How to Pray | Philip Anthony Mitchell

hi and welcome to the victory charge podcast if this ministry has been a blessing to you please consider supporting the spread of the gospel by visiting us online it's just in the giving option that works best for you if you have a testimony we'd love to hear it send us an email to share at victory once again we thank you for tuning in and we really hope you enjoy this message before I get going with this message I just want to say personally I truly believe that if we would really believe in our hearts everything the scripture teaches us about prayer I think we would not only pray often we would pray more intensely there are over 250 passages in the scripture about prayer obviously I can't touch all of them in this series we will touch a lot of them there are over 250 passages in the Bible in the scriptures in the Word of God has been preserved for us about prayer and I think if we really believe what the scriptures say about prayer we would pray more often in fact if we would believe what science says about prayer because I find that I'm a nerd on the low and I find that scientists are often catching up with what the scriptures say they will have new breakthroughs in science new research and science and all is telling us is what God already told us in his word and so there are new studies now that show that people who are quote unquote religious who prey to some type of deity they're not gonna give Jesus any credit for this right so people who are quote unquote religious who pray to God have less stress in their lives and their minds are healthy and their hearts are healthy than ones will have no type of prayer life at all so science has proven that there's parts of the brain that's actually rewired and made stronger when people have a regular release with quote unquote some deity some deity there's only one he has a name to name that's above every name the name of Jesus and so science tells us that prayer is healthy for your life and the scripture tells us that prayer is healthy for your life and if we would really believe that I think we would pray more often we probably pray more intensely so this particular message is probably the least intense of the six messages in this series the series is scheduled for seven weeks six sermons and at the end of open forum we're going to be taking questions about prayer we're gonna have a dialogue about prayer and uh so there's six messages in this series this one is the least intense so if you're a prayer warrior this message is probably not going to stimulate you that much this would be just a refresher for you okay so if you're beast in prayer if you're a ferocious monster and prayer but this will be a refresher for you and for everybody else this would be a very light a very direct a very simple this is the most simple and elementary message in these six sermons and I do believe that is going to be a blessing to you thank you so much gentlemen I appreciate can y'all give it up for Abed so last week last week we started this series with a message called the unction for prayer the unction for prayer and I told you that an unction it's like it's like a burden okay an unction is like a burden it is something that you that you are desiring to do some of us we may have an unction to start a business you may have an an an unction to write a book you may have an unction to make music an unction is a burning desire on the inside of you to do something an unction is something that comes upon you it doesn't leave you alone another word function will be like like fervor it's something that's hot it's in you you want to do it you got to get it out of your system last week we preached a message called the unction for prayer and and in that message I really talked about three things if you go back and listen to that message three big ideas I shared with you about the unction of Prayer the first big idea was that prayer affects the way that God acts and then I was teaching you that there are some things God will not do in the earth except someone beckons his hand to pray second Chronicles 7:14 if my people who are called by my name if if the closes if you do I will move if you pray I will move if you pray I will respond if my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray turn from their wicked ways I will hear from heaven and heal their lands James the biological brother of Jesus wrote that you have not because you ask not meaning that there's some things we would have that we otherwise don't have is because we simply don't ask God for it and so there is teaching in the scripture that tells us our prayers affects the way that God acts in fact in the Old Testament the Bible records that when the children of Israel came out of Egypt in slavery they led themselves into idolatry and they led themselves away from God at this time the one who led the mountain am named Moses was up on a mountain forty days of prayer with God and that God spoke to him at the end of four days he said yo dumb dumb people down there man they already corrupted themselves I mean you turned your back for just one second I mean man I just led them out in power I brought you up here for 40 days you and I having this conversation we let them do they thing listen everything led themselves into sin down there you need to get down there and arrest them as a matter of fact I'm gonna kill all of them and I'm gonna start over with you that's what God said to Moses I'm gonna kill all of them I'm gonna start over with you and Moses pleaded out to God no God don't do this thing right don't kill these people if you do that it's gonna mess up your reputation and the scripture says God thought about that and the scripture says God relented of the evil he had planned to do you ever did wrong it felt like God was coming to get you no and you don't pray because you're so free to talk to him so you gonna let that bill come hit you now sometimes you gonna say God forgive me with all your judgment from me god I didn't mean to do that god I need once mercy mercy god I know I deserved this belt but I mean mercy I know I need to be put in timeout but I need mercy somebody say mercy because sometimes that belt will come on you just because you didn't ask for mercy God said I'm gonna kill all these people and Moses said God don't do that it's gonna ruin your reputation what are they gonna how you gonna rescue all these people and then kill them all in a wilderness God don't do that and the Bible says listen God changed his mind that your prince has the power to change God's mind you think about how powerful that is that your prayers the words from your lips with the right motive has the power to change God's mind so I'm not gonna open this door until they ask change my mind I'm not gonna move in this circumstance until they ask change my mind I'm not gonna reveal this to you and who you really want to know change my mind my hand is just waiting to provide this thing you struggling to get on your own change