Teach Us to Pray - Victor Jackson

why don't we open up our Bibles to the Gospel of Luke Gospel of Luke chapter I commend you for your response to the presence of God last night in this morning just a great hunger in this place and got to see some of y'all bulldog skills last night I see the Lord has blessed you abundantly [Music] still trying to find the person that put magnets and the gutter [Music] threw the ball down the middle just something pulled it to the gutter in it was going straighten this every time it just so I'm still trying to find that person that planted magnets on brother Jackson's I will find you because I'm telling I was bullying perfect I'm telling you Hevel I thought I threw the ball perfect I mean I just coming for you people really getting scared I'm kidding folks okay [Music] people hiding magnets what's the magnet have those on my refrigerator Luke chapter 11 verse 1 thankful for what God did last night and it's wonderful youth committee Luke chapter 11 verse one I'm just gonna read one scripture and he came to pass that as he was praying in a certain place when he ceased one of his disciples said unto Him Lord teach us to pray as John also taught his disciples Lord teach us to teach us to pray I want to talk about that that phrase and I just want to talk about developing a prayer life developing a prayer life amen you may be seated in the presence of God and just clap your hands one more time amen amen what a tremendous crowd this morning I've been in places where the crowd was about 1,500 strong on Friday night and then they had a Saturday morning session and there was 50 people and it was as expected you know if we don't expect the big Karl to be about 50 of us well Jackson come prepared to be the Usher and and be the lead worshiper and can you play the piano brother Jackson and can you agree at the door he's come prepared to do everything that's what I want not come to the Saturday morning services I'm just prepared to do whatever you need me to work the camera hallelujah amen and but I tell you what what a tremendous crowd this morning on a Saturday morning you guys are just y'all just don't play in Canada I'll just come with it some of y'all looking at me like look man just get to the word just get to the word like I don't have time for jokes serious hallelujah tackle the word out of me amen amen I want to talk about that developing developing a prayer life and notice in the text that I read to you a lot of people quoted wrong the disciples came upon Jesus praying and they wanted to imitate him they wanted to be like him they wanted to follow him and finally after watching him pray they cried out with desperation Lord teach us to pray notice they didn't ask Lord teach us how to pray y'all gonna make me preach this early but they didn't ask how to pray they just said Lord teach us to pray there's a difference that there's a difference there's a difference between Lord teach us how to pray and Lord teach us to pray what they were saying was Lord teach us to pray when our schedule gets busy teach us to pray what I don't feel like it teach us to pray when I'm tired teach us to pray what I'm going through it teach us to pray because while I am praying I discover how to pray you learn how to pray by praying you don't need another message on the art of prayer you learn how to pray by praying you learn how to pray by praying the person that asked the wrong questions and prayer is better off than the person that doesn't ask at all the person that asked a miss is better than the person that refuses to ask think about if my son came up to me and he was like dad I would like a Porsche now as his father I would not condemn him for asking me for a Porsche I would just say son let me start you off on a toy bike I do not condemn his prayer I just use my influence to read I read his prayer what am I saying there are no dumb ways to pray I don't care how foolish your questions are I don't care how foolish your prayer is I don't care if you're asking him to do the unthinkable I don't care if you're trying to keep the prayer on your own lust come on somebody as long as you get into relationship God's influence will begin to change and redirect your prayers to pray according to the will of your father I say you just got to start opening your mouth don't worry about what you're gonna say or how poetic it is it doesn't have to be the case of who thou art the father of us all savvy I give thee worship upon thy right hand there are pleasures forevermore and I seeked as well with thee all the days of my life Oh thou omnipotent preeminent majestic and your normal languages like yoga was up bro well why do you take on a different personality in your prayer life effective prayer is sincere prayer if you're if you normally talk to people like yell dog was up what's going on well you that's how you just need to start talking to God yo god I'm struggling God yo you know I'm battling God you know I need you guys let him tell me more you think he just shuns that he's the Bible says he listens to the prayer of a little child that that babbles but all it can say is Jesus and God says I'm tuned into that but but you try to get your think you have to put your prayers perfectly to be heard he hears sincerity yeah yeah he hears he hears sincerity so so what he does is with your your elementary prayer as you get started what begins to happen is God starts using his influence to start helping you mutter what he wants you to mutter are you hearing me so you see what my son his relationship I would rather my son asked me for a Porsche than to sit in a corner and never talk to me and God saying I would rather you ask me some crazy stuff then to you to never communicate with me you have to start you learn