Unquenchable: Biblical Theology, Listening Prayer, and Christian Living

Jenna and Lauren recount their first ever prayer session (with Sarah from Episodes 6-7) and how they came in feeling nervous & sick and with little training but walked away amazed at the breakthrough God did in Sarah's life through prayer and what it felt like to hear the beautiful things that God said to her as she prayed through things with them.

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[00:00:00] Jenna: It was just super powerful to be a part of the process and to know that I had nothing to do with it. I mean, it was done and it was like, really? That's it. I mean, we're done like You're healed. this is it. I just remember walking through the parking lot, getting some of my things afterwards, and just being like, wow, this really works. Like this works like God, you work. And it's just ridiculous that I would have that type of surprise because I'm talking about God. And of course He works. and it was just so powerful and it was so beautiful. it's amazing to know so little and pray with somebody and for huge pivotal things to happen it's like a miracle

[00:01:08] Jennifer Love: This testimony comes from Jenna, as she reflects back on her prayer session with Sarah, the woman who's been sharing her testimony these last two episodes. This session with Sarah was the very first prayer session that Jenna and Lauren had led. If you've been listening to the last two podcasts, you know, that Sarah, the woman that they prayed with described her life up to this point as,

[00:01:27] Sarah: I was at a place where, I just had zero interest in actually living. Even the basic necessities of life, figuring out what I was going to eat for the day. It was just this all consuming, painful topic. Oh my gosh. I can't believe that I have to figure out what I'm going to eat. And , I didn't want to do anything. Even taking a shower was difficult for me because it just seemed like it was going to be this huge daunting task.

[00:02:01] Jennifer Love: As you listened to this episode, consider two things. First both before and after the session, Jenna and Lauren entered into the prayer session, feeling nervous. And Lauren was even feeling physically sick that day. And neither realized the depth of Sarah's struggles as they prayed with her. And even with the very little training and exposure they had, they were able to pray through things with Sarah and walk away marveling at what God did right in front of them. We've asked them to share this testimony with us today so that you might get an inside look at what it might be like to pray through things with someone and in the hopes that you too might be encouraged to take the next steps, to praying through things with others.

[00:02:38] Don Love: So how'd you guys feel when Jen asked you to be a part of her prayer team?

[00:02:49] Jenna: It was good. I was willing and wanted to have the experience But as the time got closer, I think I started to feel a little nervous.

[00:02:57] Don Love: Yeah. What about you, Lauren?

[00:02:59] Lauren: I agree. I was nervous. And in fact I remember Jen, put the prayer sheets up on the mantle for me to help lead them in prayer and I felt like every time I pass by it was just staring at me. And I'm like, I don't know if this is wrong to think, but I remember thinking, man, I just, I hope they pick other people.

[00:03:18] Don Love: Yeah. Isn't that weird? Cause you, kind of want to do it, but at the same time it would be a relief if it didn't happen. Right?

[00:03:24] Jenna: Yeah. I'll be honest. I felt the same way. when Jen told us that we had someone assigned us, it was like, okay, this is really happening. I guess we're going to go in this room and I'm just gonna do my best.

[00:03:37] Don Love: So why don't you think that happens? Why do we get so hesitant about praying through things with somebody? What would the hesitancy be there?

[00:03:43] Lauren: I think for me there's just al...

Don and Jen interview Sarah, a woman who has experienced multiple breakthroughs as she popped into Pray Through It meetings over the years. In this episode Sarah describes how her realization that she was an unplanned pregnancy led to her feeling as though she was unwanted, unloveable, and an inconvenience to her family. Perhaps the world would even be better if she was never born? She recounts how interactions with Jesus through prayer at a Pray Through It Women's Retreat helped her to forgive her mother and come to the understanding that her birth was a miracle and not a mistake. As a result, she now feels like "a totally different person" with "peace that surpasses all understanding."

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Don and Jen interview Sarah, a woman who has experienced multiple breakthroughs as she popped into Pray Through It meetings over the years. In this episode Sarah describes how her first two sessions led to major breakthroughs concerning the unpleasant and disempowering emotions she carried and her personal self-image built upon the words of bullies and an unhealthy dependence upon her mother. She comes to the realization that after her mother's death she was holding onto her anxiety because it felt like it was all that she had left of her mother, but as she prays through things, she is able to finally let go of all-consuming thoughts and self-shame that dominated her life for decades to receive and walk out the Fruit of the Spirit.

Note: This episode contains a full-length sample prayer session recorded live at a Pray Through It conference. This prayer session begins at [00:13:24] and ends at [00:25:35].

