Mary And Martha Worship & Serve | Pr Matthew Chang

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

We hope this message will light up your dea.

All right, come, let's turn with me to look chapter ten,

verse thirty eight to verse forty one. Okay, I'm sure

many of you are very familiar with this passage. Okay

this saw. The title here reads Mary and Martha worship

and sir, how many of you know this passage? Huh,

I'm sure. Uh this is some of you will say, artists,

I quote the scripture so that I don't need to serf. Okay, No,

that's why I don't surf in church. Oh, okay, verse

thirty eight. Let's read. Now, it happened as they went

that he, meaning Jesus, entered a certain village, and a

certain woman named Martha welcomed him into her house. So nice,

and don't get to invite Jesus, you know, to your house.

And she had a sister, and her name was called Mary. Okay,

So there's Martha and there's Mary, who also sat at

Jesus' feet. Okay, So Mary chose to sit at Jesus

feet and heard his word. Now, when you sit at

people's feet, what does it mean? Nowadays? We don't do that, right?

Do you do you do that? Do you see people's

feet last time? They don't have school one and no

they don't have skula mananga chongmingla, you know or like

international school. You know? You know, how is the school

like the school is that there's teachers sit there and

you sit at the feet. That's a school. It was

like that, you know. So you go to a you

go to a tree. The teacher taught you sit at

the foot there at the foot of the tree, and

you listen. That was all the school, No ipair, no

black ball, nothing, that was the school. Ready. So she

is sitting in a posture of her of what student

she is being a student and a disciple? Okay, so

and she said that that's why she said. She said

at Jesus' feet and heard his word. But Martha was

distracted with much serving, and she approached him and said, Lord,

do you not care that my sister has left me

to serve alone? Very very important? 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. Okay, many

of you are familiar with this story. Okay, so if

you're so familiar, and then I can ask you questions, right, Okay?

Those who say yes, I'm gonna ask your question, so

I'm gonna have the slight right, Okay, fantastic. Okay, let's

go to the next question. So the question is who

was Martha really upset with? Who was Matha really upset with?

Can you just bump my my mind just a bit,

hollers so that I can hear myself a bit better?

Thank Yeah? Sorry? Who says Mary? Hands up? Yeah? Any

any other suggestions? Those who didn't answer, who didn't raise

your hand? Who? Who do you suspect? Don't say me? Okay,

she's not upset with me? Okay? Who is? She? Upset

with the chores? Not, not, not a person, and not

the job itself? Right? Well, I like that. You know.

It means that the next time your parents score you

or you know, I'm not upset with you, I'm upset

with the job. You said you think Jesus. How many

people say Jesus? Or not scared? Not scared to be

upset with Jesus? You know, no, someone you know. I

asked this question, I want the service, and someone blew

my mind. He said, she's upset with herself? Or I

was like oh. I was like, oh, this is like

inception and in a mystery behind the mystery on my mouth.

I never thought that she upset with herself? Or okay,

who who? What do you think is the answer? Who

is she really upset with? Is there an answer? Can

we really know who she is upset with? The key

is that you must always get the answer from the scripture.

The Bible itself reveals the answer. Okay, let's see if

you can find the answer. But verse let us check

verse forty. Okay, look at the scripture again, he says

he in verse forty. But Martha was distracted with much serving,

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

care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Now,

if she is upset with Mary, why didn't she go

to Mary? True? Or not? If you're upset with your brother, okay,

then why do you go to your father? Why do

you go to your mother? And not only then? What

did she say? Exactly? Come out? She said, Lord, do

you not care? She didn't say Mary is not helping me.

The first thing she said was what was talking about

Jesus's character? Lord, you do not care? But she puts

it in a question, do you not care? But it's

putting the responsibility on you it Lord? Do you not care?

Why she's saying that? She is saying that. Lord, you

clearly can see everything, isn't it. You know why it's happening,

isn't it? You know she is not helping me. You

know I'm suffering, and yet you let it happen. So

I'm upset with my sister and you clearly can see it.

But now I'm talking to you because I have a

problem with you right now because not only she's not

helping me, I don't feel like you care. You care

about me? You know? Oh? Now this story is changing

a bit more interesting, isn't it? But that's why she says,

isn't it? Lord? Do you not care that my sister?

Let me remind you of the detail my sister left me.

By the way, I was the one who invited you.

You know, she invited Jesus into her house. The sister

didn't help, and of course the person these guests, her

guests didn't bother as well. Okay, then and what did

she say? And then what did she say? Serve me alone?

Therefore tell her to help me. After that she reached

her conclusion. Now her conclusion is what tell Jesus what

to do? Therefore, tell her to help me. So who

is she really upset with? The person she approached, the

person she blame, and the person she is instructing to

do something? Isn't it she said, instead of me telling

Mary to help me, Lord Jesus, I want to tell

you to tell Mary to help me. Does it make sense? So?

Who is she really upset with? Jesus? Isn't it? Now?

What do you learn about this in life? What do

you learn about this? And is this really about serving

or is it really about our interaction? We've got you

see how many of us are are like Matha. Not

not because we are busy. Many of us are like Martha.

Is because we invite Jesus into our life, into our home.

We have a certain expectation. Isn't it that Jesus will

see everything, will know everything? And then there are certain

times and when we are surrounded by a lot of Mary's.

