Prayer | Pr Matthew Chang

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

We hope this message will light up your day.

That's turned with me to Luke Chapter ten, from verse

thirty eight to verse forty one. Okay, I prepared some

slides Luke, Chapter ten, verse thirty eight to verse forty one.

Sure you're very familiar with this passage. I'm just going

to read ahead. Mary and Martha worship and serf. How

may have you read this passage before more than ten times?

A maim you more than ten times? That it is? Huh,

I'm quite a common passage now verse thirty eight. 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 sat at

Jesus's feet and heard his word. But Martha was distracted

with much serving, and she approached him and said, now

this is very important. I want you to pay at ten. Lord,

do you not care that my sister has left me

to serve alone? Therefore, tell her to help me. 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. Okay, so many of you

are very familiar with this passage, right, So if you

are familiar, can I test you? I can't test you.

I like to test people. Okay, let's go to the slide. Okay,

what's the next light here? So the question is who

was Martha really upset with? Who says Jesus, hands up?

Everybody must raise your handser, I'm going to monitor you.

You don't use it, I'm going to call you up. Okay.

Who says Jesus. Oh, now I see some hands, you know?

Who says Martha? Yeah, I see it a few hands.

That's sorry. Who says Mary? Who says Mary? See Mary?

Who is scared to answer, thinking it's a trap. Someone

was telling me it's neither Jesus nor Mary is Martha.

So Martha is upset with herself? Well, my mind was

blown it off. Well, this is like the plot behind

the plot, man, It's like it's that fourth dimensional stuff,

you know. I was like, WHOA, I never thought of that.

This is deep. I need to go back and pray

some more, you know. But it's a good question. Isn't

it Who was Martha really upset with? But why do

we ask this question? Why do we ask this question?

Clearly Martha was quite a nice person, isn't it? Martha

invited Jesus or to serve you know, it's like Christians

that you know, we believe us, We invite yous into

our life, come the church, We want to serve you

as well. But yeah, in this incident in her house,

as she was serving Jesus, she got upset. Last place

you imagine, last situation. You imagine a believer, a servant

of God will get upset. But she clearly did. But

with who was it? Was it Mary? Or with Jesus?

But you guys said with Jesus? But how do we

know it's Jesus? The answer is always in the scripture?

Is in it? Always go to the scripture. So let's

look at what she actually said, verse forty. Now it

say it's here. But Martha was distracted with much serving,

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

care if she was upset with Mary? Why did she

approach Jesus? Cray, why not go to Mary straight? If

you're upset with your your sister? Yeah, what's his sister,

our sister. Go to your sister, lah, I mean you're sure.

I'm sure you know your sister very well is in it.

I'm sure you've got no problem. You just don't need

to go through it. You just look straight at home.

You know, like brothers and sisters said, you just in family.

You don't need to go to them. You look at

give them that look at. Oh, I know already, I

know what the idea. I know what my brother means. Ready,

you know you get in that look they know already.

But clearly her problem, although it began with Mary, her problem,

it became married. But it was clearly directed towards Jesus,

isn't it. It's very interesting. It's clearly directed Jesus. And

she says, and she her statements reviewed that said, law,

do you not care? She didn't say, Lord, Mary is

not helping. No, She was making a summary, a judgment

about God's character, of God's intention, isn't it? She said?

Do you not care? Wow? You invite someone into your

house and you accuse the person for not care? You

know whoa it's true or not? You invite someone to

your house? You know? Do you not care? She is

saying that Lord, you clearly can season it. I invite you,

but you can clearly season it. And I invite you

because you're a nice person. You can clearly see. But

you are not helping. So I am asking you one question.

Do you not care? Oh? It's like like, you know, guilty, Jesus.

You know you know what I'm saying. Not guilty. She's

really clearly trying to guild Jesus. You know, she's really

reaching to a boiling point, you know, to a guy

you just invited. Okay, left me and then she said

to left me to serve alone. She's someone like painting herself, like, oh,

what a horrible situation she was lefting. You do not care?

Now I serve alone. You're uncaring. Your display of uncaringness

has left me alone serving. Oh so poor me. You

know you don't care about me, isn't it? Upset with Jesus?

And then but it becomes about us. Then the most

revealing thing is the next one. Therefore, tell her to

help me. You're upset with Jesus, and then you begin

to tell Jesus what to do as well. Oh it's true,

isn't it. Why would you tell someone to do? Direct

someone what to do if you're not upset with the person.

There's the response in it. So she's telling Jesus what

she expects of him and instructing him what to do. Ah.

So is this about serving or it's about the relationship

between Martha and Jesus. Isn't it? Her words betray her?

Her words betray what is going on, how she sees

the universe, how she reads the room, how she she's

reading God, and how she wants her world to be resolved,

how her problems to be resolved. Isn't it he said, Jesus,

you go and talk to her. So the sometimes a

lot of times you think about it. The parallel is

our Christian life, isn't it. We can invite Jesus, but

we also invite Jesus not just into our surrendering. We

invite Jesus into our mess as well, into our conflicts,

into our things that we don't like. Jesus, come into

my life. And if you're driving, someone cut your car,

someone no want motorcycles try to squeeze through your car.

Always happened to me, and then they just pushed through

the not the car window. And then sometimes they call

it Jesus come into my life. Tell them further to

respond to me. Let's say, sorry, you get me right

into your mess in your life as well. And now

talk to my husband, talk to my own wife. Oh,

make them feel sorry what they did to me, isn't it.

