Participants:
Series Code: BOLS
Program Code: BOLS000122S
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00:05 #S064 - Prayer Changes More Than Things (Part 1)
00:19 how many of us 00:20 actually need a word from the Lord today? 00:23 No, no. 00:24 Somebody like y'all just want a word from the Lord. 00:25 How many of us need a word from the Lord today? 00:28 Amen. 00:29 I want to aim this right at those who have a need today. 00:31 Amen. 00:32 Nehemiah, Chapter one. 00:35 And this in some ways could be considered a bridge sermon. 00:40 It is a launching pad into some larger motifs 00:42 that we'll get into in the next few weeks. 00:44 Nehemiah, Chapter one and verse one. 00:49 The Bible says the words of Nehemiah 00:52 the Son of Hakala. 00:54 It came to pass in the month of six live in the 20th year 01:00 as I was in Shushan the Citadel, that Hunter 01:03 and I, one of the brethren, came with men from Judah, 01:08 and I asked them concerning the Jews who had escaped, 01:12 who had survived the captivity and concerning Jerusalem. 01:16 And they said to me, the survivors 01:18 who are left from the captivity in the province 01:23 are there in great distress and reproach. 01:26 The wall of Jerusalem is also broken down 01:29 and its gates are burned with fire. 01:33 And so it was when I heard these words that I sat down and wept 01:38 and mourned for many days. 01:41 And I was what? 01:43 Fasting and what 01:46 praying before the God of heaven. 01:48 And I said, I pray Lord, God of heaven, 01:53 great and awesome God you who keep your covenant 01:55 and mercy with those who love you 01:57 and observe your commandments, please 01:59 let your ears, be attentive and your eyes open that you may 02:05 hear the prayer of your servant, which I prayed before you. 02:08 Now, day and night for the children of Israel, 02:11 your servants, and confess what 02:15 the sins of the 02:16 children of Israel which have sinned against you. 02:20 Both my father's house and I have sinned. 02:25 We have acted very corruptly against you and have not kept 02:27 the commandments, the statutes, nor the ordinances 02:31 which you commanded. Your servant, Moses. 02:33 Remember, I prayed the word that you commanded 02:37 your servant, Moses, saying, If you are what 02:42 unfaithful, 02:43 I will scatter you amongst the nations. 02:45 But if you do not 02:48 return to and keep my commandments and do them. 02:53 Though some of you were cast out to the farthest part 02:55 of the heavens, yet I will gather them from their 02:59 and bring them to the place 03:00 which I have chosen as a dwelling for my name. 03:05 Now, these are your servants and your people whom you have 03:07 redeemed by your great power and by your strong hand. 03:12 Lord, I pray. 03:13 Let your ear be attentive to the prayer of your servant 03:18 and to the prayer your servants who desired to fear your name 03:22 and let your servants what will prosper. 03:25 This day I pray and grant him mercy in the sight of this man. 03:32 For I was the King's Cup bearer today. 03:36 Saints. For just a little while. 03:37 I want to talk you under the subject. 03:39 Prayer changes more than things. 03:45 Prayer changes more than things that are prayed together today. 03:49 Father, 03:54 we need your spirit today. 03:58 I pray 04:00 that your spirit would create such a swale 04:04 in this space that it smothers 04:08 all rivaling principalities. 04:12 Father, I'm praying that faith would be multiplied 04:15 exponentially in the hearing of the Word. 04:20 And Lord, would you do a decluttering work 04:22 in this moment? 04:24 For many of us, our souls are cluttered 04:26 by worries and stresses and concerns and anxieties. 04:32 Lord, would you sweep our souls clean in this moment 04:36 that we might be able to hear what it is that you have to say 04:38 to the church, So please, 04:40 Lord, would you hide me in the shadows of the cross 04:43 that Jesus alone might be seen, that Christ alone would be 04:46 heard in the end of our time together? 04:48 May Jesus alone be praised. 04:50 We ask this in the name of Him, who is altogether lovely. 