying.

Everybody can talk about describe London, but they've never been

to London and come up about. But I tell you

I've been to London and I come back. I tell

you how it looks like. You know, I'm saying, Jesus

has the credentials and the authority to say it that

where I am the truth, then that I am the way.

You know, you read it forth and you read it

back as well. Now, this is a very important understanding

when we come into what they call it prayer as well. Okay,

prayer is about that this this this uh, you know,

this relationship and uh, And what I'm saying is that

this relationship and also you will realize that when you

enter into prayer. You will hit certain roadblocks, you know,

maybe I can go into the next light, next one,

next one. Okay. Sometimes we say things like, hey, prayer

is a luxurier. Prayer is for pastors and elders because

they work full timer. Someone asking me, hey, they found

out there I'm a pastor. No I play basketball. Wana,

Oh Matt, you're a pastor. I heard from people say

yeah yeah. I was like, yeah, said oh you are,

you're a pastor? Do you know pastor? So ghanas want

you know? I was like, what does that mean? He's like, yeah,

you can imagine us, like what this guy, big guy

running down you know, grabing rebound and stuff like that,

is a pastor, like you know, competitive and Ghana whoa.

Then he asked me, oh, so what do pastors do?

So you get I mean, I'm sure some of you

are probably asking like what do pastors do? I So,

I just see in one corner and I pray. You

think I'm a mak, you think I'm a you think

I'm a monk and a saint. And then there's a

special corner for me there, you know, the right Then

they think I then he's called the corner. Right now

they think yeah, they have a perception like there, oh,

I got nothing to do one. You know, we've got

things to do, okay, because things tend why now, so

they're not so prayers for pastor wana. That's why when

I come the church, he better pray for me.

Okay.

Ah, so you know I got kids, I got business

to run.

You know, a prayer is a luxury. You don't have time.

And then sometimes when you pray also and you know

you're resting, if your conscience say, hey, I want to

pray for my business. I want to pray for this,

but then part of me, my conscience doesn't seem to

fully agree or it's not settled. Am I asking a

good thing or not? I feel like a spoiled kid

in it. You know what I'm talking about? Anyone you

know or you know you know what I'm talking about?

You know you know you know something. It's something your

heart is not setle. It's not food.

It's like you eat something but not fully digested.

You know you know what I mean? Right? And you're

not really not to really pray and ask yourself if

this is something that you know God wants me to

pray about, it's something that I should ask, and because

of that, your confidence is taken, your competent is stolen.

And then because of that you also because you never

process it properly, properly right, you have an incomplete understanding

and picture of God. You may be thinking that God

must be angry with Mila. God must be very frustrated

with Mela. You know, maybe I come late to church

for a long past few months. Ready, that's why why

would he bother to answer? I wouldn't answer my own prayer.

You know, people ask that you know, oh you know,

not recently my you know, or maybe my family or

my family member has prayer me. I promised to pray

for them. But after a few years, I think I

can count the number of times I pray, not two

times only. I promise to pray every week, but I

never pray. That's why I maybe that's why. The reason

may be the personal heal it because of Mina. You

can't mean that your conscious is hitting you hard and

hard and punching you down?

Is it just me or anyone go through this before?

Yeah? You know, you know that's secretly there. You know

you're like, you know, you have a lot of guilt,

isn't it? And you're wary.

You're very wary, you know.

Some of you like I say, hey, God hears you know,

but is it pleased with my prayer? Not?

And then not, hey are.

You getting a response from God? I pray already ask

for this thing. I think it's not a bad thing

to ask, or so I see other people getting and

I'm not getty. I don't understand the theology. How does

it work? It is somehow I'm not qualified. My application

didn't go through God's hus in all department. You know

he got me right, you know, maybe God, God got

too much spam on his Gmail already, you know, cannot

cannot process. You know, it's no, it' all not getting

you know, not knowing what to expect during prayer when

you pray. Oh, I know, I'm going to pray fast,

I fast fall dy, I faster full day, and I pray, Oh,

I pray for so long and then look only two minutes.

