Participants: John Bradshaw
Series Code: IIW
Program Code: IIW001471A
01:30 ♪[Theme music]♪
01:40 ♪[Theme music]♪ 01:49 >>John Bradshaw: This is It Is Written. I'm John Bradshaw. 01:52 Thanks for joining me. 01:53 I'm in Moldova, a little country in Eastern Europe 01:57 sandwiched between Romania and Ukraine. 02:01 It's a quarter of the size of the state of Tennessee, 02:03 has the population of the state of Connecticut, 02:06 about three and a half million people. 02:09 ♪[Music]♪ 02:14 For 50 years, Moldova was a Soviet socialist republic. 02:18 It was under communist rule as part of the Soviet Union. 02:23 But a remarkable thing happened, 02:24 the most significant political change of the 20th century. 02:29 And it affected the life of every person here. 02:36 ♪[Music]♪ 02:46 ♪[Music]♪ 02:54 As far as European communism went, 02:57 the winds of change really began to blow in the 1980s. 03:01 In Poland, the solidarity movement, 03:03 led by Lech Walesa, called for a series of strikes 03:06 which crippled that country's economy. 03:09 In Hungary, Czechoslovakia, East Germany and Romania, 03:13 governments came under pressure to roll back 03:15 the oppressive restrictions of communism. 03:18 In previous times, the Soviet Union's response 03:20 would have been swift and severe. 03:23 But this time things would be different. 03:26 On November the tenth, 1989, the Berlin Wall came down. 03:31 It was a serpentine, 12-feet-tall, 03:33 100-mile-long barrier that separated West Germany 03:37 from communist East Germany. 03:40 East Germans celebrated, 03:42 and that falling domino set off a chain reaction 03:45 that led to the dissolution of communism in Eastern Europe. 03:49 And by the time the dust had settled, 03:51 the Soviet Union was no more. 03:56 But the story many people haven't heard 03:58 is how the fall of communism had less to do with 04:01 Lech Walesa and protest and more to do with prayer. 04:07 In 1982, in the city of Leipzig, 04:11 a Protestant pastor named Christian Fuhrer 04:13 began holding Monday evening prayer meetings in his church, 04:17 St. Nicholas Church. 04:19 Pastor Fuhrer conducted those prayer meetings 04:21 in spite of the East German government's strong opposition 04:25 to religious activities. 04:27 So the government pushed back, 04:29 saying they'd do whatever they had to to stop what had 04:33 morphed from simple prayer meeting to peaceful protests. 04:37 But on October the ninth, 1989, 04:40 eight thousand people gathered in the church, 04:43 and another seventy thousand people 04:45 massed in the streets outside. 04:48 In the end, the government let them protest. 04:52 The BBC later reported that East German officials said that they 04:56 were ready for anything at all, except candles and prayer. 05:02 ♪[Music]♪ 05:08 Exactly one month after that historic night, 05:12 the wall came down. 05:14 And so too did a whole series of atheistic dictatorships. 05:18 ♪[Music]♪ 05:30 So while there were certainly other factors involved, 05:32 it can't be denied that prayer 05:34 played an incredibly important role in bringing about 05:38 in East Germany and throughout Eastern Europe 05:41 an incredible change, 05:43 which not long before would have been completely unimaginable. 05:48 So what's the secret to effective prayer? 05:51 Can anyone learn to pray effectively? 05:54 Or do you have to be specially qualified 05:57 to get your prayers answered? 05:59 ♪[Music]♪ 06:04 It seems to me a former Soviet socialist republic 06:07 is a pretty good place to ask, 06:09 and then try to answer those questions. 06:13 So what is prayer? 06:15 A dictionary will tell you that prayer is a petition to, 06:19 or communion with, God or another object. 06:23 Now, for the purpose of this discussion, 06:25 we'll limit ourselves to the idea of praying to God. 06:28 Someone once said that prayer is the opening up of the heart 06:32 to God as to a friend. 06:35 Now, God has asked that we pray. 06:38 And He's promised that He'll answer our prayers. 06:42 Now, listen to this: it's Second Chronicles 7, verse 14. 