04:54 It is in the name of Jesus that we pray. 04:56 Let those who believe say together, Amen. 05:00 And a man. 05:01 You may be seated in the House of the Lord again 05:05 talking on the subject, the prayer 05:08 changes more than things, 05:16 you know, friends. 05:17 In the late 1700s, the French armies of Napoleon 05:21 drew near a small in the country of Austria. 05:27 This little town had neither the weapons, 05:29 the population or the militia to withstand this attack. 05:36 And so as the armies drew near this town, 05:38 the town leaders conceded defeat 05:43 because realized that they could not fight on this plain, 05:47 but knowing that they could not defeat them in battle. 05:50 They called the people together where they begin to call upon 05:54 God for divine help gathered there in church, 05:58 they fiercely begin to pray to God for a divine aid. 06:03 They invited 06:04 the rest of the town for a municipal prayer meeting, 06:09 and so they fiercely begin to ring the church bells 06:13 as an invitation for the townspeople to come and pray. 06:18 The church bells could be heard for miles outside of the city 06:22 and as the French army begin to draw near 06:26 and they heard the sound of the church 06:27 bells, they immediately begin to retreat. 06:32 You see, they assume that the ringing of the bells 06:35 was an announcement 06:36 that the Austrian army or Calvary had arrived. 06:41 They immediately to flee 06:43 because they were not anticipating a real battle. 06:48 And the little town in Austria became known as the town 06:52 that was saved by the power of prayer and friends. 06:56 I've come to believe that this story 06:58 illustrates a more powerful and critical truth 07:03 because too often we tried to fight battles 07:07 on a plane that we cannot experience victory. 07:11 You see, tend to make a distinction 07:15 between a spiritual battle and an earthly battle. 07:18 We see this battle as spiritual 07:20 and that when as financial or medical or relational win. 07:26 The truth is that there are only spiritual battles 07:30 that show up on your job 07:32 in your home, and sometimes with your money. 07:37 And the reason, friends, that Satan doesn't 07:39 want you to know what type of battle you're fighting is 07:43 so that you don't know what type of weapon you need to use. 07:48 Can I suggest friends that often times 07:50 we are defeated because we are 07:52 fighting spiritual battles with earthly weapons? 07:57 But I believe, friends, that 07:58 when we begin to turn to God in all things 08:03 and for all things, it becomes clear 08:06 that our weapons are not carnal, but they are mighty. 08:10 In to the pulling down of strongholds. 08:14 I say I want to simply proper today that we will be greater 08:17 and mightier our victories, be more consistent 08:22 if we were more prayerful in all things 08:25 you see, the believer has to recapture 08:27 the truth that God is our source. 08:32 Do I have anybody that believes that God is our provider, 08:36 that God is our protector, 08:38 that God is our supplier, that God is our strength 08:43 and our portion, And there is never a time where we are 08:48 to operate autonomously or separately from him. 08:53 In fact, I've stopped by to let some distressed. 08:55 So know today that the battle you're fighting 08:59 today is not yours, but that battle belongs to the Lord. 09:06 And in fact, I need somebody to know that your outcomes 09:08 will never change until weaponry or artillery does. 09:13 And that's why the old hymn writer says, peace. 09:16 We often forfeit all what needless pains we bear, all 09:22 because we do not carry everything to God in prayer. 09:27 And the thing I need somebody to know 09:29 is that you want to fight a spiritual battle. 09:32 You've got to make sure you fight with the right weapons. 09:35 They are here in the past. 09:36 So today, in fact, let me say it this way. 09:38 I'm my oldest son. 09:40 He's about to be 14 next month. And and so Dr. 09:42 Pollard, man, these one 09:44 on one games are getting closer and closer in the driveway. 09:48 And so earlier this week, 09:49 we're playing one on one in the gym and 09:51 and because I'm feeling kind of good, 09:53 I'm playing the wrong game. 09:54 Alby I'm out there crossing over and shooting jump shots. 