Hello, I'm Shelley Quinn.
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Did you know that intercessory
prayer is the key that unlocks
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the blessings of God
for those who either won't,
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or can't pray for themselves?
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Please join us on
Pressing into His Presence
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today to learn more.
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Hello, welcome to
Pressing into His Presence.
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In this series we are using
a companion book, this book,
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also titled
Pressing into His Presence.
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And this is based on a
teaching that the Lord gave me.
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It's actually how He
led me into a more intimate
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prayer relationship with Him.
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We are working our way through
a pattern I call the praise
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prayer, which is an acronym
for various prayer segments.
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The P is for praise, which
is a way to start out our prayer
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with increased faith.
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The R is for repentance,
so that we may come into
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His presence with clean
hands, and a clear conscience.
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The A is for affirmation,
which teaches us to pray
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God's promises back to Him,
and it releases the transforming
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power of the word in our lives.
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Now last week we began
on the I, which stands for
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intercessory prayer.
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And today we will continue
on the topic of intercession.
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If you're
following along in your book,
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today we're
beginning on page 111.
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You know, the apparent paradox
of prayer is this: Christ tells
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us that God knows what we
needed in advance of our asking,
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yet He still
instructs us to ask.
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This is one of those higher
thoughts and ways of our Lord.
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It is, on the
surface, perplexing.
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Jesus said in Matthew 7:7-11,
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And He goes on and says:
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James 4:2 says, You do not
have because you do not ask.
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So if God knows what
we need before we ask,
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why should we ask?
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I think this is the answer.
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It is God's will that
the work He does on earth,
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through His Holy Spirit,
is in direct response to the
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prayers of His people.
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Prayer is part of heaven's plan
to bring His blessings to earth.
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God does not
force His gifts upon us.
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Infinite wisdom knew that
love and loyalty could not be
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coerced, so He created
us as agents of free will,
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and He instructs us to
choose His gifts through
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the channel of prayer.
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And to prevent the possible
interference with the freedom
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of choice that He bestowed upon
us, our all loving, all holy,
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all powerful God
waits on us to ask.
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It is as if God had placed
handcuffs of love upon Himself,
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and He's waiting for
our permission to act.
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You may have someone you
love who refuses to pray.
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Many are in this mindset.
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But your intercession gives
God what you pray for them.
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This gives God
permission to act in their life.
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Intercessory prayer is the key
that unlocks the restraints that
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God has placed upon
His own hands to move.
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Let me share the
story of my sister Sunny.
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And I am sharing
by her permission.
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She was introduced to Christ
as a child, but our home was
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extremely dysfunctional.
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Life was not kind to her.
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And to numb her pain
she became a hard-core
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addict for many years.
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I prayed earnestly,
begging God for year upon year.
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I would beg that
God would put His hand
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of protection over Sunny.
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And I asked Him to
send Christian workers
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across her path,
even angels unaware,
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as the Bible calls them,
if that's what it would take.
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And I pleaded three
specific promises over her life.
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And I'd like for us to take
a look at those promises now.
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You might want to jot these
down because these are powerful
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to pray over your children.
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First is Psalm 129:4 which says:
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Oh, just think about that.
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God will cut the
cords that bind us.
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And as you pray
that for someone else,
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you're giving God permission.
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The second
scripture is Acts 26:18.
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Here Christ was
sending Paul. He said:
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And then the third
promise I took from
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Romans 8:13, which says:
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So here's how I combined those
promises to pray for my sister.
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I said, Oh Lord, cut her
free from the cord of the
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wicked that binds her.
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And I prayed,
Father, please open her eyes.
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Turn her from darkness to light.
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Turn her from the power of Satan
to You, Father, that she might
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receive forgiveness of sins,
and an inheritance among those
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who are sanctified
by faith in Christ,
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And then I said,
Father please pour out Your
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Holy Spirit on her, and by His
power, help her to put to death
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the misdeeds of her flesh.
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And, you know, I
prayed this for fifteen years.
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I agonized over Sunny in prayer.
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And finally God
got her attention.
