WEBVTT 00:00:07.900 --> 00:00:11.099 Hey guys, this is Tracy. If at any time you'd 00:00:11.099 --> 00:00:15.019 like to connect with HCV, go to hcv .church forward 00:00:15.019 --> 00:00:18.100 slash connect. If you feel called to give, go 00:00:18.100 --> 00:00:21.980 to hcv .church forward slash give. And if at 00:00:21.980 --> 00:00:23.920 any time you feel called to make a change in 00:00:23.920 --> 00:00:29.399 your life, text change me to 970 -00. Enjoy the 00:00:29.399 --> 00:00:32.700 message. Happy Memorial Day weekend. The start 00:00:32.700 --> 00:00:35.920 of summer is here, even though it doesn't feel 00:00:35.920 --> 00:00:37.880 like it. But we're going to work through it. 00:00:37.899 --> 00:00:39.560 If you're joining us from home, thanks for welcoming 00:00:39.560 --> 00:00:42.600 us into your space. So I do want to pause before 00:00:42.600 --> 00:00:45.820 we jump in to our talk today and honor and recognize 00:00:45.820 --> 00:00:49.700 all those that have served or are serving. And 00:00:49.700 --> 00:00:51.219 especially those that have paid the ultimate 00:00:51.219 --> 00:00:54.460 price in serving our country. Let's open in prayer 00:00:54.460 --> 00:00:57.859 and just ask God's hand of blessing to be upon 00:00:57.859 --> 00:01:00.520 them. God, we are grateful that we can gather 00:01:00.520 --> 00:01:03.899 together in worship in freedom. And we're grateful, 00:01:04.040 --> 00:01:06.099 God, for all those that are serving around the 00:01:06.099 --> 00:01:08.799 world currently that have served. And God, I 00:01:08.799 --> 00:01:11.280 just ask you're with those families, God, those 00:01:11.280 --> 00:01:14.620 friends that have lost loved ones while serving, 00:01:14.640 --> 00:01:16.879 that you would comfort them, give them peace. 00:01:17.079 --> 00:01:19.840 And again, we are just grateful that we can live 00:01:19.840 --> 00:01:23.299 in a country where we can worship and just declare 00:01:23.299 --> 00:01:26.319 your name freely and openly. In Jesus' name, 00:01:26.459 --> 00:01:31.200 amen. So we are in week four of our series text 00:01:31.200 --> 00:01:33.819 to talk where we're learning a daily routine 00:01:33.819 --> 00:01:37.620 of connecting to God through the Bible and being 00:01:37.620 --> 00:01:40.939 led by him in every area of our life. We kicked 00:01:40.939 --> 00:01:43.920 off week one of our series focusing on how to 00:01:43.920 --> 00:01:47.180 read the Bible. Week two, we discussed how Jesus 00:01:47.180 --> 00:01:51.620 desires that we abide in him or why we read the 00:01:51.620 --> 00:01:54.140 Bible. And last week, we discussed being led 00:01:54.140 --> 00:01:57.980 by the Holy Spirit or applying the truth. of 00:01:57.980 --> 00:02:01.540 the Bible to our lives. Today, we're going to 00:02:01.540 --> 00:02:04.459 tackle a subject that is sometimes very confusing, 00:02:04.719 --> 00:02:07.620 often complicated, that everyone deals with. 00:02:07.840 --> 00:02:12.219 How to have an effective and enjoyable prayer 00:02:12.219 --> 00:02:15.159 life. How to have an effective and enjoyable 00:02:15.159 --> 00:02:17.180 prayer life. And some of you are immediately 00:02:17.180 --> 00:02:20.680 thinking, enjoyable? Really, Chris? Prayer? See, 00:02:20.740 --> 00:02:24.340 there is nothing more crucial to us than to learn 00:02:24.340 --> 00:02:29.469 as followers of Jesus How to pray. See, prayer 00:02:29.469 --> 00:02:33.610 is how we communicate with God. How many of you 00:02:33.610 --> 00:02:36.590 know by show of hands that communication is the 00:02:36.590 --> 00:02:39.629 lifeline backbone of any relationship, right? 00:02:39.669 --> 00:02:42.490 If you can't communicate, a relationship's gone 00:02:42.490 --> 00:02:45.330 nowhere. One of the greatest joys in life is 00:02:45.330 --> 00:02:48.909 having someone you can truly talk to. And not 00:02:48.909 --> 00:02:51.729 just someone who hears your words, but someone 00:02:51.729 --> 00:02:55.009 who actually listens, understands, and cares. 00:02:55.599 --> 00:02:59.319 See, marriages will struggle without healthy 00:02:59.319 --> 00:03:02.039 communication. How many of us know if you're 00:03:02.039 --> 00:03:06.479 married, if your spouse says it's fine, that 00:03:06.479 --> 00:03:10.360 in reality, it's not fine at all, right? It's 00:03:10.360 --> 00:03:13.219 fine simply means that's not a good decision 00:03:13.219 --> 00:03:16.639 you're about to make, right? Friendships drift 00:03:16.639 --> 00:03:20.240 without communication. Families become disconnected 00:03:20.240 --> 00:03:24.449 without... Here's the reality. You can live in 00:03:24.449 --> 00:03:27.270 the same house with someone, not communicate 00:03:27.270 --> 00:03:31.169 and feel miles apart. While at the same time, 00:03:31.169 --> 00:03:34.270 this is true spiritually. See, many people see 00:03:34.270 --> 00:03:38.710 prayer as a religious duty, a ritual, or dare 00:03:38.710 --> 00:03:43.030 I say, a last resort when those crises come into 00:03:43.030 --> 00:03:46.789 our lives. But prayer was never meant to be lifeless. 00:03:47.150 --> 00:03:51.229 Prayer is simply communication with God. It's 00:03:51.229 --> 00:03:55.110 a conversation with our creator. It's not about 00:03:55.110 --> 00:03:58.789 the words. See, it's about building a real relationship, 00:03:58.930 --> 00:04:01.909 a real connection. And just like any relationship, 00:04:02.150 --> 00:04:05.530 when communication is healthy, that relationship 00:04:05.530 --> 00:04:10.710 becomes effective and enjoyable. The reason many 00:04:10.710 --> 00:04:13.389 followers of Jesus struggle in prayer isn't because 00:04:13.389 --> 00:04:16.050 they don't love God. It's because communication 00:04:16.050 --> 00:04:21.220 with God has become rushed, shallow, inconsistent, 00:04:21.740 --> 00:04:24.899 or dare I say, one -sided. Give me, give me, 00:04:24.920 --> 00:04:28.120 give me God. But when prayer becomes honest, 00:04:28.399 --> 00:04:31.800 when we stop performing and start connecting, 00:04:32.000 --> 00:04:35.579 when we stop treating prayer like a task and 00:04:35.579 --> 00:04:38.500 start treating it like time spent with someone 00:04:38.500 --> 00:04:41.519 we love, then prayer is no longer boring. It 00:04:41.519 --> 00:04:44.540 doesn't feel forced. It actually becomes life 00:04:44.540 --> 00:04:47.120 -giving. And today, I want us all to discover 00:04:47.120 --> 00:04:50.600 that prayer is not an obligation. It's simply 00:04:50.600 --> 00:04:53.939 communication with the Father, our Father in 00:04:53.939 --> 00:04:56.860 heaven, who generally wants to hear from his 00:04:56.860 --> 00:04:59.980 children. And that opening leads us to our first 00:04:59.980 --> 00:05:04.120 thought today. See, when we pray, God moves and 00:05:04.120 --> 00:05:08.319 things happen. God moves and things happen. James 00:05:08.319 --> 00:05:11.879 5, verse 16. Confess your sins to each other 00:05:11.879 --> 00:05:14.600 and pray for each other so that you may be healed. 