Welcome to the For the Gospel Podcast, where we provide sound doctrine for everyday people. I'm your host, Costi Hinn, and I want to welcome our listeners on Apple and Spotify and those of you enjoying this on our YouTube video podcast format. On today's episode, I'm starting a short little mini series, I would call it. Mini, meaning about three weeks versus the last one in parables, where I mean some 10 weeks through that. That was fun. But I want to give you a little tune-up for your prayer life. And then we're into the summer sermon series where every year I share five weeks of life-changing messages with you from reputable preachers. We do this every summer because first, it does give me a little break for family time, a little bit of a reset. And also, I'm in the middle of getting my doctorate at the Master's Seminary, and July is just crazy. I got to go to LA for two weeks. It's a whole thing and miss a couple of Sundays as well to do the doctoral seminars with Austin Duncan, Steve Lawson, and the crew. And so it's a good reset. Also allows me to focus on family, on school, and then you still get great content because we do this every single Monday. That series was a huge hit last year, and a lot of you gave us great feedback. So kind of a win-win. I get a little breather and you get great content. So for this series on prayer, we're going to take a look first at how to build a biblical prayer life. And I want you to be thinking about your prayer life, about what you do, maybe what you know or what you don't know, and just reviewing for some of you. This will be learning things for the new time, for uh learning things for the first time, learning very new things for you. And for others, it's maybe something that uh you you've just stopped doing, and something I say reminds you, well, I'm in the same boat. I'm always visiting the topic of prayer, thinking through prayer, reading the Bible about prayer, because prayer is such a main channel of communication with God. We want to make sure our prayer life is always getting a tune up. In the second episode, I want to walk you through five questions to assess your motives when you pray. I've titled that episode, Why Do You Pray? Meaning why do you pray for the things that you pray for? And then to finish, I want us to venture into uncomfortable territory with an episode that I've titled Eight Reasons God Doesn't Answer Your Prayers. Now, it's not meant to be some cheeky episode where I just tell you, you know, God isn't listening, God doesn't care. But rather, I want to view this through a lens of uh maybe humble reflection. Like the Bible says certain things about prayer and about what God will or will not even hear, and what God will or will not even answer. I want you to be educated on that. This will give you the uh power, if you will, or the ability, have the knowledge to assess your own prayer life. And now instead of wondering, you know, why isn't God listening, or it doesn't seem like this is happening, or I'm growing really frustrated in my prayer life, you can go through a lot of the theological truths that we're gonna walk through. And now instead of the idea of, you know, give a man a fish, he'll eat for a day, teach a man to fish, he'll eat for a lifetime. I want you to have these tools in your own tool belt so you're growing strong and mature in the faith. All right, so with this particular episode here and now, how to build a biblical prayer life. It was Charles Spurgeon who famously said, I would rather teach one man to pray than ten men to preach. One of my favorite quotes because it comes from the Prince of the Prince of Preachers. Try saying that five times, and it reminds me how important prayer is. Why? Because Spurgeon was the preacher of preachers in his day, and yet he says, I'd rather teach one man to pray. Why? Because prayer is so important. If you asked me if I think there's more power in a 60-minute prayer meeting or a 60-minute sermon, it might shock you, maybe not, but I would tell you that we need both, but one is the fuel that drives the engine in the other, meaning prayer is the fuel. I genuinely genuinely believe that my sermons would have no power. They would not be effective. I believe the word would fall flat. I believe that podcasts like this and the resources that we pump out and ministry efforts would all fall flat without prayer as the fuel behind them. That is not to diminish gifting, that's not to diminish study, that's not to diminish the importance of zeal and labor and effort. Paul the Apostle went places. He uh kind of tightened up his bootstraps, so to speak. He rolled up his sleeves, got the calused hands, and got after it. I'm not against that, and I would be with you in that effort. However, all the labor in the world, all the going, all the sending, all the giving, all the doing, all the preaching, all of it, I believe powerless without prayer. You might ask me, Costi, do you think that certain ministries are ineffective because of their lack of prayer? I mean, would you accuse people of that? Absolutely, without apology. I would accuse my own life or my own ministry of that. It doesn't mean you have to have revival every week, or if it's not some megachurch or your ministry's