1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:13,000 Okay, sorry. 2 00:00:13,000 --> 00:00:15,000 Are we all dancing now? 3 00:00:15,000 --> 00:00:16,000 Yes. 4 00:00:16,000 --> 00:00:17,000 Follow your... 5 00:00:17,000 --> 00:00:20,000 Would you stand with me as we stand and lift up our hands? 6 00:00:20,000 --> 00:00:22,000 This is how you do the guitar dance. 7 00:00:22,000 --> 00:00:34,000 We'll do it like that. 8 00:00:34,000 --> 00:00:44,000 Lift up our hands, for the joy of the Lord is our strength. 9 00:00:44,000 --> 00:00:53,000 We cry out, worship Him now, and pray how awesome is He. 10 00:00:53,000 --> 00:00:54,000 That's a fact. 11 00:00:54,000 --> 00:01:05,000 And now we sing, everyone sing. 12 00:01:05,000 --> 00:01:17,000 All is the Lord, God Almighty. The earth is filled with His glory. 13 00:01:17,000 --> 00:01:36,000 All is the Lord, God Almighty. The earth is filled with His glory. 14 00:01:36,000 --> 00:01:47,000 We stand and lift up our hands, for the joy of the Lord is our strength. 15 00:01:47,000 --> 00:01:57,000 We cry out, worship Him now, and pray how awesome is He. 16 00:01:57,000 --> 00:02:09,000 That's a fact. 17 00:02:09,000 --> 00:02:32,000 All is the Lord, God Almighty. The earth is filled with His glory. 18 00:02:39,000 --> 00:02:50,000 I saw my screen saver in there from a different angle though. 19 00:02:50,000 --> 00:03:18,000 Okay, at this time we'll let the children and their leaders go to the classroom. 20 00:03:18,000 --> 00:03:31,000 And those who cannot. 21 00:03:31,000 --> 00:03:42,000 That fits the whacked out simple stuff, Josh. 22 00:03:42,000 --> 00:03:49,000 He needs help knowing how to turn it off. 23 00:03:49,000 --> 00:03:50,000 Alrighty. 24 00:03:50,000 --> 00:03:53,000 So if you hadn't guessed it already by the piece of paper that you've been handed, 25 00:03:53,000 --> 00:03:55,000 we are going to look at two more locks. 26 00:03:55,000 --> 00:04:06,000 So this makes locks five and six for our keys and locks on prayer. 27 00:04:06,000 --> 00:04:14,000 Two more makes five and six. 28 00:04:14,000 --> 00:04:18,000 We're going to jump right in because I intend to tell a couple of stories 29 00:04:18,000 --> 00:04:22,000 and I don't want it to go long, so we're going to jump right in. 30 00:04:22,000 --> 00:04:30,000 So you're in the top half of the page, you're on the right half of the top half. 31 00:04:30,000 --> 00:04:33,000 Do you need help? Can you turn it off? 32 00:04:33,000 --> 00:04:36,000 You got it? We don't want to hear it. 33 00:04:36,000 --> 00:04:41,000 So, you got it? It's okay. Sometimes you don't know how to do that stuff. 34 00:04:41,000 --> 00:04:43,000 I don't always know how to do it either. 35 00:04:43,000 --> 00:04:47,000 Okay. Ain't nothing going on on there that's important. 36 00:04:47,000 --> 00:04:49,000 This is what's important right now. Here we go. 37 00:04:49,000 --> 00:04:52,000 All right, so we're going to look at the top lock. 38 00:04:52,000 --> 00:05:00,000 I bet you if we read this verse, you'll be able to fill in the three words that start with P, N, and P. 39 00:05:00,000 --> 00:05:05,000 And so the reference is there. It's James chapter four, verse two. 40 00:05:05,000 --> 00:05:09,000 Somebody might even be able to do that from memory. 41 00:05:09,000 --> 00:05:13,000 James four, verse two. But I'll just read it. 42 00:05:13,000 --> 00:05:19,000 He says, it's really B. 43 00:05:19,000 --> 00:05:22,000 The whole thing says, you lust and do not have, so you commit murder, 44 00:05:22,000 --> 00:05:25,000 and you are envious and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. 45 00:05:25,000 --> 00:05:27,000 And then here's the part that we need. Listen closely. 46 00:05:27,000 --> 00:05:33,000 It says, you do not have because you do not ask. 47 00:05:33,000 --> 00:05:38,000 Okay. And so if we're talking about a lock of prayer, what do you think it might be? P, N, P. 48 00:05:38,000 --> 00:05:49,000 And we're going to take a stab at it. 49 00:05:49,000 --> 00:05:55,000 Okay, so it's prayer. Got the first one. Prayer or prayers. 50 00:05:55,000 --> 00:06:00,000 We're definitely talking about prayers. This pen is out of ink. 51 00:06:00,000 --> 00:06:04,000 Nope. Let's read it again. You're trying. You're good. You're good. 52 00:06:04,000 --> 00:06:08,000 Trying is good. Trying is good. You do not have because you do not ask. 53 00:06:08,000 --> 00:06:15,000 So what kind of prayers would be the kind of prayers that would be locked, our prayers would be away from God? 54 00:06:15,000 --> 00:06:19,000 Prayers N and P. Two words. 55 00:06:19,000 --> 00:06:23,000 Okay, prayers not. We've got two words. 56 00:06:23,000 --> 00:06:27,000 Now we should be able to get it. Prayers not prayed. 57 00:06:27,000 --> 00:06:31,000 Okay, so I know this sounds overly simplistic. 58 00:06:31,000 --> 00:06:34,000 I'll tell a story in a minute once we get through it to kind of give you an example. 59 00:06:34,000 --> 00:06:40,000 Okay, so if you don't pray, God is not going to answer the prayer. 60 00:06:40,000 --> 00:06:45,000 Right now you say, God, well, God might know my heart and you might do what I need, 61 00:06:45,000 --> 00:06:50,000 even though I didn't pray it. And that would be true, but it would not be in response to your prayer. 62 00:06:50,000 --> 00:06:53,000 Okay, so prayers not prayed do not reach God. 63 00:06:53,000 --> 00:06:56,000 Remember these locks are times when prayer does not reach God. 64 00:06:56,000 --> 00:07:00,000 And we've saw four others and now this is the fifth one. 65 00:07:00,000 --> 00:07:07,000 All right. And so sometimes prayers are not prayed because people are too busy. 66 00:07:07,000 --> 00:07:12,000 Okay. Now I submit to you that that is one of the most common excuses that people make. 67 00:07:12,000 --> 00:07:15,000 And it's just just an excuse. That's all it is. 68 00:07:15,000 --> 00:07:23,000 Right. Because you can literally pray in your head or out loud while you're doing almost anything except possibly talking or telling a complex story. 69 00:07:23,000 --> 00:07:25,000 And actually you could be telling a story probably. 70 00:07:25,000 --> 00:07:29,000 As long as you know the story, you could be praying in your head while you're telling it, because I've done that. 71 00:07:29,000 --> 00:07:34,000 I've been sharing Christ, for example, and seen like praying in my head at the same time that I'm talking. 72 00:07:34,000 --> 00:07:38,000 So I know we can do that. So sometimes people don't do it because they're too busy. 73 00:07:38,000 --> 00:07:44,000 And sometimes they don't do it because we the W is we. 74 00:07:44,000 --> 00:07:47,000 We're going to take a guess. It's a fun little game. 75 00:07:47,000 --> 00:07:52,000 We think we know very good, are we? We think we know. 76 00:07:52,000 --> 00:07:59,000 So this is this most often happens when you're looking for wisdom, discernment, guidance. 77 00:07:59,000 --> 00:08:04,000 To know what's going to happen next or to affect what's going to happen next. 78 00:08:04,000 --> 00:08:11,000 So this is what happens. I don't want my loved one to die, but I think they're probably going to die. 79 00:08:11,000 --> 00:08:16,000 So I'm not going to pray for them not to die, because if I pray for them not to die and they still die, 80 00:08:16,000 --> 00:08:20,000 then I'll be not answering my getting my prayers answered. Right. 81 00:08:20,000 --> 00:08:24,000 Or for whatever other reason, we think we know what's about to happen. So we don't pray. 82 00:08:24,000 --> 00:08:30,000 And so if you don't pray because you think you know what's going to happen or you know what's coming next, 83 00:08:30,000 --> 00:08:37,000 or you don't need wisdom because you think you already know the truth or whatever, then that prayer will not be answered. 84 00:08:37,000 --> 00:08:41,000 I'm going to give you the next one because it doesn't tie in tightly with the text, 85 00:08:41,000 --> 00:08:49,000 but it does tie in tightly with the illustration that I'm going to get to. And it is we may even think of it. 86 00:08:49,000 --> 00:09:01,000 Now, I'm just going to ask you a point point blank. If you think to pray and you do not pray, what would you call that? 87 00:09:01,000 --> 00:09:08,000 If you have a thought that you should probably pray and you don't say, OK, good. That you're getting really deep there. 88 00:09:08,000 --> 00:09:10,000 But you're right. That's quenching the spirit. 89 00:09:10,000 --> 00:09:14,000 So if you have the Holy Spirit prompting in your heart or your mind that you should pray and you choose not to, 90 00:09:14,000 --> 00:09:16,000 you're definitely quenching the spirit. 91 00:09:16,000 --> 00:09:20,000 Now, let's say you're just learned along the way that you should pray. 92 00:09:20,000 --> 00:09:25,000 And it's not the spirit exactly that's telling you to do it. But you just think, well, I should do this. 93 00:09:25,000 --> 00:09:28,000 This is something I know I should do. And you don't do it. 94 00:09:28,000 --> 00:09:36,000 Does anybody know what James says? You know good to do and you don't do it. That is called sin. Right. 