Choose to Pray - #226

I once heard a pastor say that even though Jesus sent His disciples out spread the Gospel, He never taught them how to preach but He did teach them how to pray. He then went on to say, “Knowing how to talk with God is far more important than knowing how to speak to men.” I like that. And that’s why this week’s episode is focused on choosing to pray

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Transcript

I find it interesting to note that even though Jesus sent His disciples out spread the Gospel, He never taught them how to preach but He did teach them how to pray. Here’s my point: Knowing how to talk with God is far more important than knowing how to speak to men. That’s why this week’s episode is focused on prayer.

Welcome to The Point of Purity Podcast. A powerful weekly study filled to the brim with the all the tools from Scripture you will ever need to build a lasting life of Biblical purity and godliness. I’m your host Steve Etner – author, National Speaker, Certified Professional Mentor TM and Purity Coach for The Pure Man Ministry and this is Episode #226 entitled “Choose to Pray.”

Over the last few episodes, we’ve talked about choices. I encouraged you to choose right and choose now, I reminded you that we are free to choose but with every choice there are consequences. And last week we talked about choosing to trust God no matter what. 

In John 15:5 Jesus said, “without me you can do nothing” And in Philippians 4:13 the Apostle Paul declares “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” 

I once heard a pastor say that even though Jesus sent His disciples out spread the Gospel, He never taught them how to preach but He did teach them how to pray. He then went on to say, “Knowing how to talk with God is far more important than knowing how to speak to men.” I like that. And that’s why this week’s episode is focused on choosing to pray.

Now, before I dive any deeper into this episode, let me preface this study by letting you know that what I’m going to share with you has been prompted (in part) by a book I recently read by Dr. David Jeremiah entitled “Prayer the Great Adventure.” It has challenged my prayer life and has motivated me to pass that challenge on to you.

So, let’s begin with this definition of prayer. Prayer is an ongoing conversation with God. Let me repeat that. Prayer is an ongoing conversation with God. In 1 Thessalonians 5:17 we are instructed to “Pray without ceasing.” Romans 12:12 says we are to “be constant in prayer.” And Colossians 4:2 encourage us to “continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving.”

In other words, we are to be daily engaged in an ongoing conversation with God. Think about this: having a genuine “conversation” with someone requires both talking and listening. The same goes with having a conversation with God. It of necessity requires talking with Him (praying without ceasing) and listening to Him talk with you (daily reading and meditating upon Scripture). A “conversation.” 

We are commanded in Colossians 3:16 to let the word of God dwell within us richly. Why? Because “All scripture is breathed out by God and is profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.” (1 Timothy 3:16-17)

Now let me reiterate here that prayer is us talking to God, Scripture God talking to us. In other words, an ongoing conversation. How are you doing with that?

So, the question I want you to be asking yourself right now is this: What does God think of my prayer life? To help you answer that, let me pose a couple of additional questions to you. How often throughout the day do you pray? When you do choose to pray, what do you typically talk to God about? Do you tend to come to Him with an agenda, a “task list” so to speak?

Now, that leads me to ask an important follow-up question here: Is it wrong to ask God for things? Is it wrong to go before the King of Kings and Lord of lords in the Divine Holy of Holies and ask the Sovereign Creator of the Universe to DO things for us? The answer is a solid, unequivocal NO! Most definitely not. Here’s why I say that: Jesus says in John 16:24 “Until now you have asked nothing in my name. Ask, and you will receive that your joy may be full.” And in James 4:2 we are reminded, “You do not have, because you do not ask.”

So, I submit based upon Scripture that yes, it’s OK to go before the throne of Heaven and ask God for things and ask Him to DO things. Just be sure the motivation of your heart / the reason for your ask is in the right place. James 4:3 declares “You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongfully (you ask selfishly).” 1 John 5:14 tells us “this is the confidence that we have toward Him that if we ask anything according to His will He hears us.”

Unfortunately, many Christians take that verse and think that if they pray “Father, if it be your will, please do this or provide that.” One of the problems some of us have with prayer is that we tend to think there must be a specific way to pray. A “pattern” or “secret formula” if you will. We hear preachers pray, church elders pray, older saints pray - we often hear them wax eloquently as if there’s some sort of “insider language” we must learn before God will take us seriously.

Listen to what Jesus says in Matthew 7:7-11. “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. Or which one of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!” (Matthew 7:7-11)

Did you notice that five times in this passage Jesus uses word “ASK”? Yes God most definitely wants us to ask; but let’s take a moment and unpack this to better understand the what, the why, and the how. The first thing I want to point out is that in this Matthew 7 passage, Jesus uses three imperatives (three commands) … ask, seek, and knock.

