Are You A Friend Who Would Tear Off the Roof?

Welcome back to Generations of Grace Podcast! On today's episode Sonya & Chole will be discussing what it means to be a friend with such faith that Jesus will do miraculous healings and forgiveness because of your faith. It is important who you choose as your friend and who is praying over you. It is important to build that strong foundation of faith in Jesus Christ, to pour it out into others. The most important thing you can do to increase your faith is spend time with the Lord in prayer and reading His Word daily. You will be given opportunities throughout your life to exercise your faith by putting it into action. We challenge you to spend more time with the Lord and allow Him to strengthen your faith. Use this time to be with Him and seek Him daily. While doing so, find someone you can diligently pray for in faith. Jesus has done miraculous healings, signs & wonders because of faith and He will continue to do so. Seek Him with your whole heart, soul, mind and strength. Thank you for listening! 

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Music by Mikhail Smusev from Pixabay

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:21

Hi, everybody. Welcome back to Generations of Grace podcast. I'm Sonia and here with my daughter Chloe again today. And we just got done with big Easter celebration yesterday, Resurrection Day. And uh I hope everybody else had a good Easter. We had a really good time with family and we grilled and watched the kids play. And it was we went to church and just had a wonderful service. And last night, my my husband and I, we always pray together every single night. And, you know, we thank him for things and we then we always, you know, ask him for healings and different things. But last night we just decided we were just gonna take a moment. There was no asking him for anything. We just thanked him for what he had done for us and for for dying on that cross and for rising again and and living and and living in us. And and we just took time just to thank him because I think a lot of times we're asking things of him, whenever, you know, sometimes we should be thanking him. So did you have a good Easter, Chloe?

SPEAKER_00 1:18

Yeah, it was lots of fun. And I think that's really good to remember to just be still and know that he is the Lord and just sit in his presence and remember the whole reason for Easter. It's not about a bunny or eggs or anything like that, but it's about the one true living God that chose to lay his life down for us, and that's the greatest act of love. Yes. And so I thought it was great watching all the kids and getting to teach them about new things that happen with the resurrection and what it means for them in their life, that they don't have to live a miserable life here on earth. That's right. It's so exciting that we get to teach young kids that and then grow them in that.

SPEAKER_01 1:49

So yes. And today we're gonna just jump right into um what we're going to talk about today. And the title of this episode is actually Are You a Friend That Would Tear Off the Roof? And I just want to start by giving a little backstory to how we decided to come up with doing this for a podcast. As many of you know, if you've listened to our previous podcast, um, whenever I was diagnosed as having a brain tumor, I was I was a little stressed about it at first and anxious. And and um when we had first found out, and we have some really, really good friends that we're in a group message with, and um, they were messaging, asking just what all I had found out and just different things and what the next step was. And um my friend sent me a message. I was telling her what all was going on, and she sent a message back and it said, I love you, and we'll be praying. Golly, that sounds like a lot going on. We serve a mighty God who will heal you, even through your friend's faith. He's got this, and you have so many people in your life that will tear off the roof to bring you to the healer. And whenever I read that, I just thought, well, praise the Lord, first off, that I do have people in my life that would tear off the roof. Because sometimes, sometimes, whenever we're the ones going through it, our faith struggles a little bit, or um, you know, we don't quite know how to handle it. But when she said, you have friends who will tear off the roof for you, and I just thought, oh, this is a podcast. Are we the type of friend that would tear off the roof for other people? And there is actually, in case anyone doesn't know where that stems from, there is a story in the Bible that talks about the roof being taken off to get somebody to Jesus. And that passage is actually in Mark chapter two, verses one through twelve. And Chloe's actually going to read that just for anyone that has never heard the story or that um just needs a refresher on it.

