Participants: Jason Bradley (Host), Nadine Joseph-Collins PhD
Series Code: TMP
Program Code: TMP000006A
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00:33 Hello and welcome to: The Missing Peace...
00:35 a program that's committed to making your prayer life go, Wow! 00:38 My name is Jason Bradley 00:40 and our primary host for this program is: 00:42 Dr. Nadine Joseph-Collins. 00:44 She is serious about prayer 00:46 and has dedicated her life to sharing the tools 00:49 to improve our communication with God through prayer. 00:52 Dr. Nadine has been empowering the prayer lives of others 00:56 in the Caribbean, Asia, Canada, the U.K. 00:59 and right here in the USA. 01:01 We are looking forward to hearing what she has to say 01:05 to take our prayer lives to the next level 01:07 but before she does that, let's seek the Lord in prayer 01:10 and invite His presence. 01:12 "Dear Heavenly Father, we always want to thank you 01:16 and praise you for the opportunity 01:18 that you have bestowed upon us to serve you. 01:21 We ask that as we have this conversation today 01:25 that you would be the Facilitator... 01:28 that you would guide our conversation, 01:32 that you would help us 01:33 to bring you all the honor and the glory. 01:36 We thank you and we praise you 01:38 and we ask for the outpouring of your Holy Spirit 01:41 in Jesus' name we pray, amen. " 01:42 "Amen. " 01:43 So, Dr. Nadine... what are we going to be discussing today? 01:47 Our topic today is: When God Has No Choice 01:50 and that's really when God has no choice 01:52 but to say, "Yes" to our prayers. 01:54 Isn't that something that everybody would like to know? 01:56 Yeah, how does He have no choice? 01:59 But to say, "Yes" to our prayers 02:00 I want to tell you a story right, 02:02 some time ago, I attended a concert. 02:04 Now, I am from the Caribbean so, we love concerts. 02:08 Growing up, it was something that we did, like, 02:11 every week, maybe on a Saturday evening, 02:12 maybe we would have a concert 02:14 but I had not been to a concert in a while 02:16 because I've been traveling so much 02:18 and so, I went to this concert and almost like, 02:22 toward the beginning, maybe the fourth person singing 02:25 sang this song... 02:26 and I saw people standing up 02:28 and dancing and singing along and so on 02:32 and I was like, "Wow! Okay... " 02:33 now toward the end of the concert, 02:35 I think, like the last song... 02:37 I heard like, the same track playing again 02:39 and I'm like, "Okay, somebody sang that song already" 02:41 I wanted to see the reaction of people 02:44 because I thought, "Okay, this was already sung 02:47 maybe they would have been a little calm and so on, 02:49 well, to my surprise, they were not. 02:51 More people began jumping up in the hallway of the church... 02:55 in the front of the stage and people began to sing along, 02:59 it was more exciting than the first time 03:01 and I sat there and I said to myself, 03:03 "Wow! when Jesus says, 'yes' 03:06 nobody can say 'no' 03:07 it's really a popular number among Christians... " 03:10 and then, I thought to myself, 03:12 "But how many of us can truly say 03:14 that when Jesus says, 'yes' in our story 03:17 not even the enemy or nothing at all in life 03:20 could actually say 'no' to what God has said 'yes' to" 03:23 and it brings us to this topic of like, 03:25 "When God has no choice but to actually say 'yes. '" 03:29 Now in another presentation, we had discussed self 03:32 as being the greatest hindrance that we had 03:35 in having our prayers answered... 03:37 really, as to... 03:39 we'll answer the question of why God says, "No" 03:41 and we really see that the problem is not with Him 03:44 but the problem is with us 03:45 because we are the ones holding on to self, 03:47 and so, we're really building on the idea 03:50 that God has no choice... 03:52 when God has no choice but to say, "Yes" 03:54 is built on the fact that self, of course, is dead 03:57 because we have already established 04:00 that if we are praying in self... 04:01 we will always pray against the will of God 04:04 because the things of God 04:05 and the things of the natural man 04:07 is always at war with each other... 