Just as a quick side note I find it interesting that when you put those three imperatives together in the form of an acrostic you have the verb “ASK”! A. ask S. seek K. knock! I’d say Scripture makes it pretty clear that God wants us to ask. 

OK. Now let’s think for a moment about those three imperatives (ask, seek, knock). First, Jesus says we are to “ask.” This word literally means to desire something and so to formally request it. In other words, God wants you bring your heart’s desires before Him. Listen to David’s prayer in Psalm 20:1. “May the Lord answer you in the day of trouble! May He grant you your heart’s desire and fulfill all your plans!” In Psalm 37:4 he gives us this precious promise: “Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart.” 

Let me quickly interject a side note here regarding the verse I just quoted. This verse promises that when you delight in God “He will give you the desires of your heart.” I just want to make sure you fully understand it is not promising that God will give you whatever your heart desires. Rather, as you choose to delight in Him, as you daily dethrone King Me and allow God to rule and reign in your heart and life, then He will place within your heart the right desires – His desires!

OK. So, think with me about what Jesus says in Matthew 7:7. “Ask, and it will be given to you.” As we’ve already established, God wants you to ask. And what is His promise here? When you ask, “it will be given to you!” Wow! OK, great! But I’ve got to ask - what shall be given you? Our knee-jerk response might be “well, He’s going to give me the answer to my prayer” right? The answer is both “yes” and “not necessarily.”

Listen to what God definitely promises to give you. “No good thing does He withhold from those who walk uprightly.” (Psalm 84:11) Psalm 85:12 says, “The Lord gives what is good.” And Psalm 34:10 says “they who seek the Lord shall not be in want of any good thing.” Here’s my point: God’s promise is that when you ask it will be given you. And whatever God chooses to give you in answer to your prayer is guaranteed to be “good”!

Now stay with me on this. Jesus says we are to go before God and “ask.” The verb Jesus uses for “ask” is present tense. In other words, it’s an ongoing action. It’s not a one-and-done kind of thing. Jesus says you are to keep on asking. Watch this now – because AS I KEEP ASKNG I am also to be continuously seeking.

“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find.” Notice Jesus did not say ask THEN seek. As you are asking you are also to be seeking. Oh, and by the way, the verb to “seek” is written in the present tense / active voice / imperative mood. So, as a reminder, present tense means you are to seek and continue to seek – don’t stop. Active voice means you are to be the one doing the seeking. I can’t do it for you. And imperative mood means it’s not an option – it’s a command. Ask. While you are asking “seek.”

The word Jesus uses for “seek” means “to pursue hard after.” So, what exactly am I to be seeking here? Our instinct here may be “well, I’m to seek out God’s answer to my prayer” right? Not exactly. That’s not what we are to be seeking. 2 Chronicles 15:2 says, “the Lord is with you … if you seek HIM, He will be found by you.” In Jeremiah 29:13 God says “you will seek ME and find ME, when you seek ME with all your heart.” And in Psalm 63:1 David cries “O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water.”

In other words, ask and while you are asking you are at the same time to seek (to pursue hard after) God’s will / God’s way / God’s GOOD all for God’s GLORY! Sometimes we get so caught up in wanting the gift we tend to forget That prayer is about worshiping the GIVER. God’s NOT a holy vending machine. If we’re not careful - We can get so focused  on the answer to our prayer we forget the purpose of our prayer. Prayer is NOT about getting answers from God  Prayer is about giving worship TO God.

So according to Jesus in Matthew 7 we are to ask / bring our desires and requests before God; and as we ask - We are to (Psalm105:4)   “seek the Lord, seek Hs presence continually.” Let me remind you of Jesus command with a promise in Matthew 7. “Seek and you will find.” Do you recall what God said in Jeremiah. 29:13? God says, “you will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart.” And let me remind you that 2 Chronicles 15:2 says “the Lord is with you … if you seek HIM, He will be found by you.”

So, according to Jesus in Matthew 7 we are to ask - bringing our desires and requests be for God and as we ask we are to “seek the Lord, seek His presence continually” with full confidence that as we seek Him we WILL find Him. 

But Jesus doesn’t end there. BECAUSE while you are asking you are also seeking God’s will and God’s way within God’s Word - you are now confident of what you should be asking … and so you are to knock, and knock, and knock, and keep on knocking!

