Bold Prayer Changes Cities

We explore how bold intercession, humble posture, and confident, Scripture-shaped prayer transform lives and legacies. Abraham’s plea for a city, the publican’s contrition, and practical wisdom on order and maturity frame a clear path for asking according to God’s will.

• Abraham’s persistent intercession for an undeserving city
• Boldness rooted in real relationship with God
• Adversity reframed as opportunity to grow
• Humility contrasted with self-righteous performance in Luke 18
• Wise witnessing with order, timing and purpose
• Casting down anxious thoughts with Scripture
• Confidence by asking according to God’s will
• Practical guardrails against manipulative “prophecy”

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Transcript

Welcome And Set The Expectation

SPEAKER_07 0:12

Welcome to another episode of For Life and Legacy. We're glad that you're here. Listen, just go ahead and sit back. Don't relax yourself. Get yourself ready for what's about to happen to transform your life and your legacy. We're still believing that great things are happening. And they're happening in you. Come on, let's get ready to make this happen. Life's been waiting for you to show up. Yes, it has. Keep going. 272, I apologize.

Abraham’s Intercession And Theophany

SPEAKER_06 0:49

And Abraham answered and said, Behold, now, I have taken upon me to speak unto the Lord, which am but dust and ashes.

SPEAKER_08 0:58

All right. Which am but dust and ashes. Now, if you keep going through the text for the sake of time, what we'll find out is that Abraham is doing something very interesting here. What do you take on the last part? He's seeking God. He's talking to God. Now, right now we're talking what's called a theophany. God has appeared before him, and the terminology will be called a theophany, in a sense that he could exchange ideas and thoughts as in a physical form with uh with Abraham. So we have this happening here, and and God, before that, what I really love is God actually has this conversation. And when you have time, please read it. I'm gonna ask you to please read it. Because what he says is, Shall I hide this thing from Abraham? So this conversation is happening because God and Abraham already have a good relationship, right? They have a good relationship, so much so that God's about to go do something and cast judgment, and it's as if he takes counsel with Abraham. Y'all see, I mean, if you read it, is it it's it's it's beautiful. It's like he's saying, now come on, you you say, why do I say that? Because God knows all things. Am I right? He knows all things. So he already it's as if he says, okay, let me let me open this textbook wise for Abraham, and let's see what Abraham's gonna do with what I'm about to tell him. And Abraham reveals his heart. And even in his text, and he's discussing this, he's bold, but he's humble at the same time. Do you see that in the text? Because he says, But I am but what dust and dusted ashes. Dusted ashes, but does he stop at the 50? No, no, he doesn't. No, if you keep reading the text, he doesn't stop at the 50. He keeps going all the way down to what? 10. He keeps going down to 10. Any uh, you know, so this is why I want to break stride with some people. They say, Well, you don't keep asking God for something. You have it right there in your text. He saw God's face. Can't Lord, I'm interceding. This is what he's doing. He's interceding. Are y'all seeing this? He's

Persistence In Prayer And Faith

SPEAKER_08 3:11

interceding. And there are times in our lives where we need to be mindful that maybe we might have a little bit more room and say, God, would you just butt? God, can you just what? And there are people who told you, don't just pray one time and be done with it. It depends on the situation.

SPEAKER_05 3:27

Right.

SPEAKER_08 3:29

It also depends on how confident you are each time you approach.

SPEAKER_02 3:33

Right.

SPEAKER_08 3:35

Are you are you with me? Anybody got a question? Something you want to say. Prayer is faith, right?

SPEAKER_10 3:42

Can we say prayer is faith? Exercising faith.

SPEAKER_08 3:48

It's exercising faith. There we go.

SPEAKER_10 3:50

Exercise in faith. Let me say it like that.

SPEAKER_08 3:51

Yes, sir.

SPEAKER_10 3:52

If we know that us in our knowledgeable scriptural self, we know that without say it like this. Without prayer is impossible. We'll say that like that. Amen. Yeah. Or should I say without faith was impossible?

