Participants: Wintley Phipps (Host), Adly Campos, Dr E.T. Stoddart, Ruthie Jacobson
Series Code: PFM
Program Code: PFM000009A
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00:27 Hi, I'm Wintley Phipps.
00:29 And welcome to our program, 00:31 Perfecting Me, Becoming More Like Jesus. 00:35 I'm so glad you joined us. 00:37 My guest today on our program are Ruthie Jacobsen, 00:41 Head of Prayer Ministry of the North American division 00:44 of Seventh-day Adventist. 00:46 Pastor Georges Fleurimond, 00:48 Pastor of the West Park Seventh-day Adventist Church. 00:51 And Mrs. Adly Campos, Speaker and President 00:54 of Family Well-Being International. 00:56 You'll hear from them a little later. 01:00 I believe that there is nothing more important 01:03 or exciting you can do with your life 01:06 than becoming every day more like Jesus. 01:11 Sanctification should be full of joy. 01:15 In the Book of Genesis 6:5, the Word of God says, 01:19 "And God saw that the wickedness of man 01:22 was great in the earth, 01:23 and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart 01:26 was only evil continually." 01:28 Can you imagine an age 01:30 in which people did whatever the evil imaginations 01:33 can conceive? 01:35 Someone says, "We're living in certain time right now." 01:38 The Prophet Enoch was living in a time 01:41 when Christ like character was not easy to find. 01:45 The people of Enoch's, they were doing evil 01:48 on a scale which could not be imagined. 01:51 And it was into this darkness that God shown a light. 01:56 Enoch was an example of how you live out 01:59 and preserve Christ like character 02:03 in an immoral age and in a decadent age. 02:06 He was an example of how you live out 02:09 Christ like character surrounded by sin, 02:13 yet without being affected, and influenced, 02:16 and seduced by it. 02:18 Enoch was an example 02:20 of how you walk among ungodly people 02:23 and remain pure in Christ like character. 02:27 In spite of the corruption of that age, 02:29 Enoch perfected a Christian character. 02:35 He perfected a Christ like character. 02:39 Today, we're going to examine 02:40 how you live in a profane and vulgar world 02:44 and still grow more every day 02:47 to resemble, reflect, and reveal 02:50 the character of God. 02:53 Stay with us. 02:59 For 300 years, 03:02 Enoch lived in daily, hourly, 03:07 and constant secret communion with God. 03:12 And this life of hourly secret prayer 03:16 shaped his character, molded his character. 03:21 Enoch understood 03:22 what most Christians never will, 03:26 that through hourly prayer, we behold Him. 03:32 And by beholding, 03:34 we are changed into His righteous character. 03:39 Enoch understood that after conversion 03:44 comes character growth and character development. 03:48 He understood that after surrendering to God, 03:53 the work of growing in character 03:56 to be like the character of God has only just begun. 04:02 And nothing strengthens the character 04:05 like a life of secret hourly prayer 04:10 and communion with God. 04:13 My journey to understanding the power of secret prayer 04:17 began with a great man, a great evangelist. 04:22 I learned from him that secret prayer. 04:26 I learned the secret of hourly prayer. 04:30 The importance of hourly secret prayer. 04:36 It has to be continual, it has to be regular, 04:39 it has to be fervent, it has to be powerful. 04:44 I learned the power of hourly secret prayer 04:48 and I recommend it to you. 04:51 If we're going to walk like Enoch walked, 04:53 if we're going to live like Enoch lived, 04:57 we're going to have to learn 04:59 the power of secret hourly prayer. 05:04 Well, secret prayers are silent expressions 05:09 of adulation, exultation, and praise. 05:15 And they are just that really secret. 05:19 Yes, secret prayer does not rely on vocabulary, 05:24 it does not rely on eloquence. 05:28 It was D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, who reminded us 05:31 that secret prayer demands no special dress, 05:36 no special place, no special scholarship. 05:41 Secret prayer seeks no notice, no applause. 05:46 God's heart is not moved by our eloquence 05:50 or even our lengthy prayers, 05:54 but rather His heart is moved by our humility 05:58 and our sincerity. 06:01 The Apostle Paul understood 06:02 the power of hourly secret prayer. 06:07 That's why he exhorted us 06:10 to pray without ceasing hourly secret prayer 06:17 and dependence upon God 06:20 is the only cure I know for secret sin. 06:25 Secret prayer is the only cure I know 06:31 for secret sin. 06:34 Hourly secret prayer 06:37 is the greatest power we have in this world. 