Welcome, to Issues and Answer.
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Today we are going
to be talking about
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the power of prayer.
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How many of you wondered
how to get that prayer through?
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You know, you're thinking that
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maybe I need to
get with this woman,
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you know, she a
really good prayer
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or maybe this
pastor, this minister
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but how can we actually
engage the power of prayer.
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Today our guest is
Pastor Joseph Ikner.
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He is the prayer coordinator
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for the Central
States Conference
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of Seventh-day Adventist.
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He is based in
St. Louis, Missouri,
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a place where
prayers get through.
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He is the pastor of Berean
Seventh-day Adventist Church.
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And we are so
happy to have him here.
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He is also a graduate
of Andrews University.
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Under graduate as
well as his Master's degree
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from Andrews University.
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Welcome to Issues
and Answers, Pastor.
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Thank you, Karen Thank
you so much for coming.
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Yeah, so glad to be here.
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So why is
prayer important today?
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You know, I think that
everyone is looking for way
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to be able to connect with God.
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And a lot of times we
feel like we can't really have
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that real connection with God.
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And sometimes people feel
like God is not concerned about
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what's going on with
their life and so forth.
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But one of the
things that I have found
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from my own
personal experience is that
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God is
concerned about everything
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that is happening in our lives.
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God is a God of relationships,
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He really wants to be able
to connect with us in a real
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and personal way
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and when I was
thinking about that
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this quote came to
mind from one author,
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who writes in this book,
"Steps to Christ, page 93"
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and the author says that
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"Prayer is the
opening of the heart
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to God as to a friend,
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not that is necessary an order,
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to make know to
God, what we are,
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but in order to
enable us to receive him.
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Prayer does not
bring God down to us
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but brings us up to Him."
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I have to ask you a
question, because you are from
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St. Louis, Missouri.
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Which, Ferguson
Missouri is a suburb.
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There is a lot
of issues going on
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that have
happened in the past there.
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Where is God in
the midst of all that?
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Yeah.
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You know, I think that
that's a good question,
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because you know
the whole situation
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between Darren
Wilson and Michael Brown.
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There was a lot of uproar
over that particular situation
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and of course,
with this tragedy,
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people really need hope
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and I think that
sometimes we say,
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Well, God, why
didn't you stop this?
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Why didn't you prevent
this thing from happening?
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I mean, Michael
Brown was so young,
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God where were you,
you know, in that moment?
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And sometimes we don't
realize that God allows things
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to happen for a reason.
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God brings good
even out of tragedy,
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God brings blessings
even out of bad situations.
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And I think that that sometimes
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when people go
through a particular tragedy,
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where they see
something happen like
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which has happened in our city,
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it causes and
brings us to deeper places
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and you know what,
we really need God.
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I mean, for us it has cost us
as the pastors and the churches
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in that area to
say you know what?
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We recognize we living
closer to the end of time.
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We need to be more united
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and we also need to
seek to God in prayer.
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So one of the initiatives
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that we had toward
the end of the year
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in Central States Conference
was 21 days of prayer,
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where we were, for Ferguson,
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where we were seeking the Lord
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to do something
mighty in this area.
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And we just believe that God
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is going to create
the opportunity for us
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to be able to reach Ferguson,
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to be able to
touch people's lives,
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to be able to
interact with people in a way
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that we didn't have the
opportunity to do before.
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Because some of our members
have gone to that community,
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there have been
some prayer visuals
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that have been held there,
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they had some demonstrations
that have been peaceful,
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there have been some
doors that have been knocked on,
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there have been
some conversation
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that have been had,
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that otherwise
would not have been had
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if it wasn't that
for that situation.
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And of course, we are not saying
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we want these things to happen.
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But the Bible
says in Romans 8:28
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that "All things
work together for good
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to those that love God
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and are called
according to His purpose."
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So we begin to look for God,
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what are you
doing in this situation?
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Instead of just
saying God where are you?
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As though God is not there,
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the God does not
exist but instead,
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what is it that you
want to do through this.
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Right, so tell me
more about that Pastor.
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Let me illustrate
about saying this.
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I think that sometimes we treat
God like He is Santa Claus,
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that we only expect God
to do good things for us
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and give us great gifts,
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instead of looking for God
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in both good and bad situations.
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So seven years
ago my wife and I,
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we lost a child,
we lost our daughter.
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I'm sorry. Thank you.
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And my wife had
to go into surgery
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because she had a rare condition
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called placenta percreta.
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And so we were
trying to figure out
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what was going on
with my wife, Nordia.
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They transferred her
to hospitals so forth
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and so before they
took my wife in a surgery,
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I asked that they would
bring in all the doctors,
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all the anesthesiologist,
all the nurses.