95 00:09:36,000 --> 00:09:40,000 So if he knows the good that he should do and he doesn't do it, that's called sin. 96 00:09:40,000 --> 00:09:43,000 And so you may even think, well, you know, I should pray. 97 00:09:43,000 --> 00:09:47,000 You have that thought and then not do it. 98 00:09:47,000 --> 00:09:54,000 And if you don't do it, that prayer that you would have prayed in response to the idea that you should pray will not reach God. 99 00:09:54,000 --> 00:10:02,000 Yes, ma'am. I have been having and was interrupted real quick and lost it. 100 00:10:02,000 --> 00:10:08,000 And that's still wrong. Yeah, still wrong. I should be running up to my room. 101 00:10:08,000 --> 00:10:11,000 I wouldn't wait to go to your room. I think that I think. 102 00:10:11,000 --> 00:10:16,000 Yeah, I think the issue is we think, well, we got to go to the room and then somebody interrupt us and we can't go to the room. 103 00:10:16,000 --> 00:10:20,000 So then we don't pray. The moment you're prompted to pray, I would start praying. 104 00:10:20,000 --> 00:10:25,000 And then if you know you're going to continue, then I would go in private. That's how I would do it. 105 00:10:25,000 --> 00:10:28,000 That's a great story about that with visitation. 106 00:10:28,000 --> 00:10:35,000 Back in the day when I started doing visitation with prospects, I wanted to have a flyer, business cards and stuff to give them when I got there. 107 00:10:35,000 --> 00:10:38,000 Right. And I go to their house and invite them to church and stuff. 108 00:10:38,000 --> 00:10:42,000 And every time visitation would come around, I'd be getting the flyer and I'd be getting the cards and stuff. 109 00:10:42,000 --> 00:10:46,000 And one night I was doing that. I was supposed to go at six thirty for my visit. 110 00:10:46,000 --> 00:10:51,000 I was trying to get the cards and and I found the cards. I was trying to get the flyers. I didn't have any more. 111 00:10:51,000 --> 00:10:55,000 So I was printing them off and I had trouble with the computer and everything got to be about seven fifteen. 112 00:10:55,000 --> 00:10:59,000 And the spirit was really on me. Heavily. He's like, you got to go. You got to go. You've got to go. 113 00:10:59,000 --> 00:11:02,000 And I'm like, but I need to I'm telling God. Right. Like he doesn't know. 114 00:11:02,000 --> 00:11:06,000 Like God, but I need the brochures like so I can give him something. 115 00:11:06,000 --> 00:11:09,000 And finally, I just threw everything down on the desk and I ran out the door. 116 00:11:09,000 --> 00:11:15,000 And when I got there, as I arrived at the house, I said hello. She said, come on in. 117 00:11:15,000 --> 00:11:18,000 She didn't say hello. She said, come on in. And I said, OK. 118 00:11:18,000 --> 00:11:22,000 And I walked in and she said, we knew you were coming. 119 00:11:22,000 --> 00:11:24,000 I said, well, how did you know that I was coming? 120 00:11:24,000 --> 00:11:27,000 And she said, because we needed you today. 121 00:11:27,000 --> 00:11:30,000 We've been fighting and like her and her husband were on the verge of divorce. 122 00:11:30,000 --> 00:11:33,000 And I fight over their teenage daughter was in all kinds of trouble with the law. 123 00:11:33,000 --> 00:11:36,000 And it was the house was in total turmoil. 124 00:11:36,000 --> 00:11:40,000 And we spent two hours counseling and praying and the whole deal. 125 00:11:40,000 --> 00:11:43,000 But I kept putting it off so much and even had been times before I put it off. 126 00:11:43,000 --> 00:11:46,000 I never got around to it like I was making the flyers. 127 00:11:46,000 --> 00:11:50,000 By the time I got done making the flyers, it was too late to go make the visit. 128 00:11:50,000 --> 00:11:54,000 And that night, God just pushed me out the door and I went. 129 00:11:54,000 --> 00:11:56,000 And when I got there, she was waiting for me. So it happens. 130 00:11:56,000 --> 00:11:58,000 And prayer, I think it's the same way. 131 00:11:58,000 --> 00:12:02,000 I think if God if it's in your head, I mean, obviously, it could be sin. 132 00:12:02,000 --> 00:12:06,000 If God is telling you to do something else and you're going to go get alone and pray 133 00:12:06,000 --> 00:12:10,000 instead of doing the thing that God told you, that also would be bad. Right. 134 00:12:10,000 --> 00:12:17,000 So, OK, so then the next one down, this is just talking about prayer. 135 00:12:17,000 --> 00:12:20,000 We talked about this before. It goes back. Right. 136 00:12:20,000 --> 00:12:26,000 So relationship requires communication. 137 00:12:26,000 --> 00:12:32,000 So right now, all the wives in the room are going, yeah, yeah, we need to talk. 138 00:12:32,000 --> 00:12:34,000 We can't talk enough. Right. 139 00:12:34,000 --> 00:12:38,000 And husbands that have struggled in a relationship realize that a lot of it was about communication. 140 00:12:38,000 --> 00:12:41,000 I did marriage Bible study with people before they get married. 141 00:12:41,000 --> 00:12:46,000 And there are three topics that kill a marriage faster than any other. 142 00:12:46,000 --> 00:12:49,000 And one of them is communication. 143 00:12:49,000 --> 00:12:54,000 Another is money. And the third is intimacy or sex. 144 00:12:54,000 --> 00:12:58,000 And if a man and a woman cannot settle those three issues in their marriage, 145 00:12:58,000 --> 00:13:00,000 it will plague their marriage for their entire time they're married. 146 00:13:00,000 --> 00:13:03,000 If it's 10 years, 50 years, all the way to death, it doesn't matter. 147 00:13:03,000 --> 00:13:08,000 It will always plague them. And I think all relationships require communication. 148 00:13:08,000 --> 00:13:13,000 And so I submit to you that if you are supposed to be praying and you're choosing not to, 149 00:13:13,000 --> 00:13:18,000 you are breaking contact with God. So be careful. 150 00:13:18,000 --> 00:13:22,000 So prayers that are not prayed do not reach the Lord sometimes because we're too busy. 151 00:13:22,000 --> 00:13:25,000 We think we know the outcome. That's our excuse. 152 00:13:25,000 --> 00:13:28,000 We already know what God wants or we already know where this is going. 153 00:13:28,000 --> 00:13:31,000 We may even think of it and think we should. 154 00:13:31,000 --> 00:13:36,000 Remember that relationships require communication. 155 00:13:36,000 --> 00:13:42,000 And so we're talking about prayers not prayed. 156 00:13:42,000 --> 00:13:46,000 And we have you and Q. What do you think that might be? 157 00:13:46,000 --> 00:13:49,000 So if you're praying to God, there's kind of two kinds of prayers, right? 158 00:13:49,000 --> 00:13:54,000 If I start praying to God, kind of one of them is maybe what I'm praying for, 159 00:13:54,000 --> 00:13:57,000 praying to glorify God, so outward. 160 00:13:57,000 --> 00:14:03,000 And the other is, which was actually talked about in the verse, asking. 161 00:14:03,000 --> 00:14:07,000 You do not have because you do not ask. So what are we talking about? 162 00:14:07,000 --> 00:14:11,000 Unasked questions. That's what we're talking about, right? 163 00:14:11,000 --> 00:14:16,000 And I submit to you, if you love God and want what God wants for you, 164 00:14:16,000 --> 00:14:21,000 even prayers where you pray, God, please do this, are questions. 165 00:14:21,000 --> 00:14:26,000 Because you know you really want what God wants. 166 00:14:26,000 --> 00:14:31,000 So if I say, God, please heal him, I know God wants to heal him. 167 00:14:31,000 --> 00:14:34,000 So it's no problem that I pray, God, please heal him. 168 00:14:34,000 --> 00:14:39,000 But I also know that sometimes God chooses to allow somebody not to be healed 169 00:14:39,000 --> 00:14:41,000 because that's actually what's better for them or better for their family 170 00:14:41,000 --> 00:14:43,000 or better for the world in general. 171 00:14:43,000 --> 00:14:47,000 So I always end with, Lord, your will, not my will be done, 172 00:14:47,000 --> 00:14:49,000 which is really a question because I'm saying, Lord, 173 00:14:49,000 --> 00:14:52,000 I really don't know your exact will in this circumstance, 174 00:14:52,000 --> 00:14:55,000 so please deliver it and then I'll know. 175 00:14:55,000 --> 00:15:04,000 And then we end with unasked questions often go unanswered. 176 00:15:04,000 --> 00:15:08,000 Now, not always, right? Not always. 177 00:15:08,000 --> 00:15:11,000 Sometimes people will read you and they'll answer your question. 178 00:15:11,000 --> 00:15:16,000 Sometimes God will answer your question when you didn't even ask it. 179 00:15:16,000 --> 00:15:24,000 But I submit to you that it may be more likely that a lost person's asked question, 180 00:15:24,000 --> 00:15:26,000 which they have no guarantee of answered prayer. 181 00:15:26,000 --> 00:15:30,000 A lost person who prays to God does not have any guarantee in the Scripture anywhere 182 00:15:30,000 --> 00:15:35,000 of any answered prayer except one, and that is the prayer for salvation. 