SPEAKER_08 4:11

There you go. You're dipping into my list. You're dipping into my like my.

SPEAKER_10 4:18

So we ask you exercising our faith. No gonna ask him God a hundred times the same thing. Lord God needs this, not God this, not God this.

SPEAKER_09 4:40

Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey.

SPEAKER_10 4:42

But I'm so much 'cause without faith. Without faith, uh we just because we all hate because we saturated in God, we go try to humanity. See what costly that forever without whatever it is for the stuff.

SPEAKER_08 5:23

All right. So here's the thing.

Boldness Born From Relationship

SPEAKER_08 5:26

How many on here would be so bold like Abraham? Let's just dig in deep a little bit. What do you think? Would you be bold? Would you be bold?

SPEAKER_02 5:35

At one time I wouldn't be able to do that.

SPEAKER_08 5:36

At one time now you are. All right. What's changed?

SPEAKER_02 5:42

My walk with the Lord.

SPEAKER_08 5:43

Your walk with the Lord? Okay. All right. So let's do this. And I know it's kind of hard because sometimes we we we make this mysterious. But the truth of the matter is, any of y'all in there have ever had a really good relationship with somebody? Yeah, any of y'all have a good relationship with somebody now?

SPEAKER_09 6:03

Yeah.

SPEAKER_08 6:04

All right. Do you find it difficult to approach the person with whom you have a good relationship with?

SPEAKER_06 6:10

Not at all.

SPEAKER_08 6:11

No. But if you are a stranger, then you're not you're not as apt to ask. Am I right? I could have asked my wife for some money. You're probably right. But anyway, now let's stop. I could have asked, right? Well, if I had asked her 36 years ago or thought about it, it wouldn't have happened. Yeah, 36 years. It's been a while. Right, okay. So if I'd asked her then, you know, but the truth of the matter is I didn't even know her 36 years ago.

unknown 6:44

Okay, all right.

SPEAKER_08 6:46

But we've been married for 35.

SPEAKER_10 6:48

All right, right.

SPEAKER_08 6:50

I didn't know her even 35 years ago, like I know her what? Now.

unknown 6:57

Right, right.

SPEAKER_08 6:57

You see what I'm saying? So the better the relationship, the stronger. Now here's the thing. We and I'll share this with you. We shared it during a caregivers class. We actually grew stronger to get we grew together stronger

Adversity As Opportunity

SPEAKER_08 7:11

when we actually took care of Bishop. In adversity, we will we we we God allowed us to get stronger in our relationship. And we learn how to depend on each other in adversity. Now, here's the thing is that some people, when adversity comes, they what? Separate. That's the wrong time to give up the vision. That's the wrong time to get up the vision. Right? We have to learn, y'all, that even in adversity, in adversity, when there's opposition, there's always opportunity. Can I tell you that? When there's can I say that real clear? Can I what when when there is when there's adversity, when there's some opposition, we ought to look for opportunity and see what God is trying to reveal in us. Can you can you put your relationship on the line and say, God, what are you trying to show me? Am I be should I be bolder in my approach? Y'all with me? Because there's a whole city. I'm gonna put it, I'm gonna put it on the line. Like I'm gonna put it

Interceding For The Undeserving

SPEAKER_08 8:16

on. There's a whole city that Abraham is interceding for. Are you interceding for a city? A whole city. Can I share something else with you? They don't deserve it. Some of us only want to intercede for people who deserve it. They don't deserve it. Can you be that close to God to intercede for somebody when they don't? You see what I'm saying? God is asking Abraham, and it ain't this is not in your text. This is what we talk about. We're just walking through. This is why we need to learn to be bold. Can you be bold enough to do what God would have you to do? Even when there's a situation where you might not get any benefit. You got to pray for. That's right. Now, there was one person that he could care for. Now, Solomon, this is a joke. I'm gonna put this in here real quick. Solomon was supposedly the wisest man in the Bible. Who would be the second wisest man? Abram. You know why? He knew a lot. Anyway, let's go. Yes, ma'am.