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Self-Shame, Anxiety, Depression & Forgiveness

[00:00:00] Sarah: My mother passed away. I was really struggling with my anxiety and I felt like it was all that I had left of her. I felt like my anxiety at that time was my own personal piece of her that I always, went to because it reminds me of my mother. And so during the first session that I had with you I was really shocked with just the peace that I felt in my soul.  It's still kind of gives me goosebumps because at this point I had no idea that people had been praying like this,  and it's just so incredible how the Lord brings you the fruits of the Spirit and that's exactly what I needed. I was finally able to move on and not focus on the wrong that I had done, the mistakes that I had made. I can now focus on Jesus and the right that he's done.

[00:01:22]

[00:01:43] Don Love: Hello, this is Don love, and this is an exciting time for us as prayer ministers, my bride, Jen and I just finished leading a seven session. Pray Through It prayer training here in Lynchburg, Virginia. And we're about to launch a new one day and three-day training, next month. If the testimonies in this podcast have gotten you curious and thirsty for more, we would love to have you join us at one of these trainings. The next three day prayer discipleship training retreat is in Forest, Virginia, June 23rd through 25th.

[00:02:13] Jennifer Love: if you can only spare one day, come to our one day training on the 25th or our listening and inner healing prayer meeting, that will be open to the public also on the 25th. You can check out www.praythroughit.com/events for more details.

[00:02:25] Don Love: If you aren't listening to this podcast at the time of the release, don't worry more trainings are in the works. And we're even in the process of developing online courses that will launch later in the year, as well as working with churches across the U S where we'll be holding retreats and trainings, just like this one.

[00:02:41] Jennifer Love: And that brings us to this episodes, guest and topic. Sarah will be joining us here in the studio soon. As part of attending our trainings, we ask our participants to fill out a few questions so we can get an idea of their background in listening prayer, how they heard about pre threat ministries and what impact, if any, has pray through it had on the way that they pray and live their life.

[00:02:58] Don Love: And so, as we're reading over the applications, we came across Sarah's application...

[00:03:03] Jennifer Love: And we recongnized Sarah's name immediately because she was someone we've seen popping in and out of our prayer sessions every couple of years. And each time she shows up, she experiences some form of major breakthrough. And since these questions were on the application for the course, we, for the first time, got to hear about how these public pray through it, sessions had impacted Sarah's life. I say for the first time,

The Joy and Pain of Motherhood (Sample Sermon)

Description: One ministry of Pray through it is that we help pastors and teachers in churches to consider how they might incorporate listening and inner-healing prayer into their teaching times in order to help shepherd their hearers to submit themselves to the Lord's application of scripture to their lives. In this episode, Don demonstrates how to integrate listening in prayer into a main Sunday sermon- inviting God into the conversation so that He might help those listening to apply His word on an individualized basis. 

This sermon examines the life of Mary as the mother of Jesus, demonstrating that motherhood is a challenge for everyone - especially as we see our children pushing away from us or when we experience prolonged singleness, miscarriage, barrens, or loss of a child. In the process, Don acknowledges common struggles many who dream of motherhood face as they look toward the reality of motherhood. And spends time praying through these issues which are often experienced, but seldom addressed from the pulpit.

Note: Prayers are located at: 00:02:45; 00:15:53; and 00:23:34. 

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[00:00:00] Don Love: Mothers tend to cover things pretty well. They can put on their Sunday dress and bring their family to church and you don't necessarily know the burdens that the mothers are carrying. You don't know the reason why they're so over-protective or overbearing or easily frustrated is because of the things that they're trying to protect you from that they went through in their own childhood. And they just haven't quite processed how do they protect you whenever they feel like no one else sees danger. So this Mothers Day, let's prayerfully take a posture of rejoicing for those who rejoice, but also mourning for those who mourn.

[00:00:38]

[00:00:59] Jennifer Love: Last episode, we gave you a sample sermon modeling, the kind of lesson that our team has taught to conservative, biblically centered congregations, to help them to better understand the role of the Holy Spirit and the biblical foundation for conversational prayer (that's both speaking and listening in prayer). And we modeled what it looks like to lead a whole church to listen in prayer for the first time!

[00:01:19] And this episode will model how to incorporate listening in prayer during your Sunday sermon, helping your church family to apply the sermon on the spot, through listening and prayer. This sermon is one that Don just delivered in order to help prepare our church to better serve one another. And the unseen struggles that often surface during Mothers Day. I was encouraged that he addressed some of the hidden hurts that aren't often mentioned in a church service.