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They said we think we've got
this situation under control,
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you know.
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And so we came in and I asked
could I pray with all of them
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that God's will would be done.
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And so we
prayed and I asked God,
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you know, when my
wife is going in a surgery,
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we know that they've got
to take out our child as well
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that's gonna be
born premature 23 weeks.
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And there is a possibility
that some life could be lost
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and so I'm saying to God,
Lord, let your will be done.
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But I want you to save
my wife's life out of this.
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So she goes in the surgery
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and when they open
up her abdominal cavity
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they find two liters
of blood sitting there.
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And so they have to give
her a major blood transfusion
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of almost all the blood
that she had in her body.
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And so they're
suctioning out all the blood,
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her organs are
just standing in there,
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they are pushing them down
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and so when they close
her up and they bring her out,
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she is doing well, our
daughter is doing well.
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And I remember the
doctor distinctly coming in
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and sitting on the
edge of the bed and saying,
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"You know, Nordia,
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the only reason why you are here
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is because God
intervened in this situation
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and someone was
praying about this."
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So you know, we sit here
and we will share this testimony
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and say, wow, that's the
power of the prayer right.
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But then our
daughter is born premature,
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she is born
premature, she is in a unit
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and she is battling for life,
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things are looking good.
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But on her seventh day of life,
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she takes her
turn for the worst.
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They take her in a surgery,
they are not able save her,
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she is bleeding out
and she ends up dying.
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And now would you ask
yourself-- you ask yourself,
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"Well, where is God in this?"
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Well, I say that
God is the same God
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that was in the place who saved
my wife seven days earlier.
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So sometimes we don't understand
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exactly why God
allows things to happen.
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I can't say even
as the man of prayer,
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the prayer
coordinator, all the reasons
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why God has allowed
us to lose our child.
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But I tell you this,
as the years have gone on,
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I've been able
to see the evidence
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of what God wants
to do through that,
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because I think that
there is truth in the fact
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that God will take misery
and turn it into a ministry.
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God will take tragedy
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and He will turn
it into a testimony.
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And so we have
learnt to have the capacity
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to be able to minister people
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who have
experience loss of all types,
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but also
including children in a way
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that we would not
have been able to do,
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if we hadn't have
had that experience.
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So God takes that and
when the word says that
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"all things really work
together for good," they do.
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"It works together for
His purpose, for his glory"
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and even to improve us
and to draw us closer to Him,
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to cause us to trust him more.
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To have faith in Him
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and so things aren't
gonna always turn out
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the way we want them to.
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So instead of again,
asking the question, God!
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Where is God in the
midst of all of this,
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we should be asking, okay, God,
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what are you doing
in the midst of this,
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what do you want
me to learn in this,
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what is it that
you want me to see,
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how am I gonna
be better for this
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and that's the way
that we should pray
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because the quote
that I read earlier
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"Steps to Christ" page.93,
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"Opening our heart
to God as to a friend,
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God is not against
us, he is not just a God
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who sits way up
there in the sky someplace,
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but He is King of
kings, He is the Lord of lords
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but He is also a God
that is so personal and real,
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that's interested in what's
going on in our very lives
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that He wants to be a
friend to us individually,
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as though there is no
one else in the universe,
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but just us.
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Amen.
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You know, some people are
just moving away from God,
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because they say--
you know, especially,
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a lot of young
people that are coming up,
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they are wondering
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why is it that bad things
are happening in this world,
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if there is God,
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why are bad things
happening in this world.
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Could you answer that question?
00:10:04.17\00:10:05.93
Well, I think that the reason
why bad things are happening
00:10:05.97\00:10:09.37
is because there
is a great controversy
00:10:09.40\00:10:11.61
that the Bible speaks of.
00:10:11.64\00:10:13.34
I mean, we believe
that the Bible says
00:10:13.38\00:10:15.44
in Revolution 12: 7-9
that there was war in heaven.
00:10:15.48\00:10:19.45
Satan warred against Christ
00:10:19.48\00:10:21.22
and eventually
Satan lost that war
00:10:21.25\00:10:23.15
and he came down here to earth,
00:10:23.18\00:10:25.25
we know the simple
story of Adam and Eve,
00:10:25.29\00:10:28.56
them being tested
in the Garden of Eden,
00:10:28.59\00:10:30.39
Satan showing up
and a fall in to sin,
00:10:30.43\00:10:33.56
a fall from
perfection, then a fall into sin
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and along with sin
and our own moral choice
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to choose outside of God,
00:10:40.90\00:10:42.90
comes the antithesis of
good which is evil and so...
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Antithesis means opposite?
00:10:47.58\00:10:49.08
Opposite, Yeah the opposite.