You know, after that, I thought, I pray for half

and how I pray for two minutes and after that

I don't know what to pray already during prayer, don't

know what to say. And then after prayer that so

what am I supposed to feel. I feel no different,

also the same also how and then tomorrow can do

the same thing again. And you see what? Your confidence

keeps eroding and eroding. Another bite taken off, another bite

at night. It's like a sandwich, no more sangwich. Already

you know what I'm saying. You know you don't, I

know if you can't identify what I'm saying here, Okay,

now I want to share with your story here. How

many of you have this guy called C. S. Lewis?

Yeah, how many of you have read his book?

Yeah? How many of you have heard the school type

letters school head Letters? So inside this book there, Okay,

it's not okay. I recently re read some of his books,

and I must say his writing is not the easiest

to read.

That Okay, it's not like those simple. His english can

be a bit longer.

We don't talk like the way they write previous theory,

if I talk like you were like, how come I

never stop one? And okay, but this is a very

interesting book. So this book, the school Tape Letters, is

basically a series of letters. It's between the interaction between

a junior devil and a senior devil. The junior devil

is named Wormwood okay. And then the senior devil is

called screw Tay Okay. Senior is basically the uncle. Okay.

So this book is basically a correspondence between the two

of them and how they entrap men from reaching God.

So they always describes God as the enemy or the

camp the other camp, okay. And so one word starts

off in the first letter, he has an assignment of

this old man. And this old man he is older,

ready and for he's a itally a atheist for a

long time, and it's called an atheist and the materialists

and most of his friends has passed away. Ready, And

one day he decides, you know, he's going through his routine.

He's alone. He sits there on a chair and a

park and then something hits him. He starts to think

about eternity, starting to have an eternal perspective on his own,

so to ask, like, where am I going? You know,

is there really mortal life? Or if I pass away,

what's on the next chapter on the next door, is

it just darkness and emptiness? And we just sees because

if it is, what's the meaning of life? Really? Is?

What am I to make of my own life? And

the life of other people as well, when everything just

fades away, or is there something more in life that

that we are called to, we are accountable to.

If there is life, what is to look like?

And so he starts to process eternity and the moment

he starts to think about eternity and internal alarm system

rang all the way to worm them, you know. So

junior Will wants us to get a love. Oh no,

this guy is changing direction and heading towards the enemy

cam and he don't know what to do his few

you know what they call their critical response systems. And

then he immediately corresponds to his uncle, this crew tap

and say, oh what can I do? You know, if

he goes there, I'm gonna get no scolded and then

punished and stuff like that and all that. And then

so uncle Screwtape writes back, you know, to the worm ward.

So basically the whole book is about Screwtape writing to

the junior and then he describes to him Skulls the

junior devil and saying that you are such an amateur,

you know, how can you let him go so far?

You know? To think about eternity, you know, And then

the junior was saying, or maybe we should you entertain

his mind and then think about atheism to prove that

God does not exist and stuff like that. Then he said, oh,

your tactics are useless. Are just mostly are non effective.

Then he then you know what the screwtape the uncle

actually proposes to uh do the junior worm warld to

use against the uncle. What is the most effective weapon

to stop a man from going to the church or

to meet the pastor there distraction anyone else? What's the

most effective to lies? What else? Anyone?

Instagram, Netflix News series At that moment, he says, right now.

He says, the most effective, too, is to use the

familiar to make the unfamiliar unbelievable. What is the familiar

in this case lunch? You cant mis saying, draw him

to the most familiar. And the familiar is always the things.

They are always immediate and in the term what we

call in the world is called real life. I'm saying no,

because you can't identify for lunch, man, make him think

about right now, he's hungry, and if he doesn't eat

lunch right now, and if he means, he might miss

his lunch and he might go hungry for to three

hours asua as you are thinking of fasting, I was like, oh,

I don't know if I can fast or not make

you feel make you feel like fasting is too high

a court, gas strict and other possibilities are such a

higher cost that it's not worth paying for. They're making

things about lunch, and they're making things about start to way.

See he has he has done. Think about the weather

that is going to rain, and what the tragedy will

be that if he goes there and he's stuck in

the rain, Oh, the tragedy and then when he's got there,

before he goes there and then willing to pay the

price of missing his lunch and missing you know, and

get start in the bad weather making think about all

the irritating people in church that may be waiting for

him there as well. You think you all laugh, You

know why, because all of us go through that, All

of us go through that. You see the devil's number

one choice of weapon. It's nothing very grand mine. No, No,

he's just because he knows was us very very well.

