Praying in Crisis - Radio Classic – Dr. Charles Stanley

with a message from God's Word here's Charles Stanley in a moment of crisis the three words most frequently heard are oh my god well that is the right thing to do in a crisis and that is to pray to call out to God to cry out to him and in these days of crisis more people are praying more people are attending church more people and talking to God and probably have talked to them in a long time all of a sudden that confronted with separation they're confronted with this overwhelming group of decisions that they have not had to make in all of their life this fear uncertainty the threat of death the overwhelming responsibilities that they are not faced before what do you do in time of a crisis well you surely pray but how do you pray in such a way that God hears and answers that prayer well that's what I want to talk about in today's message in title praying in a crisis and I want you to turn if you will to James chapter 5 and at the end of this crisis mentioned here there's a simple principle that usually gets lost because we get hung up on what happens before James chapter 5 and you recall this is the chapter in which God has given to the church the way you deal with sickness in the church and how you go about seeing that those people experienced healing and so he says in verse 13 is anyone among you suffering let him pray is anyone cheerful let him sing praises is anyone among you sick let him call for the elders of the church and let them pray over him anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord and the prayer offered in faith will restore the one who is sick and the Lord will raise him up and if he has committed sins they will be forgiven him therefore confess your sins to one another and pray for one another so that you may be healed that's the next phrase the effective prayer of a righteous man or woman can accomplish much Elijah was a man with a nature like ours and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain and it did not rain on the earth for three years and six months and he prayed again and the sky poured rain and the earth produced its fruit it is the last part of the sixteenth verse that I want us to look at because herein lies a principle that I think is a good guide for us in praying in time of a crisis he says the effective prayer of a righteous man and you and I know that is a righteous man or a woman can accomplish much the two things that I want us to see in this passage that is always true in a crisis first of all that is the desire and secondly the demands that is when you and I face a crises we usually face some specific event or some specific thing that has happened that has grabbed their attention and that is the focus of our prayer now if you'll think for just a moment as you and I think about crises and different kinds of crises a crisis is a time that you and I are concern but that concern is a narrowed focus that is when we pray normally when things are sought at least partially normal whatever that is we pray for many things when we suddenly hear news or a crisis is created our prayer becomes very narrowly focused to that one issue and there's nothing wrong with that and we begin to pray specifically for that particular area of concern and the Bible says that God will indeed become involved in those things that concern us or those crises we face because God knows exactly why that crisis has come and he certainly is not oblivious to the things that are going on no crisis can occur without God's permissive will he does not initiate many crises that takes place I'm sure he does initiate some of them but no matter how it comes God always takes advantage of every crisis to do something and that is to get our attention focused to him for example how many people are praying the who were not praying two months ago or three months ago was six months ago or a year ago how many people in church who weren't in church then they weren't concerned about Church they weren't concerned about God they weren't reading the Bible and if they prayed many of them just prayed you know just in passing Lord bless this that in the other many of them had little concern or interest in the things of God they were rebellious late living their life indifferent to the things of God selfishly going on about their business pursuing the things that primarily interest to them and all of a sudden they're shocked with a reality that husband and wife are going to be separated there's the possibility of war losing one's loved one this avalanche of responsibility that suddenly comes down upon the wife the separation of children from their dads or from their mother in this war and all the things that take place besides all the crises that come just natural and normal life God's interested in all of them he sees them every single one he's not oblivious to them and the teaching of this verse is simply this God is willing to become personally involved in those things that are crises in our life now you and I know that he desires to be personally involved in every single area of our life every day of our life whether there's a crisis or not but for many people it takes a crisis for God to get their attention and so when he allows a crisis one of God's primary objectives is to get our focus change from me myself and my plans and my schedule my this and my that my heart aches and my troubled own to God where they should where it should have been all along and when you and I face something that we feel helpless about and absolutely tilde