Are my prayers heard? | Rachel Lam

You're listening to a message to go from axt church.

We hope this passage will light up your day.

This is my title. You're taking notes and my prayers heard.

And the question next night is have you ever wondered

if God truly hears your prayers? So I didn't be

the first reason as well, when I raise your hands,

if you you're very confident, you know God hears your

prayers all the time, all the time. Who here you

feel sometimes I'm not sure. I'm not sure that God

hurt my prayer. Yeah, case, I was going through those days.

Maybe there are days when we're like, yeah, I know,

I know God hurt me. And sometimes like God, I

think you'll be quiet. I don't know if you heard

that prayer? Did I pray it right? You know? Recently

Riley was hospitalized for RSV, so respiratory track kind of infection.

And I remember when I visited her, you know, and

I was chatting her mom, Irene, and she asked that,

you know, like my mummy, I prayed that I will

be discharged tomorrow. Why God didn't answer. I pray very hard,

and you know, really with the heart I prayed. But

how come I'm not discharged yet, And she's just so

you know, broken, also said, and she's asking, Mammy, teach

me how to pray. Maybe I prayed wrong, But I

mean I love her heart to really ask, like, you

know me, teach me I pray something wrong, maybe to

show me how to pray so that God will hear me.

And you know, I hope we had that child like faith.

Oh no, God, if you're not hearing me, am I

doing something wrong? Can you please show me? Okay? So

let's let's dig into that a little bit today. And

I realized how we pray and what we pray could

possibly make a difference. Okay, So let's look at the

first verse. It's going to be quite a few verses today.

So Hebrews chapter five, verse seven, How you got your

bibles with you? Yay? Okay, this year the year where

you will get your bible and bring your bible to church. Amen,

and read your bible. Hallelujah. Okay. So he worship the

five verse seven. This is what it says. I will

read the NLT version. First. It says, well, Jesus was

here on earth. He offered prayers and pleadings with a

loud cry and tears to the one who could rescue

him from death. And this is a secret. And God

heard his prayers because of his deep reverence for God

and the New King James Version says, because of his

godly fear. He was hurt because of his godly fear.

You're like, what he's godler this we're talking about Jesus,

the son of God. He's got himself, God made flesh,

came to earth. He was hurt because of his reverence

for God. I thought if he said anything he said,

it would have been heard because Father loves him so much. Right,

whatever you say would have been heard. But it's so

clearly spelled out here. God heard his prays because of

his deep reverence, not just reverence and deep reverence God,

fear of God. And I'm thinking, and we're thinking to yourself,

So if jesus prays were heard because of his reverence

for God, how much more we as humans as people?

How much then? And how there should we pray? How

should we pray? Right? And sometimes because we are so

comfortable with God and its always like best buddies, like,

go's my best friend, Jesus, you are my best friends.

Always know that song. Sometimes we forget about the reverence

part and were just like, oh Gos my buddy, so Jesus,

I need this, I need that. Please help me out here, God,

And we can sometimes forget, you know, to just pause

and for myself. I'm learning this as well now because

even in in a job that he three of us four,

it says the spirit of God has made me and

the breath of the Almighty gives me life. God. You

know in Genesis it's God breathed life into men. Right,

He breathed life into us. And I'm learning this now.

Th When I before I pray, I try to take

a deep breath us and I encourage you. What do

you try to say, take a deep breath? Oh God,

you gave me this breath. I want to be standing

here if you didn't give me life, right because the

fact that the truth is, if He wanted this to

be my last breath, it would be my last breath.

We've heard of different preachers are who either you know,

went back to the Lord while speaking as sermon or

after they preach a message. We never know when it's

our last breath. But every time we breathe, when you

feel the breath, feel your lungs and you're exhaling. You know,

thank God, you you gave me breath. You are my creator,

you gave me life, You created the whole universe. And

so before you start, before we even come before God.

And why do we learn to do that? You know?

And it's sometimes because we don't see Him, we don't

hear God audibly. We can forget to have that right

posture before God. You know, those oness have been church

many many years even more so, so everything's routine. We know,

we know all we know the right practices, we know

how to look like how we worship. We know that

the right posture physically to stand, the right look to

have on our face, but but our hearts, you know,

to really bow down in adoration towards God. But yeah,

sometimes it's hard. But I realized as we go through

and if we read scripture, scripture can actually help us

get into the right posture. And this was a passage

that I read that you know, after reading it, I

just I was just in tears and I just had

to bow and worship because it felt like God was

asking me these questions. I was just in awe of

the greatness and vastness of God. And so I'm gonna

bring us through this passage. Just now. Someone after the

first of we say, wow, I never read this part

because it's gonna be from a book of Job and

no Job. We always we always remember the sufferings of Joke.