You know, Mary is who supposed to help us. Mary

is supposed to care for us. Mary is supposed to understand,

but Mary is not available. Mary is somewhere else doing

something else. And then when we invite Jesus somehow we

suppose so, you know, hey, Jesus, you are Lord, you

are Savior. But then because of Mary's our relationship with

Jesus changes, you know, to be one to become one

that we are upset with and the one that we

tell Jesus what to do. Does this sound familiar anyone

if you feel like that way? No, I'm not. I'm

the only one. Okay. That made me feel so alone,

you know. So this passage is actually really a lot

about our relationship with God and actually specifically our prayer,

ah prayer. You know, sometimes always say it when I

come prayer, But yeah, a lot of times are our

prayer changes, you know, because our perception, our understanding of

God change. When we encounter a lot of challenges, it

gets us to stink, does God really care? And when

we cannot understand how or why, we start to blame

and we tell God what to do and we start

to pray prayers that God will not answer. You get

me right, We'll go answer MATHA in this case, oh,

you think every prayer God answers are clearly Matha is

telling Jesus what to do and not even praying instructing.

You know, should God answer? Oh? So what are effective prayers?

What are good and effective prayers and request in your life?

So you have we have to really this is a

very powerful passage that we really have to understand so

that we don't get into that position. Okay, so today

I'm gonna speak a bit about our prayer. Let's go

to the next line. Let's go to the third slide.

What are some of the things that we commonly say

about prayer? Okay, this one, let's move on there. What

do we say? What we say prayer is a luxury luxury? Okay,

don't have time and energy to pray. I'm working, hustling,

you know, not my first job, second job, third job,

fourth job. Some of your hammy, you have two jobs here?

See it's okay, thank you, thank you for honesty. Teacher JA.

How me of you? Hey and my pick I got

four jobs at the same time, you know, and my

picker and my pick I got at least three jobs,

and I got up to four jobs before I told you.

Wonder how I did it right. I was an analyst,

I was a pastor. I was I had a side business,

and I was a parent. I scared then on top

of day, I was in real estate or so you

think you think you think I do do only read

by both every day? Is it? I also worked as

a hustle before, so okay, that's the well during my

pick in my audiit, I'm not I'm not saying to

boast anything now, but I understand that as Malays we hustled. Okay,

I understand that I respect that I was. I actually

grew up in the environment that people tell me to work.

My my wife don't see me much when I was

studying audit. You know some of you, honey, if you

have been audiited, say audit now all you know when

I when I come back, my wife don't see me

when I got actually don't see me because I leave

so early already. Okay, you really you spend all your

life in you in the in the world. Been there,

done that before. You know, after a while, you burn out,

you really really burn out. So people say prayer is

a luxury. People like past the pasta Gloria can I

you know they want pastor she pray them, moll lie know,

make her pray, pray harder. You know, when my family

is sick, we pray man. You know, every time they pray.

Better pray, especially though she at least can forgive her

because she got full time job those pastor employ but

better pray. Those people got luxury to pray. Ah. That's

why luncheon, I can pray, pray, pray harder because I

pay your money, you know, or any thing like that.

You know, people say they want to know. Do you

know that No, people say that we gave money, be

but pray harder. You know, how can I got sick

because you don't pray harder pray? You know, pay to

pray when you know the said pay to pray. Don't

have time. You know, I can't bet. I got kids,

you know, I got children. I'm taking master's degree. Also,

you know, all these things don't have time, and then

you need to pray, but they're not after that when you

do actually have time to pray, when you start to

get sick and you realize that I need to pray

because it's the most important thing. When you start to pray,

you realize that, hey, I don't even know if I prayer,

God is even happy with my prayer. My prayers sound

bit selfisher. All I ever is can you can? You can? You? Can?

You can? You can? You please? God? Can you can?

You can? You? It's like you you even visited, You're

praying for so long, you only say hey, Dad, Hi, Hi, Hi.

By the way, can you I need some money and

can you put down payment for my car? I saw

this house in banks are kind of nice. You know

you feel like traveling or no, I want to go traveling? Yeah,

you can pay for it. You know, this is how

we treat our parents and hope hopefully we are not okay,

So no, you don't tell me if you know what

I'm talking about. You prayer, it's like, oh, I need

to prayer. But when I pray, I feel very selfish

because you've been far away from God and you become

when you actually pray, you feel like, actually, I'm ashamed

of myself or so because my prayers are so selfish

and so you know, fleshly as well. Then you ask

the question, hey, I'm sure, oh God hears, but if

he play please with my prayer? Third day? Hey, what

if God doesn't respond to me? Can I deal? With

the disappointment. Can I deal with the you know, with

this waiting for so long? You know I pray not

for years and years and years. Can I deal with

not getting a response? You know? Then the next one

is like, oh, not knowing what to expect during prayer? Okay,

when I pray, ready, I put my hands together and

stop praying. I don't know what to prayer. I don't

know what to expect. I just say the words on

lima is like typing your dignity send on nima? What else?

I cannot imagine how people can pray for fifteen minutes,

half an hour, one hour? How they do it one?

You know, I'm sure they are not that. They must

be day dreaming one and all. They must be day

dreaming one, I tell you. And then not knowing what

to expect after prayer, after I pray reading, okay, I

walk out, So what to expect? I work out things

haven't changed? Or so the sky is still blue? You know,

my bed is still there? You know, what, what do

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

That is whire because so many answers are you approach

prayer a completely dry one another completely faithless one, you know,

completely like a burden. You know, it's like, oh, pray,

you know, it's like tying your neck to a rock.

