FIRST THINGS FIRST: Part III

Posted on January 25, 2021 by growintheword


FITNESS

Synopsis of Bible Study 01/21/21

Bishop Joseph W. Walker, III, D.Min.

Luke 10:27 NKJV 27 He answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself.”

       I.            INTRODUCTION

  • Our body is the temple of the Lord. We have to take of our bodies, because our body belongs to God.

     II.            HEALTHY BODY, HEALTHY MIND, HEALTHY SPIRIT

  1. Psalm 139:13-14 NKJV
    13 For You formed my inward parts; You covered me in my mother’s womb. 14 I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Marvelous are Your works, And that my soul knows very well. –  There are some people that take better care of their cars, than they do their bodies.
  2. 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 NKJV
    19 Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? 20 For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s. – All that God wants to do in life, he speaks it through the Holy Spirit that lives inside of us.
    1. We have to be careful what we put inside our bodies. God doesn’t want the Holy Spirit to sit in a lot of mess.
    1. Would you let you body lay in a dirty crib? You can contribute to your own demise, just by how you treat your temple.  
  3. 1 Corinthians 3:16-17 NKJV
    16 Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? 17 If anyone defiles the temple of God, God will destroy him. For the temple of God is holy, which temple you are. – You can’t deal with everyone else and not deal with what’s inside of you.
  4. 1 Corinthians 12:27 NKJV
    Now you are the body of Christ, and members individually. – Your health is important to the whole Body of Christ. When your health knocks you out of operation, the whole body of Christ suffers.

  III.            FOUR REASONS YOU SHOULD EXERCISE

  1. Improve Your Mood – Some of you know that you are too moody. Physical activity also stimulates the release of dopamine, norepinephrine, and serotonin. These brain chemicals play an important part in regulating your mood.
    1. Serotonin is the key hormone that stabilizes our mood, feelings of well-being, and happiness. This hormone impacts your entire body. It enables brain cells and other nervous system cells to communicate with each other. Serotonin also helps with sleeping, eating, and digestion.
    1. Lots of people don’t have a outlet. Exercise gives you an outlet to release your frustrations too.
  2. Increase Energy Levels – There was a study in Georgia that found that exercise increases your energy by 20%.
  3. Create A Better Sleep Pattern – Sleep is part of taking care of yourself too. No boundaries, no schedule, and no balance causes you to have problems. Work on getting more sleep. Try to get 6 – 8 hrs sleep per night.
  4. Avoid Sickness – Exercise can help many issues. It can help your immune system which helps in avoiding sickness.

 IV.            LEARN TO SHIFT THE PHYSICAL INTO SPIRITUAL

Romans 8:5 NKJV
5 For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. – It is essential in cultivating a mindset. When you are spiritual, you view your spiritual health in a spiritual capacity. This is warfare for us! We can’t expect God to do extraordinary things in our lives, if we don’t take care of our physical health.

  1. Physical Health Is A Result Of Emotional Health – Your physical health can directly affect your emotional health.
  2. Your Emotions Are Your Personal “Check Engine” Light – We see people emotionally eat. When they do this, this means that there is something emotional that they need to fix. You have to be your best version of yourself.
  3. Don’t Allow Your Fear Or Failure Keep You Out Of Shape – Be who God called you to be. Don’t quit, because somebody else is getting better results than you. Don’t try to replicate someone else, just be the best you that you can be.
  4. Take care of your Mental Health too. You can do this by listening to spiritual music or by sitting still and taking time to reflect on God.
    1. Jesus carried the cross after being scourged and beaten. He was nailed to the cross and then he gave up the ghost. To be clear, they didn’t kill him, He willing gave his life.
    1. Jesus died as a man, so we have to realize that He couldn’t have fulfilled his purpose as a man, if he had not been in shape. Your health and condition has a lot to do with you being able to carry out your purpose.
  5. Think about what you put into your body. Think as much about what you put into your body as you do that which you put on your body.
    1. How many people have we lost too soon, because of things like diabetes and heart disease?