to pray by praying start somewhere if you start off and all you could say is just Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus all of a sudden you do that for a while all of a sudden the influence of the Father begins to start putting things into your spirit all the things like Jesus I love you Jesus I love you Jesus I love you and then you start spending more time as Jesus son I love you with everything in me I I want you God I need you come on somebody it started somewhere you just have to start somewhere and leave it up to God to start saying what he wants you to but but it's easy it's easy it's amazing how as soon as you say everybody pray you go straighten I've seen people not know it's amazing how and for I've seen people that they're more they're louder I've seen altar calls that were completely silent but as soon as they say everybody be dismissed everyone's like hey let's go down buddy you hypocrite don't worry don't take it personal I'm just just illustrating to you that if that's how you are in prayer I expect you to be timid everywhere else but as I know you're a prick soon as perova hey let's go you want to come you want to come hey let's do you think bad guys like see because you think you have to be something different before God if you normally are outgoing talking you should be the one and I'm saying God I need you I love you I expect from you honey come on somebody I'm just asking you to be who you are everywhere else be that in the presence of God you know why are you scared of God all day you talking if we want to get you to be quiet we just put you in church don't worry altar call starting in a moment don't worry they won't talk whole services yeah yeah there's the altar cause they really come on I'm just so I'm just showing you the hypocrisy of it all I'm just saying be the same person that's all I'm saying see see see how the veils being lifted off your look at anybody you're incapable don't be intimidated when you get in God's presence the Bible says he's a friend that sticks closer than a brother you have to start talking to God like he's your friend as you confiding your friends you have to learn to confide and God while I don't know what to say well why don't you tell God you don't know what to say that's prayer you could pray by saying hey God I don't know what to say to you but the preacher is kind of forcing me to talk to you God's like yeah that's prayer you learn to pray by brain and you grow in prayer by by praying because as you in communication with your father he starts directing you to what he wants you to say remember when I first got in church and I was just so on fire and just radical just believe God for anything and I remember I was in a prayer one time after being in church a few months I said Lord I'm ready to go on a 40 days fast God was like that's cute and God was like you know what Victor I'll give you grace to start skipping a meal then I went back to God God alright I'm ready to go on a 21-day fast God was like son that's that's very cute I'll give you grace too fast a day then I went back to God just continual in prayers a God hi I'm ready to go on a 7-day fast said son I'll give you grace to fast two days then finally I went back to God and said God how long do you want me to fast my communication with my father changed my speech and it sounded frivolous for a new comfort that's been in church for a month to ask God to give him the grace that fast 40 days but God didn't condemn me he just embraced me and started redirecting what he wanted me to say just let the father use his influence on your life if you learn how to pray by praying no no no no I'm not letting you off with that meditation stuff I don't pray or meditate well that's awfully easy isn't it there's a time for meditation there's time for meditating on the word meditation on Scripture but I never seen a person get something to eat as a teenager by psychologically communicating so see you don't know what I'm thinking one of the last time you went home and you were hungry he just walked in and just just sit down isn't it easy to just say is there anything to eat here hello why would God it's always meditation with you say can you just open up your mouth he said What did he say he said said I know your I know your prayers before you even ask but but but ask before you ask but before you ask asked us that's an expression that's asking a question that before you verbalize it right does this make sense so get in the presence of God you don't have to always be loud some of the most powerful prayers are sincere prayers one of my most powerful prayer meetings was a sincere prayer meeting that I had with the Lord and I was 22 years old I said look Lord house he's in the prayer room I was like look Lord I don't I don't have time to be dating all types of people I need to know who's the one for me I want to do a work for you I know you've called me to evangelize preacher gospel to the nation's and I don't want to you know do that do that single I need to know I don't need to date several people God I need to know who's the one for me just just like that and literally God put Luisa him in my mind he'll give me a picture of her and I'd met her a year and a half before and I was like Lord what's her name so I went where you find out people's names I went on Facebook and and and in less than six months we were married yeah y'all not hearing me out here June 12th we started courting August 24th I proposed November 17th we were married but I was one of my most powerful prayer meetings when I just was honest was that time he just got honest with God was the last time he just got in God's presence and said you know what I'm struggling that's a powerful prayer to communicate that dependency