Pressing into His Presence

Prayer Opens the Pipeline of Blessings

Three Angels Broadcasting Network

Program transcript

Participants: Shelley Quinn

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Series Code: PHP

Program Code: PHP000013


00:01 Hello, I'm Shelley Quinn.
00:02 Did you know that intercessory prayer is the key that unlocks
00:08 the blessings of God for those who either won't,
00:12 or can't pray for themselves?
00:14 Please join us on Pressing into His Presence
00:17 today to learn more.
00:40 Hello, welcome to Pressing into His Presence.
00:43 In this series we are using a companion book, this book,
00:47 also titled Pressing into His Presence.
00:50 And this is based on a teaching that the Lord gave me.
00:56 It's actually how He led me into a more intimate
01:01 prayer relationship with Him.
01:03 We are working our way through a pattern I call the praise
01:07 prayer, which is an acronym for various prayer segments.
01:11 The P is for praise, which is a way to start out our prayer
01:15 with increased faith.
01:17 The R is for repentance, so that we may come into
01:22 His presence with clean hands, and a clear conscience.
01:26 The A is for affirmation, which teaches us to pray
01:30 God's promises back to Him, and it releases the transforming
01:35 power of the word in our lives.
01:37 Now last week we began on the I, which stands for
01:42 intercessory prayer.
01:43 And today we will continue on the topic of intercession.
01:47 If you're following along in your book,
01:49 today we're beginning on page 111.
01:52 You know, the apparent paradox of prayer is this: Christ tells
01:59 us that God knows what we needed in advance of our asking,
02:03 yet He still instructs us to ask.
02:06 This is one of those higher thoughts and ways of our Lord.
02:10 It is, on the surface, perplexing.
02:14 Jesus said in Matthew 7:7-11,
02:34 And He goes on and says:
02:57 James 4:2 says, You do not have because you do not ask.
03:03 So if God knows what we need before we ask,
03:08 why should we ask?
03:09 I think this is the answer.
03:13 It is God's will that the work He does on earth,
03:17 through His Holy Spirit, is in direct response to the
03:22 prayers of His people.
03:24 Prayer is part of heaven's plan to bring His blessings to earth.
03:30 God does not force His gifts upon us.
03:34 Infinite wisdom knew that love and loyalty could not be
03:39 coerced, so He created us as agents of free will,
03:43 and He instructs us to choose His gifts through
03:47 the channel of prayer.
03:48 And to prevent the possible interference with the freedom
03:53 of choice that He bestowed upon us, our all loving, all holy,
03:59 all powerful God waits on us to ask.
04:03 It is as if God had placed handcuffs of love upon Himself,
04:09 and He's waiting for our permission to act.
04:14 You may have someone you love who refuses to pray.
04:18 Many are in this mindset.
04:20 But your intercession gives God what you pray for them.
04:27 This gives God permission to act in their life.
04:31 Intercessory prayer is the key that unlocks the restraints that
04:37 God has placed upon His own hands to move.
04:40 Let me share the story of my sister Sunny.
04:43 And I am sharing by her permission.
04:46 She was introduced to Christ as a child, but our home was
04:51 extremely dysfunctional.
04:52 Life was not kind to her.
04:54 And to numb her pain she became a hard-core
04:58 addict for many years.
05:00 I prayed earnestly, begging God for year upon year.
05:07 I would beg that God would put His hand
05:10 of protection over Sunny.
05:12 And I asked Him to send Christian workers
05:15 across her path, even angels unaware,
05:18 as the Bible calls them, if that's what it would take.
05:21 And I pleaded three specific promises over her life.
05:26 And I'd like for us to take a look at those promises now.
05:30 You might want to jot these down because these are powerful
05:35 to pray over your children.
05:36 First is Psalm 129:4 which says:
05:54 Oh, just think about that.
05:56 God will cut the cords that bind us.
05:59 And as you pray that for someone else,
06:02 you're giving God permission.
06:04 The second scripture is Acts 26:18.
