Victorious Prayer | Pr Matthew Chang

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Okay, So turn with me to Luke chapter ten. Okay,

I have a slide. It can turn to that slide.

So Luke chapter ten, verse thirty eight, and I'm gonna

read here.

Okay.

So the title is about Mary and Martha worshiping and serving.

Okay. So now first thirty eight, he.

Says, Now it happened as they went that he entered

a certain village talking about Jesus obviously here, and a

certain woman named Martha welcomed him into her house. And

she had a sister called Mary, who also set at

Jesus' feet and heard his word. Okay, so we had

two basically two sisters. Oh they didn't say sister that,

but basically two ladies who uh, basically welcome Jesus into

the house.

Okay. But it says in verse forty.

But Martha was distracted with much serving, and she approached

him with Jesus and said, Lord, do you not care

that my sister has left me to serve alone? Therefore

tell her to help me. I want you to underline

all of that. Okay, 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. Now, many of

you have heard this passage before. Many of you are

very familiar. It's teaching. Okay, So let me start with

the first question. Okay, who was Martha really upset with?

Okay?

Who was math are really upset with? How you decided

to realize this is a trick question? Who was Martha

really upset with? Who says Math? Who says Mary?

Okay? Who says Jesus? Okay?

Those who says Jesus are why? Why are they're upset

with Jesus? Why is she upset with Jesus?

All Right?

The verses revealed itself, isn't it? Because you start to

realize that her response, she starts off by complaining, Hey, Jesus,

he didn't he didn't just complain you know that, Hey,

Mary is not helping. She complained by saying that Lord,

do you not care?

Gave me?

Addressing Jesus and whether Jesus cares or not? Okay, it's

obviously something wrong ready, but when you know it's it's

it's very very similar in our lives, you know, both

with all of us. I believe that all of us

have a marry and a Math in our lives. You know,

well they are believers. Okay, it's not a problem with

the heart. It's a problem of wisdom. We all are

that math and marry all of us like that. We

invitees Us into our lives, and something doesn't go away.

Clearly it's not right. We get we get initially ticked

off with that subject or that incident, but then our

attention turns around. It becomes not about the issue the person.

It becomes really about about God, isn't it.

Lord?

Do you not care that person cut me and hit me,

or that person cheated me, or that person lied to me,

or that person ignore me, that person believed me, that

person did not help me. Initially it's about them, but

then conversation changes. Actually, you know all this and some

more for MATHA for Math, Jesus was right in front

of her of them, you know, right in front of them.

Jesus saw everything, Jesus entertained everything. Then it becomes annoying,

not about Martha. It becomes annoying to May about Mary.

It becomes annoying to Martha that Jesus didn't do anything.

It's a double thing. It started to multiply, and because

of that, then she started that do you not care?

Attacking God's goodness, God's love, God's care. Okay, that my

sister has left me to serve alone. And then she

paints herself as a victim. Oh God, lot, isn't there.

It's a lot of similarity. I'm blaming God and I'm

a victim to this left me to serve alone. How

many of your feel alone? A lot of times, isn't it?

You're alone a lot of times when you're heart alone.

Then it comes the final evolution of our prayer comes

there say that, therefore, because of all this, tell her

to help me. We're telling God how to help us.

Interesting initially, when you really we really passage that if

we think, like, okay, we shouldn't be serving too much,

you sh l not. Oh no, this is all about this.

Whole entire story is about the revelation of the heart.

I mean, right, a conversation that welcome we sold. We

all of us have a Mary and Martha all of

us we welcome. We're like Jesus come into our lives

and we do certain things we welcome. And yet when

we are frustrated, and all of us will have we

will get frustrated with different things challenges.

But there our conversation changes a lot.

That is why I always tell people that be careful

when you complain and complain about anything. Complain about your parents,

Complain by your spouse, Complain about your owner, hope about

your boys.

They may be right and they may be wrong. I

tell you they may be random.

Rah.

Complain about your church leadership, your home leader.

Whoever past man you know, I don't know why his

slides are you know, really uninteresting and dull? You know, seriously,

can't he just get his daughter to put it on

a canvra? You know, put a bit more effort in

all you know, things like that. You know, you know,

you know things you can. But ultimately, who are you

complaining about?

It's good, you know what I'm saying.

You know everything you complain Ultimately it has it's it's

so treacherous, and that our conversation changes to really complain

about God. And if you allow it long enough, it

becomes us telling God how to deal with health situation.

When we begin to tell God is he Lord or

are we Lord? It becomes idolatry, you know, scarier, it

becomes us. You know, we become lowal, We become the idult,

We become the idol we have become the center of it.

It becomes idolatry, you know. And it's kite said, because

it happens to the best of us as well. Now,

what is my theme and what am I really addressing to?

Now?

Martha's problem? Okay, I have a slight the next one. Okay,

what is Martha's problem? She is worried and troubled about

many things.

This is what Jesus said, isn't it?

Yeah?

No, Jeev, it is not moving. Ah, yeah, it's yes.

I got exposed in my lack of cats. Maybe one

day I will convert to dogs. Okay, no, okay, uh,

I know, worried and trouble about many things. First of all,

she was Jesus highlighted, you are worried and troubled about

many things. This is very important because again I said it,

it is a problem of wisdom and not of the heart.

It happens to believe us as well. They love Jesus,

but it's a lack of wisdom. Lack of wisdom. Okay,

so it's not that you're a bad person, but we

get there because of a lack of wisdom. A lack

of wisdom can can can snowball into a lot thing

when you are unwise with a lot of things, when

you are unwise in making choices or allowing things to

come in and come out of your life as well.

It affects everything the way you think, the way you feel,

and eventually the way you behave as well. And sometimes

people misconstrue you and then you start like, but that

is not what I meant. There was not my intention.