06:43 Because in secret prayer, 06:44 the soul is free from surrounding influence, 06:50 it is free from excitement. 06:53 In secret prayer, 06:55 you're free from the need to impress other people. 06:59 You're free to express to God your frailty. 07:03 You don't have to shout in secret prayer 07:06 because God can hear you. 07:10 But you can if you want to shout in secret. 07:16 Either way, your secret prayer should reveal 07:19 a calm, quiet trust, and faith in God. 07:25 Every secret prayer you pray says to the devil, 07:29 "In the name of Jesus, 07:31 stay away from my house, my family." 07:35 The devil hates secret prayer. 07:39 I want you to see this video sent to us by our friends 07:43 at the 700 Club. 07:50 Sandy Winger was six weeks into her first pregnancy 07:53 when she says, she heard God tell her, 07:55 her baby was a girl and to name her Zoey, 07:58 which means life. 08:00 And at that moment I thought she is just going to have 08:03 that God kind of life, you know, joyful 08:06 and I had no idea at that time what would unfold, you know, 08:11 the following months. 08:13 Sandy's husband, Shane remembers 08:15 at their 20 week ultrasound, the doctor said 08:17 there was a problem. 08:19 Zoey's skull had not closed 08:21 and 40% of her brain was outside the skull. 08:25 They call it posterior encephalocele 08:27 and he could see her skull, and where it was open, 08:29 and where her brain began to grow outside of her head, 08:34 and 80% of it was outside. 08:36 Our heart sank. 08:38 And so I remember... 08:42 the tears just started to trickle, you know, 08:45 down my face. 08:47 And the same day, you're so excited 08:50 and then you just get hit, 08:53 and I remember my husband saying them all, 08:57 "What are the chances of her surviving? 08:59 What are the chances that 09:01 she is going to make it through this?" 09:02 And he said, "In my 30 year profession, 09:04 I've never seen a case like this make it to birth." 09:09 And I think I asked again like okay, 09:11 so there is a percentage, give me a percentage 09:13 and he is like, "None." 09:14 The doctor recommended they abort Zoey. 09:18 Sandy and Shane decided otherwise. 09:21 We're not going to do it, we serve too big of a God. 09:24 Life whether it's in the womb 09:27 for nine months or eight months, it's life. 09:31 And it's life that it's not ours to take away. 09:35 And so we began to talk 09:36 and we began just to share scriptures. 09:38 We really believed that Zoey means life. 09:42 And we believe the enemy come to try to steal 09:44 and try to take her potential, to take her life, 09:47 and we're going to believe what God's word says that, 09:49 "The children are a blessing of the Lord." 09:50 We've to have faith that God loves her 09:53 even more than me and my wife combined, 09:55 that He loves her more than we do. 09:57 And so we put our faith and confidence in Him, 10:00 despite of what we felt, 10:02 despite of what the doctor's opinion was 10:04 or what his thoughts were. 10:06 And so that to us 10:07 was the most critical time I believe 10:09 because that was the time we came together 10:11 and just made a decision. 10:13 For months, they held on to hope 10:15 and prayed for a miracle. 10:17 Faith is the one thing that pleases God, 10:20 and so our part is just simply to believe. 10:22 Our part isn't performing the miracle. 10:25 There is nothing that we could do, 10:27 there is nothing that the doctors could do. 10:29 I remember what God spoke to me, six weeks along, 10:34 He knew her name would be a Zoey for a reason. 10:37 He knew that she would have life. 10:39 He knew the outcome 10:41 before we even knew the diagnosis or the problem, 10:45 He knew everything that was going to happen. 10:47 And so we clung on to the fact that we knew 10:53 what God had spoke that, He said, 10:55 she would have the God kind of life 10:57 and the God kind of life is joy, and peace, and life. 11:02 And so I hung on to that word very tightly. 11:07 Despite all odds, Zoey made it to term. 11:10 During delivery, 11:11 once more their faith was put to the test. 11:14 The first thing that I saw of Zoey was, 11:16 I saw it was her brain, it was... 11:19 I mean there was no skull on the back of her head... 11:21 And so for me, that was really hard. 11:28 I didn't know if she would make it. 11:33 I just remember... 