Participants: John Bradshaw
Series Code: IIW
Program Code: IIW001240
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00:08 test of time, God's Word, The Bible.
00:15 Still relevant in today's complex world. 00:21 It Is Written, Sharing hope around the globe. 00:36 Thanks for join me today on It Is Written, 00:38 I'm John Bradshaw, and today, a special program with a 00:41 special guest. 00:43 When you come to the Bible and you start to think about 00:45 matters of faith, and the relationship with the God of 00:47 heaven, one of the fundamentals, one of the 00:49 basics, one of the most important ingredients in the 00:53 Christian experience is prayer. 00:56 But how do we pray effectively? 00:58 How do we pray in a way that we can expect God to answer 01:02 our prayers? 01:03 How can we pray knowing that the hand of the omnipotence 01:07 will be moved? 01:09 Long time author, minister, a man who for decades has 01:13 thought the Word of God and has encourage people and 01:16 thought people in the principles of prayer is Ron 01:20 Halverson. 01:21 Ron, thank you for joining me today. 01:23 Very happy to be hear for this important meeting. 01:25 One of the things that you have made a whole mark of 01:27 your ministry and particularly in recent times 01:30 is the subject of prayer. 01:32 Before we start to get too specific about this, lets be 01:35 general, let me ask you what prayer is. 01:37 What is it? 01:38 I think there is two faces of prayer, one is personal 01:40 prayer, personal experience relationship with Jesus 01:42 Christ, that prayer is the breath of the soul, someone 01:46 had said. 01:47 Someone had said that is like talking to God like a friend, 01:51 personal. 01:52 The other is like a key that opens the treasure house of 01:56 heaven. 01:57 That's so personal. 01:58 I think that prayer goes eyond that. 02:01 Prayer is a weapon, -a weapon- in the hand of the 02:03 believer. 02:04 How is prayer a weapon?-well because if we study around 02:08 closer, we discover that we are in a world of war. 02:11 We are in a battle. 02:12 But this is a spiritual battle that is going on. 02:15 The battle for your soul. 02:16 And in a battle, God tells us how to be prepared for the 02:19 battle, how to dress for the battle, how to stand for the 02:23 battle and then what weapon to use for the battle. 02:30 That is found in Ephesians the 6th chapter, yeah, I'm 02:33 turning there right now, in fact, if you, if you allow me 02:36 while I turn, I'm going to read just that little passage 02:39 because there talks about taking the whole armor of 02:41 God, right. 02:42 That's a very interesting point, because when we talk 02:44 about the whole armor of God in Ephesians chapter 6: "Take 02:46 the helmet of salvation and the sword of the spirit which 02:49 is the Word of God, praying always with all prayer and 02:52 supplication of the Spirit. 02:53 So even thought when you think about the armor of God, 02:55 prayer often is left off the list and some people's 02:58 recitation is connected inextricably actually with 03:00 the armor of God, isn't it. 03:02 Yeah it's the only weapon that he has. 03:04 There is no other weapon, you don't fight with the flesh 03:07 against the spirit. 03:08 You can't fight against the invisible with the visible. 03:11 So you need that invisible power, that invisible force 03:15 which is prayer. 03:17 And prayer surrounds the warrior. 03:22 Prayer is the weapon through the Word of God. 03:25 It Is Written that's the weapon. 03:28 But is a weapon of prayer that delivers the soul. 03:31 Ok, lets talk about what a prayer ought to look like. 03:35 "Now I lay me down to sleep I pray my soul the Lord will 03:39 keep" that's a prayer, kneeling by your bed at night 03:41 and your hand like this and your eyes closed, that's 03:44 prayer, kind of what I do. 03:46 I have people ask me all the time, "you have to How do I 03:49 pray? 03:50 Do I pray like this. 03:52 Tell me how prayer works practically, what is it? 03:55 The first experience I've had in prayer, I was a gang 03:58 banger in Brooklyn New York and I stole a boat, you stole 04:01 a boat? 04:02 Yeah I stole a boat. 04:03 On this boat I went fishing and a storm comes up. 04:07 A wind is blowing, water is coming over the boat and here 04:11 I am black leather jacket, skull blood dripping over the 04:14 skull, tough dude. 04:15 And I am in this boat, no religion, I mean, and all the 04:19 sudden the boat starts filling up with water so I'm 04:22 trying to bail it out with my motorcycle. 