How many have you said there before or her people

said that before? Isn't it every time? It's especially in marriages. No,

that's not my intention. But it's not because your intention

is a lack of wisdom. So sometimes you get Sometimes

if you're on the receiving and you hear people get

apologizing it's not my intent, not my intent, you get

very frustrated. It's that I don't care about your intention.

It's not about your intention. You know, it's you know,

good intent. You know that there's a very hard there's

a very harsh thing, you know now that they say

that now the highway to hell is paid with good intentions,

you know before a high way to hell is paid

with good intentions, good intention, it's not enoughing not, it's

never enoughing not. You cannot use it to claim credit

with the other person.

It's never one to know. So just doesn't mean that

you have good intentions used to do everything. No, we

must be wise. We must be very very wise and

be very very very discerning. Okay.

That's why the Bible talks about the parable of the

ten foolish virgins. They may have good intentions, but they

were foolish or very harsh words, are very very foolish.

So I really hope that as we as a generation

as believers, that we also not just have good intention Christians,

but when we live our lives as a family unit

or go out to work, that we aren't good intentions,

but we are foolish in a lot of the things.

That we do.

Okay, So Martha's problem, it's about wisdom, and the problem

with her wisdom, with her what her decision making is

that she is worried and troubled about men me many things.

So do you realize?

But how is there a wisdom problem? The most of

you is that I don't want I don't want problem,

but people give me problem. You know, you get me, right,

I go to the world, I don't want problem. I

want to choose simple life. Go to eat lunch on

my own and they not just finish. But my boss

keep asking me for this meeting. Go and meet with

that feather. You know, I come back. I don't want

problem also, but my children give me a problem as well.

Is there is there a way that we can choose

and not choose to have a problem in our lives. Okay,

so now, okay, we'll answer that shortly. Okay, then not

only that Jesus said, what did Jesus say that? But

one thing is needed and Mary has chosen.

That good part. Okay.

Jesus is saying that you are concerned about many things. Okay,

it's very important to them share that things will happen

into your life, but there is still a choice to

place them or to prioritize them over everything else.

It's up to you. You get mean right.

Things can affect you and nobody can stop that, and

in fact, you will have more invite you realize that

you have more responsible for people on the head would

put it over you as well. But you still have

a choice in terms of how they affect you. And

this is what Jesus is saying. But one thing is needed.

That means that math has a choice. You can choose,

and Mary has chosen that good part. And she's saying

that you are in this position because you chose poorly

and Mary chose wisely.

Scarier.

Problem will always come into your life, but how you

end up is still up to your choice.

Scarier.

It's very true and not you still have a choice.

A lot of times we can't be forgot said we

got no choice, but there is still always a choice.

So remember all of us always have a Mary and

a mother in our lives. One or I'm saying that

to even a young working adult, whether working adults. Okay,

I'm just going to quote everyone here. The boss may

be terrible. I don't know what I say terrible to

her about, okay, because I never know the situation. Maybe

you have a PLI into it. Maybe I don't know,

but maybe your situation is very very difficult. But remember this,

you always have a choice. Okay, And Jesus said there

is only one thing is needed, and there is a

very clear answer. Okay, there is very There is a

very clear priority that should put But Mary chose wisely

and you did not, and what she did will never

be taken away from her. Now, what is this about?

What is Jesus trying to differentiate? He said, there are

many problems, but there's a difference between the problems and

the needs in our lives.

You're not saying what I'm saying now.

There will always be problems always, but wisdom will help

us differentiate between what is important and what is immediate,

What is temporal versus what is eternal?

What is spiritual within?

What is pragmatic? You know what I'm saying. You know,

you see, I want to let you know why it is,

how all this happening. I'm i tell you a story.

No.

Nowadays, I've been, you know, being more interested to read

books about prayer especially. I want to you know, I'm

being very more, very curious about how to examine the

lives of you know, uh, people who really pray a lot.

I want to know, do they pray very differently? How

do they when they pray they enter into different mode?

You know, sometimes our phone. We got dark molde like moment.

You know, you know what I'm saying that what I

feel like my phone is a new phone. You know,

It's true, you're.

Gunnas faster than that, you feel, you know, but it's

the same phone. You know, got that more Like.

Then I look at these people who are spiritual prayer,

oh God, that God prayer mode not prayer mode, And

I want to know, like what do they think? Do

they do they struggle with prayer? If I do that,

I'm pray easy, you know. Oh when they pray, do

they have a special set of all caps that come

into their lives?

You know? You know why is it there? When I pray?

You know?

You know I can't stay in prayer. You know, I

just find myself like, oh, you know that prayer.

Is so dry, so difficult.

I don't even want to verbalize, and I go through

so many doubts, and you know, I have so many

intrusive thoughts that are coming into my mind. And when

I pray, I feel like I didn't even pray a

single thing.

You know.

It's like I go to gym. I know I do

a field work out, but I feel I didn't work

out at all, you know, but I feel so tired.

I didn't do anything at all. Tell me if you

know what I'm talking about, how many of you feel

that way? And today we're going to.

Talk about that.

I want to be very, very practical because the thing

is about discipleship, but it's also season that Pass is

trying to get us into be more intermate with God.

And I want to get down to some of these

nat nitty gritty, nitty gritty details about how we got

to recapture our mind and our how to have true

and be horrors spirituality in our lives. Okay, true and

victorious spirituality in our lives. So I was reading some

of these books, you know, like there are quite a

few books like you know, you know, I started reading

books by George Muller. Howey, of you're not Josh Muller Classics.

It's not easy because their English is different. And I

was like, oh, this sentence doesn't stop one. No, it's

not like John C. Mexwebook and John C. Mexwelbook. It's

like maybe ten twelve words.

I stopped.

Ready, Okay, this fella is like one whole para coop

can be one can be one sentence when I like,

the Lord have mercy on me, but I still readly,

I still press through it.

I pressed through it. It's the Lord help me to

understand what it means. Okay. I read through it, and

I read started reading back C. S. Lewis books.