    V.         MENTAL HEALTH MATTERS

(Case Study: Man In The Tombs)

Jesus meets the man in the tombs. He is placed among the tombs by other people, because he was cutting and himself and could have cause harm to come to others. When Jesus appears, the demon spirit inside him says to Jesus, “What have we to do with you” They know who Jesus is.

This man is in real pain. Some of us, like this demon possessed man, is haunted by demons. He can’t live in peace with himself. Everyone knows who he is. He is fit enough to break the bond of his chains, but not mentally sound enough to break the bond of the demons.

  1. Live Within The Parameters Of Peace – If you take care of your temple and your body, you will experience peace.
  2. There Is Hope For Your Healing – Jesus wants the man whole, not just healed. God wants you to be made whole. You’ve got to be willing to let go of anything that has you in despair.
  3. In the tomb, no one can hear the man, because he is with dead people. When you have mental issues, you have to be careful of the people you have around you. If you are around dead people, they might not hear you when you need help.
  4. What are you willing to pay for your deliverance? Matthew 8:28 – 32 – 28 And when He came to the other side into the country of the Gadarenes, two demon-possessed men confronted Him as they were coming out of the tombs. They were so extremely violent that no one could pass by that way. 29 And they cried out, saying, “[a]What business do You have with us, Son of God? Have You come here to torment us before [b]the time?” 30 Now there was a herd of many pigs feeding at a distance from them. 31 And the demons begged Him, saying, “If You are going to cast us out, send us into the herd of pigs.” 32 And He said to them, “Go!” And they came out and went into the pigs; and behold, the whole herd rushed down the steep bank into the sea and [c]drowned in the waters. –  Jesus let the demons go into pigs as they requested. They went into the pigs, but then the pigs ran into the sea and drowned. There is always a price to pay for deliverance.
  5. In this season when we talk about eating right, we want your head and your body healthy. The woman with issue of blood touches the hem of Jesus’ garment and was healed. Jesus said that it was her faith that made her whole. In other words, she no longer has the issues and residue of what people did to her at throughout the years.

In a pandemic, your mind and body needs to be in optimal shape. Let’s keep our fitness up, so that we will be well enough to carry out the purpose that God has planned for us!

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First Things First: Part II , Bible Study 1.13.21