I'm struggling and I need you but you know it's easier to pretend isn't it I haven't prayed in six months but here we go I think I thought that's it to complain I don't feel anything you know that's not God's fault right maybe you haven't expressed any effort to want to feel him amen but what happens is when we we feel the desire to pray and to finally put to pray the first thing we do is we go buy a book on prayer but as Jackson talked about prayer this morning who Amazon doo doo doo doo doo you her life instantly increased I was reading a book several years ago I read a book called why revival Terry's by a Leonard Ravenhill and it's a book on prayer and I was reading this book on prayer and it was amazing it was amazing and while I was reading it the Lord spoke to me he said Victor you know how many people have read this book and still don't pray because reading a book on prayer cannot replace prayer but while you're reading a book on prayer you really feel like you're drawing closer to God in prayer it is easier to read it then to do it millions have read that book and still don't have a prayer life like have you read the book oh it was amazing well not amazing enough for you to do anything about it is it reading a book on prayer cannot replace prayer but God said you know what people do people will read a book to ease the conviction and use it as a substitute as if they have obeyed me I'm talking to you you don't grow by reading about you don't need to leave this place and go and read about the Lord's Prayer or read about no just do it I rather you pray for 15 minutes then for you to read a book on prayer for an hour you got to do it in order to grow reading a book on prayer cannot replace prayer reading a book on the word cannot replace the word reading a book on fasting cannot replace the fasting we have to stop using books as substitutes for obedience there's got to start doing it but God says that's it's simple you know you know how to be used of God very simple are you ready very simple you've heard it before you're ready grid for it here it is here it is this is this is profound right right but prayer fasting oh I've heard that before reading the Bible three things three keys to be used by God but we start looking for easier routes to get the same results secretly you're looking in that book for a secret passageway something nobody knows I'm going to be used in here without this prayer stuff going to be used powerfully and prophetically if I can just find this secret passageway and this book no one knows about that has been sold over a million times it's the best New York Times bestseller but nobody knows my secret it's not making sense God's like can you just do the work and just pray [Applause] amen the Bible says that the world was turned upside down with ignorant and unlearned men stop using your lack of intellect or lack of education as an excuse to not pray or as an excuse to not be used by God right is just you start just start and no prayer is not in the altar he's singing along with the altar song oh you use that one a lot don't you everybody else is praying here you're not praying you're singing but you're fooling everybody aren't you I got you I'm in your mill right now I'm in the mailbox you're like you're giving me my secret brother Jackson are you doing so they don't know you're singing that's not prayer that's that's just singing along just just pray but what do I say well you don't think about what you're gonna say when you walk out that door you start talking right you know you gonna you gonna leave this you're gonna think you're gonna do some exegesis on how to talk to your friend when you leave this place what do I say next to my friend got a whole notepad out here hi how are you my response I'm doing fine how about you should I ask him a question no delete delete no scribble that out yeah that's how you approach God in prayer gotta get a whole manuscript I'm not talking to you right now am i helping you we have a hand if I'm helping you right now amen I think someone teaches a class and Apostolic churches on how to put on a poker face because everyone has the same face on this morning everyone's looking at me like I got the same face on that's how I know I'm in your mailbox that's not right that's how I know I'm helping you because you're trying not to show any response that don't throw me off this trade you stay on it I stay on until you start squinting amen you have to start doing the work of Prayer I was telling them the other day that devotion increases when distractions decrease you have to start eliminating some distractions that would keep you from prayer they would keep you from time with God I don't want of a nap several years ago I only had it for maybe a month or two because it took a lot of my battery but his app was called moment and this app moment it would keep track of how much time I spent on my phone butters conviction coming over this building already and I'm very intentional with my devotion life with my prayer life with my study very almost almost overly obsessive about it I have planners I have graphs I have I have journals I have all these things that I do to make sure that my devotion is priority and I downloaded this app that kept track of how much time I spent on my phone and the first day I realized my astonishment I spent eight hours on my phone and I'm intentional with my devotion life and I still spent eight hours at the end of the week I spent 41 hours on my phone full-time job 41 hours and I'm intentional with my devotion life wonder how much time you spend and you're not intentional with your devotion life what am I saying you have more time on your hands than you realize I'm sorry reading a book on prayer cannot replace prayer