06:46 Solomon has just dedicated the temple to God. 06:49 It's in the tenth century B.C. 06:51 And God spoke to Solomon and said this: 06:55 “If My people, which are called by My name, 06:57 shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, 07:02 and turn from their wicked ways; 07:05 then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, 07:08 and will heal their land.” 07:11 The Sovereign of the universe says, 07:13 “I will answer your prayers.” 07:17 And you notice He makes it nice and simple. 07:19 There are very few conditions involved. 07:21 God simply says that if you come to Him humbly, 07:24 and if you turn away from sin, 07:26 He will hear and answer your prayers. 07:31 Now, over in the New Testament, 07:32 we read this in First John, chapter 5, verses 14 and 15: 07:38 “Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, 07:41 that if we ask anything according to His will, 07:44 He hears us. 07:45 And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, 07:48 we know that we have the petitions 07:50 that we have asked of Him.” 07:52 John, the man who wrote the gospel of John 07:54 and the Book of Revelation, 07:56 a man who spent three and a half years 07:58 as one of Jesus' closest friends, says that if you pray, 08:02 you can know that God hears you, 08:05 and in knowing that He hears you, 08:07 you can be confident that He will grant your petitions. 08:11 Now, that has to be one of the most remarkable things 08:14 ever written. 08:16 So, how do you go about praying in a way 08:20 that you can be certain your prayers will be answered? 08:23 Tell you that in just a moment. 08:25 ♪[Music]♪ 08:33 >>Announcer: Planning for your financial future 08:35 is a vital aspect of Christian stewardship. 08:39 For this reason, It Is Written is pleased to offer 08:42 free planned giving and estate services. 08:44 For information on how we can help you, 08:47 please call 800-992-2219 08:50 Call today, or visit our website, 08:54 HisLegacy.com 08:56 Call 800-992-2219 09:01 >>John: There is power in the Word of God, 09:03 and power available to you through the promises of God. 09:08 God wants you to experience that power, and so do I. 09:11 I'd like you to have today's free offer, 09:13 “Promises of Power,” new from It Is Written. 09:16 To receive “Promises of Power,” 09:18 call 800-253-3000 09:21 800-253-3000 09:23 Visit ItIsWritten.com 09:25 or write to the address on your screen, 09:27 and be sure you receive “Promises of Power.” 09:32 ♪[Music]♪ 09:37 >>John: This is It Is Written. Thanks for joining me. 09:40 The first prayer in the Bible 09:41 appears in the third chapter of Genesis. 09:44 The last prayer in the Bible is in Revelation, 09:47 chapter 22, in the second last verse of the Bible, 09:50 where John rights, “Even so, come, Lord Jesus.” 09:54 God wants us to pray. 09:57 He wants to communicate with us. 09:59 So how do you pray effectively? 10:01 What's the secret? 10:03 I've come to Orheiul Vechi, 10:05 a fascinating place about an hour from Chisinau, 10:08 the capital of Moldova. 10:09 Until 1991, Moldova was a communist land, 10:13 part of the Soviet Union. 10:15 Most people don't know how significant a part prayer played 10:19 in bringing about the end of communism. 10:22 And this historic little place 10:25 gives us an opportunity to reflect on prayer. 10:29 They say the medieval town was built here around 700 years ago. 10:34 Mongol invaders came through a little after that. 10:36 And then there was a time of peace under kings 10:39 such as Alexander the Kind and Stephen the Great. 10:43 There was a palace here at one time. 10:45 Governors lived here. 10:46 There was a mosque and a minaret from which 10:49 the call to prayer was made. 10:51 Ruins of an old Christian church can be seen. 10:54 And today, there's still a monastery here. 10:57 The cave monastery goes back hundreds of years. 11:02 It can't have been easy to build. 11:05 Monasteries are places of reflection. 11:08 Some have been built in the unlikeliest of settings. 11:11 In most every monastery, 11:13 prayer is high on the list of priorities. 11:17 Here at Orheiul Vechi, 11:19 the monastery is run by the Eastern Orthodox Church. 11:23 Monks actually used to stay in these little cells, 11:27 once upon a time. 11:28 Considering that the temperatures here can be 11:30 absolutely frigid, that's really something. 11:34 It's not unusual for monks, or others who live in a monastery, 11:38 to withdraw from the world and give themselves over to working, 11:42 to reading the Bible, and to prayer. 