Participants: Tyrone Phillips
Series Code: DSP
Program Code: DSP000005
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00:04 Welcome to the Dynamics In The Science Of Prayer,
00:06 a seminar that will help open the windows of your soul 00:10 and allow you to pray as never before. 00:12 And now here's your host, Pastor Tyrone Phillips. 00:16 Hello. 00:18 Welcome to the Dynamics In The Science Of Prayer seminar. 00:21 I'm your host and teacher, Pastor Tyrone Phillips. 00:25 It's a pleasure that you, the viewing participant, 00:27 can be a part of this exciting prayer lecturing series. 00:32 Now this is a special twelve part series. 00:35 This is program number five which is entitled, 00:39 The Joy of Answered Prayer. 00:41 I want you to get your pen or pencil, your Bible, 00:45 and a special notebook or piece of paper 00:48 so you can write down the various texts, the scripture 00:52 references and the various Bible verses, and the quotations 00:57 and the things that will help you in learning more about the 01:00 joy of answered prayer. 01:02 But before we go any further, let's bow our heads in prayer 01:05 that the Holy Spirit might lead us and guide us 01:08 into a knowledge of having the joy of answered prayer. 01:13 Let us pray. 01:14 Loving Father, we thank You for the privilege 01:16 and the opportunity to open Your word. 01:18 May You lead us and guide us into all truth. 01:21 And may we see Jesus as our example in prayer. 01:24 But help each of us to receive the joy of answered prayer. 01:29 For we ask it in Jesus' name, amen. 01:31 Now during our last program entitled, 01:35 Establishing A Prayer Life, we shared some very important 01:39 and significant information. 01:42 We talked about how we are to go about 01:45 establishing our prayer lives. 01:48 We talked about how we can have a regularly scheduled program. 01:53 You see, we need to have a set time, an established place, 01:58 and a regular schedule for secret prayer. 02:01 Those were three key points that we mentioned 02:04 in that particular telecast. 02:06 But we also mentioned that one's diet can upset his comprehension 02:12 of Biblical truth. 02:13 So we want you to do what the Bible says in Isaiah 55 verse 2, 02:17 "Eat ye that which is good. " 02:19 But we also talked about that Jesus had a habit 02:23 of spending quality time in secret prayer. 02:26 And we read from the special book that we like to use 02:30 in the prayer series. 02:32 We talked about The Power Of Prayer 02:34 and we read a few quotations from this publication. 02:38 So you don't want to miss this publication. 02:40 And you'll be hearing more about how you can obtain it 02:43 at the conclusion of our telecast. 02:45 Now as we are moving forward in this particular telecast 02:50 entitled, The Joy of Answered Prayer, we need to look at 02:53 something that Jesus, Himself, said. 02:55 He said in John chapter 8 verse 29, 02:59 He said something that is so profound that I want to 03:03 share it with you. 03:04 Jesus said in John chapter 8 verse 29, 03:07 He said, "And He that sent Me is with Me. 03:10 The Father hath not left Me alone, 03:13 for I do always those things that please Him. " 03:18 My listening friend, isn't that astounding 03:20 how Jesus always did something that pleased the Father? 03:26 And because He always did that which pleased the Father, 03:31 the Father always heard His prayers. 03:34 God answered His prayers. 03:37 The Bible tells us now, in John chapter 11 verse 42, 03:42 Jesus said, praying at the tomb of Lazarus before he was raised, 03:49 Jesus said in verse 42 of John chapter 11, 03:53 He said, "And I knew that Thou hearest Me always. 03:58 But because of the people which stand by I said it, 04:00 that they may believe that Thou hast sent Me. " 04:04 So Jesus, when He prayed, the Father heard and 04:07 answered His prayers. 04:09 And I think it's important for us to look at ways that 04:11 God chooses to answer our prayers. 04:15 As we said on a previous telecast, that God says "yes," 04:19 God says "no," and God also says "wait. " 04:24 And I think "wait" is one of the most difficult ones 04:27 that most of us have. 04:28 Once again, God says "yes," God says "no," 04:32 and God says "wait. " 04:35 But He says all three of these through 04:37 an understanding of the Bible. 