The devil is very familiar with your waist one. He

knows exactly what you like, what you do, everything that

comes out the first thing that you are, you're most

inclined to. You know, he knows you so so well,

he knows us very well, so your thoughts and your

inclinations are well programmed, and he just had to like, hey,

don't look at the eternal, look at the immediate. And

then as you look ahead and you start to see

all the barricades, another one barricade, another barricade, another barricade,

another barricade, and you look at it. It's just not

worth it. Or you just say, let's take one thing

at a time, one thing at a time, and then

one thing instead of heading this direction, you start to

do fear off ready, and by the time you say, hey,

I spent so much energy, so much time thinking about it.

Look where I ended up. I'm hitting instead of there.

You know what I'm saying, You know how this distraction happens.

You don't see what I'm saying now sounds very for

a millionaire. So all of us are not going through

something unique, and now we are all being attacked. And

that is why. Actually, every day, every Sunday, the most

spiritual thing you can do is to wake up on

time to go to church. Did you choosing to dislike

to sleep a bit earlier, to wake up a bit

on time, to not go for that favorite coffee. Okay,

so that you can come to church, just be on time.

It's actually the single most spiritual thing that can have happen.

Your church began the day, the moment you wake up

in the morning. It's really it's real. You know why,

because for the devil, he started at that time, the

moment you wake up. That's the better. He didn't wait

for you to come to church. Okay, Oh, that's game time.

That's game time, baby. I'm gonna wake you right now.

I'm gonna speak you and cast you down in church. No,

he was waiting for you when you wake up.

That's game time.

You know. I'm saying. No, you don't understand the game.

He knows, he comes saying, and he's used it all

for so long already. I'm saying, now we play, we

think we play the game. We don't understand the game

that they are engaged in as well. And so you

must understand that the things that the pragmatic things, the

real life things that we are doing, are actually battlegrounds.

Some of the most spiritual things you can do in

a worship you might not know the song. You know

what's the most spiritual thing can do? Choosing to raise

your hands, not because we have so called an ex church.

Know what they call it, what they call it a

branding system that we are No raising your hands is

because you lead yourself. That despite my feelings, Ah, despite

my feelings, I lead myself. I'm not giving the devil

a foothole and on because I know they're speaking to

my mind. I don't feel like it. I feel like

the cost when I raise up my head. Oh no,

my neighbors are going to look at me. I fight

against it because my audience is to one you can

I'm saying, now these it's not the song you sing

and all, it's not how you kneel. It's just choosing

the battlegrounds one by one by one. You take down

the strongholds one by one by one by one. That's

what the devil does. He building one he's takes. He's

building strongles like one by one by one by one

by one. He I'm saying, you know, that's how he attacks.

And this this letter is wrote, this book is written

like I don't know how much I think it's like

nineteen thirties, nineteen forties, like that, almost a decade ago,

almost a centuries ago. Are the same tools? Are the

people are so familiar the same tools that that that

has trapped the people from those who are going to

World War It's not just milliennials and gen zs. Are

you think it's a problem with minials and gen zs.

I tell you the same people. I tell you all

the way thousands of years go through the same thing

as well. Okay, so are you guys? Okay, so far.

So let's go through the next light and see what

are some of the challenges of prayer, whether it sounds familiar,

very inconsistent timing, prayer whenever you wanna. When I'm saying

consistent timing, it's not like you don't have a schedule.

I'm not just knocking into that. I'm just saying, like

your life is really letter by your world. You don't

lead your life on. Your life is being lent you.

I'm saying no. You say you don't have time, and

persons say they don't have time to exercise until they

have their first heart attack. It's true all you con

I'm saying, no, I go no time to some people

will say, I go no time to drink water. Before

people say they're not. People say that it's really you know,

I hope people say it, go no time to drink water.

Then after day you get Kickney Stone, you drink water

all the time. I tell you it's true. You go

no time to do this? Say go no time. Then

after that when it's oh, I have to make time

to exercise. I have to make time to eat healthy.