SPEAKER_00 3:42

Yeah, so like she said, it's in Mark 2, 1 through 12. If you have your Bibles, you can go ahead and follow along. We're in the New King James Version. It says, And again he entered Capernaum after some days, and it was heard that he was in the house. Immediately many gathered together so that there was no longer room to receive them, not even near the door. He preached the word to them. Then they came to him, bringing a paralytic who was carried by four men. When they could not come near him because of the crown, they uncovered the roof where he was. So when they had broken through, they let down the bed on which the paralytic was lying. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, Son, your sins are forgiven you. And some of the scribes were sitting there and reasoning in their hearts, why does this man speak blasphemies like this? Who can forgive sins but God alone? Immediately when Jesus perceived in his spirit that they reasoned thus within it within themselves, he said to them, Why do you reason about these things in your hearts? Which is easier to say to the paralytic, Your sins are forgiven you, or to say, Arise, take up your bed and walk. But that you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins. He said to the paralytic, I say to you, Arise, take up your bed, and go to your house. Immediately he arose, took up the bed, and went out in the presence of them, all so that all who were amazed and glorified God, saying, We never saw anything like this.

SPEAKER_01 5:07

So in that story, they couldn't get to Jesus at first because there was so much crowds and they couldn't get in through the building. But this guy's friends, the guy that was paralyzed, his friends decided to lower him through the roof to get him to Jesus because they had so much faith and knew that Jesus could heal him, they just had to get him to him. They didn't care how, they just had to get him there. And um, and Jesus said, Your faith has your it was it, your faith has healed you, or or your friend's faith has healed you. And um, so that's what this is about today is we all know that we need our own faith and all that, but sometimes our friends or our family or others need us also.

SPEAKER_00 5:47

That's right.

SPEAKER_01 5:48

And um, so in this story, it's just a perfect example of they were the friends were willing to stop at nothing to get him to Jesus and to get his healing.

SPEAKER_00 5:57

So try to imagine that too. It said that the crowds were so thick that they couldn't even get to the door of the house, that the crowd was so there was so many people within the home and outside of the home. So they were willing to do whatever it took, including climbing on top of a house, ripping off the roof and lowering their friend down in there because they knew they had heard of the things of Jesus around the town. And they knew that this had to be true, like these crazy miracles that he was doing, and this was the only way. So they were willing to just imagine that like climbing on top of a house and lowering your friend in there and be like, all right, do what we've heard.

SPEAKER_01 6:35

Yes. Yes. It's just amazing. I mean, the things that people would do to get their self to Jesus, like the lady, it wasn't her friend's faith, which that's what we're focusing on today, is friends. Are you a friend that would turn off the roof? But when she touched the hem of his garment, I mean, that was her faith of just knowing touching the hem of his garment, yeah, you know, was going to heal her. And it did. That's right. So, um, so my question to our listeners today is are you that type of friend? Are you the type of friend that would stop at nothing to get your friend or family member to Jesus? Do you pray fervently and without ceasing on their behalf? And whenever I say pray for them, they may it may not just be a physical healing that they need. They may be in bondage, they may need salvation because this guy was paralyzed in the story. And he had a physical need of he was paralyzed, so he couldn't physically walk in there to Jesus. But in life now, people are sometimes in bondage. And if they're in bondage, then they they can't get themselves to Jesus because their mind is not where it needs to be to get there.

SPEAKER_00 7:35

When you have so much bondage, your mind is just so cluttered that you don't even know how to ask for help. Like you can know the truth and you know the word and everything, but like when you have a certain amount of bondage and you like you're hearing things all the time and like I'm not good enough and I'm not worthy and everything, you sometimes you just don't even remember how to ask for the help. And that's why it's important to choose your friends wisely and choose those people that are willing to tear off the roof for you because there's a time that you won't know how.

SPEAKER_01 8:06

Yeah. And I'm I'm so thankful that I have friends and family that are truly like that. And I'm very like leery on who I even asked to pray for me.

SPEAKER_00 8:16

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 8:16

Because I want people that are going to pray, believing and speaking in truth about what they're praying, and that I know is truly going to pray. Yeah. Like there are so many people, you know, we see on Facebook someone puts a prayer request. Can you pray for my family today? And how many people comment on their praying or prayed or whatever? And I know that lots of people probably did pray, but how many times, and I'm guilty of it. There was times in the past I put praying, and I I never said it, I was just saying praying. But did I really take time to really pray?

SPEAKER_00 8:49

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 8:50

And I I used to be guilty of that, putting praying, but wasn't actually taking time to really say the prayer. I was just telling them I'm praying. And now I do. And if I put that on there, I'm gonna be praying for them.