04:40 Oh yes, beloved, God can answer your prayer 04:43 through an understanding of the Bible. 04:45 Read Acts chapter 17 verses 11 and 12. 04:49 God also answers our prayers through the 04:53 strengthening of your inner life. 04:55 You remember the story of how, in 1 Samuel chapter 30, 04:59 David's camp had been raided by a warring faction. 05:04 And they took his wife and his children. 05:08 And all the men who were with him, they took 05:10 their wives and kids. 05:12 And when they came back to camp and saw everything 05:14 was gone, everybody was crying, they were sad. 05:16 And David came aside, and the Bible says in 05:20 1 Samuel chapter 30 verses 6 through 8, 05:24 it says, "And David encouraged himself in the Lord. " 05:28 So you and I can have our prayers answered 05:32 through our own inner life being strengthened. 05:35 Also God answers our prayers through a 05:38 change in our attitude. 05:40 You remember the story about the prodigal son 05:42 in Luke chapter 15 verses 17 through 19. 05:46 The Bible says that the prodigal son, it says he came to himself. 05:51 Oh yes beloved, God can speak to you through your own conscience. 05:57 And then also, the Bible shows that God answers 06:00 prayer through the cooperation of other people. 06:02 God can send other people to your aid. 06:05 In Matthew chapter 9 verse 2, here's a man who 06:09 is sick with the palsy. 06:11 And the Bible says his friends came and got him 06:14 and carried him to where Jesus was and they tore open the roof 06:18 and they let this sick man down through the roof. 06:21 Oh yes, beloved. And he was healed. 06:24 Jesus told him, "Thy faith hath made thee whole. " 06:28 Oh yes, this is so important beloved, that we need to 06:31 see and understand the different ways that 06:33 God answers our prayers. 06:35 And oh, did he not have joy that day. 06:39 The Bible also shows us that God answers our prayers 06:43 in another significant way. 06:45 He uses us to answer our own prayers. 06:48 You see, it's most important for you to understand 06:51 that after you have prayed then you ought to do 06:54 with all in your power to answer your own prayer request. 06:59 You remember the story in Acts chapter 10 about Cornelius. 07:04 The Bible says in Acts 10 verse 1, "There was a 07:07 certain man in Caesarea called Cornelius, a centurion of the 07:11 band called the Italian band, a devout man and one that 07:15 feared God with all his house, which gave much alms 07:18 to the people, and prayed to God always. " 07:21 And God honored him because he lived up to all the 07:25 light that he knew. 07:26 And God sent an angel to tell him what to do. 07:29 He sent for Peter. 07:31 Peter came to his house, shared the gospel, 07:34 and he and his entire household were saved. 07:37 They were baptized. 07:38 My listening friends, God can use you 07:41 to answer your own prayers. 07:43 And then of course, the Bible reveals that God 07:46 answers His prayers through His own miraculous intervention. 07:50 That's right, beloved, God will intervene in your 07:52 life miraculously. 07:54 For instance, in Acts chapter 12 verses 1 through 17. 07:59 Here we find the apostle Peter. 08:01 He is in prison and he is surrounded by guards. 08:05 There's no way possible that Peter can get out of prison. 08:09 He has chains on both of his feet, his hands, his waist. 08:14 There's a guard inside the cell with him. 08:17 There are guards outside the cell. 08:19 There's no way possible that Peter can escape. 08:22 And the Bible reveals that God sent an angel in 08:26 and put the guards to sleep and loosed all the shackles 08:33 and the chains that were on Peter. 08:35 And Peter came out miraculously. 08:37 So much so that when Peter got to his house, 08:41 the people couldn't believe it. 08:43 But remember, the Bible says that prayer was made 08:46 by the church for him. 08:48 So God will intervene miraculously. 08:52 That indeed was a miracle. 08:54 And I can assure you there was joy in that house 08:57 for answered prayer. 09:00 And then last but not least, God will also answer prayers 09:04 through and understanding of the spirit of prophecy. 09:08 Look at Daniel chapter 2. 