09:58 And before I knew it, 09:59 he was up 6 to 3 and we were going to seven. 10:03 And so and then I came to myself like the prodigal and say, 10:06 Why am I out here on the perimeter? 10:08 I got a post game where, like most dads, I back them 10:12 down in the paint where I knew I wasn't going to miss the shot. 10:17 And it's crazy because he mad. 10:18 He said I was cheating. 10:20 He said, Daddy, I dare you to shoot from the outside. 10:24 And the reason he wanted me to go outside 10:27 was because he wanted me to play his game. 10:30 And I had to say to him, son, 10:32 that when you're playing an opponent, 10:34 if they can't stop what you're doing, 10:36 then never what you're doing. 10:38 Y'all got with me today. 10:40 And what I'm saying today, Saints, is that when you pray, 10:43 you're backing the devil into the post. 10:46 When you pray, 10:47 you're putting him in the paint where he can't stop you. 10:52 And that's why Paul says you ought to pray without ceasing. 10:57 And it was his way of saying that if the devil can't stop 10:59 what you do, then don't stop what you're doing. 11:03 You can't play his game. 11:05 You've got to stay low and call on the name of the Lord. 11:11 Are you hear me today, friends? 11:12 And so now, as we go quickly back to the book of Nehemiah, 11:17 I want you to understand that Nehemiah, my friends, 11:21 has a very unique historical context. 11:24 Now, remember, friends that God had, 11:26 because of the children of Israel's wickedness, 11:31 God allowed them to suffer a prophesied 70 years of exile 11:37 where they would be taken captive by the Chaldeans. 11:41 And I'm understand that some were held captive in Babylon, 11:45 some were left in distress, Jerusalem, 11:48 while many were scattered amongst the nations. 11:51 And at this point, the head of God, Babylon, 11:55 has been supplanted by chests and arms 11:57 of silver, the Medes and the Persians. 12:01 And even though the exile is complete, 12:05 there are still some Jews serve our desert, sees 12:08 the King of Persia, and Nehemiah is one. 12:13 And here in chapter one, friends, we find a bear 12:16 very burdened Nehemiah, who's just gotten word 12:20 that the gates of Jerusalem have been torn down 12:24 and that the walls have been burned with fire. 12:27 Now, in coming weeks, 12:28 we're going to see Nehemiah and his friends partake 12:31 in some very heroic and bold actions. 12:35 In fact, the problem is that when we preach Nehemiah, often 12:38 we run right to chapter two when he makes his request 12:42 to the king. 12:44 But the miracle place in chapter one, 12:48 when he makes his request before the Lord. 12:51 In fact, there is nothing good that happens in 12:53 Chapter two, Chapter five, or Chapter seven, 12:58 if Nehemiah does not fall on his face before God. 13:04 Now, there are a few things that I like about Nehemiah. 13:06 His journey. 13:06 Are you all still with me today? 13:07 CHURCH But the first thing I like about Nehemiah 13:12 is that he teaches, number one, that your prayers 13:15 should always precede your actions. 13:19 Okay, let me say it one more time 13:20 that that in the journey of faith, that your prayers 13:23 to always precede your actions. 13:27 And and let me just give you this warning 13:29 that you can run past this at your own peril 13:34 and you can ignore it at your own demise. 13:38 You see, friends, too often the order of life gets inverted 13:43 whenever we are facing a challenge or a conundrum. 13:46 Whenever tensions begin to mount, 13:48 whenever frustrations became to rise, whenever enemies 13:53 begin to multiply, what we tend to do is at first 13:59 and then pray when our actions fail or bring defeat. 14:03 But the reason I like, Nehemiah, is that he prays 14:06 before he acts, he prays as he acts 14:12 and God blesses every action that he does 14:16 because his actions are bathed in the power of prayer. 14:20 And see, this is the motif for this word 14:23 that too often our lives I feel with more 14:27 re are impulsive reactions than there are prayerful responses. 