04:25 Boat is going to go down. 04:26 My brother says bail I'm bailing then he says raw so 04:30 I'm rawing and the tide changes and I fell down on my 04:33 knees on that boat and I said, God help me in and I'll 04:37 be good. 04:38 God knew better than that. 04:40 But that was the expression of a need within a human 04:44 heart. 04:45 And God didn't weight that prayer upon whether I was 04:47 going to be good or that I was bad. 04:50 But he weight upon my need and so He answered that 04:53 prayer. 04:54 So you got out of there. 04:55 Have you been in a storm where cloud ripped apart and 04:57 the sun comes through, yeah, right on that boat, a speed 04:59 boat was coming by so our predicament I said, I got my 05:03 feet on the ground and I forgot the prayer. 05:05 But that was the beginning. 05:07 You see, there are no atheist in sinking boats, right, 05:10 crashing planes, sure, when death angel moves around the 05:13 heart there is something instinctively within the 05:17 human nature. 05:18 Because to me that was a very dramatic moment. 05:21 To me that was an answer. 05:24 So I thought, wow, if God can answer in such a way to a 05:29 gang banger in a stolen boat, imagine what he does to a 05:33 believer on his knees, open his heart to God as to a 05:37 friend. 05:38 Now when you knelt down in that boat to pray were you 05:40 thinking flowery oratory or were just thinking I got to 05:43 tell God what's on my mind. 05:45 Just told him what's bothering at that moment. 05:47 You have to talk to God like you do a friend. 05:50 We don't go ye, ne, now, thou, no, we talk hey, hey 05:54 buddy I'm in a predicament here, you are my friend, 05:58 would you help me? 05:59 Sometimes I get angry at God. 06:00 I get angry at God. 06:02 I can't understand sometimes human suffering. 06:05 Is that ok? 06:07 Someone watching and say, you shouldn't get angry with God, 06:10 that's disrespectful. 06:11 Is God ok with that? 06:12 Well I think He is because the prophets were. 06:14 When prophets said, Hey God why you let this people go to 06:17 our city and rape our women and take our children into 06:20 slavery. 06:21 Through out the history of the bible we find men and 06:24 women at times calling up to God in anger. 06:28 I have a friend, this man was a Christian leader. 06:31 Things weren't going well in his life. 06:33 He had some debts, he had some struggles, real 06:36 struggles. 06:37 He would pull up a chair and say, Jesus, sit down, I need 06:39 to talk to you. 06:40 Say I didn't think you like me very much, what's going on 06:42 in my life? 06:44 Prayer got to be honest and real. 06:46 That's right. 06:47 God understands it already. 06:48 He understand the anger in our heart. 06:50 The only way you get rid of anger is to express it. 06:54 Yeah, you don't suppress it. 06:55 So it's the same in your prayer life you don't 06:57 suppress it. 06:59 You tell Him, God, I don't understand this, come on, 07:02 lets get on board on this, what's the problem. 07:06 Sometimes I rejoice, I'm happy, I laugh with God. 07:11 God has great sense of humor, he made a giraffe, he made me 07:15 and he made you, John, and so you see, I laugh with God. 07:21 A friend is a friend and is a friend forever. 07:24 So prayer is coming to a friend sharing what is on 07:27 your mind. 07:28 That's right. 07:29 Any time? 07:30 Any place? 07:31 You don't have to be in a position, is not about a 07:33 position, anywhere. 07:36 In my book on prayer warrior in the last chapters, I talk 07:39 about a place, everyone should have a place maybe a 07:42 quite place in your house, maybe out there in the woods, 07:46 maybe surrounded by woods you'll find a 07:49 little place where you pray. 07:51 That 's a part of your growth, 07:53 part of your spiritual life. 07:55 But it has to go beyond that. 07:57 It has to go on to the battle to the fight. 08:00 See much praying is personal, is asking, is asking for 08:03 self. 08:05 Almost becomes selfish. 08:07 We find that prayer is use 114 times the word prayer in 08:12 the bible. 