Study in Prayer

I remember way back when I was in Bible School at Jerry Savelle Ministries, Bible Institute and School of World Evangelism. One of the requirements was that we had to witness to people and pray with them. We were to keep a record of that and turn it in every week to receive credit. I believe, if I’m remembering correctly, we needed three such instances every week.

Anyway, I’m not positive on that so don’t hold me to it. But it was more than one anyway…

I made it a point to look for people that needed physical healing. And, truth be told, they are all around us. Just look at how many people are in wheel chairs, walkers or canes when you go to the grocery store. They may not be wheel chairs, but using those little carts, right?

Well, back then, they didn’t have those little carts everywhere like they do today. So I would look for people in wheel chairs. I would not interrupt their shopping or anything. But if they were sitting outside (probably having a cigarette, they could do that back then), I would zero in on them.

My wife would see them about the same time I would and she would just step back because I would make a pivot and go into witnessing mode. Praise God!

I would walk up and say something to the effect of, “Excuse me. As I was walking by, the Holy Spirit of God urged me to come over here and ask you if there was something I could pray with you about?” Usually, I would say 8 out 10 times anyway, they would say, “YES” and then tell me what they would like me to pray for. Sometimes it was their health, sometimes it was their family or finances, etc.

That is what we are reading today from our scripture. Peter and John are walking into the Temple area to pray and they see this man at the gate. He’s been there a long time. They’ve seen him on several occasions. He’s not new to the town.

But this day, something is different. Something about the man is different. Something about Peter and John is different, too.

They sensed that God was about to do “something.” They did not know what it was. But they “knew” in their spirit – just like Simeon and Anna did when Jesus was being dedicated at the Temple, as we covered a few days ago.

As they were walking up to the gate area, here is this beggar and he is doing what he did everyday, begging for alms. Begging for dollars.  

Peter and John didn’t have any extra money on them, but when the beggar looked into their eyes, the Bible says he looked, “Expecting.”

It was like the Holy Spirit had prompted this man to identify these two strangers out of the crowd. It was like the Holy Spirit had told him (he probably did not know it at the time, but sensed it), that these two men were going to bless him with a tremendous gift that day!

The Bible says he looked up at them, “expectantly.” 

Most preachers will say, “expecting them to give him some money.” That could very well be the truth. But let’s look at it from this angle and it makes a lot more sense.

He is EXPECTING. Peter and John can “see it” in his eyes, the Bible says. And then, you know the rest of the story. 

Peter says, “Silver and gold, we have none. But what we do have, we give to you. In the Name of Jesus of Nazereth (which this man must have heard about or it would not have activated Faith on the inside of him), GET UP AND WALK.” Praise God!

But notice, Peter and John did not just “pray” for him and walk inside. No, they ASSISSTED HIM.

They reached down, the Bible says, and grabbed his arm and yanked him up to standing position. As they did so, his ankles were strengthened and he walked and jumped up and down, etc.

These were all things he had never done. He was lame from birth. He had never walked or jumped before! Amen!

Well, the point I want to make – I could go on preaching on this for an hour – but the point I’m making on this segment is Peter and John were willing to pray for someone they did not know but had just met in the street.

You need to be the same way. You need to be led by the Holy Spirit. If He urges you, prompts you, to walk up to someone and ask if you can pray for them – DO IT!  Don’t be embarrassed! What is the worst that can happen?  The person says “No thank you.” 

That’s happened to me many times. It’s no big deal. Tell them, “Ok, have a blessed day” and walk on. But if 8 out of 10 say, “Sure” – then pray. Ask them what would they like prayer for and then pray! Amen!

“Well, brother Bob, what if I pray and yank them out of the wheel chair and they fall flat on their face? What then?”

First, I did not say to yank them out of their wheel chair, etc. I said to PRAY. If they say they want you to pray for their healing, do so. But in this day and time of numerous law suits, I would not be yanking anybody out of or off of a wheel chair or cart, etc. Not unless I was strongly being encouraged to do so by the Holy Spirit. Amen!

“Well, brother Bob, how will I know if I’m being strongly encouraged like that?”

I’m so glad you asked!  What have we been talking about for almost an entire week now?  Staying in a constant state of prayer with God, about all of the SMALL things, right?  Then, you will be absolutely certain when you hear from God in the BIG things. Amen!

I’ll leave it right there for today…

Until next time, this is Pastor Bob Thibodeau reminding you from 1 Thessalonians 5:17 in the Living Bible to “Always Keep on Praying!”  Be blessed in all that you do!

Please subscribe to this podcast, leave us a quick 5 star review on Apple Podcasts to help us grow and be sure to visit our website for more information on our ministry: https://podcastersforchrist.com. And while you are at the website, download the free resource I have for you… it is free and is called, Podcasting for Christians. It will bless you – go and download it today.