14:31 Let me say it again 14:32 The problem is we've got too many impulsive reactions 14:37 and not enough prayerful responses. 14:40 You see, sometimes, man, when it gets a little hot or tense, 14:45 there is this feeling that we've got to do it ourselves, 14:49 that we've got to bring it to pass, 14:52 that we've got to do things on our own. 14:54 And what happens is we forfeit 14:57 the divine power that God alone is able to produce. 15:03 And this, friends, is why the believer must 15:06 have a pre first mentality, 15:10 because proper, as 15:11 1412 says there is a way that seems right, 15:18 but the end is the way of death. 15:21 And so if Proverbs is accurate, 15:25 it means that my first response, that my initial impulse, 15:30 that my primary reaction is probably wrong. 15:34 One are y'all hear me today? 15:35 Friends you see sometimes that initial help me Holy Ghost. 15:42 I need us to be clear that sometimes initial problem 15:47 is May ten times worse by your initial reaction. 15:52 In fact, friends, I need you to understand 15:53 that sometimes your reaction can be so catastrophic 15:59 that you can't even pray for God to fix the problem 16:03 because you God to repair the damage 16:06 that your reaction cause in fact cannot pass. 16:09 To say that many times we're not defeated 16:14 by, the devil's action, we're sunk by our own reaction. 16:19 In other words, we can't even pray for God 16:21 to take us to that next level because our reaction did 16:25 such a deep hole that now we've got to pray for 16:28 God just to get us back to Ground Zero. 16:32 In fact, Prince, 16:33 I need you to think back on this for just a moment. 16:36 How many income outcomes could have been radically different 16:40 if we had just taken the moment to be steel and allow 16:43 God to give us instruction before we act? 16:46 Are you hearing the pastor this afternoon, in fact, 16:50 how would the atmosphere of home be different week 16:54 if when your spouse came at you the wrong way, 16:58 if you had taken a moment to pray before you reacted, 17:02 how different with things be on that job, 17:04 If you had taken the time to pray before you took the job 17:08 or left the job, how different with things be with your kids? 17:14 If you took the time to pray before you decided to punish 17:16 or not punish, in fact, you could have saved 17:19 some apologies if you had prayed before you hit. Send 17:25 on that 17:26 e-mail, on that text, or on that social media post. 17:29 Are y'all hearing me search and see? 17:31 I need somebody to understand that one of Satan's greatest 17:35 weapons is false urgency. 17:41 In other words, 17:41 false urgency is that innate belief 17:45 that I have to respond or react 17:49 or do something right away? 17:52 And friends, this is how the enemy hurries us 17:56 and frenzies us so that we act ahead 18:01 of our prayers and our petitions. 18:02 And one of the things that you've got to do, friends, 18:05 is you've got to resist the urge to respond to false urgency. 18:09 Are you all with me today? 18:10 CHURCH In fact, friends of mine, I need you to know 18:13 that if they offer you the job today 18:17 and they need an answer today, it's probably because you're 18:21 the second or third choice. 18:23 And sometimes you need to be steel before God, 18:27 before you make a permanent decision. 18:29 Can I suggest to somebody today that sometimes 18:34 before you press send, you need to be steel 18:37 and allow God to give you grace to be able to communicate 18:40 in a language that is season with salt. 18:44 I know somebody is in a place where the relationship 18:47 is getting serious 18:48 and you don't want to keep somebody are strung along, 18:53 but you better make sure that you move into a season of prayer 18:57 before you move into a season of matrimony. 19:00 And I know that there is this sense 19:01 that I got to do something right away. 19:04 But I'm at a place where I've been burned so many times, 19:08 hurt by decisions. I didn't pray about that. 19:10 I would rather wait on God than to be hurried by people 19:17 and see. 19:18 And this is why Proverbs 14 says it this way. 19:20 There is a way. 19:24 that seems right until a man. 19:28 But the end of that way is the way of death. 