06:10 Here Christ was sending Paul. He said:
06:35 And then the third promise I took from
06:37 Romans 8:13, which says:
06:51 So here's how I combined those promises to pray for my sister.
06:59 I said, Oh Lord, cut her free from the cord of the
07:02 wicked that binds her.
07:04 And I prayed, Father, please open her eyes.
07:07 Turn her from darkness to light.
07:10 Turn her from the power of Satan to You, Father, that she might
07:14 receive forgiveness of sins, and an inheritance among those
07:19 who are sanctified by faith in Christ,
07:23 And then I said, Father please pour out Your
07:25 Holy Spirit on her, and by His power, help her to put to death
07:31 the misdeeds of her flesh.
07:33 And, you know, I prayed this for fifteen years.
07:37 I agonized over Sunny in prayer.
07:40 And finally God got her attention.
07:44 And the rest of her story unfolds like the parable of
07:49 the prodigal son that's found in Luke 15:18-23.
07:55 My sister returned to the Lord.
07:59 She buried her head into His bosom in deep repentance.
08:04 She confessed she was undeserving of His love.
08:08 But God was waiting for her.
08:11 He gave her His kiss of love.
08:14 He placed the robe of Christ's righteousness around her.
08:18 He put His signet ring of His promises on her finger.
08:23 And He fitted her feet with sandals, to press forward
08:27 on His path of life.
08:29 And the angels in heaven rejoiced.
08:33 You know, my sister Sunny has been dining from the
08:36 Lord's table ever since.
08:37 Sunny asked to be filled with the Spirit.
08:41 And by His power she was instantly, instantly healed
08:47 of her destructive addiction.
08:49 She has remained free since 1987.
08:54 And she has an intimate relationship with the Lord.
08:57 Now I have to tell you, I prayed for fifteen years,
09:01 but when she finally gave God the opportunity,
09:05 He was working all that time with her,
09:07 and then she turned to Him.
09:09 And now she is a walking memorial to God's promise
09:13 found in John 8:36 that says: Therefore if the Son makes you
09:20 free, you shall be free indeed. Glory to God!
09:25 You know, you may have heard the testimony of someone
09:33 who says something like this: Thank God for a praying mother.
09:42 Her prayers saved me.
09:43 Now I understand the sentiment, but I want to stress our prayers
09:48 don't save anyone.
09:50 That's God's job, and He is very good at it.
09:53 When loved ones are infected by sin, only the love of God,
09:58 and the blood of Jesus can cure their condition.
10:03 The Lord desires for them to receive healing,
10:06 but it is their choice to turn toward Him.
10:10 I say this just simply to relieve you of any burden of
10:14 guilt that you might feel when someone for whom you're praying
10:17 does not turn to the Lord to be healed.
10:20 God doesn't force His will upon them, and neither can we.
10:25 However, our prayers do have a significant impact as they give
10:30 God permission to work in the life of someone who is
10:33 rejecting His goodness.
10:36 After all these years of walking free, Sunny still calls me
10:41 periodically to give thanks for my prayers.
10:44 She knows they made a difference.
10:47 All prayer is a request, including
10:51 affirmations from scriptures.
10:53 We do not put forth demands on God to fulfill His promises.
10:58 Often our human sympathies desire to see immediate temporal
11:03 relief for suffering souls, without consideration
11:07 of the eternal outcome.
11:09 So don't become impatient.
11:11 When the Lord's answer to prayer is delayed, or perhaps it's no,
11:17 standing on the foundation of trust in His perfect love,
11:22 in His infinite wisdom, is where we must take our stand.
11:27 Suffering can sometimes serve as a catalyst that turns people
11:31 to God, or even strengthens their endurance.
11:34 God longs to bless man.
11:37 He sees the end from the beginning;
11:39 we see only partially.
11:42 In 1997 I learned a very valuable lesson about asking
11:49 for God's will when praying.
11:52 What happened; Debbie, a friend from my previous church home,
11:55 called me and she was in a panic.
11:57 And she said, Lisa, who was her sister, she said, Oh, Shelley,
12:01 Lisa's in the hospital.
12:02 She's dying! Please come and pray for her healing.
