male announcer: This
presentation is brought to you
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by the friends of the
Amazing Facts ministry.
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¤¤
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Doug Batchelor:
Prayer for the Christian
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should be like breathing.
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If the Bible is the bread of
life and if witnessing is like
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letting your light shine and
exercising, then prayer would be
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the breath of the soul.
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¤¤
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Doug Batchelor: You know,
I remember hearing a story
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years ago, I believe it was
A.W. Tozer, a famous pastor.
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He was sailing across the
Atlantic Ocean on this ship, and
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while he was there, the captain
knew he was there, and he said,
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"Could you please speak to
our first class passengers?"
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Well, a number of people came
to one of the main cabins and he
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talked to them about the power
of prayer, and an agnostic, he's
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on the ship back then,
they didn't have a lot of
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entertainment, he thought,
"Well, I'll go, and I'll listen
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to this preacher and
see what he has to say."
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And he listened and then some
of the people that were in third
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class said, "Any
chance that Pastor Tozer
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could come talk to us?"
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He said, "I'd be
happy to talk to them."
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Someone asked the atheist
or agnostic what he thought, he
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said, "Well don't believe a word
of it, I don't believe there's
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a God, and I don't
believe that He answers prayer."
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But they invited them to
come hear him talk, then, to the
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third class passengers, and on
his way he thought, "Well, I'll
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stop by my room, I'm getting a
little hungry, I'm going to get
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a couple of oranges."
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He got his oranges and he was
walking back across the deck,
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and there was a woman, an old
woman sleeping on the deck, she
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had fallen asleep trying to get
some fresh air and she had her
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hands down in her lap.
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And the atheist, he had a sense
of humor, he thought, "I can't
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resist this," he quietly took
two oranges out of his pocket
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and he put one in each of her
open hands as she was sleeping;
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then he went on and he
heard Tozer preach to the third
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class passengers.
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Well, he again talked about the
power of prayer and he felt his
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heart being stirred, but he
said, "No, how could God answer
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prayer, there really can't
be a God that answers prayer."
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At this point, he leaves the
meeting, a friend said, "Well,
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what did you think of
Pastor Tozer's talk on prayer?"
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He said, "I'm still not
sure I agree with that babbler."
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Then he walks down the deck and
he sees the woman, that he had
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placed the oranges in her
hands, she's eating one of the
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two oranges.
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He said, "Well that looks like
you're enjoying that," she said,
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"Mister, you will
never believe what happened."
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She said, "I came up on deck
because I've been struggling
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with sea sickness, and I
fell asleep, and I was dreaming
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if I could only have an
orange I would feel better,
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and I started praying.
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I said, 'Lord, I know I'm
out in the middle of the ocean,
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but if I could just have
an orange I just feel like
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that's what I need
and I'd feel better.'"
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She said, "I woke up and there
was an orange in each hand," and
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he was kinda stunned to hear
that, that here he had been the
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means of answering her prayer.
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He said, "Madam, I probably
ought to let you know that I'm
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the one that put the
oranges in your hands."
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And she said, "Praise the Lord,
He can even use an atheist to
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answer my prayers."
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So God is a God
that answers prayer.
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"Rejoice always,
pray without ceasing."
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This is something that we all
need to do friends, understand
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the priority of prayer.
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Getting into this, let's talk a
little bit about the foundation
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of prayer.
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Now if you're at all involved
in real estate, you've probably
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heard it said that
there are three rules
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for success in real estate.
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I can almost hear it
echoing through the online fiber
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optics right now, it's
location, location, location.
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It doesn't matter if you
buy a mansion that's out in the
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desert, and nobody can get to
it, and there is no facilities
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or water around,
doesn't do you any good.
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Yet if you buy an old broken
down house and it's in a really
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nice neighborhood and it's
located near transportation and
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near services, you can put a
mansion on it and then you've
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got something, location.
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They say there are three
rules when it comes to raising
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children:
Example, example, example.
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And in prayer, in
living the Christian life,
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that's really the answer,
it's prayer, prayer, prayer.
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You're going to find it from
cover to cover in the Bible.
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Sometimes we get distracted
with things that are of
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less importance.
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E.M. Bounds said, "What the
church needs today is not more
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machinery or better new
organizations or more novel
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methods but men and women whom
the Holy Spirit can use, men of
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prayer, mighty men in prayer."
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Now if you come to church and
you sing like an angel but you
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seldom pray, your
singing will not save you.
