Life Changing Prayers | Michael Youssef | Joni Table Talk | Joni Lamb

all throughout the Bible are stories of extraordinary men and women who changed the course of history but what if I told you that these men and women weren't born extraordinary what if the heroes of the Bible started off as normal everyday people just like you and me well today we'll find out the key to their success but first joining me around the table is my dear friend April Simons how are you I'm doing great we are just like ordinary people but we have an extraordinary guy that's the difference right I love that I love that he uses us just as we are for sure Dorothy Newton how are you I am doing wonderful I know this is an important subject if a girl is how important is that to you in your day to day you know it's not a certain time or a certain place it's Who I am all throughout the day every moment you know there's some kind of conversation with God yeah you know it's not it's just the relationship you know I love the connection and so I consult him always it's so important that's good that's good Cindy Murdock I know hey prayer is important to you you know it is you even have a little prayer closet I have a little prayer clause and extraordinary things happen when I take the time to go in there and you know we become I've heard that said that the people you hang around with the five people you hang around with this really who you become like and I was just thinking while Dorothy was talking is that when we spend time with this extraordinary God we can't help but become more like it that's good well dr. Michael Youssef welcome so we'd love to have you here on the table you're always such a blessing well dr. Youssef is the pastor and the founder of leading the way a worldwide radio and television ministry can watch this program right here on Daystar and today he's here to talk about the power of prayer how it impacted the heroes of the Bible and why it's in intricately connected to your purpose so life-changing prayers is that this is probably a book that spans over the course of many years absolutely yes my life but in that book I've written other books through the years but I have four twenty years actually have been building to this book and the way I started is I did a series of sermons in explaining why God delights in hearing ordinary people this this whole thing this it does be crazy to be quite honest you know you know so-and-so he's so close to God he he hears him or she is so close you know God wants to draw near to the simplest and the most ordinary individual and when they do he draws near to them they're going to become extraordinary people exactly I love the fact today this is a book for everyone and what dr. Youssef is saying not just those of us that are on television or that come into your home every day you have to understand that God wants to have an intimate in close relationship with you there's nothing more important to God than spending time with us absolutely I don't think people realize how important it is to him that he longs for fellowship absolutely with his sons and daughters and how many times the Lord Himself not only taught the disciples about prayer but modeled how many times they said he went away and spend time with the father and I often say if the Son of God no it's important to spend time with his father my goodness I needed a thousand times more why do you think that prayer and just stopping long enough to have that time with God why is it so difficult for Humanity to do that I tell you the devil fights two things more than anything in the world he fights prayer and he fights evangelism because evangelism draws men and women out of the jaw of Satan and prayer gives him power to live and have victory over him so he doesn't he will do everything possible to stop people from praying because if they don't pray they won't draw the energy and the power and the strength that they need in order to live victorious life's that's the bottom line and he I wanted to live Victoria they wants to live a defeated life and and be loaded with guilt as if somebody said he said he first of all comes and he tempts us and then when we fail he condemns us Paul said of his devices that Satan's devices tricks we're not ignorant and I always say dear Paul I cannot say that about 99% of the Christian population they are not really aware of Satan's tricks it's the same old bag of tricks he's never creative it's the same old yeah things he tried in the Garden of Eden exactly and then he he took them away from God pulled him away from God and then they received you know the life and Redemption but the covering but nonetheless that's what he's been doing and we need to be aware of that yes I think a lot of times I know I've received so many calls from people asking me you know would you pray for this pray for that and after a while I suddenly realized that a lot of people were doing that because they saw that I was this spiritual leader and that I was closest to God and then I started a different approach I said well could we pray together I think so what happened in that transformation is that they realized that their prayer was just as important as what I was praying and that it doesn't meet doesn't matter who you are pastor minister absolutely no it does not matter that's good you know I was raised in a preacher's home and my dad would always prayer my mom would pray and I remember one time I got sick and I went to my dad and I asked him to pray I had a fever and all and he looked at me and said you're old enough to pray yourself oh wow I was like 7 I thought no not I was kind of irritated at him and so anyway he left and I remember that childlike prayer that I had at 7 yes yeah and you know what God healed me yeah and that was such a faith booster to me and I directly you know what he was doing but he was building that in you yes of course your dad was the late John Osteen so he was I just ran into Joel Oh at Billy's funeral he came over and gave me a big hug and he said that I remind him of his dad he's a new preachings and I listened to you and a star yeah 8:30 Houston time said I never miss and he said because you remind me of my dad that is a great compliment for sure I think you know obviously it's okay to pray for people I mean and we do that all the time but like you said sometimes people look to people instead of God and you have to understand that you have the ability yourself to talk to the Lord just like we're talking at the table sometimes people