You can also WATCH these session on our Facebook Playlist at this link: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtKWeKtmv-BwgkquBTsSh-GznbmuUp_R2

We’ve been talking about praying constantly, in the little things. As you continue do this on a consistent basis, you become more and more sensitive to the promptings of the Holy Spirit. 

As you ask for His guidance in choosing what clothes to wear or what to fix for dinner or what route to take to work, it becomes easier and easier for the Holy Spirit to speak to your spirit man. This allows your spirit man to connect to your mind and give you the advice the Holy Spirit is providing. In turn, your mind becomes more accustomed to following the directions – actually making the decision, to follow the Holy Spirit. Amen!

As you continue to practice and implement this process on a daily basis, several times per day and then, ultimately, continually all day long – your FAITH will begin to increase.

Why?

Because you KNOW God is talking to you when you ask Him a question. You become sensitive to His voice through the Holy Spirit.  Think of it like this. You take your children to the mall and, while distracted for just a moment, you six year old wanders off.  It was only two minutes, maybe – but where are they?

You start to scan, quickly. You don’t see them. You call their name. But there are hundreds of people and their kids near you. But you HEAR one voice. One voice stands out from all of the rest. It’s your child!  You call again and zero in on their location and find them just twenty or thirty feet from you around the corner in another aisle. RELIEF! Praise God!

But, how did you recognize your child’s voice from all of the others that were talking in your immediate area? How did your child recognize YOUR voice from among all of the others in the area?

Simple. Familiarity!  

You have been communicating with one another on a daily basis for, in this example, six years. You both have become accustomed to the others voice. So when you called out, your child picked up on your voice. When they responded, you picked up on their voice. Despite all the noise of other voices speaking at the same time, you were able to distinguish each others voices and connect quickly. Amen!

Now, it works the same exact way with the Holy Spirit and you.

If you become accustomed to listening to the promptings of the Holy Spirit in the little things, it gets easier and easier for you to “hear” God’s promptings in the serious situations (such as you child that was lost in the mall).

Then, when you truly NEED God’s guidance in a major decision, such as changing careers or moving to a new town or a huge financial investment, like a new home or car, etc. – you will hear HIM and pay attention to HIM and not all of the noise of other voices speaking at the same time.

Think of it like being in mall. What is the purpose of the mall? Basically, to separate YOU from your money, right? Do you really need that $300 jacket or $250 pair of shoes?  Do you really need that 84” flat panel HDTV?  Your 64” at home is working just fine…

If you pray in situations like that, you will hear God’s voice telling you what to do. It may just be a “peace” that comes over you or it could be a prompting of “NO.” 

Some of the best advice I ever received concerning this method of making a decision came from my mentor in the Faith, Dr. Jerry Savelle. I was talking with him one time and asked him that direction. “How do I know I’m making the right decision.” 

His response was, “Peace. If I pray about something and I have complete peace on the inside of me, I know I’m in the Will of God. But if there is “something” on the inside of me that is causing an unsettling, anything at all, I do not move forward. I may move forward later, perhaps the timing wasn’t right. But I will not move unless the Peace of God is on the inside of me concerning the decision.” 

Folks, I’ll leave you with that. BUT, you will only be able to sense the “Peace of God” if you have become accustomed to hearing His voice. And you can only do that, through continuous, constant prayer. Amen!

Until next time, this is Pastor Bob Thibodeau reminding you from 1 Thessalonians 5:17 in the Living Bible to “Always Keep on Praying!”  Be blessed in all that you do!

Please subscribe to this podcast, leave us a quick 5 star review on Apple Podcasts to help us grow and be sure to visit our website for more information on our ministry: https://podcastersforchrist.com. And while you are at the website, download the free resource I have for you… it is free and is called, Podcasting for Christians. It will bless you – go and download it today.

You can also WATCH these session on our Facebook Playlist at this link: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtKWeKtmv-BwgkquBTsSh-GznbmuUp_R2

How many times have you had an opportunity to witness to someone, but didn’t?  Come on – don’t lie!  We all have faced that situation at one point or another…

Why didn’t  we go ahead and take a stand for God at that moment in time?  Usually, because we feared the repercussions. Right?

It could have been someone whom we did not want to offend. It could be someone that we know would not react pleasantly. It could have been in the office and we did not want to cause a scene. It could have been in the office and the office has a policy that you will not talk about religion, etc. in office. It could be for a variety of reasons, right?

And every single one of them amount to NOTHING as compared to how great the Gospel of Salvation is in Jesus Name. But yet….

We failed to do so…  WHY?

It’s because we feared the reprisals of man. It is because we were fearful – full of fear – as to how our message would be received. It was because we FEARED MAN rather than FEARING GOD.

“Well, brother Bob, I need this job. I need it. And if I make someone mad, if I take a stand for God in the midst of this wicked work environment, I know I’d be fired…”

I understand… I really do… I’ve been there myself! Amen!  

But, let me let you in on a little secret… 

In the grand scheme of things – you may have been given that job and that position and are in that office RIGHT NOW – just to be the witness to the ONE PERSON!  God had foreordained every aspect of your life before the foundation of the world. He knew exactly where you would be before you were even a twinkling in your father’s eyes. Amen! 