Hebrews 4:16 says “Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” Ephesians 3:12 tells us that in Christ “we have boldness and access with confidence thru our faith in him.”

Now let me draw your attention back again to Matthew 7 and ask you this: what’s the promise Jesus gives in v.7? Knock and what will happen? Deuteronomy 28:12 says, “The lord will open for you His good storehouse … to bless every work of your hand.” In Malachi 3:10 we read, “put me to the test, says the Lord of hosts, if I will not open the windows of Heaven for you and pour down for you a blessing until there is no more need.”

Are you tracking with me here? God wants you to come to Him in prayer. He wants you to ask, to bring your requests before Him. AS YOU ASK you need to be seeking Him. Not seeking His answer to your prayer but through His answer it’s all about HIS GLORY! While you are seeking Him, His will, His glory He may morph / change your ask into something different. And as He does, you will be filled with a boldness and a confidence – fully assured that you are asking according to His will.

Now I close out this week’s episode, let’s go back once again to Matthew7:8 where Jesus says, “for everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened."

There is one specific word that is particularly crucial in this verse. It is the word “Everyone” - “for everyone who asks receives.” I want you to consider this: In all of Hs teaching regarding prayer not once did Jesus refer to UNANSWERED prayer. “For everyone who asks receives.” 

Sometimes our problem is we are asking God for the wrong thing. James 4:2-3 says “you do not have, because you do not ask. you ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions.” Here’s my point: God ALWAYS ANSWERS PRAYER (yes - no - wait).

I once heard someone say, “It’s hard to hear the voice of God when you’ve already decided what you want Him to say.” Ephesians 6:12 says we are engaged in a wrestling match with enemy. I have come to the personal realization that this wrestling match typically begins with my mind. You see, Satan doesn’t want you to pray.

Colossians 4:12 tells about this guy named “Epaphras” (1 of Paul’s friends). I love what it says about him in this verse. It says Epaphras “ is always wrestling in prayer.” Do you wrestle in prayer? This isn’t talking about wrestling  with God trying to manipulate Hm to answer prayer. Wrestling in prayer is referring to engaging in hand - to - hand combat; not with God but with the enemy of your soul as you pray.

2 Corinthians 11:3 says, “I am afraid that just as Eve was deceived by serpents’ cunning, your minds may somehow be led astray from your sincere and pure devotion to Christ.” Satan knows if he can impress your thinking he will impact your living.

OK, I’m going to hit the pause button here until next week’s episode. In the meantime, if you would like to learn more about today’s study, or if you’re interested in learning more about The Pure Man Ministry (what we do to help men across the globe find freedom and victory over sexual sin), be sure to visit our website to see the multitude of resources we’ve made available to you – you can find our website at ThePurityCoach.com

One of those resources I would like to highlight for you here is my book entitled “Are You a Super Man? Becoming God’s Man of Steel.” It’s available on Amazon.com. This book is a 12-week men’s Bible study that is a fun look at what it means to be God’s Man of Steel in a world that is Anti-God, Anti-Christ, and Anti-Bible. In this book “Are You a Super Man? Becoming God’s Man of Steel” we discover that just as the fictional character known as “Superman” draws his physical strength from his close proximity to earth’s yellow sun, you and I as spiritually Super Men of God find our strength, our ability to effectively live a life that honors and glorifies God, that strength comes directly from our close proximity to God’s SON. The closer you are in relationship to Jesus Christ, the greater your power to resist the archenemy of your soul (the devil) and watch him flee from you (James 4:7). 

Yet, truth-be-told, again – just like “Superman” has a weakness known as “Kryptonite” - you and I also have a weakness. It’s our spiritual Kryptonite. It’s that radioactive element of your life before Christ that your spiritual archenemy uses to his advantage. The fact is, when you play around with your Kryptonite, it weakens your will and ability to stand firm and fight the fight of faith.

In this 12-week men’s Bible study you will learn how to identify your Kryptonite, steer clear of it, find your super-spiritual strength as you daily draw closer to the SON, and be the man of steel God has called and equipped you to be. So, let me encourage you to go to Amazon.com today and purchase your copy of “Are You a Super Man? Becoming God’s Man of Steel” - or just look up my name, Steve Etner, and purchase your copy of any of my books today.

And if you have not yet subscribed to this podcast, let me encourage you to do so today so you won’t miss any of our upcoming episodes! So, until next time this is Steve Etner – author, National Speaker, Certified Professional Mentor TM and Purity Coach for The Pure Man Ministry – reminding you that if you are going to glorify God in your everyday living, He must first be glorified in your every moment thinking