11:49 You don't see a monastic life 11:51 modeled or recommended in the Bible. 11:54 Now, it's true there were times that people came aside 11:57 for periods of spiritual devotion. 11:59 But they were connected to active ministry for others. 12:03 The six weeks or so that Jesus spent in the wilderness 12:06 after his baptism were immediately prior to 12:09 the beginning of his active earthly ministry. 12:13 In Mark 6 and verse 31, Jesus said to his disciples, 12:18 “Come apart by yourselves into a deserted place 12:21 and rest a while.” 12:23 Jesus could see they needed rest. 12:25 They needed time with him 12:27 to be strengthened for the ministry he called them to. 12:31 Does God hear prayers prayed in a monastery any more clearly 12:35 than he hears prayers prayed in the middle of a bustling city? 12:38 Does God hear the prayers of a monk or a priest or a minister 12:41 any more clearly than he hears the prayers 12:43 of a construction worker or a taxi driver? 12:47 Absolutely not. 12:50 The key to successful prayer is...to pray. 12:55 Whoever you are, 12:57 wherever you are, 12:58 whatever you are: 13:00 if you'll pray, God will hear your prayers. 13:05 Now, there's a common mistake that far too many people make 13:09 when it comes to prayer, 13:10 and that is thinking that prayer is all about getting. 13:15 Now, it's true, when you come to God in prayer, 13:17 it's okay to do your fair share of asking. 13:20 But prayer is so much more 13:22 than coming to God with a shopping list. 13:25 Prayer is communion. 13:27 It's communication. 13:29 It's spending time in God's presence 13:31 so that you and God are on the same wavelength, 13:33 so that God's thoughts become your thoughts, 13:37 and so that you are strengthened to live a Christian life 13:40 in the very center of the will of God. 13:44 I got an email a couple of days ago 13:46 from somebody asking about a difficult temptation 13:49 he was facing. 13:50 As a matter of fact, 13:51 he said it was beating him and he was feeling crushed, 13:55 and he couldn't get the victory over a certain sin. 13:58 And in that email he said, 14:01 “But I don't read my Bible, and I don't pray.” 14:05 Well, ladies and gentlemen, there it is. 14:08 He wasn't praying. 14:09 So of course he was being defeated. 14:12 If he had prayed, 14:13 well, he might not have got that shiny red truck 14:16 that he was wanting, for example, 14:18 but he would have been strengthened to meet the trials 14:21 that were coming into his life. 14:23 Prayer would have made the difference. 14:28 Now, while it's a good thing to pray in a peaceful place, 14:30 it's good to get away from it all, 14:32 it's good to be someplace that you're not going to be bothered, 14:35 what you need to know is how you can pray wherever you are 14:38 and still be heard by God. 14:40 There's no special place that you must pray 14:43 in order to be heard. 14:44 You can pray anywhere at all and anytime. 14:52 Prayer is where your desires become molded 14:55 to the will of God. 14:57 In fact, prayer is more about you trying to find out 14:59 what God's will is on something, 15:02 rather than trying to bend God to suit your will. 15:06 And prayer is not a get-out-of-jail-free card. 15:10 You can pray all you want, but your dog might still die 15:12 and you might still lose your job. 15:15 But if you pray, 15:16 you'll be strengthened to meet the trials life brings your way. 15:20 So how's your prayer life? 15:22 God is waiting to hear and answer your prayers. 15:26 I'll be back with more in just a moment. 15:27 ♪[Music]♪ 15:34 ♪[Music]♪ 15:37 Today I'd like to ask you to help It Is Written 15:40 open the eyes of the blind. 15:42 India has more blind people than any country on earth. 15:45 But simple cataract surgery can make the difference between 15:48 seeing and not seeing. 15:50 Eyes for India is a project that's providing 15:52 cataract surgery for people in desperate need 15:55 of the gift of sight. 15:56 Please help today. 15:57 Call 800-253-3000 16:01 Or visit itiswritten.com 16:05 ♪[Music]♪ 16:06 >>Announcer: In Matthew 4:4, the Word of God says, 16:08 “It is written, 16:09 ‘Man shall not live by bead alone, 16:11 but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.” 