00:05:14.699 --> 00:05:18.470 Now, hear this truth. The earnest prayer. of 00:05:18.470 --> 00:05:22.490 a righteous person has great power, and notice, 00:05:22.629 --> 00:05:27.269 produces wonderful results. See, I want us to 00:05:27.269 --> 00:05:30.670 pray in a way that get things done. And nothing 00:05:30.670 --> 00:05:33.089 has marked the lives of the people we read about 00:05:33.089 --> 00:05:37.029 in the Bible more than prayer. It is when prayer, 00:05:37.069 --> 00:05:41.290 right, comes into our life that we suddenly understand 00:05:41.290 --> 00:05:44.629 that God is moving. Think about it. Prayer has 00:05:44.629 --> 00:05:47.139 marked people from the very beginning. We see 00:05:47.139 --> 00:05:50.459 it in the life of Abraham. He prayed and God 00:05:50.459 --> 00:05:53.079 was willing to spare an entire city for the sake 00:05:53.079 --> 00:05:56.879 of the righteous. Jacob, he wrestled with God 00:05:56.879 --> 00:06:00.120 in prayer at night and walked away with a new 00:06:00.120 --> 00:06:04.319 name and a new future. Moses prayed for a rebellious 00:06:04.319 --> 00:06:07.339 nation and God relented from destroying Israel. 00:06:07.720 --> 00:06:12.579 Church, prayer works. Joshua prayed in the middle 00:06:12.579 --> 00:06:15.620 of a battle. God caused the sun to stand still 00:06:15.620 --> 00:06:19.680 so that the victory could be won. Hannah prayed 00:06:19.680 --> 00:06:23.120 with deep anguish and conviction. And God gave 00:06:23.120 --> 00:06:26.500 her Samuel, one of the greatest prophets Israel 00:06:26.500 --> 00:06:29.360 has ever known. Elijah prayed and the rain stopped 00:06:29.360 --> 00:06:31.819 for three and a half years. Then he prayed again 00:06:31.819 --> 00:06:36.730 and the rain returned. Prayer works. Daniel prayed 00:06:36.730 --> 00:06:39.350 three times a day when it was illegal and everyone 00:06:39.350 --> 00:06:42.370 told him to not do it. Then he was thrown into 00:06:42.370 --> 00:06:45.850 a lion's den. He prayed again. God shut the mouths 00:06:45.850 --> 00:06:49.009 of the lions. Nehemiah prayed before approaching 00:06:49.009 --> 00:06:52.670 the king and God gave him favor to rebuild Jerusalem. 00:06:52.990 --> 00:06:55.509 And it's not just the Old Testament. Fast forward 00:06:55.509 --> 00:06:58.870 to the New Testament. When people prayed, God 00:06:58.870 --> 00:07:02.670 moved on their behalf. Jesus' life was defined 00:07:02.670 --> 00:07:06.980 by prayer. He regularly withdrew to lonely places 00:07:06.980 --> 00:07:11.660 to pray. Before he chose his disciples, he prayed. 00:07:11.860 --> 00:07:15.300 Before practicing miracles, he prayed. Before 00:07:15.300 --> 00:07:19.699 going to the cross, Jesus prayed. The book of 00:07:19.699 --> 00:07:23.220 Acts shows us that the early church started from 00:07:23.220 --> 00:07:25.920 a prayer meeting. They were gathered in the upper 00:07:25.920 --> 00:07:29.300 room, praying. The Holy Spirit fell. The church 00:07:29.300 --> 00:07:31.860 was born, and the gospel spread throughout the 00:07:31.860 --> 00:07:34.899 known world. Because there was a church that 00:07:34.899 --> 00:07:38.879 prayed. And if prayer marked the lives of people 00:07:38.879 --> 00:07:42.019 that changed the world, we need to do it today. 00:07:42.379 --> 00:07:46.420 Because God has called us to change the tri -state 00:07:46.420 --> 00:07:50.680 area. Because when we pray, God moves on our 00:07:50.680 --> 00:07:54.199 behalf. I want to remind you again, prayer works. 00:07:54.680 --> 00:07:57.370 And I want you to think about it this way. We 00:07:57.370 --> 00:08:00.110 are one prayer away from a totally different 00:08:00.110 --> 00:08:03.649 life. We're one prayer away from a healthy marriage. 00:08:03.910 --> 00:08:07.410 You are one prayer away from healing in your 00:08:07.410 --> 00:08:11.149 body. You are one prayer away from victory over 00:08:11.149 --> 00:08:14.310 anxiety. You are one prayer away from an addiction 00:08:14.310 --> 00:08:18.949 being broken. You are one prayer away from victory 00:08:18.949 --> 00:08:24.220 over stress. Prayer has the power to move us 00:08:24.220 --> 00:08:27.079 past what our potential can do, what we can do 00:08:27.079 --> 00:08:30.740 in our own strength, and into the power of God. 00:08:31.040 --> 00:08:34.720 You are one prayer away. And if we can learn 00:08:34.720 --> 00:08:37.639 to step out in prayer, we can literally see the 00:08:37.639 --> 00:08:40.940 hand of God move in our lives more than we could 00:08:40.940 --> 00:08:45.360 ever imagine. So if prayer has so much power, 00:08:45.559 --> 00:08:48.340 then why don't we do it? Right? Why don't we 00:08:48.340 --> 00:08:51.600 pray? Well, I believe it's because many of us 00:08:51.600 --> 00:08:54.240 don't actually believe that prayer has the power 00:08:54.240 --> 00:08:56.460 to change things in our lives. Because if we 00:08:56.460 --> 00:08:59.279 believed it, we would pray a whole lot more. 00:08:59.700 --> 00:09:02.299 The prayer stats that are currently out there 00:09:02.299 --> 00:09:04.419 are absolutely shocking. I just want to share 00:09:04.419 --> 00:09:06.960 a few of them with you as we set the tone for 00:09:06.960 --> 00:09:09.360 our discussion. These numbers are from Barna 00:09:09.360 --> 00:09:13.240 Research Group. 68 % of Christians say their 00:09:13.240 --> 00:09:16.980 prayer life is inconsistent or ineffective at 00:09:16.980 --> 00:09:21.840 best. 68%. 55 % say they don't know what to say 00:09:21.840 --> 00:09:27.159 when they pray. 71 % say they pray the less than 00:09:27.159 --> 00:09:32.559 10 minutes a day. And 80 % of those polled admit 00:09:32.559 --> 00:09:35.559 to being distracted within the first two minutes 00:09:35.559 --> 00:09:37.879 of prayer. And some of you are already judging 00:09:37.879 --> 00:09:40.179 those Christians that are distracted, and you've 00:09:40.179 --> 00:09:42.000 been distracted in the first five minutes of 00:09:42.000 --> 00:09:46.539 this talk. So don't go out judging. We all get 00:09:46.539 --> 00:09:50.240 distracted. We all have those moments where we 00:09:50.240 --> 00:09:52.460 don't make prayer as effective as it can be. 00:09:52.779 --> 00:09:56.639 And here's the fact that absolutely blew my mind. 00:09:56.759 --> 00:10:00.919 The average Christian spends more time on their 00:10:00.919 --> 00:10:05.759 phones before breakfast in one day than in prayer 00:10:05.759 --> 00:10:11.820 all week long. Houston, we have a problem. Church, 00:10:12.019 --> 00:10:17.470 that's a big problem. And that is why Jesus' 00:10:17.549 --> 00:10:20.649 followers are so ineffective and weak. They're 00:10:20.649 --> 00:10:24.289 not prioritizing prayer. We have not tapped into 00:10:24.289 --> 00:10:27.509 the power and possibilities of prayer. So let's 00:10:27.509 --> 00:10:30.409 now look at a story that gives us such a good 00:10:30.409 --> 00:10:33.210 breakdown of prayer. This story is about two 00:10:33.210 --> 00:10:37.769 women named Mary and Martha. Luke chapter 10, 00:10:37.850 --> 00:10:40.809 starting in verse 38. As Jesus and the disciples 00:10:40.809 --> 00:10:43.450 continued on their way to Jerusalem, they came 00:10:43.450 --> 00:10:45.929 to a certain village where a woman named Martha 00:10:45.929 --> 00:10:49.070 welcomed him into her home. What was her name 00:10:49.070 --> 00:10:52.769 again? Martha, that is correct. Her sister Mary, 00:10:53.129 --> 00:10:56.730 what's her sister's name? Sat at the Lord's feet 00:10:56.730 --> 00:11:00.690 listening to what he taught. So let's pause and 00:11:00.690 --> 00:11:02.509 just look at this breakdown real quick of these 00:11:02.509 --> 00:11:06.370 two ladies. Martha opens up her home to Jesus. 