That's the main part. Write the sufferings and then God

restored him. But let's read what happened before God restored him,

and he had God had lots of questions Job, and

maybe God is asking us these questions as well. And

I pray that we, you know, will be reminded of

who is this God that we worship and we serve.

So let's look at Job thirty eight. I have it

on screen as well. We have a Bible, so you

can turn with me and read in whichever version you're ed.

But I'm going to read in the New Living Translation version,

a simpler, simpler English. So I'm going to read from

verse three onwards. God speaks to Job, and he says,

braise yourself like a man. Okay, he answers Job. He

speaks to Job from a whirl wind. He says, brais

yourself like a man, because I have some questions for

you and you must answer them. Verse four says where

were you when I laid the foundations of the earth.

Tell me, if you know so much? Who determines its dimensions?

And stretched out the surveying line, what supports its foundations?

And who laid its cornerstone? As the morning stars sang

together and all the angels shouted for joy. I mean

you imagine the day got created the universe and the Earth.

He just spoke it right, just spoke it into being

gain we you know, people call it the big Bank

theory or whatever. I personally believe that there might have

been quite a pretty big bang when God created the earth.

Boom from nothing, from nothing, nurse the Earth was made.

He laid the foundations right. It goes on to say

in verse eight, who kept the sea inside its boundaries

as it bursts from the womb? As I clothed it

with clouds and wrapped it in thick darkness. For I

locked it behind behind bad gates, limiting its shaws. I said,

this fire, and no further will you come here? Your

proud waves must stop. How have you used to how

many of you love the sea and the beach, But

I both love the sea. When we went to when

we had the privilege to go keep down for his

last competition. I mean, the view at the beach was

just breathtaking, breathtaking, you know, the just the rock formation

and the blue, clear blue water and the waves, and

you just stand there and you're like, wow, God, your creation.

And you stand at the shore and the water's just

come in, and who set those boundaries? It's our creator,

all right? Verse twelve. Have you ever commanded this morning

to appear? The morning to appear, and cause the dawn

to rise in the east? Have you made daylight spread

to the ends of the earth to bring an end

to the night's wickedness? As the light approaches, the earth

takes shape like clay pressed beneath the seal. It is

robed in brilliant colors. How many of you have watched

a sunrise or the sunset and the colors is like

you know you you will never be able to do

the same with the painting. You take a picture so

it can it just doesn't do justice your phone. But

you sit there and you're like, oh, salle, I'm picturing

all laugh. I don't know why. Look at the sunset.

There's a I don't think it's in the It's not

in the main main frozen cartoon. But I think there's

like a short field went all off. It's like watching

the sunset, that's right, eating so watch but yeah, the

next time you watch the sunset the sunrise, just being reminded. God,

you because the sun to rise and set every day?

Where we Have you explored the springs from which the

seas come? Verse sixteen? Have you explored their deaths? Do

you know where the gates of death are located? Have

you seen the gates of at gloom? And how you

go diving? I think people keep going diving because it's

a whole other world down there, right, and it's it's amazing,

It's breathtaking the things you see down there. And yet

I'm sure human we've never been to the deepest, deepest

depths of the sea yet. And they say Mariana Trench,

the deepest. See, they're creatures that probably not even discovered yet.

But God called all this into being? What was it?

Are you following? Help me out? Verse eighteen? Do you

realize the extent of the earth? Tell me about it?

If you know where does light come from? Where does

darkness go? Can you take each to his home? Do

you know how to get there? Wow? Yeah, next exhiby.

But of course you know all this God is being

a bit secastic here, for you were born before it

was all created, and you are so very experienced a

big sarcastic joke. Have you visited the storehouses of snow

verse twenty two or seen the storehouses of hal I

reserved them as weapons for the time of trouble, for

the day of battle and war. Where is the path

to the source of light? Where is the home of

the east wind? Who created a channel for the torrents

of rain? Who laid out the path for the lightning?

Who makes the rainfall on barren land in the desert

where no one lives, Who sends rain to satisfy the

patch ground and make the tender grass spring up. In

Malaysia we get to witness a lot of rain, a

lot of thunderstorms, lightning shows. Have you ever paused during

those times and like, just marvel God all this. You

are controlling the rain, You are controlling the thunder, the lightning.

I was telling the first service as well. Recently, I

just introduced roll Down the writer rolled down, I think

that's how you pronounce his name. He writes pretty interesting books.

If you know Charlie and Chocolate factory. What else. Yeah,

I know Rachures likes it. The Elie Glass something and

glass elevator. And recently so my kids asked me to

read to them James and the Giant Peach. Anybody read that?