We invite Jesus into our mess, into our lives as well.

And not only we tell him, we tell you what

to do as well. And a lot of times they so,

I pray you, isn't it it's true or not? Ye? Yeah? No, yes,

yes or no, not true or not. Of course, once

in a while we pepper in. You know, we pray

for people as well. We pray for the country. We

pepper a bit, you know, we pay for a while

so that you know that Jesus, you see, I have

to have for the nations. You know, I am I

the only one who feels that way. No, No, you

guys are saintsmen. Seriously, you guys are real saintsmensh I

need the one. I'm the one who needs to repent. Okay,

but but but it's so true, isn't it? A lot

of time? But you know, you know a lot of

times we are so caught up in the world and

we think that prayer is about a lot about us,

how we perceive, and then we direct our worldview, how

we see the world, how we read the world, and

we instruct God how to solve it as well, you know.

And it's and you no wonder a lot of times

our prayer feels very frustrating, isn't it. Okay, let's deal

with some of the problems with prayer. Come, let's let's

go to the next light. Okay. Now, and I know

the picture. This is the fail of my partner. Okay,

it's supposed to be a chief. Okay, I like to

put jeeves in my my slight. Supposed to be a cat,

you know, you know, slapping her face, you know, like, oh, no,

you know. But Martha's problem is that she's worried and

troubled about many things, isn't it trouble? But her problem

was not that she was a bad person. Her problem

is a problem of wisdom, because Jesus said, she your

sister Mary chose the good part. It was not that

she was a bad person, not about her intention, but

it's about it's about a problem of wisdom. You may

be a good person, very nice person, but if you

chose poorly, you are unwise and now wise decision can

lead you to sometimes spiritual problems and not just spiritual problems,

sometimes frustration with God as well. Yeah, mean right, you

are unwise. You are unwise in a lot talk about

a lot about this, and sometimes it comes about differentiating

important things versus things that are immediate. We think that

things that are immediate we think are important. It's not

always true, okay. Or we try to confuse spiritual things

versus things that are pragmatic. You know, I'll talk about

pragmatism in a very short world. That's turned the next light.

Let's go to the next light. Now, how many of

you say this before? Prayer is a luxury. Prayer is

for people like Pastor Stephen, who's called to be a

pastor then he pray. Prayer is for people who are

in full time ministry. You know, they're not like me.

I have to work from nine to five. I got kids,

you know. For those people like me and I have

to study as well, prayer is a luxury. These people

have got nothing to do. They can prayer live, you know,

they can go and pray. You know, prayer is a luxury.

I don't have the time and the energy to spend,

and then when you actually do come into prayer already

you struggle. You know, you asked, I said, Hey, I

want to pray for my exam, I want to pray

for my family. I want to pray for my job.

And then you pray orso are You're like, ah, I

think I got hurt. This a bit like a thousand times. Ready.

You know, I feel like I don't even like my

own prayer, you know, I feel like it selfish, you know,

you know what I'm talking about. I feel like I

always pray for myself like that, Why can't I pray

for the world. But to be honest, that's not my

heart what I really think about as well, because if

I'm not asked and not I doubt whether I'm asking

for the writing in my prayer, you know. But I

know God, if God is you know, Lord over everything,

I'm sure he hears, right. Can you guys see this?

You know, God hears all my prayers. Man. Now, if

God hears, is he pleased with my prayer? Does he

like what I pray? Every night? What if I pray

and I don't get a response. I have to come

face to face with this terrible thing called disappointment or

sometimes even more terrible. It's called hope because tomorrow I

have to decide whether I want to pray again or not.

And then you know, when you actually do pray, I finally, okay,

I haven't prayed. You know, this is my first time

praying in like three months. You know, Okay, you don't

even know what to pray. Some people you will know

how to say you have a need, but you don't

know how to begin your loss. You're afraid, you're confused.

And then even after you pray, you're like, okay, so

what's next? So what's next? Do I pray again? Then

you feel like I pray one type enough readiom God

who knows, like into eternity what I want to ready?

What?

Then? So with all these things that package right, it

kind of leaves a lot of people in the black

hole about prayer and not just prayer. If you feel

so empty about prayer or loss, it makes you feel

very confused about the relationship you're called to have with

your heavenly father. Isn't it isn't it true? Or not?

Am I the only one feeling that way? How many

of you honestly feel at least identify if somewhere hands

up crackly, Oh, I see it? No, no, yes, okay,

I hope you guys. Today's one is a bit deep.

Of course, you guys are deep people. Ah, okay, I

give you credit. Okay, next one. So what some of

the common dilemma that we have? So because of that,

we fall into a lot of things. You know, we

followed all things like inconsistent timing. You pray whenever you want.

You know, you pray when you feel like you're praying,

or they maybe someone not into you all this. When

you pray really hard, you know, maybe you're driving and

you need to go to the toilet, you know, but

you're no toilet around there, and you really pray, like

really really really really really hard. Okay, you pray in

weird venues. Some people like to pray in the toilet,

you laugh, but that's true. Some some men and some

women spend a lot of holy time in the toilet,

you know, really like really holy time, longer than prayer hours.

You know, they're like, why are you doing inside there?

You know, my kids sometimes do that. You know. It's like, oh,

like we have venues and then it's like oh, you know,

it's like what would you want to pray inside there?