04:09 Jason: Like oil and water. 04:10 Nadine: Right... they don't mix. 04:12 So, it brings us to a key text for our discussion today 04:16 which is in 1st John 5:14 to 15 where the Bible says, 04:21 "This is the confidence that we have in Him, 04:24 that, if we ask any thing according to His will... " 04:28 His will... Jason: That's the key... 04:31 Nadine: That's the key... 04:33 so, "if we ask anything according to His will... 04:36 He hears us... and if we know that He hears us, 04:40 whatsoever we ask, 04:42 we know that we have the petition 04:45 that we desire of Him. " 04:47 Jason: Hmmm... hmmm... hmmm... 04:49 Nadine: So this is our key text 04:50 and that sounds a lot like "Yes" to me 04:52 but the caveat is this, 04:53 "We will get more 'yes' answers to our prayers 04:57 when we are praying in the will of God. " 05:00 Jason: Absolutely. 05:02 Nadine: You see, because, we can only pray 05:04 in the will of God... when self is dead, 05:07 when the Spirit of God is now living in us, 05:10 that is why a big part of our prayer life 05:13 after we've been seeking "dying to self" 05:15 or after we've been dying to self... 05:17 is really now, 05:18 "Seeking what that will of God is. " 05:20 Jason: Hmmm... 05:22 Nadine: So, the thing is that, we also have no natural desires 05:25 or inclinations or thirst things for the things of God 05:28 because we already know that we are shapen in sin 05:32 and in iniquity and so on 05:34 and our natural tendencies are of course, at enmity with God 05:38 so, even the very desires that we have, for example, 05:41 to want to die to self... 05:42 even the very desires that we have 05:45 to want to know the will of God... 05:47 to want to seek that will of God... 05:50 comes from God Himself, 05:51 isn't that amazing? 05:53 Jason: Hmmm... 05:54 Nadine: So, wherever such inclinations are... to Him... 05:57 wherever we have these desires... 05:59 any of these things in us are placed there by God Himself, 06:04 because the Bible says, "In us dwells no good thing" 06:08 and that's why we can understand... 06:11 when we look at self-dying, 06:13 as one of the platforms 06:15 upon which our prayer lives can actually grow... 06:17 our prayer lives can be Wow! 06:19 as we've been talking about 06:21 is when we understand Philippians 2:13 when it says, 06:25 we can conceptualize that when it says, 06:28 "For God is the One who works in us... 06:30 both too will and to do... " 06:32 Jason: Hmmm... hmmm... hmmm... 06:33 Nadine: So, it now makes sense for us now... 06:36 so, God is the One working in me 06:38 to will... and to do... 06:40 because when self is dead... God is the One living in me... 06:43 He is the One prompting me how to pray 06:46 and then, God is the One answering. 06:49 Jason: Yeah, which is amazing when you think about it 06:53 because, we don't even have to do the heavy lifting... 06:56 God takes care of that... God does all that... 06:58 we just have to make the choice. 07:00 Nadine: Yes, He does all the work, 07:02 and when I contemplate on that, it's just amazing... 07:05 that's love... that's love at its finest... 07:08 because He is the One implanting in our hearts the desire... 07:12 and then He gives us the grace and strength 07:14 to do what pleases Him. 07:15 Jason: Yes. 07:17 Nadine: So, He does literally all the work 07:18 and when we look at Jesus, 07:20 He had His own perspective of... like, He's saying, 07:24 "Hey, this is how I look at doing my father's will... " 07:27 and in John 4:34 for example, He said, 07:30 "My food... " said Jesus 07:33 "is to do the will of Him who sent Me, 07:36 and to finish His work. " 07:37 For Jesus, that was food... doing the will of His Father... 