00:10:49.24\00:10:51.61
The opposite of good comes evil
and so the wars that we see,
00:10:51.65\00:10:57.85
is because of evil and sin.
00:10:57.89\00:11:02.76
The strife, children
being disobedient to parents,
00:11:02.79\00:11:08.16
parents abusing their children,
00:11:08.20\00:11:10.03
police brutality, the...
00:11:10.07\00:11:13.30
Gang violence.
00:11:13.34\00:11:14.67
Gang violence, the community's
response to the police, ISIS,
00:11:14.70\00:11:20.48
terrorism, all of
these things that we see
00:11:20.54\00:11:23.81
are the result of sin, which,
00:11:23.85\00:11:25.81
when you really boil down to it,
00:11:25.85\00:11:27.68
is mankind really
making choices out side of God
00:11:27.72\00:11:31.12
and choosing to
do their own thing
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and of course,
it's all perpetuated
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or should in
more by Satan himself.
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So there is real
entity on this earth
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that's causing
havoc and there is,
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well, you said there's a battle
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between good God and Satan
00:11:44.37\00:11:47.17
and so where does
prayer come into all of this?
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Prayer is so essential
00:11:52.24\00:11:55.24
because we need help
greater than ourselves.
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Okay.
00:11:59.15\00:12:00.55
Because when we
look at all the things
00:12:00.62\00:12:02.35
that are happening in our world,
00:12:02.38\00:12:04.42
the judgment calls
that are being made
00:12:04.45\00:12:06.45
by individuals everyday
00:12:06.49\00:12:08.62
just like, we
just said things that,
00:12:08.66\00:12:10.33
well, before I mentioned
00:12:10.36\00:12:11.69
the things that
we just named all,
00:12:11.73\00:12:13.50
the terrorism ISIS,
00:12:13.53\00:12:15.86
people being
beheaded, people being killed,
00:12:15.90\00:12:18.37
you know, all of the
things that happening around us,
00:12:18.40\00:12:22.40
are the result of man
just making his own decision.
00:12:22.44\00:12:26.37
Selfishness is
what we're saying,
00:12:26.41\00:12:28.88
a lack of care and
concern for others,
00:12:28.91\00:12:32.08
the lack of the value
for humanity and life.
00:12:32.11\00:12:36.05
We don't see those
things in our world today.
00:12:36.08\00:12:39.92
So that means that we need
00:12:39.95\00:12:41.29
something
greater than what we have
00:12:41.32\00:12:43.73
and that greater thing is God
00:12:43.79\00:12:46.39
and the way that
we communicate to God
00:12:46.43\00:12:49.90
about these things
is by talking to Him
00:12:49.93\00:12:52.80
and that's prayer.
00:12:52.83\00:12:54.17
And that's
really what prayer is.
00:12:54.20\00:12:55.67
Prayer is having a
conversation with God
00:12:55.70\00:13:00.51
about what's going on in my life
00:13:00.58\00:13:02.98
and recognizing
that I have a need
00:13:03.01\00:13:06.38
for something
greater than myself.
00:13:06.41\00:13:08.78
So is there any
particular way to pray,
00:13:08.82\00:13:11.42
I mean, are they certain
words that a person need to use
00:13:11.45\00:13:14.69
so that, you know,
some people just talk about,
00:13:14.72\00:13:17.16
you know, talking
within the spirit realm,
00:13:17.23\00:13:19.79
you know what's the way to pray?
00:13:19.83\00:13:22.80
You know, I think
that the Jesus leaves us
00:13:22.83\00:13:24.83
a very good model in
the book of Luke Chapter 11.
00:13:24.87\00:13:28.30
So if we can, you
know, take an opportunity
00:13:28.34\00:13:32.91
to take look at that Luke.
00:13:32.94\00:13:34.31
Chapter 11.
Yeah, Luke Chapter 11.
00:13:34.34\00:13:37.61
New Testament. New Testament.
00:13:37.65\00:13:39.35
Matthew, Mark, Luke.
00:13:39.38\00:13:40.72
Yeah, Matthew, Mark, Luke. Okay.
00:13:40.78\00:13:42.12
Third book of the New Testament.
00:13:42.15\00:13:45.82
And we want to read
through that a little bit.
00:13:45.85\00:13:50.49
So I want to ask you to
read verses one through four.
00:13:50.53\00:13:54.13
Okay. For us.
00:13:54.20\00:13:55.76
"And it came to pass,
00:13:55.80\00:13:57.40
that, as he was
praying in a certain place,
00:13:57.43\00:14:00.64
when he ceased, one of
his disciples said unto him,
00:14:00.67\00:14:03.94
Lord, teach us to pray,
00:14:04.01\00:14:06.68
as John also
taught his disciples.