00:11:06.990 --> 00:11:09.210 This is an incredible example of what it means 00:11:09.210 --> 00:11:12.690 to abide. She wanted to welcome Jesus into her 00:11:12.690 --> 00:11:15.970 home. She was hosting him. However, Mary, when 00:11:15.970 --> 00:11:18.789 Jesus was welcomed into the home, went over and 00:11:18.789 --> 00:11:23.610 sat at his feet. See, Martha had the right intentions 00:11:23.610 --> 00:11:26.870 of inviting Jesus in, and Martha always has been 00:11:26.870 --> 00:11:29.769 given a bad rap in this story, but she actually 00:11:29.769 --> 00:11:32.409 had good intentions. Can we all agree on that? 00:11:33.570 --> 00:11:36.940 Jesus, you are welcome into my home. However, 00:11:37.100 --> 00:11:39.620 I want to be a good host. But then suddenly, 00:11:39.679 --> 00:11:41.919 as the story goes on, we see a big difference 00:11:41.919 --> 00:11:44.799 between the two women. Let's continue. But Martha 00:11:44.799 --> 00:11:48.179 was distracted by the big dinner she was preparing. 00:11:48.620 --> 00:11:51.700 She came to Jesus and said, Lord, doesn't it 00:11:51.700 --> 00:11:54.320 seem unfair to you that my sister just sits here 00:11:54.320 --> 00:11:57.070 while I do all the work? Now, many of you know 00:11:57.070 --> 00:12:00.610 I have six children, and I often hear at dinnertime 00:12:00.610 --> 00:12:03.350 while the cleanup is happening, they're just 00:12:03.350 --> 00:12:05.809 discussing, they're not arguing, of course, how 00:12:05.809 --> 00:12:08.350 one of them are not carrying their weight and 00:12:08.350 --> 00:12:12.889 cleaning as they should be. Do you connect with 00:12:12.889 --> 00:12:16.169 that? There's always someone that is distracted 00:12:16.169 --> 00:12:18.110 doing something else. Let's continue with our 00:12:18.110 --> 00:12:23.200 story. Tell her to come and help me. So Martha 00:12:23.200 --> 00:12:26.039 goes to Jesus and she's probably thinking, I 00:12:26.039 --> 00:12:28.539 got it. I'm going to say something to Jesus. 00:12:28.960 --> 00:12:31.759 He's going to look at Mary and say, how dare 00:12:31.759 --> 00:12:36.179 you sit there at my feet? How dare you do nothing? 00:12:36.279 --> 00:12:39.980 Get up and do some work. You need to get busy 00:12:39.980 --> 00:12:42.440 and help. Don't you know all the things that 00:12:42.440 --> 00:12:45.779 I need to get done in this house? So let's continue. 00:12:46.000 --> 00:12:48.419 Is that what Jesus said? But the Lord said to 00:12:48.419 --> 00:12:51.470 her, my dear Martha. You are worried and upset 00:12:51.470 --> 00:12:54.929 over all these details. And I want to pause there 00:12:54.929 --> 00:12:57.549 again for a second because that phrase from Jesus 00:12:57.549 --> 00:13:01.789 points to a direct correlation between how worried 00:13:01.789 --> 00:13:04.750 and upset we are by what is happening in the 00:13:04.750 --> 00:13:09.269 world around us and our lack of prayer. See, 00:13:09.330 --> 00:13:11.889 the more we pray, the less worried and concerned 00:13:11.889 --> 00:13:14.250 we are about what is happening in the world because 00:13:14.250 --> 00:13:17.129 we now believe that we are going before the God 00:13:17.129 --> 00:13:19.549 of the universe who has everything under his 00:13:19.549 --> 00:13:22.860 control. And if I am sitting at his feet, it 00:13:22.860 --> 00:13:25.399 doesn't matter what is happening all around me 00:13:25.399 --> 00:13:28.899 because he's got it under control. So if you 00:13:28.899 --> 00:13:30.980 find yourself worried and stressed out today 00:13:30.980 --> 00:13:34.500 about all the things that are happening in this 00:13:34.500 --> 00:13:37.820 world, it's probably because you are more distracted 00:13:37.820 --> 00:13:41.100 than you are praying. We need to get back to 00:13:41.100 --> 00:13:43.960 sitting at Jesus' feet because when we do, we're 00:13:43.960 --> 00:13:46.480 going to find peace. We're going to find rest. 00:13:47.259 --> 00:13:48.899 We're going to find comfort and we're going to 00:13:48.899 --> 00:13:52.019 discover wisdom that he has for us. Aren't we 00:13:52.019 --> 00:13:55.559 grateful that at his feet we can experience breakthrough 00:13:55.559 --> 00:13:58.620 in our lives? That's where it all happens. Let's 00:13:58.620 --> 00:14:01.000 continue. There is only one thing worth being 00:14:01.000 --> 00:14:04.720 concerned about. Mary has discovered it and it 00:14:04.720 --> 00:14:08.279 will not be taken from her. So I want to challenge 00:14:08.279 --> 00:14:11.759 you today. You have a lot of things on your schedule, 00:14:11.840 --> 00:14:14.980 in your mind that is consuming your life. But 00:14:14.980 --> 00:14:18.940 very few things are needed. Prioritize what is 00:14:18.940 --> 00:14:23.639 important and learn to pray. And here is the 00:14:23.639 --> 00:14:25.899 question of the day. When it comes to prayer, 00:14:26.080 --> 00:14:30.600 reflect, who are you? Who are you in this story? 00:14:30.659 --> 00:14:32.620 And let's look at the breakdown. We have two 00:14:32.620 --> 00:14:35.580 people who could not have more opposite approaches 00:14:35.580 --> 00:14:39.620 to prayer. Notice, Martha, she's stressed out. 00:14:39.700 --> 00:14:42.840 She has a lot to do. She has a lot of worries 00:14:42.840 --> 00:14:46.220 and concerns. Mary? Mary's not stressed. She 00:14:46.220 --> 00:14:48.740 has surrendered. She is not focused on what is 00:14:48.740 --> 00:14:52.080 happening around her. She is focused on surrendering 00:14:52.080 --> 00:14:56.519 to the master. Martha, she's very distracted. 00:14:56.700 --> 00:14:58.980 She's thinking about everything else happening 00:14:58.980 --> 00:15:01.179 around her. But Mary, what is she? She's focused. 00:15:01.559 --> 00:15:06.019 She's focused on Jesus. Martha, she's hustling. 00:15:06.080 --> 00:15:09.460 She's busy. She's getting everything done. But 00:15:09.460 --> 00:15:12.179 we have Mary. Mary is sitting and listening. 00:15:12.559 --> 00:15:15.500 Martha is judging. She's judging her sister. 00:15:15.659 --> 00:15:18.480 She's judging Mary. You better get to work. You 00:15:18.480 --> 00:15:20.500 better get better. You need to step up and do 00:15:20.500 --> 00:15:24.279 something while Mary, Mary's secure in what Jesus 00:15:24.279 --> 00:15:28.159 told her to do. Martha is overwhelmed while Mary 00:15:28.159 --> 00:15:31.879 is sitting there receiving patiently from Jesus. 00:15:32.179 --> 00:15:35.399 So reflect. When it comes to your prayer time, 00:15:35.620 --> 00:15:40.399 who are you in this story? Are you living a Martha 00:15:40.399 --> 00:15:43.379 life? Or are you focusing on abiding in the vine 00:15:43.379 --> 00:15:47.379 and connecting with Jesus like Mary did? Of course, 00:15:47.379 --> 00:15:50.519 we know that Mary chose what is better. And we 00:15:50.519 --> 00:15:53.679 can learn to have a Mary outlook on life in a 00:15:53.679 --> 00:15:56.600 very Martha world. I mean, be honest. We're bombarded 00:15:56.600 --> 00:15:59.539 with busyness. But when we focus on and allow 00:15:59.539 --> 00:16:01.860 our prayer time to be like Mary's, we will experience 00:16:01.860 --> 00:16:05.740 victory in this life. And how do we do it? Well, 00:16:05.759 --> 00:16:08.799 that leads us to our four action steps, how to 00:16:08.799 --> 00:16:11.120 experience an effective and enjoyable prayer 00:16:11.120 --> 00:16:14.059 life. And the first one is this. It all starts 00:16:14.059 --> 00:16:19.320 with surrender. We need to first fix our posture. 