07:40 Jason: Hmmm... hmmm... 07:41 Nadine: You know how we like our food 07:43 and I know you like your food. 07:44 Jason: I love my food. 07:45 Nadine: So, could you imagine, Jesus is saying, 07:48 "My food... is to do the will of Him who sent Me. " 07:51 Jason: Wow! 07:52 Nadine: So, just imagine how much we feast on our meals, 07:55 two meals a day, three meals a day... 07:56 desserts... snacks... so on... 07:59 Jesus is saying, 08:00 "You see, all of that stuff that you guys like so much... 08:02 how much... your belly means so much to you" 08:05 He is saying, "My food... what pleases my mouth... 08:08 what gives me my daily bread, my three meals a day... 08:10 my snacks... my in-between meals, 08:12 whatever the case may be, 08:13 is to do the will of Him who sent me. " 08:15 Jason: Hmmm... 08:16 Nadine: In John 8:29, it also says that 08:19 Jesus looks at His will... the will of His Father like this 08:22 He said, "The One who sent me is with me; 08:24 He has not left me alone, 08:26 for I always do what pleases Him. " 08:28 So, again, wanting to fulfill the will of His Father, 08:32 because when we do what God wants us to do, 08:35 or we do what is in the will of God, 08:38 we are pleasing God and that's how Jesus looks at it 08:41 and in John 5:30 He says, "By myself, I can do nothing; 08:45 I judge only as I hear, 08:48 and my judgment is just, 08:50 for I seek not to please myself 08:52 but Him Who sent Me. " 08:54 So, praying in the will of God 08:56 is literally praying in the Spirit of God 08:59 because it's the Spirit of God 09:01 living in us... praying through us. 09:04 Jason: Yeah, I mean, it's amazing that Jesus said 09:07 that He can't do anything without the Father. 09:10 So, then, why would we as human beings... 09:13 as mere mortals... think that we can do things without God? 09:18 We can't... 09:19 we can't... nothing good... without the Father. 09:23 Nadine: And that's why after dying to self, 09:26 our prayers will take a different flight... 09:28 it takes a different direction, things begin to change 09:31 because our asking would be different, 09:33 because no longer will we go to God 09:36 asking for the things that we want... in the flesh... 09:38 or the things that we see as needs... 09:40 but now, we will be going to God 09:42 asking Him, "Lord, what do you want me to ask for?" 09:46 What do you want me to pray about? 09:48 You know this song, "What shall I do?" 09:50 "Which step should I take?" 09:51 "What move should I make?" 09:53 That's the kind of way our prayer life will go 09:56 so, instead of us just going and doing our thing... 09:59 "Lord, what shall I... what should I ask? 10:02 Place in my heart Lord, 10:03 what it is you really want from me. " 10:06 Because then, it will change our request 10:08 because there will be more confidence, 10:10 because when we go to God and we know for sure 10:13 that this is what God wants us to ask for, 10:16 when we go to Him, we go to Him in confidence, 10:18 we are not going to be going there and, you know, 10:21 praying... but being very labor unsure... 10:24 because now we would have sought God 10:26 and we know for sure, 10:27 "This is what God wants us to ask for 10:29 so, now we're going to pray with more confidence" 10:31 our patience will be more secure 10:33 because when we are in the waiting period, 10:38 we will be patient... 10:39 we will be joyful... we will be at peace... 10:41 because we know for sure, this is what God wants for me, 10:44 I'm just going through the process... 10:46 Jason: Yeah. Nadine: You see... 10:47 and our answers, of course, will be more positive 10:50 because we know, 10:51 "Hey, this is what God wants for me, 10:53 this is what God has placed in my heart, 10:55 and as I wait for Him, as I'm patient... waiting... 10:58 I know, for sure, my answer will come 11:00 it's just a matter of His timing of course, 11:03 which is always perfect. 