00:14:06.71\00:14:09.34
And said unto them,
when ye pray, say, Our Father
00:14:09.38\00:14:13.52
which art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name.
00:14:13.55\00:14:16.69
Thy kingdom come.
00:14:16.72\00:14:18.52
Thy will be done, as
in heaven, so in earth.
00:14:18.55\00:14:22.12
Give us day by
day our daily bread.
00:14:22.16\00:14:25.29
And forgive us our sins;
00:14:25.33\00:14:27.10
for we also forgive every
one that is indebted to us.
00:14:27.13\00:14:30.27
And lead us not into temptation;
00:14:30.33\00:14:32.23
but deliver us from evil."
00:14:32.27\00:14:34.70
So I think by looking
at this. The Lord's Prayer.
00:14:34.74\00:14:37.91
Yeah, the Lord's
Prayer, the Lord's Prayer.
00:14:37.94\00:14:40.68
What is so interesting
there is that the Bible says
00:14:40.74\00:14:45.75
that Jesus was
praying in a certain place.
00:14:45.78\00:14:48.75
And wherever that place
was, it wasn't important enough
00:14:48.78\00:14:51.55
to look to mention that.
00:14:51.59\00:14:53.02
But what was
important to mention is that
00:14:53.05\00:14:54.82
the disciples noticed
something in verse one
00:14:54.86\00:14:58.23
about how Jesus prayed
and maybe it the quantity
00:14:58.26\00:15:03.37
and the quality of his prayer
00:15:03.40\00:15:05.50
that caused the
disciples to say, "Man!
00:15:05.53\00:15:07.84
we really don't
know how to pray."
00:15:07.87\00:15:10.11
So they say, "Lord,
teach us how to pray."
00:15:10.14\00:15:14.41
And then Jesus gives
us this model prayer.
00:15:14.44\00:15:17.25
So when we look at this model
then we learn certain things
00:15:17.28\00:15:21.25
that teach us about
things we should pray about.
00:15:21.28\00:15:24.12
So when we come and when
we look at verse two, he says,
00:15:24.19\00:15:27.86
"When you pray say,
Father hallowed be thy name,"
00:15:27.89\00:15:32.69
which is holy be thy name,
00:15:32.73\00:15:34.93
which, to me says
that when I start my prayer
00:15:34.93\00:15:38.87
and I am coming to God,
00:15:38.90\00:15:40.24
I should just
start with some praise
00:15:40.30\00:15:42.34
and some worship to God.
00:15:42.37\00:15:44.07
I mean, I shouldn't come to
God just saying, okay, Lord,
00:15:44.11\00:15:47.04
here I am, this is what I need,
00:15:47.08\00:15:49.88
I got this whole
laundry list of stuff
00:15:49.91\00:15:52.51
I need you to do
for me, you know,
00:15:52.55\00:15:54.72
take care of my family,
take care of my friends,
00:15:54.75\00:15:57.55
I need a job,
provide all of that,
00:15:57.59\00:16:00.09
and I'll see you later God.
00:16:00.12\00:16:01.69
Because God is more
than our Genie, okay.
00:16:01.72\00:16:06.29
So we spend time
in saying to God,
00:16:06.33\00:16:08.73
Lord I just wanna thank you,
00:16:08.76\00:16:10.67
for things that you that done,
00:16:10.70\00:16:12.27
I thank you to
waking me up this morning,
00:16:12.30\00:16:14.77
I thank you for that food
that you have provided for me,
00:16:14.80\00:16:17.81
I thank you for
taking care of my family,
00:16:17.84\00:16:20.18
I thank you for the reasonable
portion of health that I have,
00:16:20.21\00:16:23.58
and then that's
praise which is thanking God
00:16:23.65\00:16:28.05
for the things that he has done.
00:16:28.08\00:16:29.62
But worship is
praising God for who He is.
00:16:29.65\00:16:33.69
So God, I just want to thank you
00:16:33.76\00:16:35.69
for being
Creator all by yourself,
00:16:35.72\00:16:38.26
God, I just thank you
for being an immortal God,
00:16:38.29\00:16:42.20
God that has to live forever.
00:16:42.23\00:16:43.73
God, I want to thank
you for being a omnipresent,
00:16:43.77\00:16:45.93
being everywhere, I want
to thank you for being a God
00:16:45.97\00:16:48.47
that is omniscient,
that is, all knowing,
00:16:48.50\00:16:51.24
God, I just thank
you for who you are.
00:16:51.27\00:16:53.17
I thank you being loving,
I thank you for being kind,
00:16:53.21\00:16:55.94
I thank you for being faithful,
00:16:55.98\00:16:57.55
I thank you for
being a God of peace.
00:16:57.61\00:16:59.15
Amen.