Now this I cannot eat outside for I have to

make time to cook my own because it's healthier. You know,

you realize when you get a warning, You realize what

is really important. It was not because you don't I

don't have time. It's because it wasn't that important enough,

you know what I mean, It wasn't important enough for

you to make time. Okay, So this is the first

one inconsistent time in some of you ah pray you know,

doumble you actually myself also, Okay, So I say, oh,

we want when we prayer with like after we watch

you know, maybe binge watching ten ten episodes of Netflix

or just on YouTube and doomscrolling boom boom boo, boom

boom boom boom. After I th you for sleeperty, because oh,

I think I prayed last night. I don't even remember

what I prayed for. I think I pray for you.

You know, I think I pray for you last night.

I'm sure I pray for you. I can't remember I pray,

but I pray for you. I definitely pray for you somehow.

You know, they praise a lot and the first thing

go on telegram say oh, thank you, I pray for you.

You know you're laughing, you know, we all hey, I'm

just you're all laughing at one another, you know, because

we're laughing at ourselves. You know.

Okay, we're trying to We're not making fun.

We're trying to disarm the enemy, you come saying, and

we are trying to disarm the enemy.

Okay, we have their news.

Pray whenever we want to pray, when you're lying down,

you know, when you pray when you like a lot

of people like to go and pray and toilet want

to know. So it's up literally for some people, it's

a holy sanctuary, you know before that, you know, Lord,

I'm sorry. Then I flush it down, I cast it

up sanctified, I repent, and you know, go on and

neber to be seen again. You pray, Lord, you know, sorry,

I will. I will start eating fruits and more veggies.

You know, give me strength. You know we're venus awkward postures.

Yeah, I know.

Don't tell me. Somebody.

Actually, when you pray, I highly recommend.

I'm not saying all the time, but I want to

say that if you have, if you have, have the opportunity,

take a prayer for posture once a while. Just get

on your knees. I tell you, the spiritual things begins

with the physical. Really, people, because the chances of you

feeling like prayer is almost zero. One you come saying,

you know, the chances of you feeling wanting to pray zero.

The chances of you wanting to eat healthy is very

few one and not And so you need something greater.

You need a system to lead yourself. And so when

you prayer, find a room, find a place, get on

your knees for a while. Oh no, there, it gave

me a right, I said, Lord, I had a very

bad day. I just had a maybe in the world.

Maybe I just had a grip. There's another five with

my old kids, my spouse, whatever it is, my my

stomacher is doing very bad. You know, whatever it is,

some off end of me, you choose to get on

your knees and prayer because I come overcome it and

I need you And I'm doing what because a lot

of times, when your life are you've got so many

options taken from your life away. But the one thing

that cannot take away is your will and your choice.

I can still get on my knees, you know what

I'm saying. Now, when daniel are you know, seeing the

prophet daniela all all things who were taken now and

corner now, he's still got one thing. He can still

get on his knees and praying all I'm saying. So

I'm not asking you the all time, I know, but

maybe just tonight or maybe once a week. Just get

out on your knees on your own in faith, in

fullness of faith that God this present may get on

your knees, but don't have to say any wonderful, beautiful things.

Just get the Lord. This is my prayer on banded knees.

I'm before you.

That's your prayer already. Not getting on your knees is

a prayer already. People, you know what I'm saying. No

and that speaks to God more than anything else wanting on.

You know what I'm saying now, that's how worship was

actually meant to be a lot of times people you

know and ancient that people didn't bring, didn't come to

the temple to sing songs. The worship start when they're

from home, to bring their cows. You know, all the

you know, all the sacrifices, bringing all the way from home,

all the way they're that was their sacrifice, That was

their prayer when they come before that, that was the

final stage already.

You know what I'm saying. No, you can choose. Okay, distractions,

I'm sure you know.

We're all full of distractions or some different some of

us got a lot of world responsibilities. We've got kids, Uh,

we've got different Uh you know some types of a

ministry as well. Yo, I think they need me. I

think this one they need me. I'm so important, I'm indispensable.

Everything I have to do myself. Trust me, you don't

have to do everything yourself. You can delegate one can

one in can one. You know, I talked to your

team as your team to help you go. Hey, you

know you need depends so much and until I go

no prayer time to pray for you, and uh, you know,

can one can one? We are important, but not that important.

The most important is to Jesus one. And you know

what I'm saying, We're important, but not that important. Lack

of faith because why sometimes it's a lot of shame,

a lot of sinful living. Because of that, you put

another more barriers on yourself as well. Lack of bibical

truth in their lives. So you hardly read the Bible.