And ah, how many if you're no one talking about no,

you know, I'm trying to be very honest with you,

guys are huh. It's it's exactly the place where the

enemy wants to take us to it. And the thing

is most of us go through it. Actually all of

us go through it. It's a challenge to pray. But

why is it so challenging to pray? Why is there

so many questions that challenges us to pray? All these things? Okay,

let me tell you a story here. How many of

you have read this book called The Screw Tap Letters

by C. S. Lewis? Yeah, yeah, okay, great. The Screw

Tap Letter is written by this guy called C. S. Lewis.

He's English, a big oh okay, a bit old school.

I read. Also, I'm like, whoa some of these words

I didn't not even existed, you know, and on and

you on the way. The structure a bit like Yoda already,

you know, when I was like, is good? It's good writing.

So basically the Screwtap Letters it's a sort of like

a commentary or writing between a junior devil and a

senior devil. Devil, junior devil and a senior devil. Okay,

there is a junior devil. His name is worm Wood.

Worm Wood, okay, junior devil, you know, the new junior devil,

and their job is to distract, to deceive you know humans,

you know, so that they will never approach God and

they always remain on the side of the enemy in

the world. And then the junior devil has an uncle,

uncle devil, and the uncle's name is called Screwtape. Okay.

So this juda devil has been a sign an old

man even as an omen as all. Man has never

been the church, never wanted everything. He just lived like

a normal person. But he's seventy plus year old. And

one day the junior devil, Wormwood has a problem, big problem, okay,

And he started to write to his uncle in panic mode.

He's like, oh, what's the problem. He wrote to his

uncle and said that dear uncle, screwtey, I'm in trouble.

I might get punished by mister Satan himself. Why Because

this old man, at about seventy plus y old, one

day right now. He is at the park sitting on

a bench, and he started to think about life and

not just thinking about life. He started to realize that

he's not growing any younger. He could die. A lot

of half or more than half of his friends already

passed away, and he really doesn't know what to expect.

All that he has built, his family everything. People have

their own lives to move on. You know. He doesn't

care about buying a bigger house, bigger car, or travel

that much anymore. He's thinking more about where am I going?

Where am I going? And then you start to think

like is there more to life than all of this?

If I cause myndes in that past on, where would

I be? Is it just nothingness? Or is there something more?

He start to think, start to wonder you all and

he start to think like maybe there is something more?

But is the universe or is there something greater yet

is trying to speak to me? Maybe should I go

to try church? Maybe I should I go and talk

to a friend or a pastor. So he's thinking about

maybe I should just go and talk to someone. At

that very moment, the junior devil has a big problem

because he realized this old man is starting to step

one closer and closer to the eternal question, you know,

to the eternal question, and possibly to the eternal answer,

you know, stepping closer to the eternal question and to

the eternal answer. And so junior devil is panicking, oh no,

and giving this old man by then he's walking to

the enemy. So he writes to his uncle and the

uncle looks looks at his son. Genior devil is like, what, so,

what are you doing. Then the junior that was, okay,

maybe I will send him arguments about God doesn't exist

and everything. Then when his uncle that he scolded the

junior devil said, why are you so silly? You're such

an amateur. Now an older man is working, and you

want to use arguments, You want to use intellectuals to

convince him. Those are ineffective. The fact that you argue

with him, the more he will think about it, the

more actually, the more likely who he will work. So

he said, you must use understand who they are, what

humans are, okay, and what they are most tempted with,

so that they can come back. So what at this moment,

what do you think is the most powerful weapon to

distract this old man? Anyone suggestion this question. What do

you think is the most effective weapon to distract that

omen from thinking about the eternal question and the eternal answer?

What is huh? Youth? Okay? What else? Any suggestion? Huh doubts? Okay?

How do you distract this old man? Worries? Maybe a

goals come out scared? You know, you know what's the

most effective, too, most effective to at that moment is

lune lune. So you may be wondering, what is pastor

talking about? Can humans be so simplistic? He said, lunch,

You know why not? First of all, you must understand

what humans are. If humans believe there is nothing eternal,

then they are purely flesh and there's only the material.

You You only get what you see, what you feel,

what you touch, what you understand. That's all. You have,

only the material and the tangible. And you must attract them,

not with it intangible. You must attract them and persuade

them with the tangible. What is the most tangible thing

at that moment hunger? Make them and make him think

about that moment instead of going to see the pastor

at the church, think about, Hey, it's eleven thirty already.

If I go there. It be twelve o'clock. Who am

I going to get my lunch? I'm no normally I

eat normally I eat at that time one and all.

Oh but god, this place are God on Google Mac

got this very nice place? You want to eat? Mon? No? No,

oh no, but what if I go there? I cannot

get transport back? Oh but what if I go there?

There's going to be rain. Oh if I go there,

I don't like the pastor and if he talks too much?

Ready you know, Oh, by the way, if I look

at my Netflix, a new series come out already. You

see the things that distract you and very rarely that

hit you every day, every moment, even right now where

you are sitting right now, what is hitting your mind

to look at this pastor here, this young looking pastor.

I think I'm looking at looking at her. Whether he's

talking makes sense, whether he's entertaining me. You know, it's

all the tangible things. This guy doesn't even know why

he's talking about, even on my family nor my life.

What right does he have to talk? I read it

right now. Think about my lunch. What I'm gonna do

after two work clock, Whether I want to go for

a pickable, or maybe after that, I want to go

back and watch a bench of my Netflix or play

my mobile games. You go. I mean, right, there's a

thousand and one things in your library that you can

pick right now instead of listening to me. There is

one thing that is guaranteed that everyone is thinking. You're

all smiling, true or not true or not true or

not That is why? What do you think is worship?