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And the rest of her story
unfolds like the parable of
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the prodigal son
that's found in Luke 15:18-23.
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My sister returned to the Lord.
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She buried her head into
His bosom in deep repentance.
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She confessed she was
undeserving of His love.
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But God was waiting for her.
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He gave her His kiss of love.
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He placed the robe of Christ's
righteousness around her.
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He put His signet ring of
His promises on her finger.
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And He fitted her feet
with sandals, to press forward
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on His path of life.
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And the angels
in heaven rejoiced.
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You know, my sister
Sunny has been dining from the
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Lord's table ever since.
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Sunny asked to be
filled with the Spirit.
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And by His power she was
instantly, instantly healed
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of her destructive addiction.
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She has
remained free since 1987.
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And she has an intimate
relationship with the Lord.
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Now I have to tell you,
I prayed for fifteen years,
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but when she finally
gave God the opportunity,
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He was working all
that time with her,
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and then she turned to Him.
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And now she is a walking
memorial to God's promise
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found in John 8:36 that says:
Therefore if the Son makes you
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free, you shall be
free indeed. Glory to God!
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You know, you may have
heard the testimony of someone
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who says something like this:
Thank God for a praying mother.
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Her prayers saved me.
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Now I understand the sentiment,
but I want to stress our prayers
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don't save anyone.
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That's God's job, and
He is very good at it.
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When loved ones are infected
by sin, only the love of God,
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and the blood of Jesus
can cure their condition.
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The Lord desires for
them to receive healing,
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but it is their
choice to turn toward Him.
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I say this just simply to
relieve you of any burden of
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guilt that you might feel when
someone for whom you're praying
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does not turn to
the Lord to be healed.
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God doesn't force His will
upon them, and neither can we.
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However, our prayers do have a
significant impact as they give
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God permission to work in
the life of someone who is
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rejecting His goodness.
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After all these years of walking
free, Sunny still calls me
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periodically to give
thanks for my prayers.
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She knows they
made a difference.
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All prayer is a
request, including
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affirmations from scriptures.
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We do not put forth demands
on God to fulfill His promises.
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Often our human sympathies
desire to see immediate temporal
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relief for suffering
souls, without consideration
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of the eternal outcome.
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So don't become impatient.
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When the Lord's answer to prayer
is delayed, or perhaps it's no,
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standing on the foundation
of trust in His perfect love,
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in His infinite wisdom, is
where we must take our stand.
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Suffering can sometimes serve
as a catalyst that turns people
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to God, or even
strengthens their endurance.
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God longs to bless man.
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He sees the end
from the beginning;
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we see only partially.
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In 1997 I learned a very
valuable lesson about asking
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for God's will when praying.
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What happened; Debbie, a friend
from my previous church home,
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called me and
she was in a panic.
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And she said, Lisa, who was her
sister, she said, Oh, Shelley,
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Lisa's in the hospital.
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She's dying! Please come
and pray for her healing.
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Well, Lisa was
Debbie's baby sister.
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She was only 32 years old,
and she was more like a daughter
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to Debbie than a sister.
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So I dressed hurriedly, and I
drove 200 miles to the hospital.
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And, boy, the entire way, for
over three hours, I was praying
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affirmations from
scripture. The whole way.
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And armed with the sword of
the Spirit, I stepped from the
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hospital elevator,
and I rushed to her room.
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And I just could sense
the presence of God with me.
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But as I walked in Lisa was
having difficulty breathing.
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And her mouth
formed a slight smile,
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and she tried to mouth
a hello when I leaned down
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to kiss her forehead.
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She whispered a greeting.
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And after a few pleasantries
I was ready to release the
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power of God's
promises in prayer,
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fully expecting a healing.
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Well, God had proven to me
in the past that He still is
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in the miracle working business.
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I had seen Him raise
the sick from their beds
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in answer to prayer before.
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But unexpectedly,
the Lord stopped me.
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And I was impressed that He
had a private message that first
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must be delivered to Debbie.
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There was no still small voice.
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I just had that impression.