my mind and so I said to you last week that prayer has the power to change God's mind right prayer has the power to change God's mind it has the power to change things in the earth I also told you that prayer was very important because we are in a spiritual battle we are in a war field we do have an enemy we do have someone who's after your soul he wrestles with you in your mind anybody know what this feels like right all your thoughts are not your thoughts he wrestles with you in your mind he wrestles against you in your life he persecutes your heart he condemns you about your past the scripture tells us that we have this armor and Ephesians chapter 6 and I was teaching you that the strength of that armor is really in prayer I was telling you that and as we have this missional focus that prayer affects our prayer life and then I said to you that this this one verse is really like the key verse for the series Ephesians chapter 6 verse 18 it says and pray in the spirit on all occasions with all kinds of tourism requests with this in mind be alert always and keep on praying for all the saints and so the encouragement there is for us to keep on praying on all occasions about everything anywhere at anytime with various types of prayers which I'll be preaching next week different types of prayers and it says to pray for every believer and this this thing that I want to say to you is that listen if we really consider or really think about the issues of our personal lives and issues of the lives of others if we're really sensitive to the brokenness in our society if we really understand the heart of God if we really understand the mission of the gospel man we will be compelled to pray when we understand that there are people around us who are separated from God and headed towards judgment we should be compelled to pray when I think about the issues happening in my home and the homes of others we should be moved to pray when I look at the brokenness of our society the brokenness of the city when I look at what's happening right now in our government and nations around the world we should be compelled to pray so if we really understand what's happening around us we should be compelled to right um this um on on uh on I think it was on Friday on Friday night I was uh I was I was downtown Atlanta I was hanging out with my boy he passes a church and making past the laQuan Holden shout out to my man past laQuan he and I this is really powerful so he was at the Hyatt Regency in Atlanta and he we was supposed to get up with my pastor dr. Darius Daniels and like seven o'clock in the evening and he was like man let's just spend some time together before we go see pastor Daniels I was like okay bro I'm gonna come get you and you know I stalled in my crib for like like two hours like you know it took me forever to get out the crib anybody this is Union like it just you like the shower was true long and yeah I'm stalling I finally got out the crib when I picked my boy up at the Hyatt Regency and I said man let's you know let's let's just get something to eat and I just start driving and I just start driving and in down Peachtree in any particular direction I'm just driving he never asked me where we was going he never asked me listen what restaurant we gonna go to um you know he never sent me where we gonna go I'm just driving you know just driving and I just drove and when I got tired I just stopped at Lenox Mall and we went to true foods to eat and so we like walked into true foods and and I took off my sunglasses you know and and and I sat down we was out on a patio when we got there there was there was there was these tables on the inside I said no I don't want to eat inside I want to go outside and so we went outside sat down took off my glasses as soon as I sat down man some sister ran up on me I'm like y'all hold up like I'm trying to eat them I'm trying to eat with my boy right so this sister ran up on me and uh and she didn't say nothing she just walked up on me smiling and I'm like oh I know you I don't know your name but I recognize you I want to show you this picture so she just she go back and uh she Bogart at our meal and she sat down she sat down at our table and I was like oh I recognize you and uh and that's her sister what's your name she said my name is Chanel and I asked if I could share this by the way and so she said my name is chanel and uh I said Oh Chanel how you doing you know you go to out you go to my church you go to victory she's like yeah I go to victory say yeah I remember you you and I just met a couple of weeks ago she said she said yeah and she started telling me what what God is doing in her life and she was telling me like yeah this week I went to my first feet group and and she was we had these things called V groups where we meet during the week in small gatherings we discussed the scriptures we pray we eat fried chicken we did read week we support one another and she was telling me how you know she she she went to her first V group and how she was really impacted by for his grief V group and I'm spying on the leader right so I'm like yo who was your big group leader right she told me who a group leader was and I'm like you know what they talked about cuz we P cuz you know in the office we kind of put together the curriculum in the office I wonder are they following the curriculum so whatwhat's your V group leader talked about and she talked about okay this leaders doing they supposed to be doing and then she was tell me how she was sharing in her group and how you know there was tears that was shed in her group and women was confessing stuff in their group and she said she had never been involved in something like that before and and you know and she was just pouring out her heart you know and uh she told me that this week she was in her house and she felt some heavy presence in her house and she said she felt like fear had just consumed her heart and the message from last week came to her mind and she started praying but she wasn't praying all now I lay me down to sleep I pray the Lord my soul nah she started she started taking authority in her heart and she she started praying like under the authority of Jesus and she started talking about the blood and she started talking about her authority she started binding and loosing and rebuking and she started praying and she was told Lord Jesus and she was walking around a house and laying hands on the wall and she sweat and she's casting out and she's going hard and prayer she said she prayed until she felt peace [Applause] she said she prayed until the atmosphere changed she said she prayed until she felt good about was her she said I'm not gonna let whatever it is run over me in my house and she prayed with power and she prayed with authority man she prayed and then she said oh and when I was done it was a half an hour and she said man I didn't even realize I prayed for a whole half an hour watch she was so lost in Jesus because time with him is like it's like