183 00:15:35,000 --> 00:15:39,000 Whosoever called upon the name of the Lord will be saved, so it says. 184 00:15:39,000 --> 00:15:43,000 And so, you all right, brother? 185 00:15:43,000 --> 00:15:45,000 You got a soreness? You got one of these? 186 00:15:45,000 --> 00:15:47,000 All right. 187 00:15:47,000 --> 00:15:56,000 So, a lost person might have a better chance of getting an asked question answered 188 00:15:56,000 --> 00:16:01,000 than a saved person has of getting an unasked question answered. 189 00:16:01,000 --> 00:16:05,000 Why? Because relationships require communications, right? 190 00:16:05,000 --> 00:16:08,000 And if you're supposed to be praying and you're not, that could even be sin. 191 00:16:08,000 --> 00:16:17,000 I think it's really hard for me to believe that God is going to answer prayers 192 00:16:17,000 --> 00:16:22,000 if you're walking in sin and actually despising him at the same time. 193 00:16:22,000 --> 00:16:26,000 So, you're despising God, not even talking to him about what's going on, 194 00:16:26,000 --> 00:16:30,000 and he's just going to do it for you anyway? 195 00:16:30,000 --> 00:16:34,000 Okay. So, I'm going to tell you two quick stories about this specific example, 196 00:16:34,000 --> 00:16:38,000 and then you'll see how easy it is to fall in that trap, okay? 197 00:16:38,000 --> 00:16:40,000 First one, I had a couple in the church. 198 00:16:40,000 --> 00:16:43,000 They had a young daughter, and she got hurt. 199 00:16:43,000 --> 00:16:47,000 She busted her lip, had to get sticks in her lip, and she busted her gums, 200 00:16:47,000 --> 00:16:50,000 and her one tooth was loose, and she went into the ER. 201 00:16:50,000 --> 00:16:54,000 She's at the ER, and I heard about it from somebody else that they told or whatever, 202 00:16:54,000 --> 00:16:57,000 and so I grabbed my hospital badge and was going to go check in. 203 00:16:57,000 --> 00:16:59,000 I'm just going to go see how it's going. 204 00:16:59,000 --> 00:17:02,000 By the way, if you go to the ER, if you let me know, I usually show up. 205 00:17:02,000 --> 00:17:05,000 Not always. It depends if there's another crisis, but I usually show up. 206 00:17:05,000 --> 00:17:08,000 Okay? So, I get over there, and the first thing I do, 207 00:17:08,000 --> 00:17:10,000 oh, Pastor Dan, so glad you're here. 208 00:17:10,000 --> 00:17:13,000 Will you pray for our little girl? She's really hurt. 209 00:17:13,000 --> 00:17:15,000 Will you pray for her? 210 00:17:15,000 --> 00:17:18,000 And I said, well, absolutely. Let's do it. 211 00:17:18,000 --> 00:17:20,000 And we bowed our head, and we prayed for her. 212 00:17:20,000 --> 00:17:23,000 And then we sat there talking a little while afterwards, 213 00:17:23,000 --> 00:17:26,000 and I said, well, you know, a bunch of people, we heard about it. 214 00:17:26,000 --> 00:17:29,000 We spread. A bunch of people in the church were praying for her and everything. 215 00:17:29,000 --> 00:17:32,000 She said, oh, we're so glad. We just didn't know what to do. 216 00:17:32,000 --> 00:17:37,000 And the Spirit prompted me, and I said, well, did you pray? 217 00:17:37,000 --> 00:17:41,000 And they looked at each other kind of guilty, and they said, no. 218 00:17:41,000 --> 00:17:46,000 And the man said, we knew we should have done that. 219 00:17:46,000 --> 00:17:51,000 And what I'm getting at is, in the midst of the circumstances, 220 00:17:51,000 --> 00:17:55,000 when things are crazy, right, it's out of control, 221 00:17:55,000 --> 00:18:00,000 or you're so concerned about what the outcome is, you're emotionally in turmoil, whatever, 222 00:18:00,000 --> 00:18:07,000 it's super easy to get wrapped up in that and not do the number one thing that you should do, which is pray. 223 00:18:07,000 --> 00:18:10,000 You really always go, that should be your go-to. 224 00:18:10,000 --> 00:18:14,000 Somebody offends you, your go-to is forgiveness. 225 00:18:14,000 --> 00:18:18,000 And if you're struggling to forgive them, your go-to is prayer, right? 226 00:18:18,000 --> 00:18:20,000 So they stack. So I'm dealing with an issue. 227 00:18:20,000 --> 00:18:23,000 You know, this guy hurt me. I want to forgive first. 228 00:18:23,000 --> 00:18:27,000 And then I might talk to him about the problem and help him understand what went wrong, whatever. 229 00:18:27,000 --> 00:18:32,000 But first, I want to forgive, because if you're coming to him out of an unforgiveness, you've got another problem. 230 00:18:32,000 --> 00:18:35,000 First, go-to when somebody offends you is forgiveness. 231 00:18:35,000 --> 00:18:40,000 Go-to when anything at all happens that you were not expecting is prayer. 232 00:18:40,000 --> 00:18:44,000 First, say to God, OK, God, I don't understand how I got here. 233 00:18:44,000 --> 00:18:48,000 And help God speak into your life. 234 00:18:48,000 --> 00:18:52,000 Open your ears. Ask the question, how did we get here? 235 00:18:52,000 --> 00:18:54,000 How did we get here? 236 00:18:54,000 --> 00:18:57,000 How did we get here? 237 00:18:57,000 --> 00:19:00,000 I don't understand why this is happening. 238 00:19:00,000 --> 00:19:05,000 And it's OK. And you look at the psalmist prayers, there are tons of them that they're saying, 239 00:19:05,000 --> 00:19:07,000 look, I don't understand why this is like this. 240 00:19:07,000 --> 00:19:14,000 Does anybody have any question as to why it is in the world right now that it seems like the wicked are getting ahead? 241 00:19:14,000 --> 00:19:18,000 You know, it's been like that pretty much since the Garden of Eden, right? 242 00:19:18,000 --> 00:19:25,220 Wives not a wife but wives and they're they're building wealth and they're prospering and everything's going great bigger places 243 00:19:25,220 --> 00:19:28,840 Warring against each other tons of sin sleep with temple prostitutes 244 00:19:29,920 --> 00:19:35,560 tons of sin everywhere right and it really seemed like the wicked were getting ahead and then came the flood and 245 00:19:35,920 --> 00:19:39,320 They saw anything get ahead that day right does anybody have a question? 246 00:19:39,320 --> 00:19:45,080 Why does it seem like in the world today the wicked are getting ahead? Well the psalmist praised that multiple times 247 00:19:45,080 --> 00:19:49,720 Why does it seem like the wicked are getting ahead, but the psalmist always comes back to the answer? 248 00:19:51,240 --> 00:19:53,240 It just seems like they're getting ahead 249 00:19:53,840 --> 00:19:59,760 Right the story goes is simply we don't understand this fully the bigger you are the harder you fall 250 00:20:00,600 --> 00:20:02,600 there are people who are 251 00:20:03,080 --> 00:20:06,240 Thriving or seem to be thriving they're not because they're not alive, right? 252 00:20:06,240 --> 00:20:12,800 They're dead and sin, but they seem to be thriving and witness will resist to the nth degree putting their knee down before Jesus 253 00:20:12,800 --> 00:20:18,640 But we will go before Jesus put our knee down very readily and on that day. They will be in their spirit 254 00:20:18,640 --> 00:20:20,800 They will be crushed. They'll realize their foolishness 255 00:20:20,800 --> 00:20:25,480 They'll realize how they've invested in all of these things and then be forced to bow nonetheless and 256 00:20:26,000 --> 00:20:29,080 They will they will despise it they will want to die 257 00:20:29,320 --> 00:20:34,240 But they won't be able to and then they'll go to hell and they'll really want to die, but they won't be able to 258 00:20:34,960 --> 00:20:40,840 See the wicked are not getting ahead if anything they're getting further and further trapped in the 259 00:20:40,840 --> 00:20:42,840 schemes of their own planning 260 00:20:43,760 --> 00:20:45,760 right and they're 261 00:20:46,360 --> 00:20:52,200 Subjecting themselves to the things that they think are blessing them, but they're not all right second story 262 00:20:55,000 --> 00:20:58,640 Personal story okay, so I 263 00:20:59,160 --> 00:21:05,680 Was this back in the day early on first started preaching and I was preaching at Northwood High School and 264 00:21:06,400 --> 00:21:09,360 I was spending about between 20 and 25 265 00:21:09,360 --> 00:21:11,360 hours a week 266 00:21:11,360 --> 00:21:14,200 Writing my sermon which I would then preach 45 267 00:21:14,880 --> 00:21:22,760 Minutes to an hour on Sunday, so I was spending almost let's just call it 20 20 times as much time preparing the sermon as I was 268 00:21:24,200 --> 00:21:30,800 Preaching the sermon and I went to a meeting out across town or whatever and 269 00:21:32,320 --> 00:21:33,760 One of the guys 270 00:21:33,760 --> 00:21:37,280 Brought that up and he says does anybody have any issue with this? 271 00:21:37,280 --> 00:21:41,640 Seem like lack of efficiency so we we need to share the gospel with people 272 00:21:41,960 --> 00:21:48,520 So why does it take 20 hours to write a sermon that takes one hour to preach? 