Participants: John Bradshaw (Host), Ron Halvorsen
Series Code: IIW
Program Code: IIW001325
00:02 ÷Theme Music] It has stood the test of time,
00:09 God's book, The Bible. 00:14 Still relevant in today's complex world. 00:22 It Is Written, sharing hope around the globe. 00:36 Thanks for joining me today on It Is Written. 00:38 I4m John Bradshaw. 00:39 Glad to have with me today again, a special guest, 00:42 Ron Halverson. 00:43 Ron, thank you for joining me today. 00:45 RH: Glad to be here again. 00:46 JB: We are going to carry on from where we were last time 00:48 we met together. 00:49 And we'll talk about the power of prayer. 00:51 You believe and you know from experience that prayer -- 00:54 communication with God --is powerful. 00:58 How do you know that to be true? 01:00 RH: Well, because first of all what it does for us 01:02 individually. 01:03 But then what it does for us as we share faith, as we 01:06 reach out to those outside the community of faith, 01:09 and see their lives change. 01:11 The greatest testimony of the power of God in prayer 01:14 is pray for someone, intercede for someone, and then see 01:17 their lives change and turned. 01:19 JB: Now there are some prayers that aren't powerful 01:21 prayers. 01:22 We could talk forever about this, but take a couple 01:24 of moments and talk to me about the difference between 01:26 a prayer that is not really very effective and a prayer 01:28 that's powerful. 01:29 RH: Well, I think the prayer that's ineffective is when it 01:33 concentrates -- or what I call crisis praying. 01:36 A lot of our praying is crisis praying. 01:38 We don't say much about prayer, we don't pray much 01:40 until a crisis comes in our life. 01:43 Well aunt Tillie, has a sickness. 01:45 Awww and then you forego your knees and you pray 01:47 for the next few days that aunt Tillie will get well, 01:50 or uncle John, or someone in the church is sick, 01:52 then it's gone. 01:53 That's crisis praying. 01:54 When you are sick, have you noticed you pray more than 01:57 you did before you got sick? 01:59 That's crisis praying. 02:00 That is not really ... 02:01 it works but is not as affective as the continual 02:04 spirit of prayer. 02:05 He said he is continually in the spirit of prayer. 02:08 JB: Pray without ceasing. 02:09 RH: Without ceasing, that's right John. 02:11 JB: So nothing wrong with praying for Aunt Tillie 02:14 but if that's the only time you are praying ... 02:17 RH: If that's the only time you have the urgency to pray. 02:20 Well that's the only time you find yourself really -- what 02:23 I call -- sweating in prayer. 02:25 I mean, really agonizing in prayer. 02:27 Then that's the weakest part. 02:28 To others it's non focusing prayer. 02:31 It's like hunting with a shot gun, shooting in the woods 02:33 hoping you hit what you needed to hit, the need. 02:36 The more you focus in on your need, the more you focus 02:39 in on the needs of others, the more you focus in on 02:43 the need of your church, and concentrate on that, 02:45 the more effective and powerful the prayer becomes, because 02:48 it's like a magnifying glass with the sun coming through 02:51 and "plooom!" 02:52 before you know it, the paper bursts into flames. 02:54 JB: So you recognize that when it comes to prayer 02:57 there are some prayers that are a little too general. 03:00 God bless the missionaries. 03:01 RH: Yeah. 03:03 JB: I think that's fine, if you're going to pray 03:05 the blanket prayer, God bless the missionaries, wouldn't it 03:07 also help to pray and God bless the Smiths, 03:10 or the Gonzalez, or the whoever they are, 03:13 the Mitchen family in a particular place 03:15 and bless and help their need. 03:16 JB: That's why it's important to get a prayer list. 03:19 It's wonderful to pray for the missionaries generally, 03:22 that's great, but what about the missionary in Uganda, 03:25 and find out who that missionary family is. 03:28 Then begin to concentrate on the prayer for that family. 