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If you give generously
to Christian causes, that's
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wonderful, much appreciated,
but you cannot buy your way into
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heaven if you're not praying.
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If you show up at every church
work bee and you slave in the
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kitchen but you don't pray,
you're not going to be saved by
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your good works.
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At the same time, if you are
praying the way you should pray,
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you'll be singing and giving and
serving, and so prayer is really
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the foundation for
the Christian experience.
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So, let's talk a little bit
about the formula for prayer.
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Now, I'm not gonna suggest
to you mixed a combination of
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chemicals or kitchen ingredients
and voila, you're going to have
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secret prayer, but the Bible
does say prayer is something
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that we can study
and learn to do better.
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Luke chapter 11, verse 1, "It
came to pass that as He, Jesus,
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was praying in a certain place,
when He ceased, one of his
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disciples said to Him,
'Lord, teach us to pray--'"
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not only did he say, "Jesus,
teach us to pray, as John--"
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John the Baptist--
"taught his disciples."
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And Jesus never said, well,
no, prayer's just something
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you'll learn by feeling.
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He agreed that it was
something that could be taught.
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And at that point Christ began
to recite the Lord's Prayer,
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He says, "When you pray,
say, 'Our Father, which art
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in heaven,'" so forth.
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And when He gave the Lord's
prayer, He didn't say make sure
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and repeat this prayer, never
said that, He said, "In this
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manner therefore pray."
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So in the Lord's Prayer you've
got an outline for how we should
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approach God in prayer, you've
got seven petitions in the
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Lord's Prayer.
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It says, "Our Father," it's
talking about God, asking Him to
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lead us, to forgive us, and then
you've got the petitions between
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man and man, and it says, well,
there it says, you know, lead
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us, forgive us, feed us; talks
about Thy name, Thy kingdom.
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And so you've got the
relationship between man
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and God in the Lord's
Prayer, and then you've got the
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horizontal relationship.
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Something else about the Lord's
Prayer, never do you find the
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word me, doesn't say lead me,
guide me, feed me, deliver me,
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it's lead us, guide
us, feed us, deliver us,
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and it's Thy
kingdom, Thy glory, Thy name.
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And so the key to successful
prayer is it starts with God,
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and it's thinking about others,
what are the great commandments?
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"Love the Lord with all your
heart, love your neighbor as
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yourself," someone once said
that that's the secret to joy.
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Jesus, others, you, J-O-Y.
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Start with Jesus, others, you,
if you keep that sequence the
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way it should be, you end up
finding happiness by blessing
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and serving others
and praying for others.
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And so, well what do you do if
you pray and your mind wanders?
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Anyone out there
you struggle with that?
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You know, it just takes
discipline, it's like you know,
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when you're a child you're
easily distracted, and one of
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the things kids learn in school
is they're taught to focus and
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give their attention to things.
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As you grow as a Christian,
you'll notice that your mind
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wanders when you're praying and
just whenever you're aware of it
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you bring it back.
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Pray for the Holy Spirit as
you pray, talked about that last
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night, say, "Lord, help
me to pray in the Spirit."
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When your mind begins to wander
with trivia, 'cause your mind is
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swimming with millions of
thoughts, bring it back, focus.
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And when you talk to God, keep
in mind you're not going through
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a religious exercise, you are in
the presence of the King of the
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Universe and so focus
on who you're talking to.
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You know, it's something that
your parents usually teach when
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you're children and says
when you're talking to someone
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or we're there and
talking to you, look at them,
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give them your attention.
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If you're talking to your kids,
they're just going like this,
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you say, "That's kind of rude."
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Well, sometimes we do that
with our prayers, we're just you
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know, I've got to go through
this ritual of repeating the
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same thing, which
brings me to the next point.
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When you pray, try not to keep
saying the same thing, because
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it's not that God doesn't know
what you want, but it's good for
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you to really think about
different ways to articulate
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what the needs are, and don't
always have your prayers just be
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about you and your needs or what
your wants are, intercede on
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behalf of others.
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I've got a text message
the other day and someone said,
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"Please pray about this or
that," right there in my office
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by my chair, I dropped to
my knees and I prayed for them.
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Frequently, people will say,
"Pastor Doug, can you pray for
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me about this and that?"
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and I say yes and
then later I forget.
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So a few years ago I learned
that if I don't want all these
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things to rise up against me in
the judgment, when someone says,
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"Pastor Doug, can you pray
about this or that?" I say,
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"Let's do it right now."
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And so whenever you're impressed
about praying for something,
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no time like the present,
you pray at that moment.