overwhelmed about isn't it interesting how easily God gets our focus from ourselves on to him and we begin to cry out to God to do something in our life to make a difference and my primary purpose for this message is to simply give a little warning and a word of encouragement to many of you who've begun to pray that not parade in years and years and I want to say this now and I want to say it again if you think that you can just go from indifference apathy no interest no church no Bible no God no Christ no anything spiritual and all of a sudden you hit a crises and God suddenly comes like a bellhop and stands at your door and says what would you have me to do terribly mistaken if you think God is like a puppet that you can dangle on the strings and you can manipulate him to do anything you want him to do you're gonna be disappointed God is nobody's puppet God is not going to be manipulated by my crises or anything else God is this sovereign of this universe and whether we like to think it or not everything revolves around him not us and so we can't live a life that is indifferent and casual and totally self-centered and all of a sudden God gets really excited about helping us out of our crisis that is not the way God operates and I think in this passage of Scripture we can understand how God does and what does motivate God to become involved in those things that are concern to us I want you to look at this word in this phrase and we're going to primarily just stay with the last part of verse 16 he says the effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much the word therefore accomplish is a word that if you saw it in the Greek it would look like the first part of it would look like en ERG wah energy and it is the word from which we get our word energy and what he's saying in this passage is this that the spective prayer of a righteous man brings about the release of God's supernatural God's divine energy into our crisis to make a difference that's really what he's saying that when we have effective prayer about righteous men and women God begins to release his divine supernatural on listen unlimited energy and Rex 'add toward the target which is the crises that you and I may face at any given moment and so you who are facing a crisis today the issue is not whether God desires to or whether he's promised or not the issue is are you in a position where God is able not that he's not able to do anything but are you in a position where God is free to become involved and to release his divine energy in your particular crisis and I want to say again he's not to be manipulated you can't have some particular prayer formula whereby you can pray and God always does anything and if you look for a moment back in Ephesians chapter 1 the use of this word here's a good example he says in Ephesians chapter 1 verse 19 what is the surpassing greatness of his power toward us who believe these are in accordance with the working of the strength of his might again the same word the working the release of God's divine strength and energy and power in our life he is more than willing to do that in the third chapter if you'll notice the 20th verse of Revelation now to him who is able to do exceeding abundantly beyond all that we ask or think think about that we're talking about a God who is able to do exceeding abundantly beyond all we ask a thing according to the power that works the energy of God released within us God is willing to release his supernatural power in your crisis no matter what it is if the situation is correct and that's what we want to clarify in this message to be sure that it is correct so what we have to ask is when we cry out to God is God gonna hear us just because we're Christian know is he gonna get involved in everybody's crisis no he doesn't promise to do that but he does promise in this passage he says the effective prayer of righteous men and women will you can look for the divine personal intervention of God in that crisis no matter what it is now think about this today we face a crisis of war that engulfs the whole nation and a greater part of the world there are many crises today and their individual crises in this man's life and this woman's life in this family in this business in this relationship but here's the promise God says I'm ready I'm willing and we're talking about supernatural we're talking about the unlimited omnipotence of God he's willing to release if certain things are true and if certain things are right and so that's what he's referring here into this particular passage now the comforting thing that you and I can be assured of in any crisis is this that God knows all about the crisis he knows every detail he knows why it is there he knows how it came about and he knows exactly how to saw to settle to heal to deliver to provide to protect whatever in that crisis in such a way it is to our best interest it may not always be what I want and so I want to say up front just because you're not face of crises no matter how righteous you and I may be that doesn't mean that God is going to always do exactly what I ask him to do because what I want God to do sometimes is not the will of God what I want him to do sometimes may seem and appear to be right and good and scriptural to me but on the other hand if God's purpose is higher than my purpose he says my ways are higher than your ways and my ways are greater than your ways he knows and he has ways that I cannot touch than I can understand so some things he's going to do in a crisis no matter what I do but here's what