You think worship is singing songs and music? You know

what Jesus went through tree temptation, isn't it? You know

what's the second temptation he went through? The devil took

him to a very high place. Is in there? And

what do you do? He showed him the world, the

kingdoms of the world and their glory, isn't it? And

what did the devil ask in return from Jesus that

you will bow down and worship me? But what does

he mean by worship? Jesus? I need you to play

hill songs or bethel. I need you to have a

five piece band, dance, dancing, sing, you know, give money?

You think devil once there no what is worship? Then

even the devil knows why it's worship? You know your heart.

What occupies you your mind, You're thinking constantly more than

anything else, when you're drive in your car, when you sleep,

what you watch on your YouTube, What takes up your

time and your energy, your devotion, your dreams, your hopes,

those things that occupies your mind, what you want the most,

that's your worship. And so when you wake up this morning,

it was a very nice place to sleep. You don't

know who is speaking, You don't know how the worship

will be, you don't know what kind of message I'm

going to deliver. But yet against all odds, you still

choose to come to church. That is worship. You know

I'm saying what I'm saying or not, Because that's the

hardest part. You come saying that's the hardest part. And

there is where people of times people struggle while come

because they don't understand that's worship. That's the hardest part. People.

Then when you come, ready, you already want the battle.

You come saying. That is why we always tell people

come to church not because anything, because despite all things,

you show up because you put you are telling I

am I am not just a human, I'm a spiritual being.

I live for something more than just a tangible, there

is something internal. Even though I cannot feel and understand

or comprehend everything, at one time, I know there is

something more. I'm also not fully but partially invested into

the eternal. So I decide that there is one day

in my week that I must remind myself there is

something greater than me. I'm saying not even I don't

feel like it, even though the feelings everything is overwhelming.

I choose to put my mind on the eternal. How

many will how many of you work out? How many

of your gold and job? How many of you watch

what you eat? Does it effect today? Sometimes? Yes, but

you do so because of the future health that you're

invested in, tumor true and not true on all you

know that in life there is such a sting as

the moment you bought your plane. No, you cannot come

down ready. You know the plane retech off, you know

one and not. So your job is to make sure

that you get prepared as much as possible before you

arrive at the airport. One no, no, before the plane

texts off. You know some of you so scared? Are

you going to fill up your water bottle before you

go onto the plane and say you buy as many

family myth food into your backgeage. You know, so I

don't want to spend a single money on asia expensive food.

You know, Okay, you get ready because you know there

is something more than this permanent, than this whole tangible life.

And so the thing that they will attract, they will defeat.

This old man was not the intangible. There will always

be the tangible. Think about lunch. So your battle, the

enemy's battle with you, is always to put you to

think about now, what you can feel, what you can enjoy,

instead of thinking the long term. Man now, because then

now is the most powerful thing. When you go, people

will ask me, A, I know, I'm I'm going different places.

You don't mind, right? Am I talking making sense here?

When things pop up? I talk one. You know, like

when people ask me, a, what is the difference between

gambling and investing? You know my answer? You know what's

the answer. What's the difference between gambling and investing? People say, RISKA,

I have a better answer. The difference between gambling and

investing is time. Time have you been to a casino

that say that go into this play and we will

give you the result in twenty years. Never have you

go online mobile and you say that, oh, you play it,

download our game and you play, put your money and

you will get your results in twenty years. Never what

do they say, we now get now make this trait.

Now you know why time because time to the person

means reality. Yeah, I mean right, I can be rich

now now is the most powerful thing. Yeah, I mean

because they know we are flesh. The moment they can

show you can earn a bit, they tease you with it.

Now now now why wait, all your dreams everything come true?

Now you I'm saying, because when we are stripped of

eternal and just the temporary, we are animals, people that

can be controlled anywhere once. But we are not. We

are physical and spiritual beings. People. Remind yourself there, turn

your neighbor and say that please, brother, you are brother

and sister you are also spiritual being. Okay, you are

spiritual beings. It's so important enough. And so these old

men unfortunately decided maybe I will come tomorrow when he

says that the devil is one, yeah, I mean right,

because the battle is not for tomorrow, is for now.

You misunderstand it. So a lot of us we lose

the battle today and because of that, we lose the

battle for tomorrow because we keep delaying. And when you delay,

the devil one. So don't delay people, okay, don't delay everybody. Okay,

So you understand why I'm saying or not? So what

is the biggest challenge? To prayer all the tangible things? Now? Now? Now? Now,

I pray tomorrow, tomorrow. When I got energy, la, I

pray tomorrow. And you know when when I'm more freeler,

I serve. When I'm more freeler, I know when I

earn my money. Readylar amla. That's why Jesus said that, Jesus,

there's a parablema. He said, there's a man who keeps

telling in my heart, I will build a barn and

I will store up when I'm when I in the

in the future. And Jesus say, fool is the full

of course you? King James said, tonight your life will

be required of you. You will not know when the

thief will come and steal. Jesus is saying, you know

what you whispered in your heart, in your flesh is

evil because you are not just a physical being. You

are a spiritual being. You are destined for the eternal.

But yet you leave like a slave for the temporal. Okay,

all right, So what are some of the prayer common

common prayer dilemmas you think about it? Inconsistent timing. You

pray whenever you like it, because some timings it doesn't

suit you, true or not? Ah, because a compare now,

because my favorite ne fiction is showing right now. Oh

work venues. You pray when you're lying down on your

very nice orthopedic pillow. Oh so when you're and in

front of you, it's your netflix s you prayer when

you're in the toilet. Ah, Lord help me. I need

strength right now. I haven't put for two days. Ready,

Lord help me. I need you or maybe like you

realize that the toilet paper is gone? Ready? Oh Lord

help me right now? I never use I never use water. One,

you know, I only use paper only. Some people say that,

you know how many use what use paper? Or b

they one just kid? Sorry, I'm trying to I like

to have fine. Some people tell me I only use paper. Yeah,

I tell them. You know, when you after you eat KFC,

do you use paper or do you use the water? Ah?