273 00:21:49,880 --> 00:21:52,480 And I was like I don't really have an answer for that 274 00:21:52,480 --> 00:21:57,440 I said first of all I start with prayer and I pray a lot like so first I'm spending about sometimes 275 00:21:57,760 --> 00:22:04,600 15 hours figuring out what the text is for Sunday, so I'm praying like God where I'm all over the Bible and studying the Bible 276 00:22:04,600 --> 00:22:08,880 I'm praying. I'm like, oh is it this? Oh, no, there's I'll start writing a sermon 277 00:22:08,880 --> 00:22:12,240 I get three points in and I'm like, oh but wait this third point 278 00:22:12,720 --> 00:22:15,880 Kind of that touches on another verse over here that has three points in it 279 00:22:15,880 --> 00:22:21,360 And that's really where God was leading me the whole time and like that and so that I'm like, I don't understand 280 00:22:21,360 --> 00:22:27,360 So I left that meeting after the conversation like I just described to you and I went home and I was praying about it 281 00:22:27,680 --> 00:22:29,680 I'll bet you can't 282 00:22:30,360 --> 00:22:32,360 Yes, I bet you can guess 283 00:22:32,360 --> 00:22:39,800 Yes, I bet you can guess what God told me in prayer as to why it was taking me 20 to 25 hours to write my sermon 284 00:22:40,440 --> 00:22:42,440 That I would only take an hour to preach 285 00:22:44,240 --> 00:22:46,560 I didn't spend enough time praying. That was the problem 286 00:22:47,120 --> 00:22:51,600 Right. So God said yeah, I could give you this the sermon in five hours 287 00:22:52,200 --> 00:22:55,360 Or three and it's hard to write a sermon in less than three hours 288 00:22:55,560 --> 00:23:01,000 Yeah, it's almost impossible right because you want to make sure you're cross-checking yourself. We're human we can make mistakes 289 00:23:01,000 --> 00:23:05,720 You're praying you're asking God. What does this word mean? You're looking up words. You're looking to do any other verses 290 00:23:05,720 --> 00:23:10,200 It's hard to do it less than three hours. It's not impossible. I've been in five minutes, but but it's hard 291 00:23:22,560 --> 00:23:28,600 Yes, but that's that sermon is that yeah, but that sermon is not really directed at preaching 292 00:23:28,600 --> 00:23:31,160 It's directed at witnessing under 293 00:23:32,080 --> 00:23:38,760 Dangerous circumstances, right because it talks about being a hall before governors being persecuted like that's what it's really talking about 294 00:23:38,760 --> 00:23:39,120 So yes 295 00:23:39,120 --> 00:23:45,040 She's saying you don't have to have a prepared message if you're hauled in front of or if you're if you're at the store and all 296 00:23:45,040 --> 00:23:49,240 Of a sudden you're in a witnessing conversation. You could trust that the Lord will give you the words, right? 297 00:23:49,240 --> 00:23:53,760 And you but I will say this it's also assumed that you're studying your Bible and praying 298 00:23:54,160 --> 00:23:57,360 Right because where are you gonna direct draw that treasure from right? 299 00:23:57,360 --> 00:23:59,000 so anyway, so 300 00:23:59,000 --> 00:24:04,160 What I found out was I wasn't spending time in prayer and the word every day 301 00:24:04,160 --> 00:24:06,900 So then when I went to go write my sermon God said, okay 302 00:24:06,900 --> 00:24:10,520 Well, we're gonna spend about 15 hours praying and find in the text 303 00:24:11,560 --> 00:24:15,000 See, so that's the 15 hours. I should have been spending in the other part of the week 304 00:24:15,000 --> 00:24:19,760 I should have been spending a couple hours a day or hour and a half a day or whatever as the Lord leads 305 00:24:20,040 --> 00:24:23,580 Praying and I wasn't doing that. So then I changed it around and I said, okay well Lord 306 00:24:23,580 --> 00:24:27,800 So then I'm gonna trust you and I'm gonna be prayerful daily 307 00:24:27,800 --> 00:24:34,120 And then I'm gonna study my Bible daily and you know what the funniest thing that has happened and it's been this way for over 308 00:24:34,120 --> 00:24:36,120 10 years now 309 00:24:36,600 --> 00:24:38,320 15 years 310 00:24:38,320 --> 00:24:41,840 because I I literally have the 311 00:24:42,240 --> 00:24:44,280 Next 20 sermons. I might want to write 312 00:24:44,960 --> 00:24:48,920 Like I'm so I'm so excited about the text, you know 313 00:24:48,920 --> 00:24:54,120 I mean like I'm praying and like I was doing this morning and I was putting notes in my Bible app and I could 314 00:24:54,120 --> 00:24:58,520 Have wrote three sermons in the half an hour that I was in my Bible app this morning 315 00:24:59,000 --> 00:25:04,800 If you spend time in prayer and you study your Bible on a regular basis, you will usually have something to say 316 00:25:05,680 --> 00:25:10,840 But if you talk to a Christian and they kind of don't have anything to say about Jesus like when we go to inspirational moment 317 00:25:11,160 --> 00:25:15,000 moment once in a blue moon doesn't happen often but once a blue moon or if we go to 318 00:25:15,560 --> 00:25:17,780 inspirational moment and we only have the 319 00:25:17,780 --> 00:25:23,460 This song this video that kind of thing and nobody's talking out of the Bible and we're talking out of their prayer experience 320 00:25:24,180 --> 00:25:29,700 I'm not judging anybody but it's probably because we're not really having a Bible in prayer experience 321 00:25:30,420 --> 00:25:35,340 Because that was like I could do sometimes like I want to Wednesday morning. I'm like, ah 322 00:25:35,980 --> 00:25:41,780 I need the inspirational moment. I've got like ten things to say and I don't want and I don't do that because 323 00:25:42,700 --> 00:25:44,580 We're supposed to be doing that right? 324 00:25:44,580 --> 00:25:49,140 So I might come and I have one like I'm like I'll like hone it down and just get one 325 00:25:49,140 --> 00:25:52,740 but if you have something you prayed about and you study then you have something to say and 326 00:25:52,940 --> 00:25:55,340 Not just here because maybe it isn't for here 327 00:25:55,340 --> 00:25:59,580 Maybe as much as it might be for the grocery store might be for your friends or for your family or whatever 328 00:25:59,580 --> 00:26:01,580 So anyway, I wasn't trying to 329 00:26:02,180 --> 00:26:06,540 Turn it into a positive. I'm saying to you I had to repent 330 00:26:07,180 --> 00:26:11,040 Because what I discovered was I was taking so much time to write my sermon 331 00:26:11,040 --> 00:26:15,860 I wasn't spending hardly any time in prayer other than that and that's that can't be done 332 00:26:15,980 --> 00:26:18,900 The same thing with making your income or taking care of your family or whatever 333 00:26:18,900 --> 00:26:25,460 You can spend so much time on something that you don't spend any time in prayer and here's the lock if you don't pray the prayer 334 00:26:26,100 --> 00:26:28,100 It's not gonna make it to God 335 00:26:28,460 --> 00:26:34,340 Right. You have to think or talk it to the Lord at least in order for it to get there 336 00:26:34,740 --> 00:26:36,260 Then that brings us to the key 337 00:26:36,260 --> 00:26:43,580 I bet you can't guess what the one word key is if prayers not prayed don't make it to God the one word key for 338 00:26:43,580 --> 00:26:45,580 this lock is 339 00:26:45,580 --> 00:26:47,580 Pray it's pray 340 00:26:47,900 --> 00:26:50,300 Right, so we always talk about praying 341 00:26:50,300 --> 00:26:52,460 We always talk about we should pray more and things like that 342 00:26:52,460 --> 00:26:56,700 But the bottom line is any prayers that you do not pray will not make it to God. So pray 343 00:26:57,540 --> 00:27:00,980 Okay. Now the next four the first blank that I've given you ask 344 00:27:00,980 --> 00:27:05,180 Four times ask to the first ask ask F 345 00:27:07,500 --> 00:27:13,060 Well, that's true but and I would do that frequently but that wasn't the word I use there 346 00:27:14,300 --> 00:27:18,500 If you do it regularly and you do it when God wants you to do it that would be called 347 00:27:20,180 --> 00:27:22,180 Faithfully say that again. What did you say? 348 00:27:23,060 --> 00:27:24,460 Frequently would be okay. Yep 349 00:27:24,460 --> 00:27:29,740 so but I think it's I was saying faithfully and I went with faithfully instead of frequently when I was thinking about it because 350 00:27:29,740 --> 00:27:32,620 You could say I'm just gonna do it often, right? 