He also knew, that there was a person that would spiritually be ready to receive a Word from God at that particular moment in time, in that office. And He manipulated your life and the events in your life so your path would cross with that other person at that exact moment in time.

Do you see what I’m getting at here?

Let’s look at the BIG Picture here…

What would have happened IF you witnessed to that person? What would have happened IF you took that stand for the Bible and Biblical values and refused to sign that new work policy of supporting gay rights or whatever they were trying to push down your throat? WHAT IF you did what GOD TELLS YOU TO DO – even in the face of the coming backlash?

“Well, brother Bob, I’d have lost my job!”

OK…what else?

Hmmm?

Do you believe that GOD would reward you openly for supporting HIM openly? Isn’t that what Jesus said would happen? IF you would have done what God wanted, in that little thing…and IF you would have lost your job…let’s just look at what COULD HAVE HAPPENED…

God would see He could trust you because you trusted in HIM. Amen! You did HIS WILL – KNOWING the ramifications that could happen.

Do you think He is going to leave you homeless? NO! Of course not!  In fact, He will make SURE you get another job – quickly! And probably with a pay raise to boot! Amen!  It may not happen the same day or the next day…because He is going to make sure you get into a position that is going to be a blessing to you – and to the Kingdom of Heaven.

I did that. I took a stand and lost my job. But, I had applied to be a police officer. I had not heard yet if I was going to be selected or not… But the company I was working for and was hoping to continue to work for IF and UNTIL the offer to attend the police academy came – decided my services were no longer required and I was shown the door with no notice.

I went 5 months with no job. Everything I applied for never materialized. I was almost out of unemployment when the phone call came. I was in! Amen!  And that job was a BLESSING to me!  Other than my time in the military, being a police officer was the best job in my life. And, I was blessed. 

In fact, from day ONE in the Academy – they knew I was a preacher. We had to submit our bio in the morning of the first day. And they called me out in the afternoon. I denied nothing! I stood up and said, “Yes Sir – I am a preacher!” Praise God.

I ended up making friends of some of the instructors (not at the Academy, of course, but after). I was selected to be a Chaplain for our FOP and department. GOD is the one who gave me that kind of favor. And if He did it for me – He will do it for you. Amen!

So, YES, your Faith can get you into trouble. It got Jesus into a whole lot of trouble. It cost Him His LIFE!  But it was a price He was willing to pay. 

So, if you let Jesus down before, and I have as well, don’t let it get you down! Learn from it. Then, next time you are prompted to compromise your Faith, PRAY!  Ask Jesus if THIS TIME is the time you should just TAKE A STAND regardless of the circumstances…

Remember, we’ve been talking about being in a constant state of prayer, right? If you have been doing that, you will KNOW the answer. Once you have heard from the Holy Spirit – just DO as you were prompted to do. Don’t fear the results in the natural… because Jesus has your future already planned out. Amen!

Please subscribe to this podcast, leave us a quick 5 star review on Apple Podcasts to help us grow and be sure to visit our website for more information on our ministry: https://podcastersforchrist.com. And while you are at the website, download the free resource I have for you… it is free and is called, Podcasting for Christians. It will bless you – go and download it today.

You can also WATCH these session on our Facebook Playlist at this link: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtKWeKtmv-BwgkquBTsSh-GznbmuUp_R2

Yesterday, we talked about the importance of staying on constant state of prayer. Praying about the big things, yes. But also praying about the little things. What to wear. What to eat and things like that.

The purpose, is to train our spirits to remain sensitive to the leadings of the Holy Spirit. And the only way to do that is be doing a couple of things and doing them consistently. First, read the Word of God every single day. A couple times per day, if you can. But at least start with once per day. Amen! Even if it is only for 15 or 20 minutes. 

That will begin to give God access to your spirit through His Word. Amen

The second part of that is praying. Actually taking the time to pray to the Father, in Jesus Name. Ask Him to guide you throughout the day. Ask Him to show you what do. Ask Him to make you sensitive to His promptings.

Then, the third thing, is just like we talked about yesterday, PRAY. But not just the big decisions you are facing. Pray about the small stuff. What to eat, what wear and things like that. If you start to pray and seek His guidance in the small stuff, you will begin to actually “hear the Holy Spirit” as He is speaking to you and guiding you – in the small stuff.

What this does, is it prepares you to immediately hear His voice when the big decisions are needed. And, many times, He will talk to you when you least expect it. Some of those times, you will not even know it was God speaking to you, prompting you or guiding you until after the fact.

Have you ever done something and you felt that, “Don’t do that” down on the inside of you? Many people say it is your conscious. But it is your spirit man reacting to a prompting of the Holy Spirit. Want proof?  If you went ahead and did what the prompting said NOT to do – and the results turned out bad – what is it most people usually say?  “I knew I wasn’t supposed to do that…” or something similar, right?