03:30 Find out the circumstances in which they are, 03:33 and then surround that family in prayer. 03:36 That's what we call focus prayer, intercessory focus 03:39 prayer. 03:40 I find that the greatest answers come when I focus 03:43 on a certain person, a certain need. 03:45 And for instance, whenever I go to a city, I walk the city 03:50 (the perimeters) in prayer, but I always pray 03:52 for the meanest, toughest, snortinest, fightinest guy 03:55 or girl in that city, because they become 03:58 the greatest witnesses. 03:59 I got a call from a friend one day. 04:02 He said, would you like to come to Hawaii and hold a city-wide 04:05 evangelistic meeting. 04:06 I said, let me pray about it. 04:07 Thank you Jesus, here is one of those instant answers. 04:10 I told my wife to pack my suitcase, we're going. 04:12 And I got there and I started walking the bad area 04:15 of Waikiki. 04:16 And I prayed for the toughest, meanest, snortinest, 04:19 fightinest dude in that town. 04:21 The first night, in walks this big Samoan. 04:25 I mean he is so big. 04:26 I am big. 04:27 I am 6 foot 4. 04:28 Well, now I am 6 foot 2, I am getting old, but at 6.2, big. 04:31 But this man he was so big, and I am a hugger. 04:35 I hug people. 04:36 But man, it took me 3 days to get up enough courage to hug 04:39 this Samoan. 04:40 And he had scars and he was a drug addict, and he 04:43 was tough and mean. 04:44 I said, thank you Jesus, I said, you answered my prayer. 04:48 That was a focus prayer. 04:49 At the end of that meeting that man gave his life 04:52 to Christ. 04:53 He was baptized. 04:54 Not only that the first year, him and his youth group win 04:57 100 souls and are baptized in the kingdom of God. 04:59 I just got a call from him, this is 8 years later. 05:01 He is holding meetings. 05:02 He transformed by the power of God. 05:05 You see, that is focus praying. 05:07 I prayed for the meanest, toughest, snortinest, 05:09 fightinest. 05:10 A marine came to my meeting. 05:12 Drunken marine, first war in Iraq. 05:15 He was knocking the enemies off the hills a mile away. 05:18 He comes to Christ. 05:20 In the second Iraq war he is a chaplain, serving Christ. 05:24 You see, that's the power of prayer. 05:26 JB: That's right. 05:27 Prayer is powerful. 05:27 RH: That's when prayer is powerful. 05:28 JB: There is something you said a moment ago 05:29 we are going to pick up on in just a moment. 05:31 Prayer, the power of prayer with speaker and author, 05:34 Ron Halverson. 05:35 We'll be back with more in just a moment. 05:38 [music] In Matthew 4:4 the Word 05:42 of God says, It Is Written, Man shall not live by bread 05:44 alone but by every word that proceeds from the mouth 05:47 of God. 05:48 Every Word is a one-minute Bible based daily devotional 05:52 presented by Pastor John Bradshaw and designed 05:55 specially for busy people like you. 05:58 Look for Every Word on selected networks or watch 06:00 it on-line every day on our website itiswritten.com. 06:04 Receive a daily spiritual boost. 06:07 Watch Every Word. 06:08 You'll be glad you did. 06:09 Here's a sample. 06:13 (music) 06:20 In 2 Thessalonians 2:10, the Apostle Paul wrote 06:24 about a certain group of people who he said received 06:27 not the love of the truth that they might be saved. 06:30 Based on what Paul is saying, only those who love the truth 06:34 will receive eternal life. 06:36 He didn't say Salvation is for those who know the truth 06:39 only, but those who love the truth. 06:42 I'm sure churches are crowded with people who know 06:44 the truth, but it is only when Jesus touches your heart 06:47 that that truth starts to make any real difference. 06:50 While you study the Bible and do whatever else you do 06:52 for spiritual growth, keep in mind salvation is not only 06:56 about theory. 06:57 You can be right and still be wrong. 06:59 It's when you love the Savior, who you 07:02 find in the midst of the truth of God's word, that things 07:05 really come alive. 