happens when we respond rightly to that crisis and asking for God's divine intervention we don't have to walk away shaking our hands and thinking God why didn't you do it why didn't you answer my prayer if you keep your promise why did it turn out this way god this is a mess because when we see in just a moment what has to be made right our whole attitude about the crises and the outcome will be different so what he's saying in this passage here he's interested in getting involved he wants to get involved you can lick all through the scriptures in the Old Testament how oftentimes for example just look in the Psalms David cried at oh my god he cried out to God in one crisis after another in this life and how God so beautifully intervened to deliver him and protect him and provide for him and to take him through difficult and hardship and I mean he went through some very very difficult trying persecuting times they were not easy but God did divinely intervene every single time even in the midst of his failure so that's what he's saying first of all in this passage that you and I can expect and look for listen when he says accomplish much the word is the release of God's divine energy in your crisis now we say well this is our desire God hears the crisis we face he says there two demands number one if you'll notice in this passage what he says he says number one first the first requirement is effective prayer now it's interesting in this passage that the word prayer is used about four other times this is the only place where this particular word for prayers use and it implies a specific request not just general praying and I mean by that not to discredit or to belittle that but for example let's say that in your private devotions in the morning or in the evening whenever you have them you pray for a lot of things you pray about your life and your family and your plans and other people and other concerns and the war and all the things that are going on but we're talking about a specific prayer that is narrowed down to something he says he's speaking here of effective prayer where you see he put this on the end of a crisis that is we're talking about the healing of sick and we probably not talking about a bad code we're talking about a sickness where there's a sense of helplessness and godness worked some miraculous work of healing he says it is effective prayer and so the word prayer here is specific it implies need God I'm asking you to deliver me in this and Lord provide this so Lord I'm asking you to protect him it is specific now what does he mean here when he's talking about effective prayer well the word for effective here is the word translated strong we're talking about strong prey we're not talking about now I'll lay me down to sleep pray the Lord my soul to keep and if I die before I wake I pray the Lord my soul to take amen and we learned that as a child and after a while we just sort of quoted that by rote memory didn't mean a whole lot and I'm afraid a lot of people today before they go to bed at night they round off something to God that you could almost say ditto to probably every once in a while be the same word saying the same thing we're talking about praying that's got heart in it he said strong pray the very word means powerful and strong so we're talking about prayer that is motivated by a burden of the heart we're talking about prayer that has much more power and strength and feeling and emotion the word fervent see look if you will in Colossians chapter 4 for a moment and if you'll notice in this passage that Paul is referring to one of his cohorts in the ministry most of this last part of this fourth chapter is about that and he names one of them here and in naming him he describes how he prayed up of the Colossians verse 12 of cautions 4 he says it Pat for us who is one of your number a bond slave of Jesus Christ sends you his greetings always laboring listen to this laboring earnestly for you and his prayers that you may stand perfect and fully assured in all the will of God laboring earnestly that very phrase implies that he not only is just saying words but this man has his heart in it there's strengthless power something has burdened his heart he was burdened for these Colossians Christians again the same idea is used in 2nd Corinthians chapter 5 when he talks about begging God so when he says here the effective prayer we're talking about strong prayer that has heart in it now when you think about prayer you think about your own prayer life I wonder when is the last time you played with a heavy strong burden oh god that is something on the inside of you would not let you just get out on your knees and just say that Lord I want you to do so and so and so and so but somehow in your heart you were struggling well somebody says you shouldn't have to struggle with God I mean after all should you just be able just to save on the Lord here's what I want here's what I'm asking you to do and I want to thank you in Jesus name that you're gonna do it not always because prayers not always that way look if you will in the 32nd chapter of Genesis and if you'll notice in this particular passage if you'll turn there for a moment that Jacob all of a sudden found himself facing a crisis and the crisis was that his brother whose birthright he had taken he had discovered that he's on his way and so all he knows that a battle is going to ensue and more than likely he's going to be defeated he may be killed by his brother he's separating his family trying to protect them and all the things