when you hang out with somebody you love you ain't looking at the clock that's like when you first meet somebody y'all go on a date you ain't looking at no clock you first meet somebody be knowing be talking on the phone and y'all be falling asleep on the phone y'all been on what you doing maybe three hours I talk she says she pray for half an hour she and she she took authority in house she said I'd never prayed like that before but last week I taught her you are in a wolf here and instead of getting rolled over by the enemy instead of getting steamrolled but it it's your house it's your marriage is your friendships is your mind it's your heart don't let the enemy run all over your heart and roll over somebody holler at me in this house you gotta take authority over that stuff for yourself you have watched this word authority help me daughter you got Authority she took a fish your house she refused to let the devil steamroll her in her house I told her last week you got Authority you're in one a warfare and you gotta wonder what you wear for your armor and when the devil trying to take a shot at her chin roll over like some wimp because we're more than conquerors I still heat right now anybody feel cheated roll up miss sometimes you gotta get angry you gotta use prayer as the weapon and she pushed back against what was happening to her home and in heart with prayer I thought to myself man I just met her now give me the next picture I met her here just three weeks ago I met her here just a metaphor I met her right there for the first time three weeks ago I don't know if Chanel's in this room but I gotta share the rest of the story oh yeah all right Kenna can I share the rationale I love this part cold until that day like I know God she she knows Jesus she knew God but but up and down kind of cold until this day left everything in the water on that day came out of that water a brand-new woman and then in the name of Jesus came out that water a ferocious beast in the name of Jesus roles that that water Brandon woman went to her first V group read her Bible taking authority in prayer she became a warrior in three weeks she said I stopped dating cuz I want to just focus on Jesus I'm not I'm not telling you stop dating but the person I was in her life wasn't for her she said Nabu no she just became a beast in three weeks somebody say you go Chanel this is she she got she called down fire on her own house I prophesied to you last week and I told you man Solomon pray and the Bible says fire fell after he prayed and I prophesied to some you by the end of this series you're gonna pray and fire it's gonna surround your breasts you're not gonna be cold you're not gonna be nominal you're not gonna be lukewarm you're gonna be on fire in the name of Jesus anybody believe that she'll fire Sonia shall fire yeah well my prayer life could be like fire this is not in my notes but it's in my spirit um Leviticus 613 says the fire should be kept burning on the altar and it should never go out Leviticus 613 oh yes it says a fire should be kept burning on the altar and it should never somebody check me make sure I'm right it's being recorded a fire am i right look leviticus 613 okay you checked it Leviticus is Leviticus sixth 13 or 18 13 I'm right um they've recorded I got a mission y'all hold me down hold me down up hidden Leviticus says set of fire should be kept burning on the altar and it should never go out and in the Old Testament altars was made out of whatever there was you know what the altar is in a New Testament your heart is the altar man a fire should be kept burning on that altar and should never how do you add logs to that fireman prayer add logs to that fire so we should keep a fire burning on the altar and it should never go out now I know that there are a lot of us we struggle with prayer okay we it's for some of us it's not easy okay we have trouble with like what to pray you know I'm praying and then my mind strays I'm praying and then I fall asleep anybody know no praying for and and one of the biggest ones listen I want a prayer I just don't know how you know I just don't know how to pray these are legitimate struggles and so I want to use the rest of this this message to just talk to you about how to pray okay how to pray if I'm telling you last week to have an unction for prayer you should desire to do this I want to talk to you this week about how to pray now Jesus I thought that this was very very profound Jesus he spent three-and-a-half he spent three and a half years in ministry this is so powerful Jesus spent three-and-a-half years in ministry everybody watched eye contact Jesus spent three-and-a-half years in ministry 33 years on earth three-and-a-half years in ministry during that time he surrounded himself with a small group by the way and he used a small group to change the world by the way he surrounded himself with a small group so he did not do life by himself he did life in the context of community and during those three and a half years the scripture tells us that Jesus preached with power he taught with power Jesus is recorded as raising people from the dead you heard what I just said he raised a man from the dead listen he raised a man from the dead a man that was dead four days dead he raised a man from the dead like funeral has happened buried in a tomb raised a man from the dead he performed miracles he opened up blind eyes and deaf ears He healed paralytics he told people take up that mat and walk okay he prophesied with accuracy he was dangerously anointed he was a powerful prophet he was the son of God and out of everything his disciples saw him do they never asked him show us how to prophesy show us how to raise people from the dead show us how to preach show us how to teach Lord show us how to be powerful they never asked him about his preaching his teaching his miracles they never asked him they only asked him to teach him one thing they only asked Lord teachers how to do one thing Luke recorded the question for us in Luke chapter one says 11 it says one day Jesus was praying one day that means Luke is talking about a day out of many days because he had a prayer life and he says one day Jesus was praying in a certain place when he was finished one of his disciples said to him Lord teach us to pray just as John taught his disciples this is the only thing that ever asked Jesus to teach them to do I wonder why that was well if I have a prayer life it'll affect my preaching if I have a prayer life I'll be able to prophesy with accuracy if I have a prayer life I have power to raise the dead if I have a prayer life I have power to do miracles because the fuel behind Jesus ministry was not simply that he was the son of God the fuel behind Jesus ministry was that he had a prayer life the scripture says Jesus himself would slip away often and be alone with God in prayer and Jesus the Son of God needed to pray how much more do you and I need to pray and so they knew that if we just learn how to pray if we learn the