11:04 Jason: Yes, not our timing but His timing... yes. 11:07 Nadine: So, we'll have that confidence 11:10 because we know that God led... 11:11 we'll be patient because we know that God promised it, 11:14 we'll be... we will wrestle more determinedly 11:17 because we know, for sure, we have already won, 11:19 we are already victorious, 11:21 that thing that we are seeking is already provided 11:24 and, of course, our answers will be more positive 11:26 because God Himself had said, "Yes" to that thing 11:29 and that's the direction 11:31 we really want our prayer lives to take. 11:33 Jason: Hmmm... hmmm... hmmm... 11:35 Nadine: And too many times, I think, 11:36 we focus on what we want. 11:38 Jason: Yeah. 11:40 Nadine: Instead of focusing on what God wants for us. 11:43 Jason: Yes. 11:44 Nadine: And that is the greatest point of frustration 11:46 that we have 11:48 but as we have already identified, 11:50 the problem is really not with God, 11:52 the problem is with us. 11:53 Jason: Hmmm... hmmm... 11:55 and that's an excellent point because sometimes 11:59 when we put our will in the place of God's... 12:02 we're, essentially, blocking our blessings. 12:06 I remember seeing on Facebook, 12:08 there was a picture of me or something... 12:12 and there was a little girl with this teddy bear 12:16 that was probably about yea big... 12:18 this small... 12:19 and there's a picture of Jesus 12:21 and He was asking her to give that teddy bear up 12:25 but He had one hand behind His back 12:29 and in that hand... there was a teddy bear 12:33 that was probably about as tall as I am... I'm 6 feet 1 inch 12:37 there is probably a teddy bear that's about as tall as I am 12:40 that He was wanting to give her, 12:43 so, see, God has the... 12:45 sometimes we have to let go of something 12:48 but God has something so much better in store for our lives 12:52 which is why that faith... that trust... that intimacy... 12:56 has to come into play. 12:58 Nadine: You see, that the thing... 13:00 it goes back to the issue of self... 13:02 we trust what we have in our hand... 13:03 that's the thing... 13:05 we don't want to let go of it 13:07 because we don't know the unseen and the unknown, 13:10 so now, had that little girl given up that... 13:13 because what she had in her hand... she trusts... 13:16 "I know what I have, Lord, and I want to hold on to it, 13:19 I trust it because I can see it... 13:21 but I don't know what you have in store for me 13:23 because I cannot see it... " 13:24 and, therefore, we hold on to what we think is good... 13:27 because it's the only point of reference that we have, 13:30 but God knows our end from our beginning. 13:33 Jason: Absolutely. 13:35 Nadine: He knows the plans that He has for us... 13:36 the Bible says... they are great plans 13:38 He has a great expected end. 13:40 Paul says, "The things that He has in store... 13:43 we can't even begin to imagine these things... 13:45 because our minds cannot conceive it, 13:48 but yet, we hold on to what we know 13:51 because we feel safe in it, we are in our comfort zone... 13:54 we have a point of reference, 13:55 but like that story or that picture that you saw, 13:59 what God has that you cannot see... 14:02 it's there behind His back but really, it's just a picture 14:05 but what He has in store... that we cannot see 14:07 because we can only see one direction 14:09 God knows what He has behind the scenes for us 14:12 Jason: Yeah, like Jeremiah 29:11 Nadine: That's my favorite text. 14:15 Jason: It says, "For I know the plans I have for you, 14:17 declares the Lord, plans to prosper you 14:19 and not to harm you, 14:21 plans to give you hope and a future. " 14:23 Nadine: "To give you an expected end. " 14:25 Jason: Hmmm... 14:26 Nadine: And that expected end 14:28 that God has in store for us really... 14:30 will never change... 14:31 but it's just for us to be able to align ourselves to His will. 14:36 so we need to focus less on what we want 14:39 and try to focus more on God's will for us 14:42 because truly we have already identified 14:44 that we cannot even trust ourselves to pray 14:47 and so, that is why 14:50 forces us to shift our focus... 14:52 it is God working in you to will... 14:54 it's God working in you to do... 14:56 so if the only prayers that are guaranteed to be heard 14:59 are the ones that we pray "in the will of God... " 15:02 Jason: Hmmm... 15:03 Nadine: Wouldn't it be to our benefit 15:05 to spend time seeking that will. 15:07 Jason: Absolutely. 