19:30 No dice. 19:31 There is a way that seems right. 19:35 But the Bible says there is a way that looks good. 19:37 It makes sense. 19:38 But that way culminates in death. 19:40 And essentially what the Bible is saying, 19:42 is that sometimes the visible way 19:46 is not the ordained way. 19:48 And in other words, what God is saying is that 19:50 sometimes that way that looks like it makes sense. 19:55 The way that aligns with human logic is not necessarily 19:58 the way that God has intended for you to take. 20:03 Let me just say to somebody who feels like they are point 20:06 painted into a corner by circumstance, 20:10 I need you to know that there will always be a visible way. 20:14 But then there are several other ways that you can access 20:19 until you call upon God in prayer. 20:23 So one of the things that the enemy has this very acute 20:25 way of doing is causing you to choose from one of our 20:32 causing you to choose 20:33 from a place where you think you only have one option. 20:37 You see, one of the things that can happen, 20:38 friends, is we can get so angry, 20:40 we can get so frustrated we can be so lonely. 20:43 We can be so desperate 20:45 that the enemy creates a myopic vision of our worldview. 20:50 And what he does is he limits your perspective 20:52 so that you can only see one option. 20:56 And I need somebody to know that the visible way 20:59 is not the only way, 21:05 so that the visible way may be divorce. 21:08 But that's not the only way. 21:11 The visible way may be cursing them out. 21:13 But that's not the only way. 21:15 The visible way may be to quit and walk away. 21:17 But that's not the only way 21:20 that the visible way 21:21 may be to just give up and go back the way you came. 21:23 But that's not the only way. 21:25 And the thing I need somebody to get 21:27 is that the visible way is not the only way. 21:31 I love what Ellen White says. 21:33 She says that God has a thousand ways 21:37 of providing for his children that you know, not of 21:42 this is the point of rejoicing that somebody today 21:45 you don't have to choose from the bottom of the barrel. 21:48 You don't have to take whatever is in front of you. 21:51 I need somebody to know that you've got options 21:54 in Jesus Christ. 21:55 And if you just call upon God, God will make a way 21:59 in the desert. 22:00 In fact, he'll make a way out of no way. 22:05 I need you know, you've got more than one dating option. 22:08 There's more than one financial option. 22:10 There's more than one medical option. 22:13 There's more than one professional option. 22:16 God has ways that you cannot see, 22:19 but you can't see the alternative route 22:21 until you call on the name of God. 22:26 Are you hear me? 22:26 The difference. 22:28 The second thing that 22:29 this story teaches us quickly is that you 22:33 don't have to wait on God to give you strength to pray. 22:39 You get strength when you pray. 22:42 help me. 22:44 no, no, no. 22:45 You don't have to wait on strength to pray. 22:47 You actually get when you pray. 22:49 In fact, put this quote up here from prophets in Kings 629 22:53 Look at this. 22:54 I want you to see what she says about the amount. 22:55 She says, As Nehemiah prayed. 22:59 His faith and courage Drew grew strong. 23:03 God, he gets asked, he prayed. 23:07 His faith and courage grew strong. 23:08 His mouth was filled with holy argument. 23:11 He pointed to the dishonor 23:12 that would be cast upon God if his people, 23:15 now that they have 23:16 returned to him, should be left in weakness and oppression. 23:21 And he urges the Lord to bring to pass his promise. 23:22 Nehemiah had often poured out his soul 23:25 and behalf of his people, but now he prayed. 23:29 Holy purpose formed in his mind. 23:32 Now notice, which he says is beginning as he prayed 23:37 his faith courage, your 23:38 strong now, now I hope that that somebody is getting this 23:43 that the Alawite literally says that as Nehemiah 23:48 prays, his faith and his courage get stronger. 