secret sauce behind his power we could do all the stuff that he was doing I don't want to learn the things you did I want to learn the power that enable you to do the things that you do because it don't make no sense for me to try to do miracles and I have no power I try to preach to have no power I try to preface I have no power but I have access to the same power you have access to I could do all those things with power and so they wanted not the things he did they wanted to access he had and they say Lord teach us to pray and if you read the rest of the scriptures the law were going to tell them what's what scholars and people have come to call the Lord's Prayer now Matthew one of the men that was in that group recorded what Jesus said he recorded Jesus's answer to them okay and I want to walk us through Jesus's answer to them because in this answer Jesus teaches us how to pretend I look you could go read google and you can read blogs and you could listen to a ton of sermons you could listen to you know everybody got acronyms on how to pray you know Acts and acknowledge and then confess and you know we got all these acronyms you'll do that and it just get boring okay and and I'm not against all that stuff and I'm not against men but I think if we're gonna learn how to pray from anyone it shouldn't be from Philip Anthony Mitchell or shouldn't be from just a blog before we go reading blunts we should learn from the person who had the most powerful prayer life how to pray and so Jesus taught them how to pray and so we're gonna walk through exegetically what he said line by line and we're gonna learn how to pray the way Jesus taught us how to pray amen everybody and so jesus answered that question and and this is this is Matthew's account of it in Matthew chapter 6 he said this in verse 5 he says and when you pray do not be like the hypocrites for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men I tell you the truth they have received their reward and for a couple of things first in this text Jesus is such a dope teacher before he teaches them how to pray he teaches them how not to praise and so he says and when you pray pause notice the word and that assumes you will pred notice he didn't say if you pray he says and when you pray so the word and when assumes a prayer life and so Jesus assumes that if you're following him you will have a prayer life so he does not expect us to follow and not have a prayer life he didn't say and if you pray he says and when you pray he says the way you pray do not be like the hypocrites people who say one thing but their motive is not connected to their mouth they love to pray standing in this industry corners and in the synagogues and so he's telling us that when you pray you need to pray with the right motive right you need to pray to an audience of one praying is not preaching he says so when you pray don't pray to impress people sometimes some of us would be in a panic to pray like we'll be in a group as somebody say pray and automatically panic will come to you you know where that panic comes from you're worried about what are they gonna say about what I'm saying we are so afraid to pray amongst people because we're so worried about impressing people with our prayers and so he says don't pray to be seen by men don't pray to impress people right don't pray for an audience of who's around you he says pray to an audience of one so he says don't pray like the synagogue's they have their reward and fold now this is powerful so Jesus says if you pray to impress people you know that prayer ain't leaving the ceiling if I want to pray if I'm in a circle and I just start praying I'll go into my Elizabethan English holes how hold cards how art uh-huh yeah and that's not going to Milan I'm gonna pray huh Jesus huh and I start off with my runs because I want to impress some young Christian next to me that prayer doesn't leave the ceiling the scripture says when you pray like that Jesus said you have your reward you know what your reward in full is this is your reward man Philip knows how to pray that's your reward your reward is the props of the people you're impressing Philip knows how to pray that's my reward do you want the applause of man or do you want the heirs of heaven so he says don't pray like that he says don't don't pray like that he says I tell you the truth they have their reward filled but he says but when you pray so second time he says when it seems that you will pray when you pray says go into your room close the door and pray to your father who is unseen and the father who sees what is done in secret will reward you and so he says he says he assumes that at some point in time in life you will you will carve out a special place to be with God that doesn't mean that you have to pray there all the time but some special place he's talking about the intimacy of prayer that there's some things that we shouldn't pray in public that there's something that's only between God and I and as I talked to him about it in private we see the reward openly so for example last week I told you I was saved in a bathroom over a toilet in November 2003 and I remember that I will keep going back to that bathroom to talk to God I would go in that bathroom and I would talk to God about my insecurities I will talk to him about problems with relationships I will talk to him about the people who are around me I will talk to him about my girlfriend at the time who was Lena like do I stay with her do I leave her like you know like so I would be praying about everyday I'll be praying for my knees because I told you I lost a job because of something I was on my record I was working for the federal government they snatched me out of that place and handcuffs I didn't have any provision Lena and I were struggling like you're struggling when you got to choose between gas and food I will be praying for provision in that bathroom and then like people will come and knock on our door and bring groceries to our door so I would keep going back to that bathroom and crying out to God in that bathroom and and as I talked it on that bathroom I would talk to him in that bathroom about things nobody knew and I will see God respond to me in public and that gave me more confidence to keep talking to him and that bathroom became I know it sounds like it sounds ghetto but that that toilet became an altar in a sense it became like I mean I you know I would I would put my head down on that toilet and I would cry out to God over that toilet and I will see God manifest and in my you know what consequently I want to say this there's two things I don't want happen to me I don't want this to happen to me when I arrive in glory so I don't know this is like nothing to do with the message but I want to just insert this I don't to things I don't want happen to me when I get to glory two things I don't want to happen to me when I get to glory number one I don't want to arrive in the presence of God with anything in me I was supposed to pour