I mentioned you will be able to react immediately to the big things. Even when you do not comprehend it is God guiding you. Let me tell you a quick story…

On September 11, 2001, 911, Pastor Dan Stratton was pastoring a church right across the street from the World Trade Center towers. On his way into the office, he usually arrived at 8am, the Lord brought to his remembrance that one of his parishioners had been sick and unable to attend church for a few weeks. So, he “decided” to stop by this brothers home on his way into the city just to check on how he was doing.

That one decision, kept him away from the tragedy that would have happened soon after he was scheduled to arrive at his office.  See what I mean?

Dan did not think, “Oh Holy Spirit, thank you for warning me not go into the city today because of this great tragedy that is about to happen…”  No, he simply obeyed a prompting of the Holy Spirit that did two things. One, he was able to check on a parishioner that had been sick, and two, it kept out of harms way.

But Dan was not the only person that happened to that day. There were parents that “DECIDED” to stop at McDonald’s and have breakfast with their kids that morning (something that they rarely did). Even though it would cause them to be late for work by a few minutes. 

There were others that had flat tires that morning that caused them to miss their subway ride into the city and they would be late by about 45 minutes. There are stories after stories like this.

The death toll should have been close to 20,000 people in those towers – or more!  But instead, tragic as it was, only 2600 perished. 

That is what I’m talking about… amen!

Now, Jesus told His disciples, and us, that His desire was NOT for us to be taken “out of the world” – because that would mean we could not ministers to those IN the world and lead them to the Throne of Grace, Mercy and the Forgiveness of sins. His will was simply for us to be PROTECTED from the evil one. Amen!  That is what happened enmass, on 911 in NYC. 

And this not just an isolated event. I’ve heard hundreds, if not thousands of testimonies very similar to this over my 25+ years in ministry. It is simply a matter of being sensitive to the promptings of the Holy Spirit – and you that by training yourself to PRAY and be in PRAYER in some form or fashion all day long – yes, even in the little things. 

That way, you are able to minister to others, often without you or they even knowing your ministering to them. Amen. Because you are IN THE WORLD but NOT OF THE WORLD. Glory to God.

Until next time, this is Pastor Bob Thibodeau reminding you from 1 Thessalonians 5:17 in the Living Bible to “Always Keep on Praying!”  Be blessed in all that you do!

Please subscribe to this podcast, leave us a quick 5 star review on Apple Podcasts to help us grow and be sure to visit our website for more information on our ministry: https://podcastersforchrist.com. And while you are at the website, download the free resource I have for you… it is free and is called, Podcasting for Christians. It will bless you – go and download it today.

You can also WATCH these session on our Facebook Playlist at this link: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtKWeKtmv-BwgkquBTsSh-GznbmuUp_R2

We covered yesterday where we should pray. The answer was everywhere. Amen.

I hinted that we need to pray in the little things we face during the day. The routine, mundane tasks. Buying dinner, choosing what to wear, etc.

The scripture today refers to Anna, an 84 year old widow woman. The scripture tells us, after she was widowed, “she departed not from the Temple, but served God with fasting’s and prayers night and day.”

She wasn’t just hanging out there for a few weeks, either. She had been RESIDING there, night and day. She was in constant prayer and service. Based upon Jewish historical records, assuming she was married at about age 16, you can figure she was widowed at about age 23 or 24. So we can figure she was in constant prayer for well over 50 years…closer to sixty years or so! 

What did this do for her?

She was so sensitive to the promptings of the Holy Spirit that she KNEW something important was happening in the Temple. Nobody told her to hurry over the Temple because the Messiah was there!  She KNEW IT in her spirit!  AMEN!

Luke 2:38 says that as she was coming in, which, by the way, was immediately after Simeon had finished prayer and prophesying about Jesus being the Messiah (he was told by the Lord that he would not die until his eyes had seen the deliverer – and he explained that to Mary and Joseph), Anna came in to the room in that exact moment and started telling Mary and Joseph, scripture says, “giving thanks to the Lord and spoke to everyone about Jesus that were there and looking for redemption in Jerusalem.” PRAISE GOD!

Nobody told Simeon who Jesus was. Nobody told Anna who Jesus was. I should say, nobody BUT the Holy Spirit! Amen!

Matthew 18:19 says, “If two of you shall agree on earth, as touching anything that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father in Heaven.”  Whether Simeon and Anna knew it or not, they were both praying for the same thing and they were both praying in agreement! Amen!

They were both intercessors. They were both praying people. They were both seeking the Messiah’s appearance. And they both sensed Jesus was He right at the exact same moment. PRAISE GOD!

They became so Spiritually sensitive because they STAYED IN PRAYER.  And they did this for years and years. 

Am I saying you have to live at the church night and day for 50 years. No. Of course not…

What I AM saying, is, as we have already described, you should stay in a constant state of prayer. You need to start seeking the Lord in the insignificant things and sensing His leading. “Lord, turn right or turn left?” 