07:06 I'm John Bradshaw for It Is Written. 07:09 Let's live today by Every Word. 07:13 I'm John Bradshaw, this is It Is Written. 07:15 Today, The Power of Prayer. 07:17 I'm speaking with prayer expert, author and speaker 07:20 Ron Halverson, who for over 50 years has learned the art 07:24 of prayer and has come to understand something about 07:26 the power of prayer. 07:27 And Ron, a moment ago, you talked about going into 07:30 a place, walking the perimeter of a city and praying 07:33 specifically for people. 07:35 Talk to me about that. 07:36 What is that all about, this walking and praying. 07:38 RH: Well, you see the practical part of warfare, 07:42 is every battle is won, not at the pentagon. 07:46 The lines are drawn, I mean the strategies are drawn, 07:49 but a strategy is not enough. 07:51 You've got to get the people on the battlefield. 07:53 You got to get the people out in the battlefield because 07:55 they take street by street, house by house, that's how 07:57 they win a war. 07:59 Well you know, I was thinking: here I am praying 08:02 for these cities. 08:03 It seems like I am one person in a sea of lost. 08:07 How can we make it practical? 08:09 How can we reach out? 08:10 And I got a hold of a book (I was in a used book store) 08:13 and it said, Prayer Walking. 08:15 Prayer walking? 08:16 I said, prayer walking? 08:17 So I said, I'm going to read that book. 08:20 And I took it along and that was just before I got 08:23 the call to go out to Hawaii. 08:25 So I read this book on prayer walking, I'm flying across 08:28 to Hawaii and said, I'm going to have to try this. 08:31 And so I got to Hawaii and my wife comes to me one day 08:34 and she says," I'd like to go down to the international 08:37 mall and go shopping for the grandkids. 08:39 You know, she is from Venus, I'm from Mars. 08:42 So I said, Honey, yeah, you go shopping and I'll walk. 08:45 And I thought, wow, I've got an hour here. 08:47 I'm going to start praying. 08:49 I started walking around the perimeters and I noticed 08:52 a prostitute on every corner. 08:54 And by the way, when you are a Christian and a believer 08:56 you look at a prostitute, you don't see a piece of 08:58 merchandise, you see someone's daughter, someone's 09:01 wife, mother, and I started to cry. 09:05 And I said, Lord, before these meetings are over, 09:08 I want you to touch a street walker on this street 09:11 and bring her to you. 09:14 So every Thursday I went down and walked that street, 09:16 the perimeters of that street, and I prayed. 09:19 I said, God please, one person. 09:21 And 300-400 hundred non believers were coming 09:25 to the meetings. 09:26 And at the end, we had a big baptismal class and at the end 09:30 of the baptism, this woman came up to me and she says, 09:33 "I need to talk to you pastor." 09:34 And so we sat down and she said, "I was in your baptismal 09:37 class, and I was baptized." 09:38 I said, "that's wonderful. 09:39 I know, I saw you each night" and she said, "but you know, 09:44 I wanted to tell you," she says, "when these meetings 09:46 started I was a street walker, prostitute." I said "where?" 09:51 And she named the very street I had been praying. 09:55 I'm talking about on the street, the power of God, 09:59 moving in the heart of that prostitute. 10:01 How could I have ever reached that woman for Christ? 10:04 Christ reached that woman for me to strengthen my faith 10:08 in God and in prayer. 10:10 You see, the definition for prayer walking 10:12 is on sight with insight. 10:16 Another thing about prayer walking, it puts you 10:19 into the community and you begin to sense the need. 10:22 You focus your prayer on that need. 10:24 Now how did I come to this biblically? 10:26 There is a bible reason why I am a prayer walker, 10:29 and why I teach prayer walking. 10:30 Because of Joshua. 10:32 I read the story of Joshua. 10:33 Look at chapter 1 of Joshua. 10:35 I mean, this is a great story. 