that are going on and if you'll notice in verse 24 of Genesis 32 then Jacob was left alone and a man wrestled with him until daybreak which was or who was probably the pre-incarnate christ and when he saw that he had not prevailed against him he touched the socket of his thigh so the socket of Jacob's thigh was dislocated while he wrestled with him then he said this is the one with whom he's wrestling let me go for the dawn is breaking but Jacob said I will not let you go until you bless me here's the man wrestling with the Lord about what is concerning him at the moment struggling having a difficult time with what he's facing there is nothing wrong with getting on your knees and wrestling it out that is sometimes that wrestling is a result of fear old God suppose this happens what am I going to do and I'm sure that is the question that many wives may be asking God today about their husbands and about their teenagers whose fathers gone or some people are asking about their finances or their marriage relationship or whatever it might be God what's going to happen and so it isn't a simple prayer it is a prayer that is evoked by burden by heaviness it is a crisis god I need you I desperately need you God if you don't get involved in this I'm sunk I don't know what to do I feel overwhelmed I'm scared I don't know which way to turn I don't know who to talk to God do something you say well now a person should be more calmed about that pray my friend it depends on how much you hurt it depends on how scared you are and it depends on where you are in your life and what you're facing and what he's saying in this passage knowing how we are and knowing what we are looking verse 17 of this passage he says Elijah was a man with a nature like ours that is Elijah was not perfect he was weak he suffered his disappointments and you recall he got depressed in life he became fearful his the prophet of God did God used in the most miraculous way the next thing you see he's scared to death and I think the reason he put that here is in order for us to understand and to be encouraged for the fact that God understands their fears and he understands we face certain crises that we don't know what to do and we don't know where to turn and we don't know how to handle some things and so what do we do we cry out to God and so we're not talking about general praying we're talking about crisis praying God what do I do in this particular situation now part of the problem is we sometimes a little too sophisticated and dignified in there praying and you know if we were to decide right now look let's all of us begin to pray suppose we heard some real real bad news about the war and somebody came in said here's a crises and the guff write that I believe we need to pray and let's say it was something horribly dramatic I guarantee you none of us would care what anybody else thought about why we prayed with each other when my heart is overwhelmed I could care less what anybody thinks says it does when I'm talking to God and the kind of prayer that gets God holy God in heaven releasing his supernatural unlimited omnipotence in my life is when I am and crying out to him and believing that he and he alone and expressing my sense of helplessness isn't that another principle of scripture in our most helpless desperate moments in those moments the Spirit of God is able to release his greatest power when we express our greatest sense of helplessness and I believe they're people praying you haven't prayed in a long long time and they don't know how to pray and they think God's just gonna hop whenever they pray and what I want us to see is not to discourage you from praying but simply saying that if we want to get God in on what's going on in crises moments we need to learn to cry out to God with a burden listen not something we fabricate for ourselves you know when your heart is heavy you know when you're scared you know when you feel helpless and overwhelming you don't know what to do next Oh God I need you to do something and sometimes we don't know what to ask you so that's not very intelligent praying that's exactly why he says in Romans eight he gave us the Holy Spirit he said sometimes you won't even know how to pray but the Spirit of God within you will intercede before the Father so what does he do he burdens our heart for the crisis oh we become burden automatically by the burned nature of it and something inside of us cries out oh God do something he says it is strong praying this gets God's power in on what's happening you say well is that the only time God gets his power in what's happening no you see the truth is God is willing to release his supernatural power every single day in your life in my life in simple little things and the truth is he does but we're talking about crisis praying and we're talking about those things that that cause us to feel overwhelmed here it may be a sickness unto death and the doctors have given up James says this is what you do remembering that the strong prayers the strong prayers about that sickness about that healing from righteous men and women bring about great results that is God releases His divine energy in response to strong praying if we start praying for God to do specific things I believe God will respond when we praise strong prayers from righteous hearts crying out to God to do whatever is necessary the whole history of the Bible that's what God's been doing from Genesis 1 all the way through that's what he's been doing in history that's what he's been doing in your life in so many ways