08:15 313 times pray, so that's how important it is to the word 08:19 of God. 08:21 So to a believer in the word of God, prayer is essential. 08:23 And prayer is a wonderful communion. 08:26 Hey, you hassle all day long and you go aside with God and 08:30 He listens not superficial but he listens and he hears 08:35 and he answers you. 08:38 I learned from a lady once, I was praying with her and 08:43 after I finished my prayer, I was getting up to go and she 08:48 is all, no, we got to listen now. 08:52 And that revolutionized my prayer experience. 08:54 We pray quick and we run. 08:55 Everything is quick. 08:57 You know, fast, fast, fast. 08:59 Just listen. 09:01 And you will be surprise, got will even talk to you in a 09:03 dream. 09:04 God will even wake you up in the night. 09:06 I know God did that for you. 09:08 And in some stage we are going to talk about that. 09:11 Prayer, prayer with Ron Halverson. 09:14 Ron, thanks for being here today, we are going to come 09:18 back in just a moment and talk about more, we are going 09:22 to talk about more about listening to God, hearing the 09:24 voice of God then, how prayer can be most effective in your 09:26 life. 09:27 I'll be right back with Ron Halverson on It Is Written. 09:31 (Music) In Matthew 4:4 the Word of God says: It is 09:35 written, man shall not live by bread alone but by every 09:39 word that proceeds from the mouth of God. 09:41 Every Word is a one minute bible base daily devotional 09:45 presented by pastor John Bradshaw and designed 09:48 specially for busy people like you. 09:51 Look for Every Word on selected networks or watch on 09:56 line everyday on our website, itiswritten.com. 10:00 receive a daily spiritual boost, watch Every Word, 10:03 you'll be glad you did. 10:06 Thanks for joining me today, my special guest today is Ron 10:08 Halverson, author, preacher, minister, man of God and 10:13 expert in the area of prayer. 10:16 Ron we are talking about effective prayer and a moment 10:18 ago you talked about listening and hearing. 10:22 I want you to fetch that out because it would be too 10:24 difficult for someone to take that to an unhealthy extreme. 10:27 And someone is going to say, well, how do I know what I am 10:30 hearing is from God, I am asked this question as I 10:32 travel, how do I know what I am hearing is from God or not 10:35 the devil and so, talk about that. 10:39 Well, see, first of all, how I know is from God is because 10:42 I am in communion with Him. 10:45 I can sense the voice of God, I can sense when is God 10:50 convicting me, and not Satan convicting me. 10:53 First of all, God doesn't lie to me. 10:56 God doesn't flatter me. 10:57 I can sense his presence. 10:59 Also in the will of God I can pray for things that is not 11:04 in the will of God and so I ask but is not given. 11:07 I seek but is not found, I knock but the door is not 11:10 opened. 11:11 And when that happens, I realize that I begin to 11:13 analyze that what I am asking or a seek is more selfish or 11:18 maybe the timing is not right. 11:21 So you listen to God and how is God going to speak. 11:24 Let me tell you what happened to me. 11:27 I was sleeping one night, and my wife says that sometimes I 11:31 sing in my sleep, sometimes I preach in my sleep. 11:33 This time I woke up and I heard like a voice such a 11:38 strong impression. 11:41 Get a colonoscopy. 11:43 Mercy, I said, a colonoscopy? 11:45 I thought it was a nightmare I thought I was in digestion, 11:51 so I went back to sleep. 11:51 Two nights later, same thing happened. 11:53 So I called my doctor, doctor I need a colonoscopy, he 11:55 says, do you have these symptoms, and he named four 11:57 or five different symptoms. 11:58 I had no symptoms, I would jump fences, they are smaller 12:01 now, but I still jump fences. 12:02 I said no, no, then he said why, I said because the Lord 12:06 said I should have one. 12:07 He said, do you have another reason, I said, not a better 12:10 reason. 12:10 And so they put me in the hospital and did a 12:11 colonoscopy and they found a very aggressive cancer above 12:12 the appendix. 12:16 The doctor said, 99% of thei people that get that colon 12:18 cancer they die, because by the time they get symptoms is 12:22 broken to the wall. 12:23 Once it breaks to the wall is very dangerous. 