You know, when I say this, I call it the

call it secondhand Christians. No, because when I say secondhand,

I meansight. It's not like, oh you have another tier. No, No,

it's because you don't understand the Bible most of the time,

and you rely on Sunday, you really, really, and you

realize so much that when it comes to a major

decision in your life where you need to seek God,

you never really sought God because all because of all

these problems. And you go to.

A person I don't know whether it's in church where

you prayer.

When you pray, A ready, I take that as a

sign from Goda and you settle on that and A

because you don't have that, you know, because you first

of all, you depend so much on their prayer, because

for of all, your relationship, because it's a bit broken,

it's a bit unfixingal it's like, you know, it's not connected.

You know, you rely on someone's connection with God to

download from God and pass on to you. You know,

that's what I'm saying. You know what I'm saying, it's

that your email not looking and can you forward the

email to me?

He said?

You know, we have this forwarding system with God, not God,

you can't and you can't say can you forward to

him and him forward to me for to Joel and

Joel forward to me. You know, you got We've got

this forwarding system you know in spiritual life and all.

You know what I'm saying, God cannot email to you.

Please don't have this forwarding system you all. And don't

get me wrong, I'm not saying that we cannot pray

for one another. No, when we pray for one another,

it's different from just complete outsourcing to another person to pray.

But no, it's coming together to confirm what God is

working in you. You know I'm saying, you know, to confirm,

not to outsource. Your home is not your Outsourcing Center.

You all, the whole Miskits, come and pray for Mila.

We do that, you all, But in your own life

have you prayed? I know, I know I'm working hard,

but it's true. It's true some of you required here.

But it's true.

I'm not.

I'm not not yet. I go through all these things,

so so you know I'm trying. I'm saying that we

have to disarm the enemy. We cannot outsource. The day

we keep outsourcing, when God actually comes or God is

speaking something, we don't even have the time to react

because when we try to react or to respond, hey,

it's not working because their internal system or connection is

not working. It's like, you know, you you need your

email to work down to to to get that job

proposal or that you know, job confirmation, but yet you

never fix your email and then you wait for someone

to forward. Then after that when he actually sends her,

you never get it. You cannot even respond. You I'm saying,

you know you're not ready. That's what Jesus talks about.

The parable the tent. There's a pair of the foolish virgins.

You gotta get it right, you know what I'm saying.

Not so it's all about getting it right, getting it corrected,

and then not letting the enemy build these strong horse

in our lives.

How am i? Okay?

How am I doing full time? Okay? Now ten more minutes? Okay,

all right, So the next part I'm going is to

give us a set of tips on how we can

move forward. Or you all feel like a past and

man like waking you down, dingding ding ding ding. You know,

they say no, but their faces tell me another thing.

You know, but you're good, But now let's let's have

let's have handles. Okay, okay, all these things are great.

What they call it, what they call it learning learning plans.

So first of all, simple plan. You got to have

a plan because if you don't, because you have to

plan your prayer because the enemy plans for you.

It's simple. You gotta have a plan.

How many of you have played competitive games before and

winter and everything high level? Do you know that the

plan one? So if you go in without a plan,

chances are you going to lose one. Chances are you're

going to lose one because they have a plan. You

come saying not the day when you start to realize

that your life is not just a set of coincidences

that I am just why I am because I blame

these and bing thises and blame this and baying this

just like maths. Oh Jesus, you are here and you

don't care. Now I got to take control, and I

start telling you Jesus to help to tell them Mary

to help me all these things. No, but God, no,

there is a reason things are happening. So plan your prayer.

And I said, player prayer, Just start with simple plans.

I'm not asking for a elaborate player. Just change your

mindset and start that prayer is important. Prayer powers my life. Okay,

It's like, you know, you got to go somewhere far.

I've got to plan where my pit stops are, and

also that I can continue the long journey. I don't

want to stop halfway and burn out and get feel loss.

You know I can. Everybody can go to be there.

But because I never plan, I get start during Chinese

New Year somewhere there. You know, I'm saying, you know,

something as simple, you can get start and confused because

you got distracted. You want to eat some new seafood

in somewhere else, you know. Okay, plan your prayer, set

a time, you know, set a place, not even set

a duration as well. Now what do I mean by

setting a duration? You'd be like, hey, this is the

first time I hear someone setting a duration one. You mean,

if I don't pray for fifteen minutes, the email don't

get sent through? Is it? It's like it's like you

know that, what's it? But you still got the clock thing?