but we're afraid to take on something as big as a war you say well me and the whole Middle East situation yes you yes let me ask you a question how many men and women does it take because God to Elise his divine super natural power one and I'm gonna show you that in a minute one just one but the question is am I even burdened enough that I even feel like crying out to God now think about this I hope you'll get convicted a little bit amen you think about what absolutely saturates your mind every day and have a little time most people are giving the prayer and they sit and watch the television watch all these things that says so healing the corner on the right lower side or alive and you see these Jets taking off men going off on their missions listen every time I see that I just cry out to God God protect that man be his shield bring him back help him to concentrate and help him to be successful and I believe God is answering my prayer just like he answers yours don't sit then watch the television and just be sort of amused at what's happening listen that is your living opportunity to get involved in somebody's life at that right moment at that very moment we underestimate God's personal desire to get involved on what concerns us and part of the problem is we're so concerned with so many things that concern us and us alone that God can't even get up enough conviction and burden and hunger and thirst and yearning and weeping over the condition of this world to even intervene and God has got America's attention with a war now you think about it Vietnam war was over with some 15 to 16 years ago America had a chance to thank God get back to God turn toward God that terrible war was over 50 some thousand American boys lost their lives and some women you'd have thought somehow we'd learn a lesson Korean War not too many years before that what do we do we've got more abortions more pornography more wickedness more violence more crime more everything evil and less and less of things that are good we don't learn very well God's got our attention and you mark this down before this war is over he is really going to get our attention because we're not listening we still not listening let me ask a question when he says strong prayers when is the last time you got on your knees a set in the chair and I mean wept over anything besides your own personal condition anybody besides yourself well let me ask you when's the last time you wept about anything have we become so calloused and hardened and selfish that the only thing that moves us is what taps our pocketbook God knows how to get America's attention touch the pocketbook of an American and God you become the most popular one suppose some hand I don't know how this could ever work suppose God send a message to this nation you want this war stopped close up the bars shut down the houses of prostitution burn up all the pornography stop all the abortions and right down the line I wonder if we'd even do it to stop a war here's what we'd say well we thank you very much God we think somehow we gonna get this done and you mark this down God is getting America's attention and when Hussein said that he had some surprises he and the devil probably have a lot of them and our only shield is Jehovah that's there on the shield is Jehovah God but let me give you a word of encouragement because listen to what he says in this passage you say well it's about time it's getting a little scary but I'm telling you the truth amen I'm telling you the truth and the truth sometimes is upsetting listen to what he says in this passage the effective prayer that is the strong prayer of righteous men can accomplish much we said the first requirement is strong praying this haphazard slipshod counter praying that won't work the second requirement is found in these two words three words a righteous man now you now know that's righteous men and women so that's taken for granted we're not denying anybody their particular right in that area now what does he mean when he says a righteous man that is he says you want to get God's supernatural omnipotence in on what is a crisis in your life or in this nation then strong praying praying with a heart abdi genuine concern and secondly and this is where the rub comes because a lot of folks who've started praying all of a sudden when they face the crisis hadn't talked to God hadn't read the Bible hadn't gone to church weren't even interesting the things of God all of a sudden they started praying I want to tell you I'm sorry God's not listening you said the Bible says ask anything and it should be done unto you the two great truths in these three words a righteous man a woman righteousness in the Bible two ways to look at this first of all every single one of us who is a Christian positionally we're righteous that is when you and I became a child of God the Bible says in Romans chapter 5 verse 17 that you and I you and I have been clothed in the righteousness of Christ that is he sees us as righteous that is we are right knit related to him as sons and daughters of God once we are saved with the grace of God that's my position just for example when you were saved you became a child of God that's your position the family you're a child of God no longer than any man no longer separated you're a child of God that's your position has nothing new to conduct that's the position a righteous person by position is the person who's been clothed in the righteousness of Christ made righteousness of God washed in the blood of Jesus Christ a child of God forever the