As you continue to do so, you will get better and better at hearing His voice. Just like Simeon and Anna did.

Then, one day, you might just sense that someone needs you. When you go to where the Lord instructed you to go – I can guarantee you – you will arrive right on schedule and either have a Word from the Lord for someone (as Simeon did) or confirm the Word of the Lord for someone (as Anna did). Amen!

Let’s Pray!

Until next time, this is Pastor Bob Thibodeau reminding you from 1 Thessalonians 5:17 in the Living Bible to “Always Keep on Praying!”  Be blessed in all that you do!

Please subscribe to this podcast, leave us a quick 5 star review on Apple Podcasts to help us grow and be sure to visit our website for more information on our ministry: https://podcastersforchrist.com. And while you are at the website, download the free resource I have for you… it is free and is called, Podcasting for Christians. It will bless you – go and download it today.

You can also WATCH these session on our Facebook Playlist at this link: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtKWeKtmv-BwgkquBTsSh-GznbmuUp_R2

Where is your place where you go to pray to the Lord?  Go ahead and answer…I’ll wait….

Where do you pray to the Lord? 

Some people will say, “In my prayer closet.” Or “In my bedroom” or wherever…

But those answers would be wrong. Maybe not wrong wrong, but let’s just say INCOMPLETE.

What do I mean by that?

1 Thesslonians 5:17, our theme verse for this year, says “Keep praying continually.” That means, at all times, in all situations, in all places. Notice that – at all times, in all situations and in all places.

I told the story of Smith Wigglesworth, a mighty man of God, where someone asked him, “How long do you usually pray?”  He responded, “I don’t pray more than 10 or 15 minutes.” That amazed the person who asked, but then Smith added, “But I rarely go more than 10 or 15 minutes without praying.” 

AMEN!

Did you get that?

That does not mean that every 10 minutes or so, Smith Wigglesworth would drop to his knees in the middle of the street, blocking traffic and making a spectacle of himself while calling out to God. No. That is not what he meant and that is not the way we are to pray…

What Smith Wigglesworth was trying to say, is that he would pray about EVERYTHING!  And he would seek the Lord’s guidance in every decision he would make during the day.

For example, now, I TRY to do this…but even Brother Bob is still in the developing process…OK.  But, I’ve gone into my dressing room to get ready to go preach at a church service or conference and I have to choose which suit I should wear. What shirt I should wear with the suit. What color tie to wear.  These are all things that Smith Wigglesworth is referring to. 

PRAYING and ASKING for guidance in all things.

You may be at the grocery store buying supplies for dinner that night. You went in there with a few things in mind, but then you see something else is on sale. You think, “Hmm. Maybe this would be a better dinner tonight..”

What you are really asking is, “Will my family appreciate this for dinner tonight?”

Well, what you SHOULD DO, is PRAY in that situation. “God, should I fix this for dinner tonight?”

“Brother Bob, come on! God is far too busy answering real prayer requests to bother with what I should fix for dinner…” 

Really?  You think God is not interested in what you put inside your body? Do you think God is not interested in what you are putting into the body of your kids?  Or your spouse?

If you are like my wife – she take special interest in what goes into my body! Amen! That’s why I’ve lost 65 pounds in the past two years. Glory to God.

But if my wife cares that much about me – what makes you think God is not even more interested in what goes into my body!

So, that is just one example. But you should do that in the route you take to work or on the way home. You should do it with all things, every decision you make during the day. Small things. Insignificant things. 

That does not mean you do not make any decisions unless you “hear” from God. Because if that is the case, the devil will try to insert himself into the equation. One way you could do that, using the example of the suit I was using earlier…would be, “God, I think I’ll wear the blue suit, with the purple shirt and white tie tonight. What do you think?”

And, as I’m starting to prepare those things, my wife may walk in and say, “No, wear the tan shirt tonight.”  If I had not called her into the room, she just “felt the need to walk in at that moment” – can you say that God did not put it on her heart to walk in at that exact moment?

That is the type of thing I’m talking about. Amen!

But, if you do not get into the habit of asking – then you will never develop the habit of LISTENING for God’s answer. Amen!

I want to pray for you right now… I want to pray for you to develop a sensitive spirit in seeking God’s advice in response to your daily tasks.  “Should I add some extra salt to this dish?” Should I do this? Should I do that?” Type of thing…

Until next time, this is Pastor Bob Thibodeau reminding you from 1 Thessalonians 5:17 in the Living Bible to “Always Keep on Praying!”  Be blessed in all that you do!

Please subscribe to this podcast, leave us a quick 5 star review on Apple Podcasts to help us grow and be sure to visit our website for more information on our ministry: https://podcastersforchrist.com. And while you are at the website, download the free resource I have for you… it is free and is called, Podcasting for Christians. It will bless you – go and download it today.