You know, because like I'm doing nothing or no internet connection,

I might so well just pray that. You know, some

people when you pray, you know you're lying. When you're like, oh,

it's so tired, you're lying down on your very nice

orthopedic pillow and then you're watching your NETFLIXX. You know,

finish ready, Okay, let now I pray, Thank you God,

you know for everything. Oh last night, did I pray

and you wake up the next morning? Did I pray?

I think I pray. I think I pray a wonderful prayer,

but you didn't. You just slept through on a prayer.

And because you were too busy watching K pop Demon

Hunters and you know whatever things like that you're watching.

They say, Okay, so you have weird praying venues. Okay,

you have awkward postures, are okay? The one I don't

have to ask that you know you're lying that whatever

you're doing. Okay, you are distracted most of the time.

You say, you go no timer. But if I ask

you for your hemphone and I checked your how many

screen time? How how long you spend on your screen time?

I want to compare not I think average at least

some of you are four hours five hours? Are I

think that's a mini true or not? I want to

compare now, you said you go no time. Let's compare

screen time. Okay, some of you are like, oh no, no,

no no, let's take a pollar. What it's not every

screen time in some money. Let's compare with other plans.

You'd be like, oh no, no, no, no, no, no, no,

don't go. But it's true. I go to your hand,

your I don't know your Instagram. See what you're like scrolling?

Your scrolling patterns will appear. You see what happens? You

know that really gonna know that? You see? I mean right,

we are lack of faith as well, isn't that we pray?

You don't know we're got, but we've got here. We've

got you no acknowledge what I pray. And you know

a lot of times, you know, the lack of faith

comes from your shame, shame, and then your lack of

you know, shame because of you're sinful, of your sin

in your life. You know now, but you know, when

I have time, I'll talk about shame. And this is

a very very powerful thing. You know, there's a shame

that leads us to godly repentance. But there is a shame,

you know, in the world that leads you to ungodly

repent now ungodly not even repentance, and ungodly response as well.

You know, God allows shame and pain in our lives

so that we turn to him. But if you watch actually,

I was like watch it. I was like what some

people like as curious and watch the hunter thinger and

I realized the messaging was so unique enough. Instead of

feeling shame about something and turning to God, it asks

you to embrace the shame because everyone is a shame

who so subtle, so subtle. If I bring you to

watch a horror movie and I say that, you know

there is a there is a there is a demon.

There's living in people, but everybody got demon. There's a

demon's embrace it. You will not accept the messaging. But

it is the packaging that makes it so much more

delicious to eat. It's very, very insidious. Next time, I'll

explain to you what it means. You never know you

know what I'm saying. What I'm saying the world not

pain and shame. It is meant to lead us to repent,

to turn to God. But the way the world perverts it,

it takes the same pain and shame is that learn

to embrace it so that no matter what you do,

you will never turn to God. You learn to decide

for yourself what is right and wrong. Nobody gets to

define things for you, you know, ah, not even God

as well. So the world will turn tell you take

this pain and shame and take charge yourself. But God

says no. The way that it was supposed to wait

is that you turn to me. See, you know, the

world and the devil will always pervert things so that

you will never go to God no matter what. Don't

ever turn to God. Okay, but there's another time I

will share with you guys about that. Okay. So we

talk about lack of bibical truth in their lives, and

some people, because of lack of knowledge, when they pray,

they don't understand and they know themselves as well. I

don't even know what I'm praying. I don't even know

where I'm praying. And because if I pray and I

ask for ray and I think it's wrong, I condemn

my own conscience as well. People. I feel very confused

about it. Now, so I was actually, to be honest,

I scrubled with some of these things as well when

I was you know, I was, I was growing up,

and I started, you know what I did. I began

to read prayer books. Began to read prayer books because

I was curious, how do some of these people are

praying so long and so powerful? You know? I was like, whoa,

they must be super holy, you know, ah, the prayers

must be like whoa, some some prayers like super Gang one.

You know. So I started to read a book. How ma.

You know this guy called George Muller. George Muller Okay,

we can write it down. He's basically very famous, uh pastor,

and he started basically he's based in Bristol in the UK.

He started actually the most successful orphanage in Bristol. He

almost often like hundreds of thousands, one hundred plus thousand orphans,

even launched schools scholarships as well. But not just that.

The most unique thing about mile okay, is that when

he started his orphanage right he set his heart to

never ever ask for a single cent, never ever asked.

He never did a single fund raising, He never wrote

a single letter, He never asked anyone can I can you?

Can you give money to the orphanage? Never in the church,

never anyone again. So that was his that was his

mortal And then and you know, actually I was reading his book,

he said that the reason why he wanted to start

the orphanage from the very beginning is because his congregation

was made up of a lot of working adults and

a lot of them stopped coming to church and uh

and didn't go into read the Bible pray because they

were always saying that they are too busy. And then

a lot of them compromise in their in their in

their work as well, you know, a lot of ethical

integrity problems and stuff. So he wanted to start an

orphanage so that he can show also sleep by example,

that you can serve God lead the right way with

the right values, you know, and still be success food

as well. So I thought, why don't, why do why

not do a orphanage? And so when he did the orphanage,

he started with two kids, five kids, ten twenty. Eventually

he got to forty sixty seventy. Now if you read

his books, okay it's actually it's free one and know,

if you want to read the books. Okay, but it's

a big old school English. Now if you read his

books every week, they have a prayer neat one. It's

a weekly thing. They will come there were like, for example,

if today was Sunday, they were like, oh tomorrow we've

got no money for lunch or for the whole day

for breakfast. Nothing. Then he will begin to pray and

then tomorrow morning, Monday money he'll wake up any money

they will ask to make no money yet, okay, you're

writing this journal. Are so urgent. We got reading no money.