I read back the screw Tap letters. I started reading

prayers to our letters to Malcolm as well. Some of

this book, haighly encourages you guys to read it, okay,

and especially for George Muller. Right when I start to

read it, and I realized one thing, He's just like me.

It's just like you and I. We struggle with the

same exact thing, struggle with the same exacting, simple prayer.

Their words are not very complicated, their struggles are not

like oh when they when they pray that they answer

they asked the same question. He is what God wants?

It's got here with me, they struggle with It's the

same thing. It's the same thing. You know, Am I

praying a selfish prayer? Why God doesn't care? What if

God knows ready? How should even pray? How's she even worded?

After this prayer? What try I do right now? If

you know what I'm talking about? How many of you know,

how many of you know why the dilemma of prayer? Okay,

so it's the exact same thing. And one of the

things that he said was that you know, uh was

it was a judgment I think was yes, the way

he was saying that that all of us realize and

I go through this challenge of prayer because prayer is

ultimately what builds of faith. Worship gets you connected to

God is you surrender. But if you want to build

your faith, you need to have a life of prayer.

A lot of us come to church, we read a

lot of words, but you realize it that you never

build your faith and obedience because your prayer life is

stuck or even worse than you started before. And prayer

life can be really bit affected because there's so many

problems in life when and all you're stuck because your

prayer life. And I have to be very honest my

prayer life. I'm not here to boast my prayer life.

I struggle with a lot of prayer life as long

I struggle with Ah too tired, And I'll tell you

some of these challenges we go all go through. But

if there's one thing that you want to remember that

the challenge of spirituality, the true spiritual challenger and the

sorry let me rephrace that the devil knows that you

have the weapon of prayer, okay, and to enter into spirituality.

And the devil's weapon of choice again your prayer and

against your spirituality. It's not spiritual tools you.

His weapon of.

Choice is pragmatism, always always What is pragmatism? Pragmatism means

anything to do with efficiency and immediacy. The flesh, see,

the flesh always wants what is measurable, what is immediate,

what can be seen, and what can be understood. There's

what the flesh is about. A lot of people think

flashes are carnal. You know, last, yes, there is last,

But there's another side of the flesh. You want what

is quick, measurable, understood, and everything else wanted. You know

what I mean, pread practical one. So give a very

clear example, like you know, if you reach a screw

tap letters. He was saying, there's a man who was

studying in the past that time they don't know handphone,

you know, and just reflecting on his life, He's like,

you know, when you don't have if your hamp you

go on things like you start to reflect on your

life or not. Have I live a life of purpose?

You know, haven't even get that moment? You know, it's like,

have I really live my life supposed to be? If

I die tomorrow, am I ready to see God? You know,

in those moments you when you don't have your handful

and you you know everyone has that one. It's what

it's what we called self actualization. Have you heard that

time before? It's called self actualization. It's like, oh, actually,

have I really done what I'm supposed to do?

It's called self actualization.

You don't you put away everybody, just don't even go anywhere,

just you just go for a walk in the morning.

So have I really been doing what I've been supposed

to do?

Have I lived the worst? Have I just been so

like lost?

And you know, so rabbit and everything, going doing everything,

buying everything, you know, going for everything. You know, you

start to start to you know, like you not being lost,

and then you start to have this sense and you

see at the park. Then and then you start like,

maybe you know, I don't have the answer. Maybe I should,

you know, maybe I start to read the Bible, or

maybe I should just talk to someone and the enemy

knows this, not actually and me knows your path and

he sees that. And you know, what's the tool of

the enemy to distract someone who is on that path

of spirituality and actualization?

What's the tool? Lunch? Lunch?

It start like, oh, but then your thoughts, you know,

you start that, you think about it. Trust me if

you cannot, If you can, if you really want to

put this experiment, learn to journal your thoughts every time

you have this thought, every single time you have an

intrusive thought, that a random thought that comes to your mind,

wrote it down and you're right down to Hey, but

but I.

Haven't had I forgot I was fasting this morning.

I haven't had lunch. Maybe I will do this after lunch.

I mean, if you know what I'm talking about.

Oh, I suddenly I forgot.

I forgot to pay the the NAGA TMB bill and

oh yeah your ne going settle you know, Oh yeah, yeah, yeah, yah,

forgot to send the email. Yeah, but I was just

that now I was having a moment that, you know,

really deep self actualization moment. And then it's not just

one and the enemean I don't just throw you one

or one two, three, four, five, And before you know what,

when you know your life a suddenly you came up

with five to ten pragmatic, urgent and practical things you

need to do. Oh, I need to remember to remind

my children to make sure they are in their clothes

before they do it. These are not bad things. You know,

You're flooded with a ton of pragmatic things. That is

his perfect weapon of choice. It's never to tell you suddenly, Hi,

I'm the devil. You don't go to church. You'll never

do that. He'll never ever do that. And there is

why some of you are so tired.

You're so tired.

You go to church. You read by you're tired. I mean,

if you know what I'm talking about, you go to

hold D You're tired. So many you're so the most

pragmatic person. You go you two also you find like, oh,

I don't know, Stephen Covid is seven effective ways to

be a more effective person. Now know, whatever you do,

you're the most pragmatic person. Because you're so pragmatic, you

don't have mean you know, everything that is spiritual is

just drown out because you're just trying to make the

best of today. And this is this This book was

written like I don't know how many hundreds of years

in one hundreds levet, but maybe like one hundred years

before okay, I think it was like nineteen ten thirty. Okay,

he understood how intrusive our thoughts are, how the flesh

comes and at texts our spirituality. Yes, he can put

a woman another one way lead who But most of

the time nine ten times is not that. It is

always the pragmatic things. And see what I'm saying. No,

And the moment after that you start to realize this,

and what he wants you to do is to weigh

it out. Nobody tells you to weigh out. Hey, you know,

is it worth right now to staff and to put

this behind and to go and meet this person who

tried who I might and might not like to hear

his advice about spirituality as well. And so you compared

it with five or ten things you get done take

off today versus another.