351 00:27:32,620 --> 00:27:36,700 But often to you may not be as often as God wants or it may be more often that God wants 352 00:27:36,700 --> 00:27:40,660 So if you go faithfully and you're governed by what the Lord is saying, that's why I put that there 353 00:27:40,660 --> 00:27:44,020 You can do it however you want. Okay, and then ask 354 00:27:45,180 --> 00:27:47,180 In starts with an E 355 00:27:50,300 --> 00:27:56,300 Okay, I like that ask in earnest, yeah mean what you say you could put that that isn't what I had but you could put that I 356 00:27:56,300 --> 00:27:58,300 Put emergency 357 00:27:58,700 --> 00:28:06,220 Because remember this example in the emergency room where they did not pray for their own daughter that they were very concerned about 358 00:28:06,940 --> 00:28:09,340 I hazard a guess if you'll think back to your last 359 00:28:10,140 --> 00:28:12,140 Three emergencies whatever they were 360 00:28:12,820 --> 00:28:16,620 The first thing that occurred to you might not have been to pray 361 00:28:16,620 --> 00:28:20,700 But you probably did think about it and I hope you did do it, but you may find that you didn't do it 362 00:28:21,260 --> 00:28:24,100 and so when you're in an emergency situation 363 00:28:24,100 --> 00:28:28,820 Pray whatever it is. He is your greatest help. In fact, we read that verse 364 00:28:29,540 --> 00:28:33,900 On Sunday that his eyes go through the earth looking whom he may assist 365 00:28:34,620 --> 00:28:36,180 Okay, ask 366 00:28:36,180 --> 00:28:38,180 see 367 00:28:42,180 --> 00:28:46,500 I like both of those actually neither one is the one that I had but I like them both 368 00:28:46,500 --> 00:28:52,220 Okay, so let's say confidently that means you asked because you know you're asking right? Let's say continue 369 00:28:52,220 --> 00:28:54,700 Obviously the Bible commands us to pray continually 370 00:28:55,260 --> 00:29:01,300 Right, although I think we're talking about more intentional prayer where you're actually talking or you're actually asking specific questions 371 00:29:01,300 --> 00:29:04,740 They're looking for direction or whatever when the Bible says pray continually 372 00:29:04,740 --> 00:29:10,620 I think that's a lot talking about just like a state of being we're always thinking to God always listening to God 373 00:29:11,340 --> 00:29:13,340 The word that I put was casually 374 00:29:15,260 --> 00:29:17,260 It should be simple 375 00:29:17,260 --> 00:29:22,180 RJ shared how when he first came to New Heights years ago, he heard Tommy pray out loud in front of church 376 00:29:22,180 --> 00:29:27,180 And it was like time it was praying to a good friend and he usually does that to this day. He might he might be 377 00:29:27,820 --> 00:29:33,780 Intentional about picking certain words or calling him Lord or things like that. But generally you talk to God like he's your friend 378 00:29:34,860 --> 00:29:36,860 if you're just praying 379 00:29:36,860 --> 00:29:40,860 Remember we talked about last word or last time two weeks ago because I wasn't here last week, but 380 00:29:41,580 --> 00:29:43,580 If you're just praying the same words over and over again 381 00:29:43,580 --> 00:29:48,540 That's like getting that's like putting on a tux to take out your garbage garbage gonna get the curb either way 382 00:29:48,540 --> 00:29:51,820 It's still gonna be garbage. Doesn't matter if you're wearing a tux or not 383 00:29:53,900 --> 00:29:55,900 Just talk to God 384 00:29:55,900 --> 00:30:00,620 You try to make it real formal then you may miss out sometimes and then the next one 385 00:30:00,620 --> 00:30:02,620 However, though is ask with an F 386 00:30:03,420 --> 00:30:05,420 And I'll give it to you formally 387 00:30:06,060 --> 00:30:07,580 so do be 388 00:30:07,580 --> 00:30:09,580 Formal about it 389 00:30:09,580 --> 00:30:13,580 Why would we want to be formal about praying to God? 390 00:30:14,780 --> 00:30:20,140 Respect right you you visit your girlfriend at her house for the first time ever 391 00:30:20,140 --> 00:30:23,580 You look her dad in the eye and you offer him your hand 392 00:30:23,900 --> 00:30:28,220 You may not have shaken someone's hand ever in your life, but you do it that day 393 00:30:29,100 --> 00:30:33,980 This is God we're talking about. He owns the cattle on thousand hills. He is the king of the kingdom 394 00:30:33,980 --> 00:30:35,180 He deserves it 395 00:30:35,180 --> 00:30:40,780 Also, if you're formal, then you know who you're praying to I had there was a man in our church and I was 396 00:30:41,580 --> 00:30:47,340 Counseling him about prayer and whatever and I said well because I had heard him pray and heard his spouse pray 397 00:30:47,500 --> 00:30:51,340 And they never prayed in the name of Jesus. They never mentioned the name of Jesus now 398 00:30:51,340 --> 00:30:53,340 They knew who they were praying to and they wanted to pray 399 00:30:54,140 --> 00:30:58,060 But they never said in Jesus name. I pray and I so I just asked why do you never say that? 400 00:30:58,060 --> 00:30:59,500 I mean, you don't have to say it every time 401 00:30:59,500 --> 00:31:02,860 You know, I've been praying to God for a long time and I've been praying to God for a long time 402 00:31:02,860 --> 00:31:05,660 So I just asked why do you never say that? I mean you don't have to say it every time 403 00:31:05,660 --> 00:31:08,300 But why are you doing that? Do you never say that and he said well, I don't know 404 00:31:08,300 --> 00:31:09,900 I guess I never really thought about it 405 00:31:09,900 --> 00:31:12,460 Well, here's the thing if you never really thought about it 406 00:31:12,780 --> 00:31:17,580 You might wind up praying to somebody other than Jesus or in the name of somebody other than Jesus 407 00:31:17,980 --> 00:31:21,500 So sometimes it's a good idea to mention the name of Jesus in your prayer 408 00:31:21,820 --> 00:31:25,100 So that you know, baby, he knows Jesus knows God knows, you know 409 00:31:25,100 --> 00:31:27,900 Everybody knows who we're talking to and who we're talking about right? 410 00:31:27,900 --> 00:31:34,140 So sometimes do pray formally, but that means setting aside time that means intentionally you see certain words that kind of thing 411 00:31:34,620 --> 00:31:36,780 Okay. The next one starts with the d 412 00:31:37,660 --> 00:31:39,980 As da i'm going to take a stab at it 413 00:31:41,900 --> 00:31:46,620 We're talking about the kinds kinds of pray prayer how we should pray I wish you use the key of prayer 414 00:31:48,540 --> 00:31:50,540 So prayer is one of our spiritual 415 00:31:50,540 --> 00:31:55,580 Prayers are not prayed and the key is pray so this is disciplined 416 00:31:56,940 --> 00:32:00,620 Asking remember the verse you have not because you ask not 417 00:32:01,100 --> 00:32:07,020 So this is disciplined asking and so by disciplined it means I I block out time 418 00:32:07,660 --> 00:32:13,980 So I'm not asking you to ask me to ask you to ask me to ask me to ask you to ask me to ask you to ask me to ask me 419 00:32:13,980 --> 00:32:16,060 So this is the key to prayer 420 00:32:16,060 --> 00:32:21,580 So this is the key to prayer that's the key to prayer that's the key to prayer that's the key to prayer 421 00:32:22,140 --> 00:32:24,140 So we're talking about the healing 422 00:32:24,780 --> 00:32:28,700 And so by disciplined it means I I block out time 423 00:32:29,340 --> 00:32:34,060 I do it in an intentional way. I plan it right now 424 00:32:35,180 --> 00:32:40,460 Am I talking about repetition like i'm praying for healing so I do it a thousand times 425 00:32:40,460 --> 00:32:44,460 So I'm not talking about the same thing that I was talking about a thousand times a week ago 426 00:32:44,460 --> 00:32:46,780 We don't just pray repetition, right? 427 00:32:46,780 --> 00:32:53,260 So sometimes you might need to take a moment to prepare your heart and make sure your heart is right 428 00:32:53,260 --> 00:32:57,100 We'll talk about that in a second and pray intentionally one time 429 00:32:58,380 --> 00:33:01,100 Lord i'm taking this very seriously right now 430 00:33:01,740 --> 00:33:06,460 I'm coming to you and i'm asking you and i'm believing in faith and this is what i'm asking you for 431 00:33:06,460 --> 00:33:12,780 I'm asking you to give me wisdom or solve this problem or heal this person or heal me or whatever and you ask one time 432 00:33:13,500 --> 00:33:15,500 And if you want to end with uh 433 00:33:15,500 --> 00:33:21,260 Your will not my will be done, but lord, this is what i'm asking for and then when you're done, you're done 434 00:33:22,300 --> 00:33:27,740 You know repeat it a hundred times more, you know, although I will say every time he lays the burden on your heart again 435 00:33:27,740 --> 00:33:29,260 Then I would repeat it 436 00:33:29,260 --> 00:33:33,580 Right, but you're listening to god to look for that prompt like he's saying do you really care? 437 00:33:33,580 --> 00:33:37,980 Then yes ask again, right? There's a there's a text in the bible talks about that where 438 00:33:38,380 --> 00:33:39,340 um 439 00:33:39,340 --> 00:33:44,380 The he she keeps bothering him. She keeps bothering the guy to give her justice the judge keep bothering him 440 00:33:44,380 --> 00:33:47,100 She's bothering and then finally he gives her justice, right? 441 00:33:47,580 --> 00:33:52,540 But notice in that story, she's knocking at the right door. She's talking to the guy who can give her justice 442 00:33:53,100 --> 00:33:54,940 And no one else can right? 