second way that word is used is by lifestyle of conduct that is righteous living he says not by works of righteousness which we've done did he save us but according to his mercy and that is it is a good conduct that saved us it's about the grace of God so now when he says in this passage here the effectives prayers of a righteous man and woman can accomplish much he's talking about two things not only must that person be a child of God righteous but that person's conduct their lifestyle must be right the conduct must be right look if you will in psalm 66 for a moment and let me explain something yeah and you know this verse by heart I'm sure psalm 66 and verse 18 and there are many many others here psalm 66 and verse 18 he says if I regard wickedness in my heart the Lord will not hear that's real simple listen better if I regard iniquity in my heart the Lord will not hear what does he mean by regard iniquity in our heart he means if I willingly and knowingly choose to sin against God and keep on sinning against him and do not deal with it God is not going to hear my prayer if he did he would be contributing to my disobedience contributing to my rebellion and contributing to my waywardness he says if i regard iniquity in my heart that doesn't mean if i sin against god and deal with it and you see one of the reasons he placed this illustration here of elijah he was a man with a nature like ours and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain and you know the story elijah wasn't the perfect man elijah disobey god he got depressed he was full of fear one time in his life running from old Jezebel we're not talking about perfect we talk about righteous we're talking about this that the kind of strong list and the kind of strong praying that God gets involved with is the kind of strong praying that comes from many women who are living righteously before God by their conduct and when they sin they deal with it right there and keep moving which means that prayer begins with repentance if I'm right with God God is going to hear me and he's going to get involved but this is why I say that folks who have been careless and then different have been to church and prayed on the talk to God in case of an emergency manipulate God answer my prayer provide my need protect me in my family and then ignore God in other areas of their life you said well I'm not regarding iniquity in my heart if I choose to do my will in rebellion to God's will whether this sophisticated rebellion or outright wicked rebellion isn't making a difference God says I'm not going to hear it the greatest need in this nation today listen for we started all this praying we needed to get on our knees and cry out to God not God save us from a dictator but God save us from our sins God forgive us of our sins repentance over sin in this nation then we be ready to pray for God to do something else we've got it backwards Oh God do this and do that and do the other God's waiting for me to do something about me if I regard iniquity in my heart he's not going to hear me listen I didn't say he didn't want to get involved I didn't say he wasn't sitting in heaven just ready to release his omnipotent power in our life in any crisis and he's willing to do it when we are in a position so that he can that he's no longer contributing to my sin and my waviness and my rebellious Ness and my product of living but he's now contributing to my holy life my obedience to him and my willingness to seek and to do the will of God listen that's what gives the prayer team he said it avails much in the eyes of God it carries weight with God in the throne room of God when those prayers come from strong listen there's strong prayers from burdened hearts out of righteous lives he says otherwise I'm not gonna listen now here's a very encouraging word to me and it's a simple thing look at that verse again he says the effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much now listen carefully because here's why I want you to see how absolutely valuable you as an individual are what did he say he says the strong prayers of what's the next word the strong prayers of what a listen to that a not a whole church not the whole kingdom of God a the effective prayer or strong prayer of a righteous man a woman gets God's supernatural power released in their crisis guess what that says you say well I'm just one person what can my prayer do about the Middle East situation that's not the question ask God what your prayer can do because here's what God promises the strong prayer of a single righteous man a woman gets God's attention and gets God's power release in that crisis no matter what's going on you know what the devil has done he has sold us the biggest job listen he has said to you over and over and over again man this is what is a world war what are you talking about your prayer do you think your prayer for Saddam Hussein is gonna do any good your prayer for the president's gonna do any good and your prayer for these men of those whose names you don't even know you think that's gonna do any good you wasting your time now if everybody gets together to pray then then maybe God hear that but my prayer friend that's the devil's lie What did he say he said the strong prayer of a single person gets God's super natural power released in that given crisis no matter what it is that's why when somebody comes to you and says I am desperately desperately in need of help I desperately need something to happen in my life don't react by saying born we'll get someone to pray for you