don't understand that you just talk to God in in your ordinary language and share share with him how you feel what you're going through and what about just taking a moment to be still and listen Kent can he speak to us through his word and to our hearts and minds absolutely I remember a friend of mine went to be with the Lord now and he somebody asked him what do you say in these two hours every day and I pray for two hours now because I learned from him and he said I don't do all the talking and I thought that was something just I took many many years ago and treasured and that's when I am praying spending time get up at 4:00 4:30 and I spending time with the word of God praying and praying for people and praying for his work and his kingdom and many times I stopped and there are times the Lord brings me a word of rebuke sometimes he brings me a word of encouragement a mobli instruction oh gosh yeah I'm open to the Holy Spirit he's this early in the morning that I get up early in the morning to you a lot of times and that's my quiet song but so many times he'll give me instruction for the day meaning he'll bring things to my memory exact check on this this there he'll bring a person or situation or something to deal with a problem and issue I know in the book you talk about some of our favorite Bible characters Daniel's one of my favorite Bible characters Hannah amazing woman who could not conceive yes but she had a conversation with God she did and it was such intensity and passion and crying her heart out to God that even the priest Eli thought she was drunk and she said now I am asking God then and literally God I think gave him a word of knowledge for her to say okay go this you know I mean next year you'll have a baby yeah and and you know the way she honored God I have known people through the years and they'll make a promise to God now beg them don't make a promise to God if you're not gonna keep it and I mean unless you're dead you have to keep it because God is watching and Jesus said he was faithful and little is faithful and much and and therefore he only not gonna he gonna it's not gonna increase the blessing or the use of us if we're not faithful with the little things well when she made a promise to God and she said I'll bring that boy to you and as soon as she weaned him she brought him to God yeah we were talking about this earlier he gave her a bunch of more kids a lot of you don't realize that Hannah went on behalf of the nurse yeah more kids in Samuel again one of my favorite Bible characters amazing prophet that was used by God in such a miraculous way but I think that you know people watching sometimes say well I just maybe don't know what to pray or how to pray I know one of the most important prayers next to salvation they're just the most important is just that prayer of surrendering your life as you said because did you know that some of the most amazing testimonies that I have heard and people I've interviewed over the last thirty years are people who were in dire circumstances and they prayed that prayer God I'll do what you want me to do let's go were you want me go they already believed God they already had you asked for forgiveness right but there's a difference between that prayer of salvation in a total surrender absolutely and and from my own life story I when I needed a supernatural intervention of God and and God did intervened in my life and got me out of Egypt back in the late 60s I mean just like the Israelites yeah exactly but the moment where I was standing the almost fifty years ago and said okay I go anywhere do anything so for the last 50 years every time the Lord brings a vision and it could be too big and I'm sort of frightened and and very uncertain you know launching this kingdom sat in the Arab world and all these things that happen and our God the Lord is it look I just want to be sure and the Lord says remember you said I'd go anywhere do anything that's one of them and so I've done all these things throughout my life and probably some more he would remind us yeah on such a such a day you said I'll do anything go anywhere right like you said there are people that say and promise they don't follow through and make of the house but even in my weak moments when I'm really kind of hesitant the Lord reminds me yeah remember you said that so I'm gonna be with you yeah and boy the rest is history so some people don't pray because they think they don't know how to part they're not spiritual enough yeah they don't talk King James yeah and I think it's important that people realize it's just it's a conversation with God and and I love the people you pointed out in the book sometimes it's just God help me I just like to do how many times I prayed god I don't know what to pray that's right but don't you think it's just a conversation with God absolutely and and Paul said in Romans he said there are times when we don't know how to pray but then then the spirit prays within us and I know definitive times when I said Holy Spirit I don't know what to pray please pray in me and through me and take it to the throne of God and he does he takes it to the son of God he brings the answer um you know I I like what you shared in your book about Daniel just a young kid yes and how I wish you would share a little bit about how he was transformed by prayer because he was put in a situation out of his control he did not have a in Boston a lot of times people say if I can't work in this certain environment I'm not going to do that Daniel was forced into a situation and how did prayer change his life he was 14 years old and 14 if you do the calculation he was younger he was 83 when he was thrown into the den of lions because he basically you know the history from the Babylonians fell and then they've taken over by the they came from Persia Persian Empire so you figure out the times and you realize that he was in his eighties when he did the demo but he was 14 when he purposed in his heart and even it purposed in his heart God said okay you honor me I'm gonna honor you and he gave him knowledge beyond the ability of any one in the whole realm to be able to interpret dreams I know that you talked about his consistent prayers because if you read about Daniel you'll understand that there were times where his prayers didn't get through yeah and there are times when we pray when the enemy tries to stop this very earthly and we have to be consistent the angel told him Michael told him that and I was bringing the answer but for