Posted on January 18, 2021 by growintheword

FAMILY/FRIENDS  

Synopsis of Bible Study 01.13.21 

Delivered by Bishop Joseph W. Walker, III 

  1. INTRODUCTION  
  1. When you think about this Family and Friends, you have to think of God as a Master Artist. When an artist does a masterpiece, it reveals a lot about who the artist is. When you look things like galaxy or humanity, it reveals a lot about God and who he is. Having said that, when you look at humanity, you can see that it reveals a lot about how God feels about family.  
  1. THE FAMILY IS A MASTERPIECE OF GOD’S CREATION  
  1. Genesis 1:27-28 NKJV  
    So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. 28 Then God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”  
  1. God takes the idea of family serious. We are products of our family unit. We are products of the homes and environment we were raised in. Out of these homes and environments comes our values and beliefs.  
  1. A THEORETICAL PERSPECTIVE ON FAMILY  
  • Functionalism – The family performs functions for society. 
  1. The Primary Unit for Socializing Children – The primary unit provides social identity for your kids. How your children become has a lot to do with what the environment is like in the home. 
  1. Practical and Emotional Support – This controls how we are affirmed. It is the things that is poured in us. For example, “The thought that I can accomplish anything” or “No weapons formed against me will prosper” or “I have as much chance at this as anyone else”  
  1. Social Identity – With family, children are given their Social Class. Our family has a huge role in our development. The devil says to himself, if he attacks our family and friendships, he can affect not just us, but generations up the road. For example, if your kids grow up seeing violence and dysfunction, this is what they know and this is what they will pass down. 
  1. Families and Social Interaction – God creates us in his image. The essence of who you are is God. We were made in the image of God. 
  1. This image of God should be what people see in us. God imagined what we should become when he created us, but family can affect what we really become. 
  1. GOD’S CHARACTER IS REVEALED THROUGH FAMILY  
  1. What Is God’s Character?  
  1. Exodus 34:6-7 NKJV  
    And the LORD passed before him and proclaimed, “The LORD, the LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abounding in goodness and truth, 7 keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, by no means clearing the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children and the children’s children to the third and the fourth generation.” – This is the first description of God’s attributes found in the bible.  
  1. The core of God is rooted in love and generosity. What upsets God is sin, but He is angry only out of love for us. 
  1. Characteristics of God: 
  1. Compassion- God had compassion for the children of Israel. When I understand the compassion of God, it brings me to another understanding about how I should feel about family. 
  1. Grace – The grace that God bestows on me is what I don’t deserve. God blesses us even when we don’t deserve it. We must in turn give grace to our family. 
  1. Slow to anger – God doesn’t stay angry long. He doesn’t hold a grudge. You have to ask yourself, is what I’m angry about worth holding on to? 
  1. Fight for Family Not with Family – The family is under attack like never before. 
  1. Building from Brokenness – You have to know the power of building from brokenness. Remember all the times when God was protecting what the enemy was trying to attack. Remember Hannah wanted a child so bad, but she couldn’t have one. She was broken. In the end, God blessed her with a child. There is nothing so broken that God can’t fix it.  
  1. This is a season of restoration. You’ve got to be willing to fight for this thing. You have to know that the love of God will help you overcome anything.  
  1. God has great plans for your family. You can’t let the enemy have the final say.  
  1. You are a child’s first example of the love of God. If this is true, how do our kids view God. You have to be the example. Don’t drop your kids off at church and leave.  
  1. WE EXPERIENCE GOD’S LOVE THROUGH FAMILY  
  1. Proverbs 1:8 NKJV  
    My son, hear the instruction of your father, And do not forsake the law of your mother; – Pay attention! Some people’s work ethic comes from their family. The ways people interact with each other comes from what they learn from their family.  
  1. When kids always retaliate, this is behavior learned from home.  
  1. De-escalation strategies come from home. 
  1. Luke 2:51-52 NKJV  
    Then He went down with them and came to Nazareth, and was subject to them, but His mother kept all these things in her heart. 52 And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men. – Families are our support emotionally too. 
  1. WE WERE CREATED FOR GODLY FRIENDSHIPS  

Genesis 2:18 NKJV  
And the LORD God said, “It is not good that man should be alone; I will make him a helper comparable to him.” – God didn’t intend for us to be in isolation 

Proverbs 18:24 NKJV  
A man who has friends must himself be friendly, But there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother. – Real friends will be with you through all the seasons of your life. 