10:38 He says, "now after the death of Moses, the servant 10:40 of the Lord, it came to pass," and by the way John everything 10:44 is going to come to pass. 10:45 JB: Yes it is. 10:46 RH: Alright? 10:47 Whether we want it or not, is going to come to pass. 10:50 "And that the Lord spake unto Joshua the son of Nun, Moses' 10:54 minister saying: Moses my servant is dead, 10:57 now therefore arise." 10:58 You see, Moses (in the mind of the Jew) was perfection. 11:02 When they talked about perfection, they talked about 11:04 Moses. 11:05 Moses was their idol. 11:07 But Moses could get them out but he couldn't get them in. 11:10 It took Joshua, and then notice here, this is ... 11:12 I mean, this grips me. 11:14 I mean, it changed my life. 11:15 He said, and he says to Joshua, verse 2, "go over 11:18 the Jordan, thou and all the people unto the land which 11:21 I do give to them." 11:24 He said, I'm giving this to you. 11:26 "Go over now and claim it. Even to the children 11:28 of Israel. 11:28 And every place the souls of your foot shall tread upon, 11:33 that have I given unto you as I said unto Moses." 11:39 Everywhere of the foot touches I'm going to give you 11:42 the land! 11:43 Now if he said that to Joshua, and Joshua is going 11:45 to battle, as a prayer warrior. 11:47 And he was a prayer warrior. 11:49 He walked around the city seven days then seven times. 11:51 And he didn't have a weapon. 11:52 What, a trumpet? 11:53 Is that what I understand? 11:55 JB: Yes. 11:56 Some weapon, huh? 11:57 RH: And a bowl? 11:58 I mean, give me a break! 11:59 A weapon? 12:01 I mean walking and praying the city got so upset, the city 12:04 had a nervous breakdown. 12:05 He could take the city. 12:06 JB: It fell apart. 12:07 RH: That's right. 12:08 By the power or prayer. 12:08 And he said, wherever the souls of your feet touch. 12:10 So I said to myself, I said God, what have I been doing 12:13 these 40 years? 12:15 That's it! 12:16 If I could get every member to take a half hour once 12:19 a week and walk their neighborhood and pray. 12:23 Just think. 12:24 And not only Joshua, there was Jeremiah. 12:28 Jeremiah told us how to take cities. 12:30 He said weep for the city. 12:32 He said tears run down my ... 12:36 When was the last time Christians have wept 12:38 for the lost? 12:39 Can you imagine if every Christian in the city 12:41 of Detroit wept for the lost, what would happen in Detroit? 12:44 What would happen? 12:45 And then he said this, he wept -- that is the first 12:47 secret. 12:48 Secondly the Bible said he walked the perimeters 12:51 of Jerusalem. 12:52 You read it right there. 12:53 And then thirdly it says he talked. 12:55 Our great problem as Christians is we do 12:57 all the talking, throwing books at people. 13:00 And we don't do what God told us to do. 13:02 He said -- have a burden? 13:04 Walk, and then you can do your talking. 13:07 The principle is to bombard the principalities with prayer. 13:13 You see, before the foot soldiers come in, the artillery 13:17 smashes the city down, right? 13:20 From the ships, 20 miles away. 13:22 I mean from the planes, five miles up, blowing apart, 13:27 then the foot soldiers come in. 13:29 You know God's spirit has been working on our cities 13:32 for centuries now. 13:33 JB: That's right. 13:34 RH: It4s time now the foot soldiers get out. 13:36 What it does, it prepares the field if you pray God moves 13:42 and when God moves... 13:43 Hey when the disciples .... 13:45 they prayed their way to Pentecost. 13:47 The building shook. 13:49 Now in church we hardly get the candle flickering. 13:51 I mean fire came down from heaven under God, why? 13:54 Because they didn't experience that power 13:57 that God wants to exhibit. 13:59 JB: Ron, in a moment we'll be back and we are going 14:02 to talk more of this. 14:03 There's a passage over in 2 Corinthians that I wonder 14:06 if you will take a look at with us. 14:08 We4ll get there in a moment. 14:09 More with Ron Halverson and the Power of Prayer in just 14:11 a moment. 