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So I hesitantly said to my
friend Debbie, God has something
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he wants to tell you
before we pray for Lisa.
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And we stepped
outside the hospital room.
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Well Debbie's tear filled
eyes widened with concern as she
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asked, What is it?
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And I thought, Please Lord,
what do you want me to say?
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I had no idea. There was no
still small voice this time.
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I just opened my
mouth, and surprising
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words came flowing out.
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I said, Debbie, God wants
you to know that He loves Lisa
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even more than you do.
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And He will do what is
best for her eternal benefit.
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If there's any chance that
she would turn her back on Him
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again should He heal her,
He wants you to understand
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that He loves her
too much to heal her now,
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and lose her for eternity.
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Debbie, God wants
you to trust His heart.
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You see, Lisa had spent
her youth in wild partying,
00:14:33.42\00:14:39.81
and revelry. And when she
was first diagnosed with cancer,
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she surrendered
to the Lord's love.
00:14:43.70\00:14:45.79
Each time the church
doors opened she was there.
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Her angelic voice could
be heard from the choir loft,
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and she became
active in youth ministries.
00:14:52.78\00:14:55.40
And the whole church
celebrated when her cancer
00:14:55.43\00:14:58.44
went into remission.
00:14:58.47\00:14:59.50
And Lisa got married.
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Tragically though, it wasn't
long after that that she just
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seemed to completely reject God.
00:15:06.43\00:15:08.26
She quit coming to church.
00:15:08.29\00:15:10.25
She just seemed to...
God was crowded out her life.
00:15:10.28\00:15:13.85
But three years later
the cancer made a comeback,
00:15:13.89\00:15:17.57
and Lisa returned to
the Lord wholeheartedly.
00:15:17.61\00:15:21.26
As I was standing there in the
hospital hallway with Debbie,
00:15:21.30\00:15:27.14
the words from Ezekiel
18:21-32 came to my remembrance.
00:15:27.17\00:15:32.40
And there's where God warns that
when the righteous turn away
00:15:32.44\00:15:36.47
from Him, they will
suffer death, spiritual death.
00:15:36.50\00:15:40.60
But when the wicked
forsake their wicked ways,
00:15:40.64\00:15:44.75
and turn toward Him,
He says that God will
00:15:44.79\00:15:48.87
preserve their life.
00:15:48.91\00:15:50.02
I believe He's
meaning eternal life.
00:15:50.05\00:15:52.68
I was absolutely sure that the
Holy Spirit had spoken through
00:15:52.72\00:15:57.72
me to Debbie. And grasping
Debbie's hand, I prayed,
00:15:57.76\00:16:02.25
Oh Lord, please, please, we ask
that Lisa would not die one day
00:16:02.28\00:16:09.49
sooner than Your perfect
will, and we pray Father,
00:16:09.52\00:16:12.35
that she will not live one day
longer than Your perfect will.
00:16:12.39\00:16:17.78
I prayed, We trust
Your gracious mercy.
00:16:17.81\00:16:21.20
We trust Your plan for her life.
00:16:21.23\00:16:24.09
So then, returning to her
bedside, I pleaded all of God's
00:16:24.12\00:16:30.86
promises for healing in prayer.
00:16:30.90\00:16:33.01
My responsibility was to
pray according to the Word
00:16:33.04\00:16:37.17
and His will. My faith was
in God's power, mercy, goodness,
00:16:37.21\00:16:42.68
and infinite wisdom.
00:16:42.72\00:16:44.26
The outcome was in His hands.
00:16:44.29\00:16:47.71
You know, Psalm 116:15
says this: Precious in the sight
00:16:47.75\00:16:57.89
of the Lord is the
death of His saints.
00:16:57.92\00:17:00.28
Several nights later Debbie
phoned, actually Lisa phoned
00:17:00.32\00:17:08.18
I should say. Debbie at home.
00:17:08.21\00:17:09.88
It was during the middle
of the night, and in a raspy,
00:17:09.91\00:17:13.38
but excited voice... And
when I say raspy, I could barely
00:17:13.42\00:17:16.85
understand her. But she shared
how God had spoken with her
00:17:16.88\00:17:21.12
assuring her of salvation,
and eventual perfect healing.