and listening to a sermon on prayer cannot replace prayer some of y'all YouTube has become your sanctuary hold on I'm listening to God what else does he have to say are you getting what I'm trying to convey here this morning you have more time than you realize you have to learn how to eliminate distractions when I'm praying I don't have my phone with me you don't have your phone where your pray what if someone contacts you I don't know how did they survive 100 years ago without a phone do you believe people were alive a hundred years ago was worth without zone oh no tech no text message they had telegrams that they they had they had payphones 150 years ago you give me George Washington didn't have a phone how did they win the Revolutionary War Jesus didn't have an iPhone we act like we act like this thing is like yeah I preach what a timer is Priscilla 3035 minutes I'm good I'm good well act like this thing is I thought we go to farmers they did we got an addiction with this thing hey we can't go without it and then there and this thing is they he put that down and he's like Oh it's become conviction preaching to say hey I think everyone should have a Bible Sunday morning and that's like that's like conviction every people are like did you hear what that preacher said he said we should pray our Bibles on Sunday board it oh man he's old-school isn't that crazy okay you're already looking at me like I'm a hard-nosed preacher so what did he preach his way well he said he said that he said that we should probably bring our Bibles send them on I don't want you ever listening to him again thrown out if I were to say please don't bring any any cell phones in the sanctuary during church Oh boyo would but somebody would be crucified if they said that so how did his ministry end Oh he preached against cell phones ooh bad move all right all right we're invested in that probably more than we should be huh and I'm talking to you aren't I I'm just some people like can we go back to like he preaching and being less confrontational talking to me I like to hide behind the lightness behind the lightness of your voice like the hype behind the loudness of your voice like when you get loud I could just make but when I'm just looking straight edge here in this thing saying hey you don't pray do you you're like hey come on man come on mandala come on man going here brother Jackson preach I'll be there no I think he's gonna talk I'm busy can you clap your hands just to ease the tension in this books amen amen amen you know the word the word media you know we talked about social media you're talking about me you know that word media is a plural word it's a plural word that the singular form of the word media is medium and the word medium means a channel through which thoughts influences and spirits can flow through that's what a medium is a which uses a medium to contact the spirit world media is a channel through its thoughts and influences and human spirits can come and influence you that's what that's what media is just a channel that's why they have TV channels how do you want to be influenced I know what my son has been watching about how he's acting he likes watching Daniel Tiger little kids show but you know how I know when he's watching it but he came up to me and he goes I'm frustrated where did that come from say Daniel Tiger said I could be frustrated you're not watching Daniel Tiger anymore see that because the media can produce habits I can see how you're dressed and realize what you've been watching I can hear how you talk and realize what you've been listening to because media is designed to influence you I'm helping I'm helping is designed to influence you I can look at people in the airport and they'll have like some people will have some blue hair with like some gothic clothes on and cut real short look just like an anime character and I was like let me look at their phone sure enough they're watching the enemy I've even seen me walk around with the bunny ears and just the whole the whole thing you're gonna tell me it doesn't influence you right it does it can it influences it's a it's a channel through its thoughts thoughts and ideas are projected on you you know why do you think they spend millions of dollars for 15-second commercials and it just because I hope this works hey come on you know get hungry till you see a picture of that big burger on the come on somebody look good amen so so so so it's a channel it is a channel but but the Bible is is is is a medium it's a channel not the human spirit but it's when the thoughts and ideas of God are impressed upon an individual and instead of you taking on the image of the world you began to take on the image of God come on I know what you're reading well you began to walk a Christian life you begin to love your brother you began to love your neighbor as yourself you begin to love them that hate you and despitefully use you because the mediums influence amen amen does that make sense you got a plug into the medium it's okay to have mediums so can't have media but but as whose thoughts and ideas are you tuned into right and all right I was reading went on a several years ago I was reading several different commentaries in while I was reading these commentaries the Lord spoke to me said Victor which one of these commentaries taught you how to preach I said well none of them Lord he said well how did you learn to preach so just by praying to you and and you taught me and he goes will stay with the source as like Charles Spurgeon said he said visit many good books but live in the Bible books can inform you they can inspire only the Bible can transform you and change you you gotta start spending some time in and the Word of God come on now you gotta start