12:27 So they cut out the piece, this was 12 years ago and I 12:31 went to the oncologist and he came out shaking his head and 12:34 he said Mr. Halverson, I can't explain he said, 99% of 12:38 the people with that colon cancer, we have to give heavy 12:40 dozes of of chemo and radiation and still they die. 12:43 I said, well do you believe in miracles? 12:45 Doctor said, yeah I do. 12:47 And I shared the miracle. 12:48 To me it was a miracle. 12:50 That was a personal answered prayer. 12:51 God had to wake me up and talked to me, and when you 12:53 have a relationship with God in that way, God will talk to 12:55 you. 12:55 Just listen. 12:57 I mean, everything worked together because as I walked 13:02 in that way, God kept fulfilling the dream. 13:07 And for 12 years I have been free form colon cancer. 13:13 I thank God for that. 13:15 Amen. 13:18 So as you pray, as you pray, do you get to understand the 13:19 voice of the Lord more and better, you get to know the 13:21 voice that is speaking and you understand. 13:23 You know frankly, I get asked by some people, how am I 13:25 going to know is the Lord, if you pray and you get an 13:26 impression to go jump of the roof, is probably not the 13:27 Lord. 13:28 But if you pray and the impression is pray more or 13:30 help a little old lady or whatever the case might be, 13:37 is not that difficult to figure out is it? 13:39 No, that's right, if it's towards an experience to 13:44 helping people, growing in your spiritual life. 13:49 You know, the devil is not going to tell you, Hey Ron, 13:52 let's grow spiritually today, lets be a spiritual giant. 13:56 No, but you know that is the voice of God. 13:58 When you go to help others, you know that's the voice of 14:00 God, when he tells you to pray more... 14:03 Satan doesn't want you to pray more. 14:04 The fact is one thing he fears, he fears the prayers 14:08 of God's people. 14:09 Every prayer you pray is important to God. 14:12 Before we go to break I just want to repeat a point. 14:15 God will hear anyone's prayers. 14:17 What about the guy that says I am too bad, God doesn't 14:20 love me. 14:21 He won't hear me when I pray. 14:23 God wouldn't bother with a God like me. 14:26 What do you say to that? 14:27 Whether that guy or girl. 14:28 I just finished studying the Pharisee and the publican, 14:30 praying, the Pharisee prays and prays, thank God I am not 14:33 like others, like that publican over there, and the 14:37 publican was a money changer. 14:39 He worked for Rome, he was a jew that worked for Rome. 14:42 Everything he would pay for Rome and everything above 14:45 that he collected he kept for himself. 14:48 And there he is in the courtyard of the temple, and 14:51 that is a big courtyard in the days of Jesus like 20 14:54 football fields, and there is the Pharisee in its 14:57 filature's you know, dress for church, in fact they sow 15:01 bells in the bottom of the filaturies to make noise so 15:03 when they pray people looked and say ah, there is a man of 15:07 God. 15:08 And there is this poor publican, he is afraid to 15:14 look above his tips of his toes. 15:22 And looked to heaven and says, help me, I'm sinner. 15:24 See, he confess something, Pharisee confess nothing got 15:25 nothing. 15:26 So you confess it, you see, that's what God is. 15:29 Our job description is sinner, he is the Savior. 15:31 I want you to recognize we need to depend more and more 15:34 on him, to pour his righteousness upon us to pour 15:37 his life upon us. 15:38 I mean is so exciting to know that this God is so personal. 15:42 Yeah, if you can say that publicly the passage says, 15:46 that man went down to his house justified. 15:48 He'd been pardon and forgiven, justified as if he 15:51 had never sinned. 15:52 Yeah, so if he can save a gang banger in a boat, that's 15:55 right, there is no one God cant' save. 15:57 There is lots of prayers God will hear. 15:59 I've had the privilege to lead people to Christ in 16:02 bars, praying with them there and giving their life to 16:05 Christ. 16:06 I've worked with prostitutes on the streets, I've worked 16:08 with drug addicts for many years in New York and the 16:11 hippies and the yippies, and the free de gypsies back then 16:14 in the 60's. 16:17 we had a coffee house in Crensh village. 