00:16:59.18\00:17:00.58
For all of those things,
I just thank you for that
00:17:00.65\00:17:02.25
and I tell you if we
start our days like that.
00:17:02.28\00:17:05.25
Praising God.
00:17:05.29\00:17:06.62
Yeah, praising God, instead
of just asking for things,
00:17:06.65\00:17:08.42
it changes our own
relationship with God
00:17:08.46\00:17:11.69
because we recognize just
through the time of praise
00:17:11.73\00:17:14.76
and through the
time worship, man!
00:17:14.83\00:17:16.60
God has really
been at work in my life.
00:17:16.67\00:17:18.90
God has really been
doing some things already.
00:17:18.93\00:17:21.74
God is great. God is holy.
00:17:21.77\00:17:23.91
And then it takes me
now to a different place
00:17:23.94\00:17:27.28
because now I am saying.
00:17:27.31\00:17:28.91
Man! I got the God of
the universe on my side.
00:17:28.94\00:17:32.18
Oh! I like that.
00:17:32.21\00:17:33.55
So when I walk--
00:17:33.62\00:17:34.95
I got the God of
the universe on my side.
00:17:34.98\00:17:36.69
I got the God of
universe on my---
00:17:36.72\00:17:38.05
Prayer does that?
Yeah, prayer does that.
00:17:38.09\00:17:39.42
When I-- so when
I walk into my job,
00:17:39.45\00:17:45.49
I got the God of
universe who has my back.
00:17:45.53\00:17:49.13
When I've got to deal
00:17:49.16\00:17:50.87
with a difficult
situation with someone
00:17:50.93\00:17:54.00
or we got a situation
going on in our family,
00:17:54.04\00:17:56.91
I got the God of the
universe, who's got my back.
00:17:56.97\00:18:00.41
When I am dealing
with health challenges
00:18:00.44\00:18:02.54
or how I'm going to be
able to make it financially,
00:18:02.58\00:18:04.91
I've got the God of
universe who's got my back,
00:18:04.95\00:18:08.45
who's in
control of the situation
00:18:08.48\00:18:10.15
because I couldn't
understand that God has it all.
00:18:10.22\00:18:12.72
He owns it all and He
wants to share with me.
00:18:12.75\00:18:16.22
So then after I praise
00:18:16.26\00:18:19.29
and I worship God
then the text says,
00:18:19.33\00:18:24.07
"Your kingdom
come, your will be done,"
00:18:24.10\00:18:30.21
which is the prayer
that His will is done,
00:18:30.24\00:18:34.41
not ours,
00:18:34.44\00:18:35.94
I still haven't
asked God for anything.
00:18:35.98\00:18:38.08
But I come to
understand through prayer,
00:18:38.11\00:18:42.05
that the reason that I am there,
00:18:42.08\00:18:44.12
the reason why
I've come is because
00:18:44.19\00:18:46.55
I recognize that I have a need
00:18:46.59\00:18:49.12
and I can't fulfill
this need in and of myself.
00:18:49.16\00:18:51.96
The power as many
says, as people say
00:18:51.99\00:18:54.86
that the power lies inside
of me and I can work it out.
00:18:54.93\00:18:57.67
You just got to tap into
you inner self, no, no, no.
00:18:57.70\00:19:00.37
Its not in me.
00:19:00.40\00:19:01.90
It's in God and I need
external help from Him.
00:19:01.94\00:19:05.14
So I pray and I say,
Lord, what's your will,
00:19:05.17\00:19:11.11
what is it that
you want me to do today
00:19:11.15\00:19:15.22
and I give you permission
00:19:15.25\00:19:17.62
to rearrange my whole day and
to do what ever you want to do,
00:19:17.65\00:19:24.19
when ever you want to do it.
00:19:24.26\00:19:27.96
Let me ask you Pastor,
you do prayer conferences,
00:19:27.96\00:19:30.97
is that right?
00:19:31.00\00:19:32.33
Sometimes--
00:19:32.37\00:19:33.70
You have people coming together
00:19:33.74\00:19:35.07
and they do lot
of praying, okay.
00:19:35.10\00:19:36.44
Is it easy to get
into the will of God
00:19:36.47\00:19:38.17
and do you have
any examples of people,
00:19:38.21\00:19:40.48
who, actually pray that prayer
00:19:40.51\00:19:43.45
and what was the result of that?
00:19:43.48\00:19:46.75
You know, at our
church in St. Louis,
00:19:46.82\00:19:50.29
you know, we are praying church
00:19:50.32\00:19:52.12
because I just believing
that prayer changes things
00:19:52.15\00:19:55.42
and prayer changes
the whole atmosphere.