spending some time in the Word of God so you can be transformed you ever read a book and you got inspired it in two weeks later than you know what's going on with me it's alright to read books go ahead read as much as you can but make sure that you are prioritizing the Word of God over every other book because when you read a human book it's coming out of a human spirit listen and the book you're reading you can never attain the amount of information that the human behind the book has concerning that subject cuz they wrote it but when you get in the scripture you have contact with God's Spirit and there are no limitations you can go as deep as you want and the author come on so so I want to talk wanted to talk to you about putting these things into action because you guys have great ministers in your district in your church great pastors amazing people and they've all they've all heard you've all heard stuff about prayer you've you've heard about it but but it's about application it's about application in order to grow everything I am is because I just put into action what my pastor preached that's it that's it people wonder what why did people wonder people wondered life let me ask you this why does God speak to us like really minister well God really spoke to us why does God speak to us we think God speaks just to speak like saying I am the Lord and I'm speaking with you who God speaks so you can act upon what he has spoken say God ask yourself a question was the last time you've acted on the word was the last time you just went home and put it wasn't that something your your your leader preached on soul-winning and you immediately went out and you made sure you witness to somebody instead of saying did you hear that message also went in see you don't grow by just talking about it just hearing the word you grow by doing the word and that's what I came to challenge you with here this morning is that we have to start being intentional about doing the word about doing the actions and the habits that it takes to be great and the power about a day is that any day you could become a prayer warrior any day you could become you could become someone that loves the Word of God any day that's the potential over there today if you want it you could go you could go back to your room and you can read the Bible for an hour and a half two hours and you just became a lover of the Bible you can change your story today any day you can become you could be someone that spends time with God where you go off alone and you go pray for 30 minutes to an hour to two hours and you're just praying praying along with God and all of a sudden now that their past is just completely erased God sees you as you are now that's the potential of a day you can change you don't have to accept you're not wanting or not being able you can change that any day any day you can change it today amen I just want you to lift up your hands where you are right now go ahead lift up those hands I want you to close your eyes and I want everyone in here I just want you to start talking to God open your mouth I just want you to start talking to them don't meditate right now I want you to start talking you can tell them God I need you if you don't know what to say just say Jesus but everyone in here needs to just start talking to him tell him God I need you I love you come on snow meditation talk to him come on open up your mouth and talk to him like you talk to your friends I praise You God I love you I need you come on open up your mouth and see I've heard you talk louder I saw heard you talking louder louder last night at the bowling alley come on I need you to start talking to him God I need you I love you I need you in my life you are my help thank you for everything thank you for getting us here safely thank you for using me thank you for my pastor thank you for my friends and my family come on that's it start talking to him see that it's putting it into action right now let's put this into action let's let's do it right now let's do it right now he come on Abajo tyre I need you Jesus I love you you are my help you're my father I need you more than anything that's it I see people praying in here that's that I see people that have stopped meditating and now they're opening up their mouths and they're getting comfortable talking to God come on just talk to him this is a prayer development this is a developing a prayer life right here I need you Jesus I love you huh I care for you huh you are my strength you are my Redeemer you are the restorer of my soul in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ hallelujah hallelujah hallelujah hallelujah hallelujah Jesus omaha's tire say I want you to hear me for a second you see that exercise we just did you see you tried to go back into your little habit didn't you come on somebody I'm trying to teach you something that can stay with you for a lifetime you have to start approaching God as you are as we draw nigh to God he will draw nigh unto us the real you as the real you comes to God the the real God he will make himself known to you that's why I wanted to do that because we have to start putting into action tonight during the service and throughout the altar call you have to make a habit of talking about getting comfortable why are you so care huh what he's scared is gonna speak something positive over you child I love you right gotta have the courage to come boldly before the throne right gonna have the courage he doesn't want to hear you did you know that he wants to hear you yeah I'm not a big deal there's other people praying you don't need to hear me goes no I want to hear you I specifically designed your voice so I can hear you out of the billions of people on this earth when you say