We have to tell people to not buy anything. But

I'm not going to ask for anything. I'm gonna go

out into it and have a walk right now and

pray to God, God, I still believe that you can provide,

you know, And suddenly with someone who just oh uh,

pastor George just not thinking about you. I don't know

why not, but I've been wanting to pass this for

you for two weeks. Do that. Oh then he realized,

oh God, ten ten British pounds, thank you so much.

Then you bring and then get the asthma made to

provide for the whole new for the whole whole day,

for forty sixty offense. He will do that. He lay

by there every week every week, you know, not just

for him, whole household, for the entire orphanational. So there'll

be times that we're going on and suddenly the milk

kartna got jamna, so they cannot move. So the milk

was given to them because they would wanting to spoil

as well, so random things and people will literally drop

a basket in front of their house with you know,

bread and giving. He survived there and then eventually, you know,

his orphanage grow to a hundred one hundred plast thousand.

You know how he's how he actually able to provide

and somebody without asking a single sendino. And then when

I look into his prayer, booker, you think his prayer

was like super long. No, his prayer was like, I know, God,

you know, I prayed last night very hard. We haven't

received yet. No, maybe Lord that you are you know,

maybe some people are delaying, but Lord, you quicken their

hearts to give right now. Lord. So now he's very

you know, he was very committee as well. He just

having a conversation not maybe you know, Lord, maybe there's

someone you know who is you know, maybe a stingy,

but Lord, you help them to be generous and release

it right now. You know. He was just praying like that,

very simple, not like p Lord, look at help me.

You're petty server. No no, no, said Lord today. You know,

even though we don't have you know, but the children

were asking for milk because they ever have milk for months.

You know, you'd be great and then the meal will come.

You think about it and it makes you wonder. It's

like sometimes we think that God will only answer the

big things about God is the God or the bi

and God or the micro and all, because there's wonder

in both levels, you know, give me and there's wonder

in bolth level. God is so interested to hear all

these small little things, not because he thinks that your

heart is petty, but more like do you live in

a in the spiritual state of wonder of God and

not get me? God listens to the big and listens

to the small. Sometimes we equate God, but as if

like our parents, heir you you got all money and

go in touch and go and buy lie. You know,

we think that God it's like that by God is

not like that. God is interested to fully penetrate and

soak into our lives so that we realize that God

is over and surrounding and flooding all our universal And

he did so for George Miller, you know, it's amazing.

So he was his his book and was just about

God answering this this morning, this day. They didn't and

eventually it led up to all of them. And I

begin to read, I know, sometimes realize that some of

this praiers are the prayers are very simple, very simple.

It's like someone who is just new to the faith

as you are, very simple prayer. So I want to

let you know that prayer is not something very complicated,

not very complicated. It just takes the simple willingness to

trust in God and believe that God. God is there.

You know what I'm saying, God is, God is there.

So that that's why I started with my what I'm sharing.

You know, like you think, like you know, God is

always just about us, you know, big things. No God

can protect your car. God can you know, lead you

to meet someone that your old colleagues as well. But

simple things and I tell you these other things that

that helps you grow your faith on it all, it

really really helps you grow. If sometimes you pray for

your children for something. Ask then you out here to

ask youse? If you don't pray? What is it that

you don't pray? Is it your disappointment of your children

or your parents stopping you more than the power of

God in your life? Ah, you get mean right? That

is dominating you. That's why you didn't pray. So don't

blame God, don't blame your children, blame yourself. Ah you

get I mean right? So you have to fight this

battle off prayer. Now I want to share something as well.

You know I was. You know, you know what's the

biggest challenge to prayer? Maybe can go to the next

line as I leaning to that, you go to the

next line. First of all, it's to plan your prayer.

Now today I'm talking about very practical things. A lot

of people talk about the importance prayer. I want to

go into the leader needed needed de greeties of prayer. Okay,

how to prayer? What I learned in my life? Okay,

you know there's this story here this How many of

you have heard this guy called C. S. Lewis? How

many of you have read his books a few a

few times before? How many of you have heard his book,

The screw Tape Letters. Yeah, Screwtap Letters are now, go

and read the book. It's a fantastic book. It's it's yes,

the English can be a bit yeah, okay, you know,

to be older and stuff like that. It's good. Okay.

So the screw Tap Letters is basically a journal, a

memo between a senior devil to a junior devil. Okay,

the senior devil his name is screw Tape, and the

junior is called warm Wood. So he's you know, he's

So the letter is basically worm Wood, the junior writing

to his uncle. Okay, it's Screwtape to ask for advice.

And so if the first paragraph, the first chapter begins,

it's the warm he's been given charge over this old soul,

this old man. Okay, so he said to his uncle

he has a predictament. He has a problem. What's the problem. Say?

This old man is seventy plus year Oh, he's sitting

in the park. I'm paraphrasing some stuff here, Okay, sitting

in the park, and suddenly he has an awareness. You

know that moment you all suddenly you didn't plan for it,

Suddenly you have a deep thought. And then he starts

to think about I'm not young anymore. I'm really not

young anymore. I could die anytime, but not just die anytime.

I'm starting to wonder where am I going? Where am

I really really going? I always like know what one daily,

maybe a month, But where am I really really going?