[00:01:40] And to hear feedback of mothers who were unexpectedly moved to have some healing conversations with their kids. Conversations, they didn't realize needed to happen, but that the Lord brought up to them in prayer. So whether you're listening as a mother, a son or daughter, or a pastor, and it's our hope that this sermon will help you not only reconsider how you approach Mothers Day, but also the role that listening in prayer could play in your church service, helping your church family to apply the message through prayer in a very personal way as we pray expectedly for the Lord to enter into the conversation.

[00:02:16] Don Love: Next week, if you haven't put it on your calendar, it's Mothers Day. Whether we be a mother or not, it might be helpful for us to look at one of the most famous mothers of all time, Mary, the mother of Jesus, and look at some of the interactions between Mary and Jesus throughout scripture. And I'm hoping that as we look through what it was like to raise Jesus, that it will refocus a bit the way we think about the sacrifice of mothers. And then also the way that we celebrate Mothers Day, just next week.

How can Jesus say that it is better that He go away so that He could send His Spirit? Wouldn't Jesus in the flesh be better than a Spirit that you can't see or touch? This episode is a sample sermon on John 14 and 1 Thessalonians 5:16-19 that models how to discuss the role of the Holy Spirit today in relationship to prayer with conservative evangelical Christians and how to lead large groups to listen in prayer. 

This sample sermon models how our team helps conservative evangelical Christians to re-consider what the Bible has to say about the Role of the Holy Spirit and then in the same service model what it looks like for the Holy Spirit to lead, guide, teach, remind, and show things to come (Jn. 14-16).

Note: Prayer is located at: [00:27:09]-[00:34:35]

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The Holy Spirit and Prayer (Sample Sermon and Prayer)

[00:00:00] Don Love: This is the New Covenant. That's better than the Old Covenant! And it's not just about having the Bible. It's about having God with us, Emanuel, indwelling us. The Spirit of God is inside of us. There's something powerful about this. It's not just about Jesus dying for our sins that we can go to heaven someday, and we need to preach the gospel till he comes. It's about the Spirit of God, abiding in us and us in Him, it's not about just us moving into the father's house someday. It's us having fellowship with the Father and the Son through the Spirit until that day that we move into that house.

[00:00:58] Don Love: Part of our ministry at pray through it as speaking to conservative churches about prayer and the role of the Holy Spirit demonstrating the biblical foundation of conversational prayer (that's both speaking and listening in prayer). And how this listening in prayer is so essential to experience inner healing and intimacy with God Recently, what's been especially exciting is the churches that we have been speaking in more and more, are churches led by pastors whom first experienced life changed through praying through things with us, then planted seeds by unashamedly sharing their testimony of struggle and healing with their congregations, and then, at the proper time invited us not only to speak, but to begin helping to develop their prayer teams. You heard last episode from one of those pastors. In this episode, we want to share a sample sermon with you where we open up the Gospel of John and 1 Thessalonians to discuss the relationship between the role of the Holy Spirit and praying without ceasing. Then the sermon and the episode concludes as we model what it looks like to lead a whole church to listen in prayer, for the first time.

[00:02:08] Dale Pierce: You will be blessed this morning by this couple by what they have to bring I met Don probably four or five years ago now at one of the Word and Spirit gatherings in the free church in Knoxville. And we were doing some listening prayer together, and Don kind of stepped in and I was praying with Don over a man next to me. And as Don prayed, he was helping this man kind of unpack some of his things and reflecting with the father over some things that were going on in his heart. And I could hear things going on in my heart, reflecting on what this guy was saying as Don, was leading Him. And through that time, I actually was healed of some of the sin and brokenness that was in my heart as Don was praying for this guy. And that's where our friendship kind of kicked off. And Jen and I had been a part of some things that they've done with Christ Community up in Greeley. And so it's just a privilege to be able to have someone come who will help us lean into not only who the Holy Spirit is or how God wants to work in us through that, but how we can listen to Him for ourselves and help others in that regard as well. And so I'm excited to have Don and Jennifer here. Don,

Jeff Foote, one of the Pastors from season 1 episode 20, looks back on his journey as someone who was formerly open but skeptical about the work of the Spirit and how his Pray Through It session   has not only freed him to better lead as a Pastor and teach his people about the Spirit's role today, but also has reawakened his musical creativity.