15:09 Nadine: It would benefit us greatly 15:10 if a great... or the greater part of our prayers 15:14 are really seeking God for that way, 15:17 "Lord, what do you want?" 15:18 So that when God reveals Himself... 15:21 when God reveals His will, 15:22 now, we are able to pray for that thing 15:24 but many times we spend too much time 15:27 praying and asking Him for what we want... 15:28 not recognizing that we really need to be 15:30 doing it another way... 15:32 look at Philippians 2:13, 15:33 God working in us to will and to do... 15:35 "So Lord, impress upon my heart what I need... 15:38 impress upon my heart what you want for me 15:40 because your plans for me according to Jeremiah 29:11 15:43 are great plans... " Jason: Yeah. 15:45 Nadine: "Your plans for me are... are awesome, 15:47 you have a great expected end that I have no idea what that is 15:50 what is it you want me to do? 15:52 What is it you want me to pray for? 15:54 Where do you want me to go to live? 15:55 What school do you want me to go to? 15:57 What do you want me to study? 15:59 What do you have in store for me?" 16:00 And now, you can begin to pray and claim these things 16:04 because God has placed it in your heart. 16:06 He is the One who has revealed it to you and so on 16:08 and so, before we go asking for things 16:12 we really need to spend time seeking what... 16:14 "what do you want... " that kind of a thing 16:16 and people generally ask, 16:18 "But Nadine, how do you know 16:20 what God's will is. " 16:21 And I remember the first time I came across 16:25 that concept was, when I was around 19 years old 16:29 there was a book in the ABC called: 16:31 How to Know God's Will in Your Life 16:33 I think it was written by Morris Venden, 16:35 do you know that book? 16:36 Jason: No, I haven't seen that one. 16:38 Nadine: So, it's an old book but in the first chapter 16:41 the author said, 16:42 "To know God's will in your life, 16:44 you need to have no will of your own. " 16:46 And I thought to myself, "How could I pray 16:48 and not have a will of my own, 16:50 how could I pray without any direction in my prayer?" 16:53 But I decided I was going to try it 16:55 so, that was around the time when desktop computers 16:58 were coming into the homes 17:00 and so, I would use my computer at work sometimes 17:04 to do some personal jobs. 17:05 So, I decided, "Hey, I'm going to get a computer" 17:07 I'd gotten accustomed to it on the job, 17:09 I learned all of the different Programs 17:11 and I said, "Hey, I'm going to get one. " 17:13 So, I went to the Bank... but before I went there 17:16 I already told God, "Hey, I'm going to try 17:18 what this guy is talking about in this book, 17:20 I want to know what Your will is, 17:22 so, I really want the computer 17:24 but if you don't want the computer for me, 17:27 I really don't want the computer. 17:28 So, whichever way it goes, I will be fine, 17:31 if I don't get the loan, I'll be okay... 17:33 if I get the loan, I'll be happy. " 17:34 So, I went in there... I brought my job letter 17:37 and everything that I needed 17:38 and the gentleman put everything in the System 17:41 and he looked at me funny and said, 17:42 "But you know it's strange, 17:44 on paper, it seems like you qualify 17:46 but in the System here, you don't. " 17:48 So, then I said, "Okay... " 17:49 I smiled and I said to him, "That's fine, that's okay" 17:51 and he looked at me funny... he's like, 17:53 "No, I could speak to my supervisor... " 17:55 and I said, "No, it's all right, it's all right, 17:57 I don't think that's God's will for me... " 17:58 and he looked at me a little funny... 17:59 and I wished him a good day and I left. 18:01 When I got outside of the bank, I was so happy 18:04 because I was like, "Yes, it works... 18:06 so, this wasn't God's will for me. " 18:08 That's the first time I tried it right, 18:09 about a week or two later, 18:12 a couple that I would usually assist 18:15 with typing up documents for them and so on, 18:17 came in the office... 