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Something else I think is
helpful in prayer is I've got an
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acronym that's on the screen,
it's sorta a summarization of
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what's in the Lord's Prayer,
adoration, confession, that
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would be another repentance,
confession, thanksgiving, always
00:10:04.37\00:10:08.27
thank the God before you
give Him your shopping list, and
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supplication, part of
supplication is not only for
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your needs, it's talking
about the needs of others.
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And so there's a formula to
successful prayer and so focus
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on these things.
00:10:21.78\00:10:23.72
Talk a little bit, point number
three, about the frequency
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of prayer.
00:10:27.52\00:10:29.12
Well, I think everyone knows the
story about Daniel in the lion's
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den, and it tells us in chapter
6, verse 10, that, "When he knew
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the writing was signed, he went
to his upper room and he opened
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his window and he got on his
knees, and he prayed three times
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that day just like he had
done ever since he was young."
00:10:42.14\00:10:45.74
And I think one reason that
Daniel prayed three times is
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Daniel was also a Bible reader,
and he read where King David
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said, in Psalm 55, verse 17,
"Evening and morning and at noon
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will I pray and cry aloud,
and He will hear my voice."
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It's not a mandate that you must
pray three times a day, here it
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talks about a morning and
an evening prayer, and it says,
00:11:05.79\00:11:09.93
again, 2 Chronicles 13:11,
"And they burn to the Lord every
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morning and every evening burnt
sacrifices and sweet incense."
00:11:14.27\00:11:19.77
And so they had this pattern in
the temple that incense, you can
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read about this in Revelation
also, that altar of incense
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represented the prayers of God's
people, so these sacrifices and
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the incense aroma
that was ascending to God,
00:11:30.69\00:11:33.79
that would happen with
the priest's intercession,
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and Jesus is our high priest.
00:11:36.39\00:11:38.99
So, take time every day for
feeding your soul, communion
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with God, sometimes our morning
prayers, we're asking for
00:11:44.17\00:11:47.30
guidance and particulars,
evening prayers we're praying
00:11:47.34\00:11:51.14
for mercy and asking for
power to do better the next day,
00:11:51.17\00:11:54.68
thanking God for His blessings.
00:11:54.71\00:11:57.11
So, talking a little bit about
the frequency of prayer, why
00:11:57.15\00:12:01.08
don't we talk about how often
we should pray, and I don't just
00:12:01.12\00:12:03.82
mean two or three times a day.
00:12:03.85\00:12:06.15
1 Thessalonians 5:16, now
friends, if we capture what I'm
00:12:06.19\00:12:09.29
about to talk about now, I think
you'll be able to embrace just
00:12:09.32\00:12:12.69
what's so
important about a revival.
00:12:12.73\00:12:15.56
"Rejoice always,
pray without ceasing."
00:12:15.60\00:12:20.10
"Pastor Doug, how do
you pray without ceasing?"
00:12:20.14\00:12:21.77
You walk around all the
time looking up or looking down
00:12:21.80\00:12:24.81
you're gonna collide with
things, and how can you do your
00:12:24.84\00:12:27.28
work if you're
praying without ceasing?
00:12:27.31\00:12:29.94
Well you know the Bible says
that Enoch walked with God, the
00:12:29.98\00:12:34.45
Bible says Noah walked with God,
no doubt Abraham and Moses and
00:12:34.48\00:12:38.55
many of these patriarchs and
prophets, they walked with God.
00:12:38.59\00:12:42.59
And I think it's interesting the
Bible tells us Enoch walked with
00:12:42.62\00:12:46.66
God, he was the seventh from
Adam and he was not, for God
00:12:46.70\00:12:50.77
took him, he went up, he was
translated without seeing death.
00:12:50.80\00:12:54.87
We are now living in what I
think is the last generation and
00:12:54.90\00:12:58.77
I think it's the--we're in the
last millennium before we spend
00:12:58.81\00:13:02.68
the millennium with Christ,
and this is the time where God
00:13:02.71\00:13:05.81
is looking for people
that will be translated.
00:13:05.85\00:13:08.28
One of the characteristics
of those who are translated when
00:13:08.32\00:13:10.99
Christ comes,
translated means, like Elijah,
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you're called up without
dying, they walk with God.
00:13:13.12\00:13:17.96
male announcer: Don't forget
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and most important,
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Doug Batchelor: We need to
have an experience where we're
00:13:52.06\00:13:53.66
walking with God.