Part of self victualization.

And you do all that and the next day it

starts again and you start to like, oh, it's not

worth it anymore, It's not really worth it anymore. Yeah, man,

I's too too busy, too tired. You know. You know,

I'm a father, I'm a parent, you know, I'm a

bread winner, and all these things will flood and you

become like a mather again and again and again and again,

and after a while it's like, God, do you not care?

Does the church not care? Does my wife husband not care?

Tell them right now to help me? Oh you don't

saying what I'm saying or not. And the scary thing

is every one of us go through that. Every one

of us go through that.

Everybody.

Okay, So it's like I feel like if you ever

you know, you know, you know, my feeling when I

started to get there is like suddenly my life is

being the video came, you know, my home, you know,

your whole mental thought is being video came.

You know. But it's true. Okay, let's let's let's let

let's let's.

Observe some of the things that we go through in life.

You know, we say that, you know, prayer is a luxury.

Prayers luxury. I don't have time, I don't have energy

to pray. I said that many times. I tell you,

I won't to tell you I said that many many times.

Prayer is a luxury because of your role responsibly. Prayer

is a luxury prayer. Leave it to the passes and

elders lie.

You know. Ah, I know there's a full time. They

got time to pray. That's why they can do that.

How a prayer right?

Ah, lunchtime. I'm rushing here and they they've got time

to pray. We say things like that. Oh, I used

to say things like that when I was a young fellow.

Am I know when you go through prayer and doubts

go into like, oh, why are you going to prayer?

I don't even know what I'm praying right as well?

You know, But and then you you know, then when

you start to pray, you're like, I know that God

is everywhere. God hears and sees my heart, but is

he pleased with my prayer? But why if I'm not

getting a response from God? Am I ready to cope

with God's silence?

You know?

And when you know during prayer, you know, you're not

knowing what to expect during prayer. And I see a

lot of times when we pray people you know, they

don't really know how to pray.

And they don't know what to do.

It's that you're not you're invited to a social event,

you know, me a new person like that, like God,

it's a stranger, and I don't know what to say.

You don't know what to say, You don't know what to behave.

And more than that, what after prayer? You don't even

know what to do after prayer? Okay, all right, okay,

you know I've said my prayer. I you know, you

treat God like a chegipt you know, you know you're praying,

you know you're you're typing your prom and you put waiting, waiting, waiting,

waiting for chegibt to response, but no response. You know,

it's quite quite an interesting dilemma that we are all facing.

And because of that, all these things, we start to

have a false assumption about God's will for our lives,

start to have false assumption about God's will. I tell you,

if you go down the path of Martha, we can

have a false assumption about God or doesn't care, or

maybe it's not just not God doesn't God cares? And

God you think that God opens another door, but essentially

not God's door, but it's your own door. How many

of you when you pray you start to be worried God?

I don't even know. If this is what you want

or this is what I want, you get me like, Lord,

if this is your will, can you close all the

doors and then open one door?

Only?

It's not that you are surrender. You realize you are

so flooded and you are so confused, you know, even

say what I'm saying.

You know, you don't even know.

You can't even separate your own heart, you know. And

that is where most believers are. And you come up here,

and then we have leaders to pray for you. I pray,

but I pray differently from the day pray in front

of me? You know, you start? How fast out of it?

Pray again for him? Is it? Pray double time? Again?

Oh? So which one which tries authority? You're confused?

How many of you know what I'm talking about here? Yeah? Yeah,

if you give me a saying, yeah, not being not?

Is it real or not? It's very very very very real?

Right?

How many?

If you want to go through that carousel again, it's

very very tiring. Hey, So let's go through some of

the prayer. Common dilemma, prayer dilemmas, inconsistent timing. When I

say inconsistent timing, I'm talking about many different situations. You know,

when do you pray? Some people pray at night, some

people pray when they are sleep and not just before

they sleep. Finally, I stopped watching my hand phone.

A lot of times are at ten time.

I finally, okay, God, you're here, Yes, it's your time

right now? Okay, Oh, when you're you pray, You're like

when you're stressed, you pray, or you pray when you

know when you're in church.

But inconsistent time of prayer. What else.

Weird venues? When I said weird venues? Where do you

pray on your bed on top of your nice in

a chiropractic pillow when you're lying down there, or when

you forgot to bring your phone in the toilet and

you're okay, I think nothing to do.

Maybe I'll pray right now.

You know, I don't know where to hide from my

boss right now, but toilet is the safest place. I

want to pray for my boss right now, and I

pray that he will change his mind. I pray there

he'll be removed. You know, I pray all these days.

Oh the other day you hear you've done your business

and outing your prayer at the same time.

As well. It's so weird, you know, it's so weird.

Where do you pray? You know, some people pray in

their car, some people pray.

No but weird venues, weird positions, awkward postures.

You pray when you're lying down.

Sometimes when you pray, when you pray are it's like, oh,

by the way, God, can you just can you I

want to pray? Dispray quick quick, quickly right now? You know,

you know, can you just can I get a car

part right now?

Or thank you? Thank you?

You know how many if you you know you have spouted,

You are married, and you like to you like to

talk to your spouse when their back is turned against you.

One yes, let's like, you know, you talk to the

person but their their back is turned against you. You're

talking to their back to their back at that one

and they're doing something else on hey. You know, but

after a while you get frustrated because you don't even

know that guy is acknowledging you. Now turn around and

look at me when I'm talking to you right now,

I'm talking about right All times we do that to God,

you know, goy is talking to us about doing something

else like that, you know, so preoccupied.

We are distracted or distracted is always the most one

inside it.

You know, phones is one, But more importantly is the

distraction is your focus, isn't it? You can't have You

can't really stay focused without any intrusive thoughts or anything.

You need to get done, but the next you know,

a minute or two.

Lack of faith.

Lack of faith when you pray, you have so many doubts.

You have more problems when you pray than anything else.

