Prayer is seriously powerful business. So often, though, we treat it as a perfunctory task to be checked off our daily to-do list. How can we shift our attitudes from boredom and obligation to joy and expectation?
The Lord always inclines His ear to His children. In this message, Dr. Stanley shares the foundational principles of effective prayer, and encourages us to confidently approach God with our petitions and requests.
[Music]
praying is serious business with God I’m
talking to the creator of the whole
earth I’m talking to the one who doesn’t
have to speak he can just think it in
the vid I’m talking to a God who can
change anything anywhere in a timea
according to his will
[Music]
four decades ago we started in touch
ministries to lead people worldwide into
a growing relationship with Jesus Christ
throughout the years we’ve seen God’s
greatness his love and his blessings in
such awesome ways that we just want
everyone to know him so let’s open God’s
Word and seek Him together next on
InTouch prayer that moves God you often
wonder why your prayers are unanswered
you know some scriptures and you talk to
God but somehow so many of your prayers
go unanswered
there must be some reason have you
thought about why have you looked at
your life to ask the question is there
anything in my life it would cause God
not to answer my prayers
1 have you thought about this have you
thought about they God to whom you are
making your prayers you say well
everybody believes in God well everybody
doesn’t believe in the one through God
and many people pray to a god and they
expect God to answer their prayers and
some had they don’t get answered and so
you give up on praying and you think you
think well the Bible’s not really true
the Bible is very true from very
beginning to the very end so once you
listen carefully to this message because
it just may be that you will discover
one of those reasons your prayers are
unanswered listen carefully so turn if
you will to Acts chapter 12 this is a
familiar passage and I want us to read a
few verses but we’ll take probably most
of this chapter beginning in verse 1
the scripture says now about that time
Herod the King laid hands on some who
belong to the church in order to
mistreat them and he had James the
brother of John put to death with the
sword and when he saw that it pleased
the Jews he proceeded to arrest Peter
also now it was during the
days of the unleavened bread after the
Passover and when he it seized him he
put him in prison delivering him to four
squads of soldiers now four squads would
be 16 they were there to guard him and
to bring him out before the people so
Peter was kept in the prison but prayer
for him was being made fervently by the
church to God I remember that he was
made fervently by the church to God
would you say that you pray fervently or
do you just say well I I don’t know
whether it’s further than that but I
just pray well let’s look at what’s
going on right here and maybe it
discovers something about your own
prayer life
so this Herod he had James killed and
that seemed to satisfy the Jews who
hated the Christians and so then they
thought that worked so he had Peter
arrested and put in prison so Peter is
now in prison and his death is imminent
very evident that he intends to kill him
that he intends to bring him out before
the people and killing with a sword as
he did James and he figured that that
would satisfy the Jews by killing
Christians and so the result is that the
Christians gather together
the scripture says in Mary’s house and
there they gathered together to pray for
Peter they remember probably James was
killed without any warning
and so here’s Peter their leader who is
going to be killed they know he’s going
to be killed and so they’re praying but
they have to be struggling to some
degree with that because James already
died and they know how a prisoner is
imprisoned by the Romans and so they’re
praying and praying for God to release
him and so I want us to just
a few verses if you will and look if you
will verse six on the very night when
Herod was about to bring him forward
Peter was sleeping between two soldiers
bound with two chains and guards in
front of the door were watching over the
prison and behold an angel of the Lord
appeared in a light shone in the sail
and he struck Peters side woke him up
saying get up quickly and his chains
fell off his hands and the angel said to
him gird yourself put on your sandals
and he did so and he said to him ref
your cloak around you and follow me and
he went out and continued to follow and
he did not know what was being done but
by the angel was real but he thought he
was seeing something having a vision
when they had passed the first and
second yard they came to the iron gate
that leads into the city which opened
for them by itself and they went out and
went along one Street and immediately
the angel departed from him so so what
happens when Peter came to himself he
said now I know for sure that the Lord
has sent his angel and rescued me from
the hand of Herod and from all that the
Jewish people were expecting now I want
you to think about something the two
words here then really got my attention
when I read this and already many times
if you go back to the fifth verse notice
what it says so Peter was kept in the
prison
but prayer for him was being made
fervently listened fervently by the
church to God
and those two words just jumped off the
page to me to God if I should ask you
who is the god you’re praying to more
