Participants: Shelley Quinn (Host), Cindy Tutsch
Series Code: IAA
Program Code: IAA000378
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00:01 Hi I'm Shelley Quinn, inviting you
00:03 to join us today, on Issues 00:04 and Answers, as we discuss Intercessory Prayer. 00:07 And how you by participating may 00:09 change the lives, of your loved ones. 00:34 If you're like me, you have a family member. Who 00:36 you wish could know the joy of a personal relationship 00:40 with the Lord. What do you do when you have 00:43 someone like that in your life, you know you can't 00:46 take a fiddle and beat somebody over the head, 00:48 to convince them how beautiful the music is, 00:51 nor can you take the Bible and beat someone over the 00:54 head to convince them how much God loves them, 00:56 but one thing you can do is pray for them and that's 01:00 what we're going to be talking about today 01:02 on Issues and Answers is Intercessory Prayer. 01:05 You know this is something that we are commanded 01:08 to pray for others and according to Samuel it's 01:10 even a sin when we don't pray for others, let me share 01:14 a scripture with you from First Samuel 12 verse 23 01:17 he writes, more over as for me far be it from me that 01:21 I should cease to, that I should sin against 01:25 the Lord by ceasing to pray for you. 01:28 So, we're going to be discussing that today with 01:31 our very special guest Dr. Cindy Tutsch 01:34 and Dr. Tutsch thank you so much for coming to 3ABN 01:38 I'm glad to be here! You've been here before 01:40 I've seen that face on 3ABN. Several times, actually 01:43 I think I started about 16 or 17 years ago 01:45 with my first statement. Praise the Lord and you did 01:47 some teen pathways before. Yes, I know you are the 01:50 mother of two. Three. Three! Aha! 01:53 Okay, we're gonna talk about all these things, but first 01:56 tell us what you are doing right now as the 01:58 Associate Director for the Ellen G. White Estate? 02:02 My focus actually is helping youth and young 02:04 adults understand that Ellen White, still has things that 02:07 are relevant to their spirituality, in other words 02:09 even though she with a 19th century visionary, she still 02:12 talks about issues that face kids today and directs 02:16 them to Jesus. Directs them to Jesus, 02:18 the answer to all of their conflicting claims of life. 02:20 Okay now let me ask you this question, because I'm sure 02:24 we have a number of our guests, who do not know who 02:27 Ellen White is? So, can you explain, just tell us a 02:30 little bit of her history. Oh, certainly! 02:32 Well, Seventh-Day Adventists base all of their doctrines 02:35 on the Bible and interestingly enough in 02:39 Romans 12 and First Corinthians 12 and Ephesians 02:41 4, we find listed as one of the gifts of the spirit, the 02:44 gift of prophecy and even before the Seventh-Day 02:47 Adventist church was organized as a denomination 02:50 when it was still a nucleus of believers 02:51 that were expecting the Lord to come 02:54 and eager for his second coming, our early 02:58 pioneers discovered that there was according to these 03:02 lists, gifts of prophecy, the possibility of someone being 03:07 a prophet even in contemporary times, even 03:11 in extra-biblical times. And so when this young 03:12 teenager Ellen, who was then Harmon, that was her maiden 03:15 name, had a vision, some people were skeptical you 03:19 know, can this really but instead 03:21 of determining whether she was authentic just by some 03:24 kind of experiential feeling they went to the scriptures. 03:27 What does the scriptures have to say and they discovered 03:29 that there were several tests of a prophet, including 03:31 Isaiah 8:20 to the law to the testimony, they speak not. 03:34 according to this word there is no light in them 03:37 and so as a result of studying the Bible and 03:39 comparing these messages of Ellen Harmon and later Ellen 03:42 White, the Seventh-Day Adventist Church believed 03:44 that she had indeed received messages 03:46 from God, never to contradict the scripture, 03:48 never to supercede the scripture, but always to 03:51 direct people back to the scripture and direct them to 03:53 Jesus. And so, Ellen G. White was one of the 03:57 founders for the Seventh-Day Adventists movement and they 04:00 were as you said these nucleus of people, it was all 04:02 in denominational, who were really seeking the 04:05 scriptures coming to, trying to understand about 04:08 the second coming of the Lord. Right. 