  1. Self-Sacrificing – Good friendships never loose consistency. They are willing to sacrifice for the friendship.  
  1. If you look at Jesus’ example of how he loved us and how he was there for us, you would treat your family differently. 
  1. Fruit Bearing – No one wants to be in a non-productive situation. Before you reproduce, make sure you are producing fruit. Otherwise you produce a generation that produces nothing.  
  1. CHARACTERISTICS OF A TRUE FRIEND  
  1. Trustworthy – A true friend can be trusted, they understand confidentiality, they build you up, they are loving, and they have your back.  
  1. Loving – You need somebody that loves you enough to tell you the truth. 
  1. Open – They love you enough to tell you the truth. 
  1. Respectful – They can listen without interrupting.  
  1. Servant – They are willing to give up themselves to serve a larger purpose. 
  1. Speaker of Truth – They are not afraid to tell you the truth.  
  1. Proverbs 9:8 NKJV  
    Do not correct a scoffer, lest he hate you; Rebuke a wise man, and he will love you. – If they can’t tell you that you are wrong, then you weren’t friends anyway. – They ought to be able to rebuke you, because they love you.  
  1. Positive – Relationships need positive people. In Genesis 3, Adam is out of place and as a result, Eve is seduced by the Satan. This resulted in both Adam and Eve getting kicked out of the garden.  
  1. Conclusion 
  1. Cain killed Abel because of the disorder in the family unit.  
  1. The decisions you make today, impact your sons and your daughters.  
  1. You have to win the fight. Don’t go into the marriage if you not willing to fight for it. 
  1. God brings couples together for a reason. This thing is bigger than we are.  
  1. What relationships in your life, did the Devil disrupt, that was supposed to lead to something great? 
  1. Families are not perfect, because you are not, but they are worth fighting for.  
  1. In a story in the bible, a Father brings his son to Jesus that had a spirit in him that would throw him in water and in fire to try and destroy the boy. The Father bought his son to Jesus, because the disciples couldn’t help him.  
  1. Jesus asks how long he had been like this and his Father says, “Since he was a child”. The son is dealing with something that wasn’t dealt with in his early life, which means the same flaw that allowed the spirit to come into the son, may be found inside the father too. This is the reason the father asks for Jesus to help them both and not just the son.  
  1. Family effects more than just ourselves. 
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First Things First: Part I, Bible Study 01/06/21

Posted on January 13, 2021 by growintheword

FAITH

Synopsis of Bible Study 01/06/21

Delivered by Bishop Joseph W. Walker, III

Hebrews 10:38 NKJV
Now the just shall live by faith; But if anyone draws back, My soul has no pleasure in him.”

I.            INTRODUCTION

  1. This word today is about faith. As we embark on this understanding of faith, we want everyone to go deeper than the phrase, “Faith is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen” In 2020, almost everyone had circumstances come up that caused their faith to be stretched.
  2. What is faith. Is it positive thinking? It is believing in something within an impossible situation?
  3. Are you born into Faith? The answer is, “no”. You are not born into it. Faith is a learned behavior.
  4. Faith does not originate from within us. Faith comes from God and faith is in God.

II.            FIRST THINGS FIRST

A.     Focus on The Fundamentals

  1. Hebrews 12:2 NKJV looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. – The Greek word for author can be translated as originator, forerunner, or pioneer, so in other words, Jesus is the originator of our faith.

B.      How Do You Obtain Faith?

  1. Romans 10:17 NKJV So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. – When you hear and read the word of God, your faith grows.

III.            WHAT IS THE SUBSTANCE OF FAITH?

  • Hebrews 11:1 NKJV Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. – How did you come to know God? It was by the hearing of God’s word. You can’t have a season you love God and then have a season where you fall off. You have to constantly feed your faith by hearing God’s word.
  • Faith also comes by our experiences. We believe based on our experiences with God, therefore; I believe because of the things I have seen God do in the past. This belief grows my faith.
  • Faith is not coming or becoming, it is current. Our faith must be constantly current.
  • God speaks to Joshua after Moses died, he tells him to move “now”. Faith must be something current. You can’t wait on it to occur. Not having current faith could cause you to miss the move of God.
  • The Word is the substance of my faith. The more I hear God’s word, the stronger my faith becomes. When you seek the word of God as a substance of faith, you read and understand the word in a stronger way.
    • Peter stepped out on the water. He asked Jesus if he could come out unto the water where Jesus was. Jesus tells him to come. Peter steps out of the boat and this is stepping out in faith.
  • The substance of my faith is not the opinion of others, it is instead God’s word.