Do I really know where I'm going? He started to

realize maybe I don't know. Maybe there is something beyond

this life, because I cannot accept that life is just

you know, empty, you know blank, that we are just nothing.

There's no eternal, there's no kingdom. And because of that,

he started to worry about the health of his soul.

He's like, am I ready for eternity? And in that moment,

he starts to entertain the thought maybe he should go

and see someone, to talk to someone, maybe someone in church,

maybe a pastor, And he thought of a name. And

so this guy, this junior devil, he saw what this

guy is thinking, and he's become very worried because this

old man is taking one step closer towards eternity and

his maker. He's going to that side. And he's like,

oh no, I have done work, so much work for

seventy years, but this guy is waking up. You know,

he's waking up that this world is not why it

seems there's something greater. He's going out of his camp.

You know. Oh, it's like a cat coming out of

the house. And no, So he pleaded to his uncle, No, uncle,

what should I do? Uncle's crew tape? You know? Then

you know, should I? Should I go to him and

put you know, apologetics and tell him that it's no

God and everything else? He said no. Then the uncle seide,

you are an amateur. You don't reason with people with intellectuals.

You got mean, the more you reason with them, if intellectuals,

the more likely they are going to go there because

they realize that there is no end to it. And

then blah blah blahlah. You get me right there, he stayed. Like,

the most effective way you know to battle someone from

going to the other side, it is with what what

do you think it is?

What?

It's the greatest too? A man sitting at the park thinking,

or going to church thinking meaning pastor what is the

greatest tool you will employ to this to to to

dissuade this guy suddenly the devil?

Why it's the greatest tool. The greatest tool is lunch lunch, lunch.

You know why because every moment where you are sitting

right now, when you wake up this morning, when you

decide to sleep last night, you did everything. We are

always and constantly weighing things where that something is worth

to pay the price. When you make the guy sitting

there you don't think about all eternity, make him think this.

If I go there, you know it's so close to lunchtime,

Why if I get hungry? What is the It's not

a nice sandwich restaurant there, or a nice place to eat.

I'm gonna be hungry for a long time. But if

I go there, how do I get back to my house?

Why if I go there there's a rain? Why if

I go there and that pasta is not a nice

person I can talk to? Why if it doesn't speak

my language? But if I cannot connect with him? Why

if I go there and I mess up the rest

of the day the plant that I have as well?

You see what I'm saying, or not see he's saying

that you don't this. Wait, you don't. You don't talk

about the eternal with the eternal things. A man is

part temporal and part eternal. Temporal means physical we look

at the temporal things lunch, maybe go pickable, you know,

go and meet your friends. Things stay up at temporal.

They are they love the temporal. There are stup They

live by the temporal, the flesh. You get me right,

You don't use the eternal to this way that you

use the temporal. The things that are pragmatic, the things

that they can enjoy immediately, the things that they can

see results immediately. That itself, this whole psychology of wanting

things based on what you can see and based on

what the results you can envision, is called pragmatism, and

it's built from the US. Every belief that we have,

I tell you from whether from business and everything is

a philosophy in disguise. Pragmatisms started say, you know, you

don't look at you know, don't base your judgment based

on what you cannot see, based on what you can

see and what works, then you use that. So the

world has been very effective at doing that, you know,

very very effective in doing that. So why be a

good person? You know, but if you be a bit

shrewd and smarter, you get the results. See other people

called the results. Where can you be like that? So

it removes the things that are intangible, things like integrity, morality, purpose.

You can mean God, you cannot seema, Why put so

much a into it? Pragmatic may mean right if I

why come to so you if you make a decision

like last night, I can come. You know, I have to.

I have to come to x Manion nine thirty. I

have to plot, you know from BJ one hour drive.

It means I need to I need to leave at

eight thirty means I need to wake up. I mean,

like you know, at seven on Sunday morning. Seriously, pragmatism

kicking and ah, it means the night before I need

to sleep, not no later than one o'clock. You know.

So that makes you think whether you want to watch

the extra episode of Netflix or not, or hang out

there late or not? You mean right, then you're all like,

by it's true, isn't it. Everything we do is based

on pragmatism. But the moment you start to move away

from pragmatism, it's no, I cannot see it, but I

know it's important. You know it's important because there's the thing.

They are greater than what I see and what I feel.

He can mean right, and you start to live beyond

the pragmatics, and you realize that you are a spiritual bee,

You're like it, Oh, no, you are spiritual. You can't

saying you know? You know, like why you are confirmed

a spiritual being because when you are at the end

of your life, all the things in the world don't

matter anymore. We are the least pragmatic when we are dying.

It's funnier. We are most pragmatic when we're living, but

we are the least pragmatic when we are dying. Suddenly, food, money,

and everything doesn't matter anymore. You're like, you ask, where

are you going? You know what I'm saying. You know,

It's funny a life, how it flips you around. But

by the time are you realize that you already bought

the planer, You're already immitiate. You cannot turn ready, so

make your decision before you bought the plane scarier. Why

it's true, isn't it pragmatism? So the enemy will always

distract you and I with the thing still are pragmatic,

Like you're coming to church. Here is this past the matter?

I don't even know what it's talking about, but I'm

thinking about whether where pastor Steven will take us for

lunch if it's raining, or the options are even lesser.

Maybe I don't want to come to church anymore, not

worthy that I rather go and want my dog in

Broker Hills. You know. But it's true, isn't it. But

you think these thoughts are random, my people, these thoughts

are random. You think it's just me or you are.

These are real thoughts. That is why white do you think?