They don't get it. You don't get it. Oh my goodness,

I thought people would laugh. This is true, isn't it?

It's true? Isn't it? After KFC? Do you only white

paper or do you wash your hands? You wash your hands? Right,

it's true, Right, it's true. It's true. Hey, if I

don't wash my hair, I cannot touch my wife. I okay,

I can't touch my whole hand. Hey, what you are

so greasy? You want? It's the same. It's the same

thing in life. Okay, you play prayer? Weird their news man, Yeah,

pray toilet, lie you know all these weird awkward posture okay,

toilet of course you got awkward posture line. You know,

when I feel like it, you know, when I pray

after I light down, you know, at three o'clock and

when I finally want to sleep ready, I'll pray and

I pray, no thank you for today. I pray it.

You'll watch over me. Then sleep ready then and then

tomorrow you wake up. Did I pray? Well? I think

I pray very long, and but you don't. You pray

two sentence on you. Yeah, it's true, and then you

go to prayers of this and all I want to pray.

Pray for Malaysia, Pray from Lasia. Thank you for Malaysia

or Malaysia got a lot of good food. I'm gonna

eat right now. Oh you're distracted, Okay, distractions you put

your phone in front of you, you know, and then

all the distractions that you know what I'm talking about, Okay,

lack of faith. When you pray, you know it, you pray,

it's like it's like you're doing it mandatorily. You know,

it's like because I have to. You know, you don't

really believe in prayer. You don't even believe the power

of prayer. Not only there, you also have shame because like, hey,

I'm a sinner. It's like it's like a robber going

to the police asking for help. You know. You know

what I'm saying. It's like the police will look at me. Hey,

you just rob a guy, right You want for help

right now? You know what I mean? You feel you feel,

you feel a shame, You feel you feel sinful because

of your own lifestyle and your own lack of your

own weaknesses. And number six, you like a lot of

bibical truth in your own life. Hey, how does God thinker?

How does God wanna? You know? How does prayer supposed

to feel? Like? You know all these things. You understand.

You all get what I'm saying. You want help? Yeah,

you want help or not? You want to help out

my prayer, my today's my money. It's not about going

to all this you know, just are teaching. You know,

I want to go into specific practical helps. Okay, let's

go to the next one. First of all, you must

plan your prayer. Plan your prayer. I know it sounds

very what do they call it anti doto? Okay, it

sounds like a prayer prayer supposed to be. You pray

any time anyway you want. You work when you pray

a Bible course, you're not praise unceasingly, you know, it's like,

but plan your prayer anything in your life, it is

important you plan how many If you plan to get married, Yeah,

if you want to get married, you plan one? Right?

If you want to get married and i'n planned one? Hey,

by work by the way, you see a stranger, Hey,

you want to get married, let's go. You're like, you know,

you plan, and you plan only you plan a long time.

You plan what kind of house you want to get,

what kind of ring you want to get, what kind

of dress you want to get? You plan so much

you can't. Also the invitation, you also plan everything you plan. Also,

it's important to use in it anything important. You plan

your finances, do you plan for it or you don't spend?

And then you know you plan everything you plan or

sort so you got a plan, because if you don't plan,

anything is just gonna happen. Just like that. Even Jesus

himself has a plan one and all that every time

after you see in the inside the inside the ministry,

inside the Bible, every time after he done ministry, he

will always remove himself from the crowd or his disciples

and go and pray on his own in the evening

and in the morning as well. You set a time

to pray because the moment when you set the plan,

when you plan it, you realize that everything else has

no excuse. Yeah me right, all these things I cannot

give you excuse anymore. You plan. It's very very touched

on a lot of us, are we we we we

we we we learn this lesson very late, okay least

for me. Now you realize that the things that it

gives you the most satisfaction as you grow older are

the things you actually plan, not unplanned. One true or

not true or not. You realize when you grow order

in your late twenties, thirties and forties, you realize the

things that give you the most spect certificate are the

things that you plan for because you realize you are

intentionally growing, so you got to plan. It's very very true. One.

That is why I look at the older people are

what's your plan? What your plan? Did? Keep asking you what?

Just go along with you lying but no, we got

this part. We want to be like adventurously. But they

ask for a plan because the things they realize, the

things they are satisfying, they are meaningful. Most of the time,

you have to plan. You have to plan one. Okay,

so plan and in planning means you have to set

a time, set the place or say even duration the duration.

I will come back a bit well and I explain

to you, set a time and the place. Set a

time in the morning, at night, no matter what, you

will go and pray for fifteen minutes when it doesn't matter.

Just go into a into a place you know, not

just playing. You don't don't sit down, don't don't pray

on your on your bed or anything you know which

I say, you know, remove distractions. Okay, find a place,

go to your room, proper room, sit up and I

will say this are put your hands together and pray.

Not because when you put your hair and then you

chump chakra coming out. Okay, yeah, some you know because

I pray like that. You know my focus is there.

You know I can pray. Maybe God get one more

zero to my prayer requests. You know, to my money,

I request for no. No, it doesn't mean that. Okay,

It's very important that you that you that you set

yourself properly, sitting down, pray some of you you would

like it. You would like to even kneel down as well.