12:05 Well, Lisa was Debbie's baby sister.
12:08 She was only 32 years old, and she was more like a daughter
12:12 to Debbie than a sister.
12:14 So I dressed hurriedly, and I drove 200 miles to the hospital.
12:19 And, boy, the entire way, for over three hours, I was praying
12:23 affirmations from scripture. The whole way.
12:26 And armed with the sword of the Spirit, I stepped from the
12:30 hospital elevator, and I rushed to her room.
12:34 And I just could sense the presence of God with me.
12:40 But as I walked in Lisa was having difficulty breathing.
12:45 And her mouth formed a slight smile,
12:50 and she tried to mouth a hello when I leaned down
12:53 to kiss her forehead.
12:54 She whispered a greeting.
12:56 And after a few pleasantries I was ready to release the
13:00 power of God's promises in prayer,
13:02 fully expecting a healing.
13:04 Well, God had proven to me in the past that He still is
13:10 in the miracle working business.
13:12 I had seen Him raise the sick from their beds
13:15 in answer to prayer before.
13:16 But unexpectedly, the Lord stopped me.
13:21 And I was impressed that He had a private message that first
13:25 must be delivered to Debbie.
13:27 There was no still small voice.
13:29 I just had that impression.
13:31 So I hesitantly said to my friend Debbie, God has something
13:35 he wants to tell you before we pray for Lisa.
13:38 And we stepped outside the hospital room.
13:41 Well Debbie's tear filled eyes widened with concern as she
13:46 asked, What is it?
13:47 And I thought, Please Lord, what do you want me to say?
13:52 I had no idea. There was no still small voice this time.
13:58 I just opened my mouth, and surprising
14:01 words came flowing out.
14:02 I said, Debbie, God wants you to know that He loves Lisa
14:08 even more than you do.
14:09 And He will do what is best for her eternal benefit.
14:15 If there's any chance that she would turn her back on Him
14:19 again should He heal her, He wants you to understand
14:23 that He loves her too much to heal her now,
14:26 and lose her for eternity.
14:28 Debbie, God wants you to trust His heart.
14:33 You see, Lisa had spent her youth in wild partying,
14:39 and revelry. And when she was first diagnosed with cancer,
14:43 she surrendered to the Lord's love.
14:45 Each time the church doors opened she was there.
14:48 Her angelic voice could be heard from the choir loft,
14:52 and she became active in youth ministries.
14:55 And the whole church celebrated when her cancer
14:58 went into remission.
14:59 And Lisa got married.
15:01 Tragically though, it wasn't long after that that she just
15:06 seemed to completely reject God.
15:08 She quit coming to church.
15:10 She just seemed to... God was crowded out her life.
15:13 But three years later the cancer made a comeback,
15:17 and Lisa returned to the Lord wholeheartedly.
15:21 As I was standing there in the hospital hallway with Debbie,
15:27 the words from Ezekiel 18:21-32 came to my remembrance.
15:32 And there's where God warns that when the righteous turn away
15:36 from Him, they will suffer death, spiritual death.
15:40 But when the wicked forsake their wicked ways,
15:44 and turn toward Him, He says that God will
15:48 preserve their life.
15:50 I believe He's meaning eternal life.
15:52 I was absolutely sure that the Holy Spirit had spoken through
15:57 me to Debbie. And grasping Debbie's hand, I prayed,
16:02 Oh Lord, please, please, we ask that Lisa would not die one day
16:09 sooner than Your perfect will, and we pray Father,
16:12 that she will not live one day longer than Your perfect will.
16:17 I prayed, We trust Your gracious mercy.
16:21 We trust Your plan for her life.
16:24 So then, returning to her bedside, I pleaded all of God's
16:30 promises for healing in prayer.
16:33 My responsibility was to pray according to the Word
16:37 and His will. My faith was in God's power, mercy, goodness,
16:42 and infinite wisdom.
16:44 The outcome was in His hands.
16:47 You know, Psalm 116:15 says this: Precious in the sight
16:57 of the Lord is the death of His saints.