A.     Dismantle Misconceptions About Faith

  1. There is word called Apologetics. Christian Apologetics is the study of reason. It is the study of the reasons we believe and have faith. It is to be a defender of our faith.
  2. Theology is the study of God. Ology means the study of. The study is not only of what we believe; it is also the study of why we believe it. Many say that they believe this or that, but if you ask why they believe it, they can’t answer why they believe what they believe.
  3. When God told Abraham to leave his country and go to a land that He would show him, Abraham has to know why he is leaving his comfort zone and go where God tells him to go. Simply put, Abraham has faith.
  4. Hebrews 10:38 38 Now the[a] just shall live by faith; But if anyone draws back, My soul has no pleasure in him.”- The just shall live by faith. We have to make up in our mind  that in 2021, we will live by faith.
  5. My faith not only tells me what to believe, it tells me why I believe what I believe.
  6. Hebrews Chapter 11 is often called the “Hall of Faith” or the “Faith Hall of Fame.” In this noted chapter, the writer of the book of Hebrews introduces an impressive list of heroic figures from the Old Testament –remarkable men and women whose stories stand out to encourage and challenge the faith. Some of these heroes of the Bible are well-known personalities, while others remain anonymous. Hall of Faith.
  7. Hall of Fame is something not attainable by most. Hall of Fame doesn’t exist for the regular people. If we see somebody that operates at the Hall of Faith, it lets us know that the bible characters lived this faith out and they are examples for us. Moses stood on faith, Noah built on faith, and Abraham walked all by faith. All things are possible to those who believe.

IV.            FAITH VS. BELIEF

  • Some bible translations don’t make a differentiation between the two. Matthew 17:20 20 So Jesus said to them, “Because of your [a]unbelief; for assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you. – Is Jesus asking us to have a little faith?
    • Mustard seed faith; is this enough faith to move mountains? Jesus is telling the disciples that they have a belief problem which is tainting their faith.
  • What keeps us believing what God has for us is the fact that we don’t believe it is possible. Do you have belief that it can happen?

A.     Belief

  1. You have to believe. The pilot has to believe what the computers tell him, when he is flying a plane.
  2. The pilot has to also believe that if he pulls back on the steering wheel, the plain can soar into the air.
  3. The pilot wouldn’t go down the runway, if I didn’t believe the plane was able to take flight. I wouldn’t start this journey, if I didn’t think it was possible.

B.      Faith

  1. This is Confidence or trust in a person without proof. Belief times Action times Confidence equals Faith.
  2. James 2:17 NKJV Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. – THERE IS A CORREPSONDING ACTION TO FAITH.
  3. If you can’t act on what you believe in, then why is belief necessary?

V.            FIVE ESSENTIALS YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT FAITH

  1. Faith Stops at The Question Mark
  2. James 1:5-8 NKJV If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. 6 But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. 7 For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; 8 he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways. – If I’m asking God questions, am I trusting God? – Double minded is not believing.

A.     “I See It Now”

  1. Joshua 1:8 NKJV This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. – I see it now and I take it now

B.      “I Take It Now”

  1. Mark 11:24 NKJV Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them. – I don’t just see it. I take it.

C.      “I Have It Now”

  • 2 Peter 1:2-4 NKJV Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, 3 as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, 4 by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. – I not only see it or take, I have it. My faith believes I already have what I asked for.
  • Faith Can Be Developed by Exercise, Use, And Action
  • James 1:22-25 NKJV But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. 23 For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; 24 for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. 25 But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does. – You have to work your faith.
  • James 2:17 NKJV Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. – Working my faith means I am constantly working on it. Working it is not always easy. If I sow at a different level, I am working my faith.
  • Faith Focuses on The Desired Result, Not the Dreaded Outcome
  • Isaiah 46:9-10 NKJV Remember the former things of old, For I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like Me, 10 Declaring the end from the beginning, And from ancient times things that are not yet done, Saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, And I will do all My pleasure,’ – God says he declares the end before the beginning.
  • Faith Begins Where the Will of God Is Known
  • John 5:14-15 NKJV Afterward Jesus found him in the temple, and said to him, “See, you have been made well. Sin no more, lest a worse thing come upon you.” 15 The man departed and told the 2Jews that it was Jesus who had made him well. – When we know the will of God for my life, why do we doubt it.
  • Faith is when the will of God is known.
  • Faith Is of The Heart And Not The Head



