Tools for the Christian Walk-Prayer 1 Timothy 2:1-4

DC right now with physical and you keep sending yourself. I don't know why this is happening. But you know why it's happening. You're trying to serve the Lord you're trying to be faithful to God. He trying to do the right thing. Do you think the devil just going to lie down and let you just walk right on it. Now, this is spiritual warfare you need to do it. You got sick because the devil wants you to get discouraged. Before the Lord and let the Lord.

God has done something for you and you don't have a problem with saying hallelujah if you know where you came from if you remember the life you live before you knew Jesus. If you remember when you were drunk and he got you up and you was smack clean out of your mind and he puts you in your right mind and you and your significant other your wife for the at the point of getting ready to go in opposite directions and God brought you together. Then you can say my Hallelujah.

Are you at now? Oh, yeah, that's that's that's a real serious on there because it means that you recognize that God is who he is and that you are not. Some of us we have problem because either one or two things either. We don't know the Lord or we don't forget what he did for me. I just stopped by to tell you I ain't forgot what he did for me. Hey men. I remember when they went when the Lord delivered me from my situation. Yeah, I was on my way to a prostitute eternity. I remember I was on my way. I met think I'm at one time. I could have had my brains completely blown out.

But God, come on say Amen somebody. Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah. I remember what it was like living in southeast. You could be running you didn't have to have a television in your head. Anyway, you were said to be getting away from somebody. Come on saying minutes a how somebody Oh, yeah, but God is good and we need never forget that he is good. Amen. So we all can save my Hallelujah belongs to you pee men. Thank you so much Young Folks for you leaving us into the presence of the Lord. Amen, thank you.

You just want to stop just for a moment and pray and then we can begin Our Father in heaven. We thank you o God for your goodness to us. We thank you Father for your love. We thank you Father because we know God that because you are everywhere and every crack crevice and corner of the earth that we can call upon your name and know that you hear us father that you will not only hear us, but Lord you are able to deliver us. So now father we call upon you now God. to make yourself known in this place and father we pray that your people. Who was sitting waiting to hear from you God that you not deny them that because of the Frailty of my Humanity? They hear you. Now that the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in thy sight. Oh Lord, my strength and My Redeemer in Jesus name. Amen. We have one among us today. Who on tomorrow if I'm correct will be celebrating their 25th birthday.

Sister Olivia, would you raise your hand?

Yeah, she looking around. Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday to you.

Amen do that to me when somebody gets is out there. You know, I'm past that now I just I mean I will say I don't like surprises though. No, no, don't don't don't do that to me. But we've been talking about a new series that we're in town and we call it the tools for the Christian walk. That is the you serious. We were talking about it last week. We talked about the the tool in the Christians tool box of forgiveness. Forgiveness that is the lubricant that helps our relationships work and function the way that they should and fat you really have to practice this one before you move into this next one. Because if you haven't practiced this one before you try to move into the next one, it'll be cancelled. It'll be what they call DOA Dead on Arrival. It will be like you are talking to an Iron Sky if you will. God is so serious about the first one that if you don't have that right before you get ready to do this next one that he won't hear the prayers of husbands because they haven't gotten things right with their wives that he won't hear the prayers of saints because they haven't gotten things right with their Christian brothers and sisters in a beautiful thing about this guy. I don't care what color you are. He don't care how old you are. He don't care what your background is forgiveness is good for Christians to practice because if Jesus can forgive everyone for killing certain things that we said to one another amen. What if you don't have that one, right? You can't practice this one?

This one is something that every Christian has to have. That is prayer. prayer prayer every Christian needs to have prayer. And you can pray anywhere because God is everywhere. There's no place that you can't be or it's not that God isn't already and he's able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we could ever ask or think according to the power that works within us. I like to use the acronym as we must continue to harass and keep on asking seek and keep on seeking knock and keep on knocking. There's nothing. That is clearer in the Bible then for believers to pray. And that prayer is significant because of the impact that it brings and because that God desires to answer you in my prayers and fat God has issues with the individual who is not saved but he Delights in the prayers of his people. So if I know the Bible doesn't lie, then that means that God wants you and me to talk to him about our issues. There's some people who Who function as if they don't need God you say Reverend, how is that true? Because you don't pray you don't pray. You don't pray enough and you don't trade with the idea that God is going to answer your prayer. We don't believe that God is going to answer the prayer. That's probably why we don't ask him about that and there's some cases where we believe that we don't deserve the answer that we might get if we ask him about it, but we don't even ask so then we are at a zero-sum game. So that means nothing as nothing ventured. Nothing gained.