00:19:55.46\00:19:57.79
So we have spent time
00:19:57.83\00:20:00.70
at the beginning of
every year in our church,
00:20:00.73\00:20:03.03
we spend the first
Sabbath just in a day of prayer,
00:20:03.06\00:20:06.40
seeking the Lord
for the various things,
00:20:06.43\00:20:08.20
for the powers
of the Holy Spirit,
00:20:08.24\00:20:10.37
for God to do things
in our lives individually,
00:20:10.41\00:20:13.48
for our ministries
to setup before them,
00:20:13.54\00:20:16.41
God, what, you know,
00:20:16.44\00:20:17.78
what is your will
for us to do as a church.
00:20:17.81\00:20:21.02
And then we have these days
00:20:21.05\00:20:23.55
of fasting and prayer, you know,
00:20:23.59\00:20:25.99
through out the year some
days as 10 days, some days as 7,
00:20:26.02\00:20:29.56
some days as 21,
sometimes it's 40,
00:20:29.59\00:20:32.89
where we are
praying for various things
00:20:32.93\00:20:34.66
and sometimes
we are praying for,
00:20:34.73\00:20:39.20
God, to do
things with our family.
00:20:39.23\00:20:42.07
So I am going to give
a real specific instance,
00:20:42.10\00:20:45.77
of something that I
believe that could not have been
00:20:45.81\00:20:48.74
just co-incidence because
sometimes people says things
00:20:48.78\00:20:51.81
just happen by accident.
00:20:51.85\00:20:53.78
Right.
00:20:53.85\00:20:55.18
There are no such things
00:20:55.22\00:20:56.55
as a miracles or
anything like that.
00:20:56.58\00:20:58.52
So I was-- I live in Cleveland,
00:20:58.55\00:21:00.86
I am originally Cleveland, Ohio.
00:21:00.89\00:21:03.12
And I was going home
to do a revival there
00:21:03.16\00:21:05.53
and almost a whole trip
there driving eight hours.
00:21:05.56\00:21:09.16
I just spent time talking to God
00:21:09.20\00:21:11.07
about various
thing that was on my mind
00:21:11.10\00:21:14.10
and one of the things
00:21:14.14\00:21:15.47
that I was praying
for was my brother.
00:21:15.50\00:21:17.37
I have a brother who is
adopted and I've never meet him
00:21:17.41\00:21:20.14
a day in my life.
00:21:20.18\00:21:21.88
But I know that
he's had some struggles
00:21:21.91\00:21:24.55
with some substances in his life
00:21:24.58\00:21:27.68
and things of that nature
and I was just lifting him up
00:21:27.72\00:21:30.75
and praying for him
and interceding for him.
00:21:30.79\00:21:34.02
So I get home, well, I
shouldn't say get home,
00:21:34.06\00:21:37.29
I go to the church
on this particular night
00:21:37.33\00:21:40.06
and this is the
firstnight of the revival.
00:21:40.10\00:21:42.23
I preached.
00:21:42.26\00:21:43.60
I had this awesome
encounter with the Lord
00:21:43.63\00:21:46.87
and with the people and at
the end of the presentation,
00:21:46.90\00:21:50.74
the revival that evening,
00:21:50.77\00:21:52.71
a gentleman comes up to
me out of nowhere and says,
00:21:52.74\00:21:56.34
"You are Ikner, right?"
00:21:56.38\00:21:58.48
I said. "Yeah."
00:21:58.51\00:21:59.85
He says, "I know your
father and I know your brother."
00:21:59.88\00:22:03.69
Wow.
00:22:03.72\00:22:05.32
I said, "You
do?" He says, "Yeah."
00:22:05.35\00:22:06.96
He says, "While you are here,
I am going to try to arrange
00:22:06.99\00:22:10.23
for you to meet your brother."
00:22:10.26\00:22:11.83
Well, that's awesome.
00:22:11.86\00:22:13.19
"Because I know where he is."
00:22:13.23\00:22:14.56
Well, that sometime in the
week became that very night.
00:22:14.56\00:22:18.03
Now remember, I've never seen
my brother a day in my life,
00:22:18.07\00:22:21.17
I've never had a
conversation with him
00:22:21.20\00:22:24.37
and it's not by
accident that I run into him.
00:22:24.41\00:22:27.64
So that night, I go with this
church member from this church
00:22:27.68\00:22:31.05
and sure enough, he
takes me to meet my brother
00:22:31.08\00:22:33.58
and I end up being
able to talk with him
00:22:33.62\00:22:36.18
and have a relationship with him
00:22:36.22\00:22:38.05
and I find out that the prayers
00:22:38.09\00:22:40.12
that I've been uttering for him,
00:22:40.16\00:22:41.62
he is become clean in his life
00:22:41.66\00:22:44.09
from the substance at that time
and that his life is improving.
