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Real People Real Talk
Prayer: The Foundation of Faith (Encore)
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Prayer forms the foundation of our relationship with God as we explore three powerful truths: prayer is a priority, a privilege, and powerful. Jesus demonstrated that prayer should be our first response, not our last resort.
• Prayer is talking to God - our vehicle for communion with our Creator
• Jesus prioritized prayer even during his busiest ministry days
• Having direct access to God through prayer is a privilege we often take for granted
• Prayer demonstrates power throughout Scripture - while we pray, God works
• Five aspects of effective prayer: adoration, confession, intercession, petition, silence
• God always answers prayer - with yes, no, or not yet
• Nothing should take precedence over your time with God
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Introduction to National Day of Prayer
Speaker 1Free audio post production by Alphoniccom . Welcome and thanks for tuning in . To Real People , real Talk , relevant conversations that take you from surviving to thriving . This is the podcast that goes there . My name is Paul Calcoat and I'm your host . Now let's talk . Well , good morning , good afternoon or good evening , whatever time this podcast finds you . I want to say welcome to Real People , real Talk , and thank you so much for tuning in .
Speaker 1At the time of this recording , we are 24 hours away from stepping over into the month of May and , more specifically , the first Thursday in May , which is recognized as the National Day of Prayer here in the United States of America . It was created back in 1952 as a joint resolution of the United States Congress and signed into law by President Harry S Truman , and based on that , I wanted to bring back an episode and a sermon that I did a couple of years ago where it's all about prayer . So this is an encore episode that I hope that you will enjoy and I hope that you will share . So God speaks to us through his word Amen , and we respond and we speak back to God through this thing called
Prayer as a Priority
Speaker 1prayer . So in today's episode , I just want to remind you of three powerful truths . I want to remind you that prayer is a priority , that prayer is a privilege and , thirdly , that prayer is powerful . And this is not an episode or sermon or message to make you feel bad for not praying , but rather I want to use it as an encouragement to whet your appetite for a more vibrant prayer life . So , prayer , let's get a working definition for prayer . In its most simplest terms , it means talking to God . It is our vehicle for communion with our creator , but all too often , if we're honest , it goes underutilized and God forbid , sometimes it may go unused . Just like breakfast is the most important meal of the day , I really believe that prayer is the most important meal of the day . I really believe that prayer is the most important conversation of the day .
Speaker 1Now I want you to imagine this . Imagine going two weeks without talking to your significant other , or two weeks without talking to your child , or two weeks without talking to your parents , or two weeks without talking to your parents , or two weeks without talking to your favorite person . Now , would that help the relationship ? Would that hurt the relationship ? As with any relationship , a lack of communication has a huge impact , my friend . Or put it another way , I want you to think about it this way If your prayers from this week were transcribed , would it produce a single page ? Would it produce a booklet or pamphlet ? Would it produce a research paper or would it produce a book ? In other words , how much time have you put into prayer this week ? Because prayer is about building your relationship with your heavenly father that loves you , oh so much . So , of course , let's go to scripture , let's go to mark .
Speaker 1Chapter 1 , verses 35 through 39 , now the previous verses in this chapter . It shows that jesus has been engaged in a full day , in a full evening of ministry . He was teaching in the synagogue , he was casting out demons , he was healing the sick , as the entire city came to him for help . So you could say that Jesus was busy , all right Verse 35 . And rising very early in the morning and while it was still dark , he departed and went to a desolate place and there he prayed and Simon and those who were with him searched for him and they found him and said to him everyone is looking for you . And he said to them let us go on to the next town that I may preach there also . But that is why I came out and he went throughout all Galilee preaching in their synagogues and casting out demons . Emphasis on verse 35 . Rising
Making Time for God
Speaker 1early in the morning , while it was still dark , he departed , went to a desolate place and he prayed . Although he was busy doing so many good things , godly things , things for the kingdom , he wasn't too busy to spend time with the Father .
Speaker 1We see that Jesus demonstrates that we should do whatever it takes to attain , maintain and sustain an active life of prayer . Listen my sister , listen my brother . Please don't get too busy for the Lord . Jesus had too much to do to not pray . In other words , jesus didn't have time to pray . He made time to pray , and that may be a word for you . It's not about having time to pray , it's about making time to pray Because we got to realize who is this person that we're praying to .