You can also WATCH these session on our Facebook Playlist at this link: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtKWeKtmv-BwgkquBTsSh-GznbmuUp_R2

To be effective, our prayers need to be specific. I covered this in detail in a prior teaching, so I won’t go over those same points I made back then. 

But, in order to receive answers to your prayer requests, God has to know exactly what it is you want! I know, I know the scripture says, “God knows our needs before we ask Him,” but let me ask you this…

If you have a child and you know your child wants some special favor or something…you know it is on their mind and heart, do you just pop up and say, “Here, I know you’ve been looking at this bike (or doll or whatever)?”  

No…you just go along, watching them admire the bike or doll in the store. You know they want it, but you are waiting for them to ASK.  And, when I say ask, I do not mean DEMAND!  You know, “MOM or DAD – I want that bike and I want you to buy it NOW.”  Yeah – with me, that was one sure fire way to guarantee my kids were NOT going to get it now… amen!

But, if they were looking and looking and hinting and hinting…finally, one day, my daughter may ask, “Dad, do you think I could have that doll?”  I’d say, “Sure, I was just waiting for you to ask me.”

Have you done that with your kids?

Well, I’m here to tell you, God is an even better Heavenly Father than I could ever be and far better than you could ever be, mother, father, grandparent, aunt, uncle, whatever. God is FAR better than we are. That would be a good place for you to shout AMEN, right there. Glory to God!

Just go to the Father in the Name of Jesus and make your request be known. Amen. Then, just believe you receive once you have asked Him.

You do not have to keep taking this same prayer request to Him every single morning. Just start PRAISING HIM that He is already taking action to answer your prayer request. Start PRAISING HIM that the answer is on the way and you are thanking Him in advance. Praise God!

As you are praying to Him about your request, though, find some specific scriptures that deal with your request. If it is provision, find some scriptures where God provided provision for someone. If healing, where Jesus healed someone (and there are a lot of those in the Bible, amen)!

Finally, be patient. Psalm 37:7 says, “Rest in the Lord and wait patiently for Him.” As long as your prayer is in line with the Word of God, we  have His promise that He will answer! Amen! But it will come in HIS TIME, not yours.

There is an old Gospel Hymn that Vernard Johnson used to play when I was working for his ministry back in the late 1990’s that said, “God may not always come when you want Him, but He is always RIGHT ON TIME!” Praise God!

Remember, specific prayers receive specific answers. Always remember, as I’ve stated several times over these past few weeks, 1 John 5:14-15 says, “If we ask anything – that means ANYTHING – according to His WILL, He hears us. And – if we KNOW God Hears us – THEN WE KNOW – we receive whatsoever we desire of Him.” Praise God! Amen!

I want to pray for you right now, that God would hear your prayer request and answer your prayers in miraculous, mighty ways that will SHOW YOU that He is your Heavenly Father, amen!

Do me a favor…can you leave a comment down below and I would greatly appreciate it if you would leave a rating and review over on iTunes. All of this helps us to grow and to “Get the Word Out” into all the earth.

Be sure to visit our website at PodcastersForChrist.com and download our free resource, “Podcasting For Christians.” It is free and it will bless you immensely if you have or are thinking of starting a podcast of your own.

Until next time, this is Pastor Bob Thibodeau reminding you from 1 Thessalonians 5:17 in the Living Bible to “Always Keep on Praying!”  Be blessed in all that you do!

Please subscribe to this podcast, leave us a quick 5 star review on Apple Podcasts to help us grow and be sure to visit our website for more information on our ministry: https://podcastersforchrist.com. And while you are at the website, download the free resource I have for you… it is free and is called, Podcasting for Christians. It will bless you – go and download it today.

You can also WATCH these session on our Facebook Playlist at this link: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtKWeKtmv-BwgkquBTsSh-GznbmuUp_R2

As you praise God in your prayer time and speak of all His marvelous works, your faith will begin to rise up on the inside of you. This opens the door to receiving the Blessings for God into your life.

If you honor God with the words of your mouth, Faith grows. Your faith grows. This means, as your faith grows on the inside of you, the POWER of FAITH starts to become more active in your life. What does that do?

You begin to walk in the power and authority that Jesus gave to you. In Luke 10:19, Jesus told His disciples (and us), “Look, I’ve given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall hurt you.”

Now, I don’t know about you, but I believe if Jesus said something belongs to ME – then it belongs TO ME and no devil in hell is going to stop it. Amen!  That’s what that verse says, doesn’t it?

The question then becomes, “How do we walk in that authority??

Through the development of the POWER OF FAITH within us.

Let me ask you this question…

If you wanted to bench press 300 pounds, and you have never lifted weights before, how successful do you think you would be the first time you tried to lift those weights?

Not very, right?

What do you do?

You start with lower weights. A LOT lower…maybe 100 pounds (if you have to). Every day, or every other day, you continue to lift those lower weights. Maybe 10 reps the first couple of times is all you can do. Then, you notice you can do 15 reps. Then 20. Then 30.