I see some not no jacket. James and the Giant Peach.

He's very creative writer, so's yeah, it's funny. So anyway,

so this peach, you know, is flying flying by seagulls.

Seagulls are carrying the peach. Long stories, so you have

to read a book to understand why that's happening. So anyway,

it's flying through the air, and he's going through the

clouds with James, a young boy, and a bunch of insects,

big insects, human size insects. They're flying through the clouds

and what they describe it, it's like, wow, there are

things up there clouds that human on earth will never see.

And you don't know this is happening. And what do

they see out there up there? Cloud men we speak,

cloud men that are making the snow and throwing it

down to earth, and making the hill and throwing it

down to earth. And they are you know, pouring like

torrents of water. I don't know, I can't remember what

they describe it as, like throw it out a whole

like you know, got it like a whole donkey of

water down on earth. And then they were banging stuff

to make the thunder and lightning and all I can't

remember what they made. Like all this was happening up

in the clouds, and like this is how all this

happens with the cloud men And I'm real and as

I'm reading job, I'm like these where all these writers

get the idea? No, the movies that you watch, and

also I think they get it from the Bible. But hey, there,

this is the real deal. This is our God, the

rail deal that does all that. We don't see it.

We just see it, and you know, the rainfalls and

our rain rain, rain go away. But God is controlling that.

He knows, He knows which which barren land?

Right?

Which patch land needs some rain? We are complaining to

getting wet. So my kids are like, why is the

rain not stopping? Like somewhere needs the rain? God knows,

God knows, Wow, where are we who s there's the rain?

I read that there's a rain? What's to need? Does

the rain have a father who gives birth to the deal,

who is the mother of the ice, who gives birth

to the frost from the heavens, For the water turns

to ice as hard as rock, and the surface of

the water freezes. About this part verse thirty one? Can

you direct the movement of the stars? He never looked

out with the sky on a full night of stars?

Oh the end just been to then got to see

the northern lights and all kinds of beautiful things in

what's that place called Norway? And they get clear clear

skies right and the star And because asking, can you

direct the movement of the stars? Binding the cluster of

the player? These go google that or loosening the cause

of Orion, those of you who like estrall or g Yeah,

you know all these names of the constellations? Can you guide? Sorry,

can you direct the constellations through the seasons? Or guide

the bear with the cops across the heavens, not the

constellation bear. The real bears cannot correct. Do you know

the laws of the universe? Can you use them to

regulate the earth? The next time you look up at

the sky and see the stars. I think the only

one I can recognize from here Malaysia is Orion. Everything

else I don't know to see or It's better Orion.

If you don't know Orion's belt, you just look for

the three stars in a row. They're quite bright. Right

then you know Orion is there, not Orio. Can you

shout to the clouds and make it rain? Can you

make lightning up here and cause it to strike as

you direct? Who gives intuition to the heart and instinct

to the mind. Who is wise enough to count all

the clouds? Who can tilt the water jars of heaven?

See rolled out gody? From here? Who can till the

water jars of heaven? When the patch ground is dry

and the soil has haddened into cloths? He goes on

and talks about animals skied last, But here can you

stop pray for a lioness and satisfy the young lions appetites?

My dad was in Africa recently. He just came back.

He was there actually until like third day of Chinese

New Year. He's there for speaking engagement. But they went

on a safari after that, because it's in Tanzania. Right

when there's safari, and I tell you, can you know

he sends me in this video of the cheetahs. They

were like on the hill there and sudden they ran

down and one for the jump. Nice they jumped on

the on the vehicle on the jip. The cheetah jumped

on the jeep and my dad's they're like, are we

supposed to run now? He's like one thing, they hit

the pending button. But you know, the guys said, don't worry,

they're okay, like they won't attack. And my mom I

was like, isn't it dangerous? But the guy said, okay, okay,

But it's yeah, it's amazing. I mean the videos my

dad are sending me with all the the lioness and

all the cops, you know, whole lion king show. They're

coming out Simba Nala, the whole Yeah, what do you

call pride of Yeah, whole pride of lions just walking

past all the the jeeps, you know, and they're just

my dad. I can hear my dad asking they won't

jump in there. And then the next time is the

chitta jumping in is really and it's open you know,

the open air kind of jeeper. But yeah, we can't

start to pray for them. We can't say this' why

the the appetites hopefully not with us, as they lying

that there's a crouch in the thicket who provides food

for the ravens when they're young cry out to God

and wonder about in hunger. I don't know about you,

but when I read this, I just yeah, I was

just all struck and I was in wonder and I

just worship God, just adored him, because who am I

Lord that you would think of me? Who am I?