there's somebody who knows God listen if you're saved you know God listen your single prayer can transform a person's condition just like that if you will believe God now listen to me carefully this I keep my prayer Ward isn't even scriptural unless you're living in sin disobeying God and so full of yourself God can't even give you a burden for someone else I love that verse listen to that listen to that you understand what he's saying you your single prayer from a righteous heart crying out to God believing God trusting God feeling a sense of helplessness before God believing that he will release his supernatural power God will answer your petition his of the devil does he says Lord can have big it is and look at gigantic it is and look how well whelming it is look how impossible it is the devil's line is always this look through my eyes God's line is always this look at this through my eyes every mountain becomes a molehill every crisis begins to shrink every problem begins to be dissolved from the eyes of God I just want to say to many of you who've been praying and you've been talking to God and crying out to him but you've never stopped to think about the past what about all the sin and indifference in rebellion in your life that you've not dealt with you see you don't start for example it lets say that I owed you a lot of money let's add you $100,000 and I came to you and I said turn a new leaf man it's a brand new book in my life I promise you I'm not gonna ever bar any more money from you it's a closed deal never borrow any more money from you this that settles the whole deal it may settle the future but I owe you $100,000 and my big time confession about not ever barring any more money from you hasn't got anything to do with the past and if I start all God from now on Lord if you just save this and if you just change that and oh god if you'll do so and so here's what I'm gonna do guy says mm-hmm what about the past because all this back here that I'm not dealt with negates all the promises and all the things that I want God to do here's what I want you to see listen to me God help you listen his desire is a personal intimate relationship Jesus Christ wants you and me and a personal relationship to him everything we need he's gonna provide the crises he's gonna be there in that and so that's why he's not going to jump just when we howl a crisis when we've ignored him simply I want to ask you a question are you walking with him daily trusting him loving him obeying him as best you know how through the power of the Holy Spirit and when crises comes you don't have to straighten up a bunch of stuff in your life you just begin to cry out to God what about some of you who've never been saved you've been praying about this war and you've rejected Christ and he says no man comes to the Father but by me how can you reject the one whom God sent who makes it possible for us to pray to him and expect God to ignore your rejection of his son to ignore your apathy toward his son to ignore your indifference toward his son or your mocking are using his name and profanity you expect him to ignore all of that and then just to come clean answer all of your prayers my friend it will not happen it cannot happen because that is not the nature of God his primary interest is not in my needs but in my relationship and when I'm in right relationship with him all these things holy God has absolutely promised to take care of God has their attention in this country and what we need is a big-time wholesale Holy Ghost revival of repentance before Almighty God crying out to him to clean up our life and clean up our nation and then we'll see God's supernatural pound the most absolute amazing miraculous ways but the question is are we willing to pay the price of a clean heart to get the supernatural power of God into our crisis Lord Jesus Oh God stir our hearts move our hearts prickers with conviction expose our hearts to ourselves help us to see things as they are and all God give us the wisdom to cry up to you give us the wisdom to repent of our sin and to recognize that you want to but you can't as long as we hold you off with sin I pray for those who have lost who need to be saved this very moment that you would grant them the courage to cry out to you and know that that's one cry you always hear oh God be merciful to me a sinner and save me through the death of Jesus Christ I pray father for those who are living in sin who are trying to pray and get you in on their problems and wondering why they're not working why you're not answering prayer while the problems are not being solved the crises is still before them grant them the wisdom to repent of every single known sin everything that you bring to their heart O God give them the courage and the wisdom to repent of it to turn away from it but the power of the Holy Spirit to renounce it to walk away from it and to trust you to cleanse and to get involved God give them the wisdom to make things right in order to make their life of valuable precious powerful tool to impact everybody around them we love you we praise you Lord how we adore you for your patience and for your wonderful grace toward us is our prayer in Jesus name Amen

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Views: 595,170

Rating: 4.8540053 out of 5

Keywords: Charles F. Stanley, Charles Stanley, In Touch with Dr. Charles Stanley, In Touch Ministries, Preaching, Bible teaching, Dr. Stanley, Intouch ministries, intouch

Id: w3Pyi4e75II

Length: 46min 2sec (2762 seconds)

Published: Sat Mar 21 2020