three weeks the devil hindered it from coming but because he persisted in prayer the devil was defeated and the angel succeeded and was victorious and brought victory to Daniel so he understood the reward of prayer he understood the spiritual warfare in prayer and also he understood God's promises yes because his prayers were anchored exactly he saw Jeremiah said you're gonna be seventy years in Babylon after that he looks at his clock and looks at his calendar I said okay God promised through Jeremiah seventy years seven years are up okay God now and and then it began to pray that chapter nine of Daniel that is a magnificent prayer so what about four people who are watching and they say you know what about praying Scripture yes are those some powerful prayers absolutely sometimes I'll do I can do all things to Christ is me up some greatest prey that the word of God because it's anointing sometimes when we're not anointed and there are times even in our midweek prayer Tom on Wednesday I tell the congregation I said tonight we just got to pray the word and if you don't have it to commit it to memory grab the Bible in front of you and and go to the world gap and the hole and it's just you feel the power of the word of God this is where the people make the distinction between the Holy Spirit and the word I said you you really you're confused because here's the author of the word it's like said you the author I don't want you but I want your book but you can't separate me from my book he is the author of the book he put it together and therefore he's the one who can open eyes to understand it apply it on our lives and therefore it's the spirit and the word not one or the other because they are you know the way to God is yes inseparably yes so many times people wait to pray until they're in crisis and so I know you say you pray two hours a day I don't I wish I did what if you were talking to somebody like me or people who are watching you don't pray except me when they get that bad report how can they start a daily daily praying start with five minutes yeah and it doesn't matter yeah I don't think God is looking at the clock and said now Michael prayed for two hours okay well so-and-so only prayed for 10 minutes no he's looking at the heart and so but I'll tell everybody start start where if five minutes great we're just gonna spend those first five minutes praising God honoring him thank him think of all the blessings that he gave you and he just start counting them you know when we were little kids the Sunday school and said you know count your blessings name them one by one you begin to name the five minutes are gone and I'm really 15 minutes into it and I'm just counting the blessings and thank him for the blessings before you know it you're having a a one-woman revival I think it's good to like to journal some of your prayers your and some of the things that you're believing God for maybe there's a lost son or daughter you've been praying for maybe there's a husband maybe there's a sickness that you're dealing with and write those if you will prayers down and just begin to thank God for answering those prayers and then as they come to pass absolutely and God gives you 30 then go back and rehearse like you said the things that God has done thank him for because that does build our faith I know for me and early on when we start in Christian television there were so many obstacles and I mean it just looked like because you know the enemy always dries destroy things at its inception absolutely and but God was faithful with each and every battle and even today we will go back and rehearse those early battles and remember yes what God did and now that all that he has done I'm so grateful what are some of your early battles that were won through prayer you look back and say well I'm not from what you're saying how many times in the Bible God always telling the Israelites remember I took you out of Egypt I took you out of Egypt he gets a boy I mean you get bored with it says now God but he's doing something he's reminding them but in in in in my life the one you know these are the these are the ebony xur stones that you set up that remind you all the time the beginning of that is the story of my literally supernaturally escaping out of Egypt literally the clothes on my back in the late 60s and how it happened to this day 50 years later I can tell you absolutely supernatural no man could have done that and therefore that became my anchor can you tell us a little bit of the details of how that happened I know people would be interested well number one they said you have to get a permission from the head of the military the head of the military I go finally after I tried day after day after day for weeks I couldn't even seen finally a guy pushes me into his office and as soon as I got into his office he said I know what you're trying to do you're escaping from the country and I'm going to basically make you disappear and your family won't know where you are so my mouth was so dry and body was shaking 18 years old I said god this is not the answer to prayer I thought he gonna have another general comes in and he kinda they forgot about me and I literally was looking just at work and run and get out you know he will forget me but that general said to me said what does young men want and he said well he's got reason was leave the country and wants permission to get a passport you know allowed to have a passport Wow and he said why don't I just let him go he said son show me what you got I don't know either of them he take it looks at this thing and he sounded on behalf of the head and stamp list said go so I go and then I found out that if I don't leave in 48 hours I'm dead I got the airport three o'clock in the morning five o'clock flight and 30 people wait-listed only one seat available and then I hear the guy in the balcony of the of the airline calling my name and now I've got the one seat had 30 people waiting and so all of that you don't ever ever ever forget so when you get into a crisis you say God you did it before I know you're gonna do it now I'm trusting you and then it's faith is a muscle of late I'm working with a trainer and I know what this is all about and it just builds up builds up builds up and you keep at it and you keep at it and you keep at it and that is what faith the more you exercise it the more it grows the more we exercise that the more it grows and and God is pleased and honored by faith he really is he loves to see his