Somes it was for say, who says who is Man?

That you're mindful of him? With something? This question on God?

Why why did you hear me? Why not answer my prayer?

But actually the question is who am I God that

you even think of me? But as we marvel at Him,

you know, as we really learned to have that reverence

and God, I have this fear of God, and we

and we see all this and I pray as we

read all this, then we get our posture right before God,

even before we pray. So really, every time it rains,

I mean here again, I say, militia, you get to

experience all this rains, thunderstorm, get to see the sunset, dawn,

you know, seeing the birds in the air. Look at

the oceans. We got a lot of beautiful islands. Everytime

you go for holiday, you know, take a moment pause,

look at his creation. Just soak it all in. Soak

it all in and being reminded, be aware that everything

is in the palm of his hands. He's controlling it,

he's directing it. He directs you know, He's a creator

of the universe, and he's the God that we worship.

You and I worship. And isn't it he worth every

bit of worship when we come here? Yeah, wasting here?

You know, it's a building. You got a band playing

and they are worshiping their hearts out. Sometimes we are.

I don't know where it's our mind. But next time,

I say, you know, take your mind kept deff and

just picture is creation. I think it will help you worship.

It will help you really come before Him and God

I can't help but worship you. I could go on

and on it because the God is just so indescribable.

There was there was I want to do. Read this

because I just made it and I found it like wow,

I didn't even know this before. You know, we shouldn't

look at Instagram so much. But some things are quite interesting.

So there's this guy who's who's an osteopath, and he

talks a lot about the mechanics of the body, right,

and and how childbirth, different types of childbirth would affect

the baby. And I was reading this, I'm like, wow,

I mean we think when we're giving birth. I was

just pushing the baby out, like get the baby out, right,

But let me read this. Did you know in a

natural Bertha, it is actually preparing the baby's body for life,

baby's body for life outside the womb by triggering important

physical and neurological developments. So first, it's it remodels the

skull and mening is meningis. I don't know any medical

people here don't even know how to pronounce that. Anyway.

The process prepares the spines reorganization through reflexes with the

skull and pellette. Oh yeah, doctor, mening is many hm,

oh okay, it's the brain there, Just do how to pronounce. Yeah.

So it it actually the skull and the pellet palat

above your mouth, right, it's undergoing significant adjustments. Wow. Did

you know that when you were pushing babies out or

your push babies out? Uh, there is decompression of the

sky based and spinal stretch. So the birth process actually

naturally relieves pressure and stimulates spinal alignment, ignition of vital reflexes,

so the neck reflex is triggered. Also as the baby's

head passes under the pubic bones, which activates the lumber reflex.

So that's why when there's a plan sea sec or emergency,

he said, of course, you know, emergency is life is

more important us to save the baby. But what happens

then is then there are a lot of other issues

like latching difficulties, vomiting, scar deformation, difficulty engaging the lower back,

and lifting the head. All these things happened because you

don't know, right, I mean, I just read this. I'm like, God, amazingly,

you plan all these not away we give birth us

all there's things that God is doing with the body,

baby's body. Wow. Okay, yes, amen, it's amazing God, It's

just indescribable. Come on, Samen, if you believe that, now

are there more verses for me to bring you through.

For Timothy, chapter six, verse sixteen, it says he's talking

about God, he who alone has immortality, dwelling in unapproachable light,

whom no man has seen or can see, to whom

be honored and everlasting power. Amen. Yeah, this is God.

He lives in an unapproachable light. And yet that's why

he had to come to earth in human form, right,

because you're not We will never see him. We can't

live if we see him. Because have you ever tried

looking at the sun like in its full, full on

brilliance and not the setting sun or those nice it's

nice rat and around. No, no, no, the full on

I don't know, midday sun. Have you tried staring at it? Cannot?

Please don't because you you will them your eyes. But

Revelations chapter one, verse sixteen says that his face, Christ, Jesus,

his face is like the sun in all its brilliance.

So we go to heaven and we're going to see

Christ face like the sun. Now we can look at

the sun. But you know, when we go to heaven hallelujah,

I think we'll have new eyes so we can see.

You know.

But this God, he lives in unapproachable light. And how

do we come before him? Honest, you're like, oh God,

and we whine and we moan, but well, to have

that reverence like Jesus, Jesus himself showed the way. You know,

God's not Santa Claus, No, he's not. He's not a butler.