443 00:33:54,940 --> 00:34:00,860 So she's intentional and formal about her request and she kept coming back to him because he's the only one and in that case 444 00:34:00,860 --> 00:34:07,420 She was looking for justice. All right last one ask trusting 445 00:34:08,460 --> 00:34:10,460 And then the bible verse 446 00:34:20,780 --> 00:34:23,420 All right, so natalie what's the bible verse 447 00:34:26,220 --> 00:34:28,220 What is the bible 448 00:34:28,220 --> 00:34:30,220 That's correct 449 00:34:37,980 --> 00:34:43,580 All right, there's more coming okay, so we're going to the second lock you're going to the right half of the page 450 00:34:44,060 --> 00:34:46,060 We're going to james 4 3 451 00:34:47,740 --> 00:34:50,460 So if the first if this lock was you have 452 00:34:50,940 --> 00:34:54,700 You do not have because you do not ask james 4 3 then says you ask 453 00:34:55,420 --> 00:34:57,420 And do not receive 454 00:34:57,420 --> 00:35:01,420 So some people were asking and still not getting what they were praying for that's not good 455 00:35:02,220 --> 00:35:06,060 Says because you ask with wrong motives 456 00:35:06,860 --> 00:35:09,180 So that you may spend it on your pleasures 457 00:35:10,540 --> 00:35:16,940 Okay, so this lock is the first i'll give you the first word. I left it off, but i'll give it to you as praying 458 00:35:20,540 --> 00:35:22,540 Can anybody fill in the rest what's the l 459 00:35:23,580 --> 00:35:25,260 That's with an l 460 00:35:25,260 --> 00:35:27,260 Praying with a something heart 461 00:35:29,160 --> 00:35:33,100 Lustful that is correct. Very good praying with a lustful heart 462 00:35:33,980 --> 00:35:35,980 so 463 00:35:37,900 --> 00:35:41,120 Hannah can you define the word lust for me? 464 00:35:48,140 --> 00:35:52,700 The job is five I didn't give you the definition in advance you use the word don't you 465 00:35:52,700 --> 00:35:55,980 You know what I mean, I bet you do sometime or other 466 00:35:58,540 --> 00:36:02,540 She's helping you okay, go ahead phone a friend 467 00:36:08,620 --> 00:36:11,740 That's three times well two times and a half 468 00:36:13,340 --> 00:36:19,740 Okay, so rust is basically when you want something to fulfill your desires 469 00:36:19,740 --> 00:36:24,460 And we mostly use it for the purpose of flesh 470 00:36:25,420 --> 00:36:26,540 right 471 00:36:26,540 --> 00:36:31,980 So a man looks at a woman and by jesus says you look at a woman and you lost after her 472 00:36:31,980 --> 00:36:38,220 So you want her to fulfill your desires. It is the same as if he has committed adultery with her already 473 00:36:38,860 --> 00:36:40,860 There is no difference in the sin 474 00:36:41,500 --> 00:36:43,900 Okay, so can you lust after food? 475 00:36:45,340 --> 00:36:47,340 Absolutely, can you lust after food? 476 00:36:47,340 --> 00:36:49,580 Absolutely, can you lust after money? 477 00:36:50,700 --> 00:36:52,700 Absolutely, can you lust after nice cars? 478 00:36:53,980 --> 00:36:55,980 Absolutely now should you? 479 00:36:56,940 --> 00:36:58,940 careful 480 00:36:58,940 --> 00:37:00,940 Are we sure? 481 00:37:01,820 --> 00:37:08,300 I think there's a line isn't there so you can want something to fulfill your desires as long as what what's the limiter? 482 00:37:10,300 --> 00:37:13,580 Okay, that's easy you took the easy road there, but you're absolutely right 483 00:37:13,580 --> 00:37:19,660 You're absolutely right. That's an absolutely true answer if that aligns with god, but let's say what if what aligns with god 484 00:37:20,460 --> 00:37:22,460 What do we need to align with god? 485 00:37:24,540 --> 00:37:26,540 Okay, your heart say it again 486 00:37:27,260 --> 00:37:28,460 His will 487 00:37:28,460 --> 00:37:30,460 Okay, good. Those are both good answers 488 00:37:30,540 --> 00:37:35,580 So if the thing is going to fulfill your desires what needs to align with god the thing 489 00:37:37,020 --> 00:37:41,340 The desires that's the key. It's okay to want a sandwich 490 00:37:41,340 --> 00:37:43,340 People gotta eat 491 00:37:43,340 --> 00:37:45,580 Right. It's okay to want a good sandwich 492 00:37:46,460 --> 00:37:48,700 Right like I when I was eating 493 00:37:49,340 --> 00:37:54,860 Only vegetables and stuff. I discovered the the burger the impossible burger, which is only made from vegetable stuff 494 00:37:54,860 --> 00:38:00,860 I'm like, well, it's almost like a burger and the one night I wanted an impossible burger because it's like a burger 495 00:38:00,860 --> 00:38:07,820 It's not quite a burger so that the one night I made an impossible burger myself on the stove out of beans and other parts 496 00:38:07,820 --> 00:38:10,380 Right, so I knew everything that was in it with no chemicals. No nothing 497 00:38:10,380 --> 00:38:13,420 I didn't I made it was like a burger wasn't quite a burger 498 00:38:13,580 --> 00:38:17,820 But it was pretty it was like a burger enough considering I hadn't had any meat in like 12 days 499 00:38:19,180 --> 00:38:24,300 Right, so I'm like, it was pretty good. And then I went out we went to camp and while we were at camp they made 500 00:38:25,180 --> 00:38:28,540 something that was basically like that from there was a 501 00:38:29,260 --> 00:38:30,620 Sausage that was basically like that 502 00:38:30,620 --> 00:38:32,220 But I think it had meat into but anyway 503 00:38:32,220 --> 00:38:36,940 The point is you can want it for your own desires as long as not the thing 504 00:38:36,940 --> 00:38:42,860 But your desires are in line with God. That's the key. So what people are always trying to do is 505 00:38:43,740 --> 00:38:48,940 Shut down the desires. I don't go have no desires. I don't want nothing. I don't want to eat 506 00:38:49,180 --> 00:38:55,260 I'm not gonna talk to anybody. I don't want a boyfriend not me. No, I'm never gonna have I'm done. I'm not gonna have kids 507 00:38:55,260 --> 00:39:01,900 No, I'm done. I'm not gonna do it. How many 15 to 25 year olds have you said have you heard say I'm never gonna have kids 508 00:39:01,900 --> 00:39:06,780 You have a bunch of them right they do it all the time and then they have kids they go well 509 00:39:06,780 --> 00:39:12,860 Boy, was I stupid right? It's okay to want what you want. There's nothing wrong with that. You just need to bring your 510 00:39:13,500 --> 00:39:19,260 Desires in line with God's will so you do it in a godly way and I submit to you off text for one second 511 00:39:19,260 --> 00:39:25,980 I submit to you that when your desires come in line with God's will they are more likely to be fulfilled 512 00:39:25,980 --> 00:39:30,620 Okay, if they are fulfilled outside God's will you just wind up with more desires 513 00:39:31,420 --> 00:39:35,100 That's what happens. It's never fulfilling. Okay, so 514 00:39:36,700 --> 00:39:40,460 This lock is praying with a lustful heart 515 00:39:41,420 --> 00:39:44,780 And then there's two words there. They're WM and they were in the text 516 00:39:45,820 --> 00:39:49,900 Wrong motives very good. Someone was listening. Thank you so much wrong motives 517 00:39:49,900 --> 00:39:55,340 Right and a motive is just why you do something and having a wrong motive is the wrong reason to do something 518 00:39:55,900 --> 00:40:01,820 Simple, okay. And so now these all of these that are in the middle here are no something 519 00:40:01,820 --> 00:40:07,100 So all those little blanks are no and then there's no L. This was an easy one 520 00:40:09,180 --> 00:40:11,020 No 521 00:40:11,020 --> 00:40:13,020 No lust right so no lust 522 00:40:13,660 --> 00:40:15,980 This one's harder. No G 523 00:40:15,980 --> 00:40:19,500 But it makes sense especially in our world 524 00:40:20,540 --> 00:40:24,540 Nope not grumbling. That's like I see where you're going with that, but that's a different thing 525 00:40:26,300 --> 00:40:29,900 Remember we're talking about lusts or wrong motivations. These are all wrong motivations 526 00:40:30,220 --> 00:40:36,780 Grumbling is a wrong motivation, but the but grumbling isn't really the motivation. It's the action that's precipitated by a wrong motivation 527 00:40:37,900 --> 00:40:39,900 So what do you got know what? 528 00:40:39,900 --> 00:40:45,180 What? No gain? That's interesting 529 00:40:46,060 --> 00:40:52,540 Greed that's what I was going for. Yeah, so gain is almost the same thing as greed because you could gain away. That's not money 530 00:40:54,140 --> 00:40:56,140 Definitely shouldn't be boasting 531 00:40:57,180 --> 00:41:01,340 Motivations for prayer think of motivations for prayer wrong motivations for prayer 532 00:41:01,340 --> 00:41:07,180 Bitterness no bitterness 533 00:41:08,700 --> 00:41:12,540 Can't have it so you can't have bitterness in your prayer 534 00:41:13,980 --> 00:41:15,980 Also, no starts with a V 535 00:41:17,820 --> 00:41:20,860 Well, you know you want patience in prayer that's a good motivation 536 00:41:22,460 --> 00:41:24,460 Don't take like I can't have no patience of my prayer 537 00:41:24,460 --> 00:41:30,220 No, no, we want that one. We'll keep that one pride. That's good. Very good. No pride. No pride allowed 538 00:41:31,420 --> 00:41:34,060 Okay, so no lust no greed. No bitterness. No pride 539 00:41:36,220 --> 00:41:39,900 I mean, I see where you could you don't want to pray in patience because you want to give it 540 00:41:39,900 --> 00:41:44,300 You want the Lord to act but I think we would keep patience actually. Okay 541 00:41:45,740 --> 00:41:52,460 So in these cases, over the last few years, we've had a lot of people who have been praying in prayer 542 00:41:52,460 --> 00:41:55,580 So in these cases or I gave you all this 543 00:41:56,380 --> 00:41:59,340 In any there's the WM again, and we already know it. It's what? 544 00:42:00,460 --> 00:42:06,380 Wrong motives right in these cases or in any wrong motives we risk starts with an I 545 00:42:10,780 --> 00:42:12,780 So we're down to 546 00:42:15,820 --> 00:42:17,820 One word starts with an I 547 00:42:18,380 --> 00:42:20,380 the five word 548 00:42:20,380 --> 00:42:24,860 If I give you one more clue, you'll get it for sure the Israelites were guilty of it like crazy 549 00:42:26,460 --> 00:42:28,460 For a long time 550 00:42:31,000 --> 00:42:39,260 Idolatry yeah impatience would be true you could risk that but like it might not apply with if you talk about praying and pride 551 00:42:39,260 --> 00:42:41,260 for example 552 00:42:41,260 --> 00:42:50,140 So if you in any wrong motivations, we risk idolatry and why do we risk idolatry because prayers? 