out when I was in the earth and so every gift every anointing every talent every desire every dream every ministry all of it I want God to bring it out of me in the earth God don't need my music he don't need my my album in heaven I don't know who this is for but I want to talk to somebody that book that's in you'll he don't need your book in heaven that ministry is in you he don't need that ministry in heaven these sermons does that's coming out of me in prayer he don't need these sermons that stuff God's giving you you are annoying you call your chosen this thing's got is prostitution ell you're pregnant with something that God has put inside there God don't need those things in heaven I want God to ring those things out of my life while I'm here I want to arrive in glory empty but nothing left in me but the other thing is concerning prayer I don't want to arrive in glory and find out that there was certain things I was supposed to have in the earth that I never touched I never knew I never experienced because I never talked to God about it I know that God I didn't know I was supposed to go there well you never prayed about it God I didn't know I was supposed to have that you never asked me for it God I didn't know that door I was supposed to walk through that door you never sought me about it I don't want to arrive there find out man there was something I was supposed to give birth to in the earth and I never prayed about it so I'm not leaving anything on the table touch somebody next year say don't leave anything on the table touch your second choice and say don't leave anything on the table don't leave it on the table somebody said Jesus bring me out Jesus speak to my heart I want to be wrung out for his glory and I want everything that he has for me anybody's that jumper I want to be I wanna be look I want to be wrong out for his I wanna be wrong I want to be squeezed out for all that anointing all that talent all that gifting all them dreams all those visions all of I wanted to be squeezed I wanna ride before God empty God I did everything you put inside me every baby every ministry every desire every vision all of it I left it in the earth and I don't want to open my heavenly lock up and see something in the lock I'm like oh shoot I didn't know I was supposed to have that I never talked that listen can't say to somebody who's so afraid to pray because you're insecure or you think you're a bad child or listen you don't got nothing to lose by asking all right let me let me know hurry up and finish this take my time okay somebody said we got time you want me take my time tell me what verse I'm on he says and when you pray verse seven do not keep on babbling like pagans for they think they will be heard with because of their many words so he says when you pray don't keep telling me the same thing like you got these wrote prayers now I lay me down to sleep I pray the little soul to keep now let me down to sleep I pray the Lord my soul to keep now will let me down to sleep I pray to the Lord swore McKeith now let me down to see I said that eight times in one prayer session dances listen get to the point that's what he's saying he's saying get to the point listen he's telling them listen don't pray with wrote prints and vain repetitions this is not to say I can't ask God about something more than once but he said don't don't come to me which it which a laundry list of the same boring vain things you telling me stuff that's not even in your heart you think because you wrote it out on paper you're gonna impress me God is not impressed with your King James English before you go off in a half an hour of King James English it'll be better for you to say Jesus help me he said listen is not about the quantity of the prayers a different Q it's about the quality of your prayers it's not about the words that's coming out of your mouth it's about the motive that's buried in your heart so he said man don't impress me with your big eloquent speech and your long like you gonna come before me with the whole thesis and I already know what you don't do that and then he tells you the reason not to do that in verse eight do not be like them why don't bore me with stuff that's not in your heart why because your father already knows what you need so get straight to the point father in the name of your son Jesus this bill is coming up in three days I don't have enough money for it and you said in your word that you are my provider if I seek you first you will add all these things unto me since you own the cattle on a Thousand Hills I need some help please send help in Jesus name Amen [Applause] your father already knows what you have need of before you ask him this is like right like my daughter Israel does this to me all the time Israel be scheming on me and she think I don't know so I overhear some conversation she having with her sisters and brothers they tryna they want some candy and they want me to take him to Walmart to go get some candy but is he so smart so she'll go talk to Joey and she won't get the babies in the house and she said Joey let's go ask daddy if we could uh if we could go to Walmart to get some candy and so it is he would come in the kitchen and she black off daddy I'm like yes munchkin you know that I did all my schoolwork I said yeah you know I'm getting good grades I said yeah I know you know I finished early today with my schoolwork yeah I know daddy my room is clean yeah and I walk the dogs yeah daddy now um you know I have money for my allowance right and she's like building this whole case and I already know you just want to go to Walmart to get some candy and I sometimes I'll say to us it is he what do you want my son my daughter what do you want Oh father you know that um you know I went to church last week and I paid my tithe and I'm serving on a ministry team now and I'm gonna go to a V group next week I didn't make it this week but I'm gonna go next week I didn't curse yesterday I uh I think I forgave that person I am uh what my son my daughter what do you want you you building this whole tension with the person who knows everything my son my daughter look I you got to get to work you got five minutes to get to work and you building a 15 minute speech to ask me for something that's gonna take 60 seconds you late for work and I want you to be on time because you represent me sidenote I want you to be on time coz your represent listen I got all the time in the world you already got five minutes what do you want that's to free you up and unburden you from all the nonsense [Music] what do you want what do you need what's bothering you you got to get to work you down here praying but them kids need breakfast you don't have as much time as I do what do you want then he goes on to say don't pray like them for your father and then and then here's the meat of the message in and out I'm a close he says this then is how you should pray this is some good stuff and I know some of you read this a hundred times but we we gonna