23:54 Okay, God, I need to preach out of town. 23:56 You're not here with me today. 23:57 In other words, I need you to understand 23:59 he he's not saying that he had great strength 24:03 when he went into his free closet. 24:05 He got great strength from his prayer closet. 24:10 Thank you so much for joining us for the Breath of Life 24:12 television miniseries broadcast with Pastor Debleiare Snell. 24:17 We hope and pray 24:18 that you have been blessed by this first message 24:21 in the sermon series titled The Construction Zone. 24:26 Join us next week for part two of the message. 24:30 Prayer changes more than things you don't want to miss. It. 24:35 Hey, family. 24:36 I know the weekends can be long. 24:38 They can be hard. 24:40 And you go through a lot. 24:42 And so at the end of each week, I want to encourage you to 24:45 join me and the Breath of Life team for the weekend. 24:49 Exhale with the air. 24:51 We were having these programs on Sunday, 24:54 but now we want to begin the weekend, 24:56 giving you a little nourishment, a little nurture, 24:59 giving you a little boost as you start the weekend. 25:03 Every first Friday, I'm going to be doing a Bible study 25:06 entitled to the Playbook, 25:07 where we're going to be looking 25:08 at issues of doctrine and culture 25:10 through the lens of the scripture. 25:12 You don't have to guess. 25:14 You don't have the hope. 25:15 God is giving us a script in the Word 25:18 because the word is his playbook. 25:20 I'm gonna invite you to join me every second Friday for a show 25:23 called Point of View, where Gianna and I do a deep dive 25:28 into issues of marriage, dating and relationships. 25:32 Every third Friday, join Pastor Nugent 25:34 and myself in the Vision Lab, where we're going to be making 25:38 a heavy deposit into leaders of all. 25:43 We're going to be pouring into pastors, entrepreneurs, CEOs, 25:47 ministry leaders, authors, 25:48 and we're going to be talking about how to build that vision 25:51 and move it from an idea to a reality. 25:54 And then on the fourth Friday, 25:56 we're introducing a new program called What Just Happened? 26:01 We're going to be looking at whatever 26:02 the trending topics in culture are, Danita, Pastor 26:05 Nugent and myself. 26:07 We're going to be addressing whatever 26:08 the trending culture topic is for that week or that month. 26:13 We're going to be engaging with you. 26:14 We're going to be answering your questions 26:16 and trying to figure out how we as believers 26:20 find our place in the larger culture. 26:22 We go through a lot during the weekends. 26:24 You can get overwhelmed. 26:26 You can get a little stressed out. 26:28 But before you go into the weekend, 26:29 take a moment and join us to stop, breathe, 26:33 and exhale with BOL. 26:44 What's good family. 26:45 Breath of life is going to be coming to the West Coast. 26:50 We're excited that from July the 14th to July the 27th, 26:55 we're going to be hosting our third annual Hope 26:56 rally under the theme Almost Home. 27:01 We're going to be meeting for those two weeks 27:02 in Long Beach, California. 27:04 We're going to be meeting each night 27:05 except for Tuesdays and Thursdays at 7:00 PM. 27:10 It's an in-person meeting only, so you can't catch it online. 27:14 You've got to be in the house. 27:16 We're going to be joined in musical partnership 27:19 by gospel recording artist Smokey Norful. 27:23 Jonathan Nelson and Donnie McClurkin. 27:26 Each night, dinner is going to be served 27:29 and there's going to be 27:30 special programing for you and for your little ones. 27:34 It's going to be a high time in Zion 27:36 where we're going to be preaching 27:37 the good news of Jesus Christ, and we're going to be reminded 27:40 that this world is not our home. 27:45 Again, I look forward to seeing you in Long Beach, 27:46 California, from July the 14th to the 27th. 27:51 Make sure that you're planning to be there 27:52 and you bring somebody with you. 27:54 If you want more information, go to our website 27:57 at www.breathoflife.tv. 28:02 God bless. I'll be seeing you this summer. 28:06 (Breath Of Life Music) |
Revised 2024-05-29