You know, it's not it's not your tick, you know, Yeah,

maybe the prayer got no ticket. You know, Oh my god,

say amen, I only got two blue ticks in you.

You know, it's like, oh is that mean no? No, no, no,

there's not why I'm meant okay, lot of times like okay,

let me think about how to start.

How ma if you got the gym to work out?

Yeah, okay, So you know, like when you exercise, date

is a there's a science behind building the muscle and

building strength. So the theory or the science says that

if you want to build strength, or if you build master,

you need to hit a certain amount of reps and sets.

Reps mean repetition. Sets means how many groups of no

reps you have. Now, when you try to build safe,

for example, build strength, normally the range is about six

or seven repetitions, okay, and by the sixth and the

seven it's when you are completely tired and you can't

you can barely. You're questioning life ready or not? You know,

questioning life you're not because maybe you know a.

Lor you know, I don't know.

Where that's going to fail, and you're questioning life ready.

Let me ask you this question, which set from one

to six is when your muscles grow. HN's true, It's true,

but generally said, for example, six is where you failure

or better waste. Where does the where does the growth

happens after or during? Six? Line? Okay? You why because

that failure is what is the stimulator that you need

more energy? The boss your your muscle. Before that you

have enough, you can't mean right, you push through. But

it's when you're almost failing your nervous system your muster's

activates something beyond the moment that tomorrow I need to

build more muscles in the same I'm saying, you know,

if that's the case, what.

Is the purpose of one to five to get you too?

Six?

So when you pray right, it's the same thing as well.

A lot of times when we pray we think.

We know what to pray. Really you know what to say? Ready?

This this is it is called this is what I want?

What I think, you know, like like a center claus this.

You know I need this because I deserve this. If

I have this, if I got one million dollars I

can give to the church, I can do this and

stuff like that. You bargain with God all the business proposal,

the pros and cons for God and for myself.

Oh later, already.

Beginning, you know, proposal all set out ready, terms and

conditions set ready. You pray after that, Hey, don't want

to pray ready, And then when you are finally out

of strength, you're finally out of your words. And when

even the first part when you pray, are you already wrestling?

This is right or wrong? Don't leave? Don't leave. If

you ever had a disagreement with someone, now and you

do all the talking and then you just leave without

even letting the person talk. You know what I'm saying.

If you fight with your spouser, the last thing you

should do is to leave the agreement. To leave, you know,

just walk away, say whatever you want, let the person

here and the frustration, and you leave the room. Don't leave. Stay,

stay you I'm saying, you know, just stay, don't leave.

It's very hard, but just stay. You see when you

know later on I will go through it for exercise

with you. Guys, you stay a bit longer after you're

all done ready, I don't know what to say when

your own And that's where I realize. You start to

have self examination. You start to ask yourself, is this

prayer really coming from me or really from God? You see,

when you stay, something happens is what I call separation,

a division of your soul. God cuts and tells whether

this is really from you, from your flesh or from God.

And if you leave a bit too early, you think

that everything you pray for is from God, and you

confuse yourself. You deceive yourself, and the enemy is looking

and you are laughing. But the last thing that he

wants you to do is to stay in the room.

And then you humble yourself. God. After all I pray,

I still don't know really myself and I need you.

That's when you grow. You come saying now you need

to be emptied of yourself, saying that's why prayer it's

really not about you know, just sending to God, know,

it's really coming to understand yourself. First, I'm poor, I'm

you know, I've gone nothing, and you're understanding God and

the fear of God comes down and lands upon you

and realize I need him. I'm so, I have so

much prayer, but I'm also so deceitful that i don't

even know I'm deceiving myself that I need God, You

to come into my life and do a clear division.

I'm saying now, my life is like around men like

that oil and water, oil mixing together. You know, it's like,

can't even divide already, you know, but then you live

it over night you start to realize all the oil

surface up. Heke, I'm saying now, So stay awhile and

let God do his work of dividing your life. That's

why a lot of times when you tell people you

want clarity, you need time, you want to here from God.