14:14 (Music) 14:24 On today's program you4ve heard us talk about 14:25 the importance of prayer. 14:27 Prayer is a powerful tool, it4s our lifeline, our vital 14:31 connection to God. 14:33 Now there4s something I want to share with you on 14:35 this subject, The Secret of Answered Prayer. 14:38 You'll learn how to experience a deeper prayer life, 14:40 and you'll discover simple and effective ways 14:42 to help you pray more effectively. 14:45 The Secret of Answered Prayer, in just a few pages 14:48 you'll discover what the Bible has to say on this vital 14:51 subject, and it's our free gift to you. 14:54 And in The Secret of Answered Prayer you'll discover 14:57 the seven secrets of answered prayer. 15:00 Right now, this informative and practical booklet 15:02 is available free from It Is Written. 15:05 Just call 1-800-253-3000 and ask for The Secret 15:10 of Answered Prayer. 15:11 You can also request this booklet by writing to: 15:13 It Is Written, Box O, Thousand Oaks, CA 91359 15:17 and we'll mail a copy to your address in North America. 15:21 And be sure to visit our website itiswritten.com where you4ll 15:25 discover many helpful resources on a wide variety 15:29 of life-changing topics. 15:30 It Is Written is a faith-based outreach made 15:33 possible by viewers like you. 15:35 Thank you for your letters and emails and thank you 15:38 for your continued financial support. 15:40 It4s what enables us to share clear bible teaching 15:43 with the world. 15:44 Our toll free number is 1-800-253-3000 and our web 15:51 address is itiswritten.com Planning for your financial 15:56 future is a vital aspect of Christian stewardship. 15:59 For this reason, It Is Written is pleased to offer 16:02 free planned giving and estate services. 16:04 For information on how we can help you, please call 16:07 1.800.992.2219. 16:11 Call today or visit our special website, 16:14 www.hislegacy.com. 16:21 Thanks for joining me today on It Is Written. 16:23 Special guest today, Ron Halverson, back with me. 16:26 And today we are talking about the power of prayer. 16:29 You've talked, Ron, about prayer as being a weapon 16:31 in warfare. 16:32 That's going to be a new concept to some people 16:35 but it's a biblical concept. 16:37 RH: That's right. 16:38 JB: There's a passage in 2 Corinthians that I wonder 16:41 if we can look at it together. 16:44 2 Corinthians chapter 10: "Though we walk in the flesh, 16:47 we do not war after the flesh." 16:50 First point we're in a spiritual warfare. 16:53 The Bible makes it very, very clear. 16:55 We wrestle not with so, that means that we do wrestle 16:57 with something. 16:58 We are wrestling out here. 16:59 So over here he talks about this warfare we are in and he 17:01 goes on to say that we have weapons. 17:04 That we have weapons in this warfare. 17:06 I'll read if you don't mind. 17:07 "Though we walk in the flesh we do not war after the flesh, 17:10 for the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty 17:16 through God to the pulling down of strong holds; 17:18 casting down imaginations, and every high thing 17:22 that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, 17:25 and bringing into captivity every thought 17:28 to the obedience of Christ." 17:30 Now, if you want to stop and think about that, that's 17:32 a pretty high call, bringing into captivity, every thought? 17:34 That's God's ideal. 17:35 That's God's plan for us, isn't it? 17:37 RH: That's right. 17:38 JB: Weapons, here. 17:39 Talk about prayer again. 17:40 We've covered some of this ground already but let's 17:42 flesh this out a bit. 17:43 Prayer as a weapon in the spiritual warfare we find 17:46 ourselves in. 17:47 RH: I think, first of all, it becomes a personal weapon 17:51 against temptation. 17:53 Against this assault to the devil. 17:55 You see, just like in boxing, you move the man into 17:58 the corner you try to get him up against the ropes, you want 18:01 to corner him. 18:02 Well, this is what the strategy of the devil so you 18:05 want to corner him first. 