553 00:42:50,860 --> 00:42:52,860 to things prayed for 554 00:42:53,420 --> 00:42:58,220 Okay, so in other words, I know this is gonna sound weird, but if you just track with me for one second, okay 555 00:42:59,260 --> 00:43:03,180 So you get down with God and pray and let's say you're praying for a car 556 00:43:03,180 --> 00:43:11,180 the Lord I need a car and then you're like Lord I need a 2010 car and I really want it to be blue and 557 00:43:18,460 --> 00:43:24,700 Yep, there you go. So what happens is what you're actually doing at that point is praying to the car 558 00:43:25,580 --> 00:43:27,740 There's no I'm saying you're not praying to God at all 559 00:43:28,020 --> 00:43:32,460 You're praying to the car because you're focused on the color of the car and the type of the car and I want the car 560 00:43:32,460 --> 00:43:37,740 Why do I need the car all the reasons I have the car and you're literally sit there and drum up everything you can think of 561 00:43:37,740 --> 00:43:39,420 about the car 562 00:43:39,420 --> 00:43:45,100 And when you when you really talk about something you think about how awesome it is. What's that called called worship? 563 00:43:47,340 --> 00:43:53,980 Yeah, and it would be worthless speech as well, right so it's worship of the car not prayer to God at that point 564 00:43:54,300 --> 00:43:59,900 That's one example is prayers to the things prayed for it can be a job Lord. I'm praying for a job 565 00:43:59,900 --> 00:44:04,780 These are God I know you're kind of ignorant of my life. You really don't know what's going on 566 00:44:04,780 --> 00:44:09,620 So let me tell you all the benefits that could take place if I have a job as you ask God for a job 567 00:44:09,620 --> 00:44:16,700 And then you spend about a half an hour telling God how good jobs are and how much jobs are needed and all of that 568 00:44:16,700 --> 00:44:18,980 Like God doesn't know that God doesn't know you need to work 569 00:44:20,220 --> 00:44:22,360 You spend all the time worshiping the job 570 00:44:22,360 --> 00:44:29,760 Right or the more money or the promotion or whatever and so you can stray into idolatry if your wrong 571 00:44:29,960 --> 00:44:34,680 Motivations are in your heart and it's greed and you start thinking about how good that job would be or you could be talking about 572 00:44:34,680 --> 00:44:40,120 A promotion you could talk about how how you really deserve it. And so you spend your whole time talking about you 573 00:44:41,080 --> 00:44:45,240 How smart you are how capable you are and how well you should have it and how good you've been as a parent 574 00:44:45,240 --> 00:44:47,560 How good you've been as a child and you're worshiping you 575 00:44:47,560 --> 00:44:52,680 And so the danger of wrong motivations is that you can stray very easily into idolatry 576 00:44:54,200 --> 00:44:58,440 Okay, or just any God will do 577 00:44:59,720 --> 00:45:07,000 That's the other thing so you get praying about what you want and you have wrong motivations and pretty soon you find you're not praying to God at all 578 00:45:08,040 --> 00:45:11,400 Just if anybody will give you what you're asking for it's all good 579 00:45:12,040 --> 00:45:14,040 right, so any demon 580 00:45:14,040 --> 00:45:19,720 Any evil spirit any family member the drug dealer cousin that you got he came along gave you a free car 581 00:45:19,720 --> 00:45:22,600 You'd be perfectly happy with that. It doesn't matter who gives it to me 582 00:45:22,600 --> 00:45:24,600 It doesn't matter where it comes from as long as I get what I want 583 00:45:25,480 --> 00:45:31,640 And it's very easy to do if you have wrong motivations when you while you're praying so idolatry is a very real risk 584 00:45:32,520 --> 00:45:37,400 Okay, we're close to done. Believe it or not. We're doing good. I don't know what time it is 585 00:45:38,520 --> 00:45:39,800 Probably learning late 586 00:45:39,800 --> 00:45:42,200 Yep, we're I don't know if we I don't think we'll finish it 587 00:45:42,200 --> 00:45:44,440 Three minutes, but we're doing good. Okay 588 00:45:45,400 --> 00:45:52,120 So psalm 37 for I'll read the verse and you fill in you tell me what the blanks say. I think I can do it 589 00:45:53,240 --> 00:45:54,760 Psalm 590 00:45:54,760 --> 00:45:56,440 37 591 00:45:56,440 --> 00:45:59,880 Hopefully the translation is the same psalm 37 for 592 00:46:00,680 --> 00:46:08,600 Yep, pretty good. Okay psalm 37 for says this delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart 593 00:46:08,600 --> 00:46:11,400 And so if you take the word yourself out 594 00:46:12,200 --> 00:46:17,160 It's delight in the Lord. So the key is delighting in the Lord 595 00:46:18,200 --> 00:46:25,560 And I'll put it this way you want what God wants more for you more than you should ever want what you want for you 596 00:46:26,520 --> 00:46:31,000 Because God knows better than you do you can be poor for five years 597 00:46:31,000 --> 00:46:34,200 And God's literally saving your life from a terrible situation 598 00:46:34,200 --> 00:46:38,120 Or from violence or from you know 599 00:46:39,000 --> 00:46:41,640 That going down a road of pride and idolatry 600 00:46:41,640 --> 00:46:46,600 I mean or you can be sick and stuck in and out of the hospital month after month after month 601 00:46:46,920 --> 00:46:51,720 And and God is deepening your relationship with him and then you get healthy and you've got another 602 00:46:52,360 --> 00:46:55,560 10 50 70 years, whatever where you're walking with the Lord 603 00:46:56,200 --> 00:47:02,360 Undefeated because you know he was with you during the time of the time of the time of the time of the time of the time 604 00:47:02,360 --> 00:47:05,080 He never hurt you So if you believe that 605 00:47:06,760 --> 00:47:10,120 You believe that he did have come down of denomination 606 00:47:07,080 --> 00:47:13,160 It was 10 percent... 607 00:47:10,540 --> 00:47:12,940 And that's not an except down from your heart 608 00:47:14,520 --> 00:47:16,140 post twelve 609 00:47:21,720 --> 00:47:23,560 So that would be a two percent 610 00:47:24,440 --> 00:47:27,480 Three percent 611 00:47:27,480 --> 00:47:31,000 Which I didn't put the reference down there so that was a mistake on my part 612 00:47:31,000 --> 00:47:35,080 You want to jot it in there somewhere you can but there's no blanks for it's Philippians 4 613 00:47:37,680 --> 00:47:42,080 Okay, so we're gonna dwell on and then I'm gonna give you the list 614 00:47:44,960 --> 00:47:48,440 For eight I think it's eight and nine I'm checking right now 615 00:47:48,440 --> 00:47:56,800 Yeah, it's just eight okay finally brethren whatever is true 616 00:47:56,800 --> 00:47:58,320 So there's the first one 617 00:47:58,320 --> 00:48:00,800 Whatever is honorable 618 00:48:00,800 --> 00:48:03,680 That's the next one 619 00:48:03,680 --> 00:48:05,720 Whatever is right 620 00:48:05,720 --> 00:48:10,280 Whatever is pure 621 00:48:10,280 --> 00:48:15,560 Whatever is lovely 622 00:48:15,560 --> 00:48:22,200 Whatever is of good repeat 623 00:48:22,200 --> 00:48:26,800 Do I leave enough blanks or do I have one not enough blanks? 