00:17:21.16\00:17:25.39
She told Debbie to
quit worrying about her;
00:17:25.42\00:17:28.54
that she was in God's hands.
00:17:28.58\00:17:30.37
Lisa died that night.
00:17:30.41\00:17:32.93
Debbie took
Lisa's death very hard.
00:17:32.96\00:17:36.00
And a year later though, she
called to thank me for sharing
00:17:36.03\00:17:39.96
words, what she said, Words
straight from the throne of God.
00:17:39.99\00:17:45.34
On that day as we stood
outside that hospital room,
00:17:45.37\00:17:48.97
the words the Holy Spirit had
prompted me to share kept Debbie
00:17:49.00\00:17:53.15
from sinking too low.
00:17:53.19\00:17:55.16
And according to His promise
in Psalm 33, God proved to be
00:17:55.19\00:18:01.60
the lifter of her head.
00:18:01.63\00:18:04.69
He had cupped His
loving hand under her chin,
00:18:04.73\00:18:08.44
and kept her looking up to Him.
00:18:08.47\00:18:11.76
You know, years later, in
September of 2008, I had an even
00:18:11.80\00:18:20.33
greater test of trusting God.
00:18:20.36\00:18:22.47
While my husband and I were
traveling on ministry business,
00:18:22.50\00:18:27.02
my precious J. D., my precious
husband, had a recurring episode
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of a mysterious
illness which arose.
00:18:31.57\00:18:33.86
Admitted to the hospital
through the emergency room,
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he required immediate surgery.
00:18:37.47\00:18:39.47
And in the days following, the
infectious disease specialist
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frequently reminded us of
the life threatening nature
00:18:44.39\00:18:48.35
of my husband's condition.
00:18:48.39\00:18:49.84
We were perfectly aware because
it had nearly taken his life
00:18:49.87\00:18:54.28
twice in the past.
00:18:54.31\00:18:55.41
And one day on the phone I heard
J. D. say, he's talking with his
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brother on the phone, and
he said, I've never been closer
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to the Lord. If it's
my time to go, I'm ready.
00:19:05.84\00:19:10.38
I want you to know his words
sent a chill down my spine,
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and I thought, He might
be ready, but I'm certainly
00:19:16.02\00:19:20.15
not ready! And I
didn't want him to give up.
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But striving to remain strong, I
efficiently tended to the tasks
00:19:23.54\00:19:28.76
at hand, in an
almost robotic action,
00:19:28.79\00:19:33.22
certainly with numbed emotion.
00:19:33.25\00:19:35.20
For those first eight days I sat
next to his hospital bed praying
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constantly, in little spiritual
gasps, claiming Bible promises
00:19:41.03\00:19:46.72
for his healing, but I, for some
reason I just dare not press
00:19:46.76\00:19:52.42
into God's presence.
00:19:52.45\00:19:54.50
Really it was because each time
that I tried, I could feel like
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it was like I had this retaining
wall around my emotions.
00:19:59.09\00:20:02.94
And when I started to press into
God's presence, it was like the
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retaining wall
was about to give way.
00:20:07.03\00:20:09.53
And I had to maintain my
composure for J. D.'s benefit.
00:20:09.56\00:20:13.86
One dear friend said to me over
the phone, Oh, well J. D. is too
00:20:13.89\00:20:18.21
special, and he's doing
too great a work for the Lord.
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Don't you worry about him.
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God's not through with him yet.
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He's not going to let
him die, so have faith.
00:20:25.88\00:20:28.96
Don't worry. Well, of course,
well meaning Saints chimed
00:20:28.99\00:20:34.47
in with the same refrain.
00:20:34.51\00:20:36.20
It seemed like, day by
day, and I wasn't as sure at all
00:20:36.24\00:20:39.48
that they were right.
00:20:39.52\00:20:40.55
Because I had recently been
ministering to a Pastor's wife
00:20:40.58\00:20:43.85
whose husband
had died, seemingly
00:20:43.88\00:20:47.10
much too early in life.