That's why people scared to praying a lot of times,

because when they come to pray, are there's so much

think about themselves, and by God, they have not resolved.

They even know how to begin. It's suddenly your boss

asks you to go and meet him right now. I

want to see your work. You're not ready.

You know you're not ready to see your boss. You're

not ready.

I don't know what my boss wants. I don't know

what to prepare. You're not he see if you had

no idea? What no idea? You're not prepared. And so

when it comes to prayer, I don't even know because

I'm scared, because you rather not pray because read than

to pray something that can get got angry. You know

what I'm saying now, And so you have this fear

and all I don't want to pray because it's not

that I don't believe that he hears. I'm scared that

if I pray, God will expose me for someone and

all that. You know, I got so many things in

my life and I pray something that he gets angry

and he will start pointing in my life rather than

hearing my prayers. So many insecurities floating up, and a

lot of times or lack of faith because you have

so much shame in your life. You have simple lifestyle,

continue in that and that's stopping you from prayer. And

that's the truth. And then lastly, you have a lack

of bibical truth.

In your lives.

You don't even know where to begin to how to

have the right perception of who you are, how to

move into your life, how to talk to God as well,

all these challenges. Okay, you know why I talk about

this for young working adults. It is because the problems

with your boss, finding the right job, finding the right

partner in your life all comes down to one thing,

your intimacy with God. I cannot solve no books will solve. Okay,

you can look into the internet and nothing will solve.

All comes down to your intimacy with God. Really comes

down to intimacific God. If that's one thing I tell

you people new people will tell your age you should

go and maybe you know every one two.

Years you should change jobs.

There's a trend, or when you go to an interview,

you should negotiate this and there in the Bible, there's

no such thing or no such manual. There's only the

intimacy with God. For a marketplace, for church ministry, for

your family. It's all about the intimacy with God. So

I'm gonna lay down some tips here on how we

can restore and to press on in a more successful

prayer life.

Fair Enough, we want to be not like Martha. We

want to be more like Married.

To choose what is right, what is eternal, what is important,

so that Lord, we will know that the things that

we have chosen will never be taken away from us.

How many if you want that? You know what I mean?

Right?

You don't want a life? You did so many things.

You were a father, you're a mother, you're a worker.

All these are, But yet all these things when you

grow over people.

You realize that what have I done? What have I done?

But you have chosen? But have you chosen things that

will never be taken away from you?

There is what you want. Okay, so go through some

of these things. Okay, First of all, plan your prayer

sounds funny, but one of the biggest line is that

you must take prayer as something spontaneous. I feel that

that it's not true. I'm I'm gonna I'm not gonna

say that it's heretical because Bibdus say that everywhere you should

you not pray everywhere without seizing. I really, but you

need to plan your prayer. Why because you will realize

that the world and the devil will always try to

flood your life. You need to plan your prayer. I

begin to also, I used to think like just prayer

because if you don't plan your prayer, most of the time,

you'll pray according to your feelings.

You know what I'm saying now. You are led by

the feeling, and the devil loves you to.

Be connected with your feelings more than anything else. You

know what I'm saying now, Your flesh is tied to

your feelings. It's the most important thing that he loves

to play with your feelings. That is the devil's playground.

Feelings is what he enjoys. He is the he's the

angel over over, over music and worship. He knows how

humans are so tight not to do to their flesh,

to their feelings.

Okay, if you don't.

Take care of that, your prayers will always be tied

to your feelings, and that is why you're always feeling tired, overwhelmed.

The enemy is right to to so the enemy was

that if you are tied to your feelings, the only

way I can, the easiest way I can stop you

from going to prayer, is to affect your feelings more

than anything else, true or not true, or not think

about it.

It's so easy.

Humans, very very predictable because they are so feeling based.

Just affect their feelings, just flood their feelings, just make

them think that the feeling is the thing that controls them.

Then they will not go into prayer. Then they will

be feel betrayed by prayer. Okay, so plan your prayer.

Do not be led by your feelings. Jesus feels tired

as well. He's human, fully god fully, fully god and

fully human, but yet when you see the ministry, he

always plans, and he plans early in the morning, before

anything else anyone, before ministries start, before his disciples can

find him, the people under your care, before your people

under your care and those who are you are responsible

for can find you. You need to pray, yeah, I

mean right, And Jesus had only had thirty three years

or ministry. Here we all ask, some of us as long.

You know, seventy years, sixty years, you know more than

they're eighty years ninety okay, But Jesus said thirty three years.

He planned his life very very carefully, and so with

our lives as well. You know, even we as ministers

and leaders. You need to plan your prayer life very

be very very intentional. The maturity comes the day when

you start to realize that I cannot be controlled by

my feelings. I need to be controlled by truth more

than anything else. You know, to be led by truth

and not by feelings. Plan your prayer. Secondly, what's the

next one? Set a time and the duration to pray.

Now a time is a night in the morning, It's

okay if I'm not going to say that. You know,

the morning you find it very hard to wake up

and understand. But at night, very beginning, even at night

right now, set a time to pray, set a place

to pray. And when you pray, I'll encourage you to

set a duration, a minimum, set a minimum A lot

of us. You know why I won't let you know,

like this is so important. George Miller when he was

you know, because he started an orphanage. Start an orphanage,

not because you know, he because he wanted to show

to the Actually, Josh Muller, his heart is for the

working adults. You know, he's hard for the working adult

is because at that time in Bristol.

Everybody was just so busy.

Everybody has family problems, everybody has financial problems, everybody has

stress problems. And he realized that nobody prays, and he

started an orphanage. And the reason he started the orphanage

was to tell people that hey, I can also have

a job. And I want to let people know that

all the needs that are needed by the orphanages, okay,

can be met through prayer and dependence on God alone.

That was his legacy. And it's amazing how much money

he raised her at that time. He say a total

collection her was seven hundred thousand British pounds at that time,

money purely just by prayer. He will He's famous for

never making a request one and not. He will never

put all heir by the way you know, I put

a verse here if you feel compelled to give. Never

he will never even say a word. And I know

past was very inspired by him. A lot of people

who are prayers by him.