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[00:00:00] Jeff Foote: I'm a pastor's kid. I've known the scripture. I'm a Timothy award winner in Awana. I've grown up with it all. I have good little boy syndrome sometimes, but similar to you, I was studying the scriptures and realizing there are things here, both implicit and explicit  that say I should be experiencing more of a conversational relationship with the Holy Spirit.  When it comes to the theology of the Holy Spirit in the tradition I come from, the phrase is open, but cautious. I've never been open, but cautious about Christology. Was Jesus fully God fully, man, I don't know I'm going to be open, but cautious. Like, no, you, you discern what the scripture teaches and then you live there. And I was on this journey of saying, you know, I'm a word centered guy, authority of scripture alone, Sola scriptura. But if it teaches a theology of the Spirit that I'm not living, then I have bad theology. .

[00:01:23] Don Love: If you have been following us since last season, you'll remember the testimony from Jeff foot. One of the pastors that we pray through things with three years ago, here's a clip of his testimony from last season to jog your memory.

[00:01:38] Jeff Foote: I'm not a cessationist but I am skeptical. I've been a pastor over 20 years. I've been in a lot of counseling sessions. I've been trained in biblical counseling. This was the best counseling I've ever had. And he never asked me any counseling questions. This weird family story came back to me. And I thought this is weird. I didn't want it to be like throwing in. Tell me about your mom telling you about your dad. Like daddy wounds because I don't have those. I was raised in a very godly home. But it kind of threw this story out and immediately he said, okay, Jesus help them understand this story, why is this significant? Why did it come to mind now? And I'm like, well, I'm thinking to myself, he came to my now because I had to say something. But in that exact moment, it was like a tidal wave, like a tsunami from the bottom of my soul. I finally had words for what my soul had been struggling with for 43 years. And I couldn't even get that next sentence out without just coming completely unglued. Because I knew that's the sentence. That was the phrase. So for me, again, I was suspicious, but open. I played along and then the Spirit gave my soul language. And that was my experience. And so. I immediately, I got to figure out how to do this and it was just a phenomenal thing. So, that's my story.

[00:03:06] Don Love: After Jeff and I prayed through things together, Jeff was open with his congregation about his struggles. He recounted how this prayer session helped and shaped the way that he ministered. And since then he has taken intentional steps to prepare his congregation, to be expectant in prayer. He used the term expectant prayer to describe the back and forth conversation with God, rather than listening prayer, because in his area, the term listening, prayer carried a connotation that was not at all what we mean when we talk about listening and inner healing, prayer, and even when, as far as to design and teach a course on the Holy Spirit, to help them better understand what the Bible has to say about the role of the Holy Spirit today. And so now as Jen and I come out three years later, his church had an unquenchable thirst to learn and grow and conversational prayer with the Lord. And now let's get to the interview.

[00:03:56] Jeff, if you'll tell everyone a little bit about how we met and how our re...

Alan was among the pastors at the Word and Spirit Conference in Tennessee (Season 1 Ep 20) where Don first led Pastors to listen in prayer who quickly adopted and adapted Don's approach into his own church. Now years later,i Don and Jen meet up with Alan and Raylene Kraft as they share how they came to understand the role that listening in prayer can and should play in prayer and how the role of Holy Spirit and listening prayer have grown to take a more central focus in their church's ministry. 

Note: Alan Kraft is the Pastor of Christ Community Church in Greeley Colorado and the Author of More: When Just a Little of the Spirit is not Enough and Raylene Kraft is a leader of Hope Abounds Ministry.

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Alan and Raylene Kraft with Hope Abounds Ministry in Greeley Colorado

[00:00:00] Raylene Kraft: I had already been on this journey of just realizing God actually speaks and that prayer is a dialogue and not just a list. I still remember the guy we prayed for the first time we kind of started this and it was this cowboy kind of manly man. And, he left the session and it was really cool, but then we cleaned up and kinda did the room and then as we were leaving, he was still out in the parking lot. Jumping and dancing around his pickup, shouting I hear from God, and I thought, yes, you do. We all do. And so that's just been our journey of just wanting to help other people experience that.

[00:01:25] Don Love: Hello. I'm Don love the host of unquenchable, and this is my bride ministry partner and Co-host Jennifer Love.

[00:01:32] Jennifer Love: That's Me! We've finished last season, talking about ministry to pastors. As we had a short prayer session, we led at a pastors conference in Tennessee. You can go back and listen to episodes 19 and 20 to hear some of the testimonies that came out of that conference.