00:16:19.419 --> 00:16:21.779 If we want an effective prayer life, we need 00:16:21.779 --> 00:16:24.779 to fix our posture. We're so easily distracted 00:16:24.779 --> 00:16:28.019 and focused on other things going on. But Mary, 00:16:28.100 --> 00:16:31.259 notice, decided to do something different, Luke 00:16:31.259 --> 00:16:35.340 10. Her sister Mary sat down. At the Lord's feet, 00:16:35.440 --> 00:16:39.559 listening to what he taught. Now please understand, 00:16:39.639 --> 00:16:42.700 this would have been the norm for a rabbi or 00:16:42.700 --> 00:16:46.139 a teacher in this culture. They were not living 00:16:46.139 --> 00:16:49.820 in a world of constant busyness where we're cleaning 00:16:49.820 --> 00:16:52.820 dishes and then looking up every 20 seconds and 00:16:52.820 --> 00:16:54.960 say, oh yeah, Jesus, yeah, I'm listening, really. 00:16:55.440 --> 00:16:58.360 But I'm getting this done at the same time. Right? 00:16:58.419 --> 00:17:01.799 But this isn't how to have an effective prayer 00:17:01.799 --> 00:17:04.960 life. We have so many other things going on in 00:17:04.960 --> 00:17:07.240 our life that we try to squeeze in our prayer 00:17:07.240 --> 00:17:10.359 time between everything else while we're really 00:17:10.359 --> 00:17:14.140 focusing on everything else. I mean, we live 00:17:14.140 --> 00:17:16.700 in a world fighting for our attention. Every 00:17:16.700 --> 00:17:20.119 single second, we're bombarded with notifications, 00:17:20.420 --> 00:17:23.259 worry, schedules, stress. Oh, I got to get my 00:17:23.259 --> 00:17:26.690 entertainment to relax. Listen, if the enemy 00:17:26.690 --> 00:17:30.230 can't destroy our relationship with God, he'll 00:17:30.230 --> 00:17:33.109 settle for distracting it, and he'll distract 00:17:33.109 --> 00:17:36.430 you. Because distracted prayer eventually becomes 00:17:36.430 --> 00:17:39.410 distant prayer. Distant prayer becomes separation 00:17:39.410 --> 00:17:43.150 from God. We have to learn how to surrender, 00:17:43.490 --> 00:17:47.089 to release control, to release our agendas. And 00:17:47.089 --> 00:17:49.950 it's difficult, but we have to learn to sit at 00:17:49.950 --> 00:17:52.410 the master's feet. What does surrender look like? 00:17:52.569 --> 00:17:57.170 Simple. It's undivided focus. It's time alone 00:17:57.170 --> 00:18:00.630 that belongs to Jesus. In other words, when he's 00:18:00.630 --> 00:18:03.289 in the room, when his presence is there, we're 00:18:03.289 --> 00:18:05.509 going to meet with him. And I'm going to meet 00:18:05.509 --> 00:18:08.349 with him. And Jesus tells us in Matthew 6, 6 00:18:08.349 --> 00:18:11.930 how to do this. But when you pray, go away by 00:18:11.930 --> 00:18:14.769 yourself, shut the door behind you, and pray 00:18:14.769 --> 00:18:17.329 to your Father in private. Then your Father, 00:18:17.390 --> 00:18:20.869 who sees everything, will reward you. See, there 00:18:20.869 --> 00:18:23.789 are things keeping us from focusing our attention 00:18:23.789 --> 00:18:27.750 on Jesus. And in this passage, Jesus tells us 00:18:27.750 --> 00:18:32.410 that when we pray, we what? We go into our room, 00:18:32.470 --> 00:18:37.710 right? And then what do we do? We close the door 00:18:37.710 --> 00:18:42.029 behind ourselves. Some of you, let's be honest, 00:18:42.109 --> 00:18:44.549 this is what your prayer life looks like. You're 00:18:44.549 --> 00:18:48.109 praying with the door wide open. You're letting 00:18:48.109 --> 00:18:49.789 all the distractions, all the entertainment, 00:18:50.009 --> 00:18:53.269 all the news bombard your time with God instead 00:18:53.269 --> 00:18:57.390 of making a choice to close the door and prioritizing 00:18:57.390 --> 00:19:00.650 our relationship with Jesus. So what do we need 00:19:00.650 --> 00:19:04.410 to remove from our lives that could be a distraction 00:19:04.410 --> 00:19:07.450 that's keeping us from connecting with God? Well, 00:19:07.490 --> 00:19:09.950 I have a few that I feel pull us away. And the 00:19:09.950 --> 00:19:12.670 first one is this. We all know what this is, 00:19:12.730 --> 00:19:15.609 right? For some of you, this is your lifeline. 00:19:15.769 --> 00:19:18.150 For some of you, this is your life, just being 00:19:18.150 --> 00:19:20.990 honest, because this is how you connect to everyone 00:19:20.990 --> 00:19:24.410 rather than face -to -face. This has become our 00:19:24.410 --> 00:19:26.589 schedule. This has become our notification. This 00:19:26.589 --> 00:19:29.029 has become our entertainment. I mean, people 00:19:29.029 --> 00:19:31.170 are sitting everywhere, and they're constantly 00:19:31.170 --> 00:19:33.369 bombarded with their what? Their cell phones. 00:19:33.769 --> 00:19:36.789 This cell phone is going to distract you and 00:19:36.789 --> 00:19:41.250 pull you away from Jesus. So in order... To not 00:19:41.250 --> 00:19:43.869 be distracted with our phones, what did Jesus 00:19:43.869 --> 00:19:46.829 tell us to do? He said to go into your room, 00:19:46.970 --> 00:19:50.829 get rid of it, and close the door on it. Right? 00:19:50.910 --> 00:19:53.549 For some of you, you need to shut it off, you 00:19:53.549 --> 00:19:55.569 need to silence it, and you need to prioritize 00:19:55.569 --> 00:19:59.430 your relationship with Jesus. And if it's not 00:19:59.430 --> 00:20:03.490 your cell phones, then it's your schedules. Right? 00:20:03.690 --> 00:20:05.970 Because chances are you have your schedule in 00:20:05.970 --> 00:20:08.089 your phone. It's telling you everywhere to go, 00:20:08.210 --> 00:20:10.710 who you need to meet, where you need to be. And 00:20:10.710 --> 00:20:12.670 you're allowing your schedules to prioritize 00:20:12.670 --> 00:20:15.690 your time rather than prioritizing time with 00:20:15.690 --> 00:20:18.109 Jesus. Again, you need to take your schedules 00:20:18.109 --> 00:20:22.349 and you need to close the door behind them. If 00:20:22.349 --> 00:20:24.710 it's not your schedules, then this is coming 00:20:24.710 --> 00:20:27.670 at you. It's your bills. Right? We're always 00:20:27.670 --> 00:20:30.430 getting bills. Bills are coming. You got to pay 00:20:30.430 --> 00:20:32.450 the bills. And in your mind, you're thinking 00:20:32.450 --> 00:20:35.849 gas is outrageous. Food is outrageous. How am 00:20:35.849 --> 00:20:37.990 I going to pay my bills? And we get overwhelmed 00:20:37.990 --> 00:20:40.730 and worried because we can't pay our bills. When 00:20:40.730 --> 00:20:44.210 you're praying, don't focus on your bills. Get 00:20:44.210 --> 00:20:47.230 rid of them and close the door behind them. You 00:20:47.230 --> 00:20:49.910 know why? You know why? Because the creditor's 00:20:49.910 --> 00:20:54.059 coming knocking anyway. You might as well not 00:20:54.059 --> 00:20:57.500 focus on them in your prayer time. For some of 00:20:57.500 --> 00:21:01.380 you, it's sports. You're so focused on your professional 00:21:01.380 --> 00:21:04.579 sports teams that they are distracting you from 00:21:04.579 --> 00:21:08.240 your time with God. Guys, get off a bleacher 00:21:08.240 --> 00:21:11.319 report. Turn off the notifications. It's not 00:21:11.319 --> 00:21:14.500 even football season. Get rid of them. Check 00:21:14.500 --> 00:21:17.079 them at the door and close the door behind them. 00:21:18.049 --> 00:21:20.369 Ladies, I'm not going to let you out, right? 00:21:20.950 --> 00:21:23.589 Let's be honest. We live in a world that's all 00:21:23.589 --> 00:21:26.750 about... Self -care. You got to take care of 00:21:26.750 --> 00:21:29.630 yourself. You got to look good. You got to look 00:21:29.630 --> 00:21:32.049 right. And for many of you like, oh, that's my 00:21:32.049 --> 00:21:35.470 prayer time. I'm pampering. I look good. I want 00:21:35.470 --> 00:21:37.769 to make myself look good. No, you're not. You're 00:21:37.769 --> 00:21:40.509 distracted. You want to take care of yourself. 