00:13:53.70\00:13:55.30
That means you might be working
in a bakery making bread and you
00:13:55.33\00:13:58.77
do your work and you make your
bread but you continue to talk
00:13:58.80\00:14:01.70
to the Lord, you thank the Lord
while you're talking to others.
00:14:01.74\00:14:04.74
You know, most of us can do more
than one thing at a time, stay
00:14:04.77\00:14:08.68
in a state of awareness of God's
presence, and it's a wonderful
00:14:08.71\00:14:12.75
thing if you can
do that, friends.
00:14:12.78\00:14:14.85
You know, it's a lot easier
to live a holy life if you sense
00:14:14.88\00:14:17.49
God is right there with
you, it's when we have separated
00:14:17.52\00:14:20.86
ourselves from God or we try
to follow Him from a distance we
00:14:20.89\00:14:24.39
get into trouble,
"Pray without ceasing."
00:14:24.43\00:14:28.43
Luke 18:1, Jesus said, "Men
ought always to pray and not
00:14:28.46\00:14:34.90
lose heart," don't get
discouraged in your prayers.
00:14:34.94\00:14:37.64
You say, "Oh, but Pastor, I've
been praying about this thing
00:14:37.67\00:14:40.74
20 times," or, "I
prayed about this for years."
00:14:40.78\00:14:43.24
You know Elijah prayed seven
times before the rain came,
00:14:43.28\00:14:47.48
prayed one time the fire came,
he prayed seven times before the
00:14:47.52\00:14:51.29
cloud came that brought the
rain; be persistent in prayer.
00:14:51.32\00:14:55.49
I've talked to many spouses,
might be a husband or wife,
00:14:55.52\00:15:00.33
and they either married
an unbeliever or they were
00:15:00.36\00:15:01.96
converted and their spouse
wasn't, or they got married when
00:15:02.00\00:15:07.84
they weren't believers
and they got reconverted.
00:15:07.87\00:15:10.37
And they say, "You know now I
want my spouse to be converted,"
00:15:10.41\00:15:14.01
and they prayed for them 15,
20, 25, 30 years and they think,
00:15:14.04\00:15:21.48
"Is the Lord ever
gonna hear my prayers?"
00:15:21.52\00:15:22.88
and then they're converted.
00:15:22.92\00:15:24.49
I know parents that prayed for
their kids for 50 years and then
00:15:24.52\00:15:28.82
they were converted, and I know
parents that they prayed for
00:15:28.86\00:15:33.29
their kids till their dying day
and they don't realize that God
00:15:33.33\00:15:38.17
made a withdrawal on their
prayers after they died, and
00:15:38.20\00:15:41.70
their children were saved and
they're gonna be so happy to see
00:15:41.74\00:15:43.87
them in heaven.
00:15:43.91\00:15:45.21
So they've been storing prayers
so to speak, and then God's
00:15:45.24\00:15:48.21
gonna surprise them, might even
answer the prayers after the
00:15:48.24\00:15:51.05
parents are already gone.
00:15:51.08\00:15:52.41
Do not lose hope or become
indifferent, or discouraged is
00:15:52.45\00:15:58.55
the word I'm looking
for, in your prayers.
00:15:58.59\00:16:00.69
Colossians 4:2,
"Continue earnestly in prayer,
00:16:00.72\00:16:05.23
being vigilant in
it with thanksgiving."
00:16:05.26\00:16:08.70
Colossians 1, verse 3, it
says, "We give thanks to God the
00:16:08.73\00:16:13.03
Father, our Lord Jesus Christ,
praying always for you," and as
00:16:13.07\00:16:17.17
I mentioned, in your prayers,
make sure to mingle in your
00:16:17.21\00:16:20.71
gratitude and your thanks.
00:16:20.74\00:16:23.04
Someone once said that, "When
you're grateful you make the way
00:16:23.08\00:16:28.95
for further or future benefits."
00:16:28.98\00:16:31.85
You know, if I ever helped
somebody, and they never say
00:16:31.89\00:16:34.59
thank you, you know I
might not make a big deal of it,
00:16:34.62\00:16:37.09
but I'm less inclined
to help them next time.
00:16:37.13\00:16:39.66
When we're grateful to
God, I think you pave the way
00:16:39.69\00:16:42.93
for future benefits,
always incorporate thanks in
00:16:42.96\00:16:45.63
your prayer.