my name I tune in because your voice is like none other than the seven billion people I designed it uniquely because well you open it I come where you are to hear what you have to say that's why every one of us are different every one of us has different patterns and our speech patterns because God tunes and so you will you open your mouth gotta get the right perception of him he wants to hear you when you pray tonight when you pray in this service tonight I want you to just start opening up your mouth and talking to him if you notice if I were to say you're dismissed this whole place would go up and up for some of y'all would speak over there hey bro don't forget I'm seeing it tonight okay don't forget to pick me up he's as close as the mention of his name and he's he's close to you and he just wants to hear you talk to him but his come on come on I'm just trying to expose just trying to expose that thing that's bind there that's binding your mind just got to start talking to him I want everyone say this I want everyone to say hello now once you say hello God see that it wasn't that cool but if I were to say hey I want y'all to say hello to God in prayer you if you can speak it you can pray it right I want everyone who said it's a god I love you I want you say it louder God I love you now I want you to lift up your hands everyone lift up your hands I want you to lift up your hands I want you to close your eyes and I want you to pray and tell God you love them just as loud as you spoke it just now [Music] [Music] Publishing we call global leadership he shall return rubbish buh-buh-buh-buh-byeeeee because labo who she talked about because he la mama mama my socks on ah hallelujah all right I want you to hear me wow that was tremendous Wow that was tremendous I'm showing you what you're capable of I'm showing you what you're capable of you're capable of having a prayer life you're capable of believing that God is hearing you it's just about doing it and the more you do it is almost like it becomes a habit now it just becomes the way you operate and don't stop don't beat yourself up if you yes the go everyone says the go hey they say hey I pray and read your Bible every day yes that is the goal but if you miss a day if you miss a few times don't you condemn yourself and beat yourself up for missing some days wondering how God's gonna use you know you just say you know what I missed today I'm gonna try again tomorrow I'm gonna try again the next day that's the mentality that you have to have so so some of you some of you sabotage your your prayer life because you leave on fire from these youth retreats in youth camps and youth conventions and you've prayed there but in a minute you miss a day the week at your home you think man I guess it was all a joke I guess it was all I guess it was all in my imagination and your kind of condemnation sabotages your turn your prayer life and so so don't beat yourself up when you miss days everyone misses some days brother Jackson misses some days I don't like that I want to get better you know what I'm saying I'm not perfect I was telling them last night you fail your way into devotion I told brother Matthew I said look I'm an expert on Genesis I've probably read the book of Genesis 150 times not because I studied it but because I had so many failed Bible plans this started on Genesis how many times I wanted to read the Bible through come on somebody then I gave up on Leviticus so then I start over then I gave up on Deuteronomy then I start over and I got busy and gave up on Exodus and then start over you see that I've read the book of Genesis like the back of my hand I'm not kidding but I felt so much I started to find what works for me I had the office at home Avan offers at home and I made my office sold meat it's like a books everywhere I got my degrees on the wall I got vmj I mean I got I mean I got it just just nice and like then I set down to study let me go check the fridge sit down the steady did I mow the lawn no I better I need to mow the lawn today go mow the lawn come back did Luiza just call me hey did you call me no no honey you sure no no honey I don't need anything is there something you're not telling me no honey I'm fine get to study like three hours have passed I know you cook in yeah baby what you want well I need some food so I could get in the word open the fridge like ten times and I was wake up in the morning I say you know what I'm gonna start waking up it and and I thought the Lord speak to me he said Victor once you start we can I've been 532 pray I said okay Lord the next day I set my alarm for 7:30 my god I gotta meet you in the middle of somewhere how's that good after several months and I wake up and I go to my office and I'd be studying in my pajamas and then I fall asleep in my head in my Bible father say something and after months and years of that I realize I say you know it if I'm gonna study I'm gonna have to leave my home what's the place God told me to wake up at 5:30 a year ago I still haven't done it come on somebody what's a place that opens up at 5:00 a.m. Starbucks that's how my journey started 5 a.m. but in order to be use I need to pray so I'll leave my house go to the church to pray for a few hours then after I'm done I'll go to Starbucks and I'll be there by 7:00 7:30 and then I'd wake up in the morning to 5:30 and my alarms next to me and I hit the snooze and I wake up and I'd have my PJs on in it I'd hit the snooze I say you know I gotta start treating this like a cha are you seeing the development here after failure I said I know what I'm gonna do I'm gonna start putting my phone on the other side of the room for my alarm so when I wake up I have to get out of my bed to stop the alarm and hopefully when I'm