SPEAKER_00 9:02

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 9:03

Because we do have to be sure that um that we are praying. And and then whenever we do pray, my my next thing is do we pray and then we don't see the outcome like instantly? So we're done. We said one little prayer, or are we fervently praying for them? Yeah, you know, interceding for them, them daily.

SPEAKER_00 9:22

You continue to knock and seek the Lord, and He will answer your prayers because I think a lot of us, or even I used to be guilty of this, was I would pray, didn't see the outcome. Well, God's in control, so that just didn't, I guess that wasn't his will, but that is such a lie from the enemy because it is the Lord's will for you to be free out of any bondage. He wants you to be healed from any sickness or disease. That's the whole reason we celebrated Resurrection Sunday, because Jesus Christ died for that to be healed and set free and out of all that. So continue.

SPEAKER_01 9:54

And a little comparison to that in life, and I'm gonna use sports because that's what a lot of people seem to do or interested in. And and whenever you're in a sport, you have to go and you have to practice. Well, you don't go to one practice and is like, okay, put me in coach. I'm the best player that there is, and and I'm done. I'm no more practices, that's all it is. And it's the same way whenever we pray, we have to show we're committed and we have to show that we are committed and we don't give up until we get the outcome that we that we I shouldn't say that we want because it's not what we want, but the Lord's will. The Lord's will is.

SPEAKER_00 10:27

And um, but we have to stay committed and and stay in practicing in prayer, just like we wouldn't do in and we're asking you guys to come to like a new level of reaching out your faith for your friends, but if you haven't built that foundation within yourself, you're not going to be able to use your faith for your friends. And so that's what mom's talking about is your prayer life. What does it look like? Is it like she said at the beginning, are you only asking for all the good things from God and like Lord bless me with this, bless me with that? But are you actually having that relationship with God? Are you actually laying your life down and realizing like oh my goodness, this this one true living God decided that out of anyone in the world and out of anything he could have made, he made this whole earth and chose you. He chose me to go out into the world and have this relationship with him. So it's so important to, yes, we need to pray the blessings to receive from God. You are a child of God and you will inherit his promises. But also to remember who just who he is and who you are in him. Because if you can't get the foundation of that, then you won't be able to go out for your friends. But once you do get the foundation of that, let's continue on to that next level and don't keep it to yourself because that's a selfish Christian.

SPEAKER_01 11:40

Yes.

SPEAKER_00 11:40

And store up those treasures in heaven like God has promised for you. Go out into the world and share it with the world. And people deserve to know him.

SPEAKER_01 11:47

Yes, they do. And I think that whenever we do pray, it's not just about, okay, let's commit now to praying for this friend or this family member, it's also about believing it.

SPEAKER_00 11:58

That's right.

SPEAKER_01 11:59

We have to have the faith whenever we do it. Just like in this, they had faith and they believed Jesus can do it. They didn't, and so since we can't physically touch Jesus the way that they did or get to him, but Jesus is still here and he lives in us and he lives, you know, we can we can pray and we can get all these prayers answered and we can get healings for people. I mean, he died on that cross. So, and people were healed whenever he died on that cross. We just have to step into it and believe that he truly did that and that we are healed. So I am not saying by any means that if you're praying for someone's healing or salvation or freedom or whatever it may be, that lack of faith is the only reason a prayer wouldn't be answered. Yeah. That's kind of another podcast. There are many reasons why prayers may not be being answered. Um, many, many reasons. And we get we will go into that some other time on different podcasts. But today I'm talking about our faith whenever we pray. So I do want to say lack of faith is one of those reasons. And when I say lack of faith, just recently, um, and I feel like my husband is very, very strong in his faith. And he truly believes what he's praying. But he did tell me recently we had a very good friend that had to go through a major surgery. And it's not just, um, he's not just our friend, but he's like my husband's brother. And and when he was going through this surgery, my husband told me, he said, I believe I had a little bit of doubt and I don't like having that lack of faith. And I said, Well, why do you say that? And he told me that during the surgery process, it was a very, very long surgery. I think it ended up being around 10 hours.

SPEAKER_00 13:38

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 13:38

But during the surgery, you know, we were getting updates and stuff. And my husband said, I kept saying and feeling like everything's gonna be okay and he's gonna be fine. And I've been praying and I believe and all this, but he was still nervous and had some worry. Yeah. And he said, So I know I had just a little bit of doubt.