Say God, please do this for me, do that for me,

and then we get angry and upset when he didn't

do it for us. Our prayers are not answered. I

hope you're catching something. Yeah, not don't be discouraged, but

be encouraged that if we get our hearts and our minds,

you know, in the right posture, and we learn to

really fear the Lord like Jesus did and I shed

I share the first the revision as well. You know,

this fear is not it's not terror, It's not like

I'm scared of something. This fear is is that honor,

that reverence, that awe of God. Yeah, and for us

to truly experience revival this year, I believe it also

starts with reverence, you know, to really have the fear

of God in our lives. And then everything else, like

every decision we make, where our priorities are, how we

live our lives, everything will be guided by that. Now,

if we have the fear of God, and I pray

that that reverence, the fear of God will come upon

us until there's nothing else that we want, and we

desire and long for them to be with Him and

to be in His presence, you know, until we can't

even stand sin because of the fear of God. Man

Jeremiah thirty two, Chapter thirty two, Verse thirty eight to forty.

It's a powerful verse about the fear of God. And

it says verse thirty eight, they should be my people,

and I will be their God. Then I will give

them one heart and one way that they may fear

me forever for the good of them. He puts the

fear of God in our hearts for the good of us,

our good and their children our children, not for His goodness,

for how good and verse forty and I will make

an everlasting covenant with them that I will not turn

away from doing them good. But I will put my

fear in their hearts so that they will not depart

from me. Wow, Amen, I prayed it. God put his here,

his fear in our heart, so that we will not

depart from him. I mean, you think about your life,

the decisions that you made, certain things that you you

don't do, or things that you do with conviction, wasn't

it because there was the fear of God? Like God.

I cannot. I can't do this because I fear you,

you know I I I won't And I choose not

to beat mouth another person? Why because the fear of God?

I won't gossip? Why Fear of God, not fear of man,

not fear of people what people think of me. Fear

of God. What, as Pascal always tells, you know, don't

speak badly about another church, another pastor, even if someone

has hurt you. Why fear of God? Why? Why? And

I leave? And I think someone was here as well.

Why didn't we leave the church when he was going

through difficult times and our closest friends left, and our

homies left, and people were discipling? Left? Why because of

the fear of God? Because I want to know what

God wants for me, not what I want, not what

other people, Not to follow everyone else? Is that reference? Is? It?

Is that God? Leave your God. I really want to

follow what you want for me, So I don't want

to step out. I don't wan to step out of

your way right? And I really pray that I pray

that for our children, pray that for all of you.

And if we are here thinking like God, here's all

my prayers God's word is actually quite clear, and I

think we read through right. It's you can tell that

she prayer is conditional. God's love is unconditional, But him

hearing our prayer is quite conditional. So let's read a

few more. Turn to a few more Versus James, Chapter one,

verse six to eight. What does it say, but let

him ask in faith with no no doubting. For he

who doubts, it's like a wave of the seed, driven

and tossed by the wind. For let not that man

suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord. He

is a double minded man, unstable in all his ways.

Scripture is saying, if we doubt, don't expect to get

anything from the Lord. Ouch. I was like, how how

to not doubt? How to believe? Pray? Pray God, remove

my unbelief, Remove my doubt. I have very little faith,

faith as small as a master's seed. But Lord, remove

my unbelief. Take away my unbelief. Then only we can

expect right to receive what else? First verse three, verse seven, husbands,

I know, I'm the verse is talking to husbands are

but liter I say, you know this this eral was

everyone everyone's relationships, Okay, husbands likewise, dwell with them with understanding,

giving honor to the wife as to the weaker vessel or.

In NLT it says, you know must give honor to

your wives. Treat your wife with understanding as you live together.

She may be weaker than you are, but she's your

equal partner in God's gift of new life. She's an

equal air. Treat her as you should, so your prayers

will not be hindered. M m important, her husband's, dads, moms, wives, children,

We don't want our prayers to be hindered. Le's honor,

honor one another. And for Speter three verse twelve also says,

for the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous,

and his ears are open to their prayers. Again, very clear,

there's something that you know will open God's ears the righteous.

But the face of the Lord is against those who

do evil. I trust no one here does evil, And hallelujah,

we are made righteous in him. Yeah, So have that confidence.

His ears are open to your prayer. Psalms sixty six,

verse eighteen says, if I regard iniquity in my heart,

the Lord will not hear again iniquity in my heart.

If they're sin in my heart. The Lord will not hear.

It has unforgiveness, it has hatred the Lord. We'll not hear.

So God, And that's why we pray the Lord's prayer

and say, forgive me my depths, right forgive. I don't

know why it is in there, something we don't even know.

They're sinning there. God forgive me, so that everything else

I pray, God, you were here. Another verse from John John,

chapter fifteen, verse seven. We're taking notes, you know, take

down these verses, can meditate on it throughout the week.