Costume we have to understand first and foremost that God loves us. But he has his best intentions for us and that since God is our father. That means that the father wants to provide everything that we need not let the challenge this today is that fathers in some respects have imprinted on us in such a way that if we've had a negative experience. We only feel that we're going to ask a bigger father issues a few things and then he's going to respond negatively because that's what I experienced have been we passed our Earthly father thing, but thanks and he hasn't responded the way that we would like for him to respond. So what will happen is we will allow that negative experience to inform our approach to God the father was he God the Father?

Yes. The father is good. It is practice fight other than him being holy it defines who is it is intrinsic to his big for God to be good and only to do good for you and I and that's why that's why sometimes we may not get what we want because it may not be good for us to head at that time. but God It's good. What Bible is turn to 1st Timothy Chapter 2?

Play the book of Timothy particularly in the pastor of pistols the 1st Timothy. It is a manual for church leadership. That's what is specifically designed for. In fact, when the Apostle Paul is riding his Protege his timid of the two protists days between Titus and Timothy Timothy was the most how can I say he was the most reticent to leave if you will just have to grab Timothy if you were by the lapels or by the road if you will and to to challenge him to stand up to the responsibility of leading Timothy. He says Timothy, I want you to understand something here. He says, what about Charlie long that thou mayest know how about others to behave yourself and the house of God, which is the Church of the Living God the pillar and ground of Truth. So it's the book that we understand how churches should function how leadership structure to function with all the way to their Paul begins to talk about something. Only important in the church and that is pretty and I want you to know there are things that we can understand about this about this idea prayer before we get into the fine with prayer is the definition of prayer prayer is the spreading out about helplessness and I don't others in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ before the loving arms of a heavenly father. Who knows understand chairs and answers That's what prayer is UC. We approach God because we lack something. We lack something. We are absent of something that we need and God being a good father provides for his children after all it does say in Philippians chapter 4 19 that God will supply all I need according to his riches in Glory by Christ Jesus. He said if we seek first the kingdom of God is righteous all these things shall be added unto you. So God is a faithful. He is a good father despite what our human experience might be or have been God is good despite what the world may say and with him being good. That means he gives you and I be very best. He's already demonstrated that in the fact that he gave his only begotten son. So we know that everything after that is so much better than that. Because she's already given us the best that he's had. With that said here, there are four things here. First of all, we find here about prayer that prayer is important and has different forms if you will prayer is important. It's very important when we come to God we need to understand that there needs to be an idea. That is urgent. Have you come before him? Because there is a need there's a devil in me. That's why I was going through the Greek manuscript were here. It said it was necessary. That means it was it could not be something that you can neglect you have to do it. What are some of the things that we should talk to God about I like the way that one guy right? So here I sit like this. Factor this guy is very well-known today if you've heard of him, his name is Charles Swindoll coming from his book strengthen your grip. He says this tell God all that is in your heart. S1 unloads one's heart it's pleasure and its pains to a dear friend. Tell him your troubles that he made comfort. You tell him your Joys that he makes so with him. Tell him your longings that he may purify them. Tell him your dislikes that he may help you conquer them talk to him of your temptation. But he may Shield you from them show him the wounds of your heart that he may kill them lay bare your indifference to good your depraved tastes for evil your instability. Tell him how self Love Makes You unjust to others how bad it attempts you to be insincere how try to disguise you to yourself and others. If you'd Us Part on all your weaknesses your need your troubles. There will be no lack of what to say. You will never exhausts the subject. It is continually being renewed people who have no secrets from each other never want from subject of conversation. They do not weigh their words, but there is nothing to be held back. Neither. Do they seek from something to say they talked out of the abundance of the heart without consideration. They say just what they think blessed. Are. They who attained to such familiar and unreserved intercourse with God talk to God. Tell him what you need tell him what you want. Yes, he knows it, but he rather hear it from you. So here it is prayer is important have to report but not on that prayer is urgent for the Apostle. Paul says right here at the beginning of the next he says in chapter 2 verse 1 I exhort them first of all supplications prayers and intercessors and giving of thanks be made for all men now and then here it is what they call Indian Frederick position, which means that is at the front of the construction of the text, but hear what he says he is that first of all urgent that we pray. I watch this beloved that's nothing else that you are really in control of in your Christian Life. Really your spiritual growth yesterday have to make sure that you're doing the right things. You're in the church. You were reading your Bible you studying God's work, but prayer is something that you are in total control. You can do that better for yourself than anybody else can understand. You don't have a magic hotline to God. I don't have a phone in my office. Yeah, just depressed right here. There's something really bad you I need you to know kind of help them out right now know what's the negative to God when he can handle your issues. You have an up line Tagalog?