But it's like extreme level of faith, and I was like, whoa.

But he wanted to do that.

He wants to trust and God and and and a

lot of times his prayers are mad on that day

or the very hour that day. They got a hundred

often to fee, they.

Got no money, no money.

They will prayer and then it's like the prayer last

night and prays so hard they don't have it. And

then he wake up in the morning, Oh, still don't

have It's okay, I'm going to walk out to the

park day, I'm gonna pray. And then someone say, oh,

I heard you need something.

What are you saying it?

Oh? Here, you know it's twenty pounds for your Oh

they take thing. God, he will run back and they

give them. That was how he lived almost a day

to day and week to week, it's insane. It's insane.

I was like, wow, it's so crazy. Okay, uh, you know,

and and we know his life was saying this. You know,

I say, when we pray, right, ninety percent of prayer, okay,

it's a about emptying ourselves. Ninety percent of pray. It

is about emptying for ourselves. When you have emptied yourself,

you realize. He says that it's a lot easier to

hear the world and the will of God. Tell me,

if you go to gym, go Jim.

You know that you don't. You don't you're going to

go to gym. Maybe you do.

Sometimes you go to gym you want to. I want

to get healthier, you want to get stronger. But rarely

you go to the gym to be able to do

exactly the same amount of sets comfortably on you won't

see much growth. A lot of times you see people like, hey,

maybe they do one set. You push to the tent.

You don't do tens that you can do. I can

do it very long.

I can do ten. Then I feel good about myself.

I'm strong.

No, a true trainer will tell you to do until

like six or seven or ten at that and the

last two is almost you cannot do one push to failure?

Have you heard this time before you push to failure,

you're struck. Ah, you cannot, you cannot. You take like four, five, six,

seven seconds you pull true. So what does that mean?

So the step the reps are from one to six

to seven is to just prepare. You know, it's never

to build your muscle. Your mascles are built on the seven,

eight and nine and ten. The last few months the

one are just preparing. So when we enter into prayer,

we think that we know what we want to pray.

A lot of times, a lot of times I also

it changed my mind as so like when a lot

of times we go into a pray, we think we

know what to pray, and you stand there, you're like,

oh Lord, this is my brother, blah blah blah blah,

you pray God, this is why I need this, why

blah blah blah blah prayers. Then once you're done, you're exhausted,

you're really then you start to you know, I pen down,

you know, I start to pen down my thoughts. You know,

you start to when you are when you emptied yourself,

when you are spent, you begin to realize that prayer

is not solving your worries, but more about offering your worries.

You are me right.

You start to realize that the first set until the

eight set is just spending it all. And then when

you start to struggle to prayer there is when prayer begins,

you start to develop a clearer awareness and you start

to ask some questions. Have you been doing things out

of your own strength? Have you been wise in your

own eyes? Have you even acknowledged God? Have you been

so flash and worldly minded? Am I really carnal? And

then you go into a question against is God even

please with you? You start to begin to realize that

prayer reveals more about you than God's will. It's true

or not, prayer reveals more about you than God's will.

And you start to realize until the end that prayer

humbles you, just like when you exercise. You want the breakthrough.

It needs to humble you. Then you can experience a breakthrough.

And when you sink deeper into your own helplessness that

you can't do anything on your own strength, that even

your you know, you realize that even the fingers that

your point, you start to hold back and start to

sink deeper. And when you sink deeper, you start to

realize something, something happens, start to realize things begin to

separate in your life. When you get into a level

of humility, there must be something that happens. And then

why I cause separation. It's a separation between the oil.

And the water.

You get what I'm saying now, When you enter into

a posture of humidity, of helplessness, and you sing deeper,

things begin to separate. Just as God creates life into

and the creation in this world, God separates light from darkness,

the heavens and the heavens, seas and the land, there

must be separation. The oil begins to separate from the water,

the flesh begins to separate from the spirit. Then, as

you begin to see clearly dead separation, you begin to

realize your nakedness and your need for God and more importantly, your.

Need for the Holy Spirit.

If you go deep into prayer, you realize that, oh,

after I pray all these things, I.

Feel like I haven't prayer at all.

That is why, when Jesus, when you know immediately after

Luke chapter ten and Luke Versus chapter eleven one, Chapter eleven,

about the model prayer?

Isn't it the model prayer?

The disciples ask you that Jesus teach us how to pray,

like how John Baptist teaches his disciples.

They were expecting Jesus will give.

Him or a long liturgy of how to pray, or

you know secret pastor you know prayed prayer, prayer that

God will pray, God, God will answer. But he gave

it such a face. The Lord's prayer so simple, so simple?

You know.

I tell you David's psalms are even way much longer,

but Jesus gives a short one or not? Is that

the model prayer? I mean when I reader rite, if

you read the whole chapter, you start to realize. He

says that that when you pray, you remember one thing, that.

God is a good father. You forget.

The key to prayer is not that any words. The

key to prayer is knowing that God is a good father,

and the good Father will never give his son a

snake when he asked for a a stone or whatever

it is noting of, for he will never give you

anything even And he finally ends by saying, why how

much more will God give the Holy Spirit to those

who ask of him. So what is Jesus's answer when

you summarize it all to these disciples when they ask

for prayer. The key to prayer is the Holy Spirit.

What you really really need is the Holy Spirit. Because

the Holy Spirit is not of the flesh. It's always true,

it is always pure, it is always holy. And when

you enter into a mode where the Holy Spirit dominates you,

there is normal fear, normal confusion, normal shame in your prayer,

nor more distraction in your prayer.

You are fully always.

It's so different when you're in your prayer mode, when

you're fully confident, fully present with God, and fully submitted

that whatever God says into your life, you're no longer

say no, I don't have to strength. You begin to

realize that Lord, I believe, I receive and I have faith.