16:21 The rag tag people but the God we serve offers life for 16:25 them. 16:26 He is the only one that can see something beautiful in 16:29 them. 16:31 If God can save us he can save anybody. 16:32 That's right. 16:33 In a moment we are going to be back, we are discussing in 16:35 just a moment with Ron Halverson prayer warfare. 16:38 Prayer as a weapon. 16:39 We began talking about prayer being a weapon. 16:42 In just a moment more on that subject with Ron Halverson. 16:44 I'll be right back. 16:45 (Music) It Is Written is dedicated to sharing the 16:48 gospel around the world. 16:50 To discover more about It Is Written, I invite you to 16:52 visit our website, itiswritten.com and browse 16:56 thru dozens of pages that describe what we do and how 16:58 we do it. 16:59 Lets get to know each other better. 17:02 Visit out website itiswritten.com today. 17:06 On today's program you've heard, us talk about the 17:08 importance of prayer. 17:10 Prayer is a powerful tool, is our lifeline a vital 17:14 connection to God. 17:15 But there is something I want to share with you on the 17:17 subject. 17:18 The secret of answered prayer. 17:21 You'll learned how to experience a deeper prayer 17:23 life and discover simple and effective ways to help you 17:25 pray more effectively. 17:28 The Secret of Answered Prayer, in just a few pages 17:31 you'll discover what the bible has to say on this 17:33 vital subject. 17:34 And it is our free gift to you. 17:37 And in the Secret of Answered prayer you discover the seven 17:40 secrets of answered prayer. 17:42 Right now this informative and practical booklet is 17:45 available free from It Is Written. 17:48 Just call 1-800-253-3000 and ask for The Secret of 17:52 Answered Prayer. 17:54 You can also request this booklet by writing to It Is 17:56 Written, Box O, Thousand Oaks, CA 91359 and we'll mail 18:01 a copy to your address in north America. 18:04 And be sure to visit our website itiswritten.com where 18:07 you'll discover many helpful resources on a wide variety 18:11 of life changing topics. 18:13 It Is Written is a faith based outreach made possible 18:16 by viewers like you. 18:17 Thank you for your letters and emails. 18:20 And thank you for your continue financial support. 18:22 It's what enables us share clear bible teachings with 18:25 the world. 18:27 Our toll free number is 1-800-253-3000 and our web 18:32 address is itiswritten.com. 18:35 I'm John Bradshaw, thanks for joining me today on It Is 18:38 Written. 18:39 Today, our special guest Ron Halverson whose literally has 18:42 written a book on prayer. 18:43 Ron let me talk now on prayer warfare. 18:47 Prayer as a weapon. 18:48 When we began this program you were talking about prayer 18:50 being a weapon. 18:51 Something we take on the offense. 18:53 We are in a spiritual battle, the Bible makes it very very 18:57 clear. 18:58 We don't wrestle with flesh and blood but with 19:00 principalities and powers. 19:02 Prayer as a weapon in warfare that is a new concept with 19:05 people. 19:06 Well I was forced into that. 19:08 I'm working in the cities, I spent most of my 50 years in 19:11 ministry 53 years working in the city. 19:13 In the inner cities. 19:14 And I am working for this people that are being 19:17 harassed I mean a kid, 8 years old dies in my arms, 19:22 throwing up on me, over doze with drugs. 19:24 I'm forced to say, how can this happen, how can I go 19:27 beyong just as supercitial, I was forced to pray. 19:32 Forced to really get into this prayer. 19:35 And then I began to see more and more that this is a war. 19:38 This is a spiritual war. 19:39 the turf ,the territory, he takes principalities, he 19:42 takes powers. 19:43 He takes areas of cities, whole areas, whole 19:46 neighborhoods, and give it all to the satanic forces. 19:51 And I say, here I am one lone evangelists trying to war 19:55 against this. 19:56 And I began to see more and more of this battle. 19:58 And even as a pastor, I have pastor churches and first 20:05 prayer meetings there were 30 people. 20:07 I went home and fell on my face so I cried all night 20:08 long and prayed and said, God you have to do something 20:11 here. 20:12 And then God brought me a vision in prayer that would 20:14 be the saving center that church. 20:15 We went from 30 people in a month we were 1500 hundred. 