00:22:44.13\00:22:50.53
Now is not where I
would want him to be with
00:22:50.60\00:22:52.50
Christ and God and all of that.
00:22:52.53\00:22:54.37
But God has surly
been answering prayer.
00:22:54.40\00:22:56.87
There is no way that I
am praying that prayer,
00:22:56.94\00:22:59.84
I'm interceding like
that and just by happenstance,
00:22:59.87\00:23:04.68
you know, I go to
that church, that night.
00:23:04.71\00:23:06.95
I meet this
particular gentleman.
00:23:07.02\00:23:09.28
This gentleman says, I
know where your brother is
00:23:09.32\00:23:12.09
and he takes me there and
I am able to talk with him
00:23:12.12\00:23:14.42
and pray with him
and have that encounter.
00:23:14.46\00:23:16.39
And that's the
power of the prayer.
00:23:16.42\00:23:18.43
I have seen where we have prayed
00:23:18.46\00:23:21.23
for people who have said,
00:23:21.26\00:23:23.26
my marriage is over, I am done
00:23:23.33\00:23:26.84
and we have
interceded as a church.
00:23:26.90\00:23:28.84
I have prayed as their pastor
00:23:28.87\00:23:31.04
and situations
have just flipped.
00:23:31.07\00:23:33.84
People who said I am
not coming back to church
00:23:33.88\00:23:36.54
or we couldn't get them to come
00:23:36.58\00:23:38.31
and we would pray for
them and intercede for them,
00:23:38.35\00:23:41.05
sometimes with fasting
00:23:41.08\00:23:42.88
and God would just
bring them back around.
00:23:42.92\00:23:45.85
We've prayed
before at our church
00:23:45.89\00:23:51.33
that we want God's
Spirit to be so thick around us
00:23:51.36\00:23:54.13
that the Holy
Spirit is felt outside
00:23:54.20\00:23:59.13
of the doors of our church,
00:23:59.17\00:24:02.14
that people
would just be compelled
00:24:02.17\00:24:04.74
to walk through the doors.
00:24:04.77\00:24:06.78
Wow.
00:24:06.81\00:24:08.14
And on one particular
Friday night we prayed that,
00:24:08.18\00:24:10.75
and on that same
night that we prayed
00:24:10.78\00:24:13.11
that a woman walked
through the doors and said,
00:24:13.15\00:24:14.58
"You know, I was just
walking down the street
00:24:14.62\00:24:16.69
and I just felt impelled
00:24:16.72\00:24:18.32
to come to church here tonight."
00:24:18.35\00:24:19.99
That is the power of prayer.
00:24:20.06\00:24:23.66
And just one more quick story.
00:24:23.73\00:24:26.59
We need God for
everything. Amen.
00:24:26.63\00:24:28.90
And so I was doing this revival
00:24:28.93\00:24:33.44
and we were having this
Revelation seminar at church
00:24:33.50\00:24:38.27
and I was
getting ready to present
00:24:38.31\00:24:41.28
on a particular topic,
00:24:41.31\00:24:44.01
that I knew was going
to be sensitive to those
00:24:44.05\00:24:46.51
that were coming because we had
00:24:46.55\00:24:47.88
a whole lot of new people
come that particular night.
00:24:47.92\00:24:50.55
And we were not
necessarily anticipating
00:24:50.59\00:24:52.82
well, at least I
wasn't anticipating God
00:24:52.85\00:24:54.69
to do it like that.
00:24:54.72\00:24:56.36
And so I went outside
00:24:56.39\00:24:58.53
and two of my elders
were standing outside
00:24:58.56\00:25:00.56
doing security for
me and I just said,
00:25:00.63\00:25:04.50
I need you all to
pray for me before--
00:25:04.53\00:25:09.14
for me tonight because I
really feel like need God
00:25:09.17\00:25:11.77
in a more special
way than ever before.
00:25:11.81\00:25:16.64
And so you know, I am
thinking, I just going walking
00:25:16.68\00:25:19.95
and they'll go out.
00:25:20.02\00:25:21.35
And they are going to have
their prayer for some place.
00:25:21.38\00:25:23.52
But what did my elders said,
00:25:23.59\00:25:24.92
"No, Pastor, we
going to prayright now."
00:25:24.95\00:25:26.79
And so we standing out there
00:25:26.86\00:25:28.22
in front of the
church, you know,
00:25:28.26\00:25:29.69
and in the
middle of our community
00:25:29.72\00:25:31.73
and they just begin to
lift their voices up in prayer
00:25:31.76\00:25:34.73
asking God to be up on me,
00:25:34.76\00:25:37.83
his Holy Spirit to fall up on me
00:25:37.87\00:25:39.57
and I tell you, I just felt
00:25:39.60\00:25:41.30
the Holy Spirit
come up on me in a way,
00:25:41.34\00:25:44.27
to give me
boldness and courageousness,
00:25:44.31\00:25:46.78
to be able to speak His
word and then the wisdom
00:25:46.84\00:25:49.38
to be able to share a
very sensitive subject
00:25:49.41\00:25:52.38
with a new crowd that I
otherwise would not have had.