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He was much younger than
J. D., and he had been doing
00:20:48.69\00:20:52.26
a great work for the
Lord, but he was gone.
00:20:52.33\00:20:55.33
I couldn't picture
life without J. D.,
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although I morbidly tried.
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I wanted my husband's perfect
healing to take place here and
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now, not later in heaven.
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It's ironic when I think about
it, because on the day that
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J. D. became ill I had been
delivering a series on faith
00:21:14.68\00:21:18.96
at the church where I
was speaking, and now I was
00:21:18.99\00:21:22.75
questioning my own.
00:21:22.78\00:21:24.38
Weighing this in my mind,
I concluded that the concern
00:21:24.42\00:21:29.52
over the possible death
of a loved one is a natural
00:21:29.56\00:21:34.62
protective instinct.
00:21:34.66\00:21:36.22
It's not a lack of faith.
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And late one night, alone in my
hotel room, I finally pressed in
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to the presence of
God, and the dam broke.
00:21:44.10\00:21:48.25
I was flooded
emotionally, and I wept openly.
00:21:48.28\00:21:52.46
I pleaded for J. D.'s life.
00:21:52.49\00:21:54.86
And this went on for some
time, and then a sudden calm
00:21:54.90\00:22:00.46
came over me and I
said, Father, I trust You.
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I can't see the end from
the beginning like You do.
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If it is Your perfect
will that he should die now,
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I know it is for
his eternal benefit.
00:22:12.70\00:22:16.19
If there's any chance that
something could interrupt his
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relationship with You, if You
raise him up, if later in life
00:22:20.20\00:22:24.11
he could walk away
from you, I plead that You
00:22:24.14\00:22:27.18
would take him now.
00:22:27.21\00:22:28.24
If the result of death is not
Your perfect will, than I pray
00:22:28.27\00:22:32.81
in Jesus' name that You
will restore health unto him.
00:22:32.85\00:22:35.99
And then I
said, Thank You, Lord.
00:22:36.02\00:22:39.99
You see spending eternity with
J. D. was more important than
00:22:40.02\00:22:44.16
having a few extra
years together here on earth.
00:22:44.19\00:22:46.86
And I cannot tell
you how relieved I was.
00:22:46.90\00:22:52.30
Giving God
permission to be God somehow
00:22:52.33\00:22:57.70
settled me in a special way.
00:22:57.73\00:22:59.82
It helped me
return my focus to Him,
00:22:59.85\00:23:02.99
trusting in His
plan for our lives.
00:23:03.02\00:23:06.12
And it brought the perfect
peace that He promises in
00:23:06.15\00:23:10.06
Isaiah 26:3, where He says:
00:23:10.10\00:23:13.20
And then again in Philippians
7, Paul promises that:
00:23:21.27\00:23:26.35
That night perfect peace, that
perfect peace which God promises
00:23:35.86\00:23:43.28
flowed over my raw emotions
like a warm soothing balm.
00:23:43.31\00:23:47.66
I knew God was in charge,
and no matter what happened,
00:23:47.70\00:23:52.04
I could trust Him.
00:23:52.07\00:23:53.37
He would always be with me.
00:23:53.40\00:23:55.39
He exchanged His
strength for my weakness,
00:23:55.42\00:23:58.64
and He carried me in His
everlasting arms for the next
00:23:58.67\00:24:02.06
six months, until we passed
through the flames of this fiery
00:24:02.09\00:24:06.23
trial unscourched.
00:24:06.26\00:24:08.31
And about a year later I
was sitting in an examining room
00:24:08.35\00:24:14.22
when my Optometrist asked me,
she said, Why is it than when a
00:24:14.25\00:24:20.09
child is dying with
cancer God doesn't always answer
00:24:20.13\00:24:24.07
prayers for healing?
00:24:24.10\00:24:25.21
Is it because we don't
pray with sufficient faith?