    • Romans 10:10 NKJV For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. – It’s a matter of the heart. Your head will talk you out of stuff.
    • God’s logic is greater than man’s logic. For example, to believe that if you follow God’s principles, you will have more than they pay you.
    • Faith comes by hearing. I take word in and I speak word out. I am speaking those things though they be not as though they were. We have to operate out of faith.
    • Do you believe? stop talking about it and start being about it.  
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Part Three: WHY DIDN’T GOD ANSWER MY PRAYER? , Bible Study 11.18.20

Posted on November 23, 2020 by growintheword

Four-Part Bible Study Series

God, Why?

Delivered by Bishop Joseph W. Walker, III

Bible Study synopsis November 18, 2020

Isaiah 65:24 NKJV “It shall come to pass That before they call, I will answer; And while they are still speaking, I will hear. – This brings about the question, “Does God really mean this?”

I.        INTRODUCTION

A.     Do you ever struggle with God’s silence? 

  1. Matthew 7:7  7 “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.
    1. Isaiah 65:24 NKJV “It shall come to pass That before they call, I will answer; And while they are still speaking, I will hear.

II.        WHERE IS THE ANSWER TO MY PRAYER?

·        God is there and yes God heard your prayer. Just because you didn’t get what you asked for, doesn’t mean God didn’t answer your prayer.

·        Sometimes it means God answered your prayer and His answer was “no” or maybe we simply wasn’t paying attention when He answered.

A.    SOMETIMES THE ANSWER IS NO

  1. Ever ask your parents for something and they said “no”? Just like your parents, God is not obligated to answer your prayer the way that you want Him to answer it.
  2. We always want something, because we think it is better, when it really isn’t better for us. We have to remember that sometimes the grass is greener on the other side, only because of all the manure in it.
  3. 2 Corinthians 12:7-10 NKJV And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure. 8 Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me. 9 And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 10 Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong. – God did not remove Paul’s thorn. He could have removed it, but He didn’t.
  4. If God doesn’t remove your thorn then He gives you the grace to be able to handle it.
  5. Matthew 26:40-43 NKJV Then He came to the disciples and found them sleeping, and said to Peter, “What! Could you not watch with Me one hour? 41 Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” 42 Again, a second time, He went away and prayed, saying, “O My Father, if this cup cannot pass away from Me unless I drink it, Your will be done.” 43 And He came and found them asleep again, for their eyes were heavy. – Jesus asked his own Father to take his hardship away and He didn’t do it. God is not going to disrupt his plan, just because you want Him to.

B.     ARE WE LISTENING?

  1. Listening is about being present, not just being quiet” — Krista Trippett.
  2. Sometimes we need to stop and listen. When we pray, we should not only be dumping our problems onto God, we should also be listening for what he has to say to us. Our pray should be a two-way conversation, not just one-way. Ever been on a call with a person that wouldn’t let you get a word in edgewise?
  3. Can God get a word in when you pray? Listening is not about being quiet only, it is about being present. We have to declare, “Lord I want to hear what you are saying to me”
  4. When you are present, you give your undivided attention to God.
  5. It is about meditation. You would be amazed at what would happen if you get the clutter out of your life and just listen.
    1. 1 Kings 19:11-13 NKJV Then He said, “Go out, and stand on the mountain before the LORD.” And behold, the LORD passed by, and a great and strong wind tore into the mountains and broke the rocks in pieces before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake; 12 and after the earthquake a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire; and after the fire a still small voice. 13 So it was, when Elijah heard it, that he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and stood in the entrance of the cave. Suddenly a voice came to him, and said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” –