00:25:52.41\00:25:56.38
So when we talk
about the answer to prayer,
00:25:56.42\00:25:58.75
those are just
examples of how I've seen it
00:25:58.79\00:26:00.79
and how it has
worked inside of our church.
00:26:00.82\00:26:03.56
Wow.
00:26:03.59\00:26:04.93
Amazing, what you
thing about prayer lines
00:26:04.96\00:26:07.40
and prayer trees or is
there something powerful about
00:26:07.46\00:26:11.03
a group of people
coming together in prayer?
00:26:11.07\00:26:13.54
Oh! Absolutely.
00:26:13.57\00:26:15.84
First of all, I think there
is a power in corporate prayer
00:26:15.87\00:26:19.64
that does not just
exist in individual prayer.
00:26:19.67\00:26:23.85
There are things
that God would do for us,
00:26:23.88\00:26:27.02
as we come together
as group of people that
00:26:27.05\00:26:29.25
He would not do otherwise
00:26:29.28\00:26:31.92
and so we see that
on the day of Pentecost,
00:26:31.95\00:26:35.66
before that happens,
00:26:35.69\00:26:37.03
there is 120 that
have gathered together
00:26:37.06\00:26:39.13
in the upper room
and they began to pray
00:26:39.16\00:26:42.86
and to intercede.
00:26:42.90\00:26:44.67
But the key is
when we come to pray
00:26:44.70\00:26:47.00
we gotta be on the same accord
00:26:47.04\00:26:48.77
looking for God
to do the same thing
00:26:48.80\00:26:51.07
and as we see intercede,
00:26:51.11\00:26:52.44
God will pour
out his Holy Spirit.
00:26:52.47\00:26:54.14
So in our
Conference in Central States,
00:26:54.18\00:26:56.28
we have a prayer line that
functions five days a week,
00:26:56.31\00:26:59.35
Monday to Friday at
6:30 a.m. to about 7 a.m.
00:26:59.38\00:27:03.42
and we pray we
saturate our conference everyday
00:27:03.45\00:27:06.65
praying for the
various needs of our field,
00:27:06.69\00:27:09.29
our pastors, our
churches and such
00:27:09.32\00:27:10.96
and we just know
00:27:10.99\00:27:12.33
that God does great
things through corporate prayer.
00:27:12.36\00:27:14.36
Pastor Ikner, and
for those of you at home
00:27:14.36\00:27:16.77
we are going to take a
moment right now to pray
00:27:16.80\00:27:19.70
and we are gonna ask
if you could please pray
00:27:19.73\00:27:22.04
for our viewers,
for our listeners,
00:27:22.07\00:27:24.74
for ourselves, our
churches for the Holy Spirit
00:27:24.77\00:27:28.18
just to come down in our midst.
00:27:28.21\00:27:29.94
Could you pray, please?
00:27:29.98\00:27:31.31
Father, we just
want to thank you
00:27:31.35\00:27:32.68
for the time that
we have had here today
00:27:32.71\00:27:34.82
and Lord, we
just want to thank you
00:27:34.85\00:27:36.55
for the time and ability to
be able to talk bout the prayer.
00:27:36.58\00:27:40.26
Lord, we just want to ask that
00:27:40.29\00:27:42.29
you would just please
be with all of our viewers
00:27:42.32\00:27:44.76
those that are watching
some are anxious right now,
00:27:44.79\00:27:47.13
some are worried right now
00:27:47.20\00:27:48.63
going thought a
particular things oh, God.
00:27:48.66\00:27:51.33
But you have said in your word
00:27:51.37\00:27:52.70
and declare that we don't
have to be anxious for any thing
00:27:52.73\00:27:54.47
but we have to
prayer about everything
00:27:54.50\00:27:56.14
and give you thanks for us.
00:27:56.17\00:27:57.51
So Lord, by faith right now
00:27:57.57\00:27:58.91
I give you thanks God,
00:27:58.94\00:28:00.81
that you have
taken away worries,
00:28:00.84\00:28:02.18
you taken away problems,
you have taken away situations,
00:28:02.21\00:28:05.08
Lord, you are solving situations
00:28:05.11\00:28:06.85
and problems and
you're working right now
00:28:06.88\00:28:08.78
in the name of Jesus
and you have promised
00:28:08.82\00:28:10.92
to replace our
problems with peace.
00:28:10.95\00:28:13.49