not blowing up that you have a prayer issue. I would say, though, if you're not seeing the effective work of the ministry through your life and your gifts, and this could be for anyone, I'm not just talking about pastors. If you're not seeing people grow or more mature, you're not seeing your own life, you're not seeing things around you happen spiritually. It could be micro advancements, if you will. I would ask, are you even praying? Which is kind of a famous story about Charles Spurgeon. I don't know if it's fact or myth. You know how when men of God die, there's sort of these stories that grow, uh, maybe a few more layers to them. But as the story goes, if Charles Spurgeon had a sermon that fell flat, the first thing he would do is blame the prayer team and ask the prayer team, were you even praying? I mean, let alone look in the mirror, maybe, Spurgeon. Did you study? Were you tired? Did you, did you pray? He would go to the prayer team. He believed so much in the power of prayer that it was the fuel for all effective ministry. How about that? Both for confidence to know, hey, if we pray, God is going to do something. We believe that, but also humility to say, doesn't matter how great of a preacher I am, you know, Spurgeon might say, if we don't pray, none of it works. Prayer is one of the simplest disciplines for the Christian, yet it can be also one of the most misused, misguided as well. Uh, aside from an improper view of God and scripture, an improper prayer life can really hinder your fellowship with Christ. And an improper or weak prayer life is often rooted in an improper or weak view of God or of the topic of prayer or even of scripture. And so a deep prayer life is gonna help you, it's gonna strengthen you, and it comes with a deep understanding of what the Bible teaches about prayer. We can't just make prayer up and do what we want with it. We have to follow what the Bible teaches about it in order for us to use it effectively. So, number one, we have the model of prayer. No better place to look than a person, Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior. Jesus modeled prayer and communication to God the Father in several different settings. The list I'm about to give you is not exhaustive, but it gives you an idea of some of the ways in which Jesus prayed, and you can apply these to your life. Luke 9.18, he prayed privately. That means it's good to get alone, good to get away, good to go be, quote unquote, with God in prayer privately. Our lives are very busy. It's good to have that time away. Luke 9.28, number two, Jesus prayed with others. There's a corporate aspect. I think we see that in the Lord's Prayer. He says, Our Father, there's a lot of corporate prayer that should happen. So we need to be asking, Am I praying with other people? If you're married, are you praying with your spouse? Are you praying with your children if you have them? If in the church you just never pray with people, it's good to see that model in the Lord. Matthew 27, verse 46, Jesus prays through crying out. So you have this emotion, a desire, a pain, a hurt. It's okay to express yourself to God. And then number four, through all-night petition in Luke 6.12. So praying for a long time, definitely biblical. Doesn't mean you have to lose sleep every single night and you're walking around half asleep all day and it's because you're just such a prayer warrior. But let's not look down on the long effort of prayer. I think it was Paul Washer who said once, I really liked it. It challenged me and I appreciate it. He said, uh, pray until you can pray, and then pray until you have prayed. It's super helpful to remind ourselves that prayer isn't this quick, short staccato thing, get out of the way, check the box, but we want to spend time with God. And then finally, Hebrews 5, 7, we see Jesus described as praying through tears. There can be times where you're so broken, you're so hurting, or you're so filled with emotion. Maybe it's over somebody who's lost a child or a loved one or someone in the church, maybe it's a neighbor, somebody that you would wish to come to Christ. Maybe it's because of sorrow, loss, all of this. Jesus, even as well, prayed through tears. The settings in which he prayed varied, as did the words and details that Jesus spoke in these times of prayer. Another list I want to give you, not exhaustive again, but it kind of gets us going and gives us a snapshot of what Jesus prayed for. This starts to get us thinking about what we pray for. Number one, protection for those whom he had called. In John 17, 15, Jesus is praying for his disciples, protection for them in the world. And number two, for the Father to be glorified through his life. That's John 17, verse 1. So there's another thing we should be thinking about. Am I praying for the Father to be glorified through my life? In John 17, 11. By the way, I'm pulling a lot of these from John 17. That's Jesus' high priestly prayer. The longest prayer we see really in scripture from him, all of John chapter 17 is Jesus talking to the Father. In that one, number three, eternal security for his disciples. He's asking the Father to keep them secure, keep them saved, keep them strong, keep them his for the work that they