SPEAKER_00 13:55

That's right.

SPEAKER_01 13:56

And I didn't have complete faith because I had that worry and nervousness. And a lot of people will say, Well, that's just human nature. But if you have complete faith, then I don't feel like you will have that worry because you know God has got it. And it's nothing bad against my husband. He just, it was great because he he admitted and confessed, I need to grow stronger in my faith because I had that little bit of doubt, you know, and praise the Lord, our friend was great, and he is he um is doing amazing. The Lord has just worked so awesome in in his and his wife's lives. But um, but anyway, back to so lack of faith sometimes can be the reason, and that's what we're gonna focus on here because when we pray, we need to be sure that we are having complete faith. So I want to read a couple scriptures about faith and how their faith healed them. Uh the first one is Mark 534. It says, And he said to her, daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace and be healed of your disease. So he didn't say your actions, your works made you well. He didn't, he said, your faith has made you well. She believed and she was healed. Another one was James 5.15. It says, And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. So, yes, that was James 5.15.

SPEAKER_00 15:26

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 15:26

So anyway, there's just a couple scriptures, and there's many, many more of complete examples about where people's faith held them.

SPEAKER_00 15:33

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 15:33

So not only do we pray for our friends and family and pray fervently and without ceasing and intercede for them, but we also have to believe it. It's not just a prayer, it's not just believing, it's the mix together. You have to believe it and have the faith that it's going to happen.

SPEAKER_00 15:50

And that's what makes faith faith is you read it and you believe it, and then you put it into action. And so that's the whole point of faith. And then I wanted to touch back a little bit on what you were saying about dad and how he knew deep down he had some worrisome and which was doubt, because he didn't have that peace of and acting upon his faith and everything. And so, like with me and my husband and his job, he can be put in dangerous situations. And you said it's not normal. Like the world calls it normal to have that little bit of worrisome and well, they're in a dangerous situation, so yeah, you're gonna be worried, but not when the Lord gives you peace and you have the faith to stand upon that. So many people come to me and it's like, Are you not worried your husband's gonna do this and this and this and this? Are you not worried someone's gonna do this to him? And I was like, No. Before my husband went into this profession, the Lord gave me peace with this, and so I'm able to stand upon the word that he has given me and that he is our protector. And so it's just crazy to me that the world will push so hard on you to normalize worrisome and normalize, oh well, you you should just, you know. Um, like they don't try to replace it with prayer, they just try to justify and their sympathy, my quotes, is oh well, I can worry with you, like it's okay. But no, that's not what the Lord says. Like, I 100% have peace in every situation that he goes into.

SPEAKER_01 17:10

And you can, you can have peace if you have faith. Yeah, but you have to have faith. That's right, and it's just a growing process because I have been the my daughter will attest to this, I have been the biggest worrier around for years. I mean, I mean, I'm talking worry, like just worry, worry, worry, worry, worry. And it is not, I'm not saying, I'm not trying to say at all that I never ever worry anymore because it does slip in. Yeah, but it is nothing the way that it used to be. Nothing.

SPEAKER_00 17:37

You now know how to replace the worry sin with the peace of the Lord because of the faith that you have produced. Yes. And so, yeah, I just think that's good that you don't have to accept the world standards of it's okay to worry about that. It's okay to, you know, um, like if you like believe in like conspiracies and stuff, like it's okay to think about this all the time. No, our focus should be on the Lord. Yes.

SPEAKER_01 17:59

And so and and I think too, like, one thing that gets me whenever I'm praying for somebody is Satan always tries to slip in there, you know, but what if this happens? Like, what if this happens, or what if this happens, and what and you gotta get those what ifs out there. That's right. You gotta say, but what if this happens? Yeah, what if God?