You need time, You really need time on So then

you understand, like what is really going on in this

mental side of you? Oh, God, I got a business

plan or got someone I want to go after. Oh

I got these plans and do this and stuff like that.

You all things? Oh, he said, God, is this for you,

got a new job proposal, got a new place to

go to another country? Oh? Is this from God? From God?

From God? From what you have? No idea? Ways from God?

You think everything from God. This one must be from God.

I'm saying not. And you go around shopping for approval.

We're shopping for a bias confirmation. This pastor the better

come for me mismis from God. This one doesn't. I

don't want to tend ready more. Then you better confirm

my Hey, how can you your wife confirm? You don't confirm?

Ah?

But this is how he co I'm saying, I'm not

targeting anyone, most of you. I don't have that, But

you know I'm not. I'm speaking from personal experience. I've

been there before. I really went through this washing. I

tell you even now, I also go through it. One

of the advice I give them my young kids and

my children, now you know what I say, Now, don't

say the first two things that comes into your mind.

I will tell them. Don't say no the first thing

I say, the first two things that comes to your mind,

because often they betray you. You can I'm saying, let

your life settle down and divisions happens. When it happens,

you know what is really coming from your flesh, and

you know what is really coming from God, and you

become wiser, it becomes, you know, become clearly, become your

heart is now you're not more clear, and you don't

know how to separate. There is the sanctify, there is

the spiritual, and there is the default, and there is

the world. You know what I'm saying now, it's very

very important, Okay, okay, so let's move on now. Okay,

remove distractions. The one quite well spoken, verbalized, bibilize. You

know that speaking is power. You want to learn the English?

How you speak one and a non Chinese? I speak

one and all? In the ba we got uh Jacobazas

was the lasting coming? What was the fulltum uh basa? Okay?

So tuesdays we speak basa. We speak. So when you

come to prayer, A lot of times are God, you

know what's in my heart? I don't need to prayerity, No,

say it out, say it out? Why? Like I said,

the same thing, you need to act you. A lot

of times you think that whatever is in you, any thought,

is already settled. No, it's not fully formed. Yet it's

like creation. You know, God spirit was hovering over the spirits.

Like I said, God spirit is hovering over the waters.

But it's formless. But God spoke and there was light,

and the light was apart from the darkness the sea

and the land. You know this or not. There's a

pattern of division, you know, I'm saying, no, there's a

pattern of division. You speak because what you speak your

soul witness, especially when you're speaking on your own You

get mean, right, you get me like, so you are

holding you're having this discipline of holding your own words

accountable when no one needs your words. Your word's bear

witness to yourself. Yeah, you're not speaking to someone to

convince someone. I'm speaking to myself. Why am I saying

it's got really good? God? You know all my needs. No,

I'm gonna say, God, I really need you to help

me with this relationship. Even as I say, I know,

despite what happened, actually a lot is my fault. My fault.

I should have lost my temper. And you you know

why when you say you are confessing, you know, and

then this word confessing, I know, I'm spending your time.

You know what does the word confessing mean the word confess.

It is not just declaring. The word confess means to

say the same thing ghenna, to say the same thing

to say and then the same thing, the same thing

as what to say, the same thing as the Holy

Spirit is saying. Life makes sense now, it's not just

saying or no, because Holy Spirit is working in you.

That's why you don't just see be confess that you

know No. Your confession is deeply personal. Works comes from

a personal It comes from a place of conviction. And

God knows when your confession comes where. It comes from,

from a place of humidity, from a place of brokenness,

which is where the Holy Spirit has been working. And

it's been working. And said, you need God. You can't

do it on your own. You know, yes, I know

you feel lousy and stuff. But God has not abandoned

you by uniity. To declare it, you need to say it. Ah,

this is the Holy Spirit working in your life to

now and you get the prayer. Now, God, I want

to say what is in my heart and what is

in my heart has always been the work of the

Holy Spirit, and that you are in control. I would

choose to follow even though I cannot see our follow

and as you say, you realize it's actually the confession.

What you know, your your you're so needed you say that,

you come, I'm saying not. So words matter, people, It's

actually the part of the work of God in your life.

So don't negret, don't water down, don't procrastinate on speaking

what God is working in your life. Don't let the

enemy take it away from you. You come saying or

not God has been working. You said, I'm not gonna

speak because God knows. No, that's the life of the

enemy in your own What declare what God has been working.