we're just gonna unpack this just just a little bit okay and then I'll pray for you okay I need like I need like 15 more minutes can I can I can I get that he says this Dennis I should pray our Father in heaven Hallowed be your name so he says this is how you should pray he says out our father who was in heaven so he wants you to establish now watch before we walk through this this is not this is a model for prayer this is not like some magic prescription there's nothing wrong with praying this over and over but he taught us this to just show us elements watch this elements that should just be showing up in your prayer life okay so watch this first element that should be showing up in your prayer life the first element is an understanding of relationship okay I'm not putting no points up on the screen it's just an understanding of relationship okay he didn't say go to him and says God he says call him father now this is profound Jesus told you when you pray call God this word father why would he say that because he wants you to establish in your mind a relationship as God as a loving parent because sometimes when we just say God we think boss when we hear God we think taskmaster we had God we feel frayed so he says now on when you pray when you talk to God I want you to call him father I want you to have in your mind when you go to him you're going to talk to a loving parent and you are his son and daughter and I want you to approach him the way a little child would approach their father my little daughter Abigail man she'll always climb up on my lap and she'll be like she'd be like daddy and she'll ask me for what she wants and she'll come as you say daddy and she'll make her case known and she'll father the word father and in original language is the word Abba I preached the whole sermon series on that call I bought three messages about God as a father Abba theologians tell us that this is the same word almost translated daddy in English daddy and some of us were not excited about that because when you had a word father you hear abandonment when you had a word father you hear cold when you had a word father you think distant when you hear the word father you think disappointment when you had a word father you think someone man who has poor character for some of us the word father has a bad connotation in the mouth listen caught the devil is smart he is not stupid that's why in a traditional family who was the first person that enemies coming for to remove from that house he's trying to I was a schoolteacher and more than 50% of all my students never knew did not meet or had a bad relationship with their father this is the person enemies trying to destroy in our culture why because the enemy knows what the scripture says what we don't understand that he will do everything he can to ruin that term in our heart so that it makes it difficult for us to connect with God as a father and so when some of us will be when we hear the word father we don't think a loving parent but I want you to not project on God the issues of your life I want you to give God a chance I want you to test them and see does he have character I want you to I want you to give him an opportunity to show you that he is a loving father so please don't project on God the Father the failures of your earthly fathers give God a chance he is a loving Heavenly Father he is a loving parent he is his tough and tender he is gentle and kind he is wise and protective he will bless you and protect you he will prophesy to you and fight for you he is Allah man when all hell break loose little girl man we run to Daddy when is he scheming for candy she and running Tom mama she run into her father went stuff go down in the school with my kids stuff go down in the school with the kids I'm office plays in like an inferno because you're not gonna let the enemy touch you without authority give it back to he'll put because he's a father he's a father he's a protector and a provider so he says talk to his father so he says he wants you to see God and understand relationship so he says father and then he says hallowed be your name so he says he's not only father but he's holy and so respect your dad so we can't just talk to dad any kind of way I'll tell my truth you don't talk to me any kind of way I'm not your homeboy I'm your father so he wants us he wants us to know the way we pray we pray and we pray in a type of consciousness that God is a protector he's a provider he's our Father and then he wants us to have elements of relationship and understanding of his holiness in our prayers then he says then he says your kingdom come your will be done on earth as it in heaven and so the next element he wants us to have in our prayers is an understanding of the mission that is in front of us as believers he wants us to be conscious about the loss conscious about the broken conscious about his desires conscious about his heart he wants us in our prayer time to have elements where we understand the mission of the spread of the gospel that we understand the bigger picture we understand what it's important if you want your prayer life to heat up just get a revelation of why God has called us to spread the gospel see the poor see the brokenness of the city of Atlanta see the perversion of the church see the apathy of the American Church care about the fact that false preachers are leading us astray and had given you platitudes and preaching to you from the National Enquirer and don't open God's Word he wants you to care about what's going on in the world he want you to be burdened about what's going on around society and when our hearts are burdened about what's going on in the world man will be crying out to God God save my mother God God saved my father saved my friends God move in this country God bring revival control your church God sent provision God gospel spread God let your name be heard God lift up the name of Jesus God move in that city God moving the hope see you don't want to get excited about that because the only thing you care about is what you want but we need to care about what he wants we should care about what Jesus wants we should care about the mission to spread the gospel we should care about the brokenness of his heart we should care when we remember we drive through the city and dark places something should move us to pray then if you're not gonna open your window and give them a dollar at least pray that God would save them and provide for them so we should care about the mission of the gospel man your prayer life will be so fluid when you start praying for people outside of yourself your kingdom come your will be done on earth that is the heaven then he says give us this day our daily bread now notice notice when when all of all of he the bigger elements are about God and about his mission the smaller elements is about what I want after he talks about who he is his mission and he says give us is that so elements of prayer is petitioning God for all of your needs you have