00:16:45.67\00:16:46.90
"Oh, but Pastor Doug, I'm going
through such trials I forget to
00:16:46.94\00:16:49.00
be thankful," you know Daniel
thanked the Lord before he went
00:16:49.04\00:16:51.67
to the lion's den?
00:16:51.71\00:16:53.04
In his prayer he gave thanks,
so we should always, Paul says,
00:16:53.07\00:16:56.75
"Thank God in everything,"
don't forget to be thankful,
00:16:56.78\00:17:00.48
world becomes a
better place when we do.
00:17:00.52\00:17:03.08
Luke 21:36, Jesus said, "Watch
therefore, and pray always that
00:17:03.12\00:17:08.56
you might be counted worthy
to escape all these things,"
00:17:08.59\00:17:11.69
talking about the trials at the
end of time, we might be there
00:17:11.73\00:17:14.23
now friends.
00:17:14.30\00:17:15.56
"Watch therefore, pray always
that you might be counted worthy
00:17:15.60\00:17:17.97
to escape all these things that
are going to come to pass, and
00:17:18.00\00:17:21.67
stand before the Son of Man,"
when Jesus comes in His glory.
00:17:21.70\00:17:25.67
You want to be ready for
the Second Coming, we should be
00:17:25.71\00:17:28.14
watching and praying now.
00:17:28.18\00:17:30.35
Ephesians 6:18, "Praying always
with all prayer and supplication
00:17:30.38\00:17:35.88
in the Spirit, being watchful to
this end with all perseverance
00:17:35.92\00:17:40.12
and supplication for all the
saints," well, there's a lot of
00:17:40.16\00:17:42.89
alls in there; all prayer,
being watchful, all perseverance
00:17:42.92\00:17:47.96
and supplication for the saints.
00:17:47.96\00:17:50.40
Now, I talk about
the fortitude of prayer.
00:17:50.43\00:17:52.83
John 15, verse 4, Jesus
said, "Abide in Me and I in you.
00:17:52.87\00:17:58.51
The branch cannot bear fruit of
itself, unless it abides in the
00:17:58.54\00:18:01.81
vine, neither can you
unless you abide in Me.
00:18:01.84\00:18:05.55
I am the vine, you are the
branches, he that abides in Me,
00:18:05.58\00:18:09.45
and I in him, bears much fruit."
00:18:09.48\00:18:12.99
This abiding in Christ
talking about, in our prayers,
00:18:13.02\00:18:16.89
just be in Christ, pray in
His name, pray in His Spirit,
00:18:16.93\00:18:20.16
praying in His name really
is more than just using His name
00:18:20.20\00:18:24.50
like it is the period
at the end of a sentence.
00:18:24.53\00:18:27.27
You say, "In Jesus's name,
amen," and say, "Okay, I guess
00:18:27.30\00:18:29.44
my prayer is done," it's not
like the stamp of approval on
00:18:29.47\00:18:33.07
the end of your prayer.
00:18:33.11\00:18:34.44
You're saying that through
His name, that's what gives your
00:18:34.48\00:18:37.78
prayers efficacy, it's through
His name, that's what gives our
00:18:37.81\00:18:42.02
prayers authority, and it's
in the Spirit of Christ we're
00:18:42.05\00:18:45.52
praying in His name.
00:18:45.55\00:18:48.06
John, 1 John 2, verse 24,
"Therefore let that abide in you
00:18:48.09\00:18:53.93
which you heard
from the beginning.
00:18:53.96\00:18:55.70
If what you heard from the
beginning abides in you, you
00:18:55.73\00:18:58.10
will also abide in the Son and
the Father, and whoever abides
00:18:58.13\00:19:02.84
in Him, perseveres in
prayer, does not sin."
00:19:02.87\00:19:08.01
Now just a couple of words about
the physics of prayer, and what
00:19:08.04\00:19:11.51
I mean by that is, might
even talk a little bit about
00:19:11.55\00:19:14.28
a reverent posture when we pray.
00:19:14.32\00:19:17.19
Acts 21, verse 5, "When
we accomplish those days, we
00:19:17.22\00:19:21.32
departed and we want our way;
and they all brought us on our
00:19:21.36\00:19:24.99
way with wives and children,
until we were all out of the
00:19:25.03\00:19:27.83
city, and we knelt down
on the shore and we prayed."
00:19:27.86\00:19:32.13
Now I wanna make it clear,
you can pray in just about any
00:19:32.17\00:19:35.67
situation, you can pray
in a lion's den when you're
00:19:35.70\00:19:39.84
surrounded by cats, you can pray
while you're swimming like Peter
00:19:39.87\00:19:43.78
when he was drowning,
Jehoshaphat prayed while he was
00:19:43.81\00:19:48.12
leading an army, Jehu prayed
while he was driving a chariot.