awake I'm awake just enough to get something like you know what I better have some clothes ready I'm not going like a job you know I'm gonna wear a suit and tie every day that's where I worked for the last five years I've worn suit and tie every day I have to do it all or my devotion is not gonna get done so I put my phone on the other side of the other side of the room wake up 5:30 I get up right next to my phone once I hit the stop there's my suit and tie and everything right I hurry up and get dressed what's that get dressed everything's waiting on me by the door I'm out of the house in 15 minutes and by the time I'm out of the house I'm still tired but once that air hits me all of a sudden I started waking up that was how it started developing five years ago but I filled my way there because I realized that oh brother brother uh Woodward I said I say you know the the mind is never more creative than when finding an excuse I was amazed at how philosophical I was with my alarm went off fifty five thirty five thirty in the morning he'd be it'd be next to me I'd be like I needed rest so I can study later yeah next morning my wife might need me home longer yeah next day oh I got a little crick in my back rest will help this my mind is crazy man I'm like a philosopher and I just started learning what's the best way for me till the major strike so when I go to prayer I don't have my phone with me if I'm in town at home if I'm not relying on somebody picking me up from the Starbucks I know I'm gonna leave my phone in the car it start but I don't have my phone most times when I'm studying unless I'm waiting for somebody to pick me up but if I have a vehicle my phone is in the vehicle I don't even have it when I'm reading because I've learned that my phone can be a distraction when I'm trying to enter into his presence so I put it away what am I saying don't be don't beat yourself up for failing just start saying I'm gonna get better I'm gonna try this I want to try you got to start trying stuff to see what works best for you that's why I have a Bible plan youversion bible plan you shot you ought to you ought to look that up you ought to start a Bible plan starting today or tomorrow you ought to start up your own Bible plan on you version there's seven they plans there's three-day plans there's 60-day plans there's a year plan there's 90-day plans there's two-year plans there's three-year plans find you a Bible plan where you're reading the Bible every day even if it's for a chapter even if it's just chapter a day and I found that I study better when I'm on a plan stop believing it up to hope what am I gonna read today who Deuteronomy here we are thou shalt carry much seed out into the field and shall gather a little in for the locust shall consume it come then stop leaving it up to chance and how you feel with your emotions that's the thing about a plan a plan doesn't care how you feel that day so every day I wake up the plans saying alright you need to read these chapters and I'm like okay and you know what I started I'll give it I'll give this I'm sorry I'm gonna be honest am i okay is this okay I'm almost done I'm just talking to y'all y'all it's just awesome I'm doing I'm wrapping up I'm sorry so so so my first plan that I started and I don't tell people this but here we go first plan I started was I'm just illustrating I'm being transparent with you to show you how much I failed okay I tried to read the the Bible do the 90-day play and read the Bible in 90 days now that sounds now that sounds amazing until you see that 75,000 people have already done it it shows you how many people have completed the plan so that sounds like whoo you're special 75,000 people in how we did it - okay 90 days so I wanted to read it so that's like 14 chapters a day and so I started on this Bible plan I'm gonna read the Bible in 90 days and here we are this was this was about five years ago as I started reading it as I started reading this plan of course you know what happened I got behind so thankfully the youversion app has this thing called catch me up where it starts it goes back to where you are like you're right on time I don't know how many times I press that thing but I was supposed to read it in 90 days well guess what that's three months I didn't get it finished until six months it took me six months then I tried it again 90 days it took me six months again but then when you look at it you know I read the Bible through two times in a year I felt a lot but I guess that's pretty good what am I saying you may fell a lot but at least you're reading you may do a year Bible plan and finish it in two years guess what you read your Bible through come on some are you getting it so don't beat yourself up just say I'm just gonna do better I'm just gonna do better I'm just gonna do better and so so many plans I have felt but you know what it's that that struggle is where you grow I'm still in that struggle we're all in that struggle that's what I want you to do to put into action I want you to start you don't need to read another book on prayer you don't need to read another book on on on reading your Bible you just need to start reading the word you just need to start praying and you're gonna grow in that process of development can everybody clap your hands to the Lord [Applause]

Channel: Capital Community Church

Views: 26,783

Rating: 4.8563538 out of 5

Keywords: capital, community, church, fredericton, nb, new, brunswick, canada, upc, upci, united, pentecostal, international, apostolic, christian, preaching, sermons, sermon, raymond, woodward, jack, leaman, matthew, bible, study, biblical teaching, VICTOR, JACKSON, teach us to pray

Id: x4elrViCXKY

Length: 76min 1sec (4561 seconds)

Published: Sat Oct 19 2019