Real worship is not singing songs? You know? Real worship

is the morning you wake up. I choose to come

to church. That's worship. That's worship morning I wake up.

My children are giving me really a hard time, really

really a hard time, but I still come. That's worship

better than any Spotify song. That's the that's the real

heart to worship people and all. That's the That's where

the real battle is in, not people. The pragmatism waiting

You're like, ah, it's like the pragmatism is like when

I'm coming down the elevator already hevery long day, man.

I just had saw an accident and then everything there's

time to go better. But I see, you know, my friends, Okay, okay,

I'm just gonna extend up by faith. I know, turn around. Wow,

God is the great reward of those who di digitally

seek him. That's worship. People. I didn't realize it. No,

I'm not saying that I'm a great worshiper, but I

realized it comes down to the every moment decision. That's worship. People. Ah,

come to homes are today. I only got four people,

but I choose to come. I don't feel like it,

but I still come. That's worship. That's really worship more

than anything else. People, There's more pleasing to God than

anything else. People. You think what she is about song?

You know Jesus got treat temptation right three times? Right?

What's the second temptation? He was taken to a high

places in it, and he was shown the kingdom of

the world. And then what did the devil say to him?

If you are abounder and worship me, you can have

all this isn't it? He said? Worship mema? What he

What did he wanted from Jesus a Bethel's owner? You

wanted the singer. No, even the devil knows what he

wants from worship. Not a song doesn't need your clap.

He wants your heart. He wants what spies your mind,

what you think is most valuable. That's true in your life,

isn't it. We all know what's that that every decision

you want you choose, that's worship. That's where your heart is.

You can't say why I'm saying or not. That's that's

what's so the devil knows with this old man, he said, Hey,

don't tempering with discussions or anything. No, just tell him

it's not worthy. Go and have lunch, have something nicer

to compete with it. Go ad, meet your friends, go

and have a pickle ball or something. You know, those

are the things so that are pragmatic that will determin

you everybody. Okay, Soavana, you agree with what I'm saying

because everybody goes through it, you and now we go

through it. It is the same flash. Okay. So first

of all, plan your prayers. Plan your prayers. People don't.

If you don't plan it, you're not gonna plan it

and it's not gonna happen. Plan. When I said planner,

it means that it includes her set a time and

a place and the duration as well. Hey, the duration,

I'll talk in a short one. What it means, okay,

see a time and the place every night before you sleep. Okay,

don't play where you don't pray where you are, go

out to another place, go to a living room, go

to a room, and I will say this air, get

a proper posture, don't lie down. I'll tell my children,

get on your knees, not at least sit down. And

I will tell people to put your hands together as well.

Really you you actually, and this is very important. I

have to pick and choose what I'm going to share there.

You lead with your body first. People, you lead with

your body first, bodies, with your posture, with your body.

It's everything you think that it doesn't make, but I

tell you it's true. We are both physical and spiritual.

We are quite hippo critical, you know, you know, you

know well like to deceive ourselves that you know sometime

sometimes and when we are all physical, we say that

spiritual doesn't matter. Sometimes and when we are spiritual, we

say the physical doesn't matter. We are very hypocritical about it,

but it's so true. If I look at my wife

and I say, and I my body's direction, my hip

is facing the exit, and I look at her, honey,

I already want to spend time with you. You think

she's gonna believe me. My body is going the other

way and I'm playing with my phone. Honey, I really

love spending time with you. I really mean it. Can

you read my heart? Don't you know my heart? Don't

you know how long we'll be married? Really, it doesn't

marry how long you been married with what you're say

in your heart. Your body says everything. You care what

I'm saying. You know your body betrays you. It's true,

you get what I'm saying. Not so that's why when

we tell people when you worship, raise up your hands,

and the biggest challenge people head said. I don't feel

like it. I feel fake. That's why you're bring it up.

I'm not asking you because you know it is hard

to turn our hearts to God, truly leave with your hair.

I'm not asking you because I'm there. I'm lifting my head,

not because i'm there, I am better. I'm leading. I'm

meaning my because I need God. That's why you lift

up your hands. People, you can mean right you go

to the streets, are beggars ask for money? You think

they are ready because they raise their hands? Are they

raise their hand because they need somebody. They need help.

When you raise your hands on God, I need That's

why you raise your hands people, not for the left

or the right people to read. So that past the

step and he said that, oh, I have a happening church.

You know, no, that's not what asking because he knows

that when you leave with your body, everything else will

begin to submit and follow. Something must begin. Beat I'm saying,

you know, something must begin. You realize that every time

you come to church, you're not worshiping because you don't lead.

You don't intentionally lead. How you're gonna run and build

your stamina if you don't first bring yourself to the park,

you can't mean right, we do that all tie in

the physical, but we don't do it in worship. So

when I tell people when you worship, raise your hands

when you pray, put your hands together, not because like

when you put your hands got chakra or something coming. Okay,

it's not true. You know that. You know, you know,

if you go to European countries or some some of

the Middle Eastern countries, they have these monasteries. You know,

push your monsteris and they have some of these monks

when they pray, and the priests when they pray, their

prayer beats. Okay, their prayer bit. You know why you

use prayer beats? God answer one prayer, one more beat?

Oh maybe the prayer big God, you know, accentuating the force,

the power, and you can feel the force. But not true, none,

None of that. The prayer bait is because when they pray,

they know that as I focus my body to one

single point that it's all about prayer, I can focus

on God more. The prayer bill was meant for them

to direct their attention. Nothing else in my body but

just prayer, prayer, prayer, You get me right, So it's

then for them to direct their prayers. That's why they

do it that. I'm not asking you to do it

all the time. Sometimes you see, uh, what's that? What's that? Margaret? Uh?