I'm saying no that Jesu. This is saying you say saying,

that's the prayer that God wants you to have, a

prayer fully empowered with the Holy Spirit. It's a long

distance before we get to the Holy Spirit, isn't it.

It's that you go to gym.

The Holy Spirit only comes in and the trainer comes

in only after you are totally done. You know you've

done all your warm up ready, ah, I don't know

the thing done all your Instagram how tired? Okay, now

my turn. You correct your form and this this is

the right way to do it, the proper way to

do it. And you realize when you pray your prayer

full confidence in prayer. And more important, you realize you

start to have I wrote here when you enter into

deep prayer, you start to realize what your desires begin

to change as your life separate. As your life begins

to have separation between the waters and the oil, the

land and the sea, so does your desire changes. You

have carnal desire and you begin to have spiritual desire,

your desire to change by and one example is like

you know, sometimes you begin maybe you have a very

difficult boss. It's like, God, I want to pray the

Lord that you will speak to this person and minister.

Oh Lord, cause the devil there is controlling their life

right now because they have been giving such oppression over us.

You know, Oh these t things like that. This is

what C. S.

Lewis was writing. You know, this guy was, you know,

right now praying for his mother in law. But he

pray for the mother in law, of highlighting all her problems,

you know, but neglecting that she has a physical need,

that she has rheumatism. So when you so you think

you are spiritual, you pray for a spiritual things, but

yet you are actually very carnor and telling God how

to pray. But when the Holy Spirit said, hey, have

you prayed for her rheumatism? And then it's like, oh, okay, okay,

let's okay, I pray that.

She'll be here.

But then the Holy Spirit takes you deeper and he

said that, and he begins to let's oh. The Holy

Spirit comes in and gives you empathy. How painful was

it to be for her? What does she go through?

It's not so much about her what she did for

you or what she did against you.

It's about her pain. And you begin to seek one thing.

You begin to see her good. Okay, not my forgiveness,

but her good.

And that is what love is. Love is all.

About seeking the good of another. You know what I'm saying.

You know, love is about seeking the good for another.

I wish nothing but good on you. And suddenly God's

command to love your neighbor becomes clearer and when when

you go to the office anymore. Yeah, these things doesn't change.

But because faith has entered into my heart and brought

my capacity, it changes the way I deal with it.

I start to pray differently and realize that when you

are when you're entering into pray. A lot of times

we ask God to change things. You come out you changed,

and God becomes pleased with you. And God knows what

he has deposited you. The world can never take away

from you. You didn't say what I'm saying now. That

is why I desire for us to have a victorious living.

Because all the problems that you have, I hope I

solve all the problems for young a doctor.

They ready.

But whether this is the right job for you, this

is the right person for you, Well.

This is the right place for me.

Some of you are like, oh, maybe I shouldn't be

even in this church or not to be honest, I

can't answer that for you. But if you answer all

these without even entering into deep prayer, without realizing that

you are always under constant, attacked by the evil one,

by the last of the world, might not by bye

bye and by the pride of life, you wouldn't enter

into fullness of maturity as a believer. Let me just

finish all the rest of the slight seres. Set a

time and the place and iteration, remove distraction, verbalize, verbalize

when you pray. I highly encourage you guys to pray out.

I try.

I'm not saying that one hundred percent you must verbalize it.

I will say at least fifty percent. You know why

you verbalize. The Bible says that with your heart you're

believe and with your mouth you're confienced. You know that

when you confessor, when you say something, your whole mind,

your feelings get into work.

You know.

Talking is one of those way your mind your feelings,

and then you will have to act together one.

You know.

Imagination is just a mind, you know, and your feelings

and your will can go everywhere.

But when you talk, you have to be fully.

Present one, and so it requires the fullness of your

attention and your energy. That's what a lot of people,

when they pray the right or not pray right, no,

not verbalize it. But when they do, when they start

to verbalize more, they realize that it's very hard for

them to get distracted. They realize that they need to

measure whatever they say more carefully before God. It becomes

more humble and more disciplined, less distracted. So begin to

verbalize you and when you struggle to pray, and that

is when you need to like, God, give me how

to say, you realize you don't like you imation go

on and on? Can you imagine? Can you imagine verbalizing

all your distractions? Your discussion is like, oh, I forgot

you imagining? When you pray, you want because you are

verbalizing it. So verbalizing is a form of surrender. You

come saying not.

That is why it.

Matters to God what you say. There is why mental

when you verbalize it. So when you pray, I want

you to get into a place of prayer. On the

places say no, don't lie down, you know I used

to when I was young it let no, no, get

into a place. Get on your knee for you again,

you know if you want, just find a chair quiet,

put your hands together.

You know.

You know in ancient times in Monster, they used to

have prayer beads, you know, in a necklace are and

what is the necklace for? You think they've got special

Hokos focuses it this this pasta pray before so this

is special necklace. No, no, no, The beads are there because

they've got nothing else, because their hands are are trying

to focus. So people focus at that when they prayer.

The only thing that their body is is to get

to focus on their bead to prayer, one prayer to

prayer to prayer. Oh Lord, even my thoughts, my hands

and my fingers are focused on the prayer. So when

you pray and you worship You with your whole entire being,

you know you know what I'm saying. No, I'm not

asking you right not to go buy a necklace. Okay,

I'm not asking you right now. Read over your prayer.

When you pray, if your hand you do something or whatever,

I'm asking to put your hands together to focus to

a single point. Then you begin to revere God and

point your heart your mind to love the Lord with

all your heart, your mind, your soul, and all your strength.

These are the things you think that the opposing part

is the pragmatism will tell you don't do this, it's impractical.

But you are not led by the flash, but by

the spirit. And if you see God sick with all

your part with it said it that that way you

pray to God, verbalizing as much that. Sometimes I mean,

I don't. I cannot verbalize everything. Sometimes I have to wow,

I am I praying rightly? Am I assuming? And like,

Oh God forgive me? And I pray again, simple prayers.