SPEAKER_05 9:27

I can understand your example. You said you were married 35 years, but 36 years ago, you didn't know your life. Yeah, so we I I sure didn't date, you didn't quote, or another day you just popped up and got married?

SPEAKER_08 9:39

We knew we knew each other for a whole year. So from 30 from 36 36 years ago, I didn't I didn't know who she was. But we courted for about a year and got married. So that whole year from 30 36, I didn't know her. So if I were to say the day is the day, and then I bumped into her, I just she's a stranger. So by the time I got to 30, we literally got married a year from the day we met.

SPEAKER_09 10:02

Wow.

SPEAKER_08 10:02

We met on July 28th, we got married on July 28th the next year.

SPEAKER_05 10:07

Whoa. But you just said it, okay? Well that's the because you said 36 years ago you didn't know. I didn't. And I want to know.

SPEAKER_08 10:14

Yeah.

SPEAKER_05 10:15

Well, why did you get married to it? Well, you didn't know.

SPEAKER_08 10:18

No, no, yeah. So yeah, we yeah, I understand. Yeah, 35. We've been married 35 years. 35.

SPEAKER_05 10:24

We think we know. Yeah. Yeah.

SPEAKER_08 10:27

I go keep it short, sir. I'll be getting that.

SPEAKER_10 10:32

One time. One person. Yeah, it's got some feminists.

SPEAKER_08 10:40

Yeah, don't do that. Yeah, don't do that. Yeah, don't do that. Yeah, don't you search all over. Listen, um, I'm gonna show you this with you.

Relationship, Courtship, And Counsel

SPEAKER_08 10:52

Not only that, but that time did give us time. I'm gonna tell you, if you're going to get married, get some counseling. Don't just pop up and get married. Uh it saved you a lot of heart in. I'm gonna tell you, you can make almost any relationship work. It's just how much work we have to put in it. I'm just letting you know. All right, so we're gonna move on, and and we're gonna believe God for so much more. But yeah, that is a thank you very much because I don't think anybody here ever knew. Yeah, from one year, one whole year, we got married. Because actually, we met on a Friday, and that next year, it was a Saturday. And we were able to get married on that same day. It was beautiful. It was beautiful. All right, so let's do

Transition To Humble Prayer

SPEAKER_08 11:32

this. Um, and while we're there, we we visited Abram. We visited Abram and we talked about this type of prayer. Uh, we talked about being able to, now we're gonna go to a humble prayer. We gotta talk to the humble prayer before we get out of here. Um, if you're in your book, I believe it's on page 171, um, and let's slip over to Luke 18.9. Luke 18.9. And I'm gonna ask somebody, if I think we got time, if you have your book, can somebody read uh that paragraph on page 171? Um write on a humble prayer. Yes, yes, pray.

SPEAKER_02 12:16

At the point of our lesson, second passage. Passage. Jesus has been on the way to Jerusalem since Luke 9, 51. If for now, announce suspended death twice. Luke 9, 21 through 22 and 43 through 45. And we do so a third time shortly after the parable of today 7. 18, 31 through 34. On this journey, Jesus teaches what the stream is like and who will have a place in it. The parable below helps to fill out that picture, connecting the preceding verb. Also uh even also about prayer with the story that follows, which emphasizes the lead for military.

SPEAKER_08 13:09

Alright, somebody, if you're already at Luke, um, if you're already there in Luke, I'm somebody to read Luke uh for us really quick, uh, 18 verses 9 through 14. If we gotta volunteer.

Reading Luke 18:9–14

SPEAKER_04 13:20

And he spake this parable on the certain groups. It's 18, 9. And he spake this parable on the certain groups of trust in themselves that they were righteous, every time it's up to me away up into one with the very student, and the other person is trusted. The Pharisees still in the brain gospel, but I think I'm not as the public, extorting, I'm just adults, or even as this one. I pay twice. I give kinds of all I have, all that I possess. And the public standing afaro would not even lift up so much as his eyes are to heaven, and spoke and smoked his breast, saying, God, be merciful to me, a sinner.