What happens then?  You increase the weight, maybe to 120 pounds. Then, you can only lift 10 reps again. You continue at this weight until you see the number of reps go up and up.  You repeat his process, on a consistent basis. After a while, you find you are lifting 200 pounds. Then 250 pounds and ultimately, after working at it for some time – you hit your goal of 300 pounds! Praise God!

Well, folks, this is the same way it works in building your Faith and the Power of Faith that works within you.

You cannot just go charging in to fight a bunch of demons with no training behind you. Now, don’t get me wrong, just like if someone broke into your house and it was up to you to defend yourself and drive them out or something bad could happen to you or your loved ones, you do what you need to do…right?  So, YES, you could find yourself in a situation where you need to charge in after that devil, in whatever situation you find yourself – and trust in your Faith that God will deliver you the victory.

Just like a 120 pound mother lifting a 2000 pound car off of her baby – adrenaline kicks in and you can do “mighty works,” amen!

But, go back to that mother a week later, a day later or even an hour later – and she will be unable to budge that car.  That’s what I’m talking about. 

Training.  You need consistent training to develop the Power of Faith that works within you. And you do that by consistent time in the Word and in prayer. And in PRAISING GOD for the mighty works He is doing within you.

All of these things, working together, will make you into a mighty warrior of God. All of these things, working together, will keep those open doors of blessings flowing in your life and you will be able to impact those around you in Godly ways. Amen!

I want to pray for you right now to begin your daily workouts in Faith. This study in prayer is just one element of, what should be, your daily routine of working out, in and around, and with the Word of God. Amen!

Until next time, this is Pastor Bob Thibodeau reminding you from 1 Thessalonians 5:17 in the Living Bible to “Always Keep on Praying!”  Be blessed in all that you do!

Please subscribe to this podcast, leave us a quick 5 star review on Apple Podcasts to help us grow and be sure to visit our website for more information on our ministry: https://podcastersforchrist.com. And while you are at the website, download the free resource I have for you… it is free and is called, Podcasting for Christians. It will bless you – go and download it today.

You can also WATCH these session on our Facebook Playlist at this link: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtKWeKtmv-BwgkquBTsSh-GznbmuUp_R2

Nothing we see happening in the world and in this country today is taking God by surprise. Not the election of unholy people to office. Not the trouble and turmoil and wars and rumors of wars. Not the economy. Not the pestilences. Nothing has taken God by surprise, except that the believers just accept it. The believers have failed God by not taking a righteous stand for HIM in the face of adversity.

All of these things have taken a lot of people by surprise. It may generate a lot of resentment. But if you remember this – GOD is the one who sets up kings and the one who removes kings.  So none of this surprised Him.

And if He is the One truly in charge – then we need to let God work out His plan for whatever reason we now see the unrighteous in charge. It may just be the way God is going to usher in the soon return of Jesus. I believe that…but that discussion is for a different day…

Yesterday we read from verse 24 from 2 Chronicles chapter 6. Today, I want to look at verse 6,

“When the heavens are shut up and there is not rain because your people have sinned against you…”  Let’s stop there for a moment…

A lot of the turmoil that is happening right now is because we, the people, the Christians in particular, have turned against God. I’m not saying we have forsaken our relationship with God or anything like that…

What I am saying is the Christian base in this country FAILED to stand FOR GOD and WITH GOD in the face of adversity. Instead, we just kind of bowed out of the requirement of taking an inflexible, unwavering stand against the evil in this land. Now, because of that in – it seems as if the “Heavens are shut up and there is no spiritual rain coming forth” – simply because we have failed God and sinned against Him…

But there is good news here…

“When they pray (the Christian believers)…When they pray towards this place (we don’t have to bow to the east and pray towards Jerusalem – we look Heavenward and pray to God) – when they pray towards HEAVEN (I’ll say), and give Praise to your Name and TURN FROM OUR SIN because you have afflicted them…”

There you go…all that you see happening right now in this land is culmination of decades of Christian believers refusing to take a stand for God and the Word of God in this nation. We were afraid of the persecution. Of being labeled. Of being berated. So, we just said, “We don’t like this…but if that is what you want to do – that is up to you…”

Now, this nation is in turmoil because GOD allowed this situation to come upon us.  But there is hope – IF the Christians will just start to PRAY TO GOD and recognize our responsibility for this mess – and ASK FOR FORGIVENESS of decades of allowing sin to thrive in this nation.

IF WE, as a Christian people, will do this – THEN 2 Chronicles 7:14 starts to make a lot of sense. Right?  “If your people, called by your name, will humble themselves, pray and seek your face and repent of our sins, THEN you will hear their prayers, forgive their sins and turn again and heal their land.”

BUT – if you do not do the first step – God will not be moved at all. We are witnessing that effect right now. Amen.