Speaker 1We got to remember and recognize that it's God , the King of kings , the Lord of lords , our protector , our provider , our way maker , the person that has given you breath in your body . I mean , this is our father , this is our friend , who is trustworthy , who is faithful , who is sovereign , wise and perfect , and so it's a privilege , it's an honor to commune with the king . So , first of all , prayer must be a priority . First of all , prayer must be a priority . First of all , prayer must be a priority . We see that in matthew 6 , 33 says to seek first the kingdom of god and his righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you . It doesn't say hey , whenever you have time , I want you to seek god now , when you get through with with work and you get through with all your other responsibilities , if you have a little bit of time . Once you seek after the lord , it says to seek God first . I've heard it said like this is prayer the steering wheel in your life , or is it the spare tire ? In other words , it may be the spare tire if it's your last resort , but it could be your steering wheel . That anything comes up , you take it to the Lord in prayer .
Speaker 1And as we're talking about business , I want to tell you this that , no matter how many things you have on your to do list , you always have time for the thing that's first . In other words , prayer and our time with the Lord should never be an afterthought . End up doing a lot of nothing Busy but not productive , active but not really accomplishing anything . I want to encourage you to fight for time with Jesus . If you got to wake up earlier , then set your alarm so you can spend time with the Lord . All right , if you got to go to bed earlier so you can get up early , then so be it . Do whatever it takes in your schedule to make time and to fight for time with the Lord .
Speaker 1And , just like Jesus , we must send the multitudes away . We see that all throughout the gospel , that Jesus will send the multitudes away so he can spend time with the father . And you may not have a multitude of people following you , but you still have a quote unquote multitude , and your multitude could look like distractions . Your multitude could be your laptop , your phone , social media or even laziness , apathy , tiktok , instagram , etc . I don't know what's distracting you from spending time with the Lord , but deal with it , my friend .
Speaker 1So , first , prayer must be a priority and secondly , prayer is
Prayer as a Privilege
Speaker 1a privilege . We have this divine invitation to speak with the Lord . The hymn says it best what a privilege it is to carry everything to God in prayer . Oh what peace we often forfeit , oh what needless pain we bear , all because we do not carry everything to God in prayer . God wants to hear from you . You may say well , I haven't prayed in so long , I haven't gone to church in a while , I'm far from the Lord . But let me tell you this that God is a father and he wants to hear from you . Please don't allow the enemy and his lies to cause you to stay away from God just because you feel distant . Just because you feel distant Because of the ultimate sacrifice that Jesus did on the cross , we have direct access into the presence of God . Take advantage of it . And even though all of us have sinned and fallen short , isn't it a wonderful thing to consider that Jesus still wants to spend time with you and I ? Please don't allow the cares of this world , please don't allow burdens , please don't allow the busyness and the vicissitudes of life to just burden us down to the point that we fail to embrace this grand , awesome , awesome , majestic invitation to be in the presence of King Jesus himself . So , yes , prayer must be a priority in our lives . Prayer , indeed , is a privilege .
Speaker 1And thirdly , prayer is powerful
The Power of Prayer
Speaker 1. You can ask Paul and Silas when they were in jail , at the midnight hour , they began to pray and sing praises to their God . And if you don't know the story , let me go and tell you right now that God showed up , and God showed out and he delivered them from their situation . Or you can ask Peter Now . The church was praying for Peter while Peter was in prison , all right . And so the Lord sends an angel and Peter makes it out of prison and he goes to the house where the church was praying . And I say that to say this that while the church was praying , god was working , that even when you don't feel God moving , you may not even think that he's moving , but I guarantee you , while you're praying , god is working . We just have to trust him . And you may have heard it said like this , and it still rings true that no prayer means no power . Little prayer means little power , but much prayer means much power .
Speaker 1Back to scripture Luke , chapter 11 , starting at verse 1 . Now Jesus was praying in a certain place and when he had finished , one of his disciples said to him Lord , teach us how to pray , as John taught his disciples . The request was to teach them how to pray . He didn't ask to teach them how to preach . He didn't ask hey , hey , lord , can you teach me how to turn that water into wine ? Can you teach me how to walk on water ? Can you teach me how to feed the 5,000 ? Can you teach me how to be rich ? No , they asked Jesus to teach them how to pray because prayer is , I want to remind you , is , a priority . Prayer is a privilege and my friend . Prayer is powerful . It's our opportunity to dialogue with the divine , it's our opportunity to hear from heaven , it's our opportunity to fellowship with the Father . Now I just want to break down prayer just a little bit more , right here , and before I do , let me also say this that in Matthew 6 , as I talked about last week , where it says and when you fast , in other words , that fasting is expected , and it says the same thing about prayer . And when you pray , in other words , prayer is expected .