SPEAKER_08 14:14

All right, come on. I'm gonna I'm gonna I'm gonna open up the floor.

SPEAKER_02 14:18

Okay.

SPEAKER_08 14:18

Tell me, tell me what you got. Tell me what you got,

Pharisee’s Pride Versus Heart Posture

SPEAKER_08 14:20

what you whatever you notice. Let's just start with the Pharisee.

SPEAKER_02 14:23

He was babbling. Arrogant.

SPEAKER_08 14:25

He was arrogant. What was the other one? Babbling. I like that. He was babbling. Now, what did he do right? Did he hold on? Was he doing right? If he's telling the truth in his prayer, is he doing right?

SPEAKER_09 14:40

Yeah.

SPEAKER_08 14:42

If he's paying his tithes, is he fasting? If he's fasting, is he doing right? Is he living? If we would call you living right. If he's doing those things, he's living right. Are you with me?

SPEAKER_09 14:56

He's living right.

SPEAKER_08 14:56

Okay, okay. He's living right. Except for what matters the most? His heart. Thank you. His heart. I don't care how right you think you're living. Right, right, right, right. But if your righteousness is of who? You, you've established your own righteousness. Now you say, I'm right. I'm the man. Look, are you bragging just a little bit? You're boasting just a little bit? Are you saying, are you ringing your own bell? Is this the way God wants you to live?

unknown 15:28

No.

SPEAKER_08 15:29

No. This is not the way God wants you to live. Right? Matter of fact, it there's a contrast here because you get, you move from the Pharisee, the tax collector. Now, for those of you who don't know about the tax collector, they were probably just as hated then as they are now.

SPEAKER_09 15:47

Right?

SPEAKER_08 15:48

They were considered uh ill repute. Now, I don't have the time to go here, but let me express this to you. There's a text in there where it talks about he he actually talks to Levi, and Levi is one of the tax collectors. He said, Come follow me. And now here's the thing: they they accuse Jesus of sitting down with the tax collectors and everything and saying that he's now some of us and I say in the kingdom have said, Well, yeah, we're supposed to go fellowship

Wise Witnessing And Real Maturity

SPEAKER_08 16:12

with sinners. Listen, understand the text. They make a dinner for Jesus. Who's a sinner? Jesus. It's not about what they put on. That doesn't mean I need to run to a party and go party with them and say, I'm a witness for Christ. You're gonna slip. You just might slip. Right? Because each time that Jesus sits down, if you pay attention, each time Jesus sits down, it is not about anything else but what he's got going on. It's his agenda. I know I told you I'm gonna be controversial a little bit today. It's his agenda. If it's not, if you're no longer there to be a servant for Christ, you might want to ask yourself, why am I here? I'm not saying you can't go. I'm just saying you might want to question why you're still there. And some of you might want to ask yourself, should I even go? Because if you know you're not mature enough in the spirit, you should never even let your shadow hit the threshold of that place.

SPEAKER_07 17:23

That's right.

SPEAKER_08 17:24

Because if your name won't mention on the invitation, then you'll probably not the center stage. And you probably your words won't matter to anybody else. You will spend your time, just like we talked about earlier, you're wasting your breath praying. I'm gonna give you a good example. Somebody comes in here while we're worshiping and they start talking while we're worshiping, just making noise. While we're worshiping, while we're singing, are they out of order? What do you think the people think when you if you walk up into a bar and you start talking about Christ and you start throwing things around, you start, do you think they think you're out of order? How are you witnessing? Now, I'm not gonna say God didn't tell you to do it. I'm not gonna say that. I'm gonna say you might want to question whether or not that's what God has for you to do. The authenticity of what you heard.

unknown 18:26

Right, right.

SPEAKER_08 18:27

Because you could just as surely run somebody away.

unknown 18:30

Right.