00:21:40.630 --> 00:21:42.490 You're more worried about the mirror than you 00:21:42.490 --> 00:21:44.190 are worried about connecting with the master. 00:21:44.430 --> 00:21:46.250 What do you have to do with your self -care? 00:21:46.450 --> 00:21:50.849 You got to check it at the door. And then if 00:21:50.849 --> 00:21:54.599 that... It's not the worst one. This is. Some 00:21:54.599 --> 00:21:57.519 of you have some of these at home, right? And 00:21:57.519 --> 00:22:00.339 they can be all ages, and they can even wear 00:22:00.339 --> 00:22:03.680 a unicorn outfit, right? And you know the best 00:22:03.680 --> 00:22:06.299 thing to do with these things, right? Just check 00:22:06.299 --> 00:22:12.119 them at the door. It's a baby doll, man. Calm 00:22:12.119 --> 00:22:15.500 down. I would never tell you to check your kids 00:22:15.500 --> 00:22:18.440 at the door, okay? But what I am telling you 00:22:18.440 --> 00:22:21.529 are, if you're distracted, If you're distracted 00:22:21.529 --> 00:22:24.210 by your kids, you need to get up an hour earlier. 00:22:25.269 --> 00:22:28.450 Yeah, go to bed a little earlier. And you need 00:22:28.450 --> 00:22:32.269 to make a priority. You need to make a priority 00:22:32.269 --> 00:22:36.910 that prayer is effective and passionate in your 00:22:36.910 --> 00:22:40.490 life. You need to close the door behind what 00:22:40.490 --> 00:22:44.130 is happening all around you. James chapter four, 00:22:44.190 --> 00:22:46.450 verses seven through eight. So humble yourselves 00:22:46.450 --> 00:22:50.539 before God. Resist your iPhone. Isn't that what 00:22:50.539 --> 00:22:54.299 it says? Resist your iPhone. Oh, I'm sorry. Resist 00:22:54.299 --> 00:22:57.440 the devil, and he will flee from you. Come close 00:22:57.440 --> 00:23:00.559 to God, and God will come close to you. Now, 00:23:00.579 --> 00:23:04.140 did everyone hear that promise? The God of the 00:23:04.140 --> 00:23:09.680 universe, when you draw close to him, he draws 00:23:09.680 --> 00:23:13.359 close to you. I mean, what a better reason to 00:23:13.359 --> 00:23:15.799 surrender all these positions in my life to truly 00:23:15.799 --> 00:23:18.480 connect to God. Some of you are just simply too 00:23:18.480 --> 00:23:21.759 distracted with all the other stuff in your life. 00:23:21.819 --> 00:23:23.700 And I want to challenge you with this. Surrender. 00:23:24.059 --> 00:23:26.079 And then suddenly you'll find your prayer life 00:23:26.079 --> 00:23:28.259 will become enjoyable and effective, which leads 00:23:28.259 --> 00:23:32.599 us to our next step. You need to slow down. We 00:23:32.599 --> 00:23:35.539 need to slow down because it's now within our 00:23:35.539 --> 00:23:37.880 culture today that we celebrate busyness. True 00:23:37.880 --> 00:23:40.859 or false? True, true. Ask anybody how they're 00:23:40.859 --> 00:23:42.519 doing. Hey, how are you doing? How's life going? 00:23:42.619 --> 00:23:46.059 Busy, right? How are your kids? Busy. I'm going 00:23:46.059 --> 00:23:48.660 to and fro. How's your job? Busy. They got me 00:23:48.660 --> 00:23:51.200 doing more than ever. How's school going? Busy. 00:23:51.200 --> 00:23:53.460 I'm taking advanced classes. How's business? 00:23:53.640 --> 00:23:56.740 Busy, busy. That's become the natural reaction 00:23:56.740 --> 00:24:00.119 to people's responses when you ask them how they're 00:24:00.119 --> 00:24:03.440 doing. It's a badge of honor in our society to 00:24:03.440 --> 00:24:06.819 say that we are busy. And busyness, unfortunately, 00:24:07.000 --> 00:24:10.420 is becoming our identity. That word is destroying 00:24:10.420 --> 00:24:15.240 your prayer life. That word is destroying your 00:24:15.240 --> 00:24:17.440 prayer life. So I want to challenge you, remove 00:24:17.440 --> 00:24:21.619 it from your vocabulary. Busyness is the enemy 00:24:21.619 --> 00:24:24.779 of our prayer time. It has been said this way, 00:24:24.940 --> 00:24:27.960 if the devil can't make you bad, if the devil 00:24:27.960 --> 00:24:30.279 can't make you sin, he's going to make you busy. 00:24:30.890 --> 00:24:33.650 He can't make you sin, so he'll make you sit 00:24:33.650 --> 00:24:36.609 down and embrace what culture tells you to do 00:24:36.609 --> 00:24:41.049 and buy into busyness. We are so busy and distracted, 00:24:41.150 --> 00:24:45.329 just like who? Martha. And listen, some of those 00:24:45.329 --> 00:24:48.369 are good things. They're not bad things. They're 00:24:48.369 --> 00:24:51.490 good things. But when we miss out and prioritize 00:24:51.490 --> 00:24:55.710 good things, then God can do great things in 00:24:55.710 --> 00:25:00.039 our life. great things happen through our connection 00:25:00.039 --> 00:25:03.079 with him. We cannot hear from God in a hurry, 00:25:03.180 --> 00:25:06.359 right? God wants to speak to us, but our lives 00:25:06.359 --> 00:25:09.180 are moving at such a rapid pace that we miss 00:25:09.180 --> 00:25:12.000 out of his voice speaking to us every single 00:25:12.000 --> 00:25:15.309 day. Right? I deal every single day with this 00:25:15.309 --> 00:25:18.109 little guy named Phoenix. Right? He's always 00:25:18.109 --> 00:25:21.430 moving to the next thing. Inside, outside, doors 00:25:21.430 --> 00:25:24.670 open, upstairs, downstairs. There's a mess everywhere 00:25:24.670 --> 00:25:28.690 he goes. And sometimes I need to sit him on the 00:25:28.690 --> 00:25:30.769 couch. I need to take my two hands, put them 00:25:30.769 --> 00:25:35.849 on his cheeks and say, stop. Clean up your toys 00:25:35.849 --> 00:25:38.849 and clean up your room. And he looks back at 00:25:38.849 --> 00:25:41.410 me and goes, okay. And then he's gone again. 00:25:44.559 --> 00:25:47.900 Some of you simply need to slow down. You need 00:25:47.900 --> 00:25:50.980 to give God the attention he deserves. Because 00:25:50.980 --> 00:25:53.720 when we give God the attention he deserves, you 00:25:53.720 --> 00:25:56.039 know what we're going to hear? Hey, Chris, you 00:25:56.039 --> 00:25:59.700 need to forgive that person. Hey, Chris, you 00:25:59.700 --> 00:26:03.000 need to release that bitterness. Hey, Chris, 00:26:03.079 --> 00:26:06.200 you need to let go of that control. Hey, Chris, 00:26:06.279 --> 00:26:07.920 you know that friend you haven't heard of in 00:26:07.920 --> 00:26:10.819 weeks? You need to pray for them and reach out. 00:26:11.759 --> 00:26:14.460 Hey, Chris, you're questioning your future? Trust 00:26:14.460 --> 00:26:18.140 me. See, that's what we hear in prayer time because 00:26:18.140 --> 00:26:20.880 God has a plan and agenda for our lives. But 00:26:20.880 --> 00:26:24.480 we are moving so quick, so fast that we miss 00:26:24.480 --> 00:26:27.740 out on hearing from God because prayer has become 00:26:27.740 --> 00:26:32.160 a distraction. Our prayer life is being distracted. 00:26:32.480 --> 00:26:34.960 And my greatest prayer moments with God is when 00:26:34.960 --> 00:26:38.680 I slow down, I release my agenda, and I create 00:26:38.680 --> 00:26:41.930 space for God to speak to me. For me, that looks 00:26:41.930 --> 00:26:44.390 like taking a walk with my poodles. I got two 00:26:44.390 --> 00:26:46.730 standard poodles and they literally walk me. 00:26:46.789 --> 00:26:49.190 I hook them to my hips and I just go along for 00:26:49.190 --> 00:26:53.670 the ride. My mind is free, right? And I'm able 00:26:53.670 --> 00:26:58.009 to focus on and hear from God. However it works 00:26:58.009 --> 00:27:01.609 for you, you need to figure that out, right? 