00:19:48.15\00:19:51.72
Jonah prayed while he was being
digested, Nehemiah prayed while
00:19:51.75\00:19:55.32
he was building, he also prayed
standing there before the King.
00:19:55.36\00:19:59.19
Elijah prayed out in the
desert, Paul prayed while he was
00:19:59.23\00:20:01.60
sailing, Elisha prayed in an
attic, David prayed in a cave,
00:20:01.63\00:20:05.83
Philip prayed under a
tree, so you can pray anywhere,
00:20:05.87\00:20:09.00
you can pray all the time.
00:20:09.04\00:20:11.07
But I think that it's important
that at some point during the
00:20:11.11\00:20:13.41
day and in every worship
service, God's people get on
00:20:13.44\00:20:16.28
their knees before the Lord and
pray, just a few words on that.
00:20:16.31\00:20:21.18
Acts 9, verse 40,
"Peter put them all forth
00:20:21.22\00:20:25.12
and he knelt down and
prayed," and resurrected Dorcas.
00:20:25.15\00:20:29.66
Acts 20, verse 36, "When he had
thus spoken, he knelt down and
00:20:29.69\00:20:33.80
he prayed with them all."
00:20:33.83\00:20:35.80
Acts 7, verse 59, "They stoned
Stephen, calling upon God,"
00:20:35.83\00:20:40.84
Stephen was calling upon
God, "And saying, 'Lord Jesus,
00:20:40.87\00:20:43.61
receive my spirit.'
00:20:43.64\00:20:44.97
And he knelt down and he cried
with a loud voice, 'Lay not this
00:20:45.01\00:20:49.04
sin to their charge.'"
00:20:49.08\00:20:50.41
The last words of Stephen
was a prayer for those that were
00:20:50.45\00:20:52.95
killing him; some of the last
words of Jesus was, "Father,
00:20:52.98\00:20:56.45
forgive them, they
don't know what they do."
00:20:56.48\00:20:57.85
It's interesting, these
converted people, their dying
00:20:57.89\00:21:01.32
prayer was for others, tells
us something about the Spirit.
00:21:01.36\00:21:06.03
And then you've
got Ephesians 3:14,
00:21:06.06\00:21:08.43
"For this cause I bow
my knee unto the Father
00:21:08.46\00:21:11.23
of our Lord Jesus Christ."
00:21:11.27\00:21:12.50
Now, I'm just giving you a few,
but it seems like you know we're
00:21:12.53\00:21:16.10
living in an age where church
is just become, it's a marketing
00:21:16.14\00:21:20.34
thing, let's find out what the
people want and let's give it to
00:21:20.38\00:21:22.58
them, and if they're
uncomfortable kneeling down then
00:21:22.61\00:21:24.65
don't make them kneel; and
I think we're losing the sense
00:21:24.68\00:21:27.68
of reverence.
00:21:27.72\00:21:29.22
You know, when we come
before the Lord in our personal
00:21:29.25\00:21:31.59
devotions we should try to
kneel, now some people when you
00:21:31.62\00:21:34.12
get old, you get down and
you can't get back up, God
00:21:34.16\00:21:36.46
understands that, or you
know if it's not practical.
00:21:36.49\00:21:40.20
I've been places where someone
says, "Let's kneel," and they
00:21:40.23\00:21:42.70
have you all kneel on rocky
ground and it's digging into
00:21:42.73\00:21:45.23
your knees and you can
think about your prayer.
00:21:45.27\00:21:47.07
So God wants us to be practical,
but let's, in our interest of
00:21:47.10\00:21:50.91
being practical, let's not start
drifting from the importance
00:21:50.94\00:21:54.08
of a posture of
reverence when we talk to God.
00:21:54.11\00:21:58.48
And then there's the fervency of
prayer, that means you just put
00:21:58.51\00:22:03.12
in your heart and soul into it.
00:22:03.15\00:22:05.09
Hebrews 11, verse 6, "But
without faith it's impossible to
00:22:05.12\00:22:09.26
please Him, for he who comes to
God must believe that He is," we
00:22:09.29\00:22:13.16
read this last night but notice,
"And He is the rewarder of those
00:22:13.19\00:22:17.70
who diligently
seek Him in prayer."