04:10 So, now you are, tell us a little bit about your 04:13 children in your family, you have a doctorate. I have a 04:18 doctorate of ministry from the, Andrews University, 04:20 Seventh-Day Adventist Geological Seminary 04:23 and then, our daughter is actually an attorney 04:25 in Eastern Washington, she does Social Services 04:27 Law, you know, helping the poor and marginalize, 04:29 and those who are the least in society and have no 04:31 voice, very proud of her for that and then we have twin 04:34 sons who are 34. Oh! That's where I messed up. Double 04:37 trouble, double joy. That's why I thought you only had 04:40 one son that was 34, but you were talking about 04:42 two different sons there. Right. Yeah 04:44 As a mother and one who, how long have, have you always 04:50 had a personal relationship with the Lord or was this 04:53 something that developed later in life. 04:56 What was your history with God? 04:58 My parents actually, became Christians and 05:00 then Seventh-Day Adventist Christians when I was just a 05:02 child about the age of four but I had my own 05:05 personal encounter with Jesus, when I 05:07 was eight, that sounds kind of young. 05:08 Praise God. But I actually, heard the voice of God 05:12 speaking to me, not a literal audible voice, but a 05:14 gentle calling to my soul. That's First Kings 19:12, the 05:18 still small voice of God. Exactly at that young age. 05:21 And I took Bible studies, decided that I wanted 05:25 to be a Christian, for myself 05:26 gave my heart and soul to Jesus as a child, 05:29 and of course I had that, some of those struggles that 05:33 many people have when they were teenagers I had those 05:36 struggles too and came back to a stronger and deeper 05:39 commitment to Jesus when I was, 05:40 probably oh! I don't know, about 24 05:43 and one of the agencies that guides you to bring 05:46 me back to full commitment to him was the little book 05:50 by Ellen White, called Steps to Christ. 05:52 Yes! My husband's favorite book, I love that book as 05:55 well. Oh, okay. And then, she has so much 05:58 to talk about the personal relationship. 06:00 You know, a lot of people think that religion is 06:02 gonna save them, it doesn't matter what name is across 06:06 the church that you attend, what matters most 06:10 I shouldn't say it doesn't matter at all, but it doesn't 06:12 it matters very little if you don't have a personal 06:14 relationship with the Lord and that's what this book is. 06:17 Our whole obedience, our keeping the Sabbath, 06:20 whatever we do its response to grace, the wonderful 06:22 grace of God. Absolutely. And what I have discovered 06:25 when I'm traveling around to various countries 06:27 on behalf of the general conference of 06:30 Seventh-Day Adventists is that many persons have 06:33 strong concerns for either a friend or a family member 06:37 who was making lifestyle decisions that seemed to be 06:39 destructive, they're concerned that they haven't 06:43 either their family, their children or 06:44 their best friends, yet made a decision for 06:47 Jesus that brings them that peace and that joy. 06:50 So, I am discovering that a lot of persons are thinking 06:53 what can I do about this, do I lecture as you mentioned 06:56 at the beginning, do I continually try to give 06:59 my testimony, do I pray and certainly our own 07:03 personal testimony is very important and the 07:06 Holy Spirit kind of nudges us along when we 07:09 can give that testimony, but I want like to especially 07:12 talk today about intercessory prayer. 07:14 Absolutely. And you know before you start 07:16 about that I think you would agree with me that 07:19 sometimes the most important thing that we can do in 07:22 addition to praying for our loved ones especially if 07:26 you live with those loved ones, is show them the 07:29 example of grace operating in our life because if 07:33 we are not walking, if we just talk the 07:36 talk and we don't walk in his footsteps, 07:38 people aren't going to listen to anything that we say. 07:41 And you know Jesus must have been winsome, 07:43 because the children loved him according to the 07:45 scriptures. They like to sit on his laps. 07:46 They like to collect around him. 07:48 So, he must have been a very open, very gentle, 07:51 very appealing, loving person and certainly our 07:55 children when they are younger and need teaching 07:57 from the scripture, they need our example. 