11:40 Looking in that little incubator 11:43 and she lifted her little head 11:46 and I just knew you're going to be fine. 11:51 And I didn't question in that moment 11:56 whether she would continue to live, what would happen. 12:01 Just lifting up her little head, 12:03 and she was so perfect to me, and so tiny, 12:08 and they had everything bandaged, and covered 12:13 but I just knew God has huge plans for you. 12:19 And I didn't know what it would be, 12:21 everything that would happen in her life 12:24 but I knew she was the most beautiful baby 12:29 I had ever laid my eyes on, 12:31 and I couldn't wait to just pick her up 12:34 and to hold her. 12:37 Two days later, 12:38 Zoey had surgery to remove brain matter 12:40 and close the hole in her skull. 12:43 And just five days later, 12:45 she was released from the hospital. 12:47 Shane and Sandy say, 12:49 "God continued to answer prayers 12:50 and provide healing in life 12:52 beyond what anyone thought possible." 12:55 Zoey absolutely is a blessing. 12:57 She is one of the biggest joys of my life. 13:00 She is nine years old today, she is full of life, 13:03 she is full of energy. 13:06 I thank God that we chose to believe 13:09 and the people that we had surrounding us 13:11 were people of faith. 13:13 What a miracle she is 13:15 and a testament of God's faithfulness 13:18 and His goodness. 13:19 What He says is true and His word is true, 13:22 and He is not going to set you up for failure. 13:26 Everyday I'm healed and that's all my story. 13:30 He is a good God, 13:31 He wants to show His self big, 13:35 He wants to do huge things. 13:38 He is just looking for people who are willing to say, 13:41 "I trust you." 13:46 Joining us again are my guests Ruthie Jacobsen, Adly Campos, 13:50 and Pastor Georges Fleurimond. 13:53 I want to ask you all 13:55 just to use your imagination a little bit. 13:58 And imagine what you think it must have been like 14:03 the prayer life that Enoch carried on. 14:08 What do you think was a part of that prayer life? 14:13 Sister Ruthie, can you dream a little bit and say, 14:16 well, it was probably like this? 14:21 Well, I think that it was a happy relationship. 14:25 I'm sure there was connection, 14:27 I'm sure there was, you know, just communion. 14:31 But I heard a pastor say one time 14:35 because God and Enoch were such good friends. 14:40 That finally God said to Enoch, 14:43 "I don't want to leave you here. 14:44 I want you to come and be in heaven with me." 14:48 And that's the result of that happy friendship 14:52 because there was an obedient heart, 14:54 he was listening, you know, 14:57 he just wanted to be with the Lord. 15:00 He wanted to hear His voice 15:01 and he wanted to walk in that obedience 15:03 and it must have been a joy, constant joy. 15:07 And there's probably a direct connection 15:11 between his constant hourly communion with God 15:16 and the fact that God took him. 15:20 They are connected. 15:23 There was something about 15:25 what that experience of communing with God did 15:29 for his character. 15:31 Because remember, when God looks down at us, 15:34 He is not just looking to see how often we pray. 15:39 He is looking to see 15:41 what that prayer life is doing for our character. 15:45 And... So go ahead. 15:49 I want to share one more thing. Yes. 15:51 One of the perks of a friendship is that 15:54 you trust one another. 15:56 I know, I believe that Enoch came to trust God, 16:00 but God came to trust Enoch too. 16:02 Yes, absolutely. 16:03 He showed it first somebody like to trust. 16:06 Absolutely. I love it. 16:08 Sister Campos, 16:09 what do you think about when you dream of 16:12 what Enoch's prayer life must have been like? 16:14 What comes to your mind? 16:17 I see him out in nature. 16:21 Yes. 16:22 In order to have that peacefulness 16:25 that he wanted to have, 16:27 to be able to be with his Lord and Master, his Maker. 16:32 He wanted so much to be with Him 16:34 that he separated himself 16:37 from everyone and everything else, 16:40 in order to be with his Lord, with his God. 16:44 He had such hunger of being with Him 16:50 that he spent every moment with Him. 16:54 He was like breathing to Him. Yes. 16:57 The moments that he spent with his Father, with God, 17:01 he was like breathing... 17:02 We cannot survive without breathing. 17:04 For him, for Enoch, he could not live 17:09 without that constant communion with the Father 17:12 and therefore he had to separate himself, 17:15 come apart, come aside 17:17 in order to have that communion with his Father. 