Speaker 1I want to give you five points of prayer to give you a starting point , to give you a foundation , to give you a launching pad of what are some things that you can pray about . One of the aspects of prayer is adoration . In other words , this is when you just worship the Lord . You can sing to him , even if you're not on key . The Bible says to make a joy for those things . They got to be on key . Now you know , when it's between you and the Lord , you can sing to him . That's your time to praise him , that's your time of thanksgiving , and I'm not saying you got to . You know , use the exact words that I use . Was you know what this can look like in my prayer life ? Lord , I want to thank you that you are my rock , you're my shield , you're my buckler , you're my provider , you are my protector , lord , thank you for waking me up this morning . Lord , thank you for your blessings , thank you for your protection and just giving God the honor , the adoration and the thanksgiving that's due unto him .
Speaker 1So the first aspect is adoration . Now the second aspect is confession . In other words , we need to take some time that we confess our sins and we repent of our sins . The Bible tells us in 1 John 1 , 9 , if we confess our sins , he is faith and will forgive us of our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness . As in prayer and we're confessing our sins to the Lord , it's's like a detox , a spiritual detox for the soul , to get things off your chest and to clear your conscience . So ask the lord to forgive you for what I like to call the sins of commission , the things that you commit , in other words , the things that you do that god told you not to do . And then the sins of omission , the things that you omit to do , the things that that God has asked you to do but you haven't done . All right , for example , the sense of omission , not praying enough , not fasting enough , not sharing the gospel enough , the sense of commission Lord forgive me for my pride , lord forgive me for overeating , et cetera .
Speaker 1All right , the third aspect of prayer is intercession , and that's just a fancy word . That means praying for others . The bible tells us in first timothy , 2 1 first of all , our urge , as supplication prayers and intercession , thanksgiving be made for all people . In other words , we are to pray beyond ourselves , pray , pray for others . What this could look like ? You can pray for the people in your life that don't know Jesus . You can pray that they come to know him . You can pray for the people in your life that are sick . Pray for others . If God answered all of your prayers with a yes , would you and your family be impacted , or would the world be impacted ? In other words , we must pray beyond just ourselves . All right .
Speaker 1So there's adoration , confession and intercession . And , number four , we have petition . This may be one of your favorites ,
Five Aspects of Prayer
Speaker 1all right . This is where you talk to God about your needs . You talk to him about your wants , both big and small , because he is our father and he cares for us . The Bible tells us in Philippians 4 , 6 , let your requests be made known to God , let the Lord know what you want , let him know what you need and then trust him to answer according to his will .
Speaker 1And the last aspect of prayer is silence . Sit in his presence and allow God to speak to you . We live in a noisy world constant notifications , whether it's email , whether it's social media , text or calls or everything in between , and there are just so many distractions , so much noise , so much noise . That's why it's imperative that we have times of silence where we can listen and be refreshed and be reinvigorated by the spirit of our God . Right . So , adoration , confession , intercession , petition and silence .
Speaker 1And now I want to answer the question why should we pray ? Now I want to answer the question why should we pray ? We should pray because Jesus prayed and because he tells us to pray , and that's more than enough of a reason . We see in John , chapter 17 , jesus praying . The entire chapter , all 26 verses is devoted to praying Now .
Speaker 1Prayer doesn't get God to do what we want . He's not our butler , he's not our genie , he's not our vending machine , but rather prayer will prepare your heart and mold your heart to do what God wants you to do . Pray because it will align your heart with the heart of God . Pray because it will align your will with the will of God . It's in prayer that we surrender our will and not impose it . In other words , prayer is transformational . It's more about God doing a work in you instead of trying to get God to work for you . There's a preacher right there . You can go tweet that , all right . So prayer is transformational . It's not merely a transaction . All right Now . Because of this fallen word that we live in and the enemy that we must fight , we simply cannot afford to miss a day of prayer . We cannot afford to miss a day of prayer . Prayer was so important in the life of Daniel that he chose to spend a night in the lion's den instead of missing a day of prayer .
Speaker 1How committed are you to prayer ? Now ? I want you to pray because God answers prayer . I remember once I was preaching a sermon , and this is what I would normally do interact with the audience . I'll ask somebody in the audience and say , hey , can you give me a million dollars ? And of course the answer is you know , so far 100 percent has been no , and I would share that with the people so they can understand this point right here that God answers all prayer
Why We Should Pray
Speaker 1. So when I ask the person to give me a million dollars and they say no , they answered my request , they answered my question , but I didn't get what I want .