you got a price for that this one man between God and man, and that's the man Christ Jesus and Jesus on the throne interceding for you and If you don't think that him being watch this and him being Eternal and a mortal and other words. He he live so long watch this easy turn in water. That means that your prayers as many as Should we bring him in one time? It's like he can take them one at a time because he's just that big.

Hallelujah Torres first of all, first of our prayer is urgent but also it is necessary that he brings out here. He brings that out in the same same verse hear that first of all supplications. Therefore, he says supplications and prayers and it says that giving of thanks be made for all men. So it is not only urgent that is a first priority is that necessary to bring to your attention, but better be pray that you be done for all men do the written languages like this each and every man men of all kinds of bricks it up further in the rest of the text when in Chapter 2 verses 1 and following he breaks it down to these different types of prayers that were looking at the end. It's not a big deal, but it looks just know that there's a prayer to fit our situation.

before God quit telling him this is our issue. God I got a kid that has lost they mind.

Husband Lord have mercy help us today, Lord Jesus. I got a ball at work that has forgot. They lost the book they had. So what we do is we take our issue and we take it to God. Now watch this. Watch this. Don't believe me that we believe in taking it in our own. Hey, but when you take something in your own hands you dismiss God from the price. No, no. No you give your issue to God and watch God Work stories told of believe was Hudson Taylor. Hudson Taylor used to it was it was a missionary and he was on his way to to preach somewhere.

Elizabeth occasion the the ship that they were on the explain to them. He said you're not going to be able to you're not going to be able to make this trip. I mean it's overcast out there. We can't see I can't see past the war. This is too rough. We won't be able to do this.

At which time you turn to the chapter that should be said so you don't understand. God has told me I need to preach over there. As long as I've been preaching I've never missed a preaching engagement. What are you doing to do about this? I'm going to talk to God about it. He went down to the bottom of the ship. He began to pray he began to pray and at the wild something happened that was strange to the captain, but not to Hudson Taylor. All of a sudden the sky begin to crack. And the sun begins to shine through it as the Sun was shining through it got got it open up just enough for them to be able to get to the destination and after he got to the destination what happened with all the clouds and stuff came back to before he got off the ship. He said my God is faithful. I have not missed a preaching engagements since God has dispatch me to this place. And so now God has again shown his faithfulness what we see to stop us from coming to God what we see is dealing with a spiritual. You don't know the spiritual round behind the thing that you see The thing that's happening in your family right now. That's not what you see. That's the devil behind that and you need to pray and bring your issue to God. So God can break that you're on that family thing that you see right now with physical and you keep sending yourself. I don't know why this is happening. But you know why it's happening. You're trying to serve the Lord. You're trying to be faithful to God do the right thing. Do you think the devil just going to lie down and let you just walk right on it. Now, this is spiritual warfare you need to do it.