09:10 In Daniel chapter 2, we find the king Nebuchadnezzar. 09:15 He had a dream about this statue and he forgot the dream. 09:23 And he wanted to know the interpretation of the dream. 09:26 And he brought all of his wise men together 09:28 and nobody could bring forth the dream nor the interpretation. 09:32 But the Bible says when Daniel found out about it, 09:35 he and the three Hebrew boys, they went into prayer. 09:40 They went into their secret closet and they spent 09:42 quality time in prayer. 09:44 And God revealed to Daniel... 09:48 Not only did He give him the dream, but He gave him the 09:50 interpretation of all that Nebuchadnezzar had on his bed. 09:54 Beloved, there was joy in that household for answered prayer. 09:59 And I want to share with you, beloved, that God will 10:02 answer your prayers just as He did these different individuals. 10:06 And in order for us to understand the importance 10:09 of answered prayer, we need to look at some Bible conditions 10:14 for answered prayer. 10:15 You see, God will answer our prayers. 10:19 Look at 1 John chapter 5 beginning at verse 14. 10:26 1 John chapter 5 verse 14, the Bible says, 10:31 "And this is the confidence that we have in Him, 10:33 that if we ask anything according to His will, 10:37 He heareth us. 10:38 And if we know that He hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know 10:43 that we have the petitions that we desired of Him. " 10:50 That is so important for us to understand. 10:52 Now in this beautiful book that we have entitled, 10:56 Steps To Christ, there's a chapter that shares the 11:00 conditions for answered prayer. 11:02 I want you to look at it if you get a chance. 11:05 If you don't have it, I want you to write us or call us. 11:08 We'll be more than happy to see to it that you get a copy of it. 11:12 But in it there's a special chapter entitled, 11:15 The Privilege of Prayer. 11:17 It is chapter 11, on the privilege of prayer, 11:20 and it talks about these Bible conditions. 11:24 And I want to share just a few of these 11:27 Bible conditions with you. 11:29 And I know that as you get your copy of the Steps To Christ 11:33 and read that chapter entitled, The Privilege of Prayer, 11:36 you will be able to locate these conditions very easily. 11:40 And I know that you're going to love this publication. 11:44 Now let's look at need number one 11:46 or Bible condition number one. 11:49 The Bible tells us now according to Isaiah chapter 44 verse 3 11:54 that one of the prerequisite conditions for answered prayer 12:00 that is you must feel your need of prayer. 12:04 You must have a sense of needing to talk to God 12:08 about your problem. 12:10 Also Bible condition number two, and it's a very important one, 12:16 and that is, do not cherish sin. 12:20 The Bible says in Psalm 66 verse 18, 12:26 and I want to share that point, beloved, because 12:29 this is a very important condition for answered prayer. 12:33 Psalm 66 verse 18, the Bible says, "If I regard iniquity 12:39 in my heart, the Lord will not hear me. " 12:42 Notice now, when you and I have iniquity or we are 12:47 committing some known sin, God will not hear our prayers. 12:51 Remember what happened to Adam and Eve. 12:53 When they sinned against God, they hid, they ran from God. 12:57 Sin separates us from God. 13:00 And so what we want to do, beloved, we want to 13:02 acknowledge all of our sins. 13:04 We don't want any sinful habit or act or deed or whatever that 13:09 may be wrong to hinder our prayers from being answered. 13:13 The Bible says in Psalm 32 verses 1 and 2, 13:18 it says, "Blessed is he who transgression is forgiven, 13:21 whose sin is covered. 13:23 Blessed is the man unto whom the Lord imputeth not iniquity, 13:27 and in whose spirit there is no guile. " 13:30 I tell you beloved, this is so important. 13:33 As you see this illustration of the ten commandments, 13:36 the ten commandments are God's standard of righteousness. 13:42 If you want to learn about right doing, then look at God's 13:46 law of ten commandments. 