Speaker 1In other words , just because you don't get what you want doesn't mean that god didn't hear you . It doesn't mean that god didn't ask you , because god will ask in one or three ways . God will say yes if what you're asking him is according to his will . Sometimes god will say no . He could say no . He could say no because maybe there's some unrepentant sin in your life . He could say no because there's some unforgiveness in your heart , or because it's not according to his will , or because God has something better for you .
Speaker 1And think about it like this what if you got everything that you prayed for ? Because I can remember some time in my younger days you know just immature prayers and I'm just so glad that god didn't tell me yes to everything . Or I said like this that god loves you enough , just like a loving father , to say no . And even when god says no to you , his no has goodness written all over it . So so God would answer yes , or God would answer no . Or sometimes God would answer not now and maybe it's because the thing that you're praying for you're not ready for it . Or maybe he's saying wait so he can grow you and he can prepare you , because a blessing too soon isn't a blessing at all .
Speaker 1So in this message today , in this sermon today , I just want to point you to our best and brightest example of prayer in the person of Jesus Christ . He lived praying , he died praying , literally his last words on the cross Father , I commit my spirit to you , always talking to the Father . Father , forgive them , for they know not what they do Now . Jesus , he understood and demonstrated the priority , the privilege and the power of prayer . He spent the night in prayer before selecting the 12th . In other words , sometimes , if we have a major decision coming up , we need to slow down and pray to God and seek his wisdom and his guidance . Before feeding the 5,000 , jesus prayed Before raising Lazarus from the dead . He prayed , just to name a few , at the Garden of Get and to me that prayer is one of the most mature prayers that you can pray is when you can end the prayer with nevertheless , not my will , but your will be done .
Speaker 1Prayer is our lifeline . It is an opportunity to pour out our hearts of God , to bring our burdens to him , to cast our cares on him . The Bible tells us in Colossians 4 to devote yourselves to prayer . Time spent in prayer is never time wasted , but rather time invested . Romans 12 , 12 says be faithful in prayer . Through prayer we connect ourselves with the will of God and through prayer we are changed forever .
Speaker 1I want to give you this quote by Samuel Chadwick about prayer , and here it goes . The concern of the devil is to keep Christians from praying . He fears nothing from our prayerless studies , nothing from our prayerless work . He fears nothing from our prayerless religion . He laughs at our toll , he mocks at our wisdom
Scripture as Prayer and Conclusion
Speaker 1, but he trembles when we pray . That's powerful . And listen , my friend , if you don't know where to start when it comes to prayer , start with scripture .
Speaker 1I believe that the best form of prayer is scripture . I'm repeating back to God what God has already said to me . For example , I like to pray Matthew 633 . Lord , help me to seek first your kingdom and your righteousness , and I thank you that all these things shall be added unto me . So I will take the scripture and I will personalize it as a prayer unto the Lord . I will use Psalms 51 and 10 and ask the Lord to create in me a clean heart and to renew a right spirit within me , and I will go to the Great Commission at the end of Matthew , chapter 28 , and ask the Lord . Lord , give me wisdom and give me the boldness and help me to make disciples to be intentional in sharing the gospel and teaching others to obey you . Oh , I pray about the great commandments which is found at the end of Matthew 22 . Lord , help me to love you and help me to love others . So start with scripture .
Speaker 1When it comes to prayer , now I'll leave you with this Nothing to take precedence over your time alone with God . I have to say that one more time , nothing and no one should take precedence over your time alone with the Lord . The most important thing in life isn't your job , it isn't your spouse , it isn't your family , it's not even your ministry . It isn't your family , it's not even your ministry , but rather your personal and intimate relationship with jesus christ , because everything else flows from that one thing , or rather from that one person . You can be as close to god as you want to be . You and only you are responsible for your level of intimacy with Jesus , and there's no neutrality in our walk with the Lord . Either you are drawing closer to him or you are drifting away from him , and that my friend would do it for today , prayer must be a priority . Prayer is indeed a privilege . Be a priority , prayer is indeed a privilege . And prayer is powerful . It will change your life .
Speaker 1So much more can be said about prayer , but I just wanted to give you the basics for today . And the Bible tells us in the book of James that we are called to be doers and not just hearers of the word . So I want you to take some time today to just be with Jesus , to talk to him , to worship him and just enjoy him . Amen and amen . I just want to say I really appreciate you for listening and I want to ask that you just take one minute right now to share this podcast on your social media . You can hit the share button on the app that you may be listening to right now , or you can take a screenshot and post it , and I just want to say thank you in advance , as you help me to get the word out about this podcast ministry . Now go , be all that God has called you to be free audio post production .