have ahead. In Luke 22, verses 39 to 46, we have the scene in the Garden of Gethsemane, and that's Jesus praying before a great trial. Maybe you're going into a big situation. Don't buy the lie that you shouldn't pray because you feel cliche. I've heard people say that before. I don't want to pray. It's just gonna, you know, come off like I'm only praying because, you know, it's a big deal. Uh, yeah, you should. The cross was a big deal. And in Luke 22, we see Jesus going into the Garden of Gethsemane to pray. Number five, Jesus prayed in submission to the will of the Father above his own. That's in the middle of what I just described in Luke 22. In verse 42, Jesus says, But not my will, but yours be done. So there's this submission, even in the model of Christ. It's a great thing for us to keep in mind in our own prayer life. Matthew 11, 25 to 26, number six, praising the Father for his plan. Do you ever just praise God in your prayer life? Maybe you spend a lot of time asking God for things. Nothing wrong with that. We'll talk about that in the next episode. Motives, why we pray, and even getting beyond or deeper than just like the basic things, like please give me this, please help them, please help her in Jesus' name. Amen. Jesus spends time praising the Father for his plan. I think it's good to just have times of prayer where we just extol God or exalt. That just means to lift him up and to praise him. Number seven, he prays for those who crucify him. Okay, this is awesome. Luke 23, 34. And you think of the scene on the cross, you think of the line that Jesus says, remember, Father, forgive them. They don't know what they do. How about that for praying for your enemies? Try to mix that one in today and see if you can still hate that person or be bitter towards that person if you pray for them. I'll tell you from experience, super difficult, if not impossible, to pray for someone and still have an edge regarding them. Number eight, that others would believe. In John 11, Jesus is praying in verses 41 and 42 that others would come to believe. There's this gospel-centered prayer focus. I want people to be saved. I want to pray for it. What do all these things tell us? These two lists that I've given you. For starters, they show us the depth of Jesus' prayers and the spiritual emphasis that he had. Look, there's nothing wrong with praying for you know Aunt Mary's knee surgery. But might we pray for things as well that will matter in eternity? Salvation, faithfulness, endurance, wisdom, and wisdom from the Lord from above at that. James 1, 5. Bold, prayerful, in faith. Lord, give wisdom. I believe you can give it. And then how about our witness? Lord, make me a bold, effective witness. Give me the words to speak. Keep me from fear and insecurity and doubt. Help me to unleash your gospel and unleash the truth. Jesus doesn't pray for trivial things as a pattern. So perhaps we should take inventory of our own prayer lives by his model. Again, not to say that anything you pray for that isn't just some salvific thing is trivial, but it's not a pattern we see in Jesus' life. And I think that deserves some consideration by us. It's also important to note that Jesus prayed in complete submission to the will of the Father. Not once did he enact upon his own agenda, though he was equally and fully God. Paul actually, it kind of explains that mindset further. In 1 Corinthians 11, 3, he says, But I want you to understand the head of every man is Christ, the head of every wife is her husband, and the head of Christ is God. It's this picture of authority. And that's a great reminder that in our prayer life and in our submission, we look to Jesus' example. Jesus said, I didn't come to enact my will, but I came to do the will of my Father who is in heaven. He took a position of submission in order to fulfill his purpose while on earth, his role as the Son of Man. In order to have a proper biblical prayer life, submission to God's will above your own is a must. That leads us to think about at least two fundamental truths in this initial episode about building a biblical prayer life. Fundamental truth number one, prayer is about aligning your heart with God's will. Look, there's gonna be a lot of people that'll say, and they're not wrong or in sin. I just think we should think deeper. They say, you know, prayer is just talking to God. That's what it's about. Okay, we can talk to God, that's what it's about. That's fine. Um, you know, prayer is about connecting with God. Okay, that's fine. Prayer is about asking God to do great things. Okay, all of that, not wrong, but if you want to get to the core of what prayer really is about, prayer is primarily about aligning your heart with God's will. Or you might say, prayer is about aligning your will with God's will. That's so clear. Jesus, not my will, but yours be done. The Lord's prayer on earth as it is in heaven, all these things. Prayer is not about getting God to do your will. It's about aligning your heart and your will with God's will. Jesus set this example, of course. I've already covered it. When he says, Father, if you're willing, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless, nevertheless, not my will, yours be done. Jesus was