SPEAKER_08 18:31

That's the reason I don't even want to come to church. You gotta find people in that space. When the ground, listen to me, when the ground is open. That's the point. The ground was open. Levi's ground, this man.

SPEAKER_03 18:47

Real quick, I saw a flip online where uh street profits, street preacher, went into the long church now tomorrow. You know, going out and vomitations or whatever. So I might have missed that. Oh, I'm obviously listening.

SPEAKER_08 19:06

But um, so yeah, I definitely again, what I can't call into question is this whether or not you heard from God. But what I can say is your disruption.

Order, Safety, And Decency

SPEAKER_08 19:20

You're disruption. And if you're disrupting and you're making people feel unsafe, you need to be you need to be courted off the premises. It's order, right? Let thank let all things, I think it's 1 Corinthians 14 40. Let all things be what done what? Decently and in order. It's you're out of order. You're setting, you're setting and making people nervous, especially even people who have just first come to church. You know, they might be visitors. Y'all with me? It's gotta be order. Right? And we can settle those things in a meeting. You want to just have a meeting. That's not this is not the time. This Why it's called worship, sir. Alright, so let's do this real

The Publican’s Humility

SPEAKER_08 20:04

quick. Let's talk about the uh publican. How does he treat his relationship with God? What does he do? He humbles himself, right? He humbles himself. He he says that I am a what? I'm a sinner. I ain't right. I ain't right. I'm not right. How many of y'all have ever seen people who just I've seen people who know that they'll tell you that they ain't right. But they still try. Are y'all with me? Come on, y'all. They'll tell you I'm not right, but I'm still what? I'm still trying. We can't throw them out with the bath water.

SPEAKER_10 20:38

Yes, sir. That's one of the best. One of the smoking just yeah, I remember when I was such and such and such and such and such. Oh that's opportunity to communicate impossible to hear from God how to help this person before.

SPEAKER_08 21:36

Amen. All right, so and I think you know what that does? You level set when you talk to somebody. You identify. There's a there's a terminology in psychology where you you you help identify. You self-identify with somebody in their problem. So as you self-identify, you witness. That's the power of a testimony. The power of a testimony is to say, I've been where you've been. Right? And now I can testify. You know, every business,

Testimony And Identifying With Strugglers

SPEAKER_08 22:00

a business grows strong just by the word of mouth. Because your words have power. Y'all with me? Your words have power. And then so being, you're able to do that. But you can't be the guy who say, you know, if you do, if you're doing all that fasting and paying that tithe, I want to know. You still gonna stand up there and say, I'm not like this guy? I'm not like this guy? I mean, that's the audacity to me. I ain't like this guy. How dare you? You come to church? You were like that guy. Such were some of you. Hey, come on now. Such were some of you. And we have to remind ourselves that we were in that state at one point in time so that we can actually help them. Am I right, y'all? Okay, I gotta move on. Uh uh, we're gonna we're gonna we're gonna give this to you. But here's the thing Jesus even goes on to say that basically, you you, if you read the text, you'll be surprised who's gonna be in heaven. You're gonna be surprised you're gonna be in heaven. Uh, who will be in heaven? I gotta move on because I got two minutes. Uh, we gotta talk real quick about confidence. Confidence. Somebody say confidence. All right, we want a confident prayer. Somebody go with me in John the fifth chapter, first John the fifth chapter, first John the fifth chapter, uh, first John the fifth chapter. We're gonna read these verses and get out of here. I think it's important. As we did, as we had a conversation before, 2 Corinthians chapter 10, verse 5. I'll say it slowly, 2 Corinthians chapter 10, verse 5. If you're taking notes, 2 Corinthians chapter 10, verse 5. It talks about casting down imagination and all these strongholds that try to rise up against you. You have to be able to cause the interrupt. Listen to what I'm saying. The best way to cause an interrupt is to actually repeat the word of God against the adversarial force that's trying to corrupt your mind. Because your mind is anxious, your flesh wants to go back to what's comfortable. Y'all with me? But in order to have a confident prayer, you need to say the word of God. The best thing I can say. Y'all remember when you you said uh you've ever been given something, especially depending on you the oldest one in your home, and you told somebody what mama said, but you didn't say mama said it, and it didn't matter until you said mama said it. You said this thing, but when