You don't pray like, oh you know, I don't pray

like pray like a stage one. You know, I don't

talk to my wife like I talk in the stage

on Hey, you know, so good morning ladies and gentlemen. Hi, idea,

how is your morning? Dad? You know, I don't talk

to her like that. There's a stage talk and there's

a private talk. You can't mean you talk to God?

How the Lord?

How are you? You know? Lord, I'm here, Yes, I

know I'm tired. You know.

I'm exhausted. And George Muller and see his lo with

Oh it's like that.

God, I'm lacking faith right now. I can't find the

car park.

So Lord, I'm stressed, you know, by Lord. But when

you verbalize it, you catch yourself away and you become

aware of God as well. So you do three things

in sumertime. So God, you know I don't demand, but Lord,

I know you are the Lord.

Of the of the of the of the.

Big and of the small, of the high, and of

the lords as well. But Lord, no, if you are

kind and you are merciful today and I know you are,

would you be able to show me a kappa? And

I pray this many many times, and a lot of

times the pragmatism comes in and say that, well, we'll

don'd care about that, But the Lord does. If I

I talk to my wife, if I if I struggle

a coppa, I'll tell her. You want to talk to

a person who will never tell you what every single

thing that is near, Like, oh, we want to because

in a convenental relationship and anything, I share it or

not because I'm blaming her for for but I'm letting

her so that she can pray with me, so that

she can help me find as well.

And that's the relationship we built. So God cares about

that as well.

You get what I'm saying. And not so I didn't

do it.

I didn't didn't get to realize it just by reading,

reading prayer.

But you get to really when you exercise faith and prayer,

you walk and you see like, hey, there's someone who

is selling care for money right now? God, you know

it's like, God, how should I pray? I scare that

person with chipping money? Maybe that person is a con

you know, but I need this for my lunch.

She know how, you know, but you just pray.

By God, I want to do this because you've been generous.

I don't know if I have tomorrow, but if today

I can be a blessing, help me be a blessing,

and I'll give one.

You can't praise like that.

There's a simple and there's a catch that there is

a daily work we've got. And you pray, and you

continue to pray. God, give me.

This is a day when I pray.

I realized that, you know, when my prayer is very

self centered, it's very short sighted. Forgive me, and Lord,

I want to pray enough for someone that I am ministering,

or I want to pray for my children.

I want to pray for my dad as well.

Help me to correct my mind in terms of the

way I think as well. This are how they pray.

This is all the people, all the great people, spiritual people.

They pray just like that. It's not complicated, long, five

six hour prayer one and all. I used to think

that maybe there are there are times when they prayer,

but a lot is just.

Very simple daily prayer.

And I hope to release you, guys, that there is

something that you have within your life and your heart

right now.

You can do consistency over feelings. Okay.

Consistency means what even when there are those prayers when

you don't feel like it, really really don't feel like it,

and you will feel like, oh so dry, you don't

even know how to say, it's better that you are consistent.

You go through it the next day, You go through

it again and again and again raater than you miss out.

Then you're giving to the flesh and you're completely abandon it.

You're the saying, don't I ever abandon it. There are

times when you feel like God is not present the affairs,

feel like God is very far away, and it's written

in the Bible. But you'll never abandon it, okay. And lastly,

push through in prayer, push true. That is why I

say said a duration when I say situation, not because

like all, they must be a share. Ten minutes up,

I stop praying. You know it doesn't work that way,

but I want you to begin to develop that faith

that you can pray for quite some time one you know,

a lot of you are like five minutes prayer, I

don't even know, and you begin to like want to

quickly get do things after this.

You start to think, like, what I'm going to do

after prayer? Already?

No set like ten minutes, fifteen minutes, close it, pray,

prayer as if time doesn't matter, prayer as if you're

going to stay there for a long time.

Lose it, give me a right really lose, and then

you prayer. When I started, I was.

Like, oh wow, ten minutes is like long, but I'm

gonna prepare.

Hey, it's really nine and a half minutes.

Really well, so eternity, you know, but I feel like

I can go longer and all because I got so much.

I want to talk to God about it, know, prayer, longer, prayer?

What was hey, fifteen minutes? Readly you know it's amazing. Well,

how much you can enter into one people really really amazing.

So I hide these are very very simple and practical tools.

I wanted to get you guys to do it. So

I'm gonna refresh this, Okay, I'm gonna rewind recap this.

Okay.

Firstly, plan your prayer, people, plan your prayer, you know,

one thing I forgot to say that. I thought it

was very good. My wife told me, you know, what's

your Christian life mission statement? I was like, what mission

statement or mission life statement?

On my end? My wife is that's sometimes very random one.

You know, it's just a very cute way. You know,

there's another while.

Driving, you know, Matt, do you have a they have

a spiritual mission statements that what I'm driving right now?

That guy just cut my car. You know, that.

Guy just cut my car. If I take the wrong one,

be going home like twenty minutes or mission statement like

but but after when I when I calm down for

not come down when I said, don't know when it's

the host and she she said, but I won't, I

won't review it.

But then next time she can't show it. You know,

I'm I thought like, that's quite good. Actually I thought that,

oh that's actually quite profound. Never thought about it. Plan

your prayer life.

Set a very clear goal and verbalize it what you

want to do out of your prayer life, what you

want to achieve, so that it will always ground you

and center. You said, God, I want my prayer life

because I want it always to be about you.

I want a godly life.

I want people, I want I want to live a

godly life, and I want to see the God that

I live a godly life. And everything you do and

everything you pray it becomes measured. There am I living

a godly life?

You know what I'm saying? No plan?

Set the mission said, the mission and goal and stand

on your life. Set a time and a place and

the duation. Even now, people today, before you leave, won't

you right now? You're you know you put it on

your journal. Set a time, a place, a duration, remove

a distraction, begin to verbalize, be consistent and not give

in to all your feelings feelings, and then push through

your prayer.

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