You got sicknesses of numbers that keep your busy because the devil wants you to get discouraged. He wants you to think that somehow another God damn, you know, you keep your stuff before and let them know why you acting like this. It ain't them is the devil working behind them.

You bring A Treatise sprayer in general. Is something just remain to the church it is essential for the church to pray it is watch this like the communications expert in the field of battle. You will letting God know where to drop his Cosmic and spiritual bombs to give us cover so that we can get to the next place but he wants you to know that you're depending on him to move and So Into You begin to depend on him to move he won't move.

when we pray We pray but I know that petitions petitions petitions are like conversations between you and God about something. You ain't got about another person in particular you and God about a situation that's happening on your job situation. Guess what? Did you know that the Bible says that the heart of the king is in the hollow of his hand and he turned it with us wherever he willing. Do you do you know that God has a way of changing governments? All you got to do is ask Esther Come on talk to me yesterday and you can see how God can change them. And all you do is talk to Daniel and God has changed hold government structures in order to do what it is he wants to do but because we believe us don't Unleash the Power we can't get what God wants because we just obedient know we need to unleash the power of prayer on our situation and let God move the reason why you may not be experiencing the satisfaction your Christian Life is because you're not releasing the power of prayer to the Holy Spirit can rejuvenate you revive you and cause you to be all that God wants you to be

Then there is Thanksgiving every prayer should have Thanksgiving. Do you want to be thankful thankful that you got up this morning without the ability or hate or nobody else you woke up you was in your right mind you ought to be thankful that you were able to walk in the door without somebody helping you. Are you are the best thing for watch this because God gave you game for employment that God has given you good friends that surround you with people that love you. You want to be faithful or even in your prayers. How about you add you on their mind and took the time to pray for you you want to be thankful.

Oh my goodness you got to do is go back and record what it is that God has been doing for you and your life upper Tuesday that wants to some of y'all y'all in the situation last you some of y'all to give look back at you in a worse situation last year that you were this year in your life. Last year. You said Lord have mercy, how did I even make it through that some reason for you to give thanks right there all by itself when I look back where I change from us to where I am right now.

Not only prayer is important have different performance. But also prayer is for these three groups of men and we just mentioned what those three groups of men are four. He says here for kings and for all that are in Authority that we may what lead a quiet and Peaceable life. That's when he brings out there all people of humankind. Why because she here even in the checks. He's talking about prayer. The emphasis is salvation.

BF versus is salvation in the sense that everybody that's not saved needs to be saved. Jesus didn't come just died for Christians what some people who believe? The Godfather How you know who? Unless you are missing you don't know who this is. What is Jesus died for the whole world because all have sinned and fall.

It seemed to me that God provided is equally comprehensive pollution solution for men's comprehensive. Melody says all have sinned and Jesus we pray for all men.

And those who are in Authority fix it so that the life that we live lives under certain types of construction if you will. Imagine if you live in over in some places with people right now. Can even have toilet paper.

Got gasoline, but no toilet paper. Got gasoline, but they don't have bread. They don't have food on the table for you and I to live our lives as we believe we are what's but in some of these other places you couldn't you can come to a place like this and praise. God friended. You couldn't sit down at your house and enjoy your meal. In fact everything that you would have would be considered somebody else's if we thought that they needed you might have thought that you work for that but you didn't work for that you work for us and not for you. But in this country and this place where you have the freedom to come and to assemble into enjoy your life as you see fit under God's leadership. Why because God has put people in place that are thinking along his lines, even though they don't know it the government that God has allowed to be put here alone house with a free to be so we pray for Kings. We pray for people in Authority that even though they may not be saved that God will still influence them so that we can continue to worship Him and continue to give praises to Him and continue to follow him situated. We not persecuted for our faithfulness to him.