If you abide in Me and my words, abide in you,

you will ask what you desire and it shall be done.

It should be done for you. And this you know

this year, as we enter into time of prayer and

fast thing. You know the next two weeks we're gonna

start a u turn pray and fast. Let's really learn

to abide, abide in Him, remaining in Christ and His

word in us. And it cannot be just on a Sunday. Okay,

I listened to pass apreciated word. Enough for the rest

of the week. You're starving like you don't eat once

a week, right, you need to throughout the week keep

taking his word for yourself, not to read it on

your own. Lights it through something interesting, I know, don't

don't the passages that are so dry, and then you

like give out all day one, choose that interesting passages.

A yeah, total the first Sviace. I'm reading through Samuel

now and it's really like a movie. I'm like seeing

action movie in my brain and not reading through Samuel

and Kings of the Safe. Uh, not very child appropriate,

I mean young, not very young child appropriate. It's so

violent but powerful, powerful David's life. So yeah, my encouragement,

abiding God, let his word abide really gleaned from his word,

get all the help you need. Where his Bible reading plan.

You want his word to abide in you so that

everything that you do, in all the decisions that you make,

your the priorities that you set for your life, will

be guided by Gos's word. Okay, now we talked about

we talked a bit about how we pray rite that

posture and if you forget everything, just remember let's start

with that reverence. But what then, what are we praying about?

Is another question that I ask myself, Right, do we

pray like like unbelievers? And what I mean by that

is how unbelievers pray. And I think if we think

of our lives, we've done that many times. Is God,

please give me more money. Please give me a nicer,

bigger house. God, give me a better car, give me

a better job. I hope we're not praying give me

a better wife or give me a better husband. But

how did Jesus teach his disciples to pray? How when

it is that asks hyer, by teach us how to pray?

How did he teach our father? Yeah, the Lord's prayer?

Like if you don't know, when I read it together

with me, I think it's I think I did put

it up there. Yes, okay, how do we pray our

Father in heaven? Hello, be your name, your Kingdom. Come,

Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

Give us day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts,

as we forgive our debtors. And do not lead us

into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one for yours.

It's the Kingdom, the power, and the glory forever a

man a man. If you have not memorized it, I

encourage you to the kids. All memorize it by heart.

Now I pray that they will have the revelation of

what it means. But if you if you see this prayer, this,

this is how you just thought his disciples to pray right,

And nothing in the prayer is about what we want.

It does have an element what we need. Let's not

give us our daily break. God knows what we need,

knows even before we ask. He knows what we need.

But it starts and it ends with honor. Hello, be

your name. Starts an honor and glorifying God, your kingdom, Come,

your will be done. Right, powerful prayer. And what else

is prayer for? If we read Second Corinthians, chapter ten,

verse three to six, it says, although we walk in

the flesh, we do not war. According to the flesh,

this war happening right in the world. Just now, my

daughters asking me, what's trying to understand what's going on

with war? We'd have to explain to the kids. But

our war is not against flesh for the weapons of

our warfare, and not calnel, but Mighty God for pulling

down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that

exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought

into captivity to the obedience of Christ and being ready

to punish all this obedience when your obedience is fulfilled. Friends,

our prayer is for warfare. It's for war. It's not

just to ask for these little things and mickey mouse prayers. No,

it's powerful. God has given us this powerful weapon called

prayer to fight against the enemy. But we underutilize it.

You know.

It's like we have a sword, but we just use

it to cut bread and peel apples and oranges. I

read read this book when I was much younger. I

think there were teenagers. And I don't know if many

of you read it. Angels and Demons something like that.

You just the demons or well, I can't remember the title,

but but it's it's a it's a fictional book, you know.

But it really brought my awareness to the spiritual realm

because every time in the books, I mean, it's about

a pastor and the church and and the spiritual realm. Now,

so the demons against the angels, and every time God's

people pray, the angels get stronger. It's quite I mean,

really it's quite scary, like goosebumps. I mean they're they're

you know, spiritual battles and you know, different different ones,

or the believers get spiritual attacks and all that. But

when the church came together pray every time they do it,

Gabriel and you know all those things, they actually get

stronger when they're fighting the demons. But but yeah, we

we A lot of times we forget that there's another

realm outside of this physical and so our prayers get

what's down. I want to remind us today that our

prayer is for warfare. This is our weapon, you know,

take hold of it. Really take the authority, command the

enemy to go, leave your family, leave your your workplace,

take your take his hands off your health. Pray prayers

like that. And a very short but powerful verse for Thessalonians,

Verse five Soy chapter five or seventeen I s it

is the second shortest verse, shortters worse in the Bibles.