20:19 And for 5 years, 1500 people coming out to pray to prayer 20:23 meetings, because I had the vision we are at war, we are 20:27 at battle. 20:30 Wouldn't you tell people that. 20:34 Then we are going to get in different stands. 20:36 The dead pick nick praying is over. 20:38 We are in a battle. 20:39 In fact we should know that armagedon is not about a 20:40 battle way down in the end of time in a little valley 20:42 called Megido. 20:45 It started in heaven, Revelation 12 tells us that. 20:47 Satan was cast out. 20:50 He came to God and turned him into a wilderness, John. 20:53 Jesus came to the wilderness and turned it back to God. 20:55 That's the struggle between good and evil. 20:57 But not only with them, you and me. 20:59 We are in that struggle, is a personal battle. 21:01 How do I take prayer and use it as a weapon in the 21:07 spiritual battle that I am in? 21:09 First of all, there are 3 principles that we need in 21:11 victory in this battle. 21:13 One is the Blood. 21:18 He says, they overcame him by the blood of the lamb. 21:20 Revelation, John writes, his pen is dipped in the red 21:21 blood from Calvary when he writes Revelation. 21:24 He says the blood of the lamb and by the word of their 21:28 testimony, it would not shrink from death. 21:30 But there is 3 things, the Blood. 21:32 And then God says, put on the armor of God. 21:33 Before I get out of the bed in the morning, john, I place 21:37 the blood in my heart. 21:38 I pray for my family, for those in my prayer list. 21:40 I place the blood on their hearts. 21:42 Because that is the beginning of deliverance. 21:43 You want deliverance. 21:44 How many, watching this program, wants deliverance? 21:47 Is first in the blood. 21:49 Then he says, put on the armor of God. 21:51 Why? 21:52 Because the arrows of the devil can't penetrate the 21:55 armor of God. 21:56 Undressing the armor, but the armor never wins the battle. 21:59 Armor is only defense. 22:00 Right? 22:01 Yeah. 22:02 And so he says put on the loin cloth, and that was eye 22:05 opening to me, because the loin cloth protects the 22:07 reproductive organ. 22:09 You see, every believer is suppose to reproduce Christ. 22:12 You see, we are not to be members, we are to be 22:17 disciples. 22:18 And that is to disciple the lost, to win the lost. 22:20 Jesus said, I've come to seek and to save that which is 22:23 lost. 22:24 And now the church is just I mean is a place to be 22:27 entertained is a place to come once a week for an hour, 22:30 give God an hour and you'll please him... 22:33 NO, you got to become a disciple. 22:35 A disciple comes to warfare. 22:36 He dresses in the armor of God. 22:38 He has a sword, the only offensive weapon if you 22:40 notice. 22:41 That's right. 22:42 The sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God. 22:44 The two edged sword, the old and new testament. 22:47 It pierces the heart. 22:49 This is talking about a battle. 22:51 And then when I went into these neighborhoods, you go 22:53 to neighborhoods and you got to duck behind cars, they are 22:55 shooting at each other. 22:57 I go into the barrios in Los Angeles, and Brooklyn, and 23:01 Harmarville, and I mean I got to carry my bible because if 23:05 they shoot me they got to go through Genesis, Exodus, 23:09 Leviticus, Numbers. 23:11 I mean its there. 23:12 And I'm saying to myself, I got to go with the sword, I 23:14 can't conquer this with sweet words, little homilies... 23:16 so tell me how to take this weapon and use it 23:20 practically, I'm battling in my life I have some problems. 23:23 There is something in the word of God I got to take 23:26 that through prayer and use that offensively to drive out 23:29 satan from me. 23:30 Someone's got a marriage difficulty, lets say, 23:32 marriage is falling apart and kids are in jeopardy. 23:34 Someone's got a drug problem. 23:35 What am I going to do with prayer to use that 23:38 offensively as a weapon in those situations. 23:40 Well, first of all, you've got to let them know you are 23:43 going to pray for them. 23:44 Then you have to give them the principles of their 23:47 personal prayer experience, that they must put the blood 23:50 on their heart. 23:51 You see, they got to dress in the armor. 