18:06 And that's the power of prayer. 18:07 So right away, when that temptation comes, you right 18:11 away call on God. 18:12 Right then and there you say God help me, I'm being 18:14 tempted. 18:15 Take this away from me. 18:17 Right then and there. 18:18 Get thee behind me Satan. 18:20 JB: What happens when you wait? 18:22 RH: You take the second step. 18:23 JB: It is like a slippery slope, isn't it? 18:25 RH: Yeah it is. 18:26 Once you start down ... 18:29 JB: The drink is there, you want to take it. 18:30 The web site, the thing that pops up on your screen 18:32 and you want to click on it. 18:33 Right away! 18:34 RH: The second thing is you've got to quote 18:35 scripture. 18:37 You see that's what Jesus did. 18:39 He was tempted in all points like we yet did not sin. 18:46 When the devil came at him, even in at divine human 18:48 state, the devil says turn those stones into bread -- 18:50 I mean that is not a temptation for me or you, lets face it, 18:52 so he was tempted at a higher level than humanity. 18:54 JB: Sure. 18:55 RH: Now eating too much bread is my temptation but not 18:57 turning stones into bread. 18:58 The moment that happened, he called on God, I'm sure, 19:03 because he was in prayer. 19:04 Secondly he quoted scripture. 19:08 That's the second act, I quote scripture. 19:13 He that is in me is stronger than he that is in the world. 19:15 JB: Jesus was in constant communication with His 19:18 Father. 19:19 Do you think many Christians can make that claim about 19:21 themselves, or is it you get up in the morning, you say 19:23 your prayer and say, see you later Lord, I'll see you 19:25 tonight before I go to bed, live the day on our own. 19:27 It's important to stay connected, isn't it? 19:30 RH: Prayer is not what you say, it's who you are. 19:35 You see, prayer is your experience. 19:38 Prayer is your experience. 19:39 It's the breath of your soul. 19:40 You don't [grasp for breath] grab a breath on Sunday 19:44 morning at church, or Saturday morning, wherever 19:51 it is and then hold it until next week. 19:53 And you don't have to hit yourself on the head and say, 19:55 breathe Halverson! 19:56 No, it's automatic. 19:57 You see, once you come into that experience with God, 19:59 you come in that experience with Jesus. 20:01 You are with him always, in what you think. 20:03 Doesn't mean you don't sin, but you are right there 20:06 in the spirit of forgiveness. 20:08 You are right there in the spirit of confession. 20:10 You are right there in the spirit of repentance. 20:12 You see I have to live every day in the spirit 20:14 of repentance. 20:15 He doesn't say I'm going to be absolutely do everything 20:18 correct according to what everybody says because you 20:21 know this, God wrote 10 commandments; 20:23 the Pharisees wrote 250. 20:24 So which 250 do I have to get perfect with? 20:28 But I can be perfectly in the spirit of confession. 20:31 I can be perfectly in the spirit of repentance. 20:33 I can be perfectly in the spirit of thankfulness. 20:36 That's what he means by [being] in constant communion 20:40 with God. 20:41 JB: So we see the need, the temptation comes, 20:43 we've got to call on the Lord. 20:43 We've got to stay connected, we see that, 20:45 and then quote scripture. 20:47 RH: Right JB: What scripture, Ron? 20:48 There's a handbag there. 20:49 I want to steal a handbag. 20:50 RH: Well there are so many, "He that is in me is greater 20:53 than he that is in the world." 20:55 JB: Yeah. 20:56 RH: He that began the race will finish it. 20:58 He said, let this mind be in you that was in Christ. 21:00 He gives me these assurances. 21:01 JB: It is God who works in you to will and to do 21:03 of his good pleasure. 21:04 RH: That's right. 21:05 JB: I'm crucified with Christ... 21:07 but nevertheless I live. 21:08 So you are saying in order for our prayers to be 21:10 as effective as they ought to be we ought to have some 21:12 working knowledge of the bible. 