You know Lex was Rex. Nero was King and he was persecuting people at the time. So sometimes you can understand that might come off as saying pray for Nero. Yes, pray for meraux.

pray for people who are leadership that we may not want to give a favorable prayer for because in doing so if God converts them the impact would not only impact just country but the World At Large so pray for Play for change but also pray for all who are in Authority. Why because God works through administration's he works through leadership. You don't know each other even when there is bad leadership is when people decide they want to function outside of the authority because God has ordained he wants them to me, but guess what? He has ordained at least destructive because he knows he can use that to the advantage of his kingdom, but you have some folk who decide they want to go out and do what they want to do and that's call rebellion. And God has issues with a billion so we can work through them to accomplish. Amen. Amen. Amen. The prayer what are two types external internal. First of all, he says that your life built both be quiet and Peaceable. That is an externally watch this. You won't have unnecessary trouble. I call it living the boring Christian Life. I swear you get up in the morning. You say your prayers and you have your devotion take care of your family you go to work and do what you need to do. When you come back home. You can you watch the news maybe you eat dinner would have you and then just what you do you go to bed and you before you go to bed. You say your prayers and you do it again the next day not want you to tell I want to tell you something about that. It's pouring. But guess what? It's quiet. It's quiet and because of that is Peaceable. Come on you like to do all this other stuff, but I can run out that I can have all this company of cataclysmic chaos surrounding it.

Oh, no a quiet and Peaceable life come from individuals who are watch this. They are taking the time to dedicate themselves to a guy has called prayer. Laid back at the structures that exist won't begin to zoning on them for being people who calls all types of prom. Yes, he says they sold that your life is both quite a people internally you develop two qualities godliness and dignity and got the text says hear something this way it says. Principal Life and godliness and it uses the word honesty in the King James version of integrity.

Folks might get you on something. Then I get you for you know, forgetting something. But it should get us for lying.

They might get us or something, but he shouldn't get us for cheating. And and you know, the IRS is good for getting you for stuff like that. Yeah, yeah, you think you got away and there is a letter IRS Department of Treasury. Did I tell you that they owe you money? That's very rare by the way it telling you you owe you owe is off to work you go.

Yes, that this whole issue here of honesty and dignity has to do with the quality of a life of authenticity. What people look at your life the closer to get you like the more real it is the most subjective is the most purpose of it is but that's what how do we get that type of life? Well, my understanding is is is that the longer I stay before God the more I become like him.

We become like the company we keep. Don't want to be a good husband. I stay around good husbands. Samuel brother push Trey because because because watch this because they have a tendency for those characteristics to rub off on you when you're hanging with the right people, but if I want to mess up my life with as the Bible says be not deceived brother in The Bad Company corrupts good morals if I hang out with the wrong people who end up slipping up and doing something that the people do

camel spend time with job hang out with godly people. And that way I too can become Godly now watch this now. God has saved us from the world, but he hasn't taken us out of the world in the world that I take care of my godliness while I'm in this world cuz I don't be conformed to watch got why she's not God's word and to Jesus it is but I'm not to be one who conform to the world and become a part of the cookie cutter that the world has made up. Yes, so he says here the benefits are your life is both quiet and peaceful and you develop godliness and dignity. now Is everything there has to be an ultimate thesis?

That is there has to be why is it really all of that important that I pray? What what's going on God? I mean why why should I do a reverse phone number to say the benefits are great for you? Can you imagine talking to somebody who doesn't get tired? USPS man resources, I mean, I mean they got more money than Jeff Bezos. Okay. I mean they got more to channel. They own the whole universe lot stock Earth Mars Venus Uranus Pluto in the whole universe and all you got to do is talk to him about your issues.

Sticky don't you watch this? No psychologist can give you the peace that God can give you a man. Ultra how much money you pay can do what God can do

So what is the benefit on top of all of that? Why should we do it? Well, cuz God desires it. And guess what pleasing God? Show me the ultimate motivation of every Christian. I know this prescripted. What is true pleasing God should be the ultimate motivation for every nut Mount Olive Baptist Church. It's not my friends not my home is my dog. My cousin's knows the ultimate person that I have to stand before is the ultimate person that I will have to please and that is God almighty. Steve Urkel say did you vote on that for me? Did you go vote on that with me when I had to head to vote and I got nothing to say that.