08:00 But as they grow older and began to leave the home. 08:03 They already know what's right and so what can 08:05 we do best to draw them. Perhaps to a renewal 08:10 of their relationship with Jesus or may be even a 08:12 first time experience with Jesus. 08:15 And I think once our children leave our home 08:18 this idea of intercessory period becomes even 08:20 more important, more pivotal to administrate 08:23 our own kids. Amen. 08:25 I'm thinking of First Timothy, chapter 2 08:28 where Paul says, I urge you, that's a pretty strong words, 08:32 that's the command, first of all he says to pray for all 08:36 people as you make your request, plead for God's 08:40 mercy upon them and give thanks. I like that, gives 08:43 thanks, usually we plead for God's mercy and 08:45 then we go into worry mode. Now here he instructs us 08:48 to give thanks and then verse 3, this is good. 08:52 In other words, Intercessory prayer 08:53 is good and pleases God our savior, for he wants 08:57 everyone to be saved and to understand the truth. 09:00 He wants us to pray for all humanity and that's 09:03 our command to pray. Right it's not our option. 09:06 And let's discuss what Intercessory prayers 09:09 because that's a terminology that many Christians 09:12 are familiar with, but how would you say 09:15 Intercessory prayer differs from other prayer. 09:19 I think a lot of our prayer is praise the God, which is 09:22 wonderful and thanksgiving to Jesus for what he has 09:24 done in our lives. And it could also be 09:26 petition, asking for specific things in our life perhaps or 09:30 in the lives of others, I think Intercessory prayers 09:33 is when we hold someone up to Jesus and say Oh! God 09:36 please just fill them with your Holy Spirit. 09:39 and have them to understand who you are? 09:41 Have them to understand that you died for them 09:43 and you care about them like there was not another 09:45 stool on the earth to share their, 09:47 your watch care. And that Intercessory prayer 09:49 then is our asking God to save this person. 09:53 To whom, for whom we have a great love and 09:56 a great burden that they know Jesus personally. 09:58 So, Intercessory prayer is kind of standing in the gap 10:01 for someone else. Now, see if you agree with this. 10:03 You may not, but I tell people often that 10:07 you know God will not force his will on someone's life 10:10 I know my sister was involved with drugs for 10:13 15 years and I interceded on her behalf constantly 10:17 I was praying for her, because I knew she wasn't 10:18 praying for herself. Right. 10:20 And I tell people God is like a loving God 10:24 has put handcuffs if you will on himself. 10:27 That he will not superimpose his will 10:31 upon someones lives and prayer is kind of, 10:33 Intercessory Prayers is like the key that unlocks 10:36 those cuffs and gives him permission to work in 10:39 someones life who just flat won't turn to the Lord. 10:43 So, I like that analogy. I like it because of the 10:47 great controversy, the great battle between 10:48 Christ and Satan. Satan has said, these are 10:51 mine you know they have not made any claim to your name 10:54 These are mine and so God is allowing Satan to make 10:58 that claim, but only to a degree, if we're saying 11:01 God we're asking you to send your spirit to this 11:04 person's life, then as you say it releases 11:06 God to do that and still have things fear and 11:09 this great converse. This great battle 11:11 between the will of God who's cast a vote for our soul 11:14 and the will of Satan who's cast a vote for us soul 11:17 and then ultimately we have to cast the deciding vote. 11:20 There is another text I think that is encouraging 11:22 to us when we get kind of weary of praying for 11:25 the same person, it's Psalms 126, verse 5, Psalms 11:29 126, verse 5. I like this one because 11:32 sometimes particularly for our friends they ask 11:35 us to pray for them and we start out doing 11:37 pretty well and then we kind of forget. 11:39 And this reminds us that we need to be persistent 11:43 and it says in verse 5. Those who plant in tears 11:46 will harvest with shouts of joy. 11:49 Amen! They reap as they go to plant 11:51 their seed, but they sing as they return with a harvest. 11:54 And that says to me you know it might be kind of hard 11:57 going, you might see any indications at first. 