two type of needs you have intangible needs you know what intangible needs I need wisdom I need patience I need understanding I need revelation so a petition God for all your needs petition him for your physical needs God I need an open door I need I need I need transportation I need I need resources I need so he says petition me for your needs come to me and keep talking to me about your needs God delights in us asking him about his needs he delights in that God wants to be needed he wants us to delight he delights and you asking him he wants to provide and so he says petition me about my needs and then the prayers are almost over he says forgive us our debts as we also forgive our debtors this is very important there's a reciprocity in prayer where God says listen before I forgive you for all your mess you need to be able to extend that same grace to other people he says that you can't affect me to be forgiving you and you a grudge-holder you want me to let you go for all your mess easily let people go for all of their mess he says don't be a grudge holder forgive me my debts as we forgive our debtors let people go as he lets you go then he closes the prayer and lead us not into temptation but deliver us from the evil one and so other elements of our prayer is not only confession and so there is there is there is praise there is petition and there is confession there is the sense of relationship these are the elements that should keep showing up in our prayer time relationship praise petition confession these are the things that should be showing up in our prayer time now before we close out this message I want to just say to the person that's really like well how do I know I'm praying the right thing this is so good you know I'm trying I'm praying how do I know I'm praying the right thing I want to I want to read you one more thing jesus said about prayer and then we'll land the plane he said this in Matthew chapter 7 verse 7 look what he says he says ask and it will be given to you this is so powerful this is powerful look what look what he said how do I know I'm praying the right thing I'm trying I'm going to him but I know I've got things in my heart I don't know if it's him I don't know if it's me how do I know I'm praying the right thing he says ask and it will be given to you he says seek and you will find knock and the door will be open to you for everyone who asks receives he who seeks finds and to him who knocks the door will be open so first he says watch watch this he says listen keep asking keep praying keep seeking keep knocking so he says be persistent in prayer be persistent keep coming to me don't stop so this looks like this is like my daughter Abby like she'll come to me she's like the most persistent person I've ever known she'll come and she'll say watch it's daddy can we go to the pool and I'll be like um Abby I'm busy right now I can't take you she'll come back eight minutes later daddy yes Abby can we go to the pool like a B nah I don't want to I don't want to do that right now I'm busy I can't take you she'll come back a half an hour later daddy I got on my bathing suit can we go to the pool Abby I can't I can't do that today she'll come back later she said daddy remember last week and you said this week you would take me to the pool so can we go to the pool because you said that last week so can we go so she put me in remembrance of what I said you missed that she said daddy remember when you said last week we'll go to she pushed me she pushed me in remembrance of what I said Oh daddy remember when you said last week we can go to the pool so can we go the scripture says to put God in remembrance of what he has said daddy remember when you said last week we can go to the pool so can we go and she'll wear me down I trusted dang I did tell her I would take her last week so in the strength of my character my credibility come on Abby I'll take you to the pool because I got to maintain my character my credibility because what I told her I will take her to the pool so because I don't want my words to fall to the floor I'm gonna make good on my promises because you keep knocking on that door [Applause] new promise God and so you keep banging all that door another pastor says man you listen I want a woman wore down or judges her man I'm sick of this woman coming to me so because she keep coming to me I'm gonna give her what she's asking for because she's wearing me down how much more of a God not respond to his children they cry out to him day and night [Applause] God healed my mother Tuesday God heal my mother Wednesday God healed my mother Thursday God healed my mother Friday God heal my mother Saturday god I saw that you are ela Sunday God God I'm reading your word you are healer heal my mother seek us not seek as knock seek ask not and don't stop doing it now look at the rest of the passage so powerful look at the rest of the passage why did he says keep doing this and don't worry about is it me is it the right prayer and my praying the right way just keep doing watch the rest of the passage which of you this I'm burnin because this is so powerful what's the revelation in the text everybody watch some I love the Bible watch the revelation in the text he says seek ask knock seek ass knock seek ask nothing why once the river left I'm not sure if I'm asking for the right thing Cheyenne wants the revelation in the text so I love the Bible which of you is his son asks for bread will give him a stone or if he asks for fish will give him a snake next verse if you then know who are evil know how to give good gifts to your children [Music] how much whoa gee I feel like one it I might turn this into a whole Baptist Church I'd be like how much more will God give what will your your what your what your provider how much more will your Father in Heaven give good gifts to those who what ask him watch the revelation in the text watch he says you who are evil talking about us men watch watch it this is powerful you're evil you're sinful but if Abby asks you daddy can I get it can I get a car and I'm seven I'm not gonna give Abby a car at seven no because I know we'll kill her this is gonna hit you like a brick Malakai daddy can I get a pistol no I'm not gonna get you a pistol because that will kill you'll kill somebody else Abby has every right to ask me for the car because she can ask me for whatever she wants but me who are wiser than her knows not to give her that because I know it will hurt her if you ask for I'm not gonna give you a stop so let me unburden you you don't have to worry about what you're asking God for he will determine what is good for you and what is not good for you yours is for just ask his is to filter out what is for you [Music] you'll be the gas and let God be the brake you'll be the mouth and let him be the filter just as you don't have anything to lose by just asking you ask you knock you seek and let Jesus be the filter let the father be the filter some of us be so nervous before God be be