17:00 Several nights later Debbie phoned, actually Lisa phoned
17:08 I should say. Debbie at home.
17:09 It was during the middle of the night, and in a raspy,
17:13 but excited voice... And when I say raspy, I could barely
17:16 understand her. But she shared how God had spoken with her
17:21 assuring her of salvation, and eventual perfect healing.
17:25 She told Debbie to quit worrying about her;
17:28 that she was in God's hands.
17:30 Lisa died that night.
17:32 Debbie took Lisa's death very hard.
17:36 And a year later though, she called to thank me for sharing
17:39 words, what she said, Words straight from the throne of God.
17:45 On that day as we stood outside that hospital room,
17:49 the words the Holy Spirit had prompted me to share kept Debbie
17:53 from sinking too low.
17:55 And according to His promise in Psalm 33, God proved to be
18:01 the lifter of her head.
18:04 He had cupped His loving hand under her chin,
18:08 and kept her looking up to Him.
18:11 You know, years later, in September of 2008, I had an even
18:20 greater test of trusting God.
18:22 While my husband and I were traveling on ministry business,
18:27 my precious J. D., my precious husband, had a recurring episode
18:31 of a mysterious illness which arose.
18:33 Admitted to the hospital through the emergency room,
18:37 he required immediate surgery.
18:39 And in the days following, the infectious disease specialist
18:44 frequently reminded us of the life threatening nature
18:48 of my husband's condition.
18:49 We were perfectly aware because it had nearly taken his life
18:54 twice in the past.
18:55 And one day on the phone I heard J. D. say, he's talking with his
19:01 brother on the phone, and he said, I've never been closer
19:05 to the Lord. If it's my time to go, I'm ready.
19:10 I want you to know his words sent a chill down my spine,
19:16 and I thought, He might be ready, but I'm certainly
19:20 not ready! And I didn't want him to give up.
19:23 But striving to remain strong, I efficiently tended to the tasks
19:28 at hand, in an almost robotic action,
19:33 certainly with numbed emotion.
19:35 For those first eight days I sat next to his hospital bed praying
19:41 constantly, in little spiritual gasps, claiming Bible promises
19:46 for his healing, but I, for some reason I just dare not press
19:52 into God's presence.
19:54 Really it was because each time that I tried, I could feel like
19:59 it was like I had this retaining wall around my emotions.
20:02 And when I started to press into God's presence, it was like the
20:07 retaining wall was about to give way.
20:09 And I had to maintain my composure for J. D.'s benefit.
20:13 One dear friend said to me over the phone, Oh, well J. D. is too
20:18 special, and he's doing too great a work for the Lord.
20:21 Don't you worry about him.
20:23 God's not through with him yet.
20:25 He's not going to let him die, so have faith.
20:28 Don't worry. Well, of course, well meaning Saints chimed
20:34 in with the same refrain.
20:36 It seemed like, day by day, and I wasn't as sure at all
20:39 that they were right.
20:40 Because I had recently been ministering to a Pastor's wife
20:43 whose husband had died, seemingly
20:47 much too early in life.
20:48 He was much younger than J. D., and he had been doing
20:52 a great work for the Lord, but he was gone.
20:55 I couldn't picture life without J. D.,
21:00 although I morbidly tried.
21:02 I wanted my husband's perfect healing to take place here and
21:08 now, not later in heaven.
21:10 It's ironic when I think about it, because on the day that
21:14 J. D. became ill I had been delivering a series on faith
21:18 at the church where I was speaking, and now I was
21:22 questioning my own.
21:24 Weighing this in my mind, I concluded that the concern
21:29 over the possible death of a loved one is a natural
21:34 protective instinct.
21:36 It's not a lack of faith.
21:38 And late one night, alone in my hotel room, I finally pressed in
21:44 to the presence of God, and the dam broke.
21:48 I was flooded emotionally, and I wept openly.
21:52 I pleaded for J. D.'s life.
21:54 And this went on for some time, and then a sudden calm
22:00 came over me and I said, Father, I trust You.
22:05 I can't see the end from the beginning like You do.