11:59 that God is really working in the life of the person 12:01 that we love so much, but if we persist 12:04 if we are tenacious, God is in process and we just 12:08 have to have faith that he is working even though 12:10 we might not seen any outward indications of that. 12:13 You know that persistence is something in Luke 18, 12:15 that Jesus was so clear when he gave the parable 12:18 of the persistent widow that he wanted us to 12:22 continue to pray until we see the reaping of this 12:26 and I believe it's Luke 18:8 where he says when 12:30 the son of man comes back will he find faith on the 12:33 earth, I think if we give up in prayer, particularly 12:36 in praying for others. It shows a lack of faith 12:39 but one thing that I want to make sure that I just 12:43 admonish you, if somebody asks you to pray for them 12:46 and you say yes I will, do yourself a favor. 12:50 So, that you won't be caught a liar 12:53 and that is pray for them right then. 12:55 That's a great idea. Because once if you tell 12:57 somebody yes I'll pray for you. It's so easy when we're 13:00 being bombarded by so many images during 13:02 the days, so many interruptions and our 13:05 lifestyles are so hectic. You may have the best 13:07 of intentions to pray for somebody. 13:09 And then your memory lapses you know, a week 13:12 later you're thinking. Oh! You hear about their. 13:14 Right. Problems and you're thinking 13:16 Oh! I meant to pray for them. 13:17 I like the idea of praying for them immediately 13:19 and also it's been helpful to me in my advancing 13:22 aid is to add it to my prayer journal. 13:24 Absolutely. And then I'm reminded 13:26 to pray for this person? 13:27 I like to tell you a story. Surely. 13:29 This is about my son and I asked him permission 13:32 to tell this story and he said sure mom, 13:34 if it would be an encouragement 13:35 to other parents and may be even young people who 13:37 are struggling with their spirituality, absolutely. 13:40 My son has always been very athletic from the 13:43 time he was just a kind of a toddler and when he made a 13:46 decision for Jesus he was about 11 years old. 13:48 But as time when on it kind of waned a 13:51 little bit, it kind of got put on the back burner. 13:54 He is an extreme snowboarder, in another 13:56 words he is a sponsored snowboarder, you could see 13:58 his picture on postures and snowboard magazines 14:02 and such, even though there are definitely 14:04 Christians in the snowboard industry or culture. 14:08 There is a lot of people they are kind of partiers 14:10 And you know, I think that kind of maybe rubbed off on 14:13 him a little bit. Surely. 14:15 And so Church and God and making time for God. 14:18 Sort of wasn't really that important in his life. 14:20 And every night my husband and I would pray that 14:23 our son would come home spiritually. 14:24 That he would renew that decision for Jesus 14:27 that he had made with all of his heart when 14:29 he was just 11 years old. And we have a good 14:31 relationship, but you know he only came to church 14:34 when mom came to visit. And you know just wasn't 14:37 really, really into the things of the spirit. 14:39 And we had made some lifestyle decisions that 14:42 were very, of great concern to me because I was 14:45 afraid that he would you know destroy his body 14:48 from whom Christ died and never have the opportunity 14:50 to make a decision for God. And one day I was walking in 14:54 a state park and got out off cell phone range. 14:57 When I'm came back in there was a message 14:59 from my son, now Shelley you know as parents 15:02 we know very well when something is wrong with 15:04 our kids it's that mother's intuition, and so I thought 15:08 hmm, that sounds a little bit different, his 15:10 cell phone message was mom call me. 15:13 And just those three words, so I called up one of my friends 15:16 who was one of my prayer warrior friends and 15:18 I said I don't know what's going on with my son 15:20 Mickey, but I'm gonna return this call will you 15:23 just cover me with prayer and I ask Jesus to give me 15:25 the words that he would have me speak. 15:27 And so when I called my son he said mom, 15:30 I just want to tell you, I can't sleep and I had just read 15:34 Neil Nedley's excellent book on depression 15:36 the way out. Yes And so I talked 15:38 to him about some of this stressors in his life. 15:40 He was taking a couple of really hard classes in 15:42 university and had just changed jobs, that he was 15:45 a flight instructor at a new place. 