than likely most of you seated here and
most of you who believe us could say
well I’m praying to the one true God
that when I pray he’s when I think about
but I want you to think about the people
who pray who don’t necessarily pray to
the one true God and what I’ve
discovered is this one
talk to somebody who does not know the
Lord Jesus Christ as their Savior and
they talk about praying I’ll say well
who do you pray to
well I just pray to God well like like
who is this God well he’s the God I pray
to and the more you talk to them the
more you listen here’s what you discover
many people have mentally created their
own God and I can tell you what he’s
like he’s not necessarily holy and
eternal in all the things we say but
he’s our God that they’ve created in
their minds who suits their lifestyle
that’s the way they want to live so that
there’s not a bunch of conviction going
on and so not only that they have
defended themselves against all
Christians do you believe in God yes
indeed what kind of God is he was none
of your business a religion religion is
a private affair and I have my own God
and they don’t realize that they’re
giving themselves away when they say
that I have my own God and there’s
nobody else’s business I think religion
is a very very private matter well okay
so who is this God they can’t tell you
who he is because they haven’t they have
built their own God and this God agrees
with them about what they want to do
where they want to go how they want to
dress what they want to drink and what
kind of sexual relationships he’ll have
there was this God just fits them
perfectly and so they say that I believe
in God yes I do you pray to Him yes I do
what do you say to him well now you’re
getting personal I’m I gonna tell you
what I pray to him they can’t because
he’s not God he’s a God that they
created in their minds but listen they
will never tell you he’s holy he’s
righteous he’s a God of judgment he
hates sin they’re like I say that they
gonna talk about the God who has
patterned his desires after their desire
the way they live and so many people who
they’re praying then I prayed to God so
somebody says well what kind of God does
a Christian pray to I’ll tell you he is
the God who created
this world he’s the God who destroyed
this world by flood he’s the God who
gave us the Ten Commandments
he’s a God who broke down the walls of
Jericho he’s the God who gave to David
the Psalms he’s a god who’s given to us
the prophets like Isaiah Jeremiah Daniel
he’s the God who has given to us the
Lord Jesus Christ the Son of God and our
Savior now if that’s not the God you’re
praying to you got a homemade gun and it
doesn’t work he’s a holy God he’s a
righteous God he’s a perfect God he’s a
God who here’s an answer prayers he’s a
God who loves us unconditionally he’s a
God who forgives us of our sin but he’s
a God who does not tolerate sin because
he knows that sin is a destroyer of the
very people he loves
if you don’t have that God you don’t
have God you have a homemade God you
have one that suits you listen to this
who has no power to promise you anything
nothing we can say because of the
scripture absent from the body present
with the Lord what can you say about
your God I can tell you what you say
well I guess I just everything just goes
to nothing I just disappeared no you
know well I guess God is a God of love
he treats everybody the same no he
doesn’t you can come up with all kinds
of excuses about your God but you do not
talk about judgment you do not talk
about righteousness you do not talk
about a day of judgment you do not talk
about standing before a holy God and
given a counter your life and I notice
you don’t talk about hell you may talk a
little bit about heaven because you
believe that everybody’s going there is
that really true no it’s not and so your
God is God to you but your God can’t do
anything for you
he has no power whatsoever because it is
a God of your imagination the God who is
the one true eternal God is the God we
just described a few moments ago
he’s the God who gave us the Ten
Commandments and the Beatitudes and all
the awesome scriptures we have in the
Bible now the reason I ask you what gods
you’re praying to is because if you’re
not praying to the one through God it’s
not making it a difference in your life
now these Christians hearing about
Peters imprisonment they got together
and they began to pray and to end a seed
for him and it’s interesting when you
look at this passage and think about
what was getting ready to happen that
even in their prayers they had to be
struggling a little bit I think I would
have been if I’ve been one of them so we
saw a few moments ago what happened so
Peters in prison God sends his angel
takes him out and then he goes to Mary’s
house he knew that’s where they were all
praying knocks on the door and this
young lady comes to the door the
scripture says when he knocked at the
door at the gate a servant girl named
Rhoda came to answer when she recognized
Peters voice you think she would have
run she would have opened the door and
run back and said here’s Peter know what
she did she heard him and she she didn’t
he mope over those she just ran back and
said it’s Peter and what did they say
I can’t be Peter it may be an angel but
he can’t be up he steals them they’re
knocking trying to get in and they’re in
the siding it can’t be him I mean
they’ve been praying fervently forgot to
set him free and he sets him free and