The cathlic lady mother Theresa, Mother Theresa, sometime you see her.

It's what they use. I'm not saying that you have to,

but they they understood the importance of body posture. I'm

not saying it's everything, but I'm saying that it's really

really important. So if you want to change a prayer life,

pick a place tonight. Begin to take it. Take your

body posture seriously, put your hands together. No distractions. Somehow,

when I pray, I don't even let my children know

where I am. I say, when you pray, tell my

kids you pray, Go into your room. Don't let me

see it. Go into your room there, begin to pray.

I don't care if it's one minute, thirty seconds. You

get into that prayer. At the very least, whether you

feel like you're writer, you will choose to honor God

gave man. You would choose to honor God with your

life and your body while you steal at the breath.

Put like that. Pray. Okay, remove all the distractions, don't

put your phones. Be alone. When Jesus praise, he was

always alone. A lot of times we have to pray

on your bend and with something TV. Oh I need

to hear the music. To be honest, you don't need

any of those, none of those. Take it alone to pray. Okay, verbalize,

Oh this one, but God knows my heart. Man knows

ready why I want to pray. No, you verbalize. Did

you know that verbalizing and speaking and writing is actually

one of the most powerful form of language mastery. A

lot of people read, but they don't speak, they don't write,

and that's why you realize that their English is not there.

It's true, not any linguistic people. But actually writing is

the hardest laugh because when I begin to write that

I wrote notes, Oh, I struggle. I realize that my

english really quite bad. Have my thoughts and my heart

and my intention needs to sink. You need to sink

and then express. Sometime you're oh, how come my writing

is not there? You know? It's like, why it's so

so broken english? You?

Oh?

Then I really like, Now this are what we do.

We ask GPT to write her, so we take away

the mastery that we're supposed to master, which is some

very unfortunate. But verbalized. You know why you're verbalized because

when you verbalize, you are witnessing to what your soul speaks.

A lot of times you think you know what you want,

but then when you try to say it, you hesitate.

And you wonder why you hesitate, because you realize what

you actually say matters. It has Wait, it don't be

realized why it's so heavy, Because God measures your heart measures,

that's why not when you never bring it out, your

words are never heavy. But when you begin to say it, God,

thank you. Tell you that's why you never always why

you look to your family? It said, dad, thank your mom,

I love you. You know what's are heavy? That's what people

don't take it out. It's like oh, and then it's like, God,

I want to pray, you know, for my job. By

then when you start to pray, it becomes heavier because

you realize it's not the right the right prayer, and

you question yourself. Have I really seek God before I

pray for this? Have I really committed and acknowledging before

I pray for this? You know I'm saying now you

you you're scared because you realize you're you you you

you might not even answer your own prayer. And you

hope God you sort up the chaos and this need

in my life. You take it and then you shape it.

And then after that you according to what you're like,

you answer it so irresponsible. It's like someone not by

all the grocerries, but you don't know what you want,

and you cook what you want to You know what

I'm saying, how many will you? Would you like to

do that? No? Right? But that's what we do in

all we buy a bat your random things, you know,

and then we said, God, you cook what you're thinking

are but make sure that I like it. But that's

what we do. We think good. Yes, the gods a

chef you all are you guys? Okay? So far that

making sense to what you guys are telling. You have

to be very intentional about things. You know, what you

do with God, how you interact, because how you honor God,

it's gonna help you. If your life is on how

you treat people, how you look at yourself, your life

is not so much so much so much more chaos.

One and all learn to verbalize, and you realize it's hard.

I'm not asking you a lot of times to verbalize

hundred percent of a prayer, verbalize fifty percent. Fifty percent

if you pray for five minutes. Sometimes you pray, Lord,

thank you so much, and you realize certain things confirm

in your heart, Oh this is true. And your heart

begins to in this holy begins to winners. Oh, and

you grow in confidence. But when you're in your heart,

you're never in that. There's no way to it. But

when you as you begin to pray and say, oh,

I don't know, I need to look at the scripture.

Oh yes it is. It's true. You pray, you pray,

and you begin to grow as well. So it's very

very important you. I'm not asking to butt as loud,

you know, like those people you know in the morning. Aha, No, no, no, no,

I'm not a skining to do that. Okay, I'm asking just

to at least just we spull in your mouth like Lord,

thank you Lord, even when you even when you help us. Lord,

I don't even know how to pray, but Lord, I

know you can. So even when you don't, even when

you mean you're just thinking about when you say it,

it takes it to another level of faith and win.

See in your life as well. It makes you want

to take action instead of just relaxing on it. You

know what I mean? Right, these are very very important

things now. Consistency is more important than your feelings. Now.

This is you know, it goes together with this push

through prayer. I'm going to know this is my last part. Okay. Now,

when you pray, I like you to time your prayer

and know it kind of sounds weird, it's kind of

you do it for the early few times on me. Okay,

if you're new the prayer why. Okay, I'll explain to you.