23:53 Before I get out of bed in the morning, I put blood, 23:57 dress in the armor and then he gives you the third key 23:59 that says, give him praise from your lips. 24:03 You know, even someone in church try to squelch praise. 24:07 But praise, when the devil hears you singing a song, or 24:10 hears you calling a scripture, when the devil 24:12 hears that he says, hey man that guy is hot today stay 24:15 away from him. 24:16 You see, you got to teach him that principle. 24:22 We got to teach them the principle that as soon as the 24:24 temptation comes, to go to God and ask for help. 24:26 At that moment we got to teach them that they have to 24:29 hold on. 24:30 That it is not a quick fix. 24:34 Is not a quick fix. 24:35 My life has not been a quick fix as yours, he's still 24:38 working, he is still working on my life. 24:41 And I think, wow I had victory here, and then two 24:44 other things come up in my heart. 24:47 So we got to teach them continually to reach out and 24:50 to continue to holding on. 24:53 Holding on for God. 24:54 And trouble in marriage today is because of selfishness, 24:59 and who deals more with selfishness than God. 25:03 So once I find out what the need is with drug addicts, 25:08 the need is that someone loves them. 25:10 I was in south Bronce, and Fox street had the most 25:14 heroin addicts in the 60's than any other street in the 25:16 world. 25:17 And these boys came to a meeting one night. 25:20 High in heroin, they were main lining heroin. 25:23 They left the meeting and as they left the meeting I ran 25:26 off the pattform through the aisle and jump and I met them 25:28 coming down the stairs, and they were high on heroin, and 25:31 they saw me and said wow man, you are in there, no I am out 25:35 here, because God loves you and I love you. 25:38 And I wanted to say good bye and I want you to come back. 25:41 And there on the street I knelt with them and pray for 25:43 those 4 boys. 25:44 Heroin addicts, main liners, I prayed all that night, I 25:48 could not sleep that night. 25:50 The next night, they show up. 25:51 And the next night, and the next night, they come, and 25:54 when I asked people to receive Jesus in their 25:56 hearts, those four men came forward. 25:58 I grew up in the shooting gallery in south Bronze, get 26:00 this, kids are laying around in half stages, I find my 26:04 boys in the back. 26:05 And there they were, I mean you cannot philosophy, they 26:10 did not need more theology, they need to know that God 26:13 loves them. 26:15 And I sat there and I cried there with them and said, God 26:18 loves you and God wants to take this from you. 26:20 We talked about 5 day plan 10 day plan, God has a 5 minute 26:23 plan. 26:24 And God saved those boys, became ministers and are 26:28 preaching the gospel. 26:30 That's the power of prayer. 26:31 Listen to me, that is the power of God on the lives of 26:34 just four. 26:35 Imagine what he can do for the whole city. 26:39 Imagine what he can do for you. 26:41 Imagine what God can you in your life, the lives of your 26:43 family members, the lives of your love ones, the lives of 26:46 someone you are working with. 26:47 People in your community. 26:48 People for whom you are burdened. 26:50 As Ron said, that is the power of prayer. 26:54 Ron, why don't we pray together. 26:56 Thank you. 26:57 Ask God to bless or if you are listening and want to get 26:59 in deeper experience with him. 27:01 Our father and our God we thank you in Jesus name that 27:03 prayer changes things. 27:05 That you work through our prayers and with our prayers. 27:08 That prayer is an effective weapon in the spiritual 27:11 warfare which we find ourselves. 27:13 Call us Lord to pray and as we pray bless us by giving us 27:18 faith to know that things would happen. 27:21 Allow us to see your hand move. 27:23 Work in us, and in others, that your will will be done 27:27 in our lives. 27:28 Help us where we need help and bless us and keeps close 27:32 to you always, please, in Jesus name we pray, amen. 27:43 (Music) Thanks for joining us today. 27:45 There will be more with Ron Halverson later in It Is 27:47 Written program, and I hope you don't miss that. 27:50 Until next time, please remember, It Is Written, man 27:54 shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that 27:57 proceeds from the mouth of God. |
Revised 2015-02-06