SPEAKER_00 18:15

What if God says, My God says that's what I teach my children all the time. Um, my eldest is almost seven, and he tries to say all those what ifs all the time. And I said, Son, most of those what ifs, where do they come from? The enemy. That's right. So why are we pondering them? When you hear that what if, because it will come to your mind because the enemy never stops trying. When it comes to your mind, what I need you to do is reflect on it. Is this from the Lord or is this from the enemy? If it's not from the Lord, I need you to replace it with the Lord. And so that's a good way. If you feel those worrisome things too, because it's normal for those things to come in, it's not normal to accept them. Yes. So if you come into that, don't feel shame or condemnation or feel like, oh, I'm not, I'm not walking in God's kingdom because this thought came into my head. No, that's where the war is. It's in your mind. And so Satan's going to try to come with these things within your mind. So if that comes, don't feel that shame or guilt, but rather just replace it with the truth. Or, like dad, go ask someone for help and be like, hey, I can feel this deep down and I need some help with this. Can you help pray with me? Because I know it's not of the Lord, and I need full faith in this.

SPEAKER_01 19:24

Yes. Yes. And why is it? Why is it that we normalize the what ifs in the negative way, but we don't normalize the what ifs in the positive way? That's right. I mean, I don't, I don't understand why everyone always wants to look at the bad, but we never think, but what if God does this? What if God does this? But no one ever goes to anyone. It's always, well, what if this happens? And what if they die? And what if they get hurt? Or what if this don't go successful? And what if I can't pay this bill? And what if this and what if that? Well, what if? Why are we not running to people saying, what if God makes you rich? What if God blesses you with this? What if God heals that person? Why are we not saying the what ifs that way? But it's just so easy for Satan to get in there and we always we look at the cuff half empty instead of half full. And it's so much more of a peaceful life to just have that faith and believe that God can do do these things and excuse me.

SPEAKER_00 20:18

What's funny to me is, like you said, most of our what ifs are towards the bad, and that's just where we naturally go as humans in a fallen sinful world. But the what ifs for the glory of God, there's actual scripture to back all those what ifs up. Yes. Like you actually have a whole book that is 100% truth to prove the goodness of what ifs rather than the bad of what ifs. So I think it's kind of funny that as like the Bible isn't easy to follow because we are to be set apart from the world when we're living in the world. But it's so simple too. So just read it, it's all truth.

SPEAKER_01 20:53

Yep. And what do you think, Chloe? So we've all been here, and I know many of our listeners have been here, where you've been praying for something and you've been praying for it, maybe days, maybe years, maybe, but you don't, you're not seeing answers to those prayers. And you're like, so what do you think that like what do you think that that could be? Like, why why is things not being answered when we think they're needing to be answered? Or what would your explanation be to our listeners about if they're praying, but they're just not seeing results of any kind.

SPEAKER_00 21:23

Yeah. So that that goes back to reading your Bible and knowing what the word of the Lord says, because if you don't know what the word says, you won't actually know if your prayers are being answered. Right. And I don't know all the answers as to why your prayers aren't being answered right away or in the way that you see fit or anything. But I know personally with some prayers that I've been praying for years that there's just teeny, teeny, tiny things of things coming to fruition that I see. And it's so main it may not be to the fullness of the prayers that I'm praying, but the Lord is faithful and the Lord is true and he will not give up on you. So continue in that fervent prayer that we talked about earlier. Because the Lord hears every single word that you pray. He knows every single hair on your head and he knows every single tear that has dropped from your eyes. And he keeps them. And so he's coming to give fruition to your prayers. Yes. And I I know um like in my teenage years, I used to pray selfishly. And I wasn't praying the Lord of the the Lord of the will, the will of the Lord. And instead I was praying for my own self-gain, for my feelings and my emotions, rather than standing on the word of God and lay truly laying my life down to live for him. So also do a self-check of what are my intentions of prayer? Am I trying to manipulate the word of God against him? Or am I trying to actually pray the will of the Lord within my life to give all glory to him? Because that's the whole reason we remain. And once you switch that prayer around, then you're able to start seeing small things and just continue.

SPEAKER_01 22:54

And in his timing.

SPEAKER_00 22:55

That's right.

SPEAKER_01 22:56

We want everything done in our timing and we want it done now. Yep. And it's not always, and I sometimes think, I mean, sometimes prayers are answered instantaneously. But there are times we do have to wait. And that does what? Grows our faith. Yeah, that's what I was gonna do. Because if we got everything answered the second we ask, I just feel like our faith doesn't have to grow through that. But if we're having to wait, but still believing that God's gonna do it, it's when we give up we've lost that faith. That's right. But if it's not happening, right, when we think it needs to happen and time is going on, we're like, Lord, yeah, where are you? But it grows our faith as long as we keep believing. And we're not like, well, I've been praying this, it ain't getting answered. So I I quit. I give up. And that's not the type of friends or family members that we're called to be.