16:15 “Every Word” is a one-minute, Bible-based daily devotional 16:19 presented by Pastor John Bradshaw, 16:20 and designed especially for busy people like you. 16:23 Look for Every Word on selected networks, 16:26 or watch it online every day on our website, 16:29 ItIsWritten.com 16:31 Receive a daily spiritual boost. 16:33 Watch “Every Word.” 16:34 You'll be glad you did. 16:36 Here's a sample. 16:39 ♪[Theme music]♪ 16:44 Joseph: sold as a slave by his own brothers 16:47 and taken off to a foreign country, 16:49 where's propositioned by his master's wife. 16:51 To betray his master's trust 16:53 and to sin against God would have been disastrous. 16:55 But to spurn this woman, well, we know how that turned out. 16:59 But when Potiphar's wife was turning up the heat, 17:02 Genesis 39, verse 8 speaks of Joseph when it says, 17:06 “But he refused.” 17:08 Three simple words that could change, 17:09 or maybe even save, your life. 17:12 Temptation comes at us every day it attacks us, 17:14 and often when we're weak or where we're weak. 17:17 But as challenging as temptation can be, think of Joseph. 17:21 “But he refused.” 17:22 He could have acquiesced, but he refused. 17:24 He could have fallen, but he refused. 17:27 Temptation offers you a choice. 17:28 Let it be said of you, “But he or she refused.” 17:31 And let God's Spirit keep you in the will of God. 17:34 I'm John Bradshaw for It Is Written. 17:36 Let's live today by every word. 17:39 ♪[Music]♪ 17:44 >>John: Thanks for joining me today on It Is Written. 17:47 People come to monasteries like this one in Moldova to pray. 17:52 Prayer is fundamental to the Christian experience. 17:55 In fact, you cannot really call yourself a genuine believer 17:58 in God without habitual, personal prayer. 18:02 Prayer is where your mind meets with the mind of God. 18:07 Prayer is like breathing the air God breathes. 18:10 It's like downloading God's thoughts into your own. 18:14 Now, remember Psalm 66, verse 18, which says, 18:17 “If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear.” 18:21 Now, that does not mean that God 18:23 doesn't hear the prayers of sinners. 18:24 If that were true, none of us would be heard. 18:27 But what it does mean is that if we choose to cling to sin, 18:31 and refuse to surrender it to God, 18:34 we're really telling God that we're just not serious about 18:38 his will being done in our life. 18:41 As John Bunyan, who wrote “The Pilgrim's Progress,” said, 18:44 “In prayer a heart without words is better 18:49 than words without a heart.” 18:53 Consider the Lord's Prayer with me. 18:55 It's the model prayer given in the Bible. 18:58 The disciples came to Jesus in Matthew, chapter 6, 19:01 and they said, “Lord, teach us to pray.” 19:05 And what prompted them to make that request was what Jesus 19:08 had been talking about immediately prior to this. 19:12 Jesus warned them against praying like the hypocrites, 19:15 who prayed so that other people 19:17 would see their religious devotion. 19:20 Now that word, hypocrites, is translated from a word 19:23 that means an actor. 19:26 Insincere prayers, just acting the part, 19:29 aren't getting anyone anywhere. 19:32 He went on to say in Matthew 6, verse 6, 19:34 “But you, when you pray, go into your room, 19:37 and when you have shut your door, 19:39 pray to your Father who is in the secret place; 19:42 and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.” 19:46 Private prayer should be private. 19:49 When you're pouring out your heart to God 19:50 about what's nearest to you, 19:52 you want to have a place to go to pray that's your own space. 19:56 That's important. 19:57 And notice that Jesus in that passage suggested 19:59 that God will answer your prayers. 20:02 You find that thought expressed all the way through the Bible. 20:05 In the next verse, 20:06 Jesus said there's no place in prayer 20:09 for what He referred to as vain repetition. 20:12 That's saying the same prayer over and over and over again. 20:17 You see, when it comes to prayer, 20:20 what God wants us to know is that prayer 20:22 is a meeting of minds and hearts. 20:26 God wants to hear what's on your heart. 