13:48 The Bible says in James chapter 2, 13:52 I want you to look at that very quickly now. 13:54 In James chapter 2 verses 10 through 12 13:58 the Bible says, "For whosoever shall keep the whole law 14:01 and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all. 14:04 For He that said, 'Do not commit adultery,' 14:06 said also, 'Do not kill. ' 14:07 Now if thou commit no adultery yet if thou kill, 14:10 thou art become a transgressor of the law. 14:12 So speak ye, and so do, as they that shall be judged 14:15 by the law of liberty. " 14:18 And we've also seen how God spoke and gave the 14:24 ten commandments on tables of stone to Moses. 14:26 And we can read about that in Exodus chapter 20 14:29 verses 1 through 17. 14:32 But also, the Bible shares some interesting insights 14:36 on who's going to be in the new heaven and the new earth. 14:40 The Bible says in Revelation chapter 22 verse 14, 14:44 it shares who's going to enter into the heavenly city. 14:49 It says in Revelation 22 verse 14, "Blessed are they 14:52 that do His commandments, that they may have right to the 14:56 tree of life and may enter in through the 14:58 gates into the city. " 15:00 I tell you beloved, this thing is so important, 15:02 that if I regard iniquity in my heart, it could prevent me 15:06 from being in God's kingdom of glory. 15:08 And I want to be there, beloved. 15:10 What about you? 15:11 Remember something that Jesus said. 15:13 He said, "If you love Me, keep My commandments. " 15:16 And the Bible also says in 1 John chapter 5 verse 17 15:20 that all unrighteousness is sin. 15:24 So we want to make sure that we understand this 15:27 condition for answered prayer. 15:30 Confess all known sin to God. 15:33 And then the third condition is that we must learn to 15:36 pray in faith. 15:38 The Bible says in James chapter 1 verses 5 and 6, 15:44 a very important text of scripture. 15:46 I trust and pray now that you are looking at these 15:49 text of scripture, that you're writing them 15:51 down as I mention them. 15:52 Because I want you to read and study for yourself 15:56 and see these conditions that will help you 15:59 to have answered prayer. 16:00 And truly there will be joy in your relationship with Jesus. 16:05 In James chapter 1 verse 5 and 6, the Bible says, 16:09 "If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, 16:11 that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; 16:13 and it shall be given him. 16:15 But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. " 16:18 To have faith simply means to trust and believe 16:22 that God is able to do what He has promised to do in His word. 16:26 Yes beloved, you want to have faith. 16:29 Pray in faith. 16:31 Number four, we want to cultivate a forgiving spirit. 16:35 Didn't Jesus tell us that in Matthew chapter 6 verse 12? 16:41 He said forgive others even as God also forgives us. 16:45 So you see, we can determine whether we will be forgiven 16:48 by the way that we forgive other people. 16:50 And so I know that you're going to enjoy fulfilling this 16:55 Bible condition of cultivating a forgiving spirit. 16:58 The Bible says in Psalm 51, one of the most famous verses 17:04 about acquiring forgiveness. 17:07 It says in Psalm 51 verses 10 and 11, 17:16 the Bible says, "Create in me a clean heart, oh God; 17:20 and renew a right spirit within me. 17:22 Cast me not away from Thy presence; and take not 17:26 Thy holy Spirit from me. 17:28 Restore unto me the joy of Thy salvation; 17:32 and uphold me with Thy free Spirit. 17:35 Then will I teach transgressors Thy ways; 17:38 and sinners shall be converted unto thee. " 17:41 Oh yes, we can pray that God will give us a clean heart, 17:44 a forgiving heart. 17:45 And I know beloved, that when you sense your need 17:51 and you don't cherish sin and you pray in faith 17:55 and you cultivate a forgiving spirit, 17:58 then you will be blessed of God and God answer your prayers. 18:03 Also we want to learn to be persevering. 18:05 Don't give up beloved, if your prayers are not 18:09 answered immediately. 18:10 Remember we said sometimes God says "yes," 18:12 sometimes He says "no," and sometimes He says, "wait. " 18:16 So we want to persevere, we want to never give up. 18:19 We don't want to faint beloved, because Jesus said 18:23 in Luke chapter 18 verse 1 something that's so important. 