they’re still back there saying no it
can’t happen so that’ll give you some
wandering faith and so they said to her
you’re out of your mind
look at this they’ve been in a praying
crying out to God she says he’s at the
door they say you’re at the you’re out
of your mind and so she kept insisting
and so but Peter continued knocking and
I wonder what he was thinking and when
they had opened the door they saw him
and were amazed so God answered their
prayer what I want us to look at here
and I want us to say this again and
again because I don’t want you to I
don’t want you to miss this
the Bible says they were praying to God
let me ask you that how many of you pray
to God now listen carefully what happens
is in our mind we fix our mind upon God
to pray to Him and we call him a verse
God you said if I ask anything in your
name that you did I messed this is Jesus
name
praying to you and so we started praying
and next thing you know we’re off to
something else and God gets lost in the
whole issue and finally the way we put a
period to it we say in Jesus name Amen
we don’t even know what that means
in Jesus name Amen so so much of our
praying is not profitable because we
don’t pray to God I’m praying to God
about my finances I’m praying to God
about my husband or wife I’m praying to
God about my children I’m praying their
words he must be uppermost in our
praying and our thinking otherwise
we drift off into all kinds of things as
we said before and sometimes can’t even
remember what it was so let’s think
about it for a moment maybe you have a
prayer list somebody says a lot I just
remember what I want to pray for it
don’t tell me that I know that if you
don’t make a list of what you’re really
concerned about you don’t put much
emphasis on it and then new things that
come into your life to pray about things
that you hear about things that maybe
your friends have loved ones and so
forth and so here watch this
when you have a list thank you dear God
for answering that prayer thank you dear
God for answering this prayer and if you
don’t have a list let me ask you how
many times do you remember all the
things you’ve prayed for and that God
has answered or not answer and so
praying is serious business because it’s
it’s the way we communicate with God he
communicates to us so if I’ve got a list
and I look at that list I may not go
down my list
all the way every day or every time I
get on my knees and I certainly I don’t
for the simple reason that list gets
longer but God is uppermost for most I’m
praying to the Heavenly Father about
and I’m not gonna go praying along and
get off on something else and forget to
whom I am praying and what he’s like God
is honored when we come to him he’s
honored when we talked to him and he’s
willing to hear an answer our prayer he
says callin to me I will answer you and
show you great and mighty things which
you do not know if he can part the Red
Sea knock down the walls of Jericho and
if he can give us the Ten Commandments
he can answer any prayer we pray that
fits his will and his plan for our life
and so so what you notice something else
here about them it says the scripture
says so for him prayer was being made
fervently by the church fervently you
know what that means there’s some
enthusiasm there’s some feeling there’s
some belief fervently let me ask you a
question do you love your children
fervently fervently means my heart is in
it when I’m talking to God fervently it
means I’m I want to quote him a
scripture and we quote scripture in our
prayer not to remind God of anything but
to what do what to remind us of what
he’s promised us when we come to him
praying to him and so the preferably for
example when Jesus was facing the cross
the scripture says he was praying in
Luke the 22nd chapter he was praying
fervently that is he was agonizing and I
wonder when is the last time you could
honestly say I pray fervently for him
that means you put your whole heart into
it
it means you probably maybe were weeping
in their behalf that you were saying God
I’ll do whatever you say do whatever it
takes to help them through this
situation they’re going through yot in
Jesus name and so fervently it means you
it’s wholeheartedly and oftentimes we
say to somebody I’ll pray for you we
don’t I think we shouldn’t say that if
we don’t mean it
now if I tell somebody I’m gonna pray
for them I’m gonna pray for them I want
to do something to remind me that I told
them I’d pray for them and so sometimes
I say yeah make a list
now watch this if you want God to do
something many things coming to him one
time it’s not gonna cut it it’s not
because some issues in situations got us
to have time to arrange the situations
in order to answer your prayers so if
you just pray once and say well God
didn’t answer my prayer you didn’t give
him an opportunity to answer your prayer
the way he wants to answer it and the
way that he gets the most credit and
that you were blessed and you reminded
next time you have a request that’s the
way you come to him he says call unto me
when I will answer you and show you
great and mighty things which you do not
know about you don’t even understand and
so if I say to you do you have a list
it’s for this way if you are dead
serious I bet your prayer life and about
the people you praying for you’re gonna
do something that reminds you to keep
praying until God changes the
circumstance and that’s why I have a
list you said what kind of list you just
put at the top of the prayer list and
right then that you can put that name