SPEAKER_00 23:43

That's right. You can't give up.

SPEAKER_01 23:44

I actually just recently I'm doing this class for the next 30 days. It's kingdom training from a lady from our church is doing it. And it's really, really awesome. But one of the first things she asked us all to do was to ask five or 10 people that we trusted to be a prayer warrior for our family for the next 30 days. Yeah. And I had to really think about that for a second. I'm like, who am I gonna pick? Because I'm not just gonna post on Facebook, hey, everyone be praying for my family. Because I wanted people that were earnestly, I knew, going to be praying for my family for 30 days.

SPEAKER_00 24:12

Not just commenting, praying with the praying hands.

SPEAKER_01 24:15

Yes. I wanted to know that it was people that were truly going to would tear off the roof for my family. And so I picked those people out. And and some of them have even messaged me and it's like, hey, we're praying for you. So I know they've remembered because I haven't reminded them since then.

SPEAKER_00 24:29

So what I liked about what you were saying about strengthening our faith, um, just something to share is my husband and I, when we first got married, we weren't very wise with our financials and we got in a really, really tight spot to where it looked like there was no good outcome and everything. But we decided to trust in the Lord and start tithing and giving him his money because he spoke to us. I said, Lord, I don't know what you're talking about. How am I supposed to give you money when I don't have money to give? Yeah. And but that just goes to show if the Lord didn't allow that season of strengthening in our financial wisdom, if it just like we talked about, I think in the beginning of our podcast, um, if he just bibbity bobbity-boobed and fixed all that and had money just showing up everywhere, we would not have learned anything. And he is our father and we are his children, and he wants to teach us things. He wants us to learn things for the best uh life that we can have here on earth to glorify his kingdom. And looking back, I never would have changed anything. I wouldn't have wanted money to just drop in my lap because we were able to learn and grow through it. And so I think it's whenever you are in those struggling seasons, and it doesn't have to be with money, it can be anything. So strengthen your face, your face, strengthen your faith and your wisdom with the Lord, praise him in that season because he's only teaching you something. And this is not to be misconstrued of will the Lord put this terrible sickness on me. The Lord does not put terrible sicknesses upon you. He uh there's certain things in the world that are allowed to happen, but the Lord is faithful and he is true, and he is right there with you in every sort of season, and he can be praised in any sort of season and just continuing to strengthen you like we talked about sports earlier. You're not gonna win every game. No, you're not gonna win every championship, but you must continue in the off-season and practice harder than you've ever practiced to win those games. Yes.

SPEAKER_01 26:15

And and being being a prayer warrior for people, it's not always easy. It's it's actually physically draining sometimes because I'm talking if you are a true prayer warrior. Yeah, and that's that's what I'm talking about today. A true prayer warrior for people. Yeah, not just I'm gonna pray for you and say a little prayer. I'm talking, get on your hands and knees. And I mean, I know a lady that for years, I don't know if she still does, but for years, if I need a prayer, that's who I was gonna ask because she was up before work every morning, she made the time, she was on her face on the floor, and she was praying for people. She was interceding for them, for their needs and for their what was going on in their life. And that's what I'm talking about. I don't, and and I I used to really be like, oh, get me on the prayer chain, get me on the prayer list, everybody just pray. But I'm serious, I'm more selective now on who's gonna pray because I don't want anyone praying. Number one, but Lord, if it's your will for them to be healed, I want them to pray, Lord, when you died on that cross, you healed them. That's right. And I want them to walk in that healing. That's right. They are healed by your stripes, they are healed. So I want people speaking truth. And um, so I'm just saying, I want people speaking truth, and I want to be that friend to others too. I want to be that person that when people are like, I need prayer, who do I call? And I want them, I want them to know that I will be praying for them and I will take time out of my day and and I will make time to pray.