18:28 And I don't want you to miss this. 18:31 In Luke chapter 18 verse 1, Jesus said, "And He spoke a 18:35 parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray 18:39 and not to faint. " 18:41 Don't give up, persevere, hold on. 18:44 Do like Jacob did. 18:45 He wrestled, if necessary, all night. 18:48 And he told the angel, "I will not let thee go 18:52 except thou bless me. " 18:53 And I know beloved, that if have a concern 18:56 that is very dear and serious to you, you're going to hold on 19:00 and you're not going to give up. 19:02 You're going to press on through, 19:03 you're going to pray on in faith, and not faint. 19:06 And I believe that God will do something for you. 19:09 But also you want to pray, another condition is pray 19:13 that God's will is to be done. 19:16 One of the most important things that we can learn about prayer 19:19 and that is that when you seek God in prayer, 19:21 you're seeking not so much to tell God about what you need. 19:26 Because, you see, the Bible tells us when you look over in 19:29 Matthew chapter 6 that your heavenly Father, 19:33 He already knows what your needs are. 19:35 Look at this now. 19:36 In Matthew chapter 6 looking at verse 31, 19:41 beginning at verse 31 in Matthew chapter 6. 19:44 It says, "Therefore take no thought saying, 19:46 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' 19:48 or 'Where withal shall we be clothed?' 19:51 For after all these things do the Gentiles seek. " 19:54 Then it says, "For your heavenly Father knoweth 19:58 that ye have need of all these things. " 20:01 Then it says, "But seek ye first the kingdom of God 20:04 and His righteousness, and all these things 20:07 shall be added unto you. " 20:08 So one of the most important things about prayer 20:10 is to discover God's will for you in that particular item 20:15 or thing that you're praying. 20:16 You see, so many times we want to tell God what we need. 20:20 We want to tell God what to do. 20:23 But prayer is not for you to inform God really of what to do. 20:27 He already knows what to do. 20:29 The Bible says He created the world and they that 20:33 dwell there in. 20:34 He knows everything about it, beloved. 20:36 He's already informed about you. 20:38 You need to say, "Lord, nevertheless, not my will 20:42 but Thy will be done. " 20:44 God's will is to be done in your life. 20:47 So the purpose of prayer now is to make known God's will to you 20:51 and not for you to tell Him what to do about you. 20:55 Remember, He already knows what you should be doing. 21:00 Read Psalm 139 and I'm sure you'll be blessed as you read 21:05 all of that particular psalm. 21:07 And then condition number seven is to pray in the name of Jesus. 21:13 In John chapter 14 verse 13 Jesus said, and we've read this 21:20 text of scripture on numerous occasions but I want to 21:24 make sure that you do benefit from it. 21:26 John 14 verse 13, Jesus said, "And whatsoever ye shall ask 21:30 in My name, that will I do, that the Father may be 21:34 glorified in the Son. " 21:36 But also, the Bible says in Acts chapter 4 verse 12, 21:41 notice what the apostle Peter says. 21:44 In Acts chapter 4 verse 12 he said, "Neither is there 21:48 salvation in any other. 21:50 For there is none other name under heaven given among men 21:54 whereby we must be saved. " 21:56 So we want to pray in the name of Jesus. 22:00 And to pray in the name of Jesus is to pray as if we had 22:05 the character of God. 22:07 Yes beloved, and when we look at character, you see, 22:11 when we pray in the name of Jesus, we're praying in the same 22:14 manner, we're praying in the same spirit, 22:16 and we're praying in the same character that Jesus would pray 22:20 if He were there right along beside us. 22:23 Beloved, that's so important. 22:24 This is one of the most helpful conditions for answered prayer. 22:28 And I'm sure you're going to be blessed by it. 22:30 And then beloved, number eight. 22:32 We're going to help answer our own prayers. 22:35 Remember we talked about that. 22:36 Do all within our power to answer our own prayers. 