20:29 He wants to hear from you in communication 20:31 about what's important to you. 20:34 Simply regurgitating a learned prayer 20:37 doesn't really constitute true prayer. 20:40 I'll give you a case in point. 20:42 In my life I must have prayed the Lord's Prayer, 20:44 oh, thousands of times. 20:47 Because as a child we were taught to pray that prayer 20:50 over and over and over, and again and again and again. 20:53 But think about it. 20:55 You'd be far better off praying that prayer once, 20:58 and thinking about it, and reflecting on it, 21:03 really getting something out of the experience, 21:05 than you would saying that prayer a hundred times 21:09 without giving it any thought. 21:11 And then Jesus said in Matthew 6, verse 9, 21:14 “In this manner, therefore, pray: 21:17 Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name.” 21:21 Now, who are you praying to? 21:22 You're praying to your Father. 21:25 And that ought to give you confidence and assurance. 21:29 And involved in that little phrase Jesus taught 21:31 was the idea of praise. 21:35 You're to praise God when you pray. 21:38 Praise Him for who He is, for what He is, 21:41 for what He's done, for what He means to you. 21:45 Just that can keep you busy praying for quite a while. 21:50 Verse 10: “Your kingdom come. 21:52 Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” 21:56 We're to pray for the coming of God's kingdom, 21:59 the setting up of His eternal kingdom when Jesus returns. 22:03 You see, prayer focuses your mind on the important things 22:07 on the big picture. 22:09 And notice we're to pray that God's will is done. 22:14 Now, you and I both know that we don't always see our prayers 22:18 answered the way we wish they were. 22:20 And maybe that's because God knows 22:22 you don't really need a raise right now. 22:25 Or you can actually get by 22:26 without fine weather this weekend. 22:29 And that's fine. 22:30 But what about when your child doesn't recover from cancer, 22:33 or Dad doesn't come back from the hospital? 22:36 What then? 22:38 Well, the fact is, that's life. 22:41 That's life in this sinful world. 22:44 Now, it's not God's will that children should suffer 22:46 or that parents should die. 22:48 That's not God's will at all. 22:50 But what is God's will is that you're saved 22:53 into His eternal kingdom, 22:54 that you spend eternity with God. 22:57 And people who spend eternity with God are people 22:59 who've learned to say, like Job said, 23:02 “Though He slay me, yet will I trust in Him.” 23:06 Now, we don't always get what we want. 23:08 Our prayers aren't always answered the way we wish. 23:12 But we can trust God anyway, and say, “Thy will be done.” 23:19 Matthew 6:11: “Give us this day our daily bread.” 23:24 God wants us to ask Him for what we need and for what we want. 23:27 But we need to remember, God's not Santa Claus. 23:31 He knows what's best for us in every situation 23:34 as He considers the big picture. 23:36 But He does want us to pray big prayers. 23:40 John Knox, the great Scottish reformer, 23:42 didn't just pray for the salvation of a family member 23:44 or a neighbor. 23:46 He prayed to God and said, 23:47 “Give me Scotland or I die.” 23:49 He prayed for the salvation of a country. 23:53 In Second Kings, chapter 13, a king came to the prophet Elisha. 23:57 Elisha said to him, “Strike the ground,” 24:00 which the king did, three times. 24:03 Elisha was upset. 24:04 He said, “If you had pounded on the ground five or six times, 24:08 God would have given you complete deliverance from Syria. 24:12 But you only pounded on the ground three times.” 24:14 You see, God understood the king's timidity 24:17 in striking the ground as an expression of a lack of faith. 24:21 God wanted to do more for the king. 24:24 And often God wants to do more for you. 24:27 Pray big prayers. 24:28 Now, if you're praying for a bigger house and a nicer car, 24:33 well, you want to be careful about that. 24:35 Sometimes that might be appropriate, 24:36 but far too often it's just greed or ego. 24:41 But do pray big prayers, really big prayers, 24:44 and know that God is big enough to answer them. 24:48 In verse 12, the model prayer goes on: 24:51 “And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.” 24:55 First, it's important to pray for forgiveness. 