Say it out. If you're saying, speak it if you're

If you're not, if you're repenting, your repent of it,

so that you finish what God is working in your life.

You say what I'm saying. No, And when you come

and worship, you speak as well. I don't feel like

it this regardless of my feelings, I sing it makes

sense or not. So don't let the enemy watered down

the worlds of God in your life. It's all little

things that the enemy does. You don't say what I'm

saying you all. It makes a difference. People. And when

you start to practice confession and you verbalize your prayer.

You realize that as a witness, I need more, I

need more. God takes you to places you've never been before.

It's not like suddenly you developed a long series of

sex Shakespeare Dictionary, not because your words start to help

you travel deeper makes sense. I'm not as well, you know,

pretty simple things, you know. George Miller is not George Miller.

George Miller, Yeah, Jorshe Miller. George Miller, the very famous pastor,

teacher and also often orphanage maker in Bristol, London. God

there his famous Okay, you know, he's start of one

of the biggest orphanages you know in the UK. I

think it's about at these hide it's about they have

like thirty two thousand often often you know they were supporting.

So then the testimony is that he has never once

asked for any money and fund raising, never verbally asked,

never written anything. Everything was met by the Lord. There

was his testimony one of the greatest. So a lot

of pastors, you know, they they you know, very long

time ago day they really look to him as the inspiration.

Now this we don't remember so much, you know, but

he's like all classic he wrote, you know, so I

was curious and all how he prays one? You know,

so in my mind, Robert Muller or his prayer must

be super long or super long and lengthy one and

some deep words in all.

And I prayer really, you know, I feel so.

When I look into it. Just one day, I just

look into his prayer. His prayer is so simple, so simple.

The key is not that death is the frequency. Whenever

he walked, he pray. Whenever he chanced to sit down

he prayed. He prayed, five, ten, twenty, I mean, how

many times a day simple prayer. He's like, you know,

there have one prayer, he was saying, I think about

twenty plus. I don't quote me, but it's about a

number of orphanages. The day before they already want they

have no food. And then they said, okay, we will

just remind the Lord. You know, I'm sure he knows,

but just you know, just not gonna still and remind him,

you know here. And then he slept morning, wake up,

still no food. And then they were sitting at the

table already and then all the children are hungry, cold

and no food. Then they put their hands and prayers

said Lord, we thank you for the food that we

are about to party and that you have provided as well.

Just simple here. You know, he didn't go into a law.

Let's fasten praying. They already fasting already, so there, and

then just then there was the door knock, and then

someone with a baker. Uh, you know, say, oh, since

last night, you know, say milk or bread? Sorry I

can't remember, but I think it's bread, bread and milk. Okay,

it could be bread and milk outside there. You know,

last night we were stuck and then we don't know

what to do. And I just remember their orphanage and here,

you know, you have it. You know, why go to waste?

You see? God provides, you know. But you were saying, yeah,

but you know that is a coincidence. God already knows

our needs, you know, so why bought the preying You

don't understand this. God's planner is always moving. But when

we pray, it's like driving from the small lane and

merging into the highway with God. I'm saying, but a

lot of times we don't even bother getting out of

our house. God has given you the car, the tools

and everything. The traffic is moving already, the direction is said,

But yet when we don't pray and then get out

there and merge with his plan, we missed out on it.

You come saying you know, You come saying you know.

And sometimes it's not just that it can answer, But

there's another part of it. If you never exercise that

faith to encounter that provision, nothing has changed. God's still

provided for you, but nothing in your life changed. But

when you exercise prayer and faith and you meet with

God's provision, your life changes because your faith increased. So

we don't want a lie where God provides and our

faith has not changed. But we want a life God

continually provides and more where your life changes. You don't

want to be the people who eat the five thousand

for five thousand loaves and fishes and still come back

and nothing change in your life. Jesus say to them,

you follow me because of provided food? Or is it

because you follow me because I have the words to

eternal life? You I'm saying you not. You. I'm saying

you not. It's a big difference. You know, what kind

of people do you want to be in a you

know what I'm saying now? Or do you want to

always pray and merge with God's high way, and we

are changed. You know what I'm saying. So God's multiplication

don't just happen on the outside. God's work of multiplication

happens on the inside outside, So makes sense. Amen.

Amen.

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God bless