624 00:48:26,800 --> 00:48:31,480 Squeeze them in squeeze them in we'll make room just like kids in the church van 625 00:48:31,480 --> 00:48:39,400 Okay whatever is excellent and then so you should have the last one it starts with a P 626 00:48:39,400 --> 00:48:40,480 It's praiseworthy 627 00:48:40,480 --> 00:48:45,040 I think I got them I don't know if I got them all or not but anyway you get them all in there 628 00:48:45,040 --> 00:48:54,680 Okay true honorable pure lovely I think I skipped one blank is what happened 629 00:48:54,680 --> 00:49:02,080 Honorable pure lovely of good repute excellent praiseworthy I made a mistake and skipped right 630 00:49:02,080 --> 00:49:11,240 Okay anyway so these are the things that you focus on why do we focus on them to ensure that our 631 00:49:11,240 --> 00:49:19,560 heart is right when we pray to God right I'm not judging but when you watch a horror flick turn 632 00:49:19,560 --> 00:49:27,360 the TV off and pray to God in the next five minutes you watch pay close attention because 633 00:49:27,360 --> 00:49:33,400 what's in your heart will not be right it will not be sure it will not be honorable it will you'll 634 00:49:33,400 --> 00:49:40,040 you'll need to fix it right when you watch a movie with a bunch of lusty things in it girls and 635 00:49:40,040 --> 00:49:49,000 bikinis running around sex scenes whatever pray in the next thing yes then right after that try to 636 00:49:49,000 --> 00:49:53,240 pray or even during I mean go on our 45 minutes you're not gonna pray for a whole hour 45 minutes 637 00:49:53,240 --> 00:49:59,120 because you're watching a movie that's kind of questionable that's gonna affect your heart and 638 00:49:59,120 --> 00:50:22,200 it's gonna be hard to pray right godly get drawn into it yeah yeah it's not really a good all 639 00:50:22,200 --> 00:50:26,360 things are permissible right so I'm not saying that's gonna keep from having or yeah but if 640 00:50:26,360 --> 00:50:31,120 you're trying to protect your heart to make sure that this lock is open so when you pray God can 641 00:50:31,120 --> 00:50:38,280 hear your prayers then my suggestion to you would be avoid things that are not pure not right honorable 642 00:50:38,280 --> 00:50:46,000 right all of those things okay and at least at least then we have this as a solution all right 643 00:50:46,000 --> 00:50:53,720 so mark 7 20 to 23 Jesus is talking I'm gonna read it real quick and then this is a very last 644 00:50:53,720 --> 00:50:59,040 step says and he says that which proceeds out of the man that is which that is what defiles the man 645 00:50:59,040 --> 00:51:04,360 for from within out of the heart of men proceed the evil thoughts for occasion steps murders 646 00:51:04,360 --> 00:51:10,520 adulteries deeds of coveting and wickedness as well as deceit sensuality envy slander pride and 647 00:51:10,520 --> 00:51:14,520 foolishness you don't have to remember all those things but what is he saying all kinds of bad 648 00:51:14,520 --> 00:51:18,400 things come out of us and when they come out of us they come out of the heart they attach to your 649 00:51:18,400 --> 00:51:24,160 heart they come from your heart all these evil things proceed from within and defile the man and 650 00:51:24,160 --> 00:51:31,840 so it's the what's on your paper is what flows out that's the problem so what you think about what 651 00:51:31,840 --> 00:51:38,280 you're producing what you're producing can make your heart a kind of dirty thing and if it does 652 00:51:38,280 --> 00:51:44,000 make your heart a kind of dirty thing then when you go to pray to God this lock can snap in place 653 00:51:44,000 --> 00:51:49,680 and instead of your prayers going to God they get stopped because your prayers are prayed in 654 00:51:49,680 --> 00:51:56,520 wrong motivations you say no God can overcome that yes he can and the last blank is repentance so you 655 00:51:56,520 --> 00:52:03,360 turn to God and he can fix it all he can take care of all of it he can undo what you watch what you 656 00:52:03,360 --> 00:52:08,880 saw that you shouldn't have the way you talked the way you acted you didn't honor him you didn't 657 00:52:08,880 --> 00:52:12,840 focus on the right thing because you committed idolatry praying for your car or praying about 658 00:52:12,840 --> 00:52:20,040 your car praying to your car right all of those kinds of things he can fix all of that but we 659 00:52:20,040 --> 00:52:25,200 have to turn to the Lord and and I again I submit focused on the wrong things it's hard to do that 660 00:52:25,200 --> 00:52:29,760 it's hard to turn to the Lord because you want you're letting your desires not be in line with 661 00:52:29,760 --> 00:52:34,120 what God wants and then you want it and you're going after it and that's not that's interfering 662 00:52:34,120 --> 00:52:39,000 with your prayer life we ask ourselves sometimes why when we pray we don't get what we pray for 663 00:52:39,000 --> 00:52:45,040 well James was very clear you don't get what you pray for because you don't ask for it or maybe you 664 00:52:45,040 --> 00:52:51,920 ask for it but you ask for it to spend it on your own desires on the desires of your lost 665 00:52:51,920 --> 00:52:56,320 heart so that you'll have better you'll want better you want better you want things to go 666 00:52:56,320 --> 00:53:01,360 better or whatever and that's not that's not the point the point is to delight in the Lord and 667 00:53:01,360 --> 00:53:06,000 pray his will and I think our daily we're already mentioning that earlier when we're talking about 668 00:53:06,000 --> 00:53:11,520 that's the key okay all right so unfortunately we're out of time I will give out more candy but 669 00:53:11,520 --> 00:53:16,560 we're gonna pray and be done because we got yeah and I also forgot to put the snacks and 670 00:53:16,560 --> 00:53:20,480 drinks in the cafeteria so we'll go get that here in a second and then we can fellowship on it 671 00:53:20,480 --> 00:53:25,480 anybody talk more about it we can if anybody have a last comment or a question I know we're over time 672 00:53:25,480 --> 00:53:39,600 but so we've got six locks and six keys and you can go back over your worksheets and look at them 673 00:53:39,600 --> 00:53:44,320 again and it should be at this point we should be deepening our fur like we talked to God and 674 00:53:44,320 --> 00:53:51,640 nobody's that's the goal Father heaven I praise you and I thank you you are the awesome God ain't 675 00:53:51,640 --> 00:53:58,320 no car no money no relationship no beautiful scenery no beautifully tasting thing or wonderful 676 00:53:58,320 --> 00:54:07,480 tasting thing no provision of our God has ever begun to come close to you you are our God and 677 00:54:07,480 --> 00:54:11,520 just like they said at camp I remember and he said it very plainly the greatest thing of all that 678 00:54:11,520 --> 00:54:17,520 you could give us is your presence you in us and you have offered it and for those who believe and 679 00:54:17,520 --> 00:54:22,600 receive that you're you're you're right there doing it you're doing grace every day all day and you're 680 00:54:22,600 --> 00:54:29,000 willing you're willing to get down and muddle in our mess waddle in our mud overcome our difficulties 681 00:54:29,000 --> 00:54:35,280 and our problems just turn to you whosoever called on the call upon the name of the Lord to this day 682 00:54:35,280 --> 00:54:45,040 still this day will be safe and we're calling upon you to cleanse us of what we've dealt in to help 683 00:54:45,040 --> 00:54:51,360 us focus our prayer life on only you what I if I've prayed ever to a demon or an object or a 684 00:54:51,360 --> 00:54:58,080 creative if ever I've done that and because I'm a human I probably have Lord I personally repent 685 00:54:58,080 --> 00:55:04,480 of that and I pray that I will be aware of it as I pray that that you will be my focus that your 686 00:55:04,480 --> 00:55:10,080 desires will become my desires that I'll grow a little bit more every day or or in leaps and 687 00:55:10,080 --> 00:55:16,240 bounds whichever way you want it and when I pray I'll know that my God hears my prayers and that 688 00:55:16,240 --> 00:55:21,000 he's at work bringing about the events and the activities of the Kingdom of God when I think 689 00:55:21,000 --> 00:55:27,160 about wicked you seem to be prospering I'll know that you are on the throne I'll not I'll not despair 690 00:55:27,160 --> 00:55:34,080 because I know and then I'll remember that our relationship mine yours relationship it should 691 00:55:34,080 --> 00:55:39,280 have communication in it I should be talking to you and importantly listening to you and I love 692 00:55:39,280 --> 00:55:45,960 it better sometimes when you talk than when I do but I also realize I'm called upon and so Lord 693 00:55:45,960 --> 00:55:52,840 help me help us all to be the best followers of you we possibly can be offering up our prayers 694 00:55:52,840 --> 00:55:59,480 when it's under our control to make a choice Lord keeping our hearts clean so that we can pray 695 00:55:59,480 --> 00:56:05,800 earnest prayers faithful prayers casual prayers to know your witness formal prayers because we 696 00:56:05,800 --> 00:56:09,160 know you're the God of heaven and it's no small thing for us to be able to enter into your throne 697 00:56:09,160 --> 00:56:16,680 room and make our requests and father we go forward with you with you as our shepherd with 698 00:56:16,680 --> 00:56:22,240 you as our guide with you as our king with you as our protector and we'll lift our prayers up to 699 00:56:22,240 --> 00:56:35,880 you and to you alone or crazy things in Jesus name this concludes our Bible study