22:40 If you needed a job and you went out and bought 22:43 a newspaper, and you looked in the classified ads 22:46 and you saw the thing about employment and you saw the job. 22:51 And you prayed and said, "Oh my Father, 22:53 bless me with a job. " 22:55 Well after you've prayed, beloved, you know that no one's 22:58 going to call you. 23:00 You've got to locate the particular job that you're 23:04 looking for, pray over it beloved, and then get up 23:08 and then go to that particular company or business 23:10 and apply for that job. 23:12 You've got to do your part. 23:13 And you see, human effort mixed with divine power 23:17 will bring about success. 23:19 And I know God is going to bless you as you do this. 23:22 Now beloved, one of the things that we don't want to forget 23:26 is that when we pray, we want to pray with love in our hearts. 23:30 That's right, beloved. 23:31 We want to pray with love in our hearts that God's will 23:35 will be done. 23:36 In Psalm 37 verse 4, the Bible says we should delight ourselves 23:43 also in the Lord and He will give us the desire of our heart. 23:48 We should commit our way into the Lord, trust also in Him, 23:51 and He will bring it to pass. 23:53 So we should pray with love in our hearts. 23:55 And then number ten, we should pray with thanksgiving. 24:00 That's right, beloved. 24:01 We should develop an attitude of thanksgiving. 24:04 As we seek God in prayer and as we pray and talk with Him, 24:08 He will hear and answer our prayers 24:10 according to His own will. 24:12 In 1 Thessalonians chapter 5 verse 18 the Bible says, 24:16 "In every thing give thanks, for this is the will of God 24:20 in Christ Jesus concerning you. " 24:22 And then beloved, we want to be a faithful steward 24:25 of all that God has committed unto us. 24:29 And last but not least, number twelve. 24:32 We want to acknowledge God. 24:35 The Bible says in Matthew 6 verse 33, "Seek ye first 24:40 the kingdom of God and His righteousness. " 24:42 God must be first in our lives. 24:45 And now beloved, the most, I think the most hindering 24:50 obstacle for all prayers is this particular issue. 24:56 The biggest prayer hindering wall is sin. 25:00 And remember, sin is an attitude of rebellion 25:04 against the government of God. 25:06 Remember now, there are physical laws which govern gravity. 25:11 Then there are civil laws. 25:14 And we know all about the traffic laws and so forth. 25:18 But then again, there is moral law which governs 25:22 theft, marriage, murder, and worship. 25:25 And this is found in Exodus chapter 20 verses 1 through 17. 25:28 And incidentally beloved, remember, long before God 25:31 gave the ten commandments on Mount Sinai, 25:33 the ten commandments were already in effect. 25:36 That's how Adam and Eve were brought to the attention 25:41 that they had sinned. 25:42 You see, Adam and Eve knew about the law of God. 25:44 And so sin is the biggest prayer hindering wall that there is. 25:50 And so what we want to do, beloved, is follow the counsel 25:53 given in 1 John chapter 1 verse 9. 26:01 The Bible says, "If we confess our sins, He is faithful 26:07 and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us 26:10 from all unrighteousness. " 26:13 And truly I believe that as you practice these conditions for 26:17 answered prayer, you will have joy in your prayer experience; 26:24 the joy of answered prayer. 26:26 Well beloved, it's a blessing that we can understand the 26:29 conditions for answered prayer. 26:32 We want to start looking now at prayer content; 26:34 how to pray and how to approach God in prayer. 26:36 I want you to pray for us that God will bless us as we 26:40 make preparation for our next upcoming broadcast, 26:43 which is entitled, The Seven Main Areas of Prayer. 26:46 We're going to deal with it in two parts, part one. 26:49 So let us pray that God will bless you, that you might 26:52 continue to have the joy of answered prayer. 26:55 Loving Father, we truly thank You for Your tender mercies 26:59 and Your grace. 27:00 We thank You, dear Lord, for watching over us. 27:03 Continue, dear Lord, to bless us as we learn more about 27:06 the dynamics in the science of prayer. 27:09 For we do ask it all and we give You the praise 27:11 in Jesus' name, amen. 27:14 Beloved, we want you to call us or write us 27:17 at our mailing address. 27:38 Beloved, thank you so much for tuning in. 27:40 Please tell a friend about this special prayer series. 27:44 And we'll see you next time. God bless. |
Revised 2014-12-17