00:27:01.730 --> 00:27:04.390 Psalm 37, seven, be still in the presence of 00:27:04.390 --> 00:27:08.819 the Lord. Wait patiently for him to act. Don't 00:27:08.819 --> 00:27:11.079 worry about evil people who prosper or fret about 00:27:11.079 --> 00:27:14.519 their wicked schemes. Waiting patiently is when 00:27:14.519 --> 00:27:17.319 we experience victory. So I want to challenge 00:27:17.319 --> 00:27:21.000 you. Wake up a little earlier. Set your alarm 00:27:21.000 --> 00:27:25.240 for earlier. Shut off the iPhone. Don't go to 00:27:25.240 --> 00:27:28.819 the computer, the streaming devices. Turn off 00:27:28.819 --> 00:27:32.019 the TV two hours before bed. Why? So you can 00:27:32.019 --> 00:27:35.079 connect with the master. Isaiah 30. This is what 00:27:35.079 --> 00:27:37.119 the sovereign Lord, the Holy One of Israel says. 00:27:37.559 --> 00:27:40.140 Only in returning to me and resting in me will 00:27:40.140 --> 00:27:44.000 you be saved. Notice, in quietness and confidence 00:27:44.000 --> 00:27:48.599 is your strength. But you would have none of 00:27:48.599 --> 00:27:55.119 it. See, we find strength when we quiet our lives. 00:27:55.960 --> 00:27:59.119 Psalm 46 .10 reminds us, be still and know that 00:27:59.119 --> 00:28:01.839 I am God. I'll be honored in every nation. I'll 00:28:01.839 --> 00:28:04.619 be honored throughout the world. How do we know 00:28:04.619 --> 00:28:07.259 he is God? Well, we know he's God when we slow 00:28:07.259 --> 00:28:11.079 down, when we're still. And listen, it's hard 00:28:11.079 --> 00:28:12.880 for me to be still. I'll be honest with you. 00:28:13.579 --> 00:28:16.299 But hurry is the enemy of connecting to God. 00:28:16.599 --> 00:28:18.519 and it's hard for you to be still, then you need 00:28:18.519 --> 00:28:21.519 to figure out how to make your prayer time effective. 00:28:22.000 --> 00:28:26.319 Because our prayer time is crucial to any good 00:28:26.319 --> 00:28:28.880 relationship with God. If you're hurrying on 00:28:28.880 --> 00:28:31.039 to the next thing and believe that's prayer, 00:28:31.220 --> 00:28:34.460 it's not. You need to figure out how to connect 00:28:34.460 --> 00:28:37.599 with God, which leads us to our third step. You 00:28:37.599 --> 00:28:40.039 need to then share your heart. So how do we have 00:28:40.039 --> 00:28:42.299 an effective prayer life? We surrender, we slow 00:28:42.299 --> 00:28:45.170 down, and now we share our heart. It's important 00:28:45.170 --> 00:28:48.650 to be honest with God because that's when real 00:28:48.650 --> 00:28:52.250 friendship happens. When we are transparent before 00:28:52.250 --> 00:28:56.109 our creator, life change happens. And this is 00:28:56.109 --> 00:28:58.789 difficult because we actually believe that if 00:28:58.789 --> 00:29:02.349 we use this special language that we could communicate 00:29:02.349 --> 00:29:05.130 to God more effectively. And that language sounds 00:29:05.130 --> 00:29:08.029 something like this. I beseech thee, heavenly 00:29:08.029 --> 00:29:13.829 Lord of hosts, my majestic Father. And God's 00:29:13.829 --> 00:29:18.769 thinking, who's talking to me? Who is that person? 00:29:19.470 --> 00:29:21.789 You don't talk like that in any of your other 00:29:21.789 --> 00:29:24.829 relationships. Church, we don't have to speak 00:29:24.829 --> 00:29:28.490 in Christianese, okay? We don't have to change 00:29:28.490 --> 00:29:31.269 the tone of our voice for God to hear us. How 00:29:31.269 --> 00:29:34.230 do I know that? Well, if my kids walk into the 00:29:34.230 --> 00:29:37.069 kitchen, they look at me and say, I beseech thee, 00:29:37.170 --> 00:29:42.039 Father. I immediately look back at them and think, 00:29:42.119 --> 00:29:44.920 what do you want? I know you want something, 00:29:44.940 --> 00:29:48.960 and chances are it involves a lot of money. Because 00:29:48.960 --> 00:29:52.099 you don't talk that way. You're trying to butter 00:29:52.099 --> 00:29:56.420 me up. We have to learn how to communicate with 00:29:56.420 --> 00:29:59.279 God in a way where a relationship is built. Church, 00:29:59.440 --> 00:30:04.460 take your masks off. He already knows what's 00:30:04.460 --> 00:30:07.000 in your heart. He already knows what you're struggling 00:30:07.000 --> 00:30:10.079 with. Prayer becomes enjoyable when it becomes 00:30:10.079 --> 00:30:13.400 honest. When we get transparent before Jesus, 00:30:13.559 --> 00:30:16.400 that is when real connection and intimacy grows. 00:30:16.700 --> 00:30:19.460 That is where prayer becomes enjoyable because 00:30:19.460 --> 00:30:22.019 we're letting go of that stress and that anxiety. 00:30:22.160 --> 00:30:25.619 Psalm 62, 8. Oh, my people, trust in him at all 00:30:25.619 --> 00:30:29.259 times. Pour out your heart to him for God is 00:30:29.259 --> 00:30:33.019 our refuge. God wants to know what we're dealing 00:30:33.019 --> 00:30:36.359 with. And if we're struggling with sin, be honest. 00:30:37.279 --> 00:30:40.480 Again, he already knows. Two men, Luke 18, went 00:30:40.480 --> 00:30:43.019 to the temple to pray. One was a Pharisee. The 00:30:43.019 --> 00:30:46.359 other was a despised tax collector. The Pharisee 00:30:46.359 --> 00:30:49.279 stood by himself and prayed this prayer. I thank 00:30:49.279 --> 00:30:52.819 you, God, that I am not like other people, cheaters, 00:30:52.880 --> 00:30:55.440 sinners, adulterers. I'm certainly not like that 00:30:55.440 --> 00:30:59.019 tax collector. I fast twice a week. I give you 00:30:59.019 --> 00:31:02.900 a tenth of my income. But the tax collector stood 00:31:02.900 --> 00:31:04.839 at a distance and dared not even lift his eyes 00:31:04.839 --> 00:31:07.700 to heaven as he prayed. Instead, he beat his 00:31:07.700 --> 00:31:09.980 chest in sorrow, saying, O God, be merciful to 00:31:09.980 --> 00:31:12.559 me, for I am a sinner. I tell you, this sinner, 00:31:12.700 --> 00:31:17.240 not the church folk, not the Pharisee, returned 00:31:17.240 --> 00:31:21.799 home justified before God. So listen, I want 00:31:21.799 --> 00:31:25.720 to remind you, if it's on our mind, it belongs 00:31:25.720 --> 00:31:28.369 in our prayers. If it's on our mind, it belongs 00:31:28.369 --> 00:31:30.930 in our prayers. God wants to know and hear what 00:31:30.930 --> 00:31:33.329 you're struggling with. Give it to him. Don't 00:31:33.329 --> 00:31:35.529 feel guilty about what sharing is on your mind. 00:31:35.589 --> 00:31:37.849 Like if something's on your mind and it's challenging 00:31:37.849 --> 00:31:40.109 you, you don't have to worry about praying for 00:31:40.109 --> 00:31:41.829 the war in the Middle East. You don't have to 00:31:41.829 --> 00:31:44.589 worry about praying for gas prices or our government. 