22:08 If it is Your perfect will that he should die now,
22:12 I know it is for his eternal benefit.
22:16 If there's any chance that something could interrupt his
22:20 relationship with You, if You raise him up, if later in life
22:24 he could walk away from you, I plead that You
22:27 would take him now.
22:28 If the result of death is not Your perfect will, than I pray
22:32 in Jesus' name that You will restore health unto him.
22:36 And then I said, Thank You, Lord.
22:40 You see spending eternity with J. D. was more important than
22:44 having a few extra years together here on earth.
22:46 And I cannot tell you how relieved I was.
22:52 Giving God permission to be God somehow
22:57 settled me in a special way.
22:59 It helped me return my focus to Him,
23:03 trusting in His plan for our lives.
23:06 And it brought the perfect peace that He promises in
23:10 Isaiah 26:3, where He says:
23:21 And then again in Philippians 7, Paul promises that:
23:35 That night perfect peace, that perfect peace which God promises
23:43 flowed over my raw emotions like a warm soothing balm.
23:47 I knew God was in charge, and no matter what happened,
23:52 I could trust Him.
23:53 He would always be with me.
23:55 He exchanged His strength for my weakness,
23:58 and He carried me in His everlasting arms for the next
24:02 six months, until we passed through the flames of this fiery
24:06 trial unscourched.
24:08 And about a year later I was sitting in an examining room
24:14 when my Optometrist asked me, she said, Why is it than when a
24:20 child is dying with cancer God doesn't always answer
24:24 prayers for healing?
24:25 Is it because we don't pray with sufficient faith?
24:29 I casually mentioned my plan to begin writing this book on
24:33 prayer, and with soulful eyes this sweet and soft spoken
24:37 woman asked if I would explain it in the book,
24:40 why some prayers are answered, and others,
24:42 most, even some children are not.
24:48 So what happened was this scripture that came to my mind
24:56 was Isaiah 57:1. And this is what I shared with her.
25:02 Let me tell you, the devil is a thief who comes only to steal,
25:26 kill, and destroy.
25:28 God is the author of life, and He does not cause
25:31 a child's illness or death.
25:33 Why is His answer sometimes No to the request for some
25:39 children's healings?
25:40 Perhaps He receives them to their rest to avoid evil
25:44 that could turn them away from Him in their later years,
25:48 or cause unbearable grief.
25:50 We cannot see the end from the beginning as God does.
25:55 We have to trust His heart.
25:58 That's the best answer I can offer.
26:00 What I know with absolute certainty is that God
26:05 longs to bless us.
26:06 Prayer is how we bring down His blessings to earth,
26:11 to all mankind. He is calling on us to plead for the perishing.
26:18 And this is what we're going to be taking a closer look at, this
26:25 duty, and this privilege, in the next couple of programs.
26:30 Because as we go before the throne of the king of kings,
26:36 lifting up those who either can't,
26:41 or won't pray for themselves, we do help Him.
26:48 It's like we're taking the key.
26:49 We're unlocking those handcuffs of love and saying,
26:53 Lord now You've got permission to really work in their lives.
26:57 I pray that this is something that God will really get your,
27:03 gain your attention with.
27:04 And I pray for myself as well.
27:05 You know, it's amazing...
27:07 I heard yesterday about a car accident, and I'm thinking,
27:14 Oh, how sad. Someone I knew was actually in a car accident
27:19 and it took me at least thirty seconds to respond in prayer.
27:24 And I thought, Oh Lord, forgive me that I didn't
27:28 immediately intercede.
27:30 Intercessory prayer is so important.
27:34 And you will find next time we're going to be discussing
27:39 this duty, and this privilege of ours, and it is a privilege.
27:45 Thank you so much for joining us.
27:48 We enjoy this time together.
27:50 And as always, our intercessory prayer for you, for all of you
27:56 who are watching, and who are listening.
27:58 Our prayer is that the fellowship of our Lord and
28:01 Savior Jesus Christ, the love of our Father,
28:05 and that the fellowship of the Holy Spirit
28:09 will be with you always.


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Revised 2015-02-04