25:00 If you've sinned against God 25:01 and you have, then confess that sin. 25:05 John wrote directly about this in First John 1, verse 9: 25:08 “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us 25:12 our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” 25:16 There's your assurance right there that God 25:19 will forgive your sins. 25:20 That's settled. 25:21 Don't doubt that. 25:23 But notice that caveat “as we forgive our debtors.” 25:27 So how's that working out for you? 25:29 If you harbor unforgiveness toward others, 25:31 you're essentially begging God not to forgive you. 25:35 Pretty simple. 25:37 Verse 13: “And lead us not into temptation, 25:41 but deliver us from evil. 25:43 For thine is the kingdom, 25:45 and the power, 25:45 and the glory, 25:46 for ever, Amen.” 25:49 Your battle with sin, your temptations, 25:52 your struggles, that's all material for prayer. 25:56 Talk to God about it. 25:57 Appeal to God. 25:59 Wrestle with God. 26:01 Paul prayed about healing three times, 26:03 and then God told him to pray about that no more. 26:06 But as the great man of faith George Muller said, 26:09 “The great point [of prayer] is never to give up 26:13 until the answer comes.” Amen. 26:16 So today, little Moldova is a free country. 26:21 You could create a politics for that. 26:24 Or you could recognize that God on His throne 26:28 hears the prayers of those who pray. 26:32 Pastor Christian Fuhrer said, 26:34 “Without the church, 26:36 it would have been like all other revolutions before: 26:40 bloody and unsuccessful.” 26:42 He could have said, without prayer. 26:47 What would your life be like without prayer? 26:50 Or should I be asking, 26:52 what would your life be like with prayer? 26:55 Take time to pray. 26:56 God is waiting to hear from you. 27:00 ♪[Music]♪ 27:06 There is power in the Word of God, 27:08 and power available to you through the promises of God. 27:13 God wants you to experience that power, and so do I. 27:16 I'd like you to have today's free offer, 27:18 “Promises of Power,” 27:19 new from It Is Written. 27:21 To receive “Promises of Power,” 27:23 call 800-253-3000 27:26 800-253-3000 27:28 Visit ItIsWritten.com 27:30 or write to the address on your screen, 27:32 and be sure you receive “Promises of Power.” 27:37 Thank you for remembering that It Is Written 27:39 is a faith-based ministry, and it's your support 27:42 that makes it possible for us to share God's good news 27:45 with the entire world. 27:48 Your tax-deductible gift 27:49 can be sent to the address on your screen, 27:50 or through our website, 27:53 itiswritten.com 27:55 Thank you for your continued prayerful support. 27:58 Our toll-free number is 800-253-3000 28:01 800-253-3000 28:03 Our web address is itiswritten.com 28:07 ♪[Music]♪ 28:13 Let's pray together now. 28:15 Our Father in Heaven, 28:16 we thank you today for the privilege of prayer. 28:20 I thank you that you are a prayer-answering God, 28:23 and that you are willing, eager to do in answer to prayer 28:27 those things that you have placed on our heart. 28:30 Father, right now I know there's someone needing a miracle. 28:33 This man, this woman, this young person, 28:36 needs to see you intervene in a powerful way. 28:41 We are praying for this. 28:43 We know that Jesus has said, 28:45 “Ask and it shall be given,” 28:47 and we are asking. 28:49 He said, “Seek and you will find.” 28:50 We are seeking through prayer. 28:53 So Lord, grant our heart's need. 28:56 Grant what you know would be best for us 28:58 in the plan of salvation and in the overall flow of eternity. 29:03 And Father, I'm praying right now for that one 29:05 who needs to give his or her heart to you. 29:08 I pray for surrender. 29:09 I pray for conversion. 29:10 I pray for salvation in so many lives. 29:15 So we praise you and honor you, 29:16 and again we thank you that you hear us, 29:20 and that you act in our behalf. 29:22 And we pray in Jesus' name, 29:24 Amen. 29:26 Thank you so much for joining me today. 29:27 I'm looking forward to seeing you again next time. 29:30 Until then, remember: 29:31 It Is Written. 29:33 Man shall not live by bread alone, 29:35 but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God. 29:39 ♪[Theme music]♪ |
Revised 2017-08-03