21:13 It doesn't mean that a person with no bible can't pray 21:15 but if we want to move on from there we need to start 21:17 storing up the promises of God in our mind, don't we? 21:19 RH: Right. 21:20 Yeah. 21:21 I think prayer warfare is the second level, 21:23 which is called the intercessory level. 21:26 First level is my personal. 21:27 Most people never move out of the first level. 21:29 I think the church is in its first level when it should 21:31 be in its second level, because we are in the final stage 21:33 of the final battle, the battle of Armageddon. 21:35 We understand the battle of Armageddon is not something 21:37 is going to happen in the future, but something 21:39 that started in heaven. 21:40 And here on this earth, in the garden on through 21:42 the ages down to this time, in your home and in my home. 21:45 Hey, I'm being bombarded by this enemy. 21:48 Aren't you? 21:49 JB: Yeah. 21:50 Now, it's going to culminate finally over there 21:52 in Revelation16. 21:53 RH: It's going to culminate with the day of the coming 21:55 of the Lord Jesus Christ. 21:56 JB: Yes. 21:57 Now, intercessory prayer, that is a word we use. 21:59 What is it? 22:00 RH: It is to intercede. 22:01 He's put in our hands, he's put within us the power 22:05 to pray for John. 22:08 To say, John is my friend, Lord, he is going through 22:11 this, or Mary is going through very hard time, Lord. 22:14 I know that you are aware of it, I just want to let you 22:16 know that I am praying for her. 22:18 And the bible says that the prayer of the righteous 22:21 availeth much, so God, I want in behalf of Mary, 22:25 say to you, thank you. 22:27 JB: Prayer. 22:30 Is that us going to God and telling God, You know I want 22:34 a new bicycle, get me a new bicycle; I want a wife, get me 22:37 a wife; I want a son, give me a son. 22:39 And then badger God until he does what we want. 22:42 Or isn't true with prayer, that prayer is not about us 22:46 beating God long enough for God to do what we want. 22:50 RH: Wearing God out until he finally says ... ahhh 22:53 JB: But isn't it more like coming to God in prayer 22:55 and then refiguring out what He wants? 22:58 Is that right? 22:58 RH: One thing too, John, I really appreciate is the fact 23:05 that when I focus on that prayer, God does answer. 23:08 I had a woman, the husband and wife, they couldn't 23:10 have children. 23:11 Every doctor told them, impossible, will not happen. 23:13 They did every kind of thing you could do -- nothing. 23:16 So we came to prayer. 23:17 I anointed her and prayed for her. 23:19 Hey, a month later she is pregnant and gives birth 23:21 to a beautiful baby. 23:22 Hey be specific! 23:23 She wanted a little girl. 23:25 I said, Lord, give her a little girl. 23:28 Let's be specific in our praying. 23:30 Specially Christians. 23:31 Be specific in your praying. 23:33 JB: If it's true that prayer changes things, 23:36 isn't it a wonder that we don't pray more? 23:38 RH: That's the mystery of mysteries. 23:41 I mean, if He says, ask and it will be given unto 23:43 thee, why don't we ask more. 23:45 If he says, seek and ye shall find, why don't we seek more. 23:49 JB: The Bible says that he'll give the Holy Spirit 23:52 to those who ask. 23:54 In a prayer experience, we pray and there's the filling 23:57 of the Spirit, you see? 23:59 And then is the overflowing of the Spirit. 24:02 Pentecost was the overflowing of the spirit. 24:05 I pray for that all the time. 24:06 Father, overflow me. 24:07 I'm fighting the army of the flesh. 24:10 I'm trying to learn professional ways 24:13 of strategies to reach the lost. 24:15 No! 24:16 Open your heart to the heart of God. 24:18 Open your mind to the mind of Christ. 24:20 Let him speak for you, let him do for you and you 24:23 are going to see great things. 24:24 JB: Do you think generally we are praying prayers 24:26 that are too small? 24:27 RH: We are not moving mountains because our prayers 24:29 are too small. 24:30 JB: God is still in the business of moving mountains. 