15:47 And you know there were a number of things, 15:50 a number of changes in his life. And I talked to him about 15:53 some of the physiological things that he could do to 15:55 avoid depression and insomnia and that sort of 15:59 thing. And he thanked me and a couple of days later 16:03 he called me again and this time his voice sounded 16:05 almost ragged, just almost despairing, and 16:09 I was concerned and he said mom, I'm still not sleeping 16:15 I'm not sleeping at all and I'm a flight instructor. 16:19 And I'm afraid I'm gonna to crash with my students. 16:23 And I said Mickey, do you think this is a 16:26 spiritual battle and just like that, Shelley. 16:29 He said, yes. Wow! 16:31 And I just prayed I said, Oh! Lord, give me the words. 16:34 And I said Mickey, do you remember 16:35 a couple years of ago I sent you a book 16:38 the name of that is a call to stand 16:40 apart, and it's an adaptation of some of the 16:43 Ellen White's writings for young people who might 16:45 struggle with some of the 19th century language 16:47 and so it's written in contemporary English. 16:50 And I said, do you remember that book. 16:52 And he said, yes. And I said, well, do you 16:55 still have it? Now, that was an question because 16:57 sometimes may son called my mail out to him 17:01 propaganda packages. And so the contents 17:04 didn't always stay in house. 17:06 And he said yes, and that surprised me that he 17:08 knew that he still had that book because I send it 17:10 to him a couple of years before. 17:11 And I said, well, why don't you go home and why 17:14 don't you read the chapter you can come home anytime. 17:19 It's chapter 4 and he said well, okay, and that 17:24 chapter is just amazing of course it's the story 17:26 of the prodigal son in contemporary language. 17:28 It starts out, this the story of a young man 17:30 weary of the restrains of living at home. 17:32 And then it goes through what happened with the 17:34 young man as he went away from home and talks about 17:37 in a language that young people can understand. 17:40 And then it talks about that young man coming back, 17:43 coming back and then father running to embrace him 17:47 with his passionate warm embrace of love. 17:51 You know with no words of condemnation and 17:53 no words of judgment and just welcoming him back 17:56 to the family, it's such a beautiful story that tells 17:59 a completely different perception of God then 18:02 many people have, they think of him as kind of 18:04 stern and demanding in his requirements. 18:06 But when they just take that first step back 18:08 to the Lord they find how loving and compassionate 18:11 he really is. And the story ends 18:14 like this, don't wait or try to clean yourself up. 18:18 So, you could be good enough to come to Jesus. 18:21 If we waited to be good enough, we would never come. 18:24 Amen! Jesus is waiting for you 18:27 calling you, yearning for you. 18:29 And all heaven will celebrate when you come home. 18:33 Amen! You know my son 18:35 called me the next day and he said, mom I read 18:39 that story, and I was just thinking, I was thinking 18:41 back when I was a counselor at youth camp. 18:44 I was thinking about all the times when I had this 18:47 peace because I was right with God and he said, 18:50 I want that experience again, he said the person 18:52 I am today, he said that's not really who I want to be. 18:55 He said I just want you to know mom 18:56 that last night I invited Jesus to be my savior 18:59 again. Praise God, praise God. I just can't tell you 19:04 how the joy just filled my heart. 19:06 Absolutely. Up to overflowing. 19:09 And a couple of weeks later I went to visit him 19:11 across the country he lives in Washington state 19:13 and I live in Maryland. And I stayed at his house 19:16 and I noticed that the contents of his refrigerator 19:18 were different and the things on his wall 19:20 were different and the books in his bookshelf 19:22 were different, but what really got me was the next 19:25 morning when we got up and had breakfast. 