SPEAKER_00 27:43

You have to be that friend that's willing to the the God. God says how the greatest act of love is laying your life down for your brother or sister in Christ. And to me, I feel like a lot of husbands will read that and think, oh, I'll lay my life down for my wife. I'll go, you know, stop a bunch of bad guys. If I get shot, I get shot. I'll go jump in front of a train and save them, whatever. But that's the easy route out. The hardest part of laying your life down is laying down your own selfish needs and desires. And I don't think a lot of people read that verse that way. They're just like, Yeah, I'm willing to die for them. Okay, but are you willing to die to your flesh for them? Oh, good. Are you willing to let's think of some scenarios, just to stop buying all worthless things with your money to better your family with money? Are you willing to stop playing video games till 2 a.m. to spend more time with your family and get the rest that you need for the next day? Are you willing to stop watching TV all the time to make more prayer time? Because that's what's going to build your foundation. It's the whole thing we've been talking about. If you want your faith to increase, to increase, you need to find that secret place with the Lord. Yes. And quit making excuses and quit, well, you know, I just wasted, I hear Pastor Dan talking all the time. Uh uh, how he would share that someone would say, Well, I just wasted an hour of my life praying because the enemy will try to put that in your mind. But no, you're gonna spend more time in prayer because even though you may not see the results, you know that there is a spirit world out there too, and your prayers are making a difference. It doesn't matter what you see.

SPEAKER_01 29:14

And why is it so hard for us to pray so long? We can scroll through Facebook for hours, we can watch shows for hours, we can talk to our friends for hours. Why is it so hard to think, I gotta pray for an hour? Yeah, like why is it? And I've been there. Our church, they do prayer meetings before service on Sunday and and some other nights of the week. And I remember the first time I ever went, I thought to myself, I do not know how to sit in here for an hour and pray. I I can't pray for an hour. I'm lucky to get five minutes if I can do that. And so, but you know, once I got in there and I started praying and was just in my in my peaceful place with the Lord and in his presence, it just started flowing.

SPEAKER_00 29:55

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 29:56

But I don't, I I don't know why it is so easy for us to do all these other things we enjoy so much, but it's so hard for us to pray.

SPEAKER_00 30:04

Yeah. And that goes back to being like part of the living in the world, but we aren't a part of the world, is you literally have to make every decision of crucifying your flesh to go into that. And I like what you said is when you're in that presence with the Lord, you don't even realize how much time has gone by. And I think it's awesome because in heaven and everything, there is no time. Right. And so whenever you're here on earth and you get you bust through that flesh and you actually press through in that fervent prayer and have that time with the Lord, time just kind of dissipates whenever you're in that. And so you're like, oh my goodness, it's already been an hour. Yes. And so you'll get you can get there. It is possible to get there because I was the same way when I first started, was well, and I I have to be honest, when I went to the first prayer meeting, it was something that I had a lot of shame about that I had to sit at the feet of the Lord. And so I was going to ask the Lord to take something from me, which is good because he will do. But I wasn't even planning on just being with the Lord and having that relationship with him, but it turned into that, and I'm so thankful for that that we're able to actually have a relationship and not just give like offerings and sacrifices like to all these false gods. Yes. You have to do all these certain things and then get to the God. But the one true living God, you just come to him as you are and he'll make you clean. Yes, it's awesome.

SPEAKER_01 31:23

So, with all this being said, I just ask each one of our listeners, I want you to think of someone in your life, because I know we all have maybe more than one someone, but at least one person that is either needs a healing, like a physical healing from a sickness or disease, or someone that maybe, maybe they don't know Jesus, maybe they need salvation, or maybe they're in bondage, maybe they're addicted to something, and uh, or maybe they're struggling with mental health, whatever it may be. But I want you to think of who that person is. And I want you to try for the next 30 days praying for that person every single day. Yep. Dedicating just setting time apart and just praying for that person. And like I said, if there's more than one person, totally fine. But just really think of somebody and take the time to truly pray for them. And not everyone has to start out of, okay, I'm gonna have to pray for an hour. Yeah, even if it's five minutes the first day, even if it's two minutes, but take the time each day and and it will work up. But just pray for your friends, pray for your family because that's what they need. And they need to know that their friends' faith can even heal them.

SPEAKER_00 32:27

That's right.

SPEAKER_01 32:28

And and yes, we need to have our own faith, but that's not what this podcast is about. It's about being there for our friends or our family and and tearing off the roof for them. So do that, do whatever you have to do to get them to Jesus.