So, Let’s pray that the Holy Spirit will ignite a Holy Fire in this land that, not just brings revival – but a Third Great Awakening. Because that is what is needed right now.  Let’s pray…

Until next time, this is Pastor Bob Thibodeau reminding you from 1 Thessalonians 5:17 in the Living Bible to “Always Keep on Praying!”  Be blessed in all that you do!

Please subscribe to this podcast, leave us a quick 5 star review on Apple Podcasts to help us grow and be sure to visit our website for more information on our ministry: https://podcastersforchrist.com. And while you are at the website, download the free resource I have for you… it is free and is called, Podcasting for Christians. It will bless you – go and download it today.

You can also WATCH these session on our Facebook Playlist at this link: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtKWeKtmv-BwgkquBTsSh-GznbmuUp_R2

King Solomon in praying at the dedication of the Temple of God. His is a long prayer – but powerful. And God honored his prayer. I mean the Glory of God descended into that place and the Spirit of God was so heavy that the ministers could not even stand to do their work. Praise God.

But what I wanted to share with you today is this part…

Many people in this nation, the United States of America, are feeling down today. Evil, immorality and criminal influence is running rampant. OK – we understand that. But WHY?

We’ve already seen massive backlash to conservative values. We’ve seen massive, anti-godly laws being propagated and forced on this society. Anyone who speaks out from the Bible in condemn this immorality is labeled, ridiculed or worse…

I know many preachers will quote 2 Chronicles 7:14 in these situations, but I want to give context to what chapter 7 and verse 14 actually means. And to do that, we need to understand what King Solomon was actually saying here, in chapter 6.

Think about this verse today. Let’s take it one statement at a time…

“When your people (The Christians in this nation) have been defeated by an enemy (the socialist left in America is THE ENEMY of the people and of this land)…but WHY were we defeated?  Let’s keep reading…

“When you people have been defeated by an enemy BECAUSE they have sinned against YOU – well, there is the answer right there. We, as a nation, have sinned against God.

“Brother Bob, I’m not in agreement with these laws that have been passed. I’m not the one who has sinned…”

Yes, my friend, you are. So am I. We are all at fault. HOW?

Because we, the Christians in this land, could have organized and risen up and put a stop to all of this ungodly and immoral stuff that has been coming out of the Congress and out of the courts for almost 40 or 50 years. But, instead of rising up against it – we just “went along to get along.” 

Hoping that, “maybe – if we just give them this one little bit – then they will be happy and life can go back to normal.”

But that is not how the anti-godly plays the game. You give them one inch, they want three. You give them three and they want a foot. You give them a foot, they want the football field, then the city, then the state and then the country.  And the Bible is very clear – after that, the world.

Back to Solomon and his prayer…

“When your people have been defeated by an enemy because they have sinned against you – and WHEN they turn back…WHEN THEY TURN BACK – who is required to take the first action?

God’s People!  CHRISTIANS.  When the Christians turn back – that means stop going along to get along. When you are moving with a crowd, everyone going in the same direction, your travels are with the flow of the crowd and the going is easy.  But when you turn back and start pushing against the flow of the crowd – the going gets tough. But if you want to get back to where you started – you must fight through and push through. Amen.

So the first action is YOUR responsibility – to turn back. But that is not all…

“When your people have been defeated by an enemy because they have sinned against you – and WHEN they turn back…AND GIVE PRAISE TO YOUR NAME… We covered this previously. When you give Praise to God – you release God to act in your behalf. We covered a few days ago that PRAISE equates to STRENGTH. So when you start to praise God, as you are going against the crowd – you receive strength to keep on going. Strength from God that no demon from hell or demon possessed politician or political group can stand against. Amen!

You give PRAISE TO GOD and PRAY, making supplication to God. AMEN.

I’m all out of time today – but we are going to continue this theme tomorrow as we will read from 2 Chronicles 6:26. Amen.

I want to pray, today, for our nation. I do not agree with this agenda. I do not agree with these policies – but that is ok. Because I know who holds the kings heart in His hand  - GOD and the bible says “He (GOD) will turn it like a river – wheresoever He (GOD) wills it.” Amen.  

So, although on the surface it looks bad – I still believe the heart of the leaders of this land is in the hand of Almighty God. Whether they admits it or not. God could turn Nebuchenezer from a brutal ruler into a wild man and then into a believer – he can do it for a poiticians here in the United States – or your leader wherever you are at right now.

BUT – you need to pray and give God praise. That is the key component. 

So, let’s pray right now…

Until next time, this is Pastor Bob Thibodeau reminding you from 1 Thessalonians 5:17 in the Living Bible to “Always Keep on Praying!”  Be blessed in all that you do!

Please subscribe to this podcast, leave us a quick 5 star review on Apple Podcasts to help us grow and be sure to visit our website for more information on our ministry: https://podcastersforchrist.com. And while you are at the website, download the free resource I have for you… it is free and is called, Podcasting for Christians. It will bless you – go and download it today.

You can also WATCH these session on our Facebook Playlist at this link: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtKWeKtmv-BwgkquBTsSh-GznbmuUp_R2