God is not going to ask you questions that had to do with you or lead you to somebody else. He's going to want to know only one thing did you do it because I asked you to so God desires and what does he decide he also does I just first of all he desires that all men get saved. almond

Why are we in this whole Enterprise that we didn't work all Humanity whole life. Why is it is because God wants to give every human being the opportunity to follow him. So that God's glory can be seen so that men can get say and God is glorified in the fact that he sends out the gospel so that men can respond to it positively. So God God for y'all. That's right. Adam did it everybody else under him y'all cancel Christmas a normal human beings God could have done cuz I'm going to send someone less than an Angel watch this. Who's going to die? Watch this? He's going to live watch this at cry like a baby. He's going to live like a pauper don't like it's going to rain or is it a joke that angel called Satan the demon now, what do you want me to give you the opportunity to respond? I'm going to give you a thing called history, but you didn't live in so you can respond. So it pleases God that all men might be safe.

That's why he wanted to pray for all men.

Did you know scope this is different from the accumulation of information. This is different from the idea that you all would have been booked and you found something and you read and you said I know it because I already know this is how to deal with the fact that you have internalized the situation that now you've been leaving and you practicing a mess that you need to know is the truth of Fuji. Jesus is the price yet. You're how much he is. The righteous one scares the Messiah he is the god man. He is the one that we have to deal with when it comes to Salvation and movie know him personally that helps you and I to receive salvation.

And the words they said in the book of Acts men and Brethren what shall we do?

I think we should pray.

Fray Pray, because God desires and it pleases God to do so pray because it is necessary because in order for us to get where we're going. We need a power greater than you and I to get to where we need to go. What should we do? We should pray for all men wear their kings the weather in Authority or whether they're just human beings no matter what Creed or what culture with background with part of geography. Therefore we pray for all men we do it so that we don't have a quiet and peaceful life that we might live a life with dignity that we we do it because it pleases God for all men to be saved we please do because we want people to know the ultimate truth. That's why we doing. Amen. We do it and expect God to answer. Somebody said that you pray for rain you want to bring an umbrella?

So many folks are praying. They all believe it. Bible says without faith. It's impossible to please God for he that comes to God must believe that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him Hebrews chapter 11 6. If we believe him we need to expect then number to the goal of prayer is to get the ear of God. The question is how do we do that? What we check out loud to make sure that our lives in proper what we make sure that we reconciled to our family members. Our loved ones are Brothers and Sisters in Christ. We we have short accounts with God.

Make sure that we are in his will. Bible says 1st John 5 1314 if we ask anything according to his will we know that he here with us that God will give us the desires of our hearts early, but we have to know the desires of our heart has certainly smack-dab in the middle of God's desire. You want a nice boyfriend question is are you a nice girlfriend?

Do you want to be financially independent? The question is are you a good Steward of the funds that got it already entrusted to you. You want to have a full Church. The question is are you preaching the gospel?

Oh, yeah, thirdly it's better to have prayer without a word in a word without bread. Oh, yeah, if we're going to do anything, but love it. We need to start in prayer. That's why for the last 2 years. I've been seeking to lead Mount Olive and having the first five full days the first full week in January as a time of prayer and fasting the church is a spiritual entity is not a cultural Club of Social Club the Saints. we need to focus on spiritual things for a spiritual body in order to have the spiritual impact that God wants us to have and when we do that, we will see the physical manifestations of the faithfulness of God, but if we put the cart before the horse, you do the physical thinking about the spiritual you'll never get the crop that you sown the seeds for we must plant spiritual seeds to expect a spiritual crop. And watch God blesses and you might be here this morning and you may be saying to yourself. Rubber standing that prayer thing is pretty serious and I would say to you. Yes, it is. But I'd also say to you that it's a good thing. because the defined by who you're praying to you may be here today. You may not have a relationship with the one that you need to talk to. I would like to bacon you in the worlds apart. I beseech you I heard you. As you're standing on your feet too small.

very very poignant words Thank you for joining us today. If you happen to be in the Washington DC area. Feel free to join us at the Mount Olive Baptist Church 11 46th Street Northeast, Washington, DC 20002. Again, thanks for listening. God bless you, richly and have a great week.