SPEAKER_00 32:40

Yeah, you must increase your faith within your firm foundation and share it with others because once you do build that up, like you can't help but to share it with others. Yes. So, in any situation that mom was talking about, that you're looking for your friends, look it up in the Bible because the best prayer you can pray is the Lord's word. And nothing of that what we can do. So find the scriptures that go with whichever friend you choose. Find the scriptures that go with their situation, replace it with the truth because the enemy's a liar, but he is defeated in the name of Jesus.

SPEAKER_01 33:14

That's right, amen. And and when you're praying for that person, just something that I have learned. Let's say I'm just gonna make up a name, let's say Sally Joe is my friend. Don't don't pray, Lord, please heal Sally Joe of of this disease.

SPEAKER_00 33:27

If it's your will, just let it be done.

SPEAKER_01 33:29

Say, Lord, thank you for Sally Joe's healing.

SPEAKER_00 33:32

That's right.

SPEAKER_01 33:32

Thank you for Sally Joe's healing.

SPEAKER_00 33:33

Proclaim it in the name of Jesus.

SPEAKER_01 33:35

Proclaim that she is healed because we know it's the Lord's will for people to be healed. We know that it is. So, so proclaim that over them.

SPEAKER_00 33:43

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 33:43

And that it is thank him for that. That's right.

SPEAKER_00 33:47

It's already done. So just start praying it and then just be obedient to Holy Spirit and asking him, do I share with them this prayer journey that I'm doing with them? Or do I just pray for them in my secret place with you and just let them see the results and they can reach out or however, because he works in many different ways. So just and don't look for your own glory in it. Sometimes we can get prideful within that. And well, I was praying for so and so, and now look at them and they're healed. Yes, that is also a twisted, manipulated way of the enemy. Yeah, we didn't do it. That's right. There is nothing that you can do to heal someone. Yeah, only when you lay down your life and have Holy Spirit filled within you out of obedience, of faith in him.

SPEAKER_01 34:25

Yep. So find that friend, find that family member, and tear off the roof form.

SPEAKER_00 34:29

Yeah, let's do it.

SPEAKER_01 34:30

Go the distance.

SPEAKER_00 34:31

So um oh, and um, there is a song called Tear Off the Roof by Brandon Lake. It is a wonderful song and it's so much fun. If you guys want to listen to it, you just leave it on YouTube.

SPEAKER_01 34:41

Yeah, if you haven't heard it, you really do. Brandon Lake, tear off the roof. It's a it's a really good thing.

SPEAKER_00 34:44

He also talks about the woman touching the hem of the garment in that song too. And so just really listen to the words in that and look up scriptures based off of what he sings in that song. It's real good. Yes. Okay.

SPEAKER_01 34:54

Well, I think, Chloe, do you have anything else for today?

SPEAKER_00 34:56

I don't think so.

SPEAKER_01 34:57

Um, so I think our next uh podcast, I think we're gonna do over something everybody knows about, everybody talks about, but we're just gonna go a little bit more depth with it and we're gonna talk about forgiveness or unforgiveness, I guess. Yeah. And um, so but today we'll have Chloe close in prayer and you all have a blessed week.

SPEAKER_00 35:16

All right, Lord, we thank you for this blessed morning and that we are here to praise you and give glory to you. Just thank you for showing us how to lay down our lives for you, God, because it's nothing about what we can do in this world, but all about what you can do through us as your living vessels, Lord. Just thank you that as we begin to go into prayer and build up our faith and have fervent prayer and build up a secret place with you, have that true relationship, we're able to build such a strong foundation that it will overflow into our friends and families, even strangers' lives, Lord. That's the whole reason you made us. And just thank you for filling us up. And thank you for the healings that you do, the miracles that you do, and the faithfulness and loyalty that you have to us as your children. And I just pray as everyone that has listened begins to choose a friend, a family member, or even a stranger, that their lives are changed within their prayer life as well. And then the ones that they're praying for, their lives are changed. I give all glory to you, and then those people get to share with others, and then those people get to share with others, and it just continues within your kingdom, but your kingdom spreads like a wildfire, and you are such a good God. So thank you for this, Lord, and thank you for your word. Thank you that we're able to go to the truth and replace it with the truth, and that the enemy has been defeated by your stripes and your blood on that cross, and thank you for rising again in the mighty name of Jesus.