Jesus wept, but this one is three words. It says,

pray without ceasing, Pray without ceasing. That just means don't

start praying, keep praying right. And I'm the first one

to admit that I don't pray enough, for sure, don't

pray enough. Of course, we get busy, We get busy.

We have our kids, well work, you know, how do

you find time to pray? But I want to pray

more this year. I hope you also have that desire

to pray more, you know, just throughout the day, everything,

every other thing, just keep committing to God, you know,

I keep forgetting to do that. We're looking for help

everywhere else. We go to AI, but we forget to

go to God, who knows everything right. His knowledge is

beyond a robot a computer. Yeah, at homes, how many

of you made it to homes this week? Yeah? Yeah,

we were reviewing, recapping, unpacking the Vision series right, and

at the end of it, you know, in our homes

we had a call to action that we gathered in

groups in pasts to talk about what what do we

want to type this year? What do we want to

set a site for God in terms of numbers or names?

And I was I was pair up with Laura, and

both of us actually shared the same thing which both

of us wanted to tithe. They set aside time to

pray more and pray for someone every day, like intentionally

pray for someone or some people every day, because we

can pray a lot for ourselves sometimes, but we forget

to pray for others. So we committed to that and

we hold each other accountable. And amazingly, this is something

that I've also learned and caught recently right on how

and what to pray for others. So sometimes we run

out of things to pray and pray for the health,

pray for pray for them to come to know Christ,

pray for them to be set free from certain things.

But I learned something from Paul, and if you turn

with me into Ephesions, chapter one, verse sixteen to twenty three,

Paul praised this and we can learn from him, and

I encourage us to pray this for people. Moving forward,

verse sixteen, it says I have not stopped thanking God

for you. I pray for you constantly. They paus that

he spraying all the time. In fact, his word also

says I mean, he says that he he knows he

prays in tongues more than anyone else. Right as a

word that says that. So he says, I pray for

you constantly, asking God, the glorious Father of our Lord,

Jesus Christ, to give you spiritual wisdom and insight so

that you might grow in your knowledge of God. Next

time you pray for someone remembers someone, pray, Lord, give

them the spiritual wisdom and insights so that they will

know you, so that their knowledge of you will grow.

And sometimes we keep praying for people and we wonder

why they never never come to accept you or never

get it. How many times I tell them, you need Jesus,

never get it. I need to pray this prayer for them,

they'll get a spiritual wisdom and insight. And it goes

on to say, I pray that your hearts will be

flooded with light so that you can understand the confident

hope He has given to those he called. We pray

in an opener eyes of their hearts feel that has

with lights so that they can understand. They can understand

the hope that God has given us. And listen to

this given to those he called those he called are

His Holy people, who are His rich and glorious inheritance.

What I am your inheritance, God, I know I have

any inheritance from you. I have a crown that's waiting

for me in heaven. I have the mention that You're

building for me. But it says His people, those he

called his holy people are His rich and glorious in inheritance. Guys,

you and I we are His glorious inheritance. Isn't that

a thought to be? Like? Whoa really in awe? And

I also pray that you will understand the incredible greatness

of God's power for us who believe him. Ah, yoh,

this one we are. We really utilize our power. Again

speaking to myself, but let's pray for one another that

we will understand the incredible greatness of God's power in us.

Why this is the same mighty power, it says that

raised Christ from the dead, the same power that overcame

death and then placed Christ in the place of honor,

seated him in the place of honor, God's right hand,

the heavenly realms. This same power lives in us, in

this weak vessel. But God's power is there. I pray

we will all really have that revelation and the under standing.

You know, you hear of testimonies of people who get

set free from addictions overnight. How does that happen? Is

this right? It really is this? It's suddenly they understand

that they have the power to overcome smoking, overcome drinking,

overcome drugs. And yet there's some that you know, you

go back and forth with them and keep going back in,

keep falling back into the same pit over and over again.

But if we pray this that they will really understand

that hope they're having Christ and then understand also the

incredible greatness of power in them. Well, things can really

things can really change. God can do it overnight. Amen,

hallelu Yeah. I won't read the rest of it, but

I want to encourage us. You know, let's let's move forward.

Let's not just pray for health, for blessing, very vigous,

bless them, bless them, but let's pray for the eyes

of their hearts. You know, your loved ones, your friends

or colleagues, your family. Pray for their hearts to be

open to really understand the hope that God has given us,

and to understand the power that He's given us. And

pray for us leaders too. Yeah, we also need this.

Pray for us as we pray for you. And I

know sometimes it may feel hopeless, even you know some

of us. You might be thinking like, oh, my goodness,

how how do I how do I have my prayers hurt?