[00:01:46] Don Love: That conference was three years ago now. And Jen and I just finished our 10 day Pray Through It tour through Colorado, where we followed up with these pastors from season one. And on this trip, helped their congregation to take the next steps by demonstrating and explaining the biblical basis for listening and inner healing prayer in their churches. In the next few episodes among other things, we'll be discussing a bit about how the growing understanding of these pastors practice of listening in prayer is reshaping the way that they and their people minister to one another. But before we introduce our guests today, we have a few upcoming events. In March, we have a soul care retreat and a castle in Lexington, North Carolina.

[00:02:25] Jennifer Love: In April, we have a women's retreat in Lynchburg, Virginia,

[00:02:28] Don Love: And keep an eye out for details about an in-person pray through training coming up in may.

[00:02:34] Jennifer Love: You can check out, Pray Through It.com for details. And while you're listening, why not help us to reach others by giving us a five star view, and maybe writing a sentence or two telling others what they can expect to get from listening to the show. Last season. I mentioned that we had the privilege of staying at the house of Alan Kraft. He's the lead pastor of Christ community church in Greeley, Colorado, and the author of More: When Just a Little of the Spirit is Not Enough. What we didn't mention was that Alan was among the pastors that we prayed through things with at that conference in Tennessee.

[00:03:02] Don Love: At that time, I didn't know who he was, nor that he and his wife Rayleen were well on their way to lead their church, to practice in their own approach, to listening and inner-healing prayer. What perhaps amazes me the most about Alan is how engaged he is in learning and how quickly he applies, what he's learning in his own walk and in his church. When we first met, he watched,

Jay Breish recounts how a prayer session that helped him to process his daughter's near-death experience, led him to not only reconsider the way that he views and approaches God in prayer, but also the way that he led a residential home for troubled teens and their families. 

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Season 2 Ep 1: God is a Good Father

[00:00:00] Jay Breish: One of my children was very, very sick and we didn't know if they were going to live. It was in those storms when I was seeking him that I began to recognize how he was speaking. God connected me with someone who was familiar with listening and inner healing, prayer. They prayed with me and I saw some radical transformations in a moment from that time of prayer. It gave me permission to say, I can talk to God about anything. And it doesn't have to just be me whining and complaining and begging and pleading and hoping. It could be, maybe, God actually does want to give me the desires of my heart.

[00:01:04] Don Love: Scripture tells us to taste and see the God is good. And as we pray through things with folks, we're finding confirmation that God is a good father who wants to speak to his children. Even before salvation, his spirit is working in our hearts to draw us to himself. He's there gently waiting to carry our burdens and to give us life. My name is Don Love and today I've invited Jay Breish to join us, to share a bit about how his daughter's illness and a listening and inner healing prayer session led him to uncover the lies he was believing about himself, and God and how this new understanding of prayer rippled out into the counselors in this counseling ministry and the troubled teens they ministered to. Jay's someone we got to know over the last year. And I got to say, I really love this guy. He's a counselor at heart, and I've watched him time and time again, as he and his wife come to the rescue of those in need, helping folks process life through. They seem to be especially gifted when it comes to helping people in crisis mode, bringing joy into the situation as they meet each urgent need. This makes sense because he and his wife, Hannah spent many years ministering at a residential home for troubled youth. So Jay, welcome to the show.

[00:02:15] Jay Breish: Thanks for having me. It's good to be here.

[00:02:17] Don Love: Jay, would you tell us a bit about how you came to discover listening and inner healing prayer in your own life?

[00:02:24] Jay Breish: Yeah. You know, , it's kind of a long story. When I think about it, we have a tendency to say, oh, well, on this day, this is what the Lord did in my life. But the Lord has been stirring me. And speaking to me and with me and guiding me since I was a child. And I don't think that's unusual for us. I just think that most of the time we don't recognize it. Yeah. , so I grew up in a Bible believing conservative church, wonderful men and women of God taught us the importance of scripture and I grew up in that environment where people look to the word of God for their truth and their direction. And that's great. And that is true. And yet, sometimes we miss the intimate guidance and direction that God has provided for us by, indwelling us with his Holy Spirit. He's called the comforter and the guide, the counselor. And so I didn't have a whole lot of training in that growing up and yet I look back and somehow God was directing me ministering to me. Refocusing me in the midst of life's challenges and storms. I just wasn't aware of it until much later. So, for me, the journey actually began more with, I think, identity and learning who I am as a son and who he is as a good father and the gifts and the inheritance that come with that beyond just salvation and beyond, just His written word, but how in the moment he wants to be with us to comfort us and to guide us. And it was in those storms when I was seeking him that I began t...