I tell my children to pray not lying down. Get on,

get on your knees, or at least sit down. Find

a table that remove everything to that you will realize

a huge difference. You know why because I said, we

are spiritual, but we are physical. Okay, we are spiritual

and physical. Be the reason why you sit yourself and

you put your hands together, and when you worship you

raise your hand is because you are letting the spiritual

lead the physical, because you realize spiritual beings, we are

spiritual people are knows how important the physical affect them,

how powerful the physical affect them. This true one. Although

we are physical and spiritual, spiritual and physical both affect

one another one. The physical affect the spiritual one as well,

you like it or not, that one. And so if

you are to be spiritually minded, okay, if you are

spiritually minded, you have to control the physical. A lot

of people say, no, know, you have to control the physical.

Where you are, how you are, what you feel. You

control so that the physical so that the spiritual can

rise above you and you put you control and put

into submission that which is physical. That's why you fast.

You fast not because you know or you're already spiritual.

You fast because you need to be spiritual. You can't

mean that you're saying no, you're putting it in control,

and you're saying no to the physical. You say this

is more important. I'm putting it on the whole. So

when you are able in your life and when you're

able to control, you're starting to realize, hey, you become

more fit, spiritually aware. You know that when you actually pray,

when you actually fast properly, are you are you? When

you're going to prayer, you realize that, Hey, she said no,

to to food, oh sixteen eighteen hours. Ready. When you

when you start to really put yourself in prayer, you

realize that are the flesh is not as important, said God,

I want to know more of the spiritual. You're saying

what I'm saying. No, it's a very very very important

principle that we often we often neglect as well. Put

your hands together. You know that if you go to

Europe's or to some of these places are a lot

of the monasteries are, and all churches are. You see

the monster They actually had prayer beats. You know what

I'm talking about. And prayer beats it what the prayer

beats for. Some people say to count what God answer

one prayer, second prayer, prayer for prayer is there got power?

One is how many times they says certain words. Most importantly,

the prayer beats are there is so that their whole

entire body is focused on only prayer. So they know

and they understand as they do, that's the only thing

they do. They're not counting anything. The prayer beat is

to put the whole physical way into one single point,

the prayer. That is why it's called the prayer beat.

It's not because it's got some special unique thing. You know,

when you put your hands together physically like just like that,

it helps you. I'm not saying this, it helps you

to focus. It's all about prayer. The physical is not there.

It's a prayer. That's why they do that as well,

because they pray for hours and hours. The prayer bill

was all they had, you know, not because they're counting

or anything, because the prebbe was that focused one thing only,

not my phone, nothing. It's just a prayer, focusing, focusing.

So the monks they know how that is so important

to sharpen the physical, to be spiritual as well into

one single point prayer. That's why they're that. That is

how the praybas actually work. So when you worship as well,

when you go to worship and hold your hand, oh

and you're for your hands. I'm not saying asking you

to be fake. You know, I'm not asking you to

be fake, but I'm asking you to be aware and

lead your physical I'm not asking a lot of times

when you tell people you raise your hands, not because

someone left it right, No, you raise your hand because

you know your body plays a role in humbling yourself

to God. It's true. It's true. You raise your hands

not because you feel like it. You raise your hand

because God is greater, and you humble yourself when you refuse,

and you know that God is great when you refuse.

It's a very dangerous position. You two. So when you

don't feel like worship, you raise your hands, say God,

my feelings are not that important. You, the truth of

you are more important. So I lead myself in worship.

You don't. You're not let in worship by the person.

You know. The person is just singing a song, you know.

But the worship leader is you yourself. You raise your hand,

you become the worship. You lead yourself in praise and worship.

Just why I tell you don't raise your hands but

you don't feel to know? You lead yourself. Nobody's gonna

lead you, not your parents and your mother. You lead

yourself in prayer. What I'm saying so important, so so

so important. You know, okay, everybody, okay, so final, I'm

teaching you all these very practical things. You know, Okay,

you don't feel like it, you raise your hand. That

is actually when you don't feel like it, that's when

you raise your hand. You get me. That's the battle

that you have to win. Okay, verbalize, Oh what do

you mean by verbalized? When you pray? Speak it out.

I know it's hard to speak all your prayer because

you hardly pray. All I'm saying is that try and

speak like half the prayer. You know why you speak,

and you verbalize it because your words have wait, your

words witnesses to yourself. A lot of times are and

this is true now a lot of people are asking

for prayer, come up asking me for prayer, and I say, okay,

it's I've been praying for this, Okay, all right. Then

I would say, okay, you why don't you pray for

yourself first? And I will agree with you. I want

to pray because I don't know who you who you are,

I don't know what you go through. I want to

pray for yourself. I want to see what the spirit

has been leading and I will agree with you. You

know what their struggle. They really struggle, not because of

the problem. I think they struggle because they don't know

what to say. And I say, and you can. There

are a few ways you can look at it. Either

they really don't know what to pray, or actually a

lot of times people don't say it because their mind

is a mess. That's why they don't even prayer. Their

mind is a mess. Your whole life is a mess.

You cannot order. You don't know where to begin, You

don't know why it's right to say your mind is

a mess. And even when you're in prayer, you refuse

to all the things out, to even verbalize it, and

you continue in a mess. And even after prayer for us,

why you continue in a mess? That is why speaking

is very powerful and it will challenge you, it will

work you, it will exercise you. But it's when you

do that things begin to order. You can, I'm saying,

and you realize when you say, you have to say

the most important and meaningful things. When you say, you

realize you actually you are hearing it. And you have

to be comfortable with what you say as well. You

can I'm saying, you hold yourself accountable with what you say. Well, no,

that's why I want you to pray it out. Then

when there is where you will take your prayers more seriously,

I'm saying you, no, you want to up your prayer,

pray it out. You start with like God, thank you,

thank you, and you also will start to witness to

your weight of your words. Am I really thankful? God?