like you know you have this me but you feel insecure you feel unworthy you feel like a messed up so I'm not gonna ask him about it and he's watching the whole time saying you asked me and let me decide if I'm gonna give it to you stop filtering your prayers that way if you know you're trying if you're trying to pray the right way you have good design you're trying don't filter your prayers that don't limit yourself in prayer what do you have to lose by saying God give me influence God open this tour God birthed this thing out of me God blessed me with this you don't have nothing to lose let a be will ask me for anything she wants she got the right to ask for whatever she wants but because I'm a father I know what is best for her she asked I filter she asked I filter she asked our filter and you know what she just keeps on asking some of you you're so afraid to pray about something because you think it's too big for you I'm no I'm talking to someone in this room because I feel this burning in my spirit you you afraid to ask God about that thing because you feel like nah this is too big for me to see God about oh man I messed up so much I don't think he would listen to this prayer oh I made so many mistakes I don't think he would respond to this or I don't know how to ask for this right so I can't put together the right words but it's in my heart to ask him so I'm not gonna talk to my BA and the danger you take and push it away from the table is he may have otherwise giving that to you Abby may ask me for a car and I say no but she may ask me for a bike and I might say we can do that as for the car let him give you the bike as for the blue asked for the universe let him give you the moon the other day my wife and I was standing on top of a parking deck and we was looking out over Atlanta all this traffic my wife and I was up there and my wife said her heart just got burden she said to me honey look at that man walking by right there she said I wonder if he knows Jesus and I said to him to a Gulino how could we get the gospel to him she said honey I don't know I said there Lina look at that look at that that female walking across the street over there I said you want you think she knows Jesus she said honey I don't know I said how could we get the gospel to her she said honey look out there look at all those cars on 75 she said dang honey I won of all those people no God and I said Lina how can we get the gospel to them we said we don't know and we stood there and I put my hand on the gate and I leaned my head on the gate in frustration would all these churches in Atlanta I just open my mouth and I said man we have all these churches and I said God you know I said can you give me all of them as my inheritance if somebody else won't be serious about the gospel of some other church won't be searchable can you give us all the unsaved or these give me I ask God least give me a tithe of the unsaved in our city as my inheritance I don't have anything to lose by asking them so what has four million people in the Metro I said God just give me 10% of the unsaved I just want to reach them with the good news of Jesus the teachings of the gospel the message of the Cross the message that Jesus can God give me at least give me a tithe of this I know I can't have but I may have I can't maybe I can't get it all but you could give me a type of it because I care they don't want to just have services on Sunday I want to mobilize an army of people who understand the bigger picture so that when you are at your job you're conscious of the of the loss and when you're on the field or on the court when you're running your business I want to mobilize an army of people like like like like like beasts that wherever we are there is a person of people conscious of the mission of Jesus and Walmart and Krueger and Publix downtown Atlanta I want people who live in high-rises in the city to look over their balcony at night and cry God give me 10% of this city I want the unsaved that we can lead them to you we want to rescue the loss and disciple the foul minds is to just ask him how let him decide if he would trust me what at either the city I'm just gonna keep preaching his gospel I don't know who I'm talking to right now just past daddy and let him decide what is for you [Music] father holy care about his mission [Music] keep confessing sin petition him for all your needs these are the things that should be filling up for our life since what if he knows everything I need why should I pray the purpose of Prayer is to close that gap of intimacy because prayer bills intimacy fellowship it allows us to partner with God and the mission of things happening in the earth it moves his hand so even though he knows we should be praying the posture of friend you can pray kneeling down standing up sitting down or laying down you can pray walking you can pray in a room you can pray in the shower you can pray in the closet he says pray without ceasing at all times the Bible says David went in and he sat down before the Lord the Bible says that Paul was stoned and they came and they stood around him and pray I could pray standing I can pray walking I could pray kneeling I could pray laying down I could pray sit him down the posture prayer is not my physical body it's my heart [Music] places of Prayer anywhere anytime this it's the most significant privilege that God gave human beings after salvation of Jesus that you have access that is the five being who knows all of your days before one of them was ran to be he's all-powerful all-knowing all sufficient all loving he has your best interest I'm telling you during my week the most the most enjoying the most enjoyable times I have turned a week outside of my family or the quiet times I spent alone with God I'll go into my prayer room I'll close the door and I feel safe there and I shed my tears there and I cry out to God's me and I lay down there and I sit down there sometimes I'll sit down in his presence and I've crossed my legs and I imagine the father's right in front of me and I would just complain to him there at times man I'll just lay down in my prayer room and I'll just be being the floor crying out for the church crying out for my leaders crying up for the city crying out these times are kneel down and I won't say a word tears before me from my eyes because I could feel his presence all around me and I know I feel safe there I know that he's listening I know that he's present the Bible says God is a strong tower and the righteous run into him and they find safety for me it is the most blessed time that I had during a week when I sit alone with my father we really hope this message was a blessing for you and if you have a testimony send it to share at Victory Church ATL dot again thank you for tuning in and we look forward to seeing you next week [Music]

Channel: Victory Church

Views: 9,387

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Id: ANlTR3Nh6OQ

Length: 70min 30sec (4230 seconds)

Published: Sun Aug 26 2018