down and the good thing that I found
that a long time ago was to put a date
down by this is a date I started it
maybe three days when I can put another
day down answered prayer it may be three
months six months and I prayed for
people longer than that and some people
are prayed for and prayed for and prayed
for I still came put a date down by it
but watch this but at least I’m reminded
at least I can still pray for that
person for God to change them in some
way I’ll provide something in their life
the issue is am i praying with fervency
because I love this person because I
care not gonna pray for everybody the
same you’re not going to the closer
people are to you the more you probably
pray for the more sincere your prayers
are gonna be
the more intense intentionally you’re
gonna pray for somebody that you
genuinely love or somebody that you see
hitting in the wrong turn wrong
direction I want to see how to work in
their life and so he says we’re to pray
fervently and then the third thing I
want you to notice his simplest and that
is prayer that moves God maybe made by
those in agreement with each other in
agreement with each other and in the
will of God for example if if I have a
big burden on my heart about something
I’m gonna talk to somebody it’s sitting
right here for example and I’m gonna say
to that person here’s the thing I’m
really concerned about and that’s you it
lets you not pray about this together if
something watch that there’s something
about agreeing if any two of you shall
agree on earth as touching anything of
the father’s will he gets involved and
so there’s something about praying
together and let’s put it this way the
deeper your hurt the more your pain the
more likely you’re gonna ask somebody to
pray with you not just pray for you but
to pray with you and if I should ask you
today how many of you have a prayer
partner but so I don’t need anybody
praying for me yes you do we all need
somebody to pray for us God is so
willing to grant us the needs the
desires of our heart when we come to him
with a clean heart an open mind willing
to listen to him willing to be obedient
to it so the most powerful thing you and
I do is to pray with a pray to God we’re
to pray with fervency with heart we do
pray and his will what he wants and what
he desires for our life and one of the
best things we can do watch this
it helps us it helps somebody else is to
have someone we pray with watch this
because we all need to be held
accountable a person who wants no
accountability is into something they
shouldn’t be into that’s why they don’t
want to have to give an account
accountability is a safety zone for us
but what I save where I go who I go with
what I spent the words I want to be
accountable that’s that’s safe somebody
I says I want freedom you want freedom
to destroy your life freedom to get in
debt freedom to have relationships with
people you have no business having
relationships accountability is a safety
net for every single one of us and God
knows we all need to be safe safe
walking in his will and in his way so
the church in these days they were smart
they all got together and prayed for
Peters release and much much to their
surprise he was released and what
happens
he lives a long time after that now I
descend to ask you this if you had to
describe your prayer life what would it
be like well I say my prayers at night
well let’s get this
what do you mean say your prayers at
night I understand what you’re saying
but if you just Fred night before you go
to sleep I can tell you right now you’re
gonna get in trouble because first of
all you may be about two-thirds sleep
before you start praying so you don’t
even know what you’re saying no words
you might as well say the prayer that I
remember my mother taught me Berlin life
for I knew what was going on now I lay
me down to sleep I pray the Lord my soul
to keep if I should die before I wake I
pray the Lord my soul to take
that’s better than nothing but it isn’t
the best kind of pray now if we laugh
about him in prayer serious business
pray to Almighty God through His Son
Jesus Christ who died on the cross and
shed his blood Pierce and praying to be
saved to Almighty God through His Son
Jesus serious business praying for a
neat service missus praying for one
another serious business praying for the
nation serious misses pray
serious business listen not only serious
it’s powerful business praying with
fervency makes change in people’s lives
and it can make change in a nation and
God’s people need to be praying amen and
probably thank you that you please when
we pray willing to hear us willing to
answer us willing to strengthen us
willing to build our faith up willing to
teach us how to love you and we pray
today in Jesus name right now any person
seated here any person listening
wherever they might be if their prayers
are to count help them to understand
first of all they must make a personal
commitment of their life to Jesus Christ
for the forgiveness of their sins which
opens the door to prayer and makes it
possible and before that happens
there’s no employee it is only talk and
so we pray that somebody today would be
saved
made him maybe many people would be
saved but Lord God that you’d have your
way in their lives and in each one of us
who calls ourselves Christians who names
the name of Jesus that you had got us
that all of us would be praying people
is my prayer in Jesus name Amen if
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