00:22:17.73\00:22:20.90
You know, I wonder how many
miracles have happened because
00:22:20.94\00:22:23.87
somebody prayed five minutes
longer; some people give up.
00:22:23.91\00:22:28.11
You know, we just read where
Jesus said that parable about
00:22:28.14\00:22:31.15
the woman who persisted in
prayer, she just kept coming
00:22:31.18\00:22:34.42
back, she kept coming back.
00:22:34.45\00:22:35.68
And finally, that unrighteous
judge says, "Give her what she
00:22:35.72\00:22:38.79
wants, she is wearing me out,"
and Jesus said, "Look what the
00:22:38.82\00:22:42.32
unrighteous judge says, how much
more will your Father in heaven
00:22:42.36\00:22:45.79
answer His children that
cry to Him day and night?"
00:22:45.83\00:22:49.26
So be
persistent in your prayers.
00:22:49.30\00:22:51.97
Jeremiah 29:13, "You will seek
for Me and you will find Me when
00:22:52.00\00:22:56.87
you search for Me
with all of your heart."
00:22:56.91\00:23:00.24
You need to put all your weight
into that prayer when you're
00:23:00.28\00:23:03.55
praying for those
miracles, and then you know,
00:23:03.58\00:23:06.65
you've got the
effectiveness of prayer.
00:23:06.68\00:23:09.35
Miracles happen
when God's people pray.
00:23:09.38\00:23:12.45
The Bible, from cover to
cover, is the story of how
00:23:12.49\00:23:14.96
prayer works.
00:23:14.99\00:23:16.73
Joshua prays and the sun stands
still; children of Israel,
00:23:16.76\00:23:21.23
caught with the Egyptians
breathing down their necks,
00:23:21.26\00:23:23.63
and it says, "They
cried unto the Lord,"
00:23:23.67\00:23:26.13
the Lord parts the Red Sea.
00:23:26.17\00:23:28.44
Hezekiah prays,
angel of the Lord goes out
00:23:28.47\00:23:31.44
and 185,000 enemy
are slain in one night.
00:23:31.47\00:23:35.04
God fights for
them when they pray.
00:23:35.08\00:23:37.75
The Bible tells us Jonah prayed,
and you know, even when you
00:23:37.78\00:23:41.05
think your situation is
hopeless, that's when I think
00:23:41.08\00:23:45.05
God does His best work.
00:23:45.09\00:23:46.42
When you think, "Lord, I'm gonna
pray but it's not looking good,"
00:23:46.45\00:23:49.66
He said, "Well,
I can do anything."
00:23:49.69\00:23:51.76
Jonah is in, he's in the
digestive system of a sea
00:23:51.79\00:23:55.20
monster at the bottom of the
mountains, he's in the dark and
00:23:55.23\00:23:58.20
he's suffering for his own sins.
00:23:58.23\00:24:00.57
But in that dying moment he
lifts his prayer and somehow his
00:24:00.60\00:24:05.24
prayer gets from the farthest
point from heaven you could be
00:24:05.27\00:24:07.78
on earth, submarine, God
hears his prayer and He works a
00:24:07.81\00:24:12.35
miracle, and not only does the
fish bring Jonah to the surface,
00:24:12.38\00:24:17.05
he then deposits him on
dry land; God is a good God.
00:24:17.09\00:24:21.36
Elijah prays, fire and rain
comes out of heaven; Shadrach,
00:24:21.39\00:24:25.99
Meshach and Abednego I think
they claimed the promise that
00:24:26.03\00:24:28.36
says, "When you go through
the fire I will be with you,"
00:24:28.40\00:24:31.43
God answered their prayer and
He air-conditioned the furnace,
00:24:31.47\00:24:35.00
so God is a God
that works miracles.
00:24:35.04\00:24:37.71
And make sure when you
come to the Lord and you pray,
00:24:37.74\00:24:41.71
as Jesus said, you've
been reconciled with others.
00:24:41.74\00:24:44.71
We talked about this.
00:24:44.75\00:24:47.02
When you bring your gift to
the altar, if you have odds with
00:24:47.05\00:24:49.98
someone else, be at peace
as far as you can humanly do,
00:24:50.02\00:24:54.02
can't change everything.
00:24:54.06\00:24:55.59
Be reconciled with
others and then come
00:24:55.62\00:24:57.26
in the Spirit of Christ,
and He will not turn you away.
00:24:57.29\00:25:00.96
God is more willing
to answer your prayers
00:25:01.00\00:25:03.63
than you
probably are to ask Him.