00:31:44.630 --> 00:31:47.609 If something is on your mind and it's causing 00:31:47.609 --> 00:31:51.089 you stress and anxiety, give it to God. Talk 00:31:51.089 --> 00:31:54.890 to God about it. How do I know this? Again, back 00:31:54.890 --> 00:31:58.890 to that Phoenix guy. Right? Phoenix is constantly 00:31:58.890 --> 00:32:01.869 wanting to interact with me about facts of the 00:32:01.869 --> 00:32:04.509 world and what he's learning. His newest craze 00:32:04.509 --> 00:32:07.170 that he's focusing on, Dad, what's the biggest 00:32:07.170 --> 00:32:10.150 building in the world? Dad, what's the biggest 00:32:10.150 --> 00:32:14.430 plane? Which dinosaur is the biggest ever? And 00:32:14.430 --> 00:32:16.509 immediately, what do I have to do? I got to Google 00:32:16.509 --> 00:32:19.069 it. I got to figure out what it is. I got to 00:32:19.069 --> 00:32:21.730 show him pictures. I got to talk about it and 00:32:21.730 --> 00:32:24.410 explain to him why it's big, why it's the biggest, 00:32:24.609 --> 00:32:26.809 right? And then he's got to argue with me. No, 00:32:26.910 --> 00:32:29.450 I know dinosaurs. They're wrong. I know that 00:32:29.450 --> 00:32:31.410 Megalodon's bigger than this guy. And I'm just 00:32:31.410 --> 00:32:35.230 like, Phoenix, these are professionals. They 00:32:35.230 --> 00:32:38.210 know which dinosaur was the biggest. Please listen, 00:32:38.369 --> 00:32:42.220 right? And why do I do all that? Because I want 00:32:42.220 --> 00:32:45.339 a relationship with Phoenix. I could care less 00:32:45.339 --> 00:32:48.359 about the facts, right? I don't care about what 00:32:48.359 --> 00:32:51.900 is the biggest, but he does. So I need to engage 00:32:51.900 --> 00:32:55.599 for the relationship to what? Thrive. Does that 00:32:55.599 --> 00:32:59.440 make sense? When we come before God and we're 00:32:59.440 --> 00:33:03.559 struggling, give it to him. Talk to him. Because 00:33:03.559 --> 00:33:07.240 he cares. He wants to intervene. He wants your 00:33:07.240 --> 00:33:09.839 relationship to grow. So no matter what is going 00:33:09.839 --> 00:33:12.720 on in your life, if you will pray about it, God 00:33:12.720 --> 00:33:15.759 will work it out. So if you're here today and 00:33:15.759 --> 00:33:19.200 you're stressed, pray about it and God will work 00:33:19.200 --> 00:33:21.559 it out. If you're here today and you're struggling, 00:33:21.640 --> 00:33:24.539 you're overwhelmed, pray about it and God will 00:33:24.539 --> 00:33:27.039 move in your life. If you have pain in your body, 00:33:27.220 --> 00:33:30.559 pray about it and receive healing. If your finances 00:33:30.559 --> 00:33:34.680 are tight, read the Bible, start practicing finances 00:33:34.680 --> 00:33:37.900 as you should. Chances are they won't be tight 00:33:37.900 --> 00:33:41.839 anymore, and then thank God for it. If your marriage 00:33:41.839 --> 00:33:44.440 is not great, pray about it and watch God move. 00:33:44.759 --> 00:33:47.200 Humble yourself. If you're worried about your 00:33:47.200 --> 00:33:51.279 future, pray about it and let God move in your 00:33:51.279 --> 00:33:54.640 life. Don't keep the burden to yourself. Pray 00:33:54.640 --> 00:33:57.859 about it. Give it to God. Remember, the God of 00:33:57.859 --> 00:34:01.900 the universe, and watch how he will move. Because 00:34:01.900 --> 00:34:06.740 when God moves on our behalf, then suddenly other 00:34:06.740 --> 00:34:09.719 people are going to take notice. So during your 00:34:09.719 --> 00:34:13.900 prayer times, if your mind wanders, don't feel 00:34:13.900 --> 00:34:18.619 guilty. Whatever your mind wanders to, pray about 00:34:18.619 --> 00:34:21.739 it and give it to God, which leads us to our 00:34:21.739 --> 00:34:25.039 final step. Seek out an assignment. And this 00:34:25.039 --> 00:34:28.800 is huge for our relationship with Jesus. Church, 00:34:28.920 --> 00:34:34.099 listen to this truth. God has an assignment for 00:34:34.099 --> 00:34:39.599 your life. Every single day. Not just this call 00:34:39.599 --> 00:34:43.639 for the rest of your life. Every single day. 00:34:44.000 --> 00:34:46.960 And every day that we surrender, that we slow 00:34:46.960 --> 00:34:50.760 down, that we're honest before him, then we can 00:34:50.760 --> 00:34:53.219 hear the assignment that he has for us. Because 00:34:53.219 --> 00:34:55.679 God has a plan for us to walk in every single 00:34:55.679 --> 00:34:57.860 day. And that is why prayer is so important. 00:34:58.400 --> 00:35:01.199 See, prayer isn't just a connection with the 00:35:01.199 --> 00:35:04.329 creator. It's a commissioning. It's a challenge 00:35:04.329 --> 00:35:07.769 to go and do. It's hearing God's agenda for our 00:35:07.769 --> 00:35:10.289 life that day so we can move forward and make 00:35:10.289 --> 00:35:12.949 a difference in the lives of others. God has 00:35:12.949 --> 00:35:16.309 an assignment for you to walk in every single 00:35:16.309 --> 00:35:19.730 day. There's people in your sphere of influence 00:35:19.730 --> 00:35:22.570 that need impacted. There are ministries that 00:35:22.570 --> 00:35:24.389 need to be started. There are lives that need 00:35:24.389 --> 00:35:28.429 to be changed. Luke chapter 10 verse 2. These 00:35:28.429 --> 00:35:32.030 were his instructions to them. The harvest is 00:35:32.030 --> 00:35:35.150 great. but the workers are few. So notice what 00:35:35.150 --> 00:35:38.750 he told them to do. Pray to the Lord who is in 00:35:38.750 --> 00:35:42.829 charge of the harvest. Ask him more prayer to 00:35:42.829 --> 00:35:48.429 send more workers into his fields. See, when 00:35:48.429 --> 00:35:52.389 we seek God's assignment for our lives, then 00:35:52.389 --> 00:35:56.489 suddenly we're living on mission and we're allowing 00:35:56.489 --> 00:36:00.650 our prayer time to become a commissioning. So 00:36:00.650 --> 00:36:03.449 I want to challenge you. Three questions that 00:36:03.449 --> 00:36:06.030 you can ask during your prayer time. The first 00:36:06.030 --> 00:36:09.449 is this. What is God asking me to change? Hey, 00:36:09.469 --> 00:36:12.829 God, what do you want me to change today? Because 00:36:12.829 --> 00:36:15.269 I believe he will reveal it to you, right? He 00:36:15.269 --> 00:36:17.349 will show you areas of your life that need changed. 00:36:17.650 --> 00:36:20.550 Number two, who is God leading me to pray for? 00:36:21.119 --> 00:36:23.360 This is something I do effectively every single 00:36:23.360 --> 00:36:25.760 day. I'm not bragging about it. I just open my 00:36:25.760 --> 00:36:27.780 ears and say, God, give me names. And there's 00:36:27.780 --> 00:36:30.199 chances there's people sitting in these seats 00:36:30.199 --> 00:36:32.639 today that have received a text from me or a 00:36:32.639 --> 00:36:35.719 call from me randomly during a week, and then 00:36:35.719 --> 00:36:38.059 suddenly I get this response back. You have no 00:36:38.059 --> 00:36:40.780 idea how perfect timing that was. And I just 00:36:40.780 --> 00:36:45.079 respond back, yes, I do. God told me. It's not 00:36:45.079 --> 00:36:47.679 perfect timing. Does everyone hear? It's not 00:36:47.679 --> 00:36:51.250 perfect timing. It's God telling me to reach 00:36:51.250 --> 00:36:54.750 out to you and connect to you right then. And 00:36:54.750 --> 00:36:57.389 then suddenly, God is impacting and changing 00:36:57.389 --> 00:37:01.510 lives. And you can do the same. Imagine if every 00:37:01.510 --> 00:37:04.449 single person in these seats today opened their 00:37:04.449 --> 00:37:06.789 ears to hear from God to reach out to people 00:37:06.789 --> 00:37:09.510 that need help. The tri -state area would be 00:37:09.510 --> 00:37:12.329 turned upside down and transformed. Unplug your 00:37:12.329 --> 00:37:15.829 ears, silence the distractions, and get close 00:37:15.829 --> 00:37:19.289 to God. And the last question is, What step of 00:37:19.289 --> 00:37:23.289 faith is God asking me to take? Who do you want 00:37:23.289 --> 00:37:25.650 me to serve today, God? Who do you want me to 00:37:25.650 --> 00:37:28.849 forgive today? See, it's all about making yourself 00:37:28.849 --> 00:37:33.269 available to God. It's my prayer that every single 00:37:33.269 --> 00:37:35.909 one of us is praying Isaiah 6, 8, which is our 00:37:35.909 --> 00:37:40.289 year life verse that our entire church is walking 00:37:40.289 --> 00:37:42.969 out. Then I heard the Lord asking, whom should 00:37:42.969 --> 00:37:45.670 I send as a messenger to people? Who will go 00:37:45.670 --> 00:37:49.780 for us? I said, here I am, God. Send me. See, 00:37:49.860 --> 00:37:53.059 this should be our response in our times of prayer. 