17:21 You know, there is a scripture that says us, 17:22 "The hart panteth after the water brook." 17:26 A thirsty deer, you know, 17:29 that's how my soul pants after the Lord. 17:33 And again, it's not just panting now and then, 17:37 or it's not just panting on Sabbath. 17:40 It's panting that way for Him from the moment you get up, 17:46 everyday, I tell people 24/7 if it's possible 17:52 and so, Pastor Fleurimond, when you think of 17:56 or dream about what went into Enoch's prayer life 18:00 that helped him to perfect a Christian character. 18:04 What comes to your mind? 18:07 In my mind, I see a transparent Enoch, 18:11 I see Enoch 18:13 that is in a culture that is, 18:18 may not be pro-prayer or pro-God. 18:21 Yeah, yeah. 18:23 But his prayer life is of such that, 18:27 that the contact they are in is real, 18:29 it is not wrote, it is not a functuary, 18:33 it is not something that is ritual, 18:37 it is something that is earnest. 18:39 And I believe that God looks at an honest constant prayer 18:45 and He shines on that. 18:48 And then the text, 18:49 the text talks about how they walked together. 18:52 And so in my imagination, I can see, you know, 18:54 two friends who are together, 18:57 and they are able to have real conversation. 19:00 They're having a good time, 19:01 and to share with one another the contents of their hearts, 19:05 and to pour into each other, you know, guidance, 19:09 and blessings, and things of that sort. 19:12 Yeah. 19:13 Can you think of a better way to live? 19:14 I can't think of a better way to live. 19:16 I can't think of a more exciting, 19:19 fulfilling way to live 19:21 than in constant communion with God. 19:25 Amen. 19:27 I wanted to ask both of you, all of you 19:29 about your thoughts and your experience. 19:34 Can you remember a time when you were walking 19:38 with the Lord so closely that when you prayed, 19:42 maybe you prayed out loud 19:44 or maybe you prayed a secret prayer, 19:48 that you are absolutely sure God heard your prayer 19:53 and answered that prayer. 19:55 It wasn't as though, when you prayed, 19:59 the Lord had to ask the angel, "Who was that again?" 20:03 You know, the Lord knew who you were 20:06 because you were so close 20:08 that you've kept in such close contact with Him. 20:11 Can you remember an experience where you prayed out loud 20:14 and because of your walk with God, 20:16 you know God answered that prayer? 20:18 Sister Campos? 20:21 I can think of the time 20:22 when my oldest son was about two years old. 20:27 And we had gone to swimming pool 20:30 to spend the day swimming with other members of the family. 20:34 Yeah. 20:36 We were all dressed, ready to depart, 20:38 when all of a sudden I noticed that he was not around. 20:42 And I started looking for him, and calling him, 20:46 and he was nowhere to be found. 20:49 Immediately, I prayed because he liked water so much 20:54 that I thought for sure 20:56 he went back to the swimming pool. 20:59 There were five swimming pools. 21:01 So I went looking for him at the lowest level one, 21:05 he wasn't there. 21:06 Nor the second, not the third, and not the fourth, 21:09 again, I said Lord, please, 21:12 just save him from wherever he is. 21:15 I know you'll answer my prayer, Lord. 21:18 Thank you. Yes. 21:19 I went to the deepest pool 21:22 and what I saw I could not believe, 21:25 he was floating, 21:26 he only had a little stick on his hand 21:29 about this big, very slim. 21:32 But he was floating. 21:34 How was he floating, I know to this day 21:39 that the Lord answered my prayer 21:42 and He saved him from drowning. 21:44 Two years old, he didn't know how to swim, 21:46 he didn't know any better. 21:48 But the Lord answered my prayer instantly 21:52 at that very moment when I prayed. 21:54 Praise the Lord. Pastor Fleurimond? 21:59 There are so many, 22:00 I think that the one that I would like 22:02 to actually speak about. 22:04 I think one of the questions you asked was, 22:06 whether it was an audible prayer 22:08 or a silent, a secretive prayer. 22:11 This was actually a secretive prayer. 22:15 This takes me back to my days in undergrad 22:18 and I wanted to graduate on time with my class. 22:24 I didn't want to be one of these guys 22:25 who had to wait an additional year 22:27 or additional summer. 22:28 And so we were getting down 22:32 to the final days of the last semester 22:35 and I knew that there was one class that I needed to take 22:40 that I hadn't taken. 22:41 And so I went and I applied for graduation anyways, 22:45 with the intention of taking that class in the summer. 