19:27 Mickey said to be, mom would you like to study 19:30 the Sabbath school lesson with me. 19:32 Praise God. Oh! I nearly dropped my tea. 19:35 You know that was four years ago and his 19:37 relationship with Jesus has remained strong 19:39 and growing and further he married a wonderful 19:42 Christian woman and they are active in their young 19:44 adult group in their church and I thought you know 19:47 maybe that story would be encouraging to parents 19:49 who are praying for their children and thinking oh! 19:52 you know will they ever come home. 19:54 You know Cindy, as we are listening to your story 19:56 about Mickey, this reminds me of a scripture 19:58 from Jeremiah 31:16 and the scripture says. 20:03 Thus says the Lord, restrain your voice from weeping 20:07 and your eyes from tears, for your work shall be 20:11 rewarded, says the Lord. And then in the amplified 20:15 it says and your children, your children being in brackets 20:19 that's what in the context. "Your children shall return 20:22 from the enemies land." Praise God. 20:24 I do too. He promises us in Isaiah 20:27 that God will contend with those who contend with us. 20:31 And he will save our children. And save our children. 20:34 Yes. So, the whole idea of praying, you 20:38 know there are times and it may not be your child. 20:41 It could be your husband. It could be your wife. 20:45 It could be a good friend. But, the whole idea of 20:48 people you know the joy in your story was your son 20:53 knew what he was missing. He had experienced that 20:57 joy and peace in his life. He knew that he was feeling 21:02 empty now he wanted what had before before, the biggest 21:06 problem I think is for people who, that we are praying for 21:09 who have never known that. Yes. 21:12 Now in reaching them it is the prayer, but it's also 21:16 that's where don't you think that's where a 21:18 personal testimony and the example that we set 21:22 in living and showing that we're calm. 21:25 Right, that Jesus has done something for us and they 21:28 wonder, where did you get that calmness 21:30 where do you get that joy. And they know that 21:33 not everything was right in our lives they can see 21:35 maybe that we've lost our job, whether our house burned 21:37 down. Exactly. Or you know we got in a 21:39 car accident and whatever it is. 21:41 But, when they see that we maintain that consistency. 21:44 And we're not always consistent because we are. 21:46 Human. Exactly, and I just, but I think that does often 21:52 offer an opportunity for us to give our personal 21:54 testimony to persons who perhaps they have never 21:57 encountered Christ in anyway. I liked the text that you 22:00 shared and I also like Isaiah 43, I'm reading from 22:04 verse 5. Do not be afraid, for I am with you, 22:08 Amen! I will gather you and 22:10 your children from east and west and from 22:12 north and south, in other words wherever they have 22:14 gone in their spiritual experience. 22:16 He says from the distant corners of the earth 22:18 I will bring them back I will claim them for my 22:22 own glory because I created them. 22:25 That's encouraging to me. It's wonderful, but I'm 22:27 sitting here, I'm thinking there is probably someone 22:29 who is watching us right now. Who prayed for 22:32 their children, and/or a husband 22:33 or a brother, or sister, or parent and they 22:36 prayed and they prayed and they prayed and 22:38 they never saw that person give their heart to the Lord, 22:44 before they died. Before the person that 22:46 was praying died or the other person die. 22:48 Before the person for whom they were praying died. 22:50 And they, and you know I see often i'll have someone come 22:53 up to me and say I prayed I did all of these things 22:57 but, then I died and I never saw them give their 22:59 heart to the Lord and I always tell people 23:03 you don't know what happened in those closing 23:05 moments of their life. You don't you know we can't 23:09 judge just because we see of course usually we are 23:12 going by the evidence presented to us. 23:15 Right. Right. But, we don't know, I believe that 23:19 we're called to be the planters of the seed, but it's 23:22 God that gives the harvest. It's God that's keeping 23:26 it a well watered garden and gives us the harvest. 23:29 Exactly and also we can't discount the choice 23:33 the human will. I would have suppose that 23:35 Adam and Eve prayed earnestly for their son Cain. 23:39 We don't know whether Cain will be in heaven 23:41 because the Bible doesn't tell us that they must 23:43 have been very discouraged by the behavior of Cain. 23:46 I mean here he murders you know their beloved Abel. 23:51 And so sometimes I think that we don't necessarily 23:53 know the outcome on this earth but that doesn't 23:55 give us any reason to leave off praying, the Lord 23:59 says pray with persistence, pray without ceasing. 