18:18 they wanted to find out if I got my loan, 18:20 I told them, "No... " 18:21 they offered me... in fact... 18:23 and did give me 50 percent of the money that I needed 18:27 for my computer. 18:28 Jason: Wow! 18:29 Nadine: So, that saved me a lot of money, actually. 18:31 Jason: So it wasn't... 18:33 like, God wasn't necessarily saying, "No... " 18:35 He was just saying, "Not right now. " 18:37 Nadine: Or just, "Not this way... " 18:38 Jason: Yeah... exactly. 18:40 Nadine: You see, because, I was going for a loan 18:42 but His will... He had another way to do it. 18:44 Jason: Yeah. 18:45 Nadine: Because, if I had gotten the loan, 18:47 I would have probably paid about three times the amount 18:48 by the time I was finished with the loan, 18:50 you understand, 18:51 so, the thing about it was that it was the first time 18:53 and I actually got addicted to the will of God after that 18:56 because, after that try, I was like, 18:58 "Wow! hey I need to... " 18:59 and I began to try it more and practice it more 19:02 and I just got addicted to it because I realized, 19:04 "Hey, there's no better place to be than in the will of God" 19:07 there's no better prayer to pray 19:09 than the prayer that you know for sure 19:10 that God is going to answer. Jason: Hmmm... hmmm... 19:12 Nadine: And so, really we need to begin to focus 19:14 on shifting our prayer lives from telling God what we want 19:16 to asking Him, "What do you want for me?" 19:19 It's crucial. Jason: Hmmm... hmmm... 19:20 Nadine: Because many persons are frustrated in their prayer lives 19:23 every time I travel around, you go to churches... 19:26 people are just limp and weak because they're like, 19:28 "I'm tired of praying and God doesn't hear me... 19:30 He doesn't answer me... " 19:32 and as we speak more, I realize... and I would share 19:35 like I shared some of my stories with them 19:37 and, "Hey, the problem is not with God, 19:40 the problem is really with us" 19:41 because we go to Him with our own agenda... 19:44 Jason: Yeah. Nadine: We never ask him, 19:45 "What's your item on our agenda for today, Lord. " 19:49 We just go with our own list and we rattle it out to Him, 19:51 not even asking Him, "What do you want from me?" 19:55 Knowing, of course, Jeremiah 29:11 19:57 has that "great expected end. " 20:00 Jason: Yeah, yeah, yeah. 20:01 Nadine: Because He knows the big picture of our lives, 20:04 He knows our end from our beginning... 20:06 we could trust that the plans that He has for us 20:09 truly, at any point in our lives, 20:11 are good plans, 20:12 even when we go through bad experiences 20:14 because even the bad things that we go through... 20:17 are instructive things... Jason: Yes. 20:19 Nadine: Because God uses whatever the enemy tries to use 20:22 to destroy us, He uses it to instruct us. 20:26 Jason: Teach us a lesson. 20:27 Nadine: You see, because even if we look at 20:29 the greatest ministers, 20:30 the greatest ministries, 20:32 they were birthed out of situations 20:34 that were meant to destroy people, 20:36 but because of the love of God, 20:38 He is using these very experiences now 20:40 to draw others to Him 20:42 and so, that's why we know for sure 20:44 He has... truly a great expected end for us 20:47 so, apart from dying to self, one of the other things 20:50 that will really make anybody's prayer life go, "Wow!" 20:53 is, "Spending time seeking the will of God" 20:55 and if we're not spending time with Him, 20:58 we will never know His will for us. 20:59 Jason: That's true. 21:01 Nadine: It will take that intimate time... 21:02 it would take that deliberate practice that we spoke about 21:05 you see, it will take us... 21:07 looking at the life of Jesus as our primary example 21:10 and it will take us... daily dying to self to recognize 21:13 "Hey, I really need to begin to seek God's will for my life. " 21:17 Jason: Yes... yeah... 21:19 dying to self is a daily struggle, 21:21 that's a second-by-second, minute-by-minute, 21:24 hour-by-hour, daily struggle. 21:26 Nadine: Yeah, because once we say, "Yes... " 21:29 in fact, once we die to self 21:32 or we align ourselves with the will of God 21:35 all our prayers will be answered in the affirmative, 21:38 God will say, "Yes" 21:39 because it will not be us praying... 