children exercising faith in him not their own faith but faith in Him yeah nothing is impossible for you yeah you know Cindy I was they sitting here thinking that your story of being married to a minister and then going through a divorce they that you didn't everything you'd go through or want to go through and it was out of your hands but at that moment when you wonder how you're gonna survive because you find out there's all kind of bills and all kind of credit card bill and things have not been taken care of financially for you I just felt like sharing that because I felt like there may be someone watching that you're you're dealing with it was something similar and you've maybe gone through a divorce you're going through a divorce and and you don't really know what you're gonna do and maybe you didn't even want the divorce but I just wanted you to tell your your God's faithful story Chris of course you now married remarried but at that moment it was pretty difficult to wonder you felt like everything was piling on and how you'd survive exactly I didn't because I had been we had been partners in ministry and our life that was all I knew so when that day when all of that ended I didn't know how I would survive I didn't know what the boys would do I I thought I've done ministry all my life I have no idea how that was what I would do and the Lord began to bring people into my life begin to open doors contacts people would you know Joni called and talked me through so many things as we go way back years ago and she was such a friend and was there to encourage me and and ministry people that I had not been in touch with in a while they would call and say could you come sing could you come minister at the conference do you will you do this and doors open for the boys and then God ministered to a business some business people and they just felt led to take care of debt and God gave me wisdom and insight how to refinance a house and pay off credit card bills and and I remember I said your money you're being a good steward my moodiness yeah cuz the banker he said will you promise me yes when I give you this money you're gonna do what you said and I said absolutely sir and so as I was being a good steward of what the Lord had blessed me with Wow life it just seemed like I remember times I would I would actually be sitting on a platform about to sing a minister I would think Wow God only you could reuse me and I remember the day when I fell on the floor in the courtroom when they were taking him away mm-hmm and I cried out and I thought God well I do yeah of course I I don't even know what to do when your world ends you never expect it to end course and it was like the Holy Spirit whispered and said Cindy I have never changed my call or my gift on your life because an area of your life has ended or what seems ended there still an anointing and still a call and still a purpose and a plan for July that's what I guess I'd like to say to people out there today Joni is that whatever has happened in your life yes it doesn't stop that God has purpose has call has an anointing has something for you in your life and it is goes back to that trust in God of truth and what keeps going over in my spirit today is that without faith it's impossible to please God amen and we must believe that he is God and that he is a rewarder yes of those that diligently seek Him and I believe you will begin to see God just Minister into every area like it's so good thank you for sharing that Cindy I don't know who that's for today but you needed some encouragement you need to know that this moment you feel like there's just no way out of this but I want to tell you through prayer and through your relationship with God and surrendering everything to him and saying I mean sometimes you're saying God I don't know what I'm gonna do but I need you to help me he is an extraordinary God a supernatural God he did supernatural things in your life that you never dreamed he could do but he's also no respecter a person absolutely so he loves that person watching as much as he loves us oh absolutely and there's nothing we can do for him to love us more and nothing we can do for him to love us less who needs to read the book everybody this is your life story it is it is indeed it's it's it's my life and and and the way God used me through the years because of first the prayer of my mother before her the prayers of her father and so the chain is continuing now as I pray and the Lord is investing in his kingdom through me and I'm so grateful I don't deserve it it's all by grace without His grace literally dead loss so I'm grateful for His grace amen well life-changing prayers how God displays his power to ordinary people great great book you want to make sure and pick up a copy of it by dr. Michael Youssef well we are at a time I want to thank dr. Youssef for joining us at the table again the name of his book life-changing prayer it's available now and for more on dr. Youssef visit him online at ltw org also don't forget to watch his program leading the way with dr. Michael Youssef right here on Daystar if you're watching today and you're longing for a more intimate prayer life or you're struggling to step into your god-given purpose that's why that toll-free number is on the screen we have prayer partners that are standing by ready to agree with you in prayer there's just something about coming together with someone in praying and that's why that number is there for you so avail yourself to that toll-free number it doesn't really matter where you're watching from around the world we'd love to take your call you can also submit your request by going to day Starcom and clicking on prayer sending in your prayer request that way and I want to let you know we pray over all the prayer requests that come in from all over the world every day here at Daystar also don't forget to join the conversation online by leaving us a comment on Facebook or Twitter we always look forward to hearing your thoughts about the program thank you doctor you said we love you appreciate you the next time bye-bye for today this has been a day star television production you

Channel: The Way Of Life Church

Views: 16,047

Rating: 4.9170122 out of 5

Keywords: the way of life church, groeschel, lifechurch, life.churchtv, church, god's word, sermon, Christian, bible, God, Life Changing Prayers, Life, Prayers, Michael Youssef, Joni Table Talk, Joni Lamb

Id: MZ8Z1iABw7s

Length: 27min 55sec (1675 seconds)

Published: Fri Dec 28 2018