00:25:03.67\00:25:06.00
I heard a parable one time about
this man gets to heaven, angel's
00:25:06.03\00:25:09.64
showing him around the golden
streets and the palaces and it's
00:25:09.67\00:25:12.31
all very beautiful.
00:25:12.34\00:25:13.64
And then out there in the middle
of the City of God are these
00:25:13.68\00:25:17.81
huge Amazon warehouses,
there's just acres and acres of
00:25:17.85\00:25:20.92
warehouses, and he's thinking,
"What in the world would angels
00:25:20.95\00:25:24.99
be storing up here in heaven?"
00:25:25.02\00:25:26.89
And he asked the
angel, said, "What's with all
00:25:26.92\00:25:28.72
the warehouses?"
00:25:28.76\00:25:30.06
He said, "Those are full of
prayers that we wanted to answer
00:25:30.09\00:25:32.29
but nobody made a withdrawal."
00:25:32.33\00:25:35.00
There are so many prayers that
God wants to answer that have
00:25:35.03\00:25:38.63
not been answered
because we don't ask.
00:25:38.67\00:25:40.50
Jesus, "Up to now
you have not asked,
00:25:40.54\00:25:42.77
ask that your
joy might be full."
00:25:42.80\00:25:45.64
So friends, pray.
00:25:45.67\00:25:48.41
There's so many things to
pray about, but start making it
00:25:48.44\00:25:50.51
a habit to talk to
God and walk with God
00:25:50.55\00:25:53.08
and you will experience revival.
00:25:53.11\00:25:55.35
male announcer: Don't forget
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wherever and whenever you want,
00:26:25.81\00:26:28.75
and most important,
to share it with others.
00:26:28.78\00:26:31.79
male announcer: The statistics
are grim, millions have been
00:26:33.25\00:26:35.79
infected by Coronavirus,
thousands have died, race riots
00:26:35.82\00:26:39.83
have broken out on streets,
political tensions are at an all
00:26:39.86\00:26:43.06
time high, does the Bible have
anything to say about the times
00:26:43.10\00:26:47.10
in which we are living?
00:26:47.14\00:26:48.67
Doug Batchelor: Hi, friends,
this is Pastor Doug Bachelor.
00:26:48.70\00:26:51.47
Many people are wondering if the
world's about to implode, some
00:26:51.51\00:26:55.34
are fearful that global events
point to a coming crisis unlike
00:26:55.38\00:26:59.01
anything we've ever witnessed.
00:26:59.05\00:27:01.42
Did you know the Bible book of
Revelation actually speaks about
00:27:01.45\00:27:04.79
the days in which we're living
now, and it contains a message
00:27:04.82\00:27:08.69
of hope, if we
would only listen?
00:27:08.72\00:27:11.39
That's why I'd like to
invite you to "Revelation Now,"
00:27:11.43\00:27:14.63
decoding the
Bible's greatest prophecies.
00:27:14.66\00:27:17.50
In this multi-part series,
I'll be sharing relevant truths
00:27:17.53\00:27:20.97
for our time from the
last book in the Bible.
00:27:21.00\00:27:23.84
male announcer:
Coming October 23rd.
00:27:23.87\00:27:25.61
To learn more,
visit RevelationNow.com.
00:27:25.64\00:27:30.05
announcer: Would you like to
know God's plan for our troubled
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world and solutions
for your life's challenges?
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Beautifully redesigned
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27 Bible study guides provides
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answers that are enlightening,
encouraging, and easy
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to understand.
00:27:46.46\00:27:47.76
Giving you real, relevant Bible
answers to questions like: how
00:27:47.83\00:27:50.57
can I have
healthier relationships?
00:27:50.60\00:27:52.47
When will Jesus come?
00:27:52.50\00:27:53.80
And much more.
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Order yours today by
visiting AFBookstore.com or by
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calling 800-538-7275.
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¤¤
00:28:01.41\00:28:07.38
male announcer: Don't forget
to request today's free offer,
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it's sure to be a blessing.
00:28:09.62\00:28:11.22
And thank you for your continued
support as we take the Gospel
00:28:11.25\00:28:14.62
of Jesus Christ to the world.
00:28:14.66\00:28:16.56
We hope you'll join us next week
00:28:16.59\00:28:18.19
as we delve deep
into the Word of God.
00:28:18.23\00:28:21.20
This presentation was
brought to you by the friends
00:28:24.20\00:28:26.50
of the Amazing Facts ministry.
00:28:26.53\00:28:28.60