00:24:25.24\00:24:29.14
I casually mentioned my plan
to begin writing this book on
00:24:29.18\00:24:33.26
prayer, and with soulful
eyes this sweet and soft spoken
00:24:33.29\00:24:37.34
woman asked if I would
explain it in the book,
00:24:37.37\00:24:40.05
why some prayers are
answered, and others,
00:24:40.09\00:24:42.73
most, even some
children are not.
00:24:42.76\00:24:48.49
So what happened was this
scripture that came to my mind
00:24:48.53\00:24:56.47
was Isaiah 57:1. And this
is what I shared with her.
00:24:56.50\00:25:02.07
Let me tell you, the devil is
a thief who comes only to steal,
00:25:02.10\00:25:26.28
kill, and destroy.
00:25:26.31\00:25:28.12
God is the author of
life, and He does not cause
00:25:28.15\00:25:31.60
a child's illness or death.
00:25:31.64\00:25:33.65
Why is His answer sometimes
No to the request for some
00:25:33.69\00:25:39.62
children's healings?
00:25:39.65\00:25:40.75
Perhaps He receives them
to their rest to avoid evil
00:25:40.78\00:25:44.74
that could turn them away
from Him in their later years,
00:25:44.78\00:25:48.73
or cause unbearable grief.
00:25:48.76\00:25:50.88
We cannot see the end
from the beginning as God does.
00:25:50.92\00:25:55.76
We have to trust His heart.
00:25:55.80\00:25:58.14
That's the best
answer I can offer.
00:25:58.17\00:26:00.64
What I know with
absolute certainty is that God
00:26:00.67\00:26:05.16
longs to bless us.
00:26:05.19\00:26:06.75
Prayer is how we bring
down His blessings to earth,
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to all mankind. He is calling on
us to plead for the perishing.
00:26:11.38\00:26:18.40
And this is what we're going to
be taking a closer look at, this
00:26:18.44\00:26:25.42
duty, and this privilege,
in the next couple of programs.
00:26:25.45\00:26:30.04
Because as we go before the
throne of the king of kings,
00:26:30.07\00:26:36.92
lifting up those
who either can't,
00:26:36.95\00:26:41.52
or won't pray for
themselves, we do help Him.
00:26:41.56\00:26:48.09
It's like we're taking the key.
00:26:48.12\00:26:49.87
We're unlocking those
handcuffs of love and saying,
00:26:49.90\00:26:53.39
Lord now You've got permission
to really work in their lives.
00:26:53.42\00:26:57.39
I pray that this is something
that God will really get your,
00:26:57.42\00:27:02.53
gain your attention with.
00:27:03.27\00:27:04.30
And I pray for myself as well.
00:27:04.33\00:27:05.73
You know, it's amazing...
00:27:05.76\00:27:07.81
I heard yesterday about a
car accident, and I'm thinking,
00:27:07.85\00:27:14.71
Oh, how sad. Someone I knew
was actually in a car accident
00:27:14.74\00:27:19.61
and it took me at least thirty
seconds to respond in prayer.
00:27:19.65\00:27:24.52
And I thought, Oh Lord,
forgive me that I didn't
00:27:24.55\00:27:28.51
immediately intercede.
00:27:28.55\00:27:30.94
Intercessory
prayer is so important.
00:27:30.97\00:27:34.61
And you will find next time
we're going to be discussing
00:27:34.64\00:27:39.02
this duty, and this privilege
of ours, and it is a privilege.
00:27:39.05\00:27:45.71
Thank you so
much for joining us.
00:27:45.74\00:27:48.21
We enjoy this time together.
00:27:48.24\00:27:50.02
And as always, our intercessory
prayer for you, for all of you
00:27:50.05\00:27:56.21
who are watching,
and who are listening.
00:27:56.24\00:27:58.36
Our prayer is that the
fellowship of our Lord and
00:27:58.39\00:28:01.69
Savior Jesus Christ,
the love of our Father,
00:28:01.72\00:28:05.41
and that the
fellowship of the Holy Spirit
00:28:05.45\00:28:09.14
will be with you always.
00:28:09.17\00:28:10.99