C.     WE MUST EXERCISE PATIENCE

  1. God may not always come the way you want him to come.
    1. Lamentations 3:25-26 NKJV The LORD is good to those who wait for Him, To the soul who seeks Him. 26 It is good that one should hope and wait quietly For the salvation of the LORD.
    1. Job 14:14 NKJV If a man dies, shall he live again? All the days of my hard service I will wait, Till my change comes. – God is the same today, yesterday, and forever. When we pray, we want same day delivery. You don’t even get same day delivery when you order online.
  2. During the time we are waiting, God is teaching us to trust Him and He is teaching us about process.
  3. They that wait on the Lord shall have renewed strength… While you are waiting, you are supposed to be serving. When we are waiting on God, we have to learn something. Do we really trust God enough to wait? Think about it, even the best food is the food that is cooked slow. We have to wait on it.

III.        AM I PRAYING THE RIGHT WAY?

A.     RIGHT WAY

  1. Matthew 6:5 NKJV “And when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites. For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. – Some people pray to please people. If you have to please the people and have their applause, then you already have your reward.
  2. We have to know that God is the source of our needs.
    1. Isaiah 44:3 NKJV For I will pour water on him who is thirsty, And floods on the dry ground; I will pour My Spirit on your descendants, And My blessing on your offspring; – You got to spend some closet time with God. When he blesses you openly, it is a direct result of your prayer time.

B.     RIGHT HEART

  1. Your heart has to be open to receive.

C.     GOD’S TIME, GOD’S WILL

  1. One reason we feel our prayers are not answered, is because we want God to come when we want Him to come. Philippians 4:6 NKJV Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God;
  2. Stop letting Satan discourage you. Luke 18:1 NKJV Then He spoke a parable to them, that men always ought to pray and not lose heart,
    1. 2 Peter 3:8 NKJV But, beloved, do not forget this one thing, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. – God doesn’t see time like we see time. When we pray and we don’t hear anything right away, it doesn’t mean God isn’t answering. When we pray, it has to be in line and we have to be in the right place.

IV. SEVEN THINGS TO REMEMBER WHILE PRAYING

  1. GOD IS SOVERIEGN – God can do whatever, whenever, and however He wants to do it.
  2. FAITH GETS GOD’S ATTENTION – Hebrews 11:6 NKJV But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. –
  3. NO ACTION DOESN’T MEAN THAT GOD IS NOT ACTIVE – Just because it doesn’t move at the pace we think it should, doesn’t mean God isn’t moving.
  4. PERSEVERE IN PRAYER – Acts 12:12-16 NKJV So, when he had considered this, he came to the house of Mary, the mother of John whose surname was Mark, where many were gathered together praying. 13 And as Peter knocked at the door of the gate, a girl named Rhoda came to answer. 14 When she recognized Peter’s voice, because of her gladness she did not open the gate, but ran in and announced that Peter stood before the gate. 15 But they said to her, “You are beside yourself!” Yet she kept insisting that it was so. So they said, “It is his angel.” 16 Now Peter continued knocking; and when they opened the door and saw him, they were astonished.
    1. Matthew 7:7 NKJV “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.
  1. ALWAYS KNOW THAT GOD HEARD YOU – Isaiah 59:1 NKJV Behold, the LORD’s hand is not shortened, That it cannot save; Nor His ear heavy, That it cannot hear.
  2. WHEN PRAYING, IT’S NOT HOW LONG, BUT HOW STRONG – God is not impressed with repetitive praise. He wants your prayer strong.
  3. PRAY WITH PRAISE – Philippians 4:6-8 NKJV Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; 7 and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus 8 Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—Meditate on these things.
    1. Acts 16:25 NKJV But at midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them. – We speak well of God when we pray.
    1. The way we know God is hearing us, is we have to trust God. Are you waiting on something and wonder if God heard you? The answer may not come the way you think it is going to come. A delay is not a denial.
    1. There’s some stuff that you prayed for and have not gotten it yet. Know that 2020 is not going to end before you get what you asked for in your life.
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