Who Surprises Us In Heaven

SPEAKER_08 24:11

you said mama said or daddy said, all of a sudden it carries more weight. Y'all with me? So in this analogy, we understand that we gotta say what daddy says. If you say what daddy says, all of a sudden things go out the door. All those little thoughts and ideas,

Confident Prayer In God’s Will

SPEAKER_08 24:26

if you focus on what daddy says, it changes life. So who's got that real quick and I'm gonna get out of here? Uh 1 John 5, 14. Who's got it? Anybody? I can read it if I got two. Go ahead, go ahead, go ahead.

SPEAKER_10 24:44

This is the confidence we have in approaching God. If he asks anything according to his will, he gives us.

SPEAKER_08 24:53

Sorry, stop that because I don't have much time. If we ask anything, what? How? According to what? It's important that we understand that when we ask, we ought to ask according to what? His will. How do I get to know his will? You gotta study his word, you gotta be in his presence, right? God's not gonna give you somebody else's spouse. That's not how it works. But he's not gonna do it. He's not gonna, he told you not to come in somebody's house. So don't even try to ask God for somebody else's house. These are these are erroneous ideas and things that we put. God told me I'm supposed to be your wife. He didn't tell me. So don't come up here prophetly. Because at first it ought to be, it ought to, I should have received the word first. Normally, if a prophet comes through, they ought to be confirming something God has already told you. It shouldn't be new to you. Y'all right? Are y'all with me? So I say these things, it has to be in alignment with the will of God. So, you know, that does say that with me. It's got to be in alignment with the will of God. If you're praying the will of God, it will come to pass. So you can come before confident and boldly, understanding this. This is the will of God for you. Anyone know that it's the will of God for you that you prosper? It's the will of God for you that I started off at the beginning of this, that you would live. That you would live. And what? Be blessed. Y'all see that? You would live. That's the will of God. How did I know? I just read it. It's the will of God that I would live and be blessed. Not just me, but who else? My children. So anytime you hear ideas that are contrary to that, you ought to start saying, hmm, that ain't the will of God for me. I'm sorry, let me back up. That's not the will of God for me. All right, that's it. I get excited a little bit. I do. But we need to do that. I see you, sir. I gotta get out of here. You've got to remind yourself. Somebody say, Self, I want the will of God for my life. And I'm gonna pray confidently. Make that commitment to yourself. I'm gonna ask uh Pastor if you could pray, sir.

SPEAKER_01 26:59

Father God, we thank you so much, God, for your word. We thank you, God, for this time of gathering. We ask that you bless the elder, and wait, God bless the wife and family. We thank you, God, for continuing to use it for your glory. It's all of us, oh God. And help us, oh God, to pray our family. Help us, oh God, to know the will of God

Ask According To His Will

SPEAKER_01 27:20

for ourselves. God, bless the servants, bless the speaker of the hour. Have your way in this place. In Jesus' name, we pray. Amen.

SPEAKER_08 27:29

Amen. Come on, give the Lord a praise. Give the Lord a praise. Hallelujah.

SPEAKER_07 27:33

Hallelujah. Oh, we truly want to thank you for joining. We know that it took some time out of your day, but we hope that it was seen as an investment for your future because we know that you're expecting great things. Why? Because he's promised great things for your life. As a matter of fact, he's promised great things for your life and your legacy. If you're enjoying this, we're gonna ask you to like and share. Tell a friend about it. We're gonna continue to bring you this good content. We have the rest of this teaching coming up next week. So please, please tune back in. Even set the alert so that you'd get notification of when it does come on. So again, we love you, and there's nothing you can do about it. Because we are here for your life and your legacy. You stay blessed now you're here.