If it's so difficult like this? But I tell you what.

Romans eight twenty six gives us another promise, and it says,

then the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. Amen,

the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. So yes,

we are weak. Yes we cannot do it. Yes, sometimes

forget to have the fear of God before we pray.

Sometimes we are selfish. Sometimes we you know, we're just

we're overwhelmed with the things that we go through. And

I don't deny that it is overwhelming. Sometimes Richard asked

me this morning, house situation at work. I said, not easy, difficult.

It's the thing that troubles me at night. It's you know,

it's there. It's constantly a burdened things that's happening at work.

But the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness, helps

us to pray right, and not just there, but actually,

even if you're just moaning, groaning, guess what. For example,

we don't know why God wants us to pray for,

but the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that

cannot be expressed in words. So it's okay even if

you don't have the words to pray, just groan and

mourn and Holy Spirit, I don't know how to pray.

I really don't know but you interced through me. Pray

for me, Pray through me, and he will help us

when we're stuck. Okay, remember when we're stuck, the Holy

Spirit is here to help us. So remember I mean

I'm actually coming to a close. Already, Start with reverence.

If I can summarize this whole thing. Let's remember that

keyword today, reference and do all it takes to get

you in that right posture. Read a scripture, look at creation,

look at nature, Look at your own body, how it works.

The eye. I've heard testimony of an I think an

eye doctor. Not a believer, right, became a believer because

when he's studying the eye, he's like, there's no way

this could be a uh what it could yeah, evolution

or coincidence that the eye works like that. It is

so complex. So you realized there must be a creator.

Look at it next time your eyes anything like anything,

how your body works on and you think about your

creator and you will have that reverence. Reverence. So start

with that, and let's stop praying unbelievable, unbelieving press. So

this is say doubt go away in Jesus name, and

pray believing pray, prayers of warfare, use it for its

actual use God given. God's given us this powerful tool

and weapon in our hand. Let's use it as it's

supposed to be used. Don't don't use it to cut

bread and feel apples. Let's let's fight the enemy. Let's

fight away darkness. And just remember at the end of

the day, when when we're stuck, when we're weak and

we feel we can't do it, remember that we have

the Holy Spirit to help us. Amen. And when we

have all this, then we have that confidence. He will hear.

He will hear our prayer, and he will unswer when

extreme can start coming up. U turn is also coming.

And so I wanted to because we're going to start

fasting soon, and fast thing comes hand in hand with prayer.

And so this verse is also very apt because it

ends with when you call, the Lord will answer by

talking about fasting. So in Isaiah, if you're gonna take

it down Isaiah fifty eight, verse six to nine, it says, no,

this is the kind of fast thing I want. Free

those who are wrongly imprisoned. Lighten the burden of those

who work for you, those of you who run your

businesses or your bosses you know, and your companies lighten

the burden of those who work for you. Let the

oppress go free, and remove the chains that bind people.

Share your food with the hungry, and give shelter to

the homeless, Give clothes to those who need them. And

do not hide from relatives who need your help. Teanks

with us to run. Oh, no, this person needs help.

This whether the needs help, No, do not hide from them.

And verse eight says, then your salvation will come like

the dawn, and your wounds will quickly heal. Your guardliness

will lead you forward, and the glory of the Lord

will protect you from behind. And verse nine, then when

you call, the Lord will answer. Amen. Amen, this is

the fast that we want to do. Let's not just

skip a meal for the sake of following Utah and

you know, read a few verses and God, I'm done. No,

let's really take this time of yout that's coming up

to set the captistry to free people from bondages. You

will know your friends and family, those who are in

blindness who just can't see the light, who we've been

sharing with for so many years and it still can't

see that they need Christ and then they need God.

Let's break the chains of bondages people. You know who

I need addiction, could be your friends and family as well.

This is what you're fastating prayers for to break those chains.

And I really prayed it eyes would be open. So

let's pray that that Ephesians pray if you took it down,

pray like Paul pray for the church. And he prayed constantly,

constantly praying for the believers. God open their eyes, flood

their hearts with light, let them understand the greatness that

you placed in them. Let's pray those prayers this year. Amen.

And really, I really believe there'll be a difference in

your prayer life, in your u turn and to really

experience that revival in our hearts. This way it starts Revi.

I was not gonna come without without reverence, without prayer,

without reading his word, and then would just go and

you know, go through another year and nothing changes. But no,

I say God, I want I want something to change

this year.

We hope you've been blessed by this message. For more

information on our church, please visit Aschurch dot org. We

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this week is going to be a good week. I

hit for you, God bless