21:41 first of all, self would be dead... 21:42 he is living in us, 21:44 then we are seeking His will for us 21:46 and so, now when we go to Him, 21:48 of course, He will answer Himself. 21:49 Now, one of the ways that we can really test this, 21:52 is when we are about to pray... we can ask God, 21:55 "Whose will am I trying to establish here... 21:57 my will or your will?" 21:59 Jason: Hmmm... hmmm... hmmm... 22:00 and the thing is, sometimes we have good desires, 22:04 sometimes we want to do good things in our lives 22:08 but we have to realize, 22:09 that not every good thing is a God thing. 22:12 Jason: Yes. 22:13 Nadine: You see, so, not every good thing 22:15 that I desire is God's will for me. 22:18 Jason: Hmmm... hmmm... 22:19 Nadine: And that is a critical point for us, as Christians, 22:21 to recognize that we may have good desires. 22:23 I remember, when I wanted to go to school 22:25 all my friends were going off to college 22:27 and I was still working at home, 22:28 I had a good desire 22:30 but was it God's will and desire for me at that point in my life? 22:34 Jason: Hmmm... hmmmm... hmmm... hmmm. 22:36 Nadine: And so, there were other good things that we want 22:38 but it may not necessarily be God's thing for us, 22:40 that's why we need to spend time seeking Him, 22:43 yes, 22:45 so, if we are seeking, for example, 22:47 to establish His will... 22:48 then, we know for sure that He's going to answer our prayers 22:51 in the affirmative, 22:53 we know for sure that He is going to hear us 22:55 and that's why I like, Mark 11:24, 22:57 it says, "I tell you, whatsoever you ask for in prayer, 23:01 believe you have received it, and it will be yours. " 23:05 Jason: Hmmm... 23:06 Nadine: But that is contingent upon the fact 23:09 that we are praying in His will. Jason: Yes. 23:11 Nadine: So when we are praying in His will, 23:13 whatever we ask... of course, we will receive it 23:15 because we are not the ones praying... self is not praying 23:18 it's the Spirit of God living in us 23:19 prompting us to pray. 23:20 Jason: Hmmm... hmmm... 23:22 Nadine: So, many times, we don't know that will... 23:23 we don't spend time seeking Him for that will... 23:25 and I just wanted to add here 23:27 that praying the will of God does not exempt us from trials. 23:31 Jason: Yes. 23:33 Nadine: Because when we think about the story of Joseph, 23:35 we saw that Joseph had a dream, right? 23:36 Jason: Hmmm... hmmm... 23:38 Nadine: God showed him His end-plan for him... 23:39 "Your brothers will bow to you... " 23:41 "Your father will bow to you" and so on... 23:44 I will... He would use Joseph to do something great. 23:47 Jason: Yeah. 23:49 Nadine: But Joseph went through some rough experiences 23:51 during that time, 23:52 does that mean that he was not in the will of God? 23:54 The answer is no... he was in the will of God... 23:57 the bad experiences were 23:58 probably not part of God's plan for him 24:00 but because these things happened, 24:02 it did not prevent God from fulfilling His end-plan 24:05 that He had in mind for Joseph... 24:06 the will that He had in mind for Joseph. 24:07 Jason: Hmmm... hmmm... 24:09 Nadine: And so, when Joseph was in the pit... 24:11 when he was forgotten in prison and so on, 24:13 I'm sure, he didn't think, "Hey... " 24:15 maybe he was even wondering 24:17 where he was going with all of this 24:18 but at the end of the day, 24:20 it was not easy for him going through these things, 24:23 emotionally, we could imagine how he felt, 24:25 the hurt from his brothers doing that to him... 24:28 the loss of his father being around and so on... 24:31 so, being in the will of God doesn't exempt us from trials 24:34 it's just that when we are in the will of God 24:37 it gives us a greater sense of peace 24:39 because we know that God is the One leading us, 24:43 I remember in my own personal life, in 2005, 24:46 my friend and I were praying... we were prayer partners 24:50 and we usually would meet 24:53 and we would write our little notes down... to pray 24:55 then, we would agree on these things and pray 24:57 but that time she prayed and she asked God 25:00 to show me my husband by my birthday 25:02 so, after we prayed, I'm saying to her 25:05 "But Debbie, we didn't agree on this thing, 25:07 we didn't even discuss this thing, 25:09 do you know where I'll be for my birthday?" 