24:03 Be not weary of well doing for you will reap if you, 24:06 if you faint not. You know then you 24:07 can always think of Job, in Job 42:10 24:10 where the Lord said because Job, when he turned and 24:15 starting praying for his friends, God then turned 24:18 Job's situation around and actually restored everything 24:21 and gave him twice as much. So, there is, there can be 24:24 a benefit and I believe that Intercessory Prayer 24:28 does benefit us, it helps draw us near to the Lord, 24:31 it gives us, we are calling on, it gives us more of 24:34 the Lord's heart for others as we intercede for them. 24:37 Indeed. Do you agree? Absolutely and it also 24:40 reminds me when I'm praying for the person 24:44 it reminds me if my need to be on the alert in case 24:47 the Holy Spirit is saying saying something to me 24:49 about a testimony I could give or you know someway 24:52 that I could be aware of the other person's need 24:56 and may be respond to that, not in the preaching 24:58 lecturing way, but just in a recognizing their 25:03 humanity and recognizing how God is the one that 25:07 can fill the emotional and spiritual 25:09 needs in their heart. Amen. 25:11 And you know the more you intercede for 25:13 others I think, I often will pray for a divine 25:16 appointment. Yes. 25:18 And I ask the Lord, by what I mean by that is that 25:21 I'm asking the Lord to connect me with someone 25:24 that day by his will for whom or to whom 25:29 I could minister and often when I am really focused 25:35 on Intercessory Prayer and I'm praying for a divine 25:38 appointment as I am out. You know I'll be standing 25:40 in the line and Lord will say go and pray for 25:42 this person and you can feel like an absolute, 25:47 well, it can make you feel a little stranger 25:51 out of the ordinary. Like you're sticking out 25:52 like a sore thumb, to walk up to a total stranger 25:55 and say you know I would like to pray with you. 25:58 I am impressed to pray with you. 26:00 But, it has never failed that the Lord will lead you 26:04 right to the person who would just begin to weep 26:08 or sometimes may not say well, I'm not sure I need 26:11 any prayer. I said are you sure I really feel that the 26:13 Lord was directing me and suddenly the flood gate 26:16 breaks. Amen! And they will start 26:19 talking to you about something and you can 26:22 pray with this person and they may not have any 26:24 relationship with the Lord. But, that's how the Lord 26:27 has reached them when you do that, I mean just 26:30 your willingness to intercede for others. 26:32 That's very inspirational to me I've never done 26:34 that I have don't a lot of literature evangelism 26:36 where I go door to door with young people. 26:39 I've directed ten years of student literature 26:42 evangelism programs. And I've encouraged the 26:44 young people to pray with the people at the door. 26:46 And say you know is there anything I can pray for you 26:49 about concerning your family, there has been wonderful 26:51 response and I've done that myself as I have gone 26:53 door to door with gospel literature. 26:55 But I have never gone up to a complete stranger 26:57 in a store or a mall or something like that. 26:59 I think that you would definitely have to know 27:03 that you were directed by the spirit and I admire 27:05 your ability to recognize the voice of God and to do that. 27:10 I think also of God's promise here in Ezekiel 34, verse 16. 27:16 I will search for my lost ones who strayed away and 27:21 I will bring them safely home again. 27:24 Amen! Dr. Cindy Tutsch, thank you 27:27 so much for joining us today Cindy, it's just been 27:29 a real pleasure to have you here and its always good 27:32 when someone is ministering from experience and you 27:36 know something that I wanted to share with 27:38 our viewers as we are going off the air is you may think 27:43 well who is interceding on my behalf. 27:45 Let me share a promise from Hebrews 7 and verse 25. 27:49 This is talking about our Lord Jesus and it says 27:52 therefore he is able to say to the uttermost 27:56 those who he is praying for since he is always 28:01 living to make petitions to God and intercede 28:05 on their behalf. Jesus is interceding 28:07 for you. Don't forget that. |
Revised 2014-12-17