You are in control? God help me. I am nothing,

but you are everything. God. I don't even know how

to sort this out, this problem. I keep blaming the

other person, but is it my fault? And when you

start to verbalize, you keep witnessing witnessing, and you know

what happens. The Holy Spirit comes and see this, en

joins it because you start to confess, and he bears

witness to say what you do, what you're saying? Is

it true or not? You know what the word confess mean?

And confess? What does confess mean? The confess? The word

the Greek word mean to say the same thing, To

confess it not just to say what is that? To

confess means to say the same thing. Okay, if I

confess with you, I'm saying the same thing with who

with you? When we confess, we are saying the same

thing as the Holy Spirit says. You know, I mean right,

because the Holy Spirit has been prompting. But when you

finally say, you are saying the same thing. You are

saying the thing that God wanted you to say all

this world, and he finally got it. Out of you.

That's what confession really means. Ah makes sense or not.

That is why confession is powerful people when you don't

confess it like you know, you keep thinking that, but

you didn't realize that God is actually working you to

get that truth out of you. What you need to

order to say it, but you refuse to say it.

That is why we need confession sense. Okay, so far

we verbalize it. So some practical tips. Set a time,

set the place when you pray, start to speak it

all and you will start to see a difference in

your prayer life. You believe me, you believe in Are

you gonna do it? Nah? Sure? Nah? Better write down?

Okay how much I'm doing? I have left? Okay, five

more minutes again okay. Verbalize consistency over feelings. He Lord

ask pray by feelings. I told you ready. The enemy

of the spiritual is the physical. The enemy will never

distract you, scare YouTube from praying, but suddenly scare you

if a goes ah, don't pray. He will never do that.

The enemy of your prayer is hey, go and watch

the capable demandhantera. You know now you suddenly a wake

up ready? You know? Ah? Then you watch I saw

that pop enough ready you want to drink pop? Ready? La? Oh?

Just that pop thing was like, what that's like? Watch

that now? Not a new movie series? Watch Wedness Day?

Is it? Is it? A lot of people watching are

be careful what you watch people. A lot of these

occult things are gateways, are seriously on a lot of

these things are a lot a lot of interesting messaging. Actually,

I have an opinion about Kep demon Hunter the messaging,

but I want to cover it today. I have an opinion.

I have a very strong opinion about it. You go

and watch what they are trying to say with the

character room. I'm like, actually, watch it. I don't quite agree.

Are you embracing being a demon? Huh? So you see

how there are things are that shame has two purposes.

Has a godly purpose and there's a wordly purpose. God

allows certain shame in your life to turn us into

godly repentance so that we will turn to Him. It's

allowed to turn to us, but there is But the

world would say shame is painful. But the way to

overcome shane is not turning to God. But it's by

embracing it. It is who you are, shine, girl. That's

what they're telling you. That's what they're telling you. It's true,

isn't it. This is who you are girl, Shine, Yes,

go girl, I'm looking at my daughter. Please don't do that, Okay.

The nonsense is that if I come back and I

go some demonic things like I'm a demon Shine Day,

You'll be like, what there? Why are you doing? So

don't do that yourself. You know, whatever that you are believing,

if you apply to me, you will realize how nonsensical

it is. You know what I mean, Like, it's really nonsensical,

you know, but it becomes the messaging is so powerful.

It's because the packaging. You put animations there, you put

nine nine songs right there, and you put it celebration

of power, and you think that people will bite that

In between that it's still crapping. A you can put

flower bake it look like cuts you down like that.

You know it's still crapping all I tell you, it's

the packaging. You gonna mean, right, if I changed the

whole Caper de More Hunter into a horror show, you

would not even be embraceed Man, true or not with

the same messaging applying. No, you wouldn't it's the packaging. People,

you know, don't get full by look at the messaging

and what they are really believing. Okay, it's okay, I

have an opinion about it anyway. You know, you have

to see through all these things, okay, now, consistency over feelings,

and then you have to push through lastly in prayer.

What does it mean by push through in prayer? Now?

I know this is a big controversial, not a controversial controversial.

It sounds a bit funny. When you pray, I want

you to time yourself. You'd be like, why why would

I time myself? You don't have to do it all

the time. Maybe you just do it once a while.

Time myself. So when you pray, ready, this is why

I do. You pray a day a prayer and they say, oh,

I pray for ten minutes. Oh, then you've got time,

isn't it? And I said, okay, what if I pray

for another ten minutes more? You say the time, But

then you start to get into that mold life. Hey

I finished praying already. No, but what else to prayer?

What's the point of staying here? I've got other things

to do, you know, why stay on another ten minutes.

But do that in it you know why. There's a

reason why. How many of you work out gor jim?

How many of you live weight? Heavyweight? How many reps

do you live like the heaviest you go for the heaviest,

or you go for a number of reps, you go

for a wait both Okay, I also do a be await. Okay,

you go to a certain stage, so I will try

to live heavy. Okay, when I do live heavy, you

go like five to six reps, get repetitions in one set,

cup to six of them. Now, let me ask you

this question, which is safe for eximple at number six?

I can not ready? Which rep one to six do

I grow the most muscle the the last one? Number six?