25:10 And I said, "I'll be in Canada" 25:12 so, my mind was just on the Caribbean and so on 25:15 I wasn't thinking beyond that, 25:17 and by May 2005, 25:19 God did show me who the person would be 25:23 but we only got married, like, what... 12 or 13 years later. 25:26 Jason: And who was that person? 25:28 Nadine: Laughing... You're too funny... 25:30 Jason: Who was that person? Nadine: You know who he is... 25:33 so the thing is... look at how long it took... 25:35 from 2005... we got married in 2016... 25:38 but God had already revealed His will... 25:40 I know you're like that story, you know, 25:43 but God had already revealed His will... so long ago... 25:46 so you could imagine all of the hurt... disappointments... 25:48 and different emotions that were involved 25:51 all of these years of waiting... 25:53 then to actually see the will of God fulfilled. 25:55 So, being in the will of God does not exempt you... 25:58 it's not a walk in the park 26:00 and I want to share a few quick things, 26:03 God's "No" for us is not rejection, 26:06 it's sometimes... redirection. 26:08 Jason: Hmmm... say that again. 26:10 Nadine: God's "No" for us is not rejection, 26:12 it's just redirection... 26:14 because His "No" for one thing is His "Yes" for something else. 26:17 Jason: Yes. 26:19 Nadine: You see, because there are many people 26:20 who would have asked God... to marry this person 26:22 God said, "No" to that and then they got the person 26:24 that they really wanted to be married to... 26:26 the person of their "dreams" or whatever the case may be... 26:29 His occasional "No" is not punishment... it's preparation. 26:31 Jason: Hmmm... hmmm... 26:32 Nadine: And I wish we had time to unpack that 26:34 but the thing is, sometimes we are in rough situations, 26:36 you know, 26:38 on the job we are given assignments 26:40 that seem too much for us, 26:41 until we get the promotion and realize 26:43 that the experience was perfect... 26:44 it wasn't punishment... it was preparation... 26:46 His "no" for us sometimes are just like His "yes's" 26:49 to bring glory to Himself... 26:51 Jason: Hmmm... hmmm... 26:52 Nadine: When we look at the story of Job... 26:54 and we look at the man who was born blind... 26:55 in all of that... He said, 26:57 "I'll get the glory... it's for my glory" 26:58 and then, God's occasional "No" 27:00 sometimes is to take us on an exciting journey with Him! 27:03 Jason: Yes. 27:05 Nadine: And we saw that with Elijah... 27:06 if God had killed Elijah in the cave... as Elijah had asked, 27:08 he would not have been taken up 27:10 with that excitement in that chariot 27:12 so, I just want to remind us that... 27:14 you know, 27:16 that we could ask things according to God's will 27:17 because whenever we ask things according to His will, 27:20 He will hear us 27:21 and God will say, "Yes" to our prayers 27:23 when we say, "Yes" to His will. 27:24 Jason: Amen... 27:26 Nadine: So we could say a prayer, 27:27 "Abba Father, we thank you for your love, 27:29 we thank you for the great plans that you have for us 27:32 we thank you dear God 27:33 that you have a great expected end for each of your children. 27:36 Father, help us to be willing to die to self 27:39 and to align ourselves in your will 27:42 so that our prayer life can take up different flight, we pray, 27:46 in the name of Jesus, amen. " 27:47 Jason: Amen. 27:49 Thank you so much for that information 27:50 that you shared with us today, 27:52 and we want to thank you for joining us... 27:55 we pray that you have been blessed by today's program... 27:58 join us next time 27:59 as Dr. Nadine brings that missing peace. |
Revised 2018-03-21