22:49 But I had been told by others 22:52 who had attempted the same thing 22:54 that their situation had not worked to their favor. 22:57 But anyhow, I prayed about it in silence. 23:01 And before I even received conformation, 23:05 you know, I knew God was going to answer in my favor. 23:07 In fact, my parents were already on their way, 23:10 they were traveling from Florida 23:12 to Huntsville, Alabama, in faith. 23:14 And the reality of it all is, 23:16 on a Sabbath evening after I came home from church, 23:21 I went to the mailbox after Sabbath 23:23 and there were two envelopes from the registrar's office. 23:27 One that said, it could not aqueous, 23:29 and then the one that said congratulations. 23:32 And I of course chose the one that said congratulations, 23:35 and I checked that. 23:37 And, you know, I was able to go into the summer 23:39 and finish my course, and by God's grace 23:41 able to graduate from undergrad. 23:43 And so for me that has always been a mark of power 23:48 of the secret prayer, 23:49 even if you don't say it out loud or, you know, 23:52 ask others to pray with you, 23:54 it was my personal private prayer 23:57 between me and God, and He answered for me. 24:00 Well, Ruthie, we've got another moment, 24:01 we got one minute to go, 24:03 but can you tell us about an experience you had 24:07 when you were so close to the Lord, 24:08 and you were praying, 24:10 and you know God answered your prayer? 24:14 Well, I'll try to make this quick 24:16 but I believe that the Lord likes to answer 24:19 our tangible prayers 24:20 to give us faith to ask for really big things. 24:23 You know, faith, endurance, and trust. 24:26 And so I pray everyday for money for Prayer Ministries 24:30 for the North American division. 24:33 One day I had a man come up to me after church 24:36 and he said, 24:37 "If you ever need any money, just contact me." 24:40 And he had given hundreds of thousands of dollars. 24:45 That was a direct answer to prayer. 24:48 I believe the Lord loves to provide for His work. 24:50 Yes. Well, I'll tell you... Amen. 24:53 I've had an answer to prayer. 24:55 I've been in only one plane crash in my life. 24:59 And we were coming over the Casket Mountains 25:03 and I was talking to the Lord, that was a silent prayer 25:06 'cause, you know, when the plane is shaking 25:08 you don't want to have audible prayers, 25:10 not at that time, you're praying silently. 25:13 And I remember saying, Lord, why are you so good to me? 25:17 And I kept hearing God say to me, 25:19 "My son, no matter what happens, 25:21 I'm going to take care of you." 25:23 And as we went in, 25:24 the pilot forgot to put the wheels down on the plane 25:28 and we crashed. 25:29 But I want you to know, God is faithful, 25:32 I'm still here. 25:33 We praise His name. Amen. 25:35 I want to thank you all so much for this beautiful program 25:40 to encourage people in their life of secret prayer. 25:48 Secret prayer means you have a daily, 25:51 hourly, constant surrender, 25:53 and yes, an unbroken connection with God. 25:58 When I come home and turn my computer on, 26:01 do you know that it automatically connects 26:04 to the internet? 26:05 And as long as the computer stays on, 26:10 it stays connected. 26:12 Even when I'm not using it, it stays connected. 26:18 A missionary had a car one day that would never start, 26:20 he had to push it to get it started. 26:23 So he would either park on a hill 26:25 or leave the engine running. 26:27 He did this for two years. 26:31 When a new missionary came to replace him, 26:34 he explained his arrangement for getting the car started 26:36 and the new man began looking under the hood. 26:41 Before the explanation was complete, 26:43 the new missionary interrupted, "Dr. Jackson, 26:46 I believe the only trouble with this car 26:49 is this loose cable." 26:51 And he gave the cable a twist, 26:53 stepped into the car, turned the engine, 26:56 and to the missionary's astonishment 26:59 the engine roared into life. 27:02 For two years, he had been trying 27:04 to get this car to run properly. 27:08 What he didn't realize was 27:10 the power was there all the time. 27:15 The only problem was a loose connection 27:20 that kept him from putting that power to work. 27:24 Secret prayer is your connection with God. 27:29 It will keep you powerful and turned on. 27:35 I'm Wintley Phipps, thank you for joining us. 27:39 I want you to know that to be a Christian 27:45 means, yes, to be Christ like. |
Revised 2018-02-14