Why number six? Because that's why you can track your

muscle and say it's the number. Is what they call

the point of failure, isn't it? It's when you start

to like you are tired, when you you when you

want to lift it up halfway and you start to

realize that, oh I can't, but you realize that maybe

I can. In my mind, I got nothing, but I'm

going to make something out of nothing. You know, a

whole dyam can hear you, ma, mom. You know you

pull and you finally get it. It's like, oh, it

was always there. The last one is the one that

you grow the most. The same thing in prayer. I

may ask you, then, if number six is what you grow,

what is the point of one to five life? One

to five is to get you to six? Yeah, I

mean right, one to five. The whole purpose you do

one to five is to get you to six, to

the point where you actually grow. You don't really grow

from one to five, but you need to get to

the point to grow when you are failing that way,

when your stuff, when you start growing. A lot of

times are sometimes when my family, my daughter will tell me, there,

I've been doing this for so long. Ready, I don't

feel I'm growing. I play basketball, I do this, you know,

I feel I'm not growing, you know, after so long? Yeah,

I said, wow, that's good because you hit a wall

right now. That is your highest potential for growth. You

hit the potential right now where you expose you overcome this,

you grow the highest. You realize that now a lot

of you are hitting a wall. But instead of being demotivated,

that is the point that all you're that you're working

through is reaching that point, and that point is where

you need to break through. You don't give up. You

come saying, no, you don't give up. That's the point

when you experience the most growth. You know, that's the point.

Sometimes you hear, don't hear God answering your prayer. You know,

you don't feel like you don't want to do it

one another, but that is where all your life, your

growth need to happen. Your growth is leading you to

this point and you have to make a choice. You

come saying you know it's where like ah yes or

no ah, I can't and you is the choice. You

realize it's not about you feel like it when you're

lifting the last number six that you don't feel like

it one and all, But you make a choice and

you push through. It's the choice that pushes you true

one an, it's very amazing. One and on the choice

and your will overcomes all your feelings, Oh, I don't

feel like it. You overcomes it. One No, that's the truth,

one it all. And you realize when you did that,

the next one you come, your mind changes, your mind change.

I can do seven because you did six, you know

I can do seven. In the next round. You see

what I'm saying and not it's so everything. I'm trying

to tell you, guys that you don't be dictated by

your feelings. That's why you've never been growing. Don't let

your feelings control you. When you are a child, you

get controled by feelings, But when you're older, the eternal

mass influence you something greater. Now, once you understand that,

let me close with this part. When I say that

this part isn't pushed you into prayer, isn't it? Let

me tell you what happens when you have nothing else

to pray and you stay in prayer. What happens? Let

me right, I wrote somebody these thoughts here as I close.

When you've emptied yourself, you all prayer points, and when

you're spent and you stay there, you begin to realize

after a while that your prayers is not meant to

solve your worries, you know, but it's more about offering

your worries, and they stay a bit longer. You start

to develop a clearer awareness. Then you begin to ask yourself,

have you been doing things of your own strength? Have

you been wise in your own eyes? Have I really

truly acknowledged God, or have I been sought flesh worldly

and colnorly minded. That is why I keep asking myself,

is God even pleased with me? Is this the prayer

that he wants me to pray? Even after all your prayers?

And I stay on a bit longer, I begin to

realize that prayer reveals more about me than God's will.

Prayer is humility, And I begin to sink deeper into

this water to my own helplessness. As I sink deeper

and deeper and realize my own weaknesses, my own hypocrisy,

my own desperation, things begin to separate. Oil begins to

separate from the water. Flesh begins to separate from the spirit.

What you want, what you need, what's from me from

the world, and what from God begins to become more clear,

and they're separate. And then you begin to realize your

desperate need for God and for the Holy Spirit. You've

been a mess, That's why you need him. You begin

to become more quiet, You begin more willing to submit,

and then you begin to pray the most basic of prayers.

Instead of asking for things, you begin to ask God

for mercy. You begins to God, ask God to examine you.

They begin to ask God to be gentle, but to

draw out the truth in you as well. You're no

longer just a student, a worker, a father, a pastor,

or anything else. You are just an empty and naked

vessel before and Almighty God. Instead of praying, you begin

to ask that you want to know God because you

realize there are conflicting things in the spirit in this

world that are being fed to you. It's God angry

with me? Does he love me? And you cry out, God,

I want to know you. I want the truth and

nothing else, because you realize there's something coming out of you.

There is a thirst, there is a hunger. I don't

want to just feed my feelings. I want the truth

because it is the truth that gives me peace. It

is the truth that sets me free. And when you

begin to ask for truth, and you desire truth more

than nothing else, you begin to ask God to teach

you how to pray, to prayer that you ought to pray,

to desire as you ought to desire, to dream as

you ought to dream. And now of all this, you

begin to give God that one thing that matters at

that moment, that one thing, the only thing that you

can give, and that is your faith, that small moment

of choice that you can make to trust in God.

Say God, as weak as I am, I put my

trust in you. I believe in you have mercy upon me.

And in return, you begin to feel the tenderness and

mercy of God. That the word of God that says

draw near to him, and He will draw near to you,

and you begin to change. You begin to realize that

prayer is not just about asking prayers. Prayer is about

setting yourself free from your circumstances, from your environment. I

am out of prayer, you emerge with more faith. You

emerge with more love to love those around you, to

love those who hurt you and offend you, to forgive,

to repent, and to have more hope in your life.

That is prayer.

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

information on our church, please visit AKS Church Org. We

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this week is going to be a good week, a

hit for you.

God bless