24:33 RH: Moving mountains. 24:34 God is still in the business of moving mountains. 24:36 But we have to have a moving faith. 24:38 JB: So there is somebody who is watching right now 24:40 and they're saying, I'm just not praying. 24:42 You know that churches are filled with people 24:44 that don't pray? 24:45 It's phenomenal. 24:46 RH: Lay people pray one minute a day. 24:48 The average, the latest statistics that they've done 24:51 on church believers in their prayer life- one minute; 24:54 preachers - five minutes. 24:56 JB: Five minutes? 24:57 RH: A day. 24:58 JB: No wonder we are not moving much. 25:01 RH: Impotent. 25:02 JB: So somebody is saying, I've got to change. 25:04 I've got to change. 25:05 I've been slack. 25:09 I've been sloppy. 25:10 I'm not connected to God. 25:11 Ok, sum this up. 25:12 Here is how you can change from being dead in terms 25:15 of prayer to having an alive, vibrant prayer life. 25:18 RH: Okay. 25:19 Some say, well, if I pray more. 25:21 No, it is not the quantity of your prayer. 25:24 It's the quality of your prayer. 25:26 And the quality of your prayer means you are focused. 25:29 We scatter gun like I said earlier. 25:31 We've got to begin to focus. 25:33 We are trying to pray for 25 people and I can't. 25:36 I've got to focus. 25:37 Sometimes my prayer list is 3, 2, 1. 25:41 When I first got saved, gave my life to Christ, I wanted 25:45 my family to know Christ. 25:47 I was the only Christian. 25:48 And I focused first on my mother. 25:52 The first person I led to Christ as a believer was my mother. 25:55 And then I went on through the family, my brothers, my 25:58 four brothers, my father, who was an alcoholic, became 26:00 a deacon in a church serving Christ. 26:03 Focus on the one need. 26:04 Then, stretch that need. 26:05 Once God begins to move, then you begin to move, 26:09 extend... It's like Elijah, you know, once he knew God 26:13 was on his side, man, he wasn't afraid of all 26:16 the pagans in the world. 26:17 And that's the way we have to be in our prayer life. 26:19 Begin with the concentrated focus prayer and then keep 26:22 expanding. 26:23 And to pray more for others, less for yourself, 26:27 more for other needs, less for your own, 26:29 before you know it, your needs 26:31 are being fulfilled. 26:32 JB: Thanks for joining me today, Ron, I am just so 26:34 thankful. 26:35 I know that God is going to change lives because people 26:37 have heard what you had to say about prayer, 26:39 and the power of prayer. 26:40 And there are people who are wanting to experience 26:43 the power of God through prayer. 26:45 They want to have alive vibrant prayer life. 26:47 (music) JB: Let's pray for those people right now. 26:49 Let's pray. 26:50 Our Father in heaven, how grateful we are that You 26:52 answer prayer, and that You still move mountains. 26:57 And that You can give to us an alive vibrant, real 27:00 powerful experience with You in prayer, where we can see 27:03 You do what we would have thought otherwise was 27:05 impossible. 27:07 I pray for those, there is somebody right now, 27:09 Lord change my life, change that person's life. 27:12 There is somebody right now, I need to pray, 27:15 help that one to pray. 27:16 There's somebody right now, we need to see a revival 27:19 in our church, let that revival start with that person. 27:21 There is someone right now, I want to walk through 27:24 my community and see changes, Lord, let it be. 27:26 And one day soon, let us see Jesus and spend eternity 27:31 with you speaking face to face. 27:33 We thank you for the hope, the promise that we have that 27:35 one day, that soon will be and we pray in Jesus name, 27:39 amen. 27:45 Friend, thank you for joining us today. 27:47 Look forward to seeing you again next time. 27:49 And until then, please do remember, It is written, 27:53 man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that 27:58 proceeds from the mouth of God. 28:00 (music) |
Revised 2015-02-05