00:37:54.039 --> 00:37:56.840 Not once a year. At the beginning of the year. 00:37:57.500 --> 00:38:04.480 Every single day. Here I am, God. Send me. Hudson 00:38:04.480 --> 00:38:06.980 Taylor says it this way. Don't start your day 00:38:06.980 --> 00:38:10.260 with tasks of the world. Begin with God and you 00:38:10.260 --> 00:38:14.699 will receive your task from him. Why do we pray? 00:38:15.639 --> 00:38:18.929 Why do we connect? So that we can be empowered 00:38:18.929 --> 00:38:22.429 by God to make a difference in the lives of others. 00:38:22.949 --> 00:38:26.670 Church, I want to look at you and remind you. 00:38:27.829 --> 00:38:33.150 Prayer works. Prioritize and make that an important 00:38:33.150 --> 00:38:37.070 part of your life. Not just today, but tomorrow 00:38:37.070 --> 00:38:41.070 and every day this coming week. Amen? Will you 00:38:41.070 --> 00:38:47.360 stand with me? So as I was praying how to close 00:38:47.360 --> 00:38:49.039 this gathering, I have several words of knowledge 00:38:49.039 --> 00:38:51.260 I want to share with you because I feel like 00:38:51.260 --> 00:38:53.460 God wants to heal some of your physical bodies 00:38:53.460 --> 00:38:57.039 that you've brought into this room. I felt like 00:38:57.039 --> 00:39:00.199 as I was identifying this door and these distractions 00:39:00.199 --> 00:39:03.559 that we need to close the door on, all of us 00:39:03.559 --> 00:39:07.119 have them. Could be your job. Could be your hobby. 00:39:08.420 --> 00:39:12.800 Could be your school. Could be your relationships. 00:39:14.039 --> 00:39:18.260 maybe they need changed. Because if those distractions 00:39:18.260 --> 00:39:20.440 are keeping you from praying and connecting with 00:39:20.440 --> 00:39:23.119 God in a real way, then you need to lay them 00:39:23.119 --> 00:39:25.579 down and give them back to him. Amen? So I'm 00:39:25.579 --> 00:39:26.920 going to pray for the Holy Spirit to come real 00:39:26.920 --> 00:39:29.820 simple. And I'm going to ask him to reveal your 00:39:29.820 --> 00:39:32.679 distraction. One distraction. Because some of 00:39:32.679 --> 00:39:35.559 you have like six. But you're not going to overcome 00:39:35.559 --> 00:39:39.639 six distractions if you don't overcome one. And 00:39:39.639 --> 00:39:41.739 I want him to highlight one that's pulling you 00:39:41.739 --> 00:39:44.130 away from God. and not allowing you to effectively 00:39:44.130 --> 00:39:46.710 pray. And then I'm going to walk you through 00:39:46.710 --> 00:39:48.690 a simple prayer where you lay it down, give it 00:39:48.690 --> 00:39:51.230 back to him, and believe you can be free. Amen? 00:39:51.710 --> 00:39:53.670 All right, so Holy Spirit, come. Speak to us, 00:39:53.670 --> 00:39:59.050 God. Silence distractions in Jesus' name. Open 00:39:59.050 --> 00:40:00.690 our ears, our minds, and more importantly, our 00:40:00.690 --> 00:40:03.329 hearts to receive your truth. What is it, God, 00:40:03.409 --> 00:40:06.389 that's distracting your people? Reveal that truth 00:40:06.389 --> 00:40:14.610 to us today. You may see a picture. You may feel 00:40:14.610 --> 00:40:19.650 a nudge in your spirit. You may have something 00:40:19.650 --> 00:40:22.429 going through your mind that God is highlighting 00:40:22.429 --> 00:40:30.030 that's pulling you away. Could hear a name. Whatever 00:40:30.030 --> 00:40:33.329 it is, whatever God highlighted, you just pray 00:40:33.329 --> 00:40:36.570 this simple prayer. I choose as an act of my 00:40:36.570 --> 00:40:41.670 will to lay it down and give it back to the master. 00:40:43.559 --> 00:40:47.119 In Jesus' name. Now, when you lay it down, here's 00:40:47.119 --> 00:40:49.320 my challenge to you. Let it be there. Don't go 00:40:49.320 --> 00:40:51.659 back to it tomorrow. Don't allow it to distract 00:40:51.659 --> 00:40:53.840 you and pull you away from an effective prayer 00:40:53.840 --> 00:41:01.539 time. Let it there. In other words, what? Close 00:41:01.539 --> 00:41:07.300 the door. Don't open it back up. Close the door 00:41:07.300 --> 00:41:10.619 and let it there. And before I share the words 00:41:10.619 --> 00:41:13.079 of knowledge, if you are here today, whether 00:41:13.079 --> 00:41:15.900 it's your first time, your 100th time, and you're 00:41:15.900 --> 00:41:17.800 sensing the Holy Spirit whispering in your ear 00:41:17.800 --> 00:41:21.179 that you aren't in a relationship with God, you 00:41:21.179 --> 00:41:25.000 don't know him as Jesus, your master. You're 00:41:25.000 --> 00:41:27.980 not following him. We pray a simple prayer every 00:41:27.980 --> 00:41:30.360 single gathering here at HCV, and we all pray 00:41:30.360 --> 00:41:32.139 it together because we want to welcome you home. 00:41:32.420 --> 00:41:34.619 We're not going to point you out. We're not going 00:41:34.619 --> 00:41:36.920 to ask you to raise your hand. We will all pray 00:41:36.920 --> 00:41:40.840 with you because we believe. God wants you in 00:41:40.840 --> 00:41:45.300 his family. Amen? Let's pray. Jesus, I'm broken. 00:41:45.639 --> 00:41:51.139 I'm full of doubt, shame, regret, sin. Change 00:41:51.139 --> 00:41:56.219 me. Forgive me. I believe you're God's son. I 00:41:56.219 --> 00:42:00.400 believe you died for me. I believe you're alive 00:42:00.400 --> 00:42:05.739 today. Make me new. Set me free. Fill me with 00:42:05.739 --> 00:42:10.469 your spirit. Help me, God. To serve others. In 00:42:10.469 --> 00:42:14.090 Jesus' name. Amen. So if you prayed that prayer, 00:42:14.170 --> 00:42:17.469 see me, text me, hug me, tell Rudy, tell the 00:42:17.469 --> 00:42:19.650 Welcome Hub. I want to reach out to you. Now 00:42:19.650 --> 00:42:21.590 don't run out of here. Come on now, you guys 00:42:21.590 --> 00:42:23.309 could be missing a miracle. Don't let him leave, 00:42:23.389 --> 00:42:27.010 Frank. There's several words of knowledge and 00:42:27.010 --> 00:42:30.989 chances are if you left, it's for you. You have 00:42:30.989 --> 00:42:34.530 pain in the lower part of your stomach. You have 00:42:34.530 --> 00:42:37.900 left knee pain. It makes it hard to walk. You 00:42:37.900 --> 00:42:41.900 are struggling with migraines. You have nerve 00:42:41.900 --> 00:42:44.519 issues. It's making it hard to see behind your 00:42:44.519 --> 00:42:48.659 eyes. You have a knot of pain in your right calf 00:42:48.659 --> 00:42:57.260 muscle that's not allowing you to walk. Cut off 00:42:57.260 --> 00:43:00.800 my lifetime I was stuck up in that grind Not 00:43:00.800 --> 00:43:02.679 knowing you gave your life for mine You're the 00:43:02.679 --> 00:43:05.360 one turning water into wine Please fix my heart 00:43:05.360 --> 00:43:06.019 and the things inside