I'm not asking, I'm not judging you. I'm not asking

you to go and compare your your prayer time. If

you know any pastors or anyone, Hey, I pray for

ten minutes, check it out, and I pray for one

I will check it out. And oh no, there's no

one I'm asking. I'm just asking your time. Okay. First

of all, you don't look at the clock. You just pray, pray,

everything is normal, and pray and you're done. You look

at the clock. Okay, what time? Okay? Then after your prayer,

I want you to stay in their prayer, saying the prayer,

even though you got nothing to pray, realdly, just stay

in their prayer for another minute or two minutes or

five minutes. It's like worship. You know, songs sung ready

some of some of us we approach worship like karaoke. Hey,

normally rics ready for what to do? A few awkward?

You know?

You know, but you stay a bit for a while.

I need to be wondering why pass a? Why do

that sound awkward? And all? Okay, let me explain to

you why how many of you go to gym? Let

leave weights one. Okay, it's okay, come on, represent man,

be confident. If you go to gym, say, for example,

if you you want to normally you carry it between

seven and eight reps per set. Okay, can you do

seven percent one to seven to eight? Like that? Let

me can ask you this question at which rep repetition

do you grow the most muscle or do you have

to experience the highest growth? One to eight? Which one?

Which rep do you experience the most growth and muscle? Nine? Oh,

but I say, like eight was your max. You couldn't

do any more? Which one do you experience the most growth?

Who says eight? Who says one to seven? You want

to seven? Sign says what? Eight? It's the one that

when you're gonna leave your your mind doubts you not

in your mind, like why am I doing here? You know,

you think that you've got nothing already.

Ah, and you're like gonna go down. But you make

a decision. I'm gonna push you no matter what, and

it suddenly that, ah, you finish.

Elite trainers know that you train to failure. That's what

they say. You heard disturmer train to failure. That is

where I'm not saying that the rest. This is where

the ultimate muscle growth happens. You train to fail. That's

that's the one number eight. If a is the one

that makes you grow the most, let me ask you, then,

what is the point of one to seven to get

you too? Eight? Okay? If eight is what grows you

the most, one to seven is to get you to eight?

Sounds funny and I know it's something. Let me explain

to you what that means in prayer? Mean? Okay, So

when I try to write down as I close, my

mental thoughts are when you come into prayer. Okay, So

I imagine you pray for half an hour, fifty minutes,

you finish all your prayers, you're spent ready, and then

you stay there for a while and you start to

reveal what you pray, and you realize that your prayers

are not solving your worries. It's not doing anything. But

as you stay there, you realize that your prayers are

more about offering your worries. And you start to wonder

and you start to have a clear awareness. Have you

been doing things out of your own strength? Have you

been wise in your own eyes? Have you even begin

to acknowledge God? Before you pray. Are your prayers coming

from a flash and worthy mind? Are you really carnal?

Then you begin to ask if God even pleased with

your prayer or even your life. And then you realize

that prayer is more about revealing who you are more

than God's will. Yeah, it's revealing who you are than

God's will. A lot of times we ask, well, God,

review your will to my life. Oh God, before I

do that, you need to review your own life to yourself.

Prayer is then you begin to realize that as I

stay before longer realize prayers about humility, you begin to sink,

you know, begin to sing deeper into your water of

your own helplessness and beginning to realize that we are soul,

so worthy, so so selfish. And then you realize to

begin and to develop better. When as you start to

be able to arrange things better in your life, things

become clearer. Oil begins to separate from the water, flesh

begins to separate from the spirit. You know what I mean? Right?

You start to realize your prayers are you know, white

is black? And what is white? Where this is coming from?

And then you begin to realize because you can't help

yourself you need God. That your prayer is not about

God answering my prayer, your prayers about God. I just

need you. You become to become. You begin to be

a bit more quiet. You begin to submit, and you

begin to pray the most basic of prayers. You begin

to say God and begin to ask God for mercy.

You begin to ask God to examine you. You begin

to ask God as he examines you, to be gentle,

but at the same time draw out the truth in

you that you really need in your life. As God

does that, you realize you're no longer just a father,

a student, a pastor, a worker, or anyone. You're just

a naked and empty vessel before God and there is

realize how and as your life becomes smaller and smaller,

God becomes bigger and bigger. And as you go into

prayer something arises. You begin to want to know more

about God instead of God into your life. You realize

that you know there are many things that are conflicting,

but only one thing is true, and that is God.

And only God gives truth. And it's only truth that

gives me peace, peace that sets me free, Truth that

sets me free. And before you begin to ask God,

to teach you, teach me how to pray, Teach me

how to pray, so that I might pray what I

ought to pray, to desire what I ought to desire,

to dream what I ought to dream. Instead of God

coming into my world, which he already did, he begins like, God,

now is my turn to go into your world. You

begin to say, God, I have only one thing that

I know, or one thing that I have that can

ever be of any measure or value, and that's my pathetic,

little faith that I have here right now. If every

breath I have, I choose you. I choose to surrender

to you. I choose to submit to you. I choose you.

I choose to plunge or do this water that's called you.

That I'm surrounded and totally enveloped by you. And as

you do, you realize that God has always surrounded you,

just that you never saw it, and that His tenderness

and his mercy is around you, and you begin to change.

You begin to realize that prayer is not just about

prayer asking, It's not really about asking. Prayer sets me free,

Prayer moves me. I begin to have a little bit

more faith, a little bit more desire to please Him,

to love my enemies, to forgive, and to draw closer

to God. That is what prayer is about. That's see

what I'm saying. You know, that's the beauty of prayer. Come,

let's stand together.

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

information on our church, please visit as Church RG. We

are also active on Facebook and Instagram. We're believing that

this week is going to be a good week ahead

for you. God bless