submissive to the will of the Father. We also must say, in all the things we ask for, Lord, not my will, but yours. Fundamental truth number two, prayer is about drawing closer to God. So I want to put those in the right order. It is important to use prayer as a method for drawing closer to God. Healthy relationships are based on a deep, unconditional, genuine love. Our relationships can become little more than shallow kind of tide pools when we base them on transactional expectations. So as you're seeking to align your will with God's will, you want to engage in this relational connection with Him through prayer. You're not just going in going, Can I have this? Can I have that? Can I have this? Can I have that? You're not treating God like some transactional merchant. You're seeking him through prayer. If you're a person who says, I don't feel like I'm as close to God as I could be, maybe it's your prayer life. And maybe it would be wise to ask yourself, am I treating God like a transactional merchant or like a father who I desire deep relationship with? Like any good father, God can, he will, he does meet your needs, but prayer is a way to draw closer to him, not merely a tool to get what you want out of him. To further examine the biblical model for prayer and help you really think about how to build a biblical prayer life, I want to examine the prayers of the Apostle Paul for just a moment. Again, as with the previous two lists, I didn't have enough room. It's not an exhaustive list, but it gets you a clear picture of what and how he prayed. I've done an article before it for the gospel. It's called How to Be a Prayer Warrior. It covers a number. I think there's 41 in that article of Paul's New Testament prayers. And let me tell you, again, no offense if you pray for Aunt Sally or Aunt Mary's knee surgery, but it's just not a lot of stuff about those types of things. Number one, unceasing prayer for others above himself. Spiritual matters, salvation matters, holiness matters, sin matters, love, care, encouragement. Ephesians 1.16, Colossians 1, 9 to 12, Paul, he's always praying for others above himself. Number two, for wisdom and revelation and knowledge of God. Why? For the enlightenment of the saints to the hope of eternity. That's Ephesians 1.17. He just prays that they would have that. Number three, for spiritual wisdom, for the church to bear fruit, and for growth in the knowledge of God. That's Colossians 1, 9 to 12. Fourth, with thanksgiving. That's Philippians 4.6. Thanksgiving in his prayers. Number five, there was praise for those who partnered with him for the sake of the gospel. In Philippians 1, 3 through 5. We're going to be praising God and thanking God for the people that give and serve and help and partner to advance gospel work. Don't forget those who labor among you. Number six, he was boasting in God's will above his own, even in his weakness. 2 Corinthians 12, 7 to 10. He asked the Lord, Can you remove the thorn? God says, Nope. My power is made perfect in weakness. So Paul just boasts all the more. See the prayer, he comes to God and says, Can you can you deal with this? Could you remove this? God says, No. He says, Okay, great. I'll just boast in your power. Number seven, praise for the worthiness, fulfillment, and service of the saints for the glory of God. In 2 Thessalonians 1, 11 and 12, he's just praising God and he's asking the Lord to strengthen and to fulfill and to bless the servants of those churches, the saints in Thessalonica, or for my Greek friends, Thessaloniki, and for the glory of God through their life. Countless more examples exist throughout the New Testament, but this examination of the model of biblical prayer, it ought to bring up some thoughts in our hearts and start helping us have clarity. And it is sufficient to rest upon. But naturally, I think the question begs to be asked. What about the things I really want to pray for? So Costi, that's fine. I'll pray for God's will. I'll pray for other people. I'll pray for the gospel. I'll pray for those serving. I'll pray for people to get saved. I'll pray that God keeps them saved. I'll pray for all these spiritual things. But what about the things I want to pray for? In the next episode, we're going to talk about the kinds of things that we want to think through when we're adding things into our prayer life. Proverbs 16,2 says, all the ways of a man are clean in his own in his own sight, but the Lord weighs the motives. So we're going to talk about motives. We're going to talk about the implications of our prayer life. And we're going to think through five key questions to ask as we think, why am I praying for that? Thanks as always for listening. Thanks for watching and for supporting. I hope that these episodes on prayer strengthen. Maybe we might even say for some of you, just tighten the screws on your prayer life this summer season. If you haven't already, be sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel and take full advantage of the video teachings there. And to check out our team or partner with our ministry by becoming a monthly gospel patron, you can go to forthegospel.org and click give. I'll be back next Monday with another episode. Keep on living for the gospel.