So I woke up this morning with a very odd song in my mind. And this is one of the
things... this is how it works for me. I don't know if it works for other people
this way or not. But I always pay attention to what's happening as soon as
I wake up or in that half-awake half-asleep area right away in the
morning, because that's where God will oftentimes speak to me and say something
to me. And I also know if I'm struggling in an area spiritually or if I'm doing
well by the kind of song that's in my head when I wake up. Because see our spirits
never sleep. Our spirits are alert and awake all the time. We're like God. He
never sleeps or slumbers. That's going to be an adjustment when we get there.
We're going to have a lot of time on our hands. We sleep a third of our life away
down here. But it is one of the things that I judge things by, because if I
have a secular song going through my mind, that's a red flag to me. When I
wake up it needs to be something that is praising and worshiping God. If it's
not, something's off in me. And I have to go pursue that. So that's how it works
with me. So when I wake up I'm always listening. What's playing in the
background? What's going on? This morning dates back to when I was a child. I
never liked this song. And I'll explain to you why briefly. I never liked
this song. I was never interested in singing this song. It's a childhood
song. Haven't thought of it since. Onward Christian soldiers. Some of you old
ones can remember that. Onward Christian soldiers marching us to war. Okay, now
let me explain to you why I hated this song. It was a VBS song. And they
made us stand up in front of everybody with either a Christian flag or a
cross. And we were supposed to march and sing that song. And I was already a
fifth or sixth grader. Old enough to know. This is very embarrassing. So I
never liked that song. And I woke up and that baby's playing. I'm going,
okay. There is no way that I'm pulling this out because I just like
that song. So God, what are you trying to tell me? And I think what he was
trying to say is, remind me and us that this is a battle. This is a war we're
in. I mean, Scripture talks about that. And a lot of times we forget about it.
But this is a battle. It's a war we're in. And our goal is to win every
battle. But we don't always. At least I don't. But our goal, the price has been
paid for us to win every battle. Now we know we're going to win the war. Jesus
already took care of that. But the thing we have to remember, and with the
events that happened this last week, this is not a reaction to that. I had
this plan to speak back a number of weeks already. In fact, I spoke this up
at Red Lake in more of a condensed version back a month or two. So this is
not a reaction to what happened. And you'll understand that in a bit. But I
think sometimes Christians who are trying to live by faith, who are trying
to believe the full gospel and go after the promises, we can condemn
ourselves or get in shame and blame ourselves when we're struggling to win
some battles or we lose one or two. And it's like, what's wrong with me? Well, we
have to remember we're walking by face, not by sight. That makes a huge
difference. In fact, Paul said it this way. 1st Corinthians 1312. The King
James says we're seeing things through a glass darkly. I've got the amplified
here. For now we are looking in a mirror that gives only a dim, blurred
reflection of reality. As in a riddle or an enigma. Then when perfection
comes, when we're face to face, we shall see in reality and face to
face. Now I know impart imperfectly. Once we're out of this body and gone,
we're going to look back and go, wow, we really didn't see it very clearly.
That's not an excuse. However, it can be a reason why sometimes we just
don't hit the ball and bat a thousand. There's only one person who ever batted
a thousand. And it was Jesus. And we're not him. The goal is to live everything
that covenant bought for us. That's the goal. And Jesus said our job or our
work is to believe. He said that in John 6. To believe and then be
changed from glory to glory to glory. So if we lose a battle now and then this
is not a success or fail scenario. This is war. And I don't know of any war
that's ever taken place where one side won all the battles one hundred
percent of the time. There's always some struggles and some give and
give and takes. So I had this song going in my head this morning and I was
trying to be like David. He talked about laying in bed and meditating. So if any of
you like to lay in bed a little longer, just blame it on David. So I was
being like David, very spiritual, and meditating for a while going, well, I
wanted to know what is this about? Where is this going? And I was reasoning
some things through. And I've got a list of 26 things this morning and what it
actually is, is the 26 reasons why our prayers don't get answered. That's
what we're going to talk about. Going through my mind, while I'm laying
there, I thought of another one that I didn't put in the list. And I'm sure
there's many more and some of you probably can come up with some immediately.
But going through the concept of it's a war we're in and sometimes we lose
some battles, the Holy Spirit took me to my mother and when she was alive, all
her life, she struggled immensely with fear. Fear was just through the rough.
And it's not that she didn't want to get free. She wanted to get free. She
just didn't know how. We found out toward the end of her life that this
was actually a spirit of fear. It was a demonic thing, genealogically, that
passed down from her father and back, I'm sure. But they didn't recognize
that because at that time, and I don't know where they're at now, but at
that time in the Assemblies of God, they firmly believed that demons could
not affect Christians at all, period. So there was no teaching on getting
free from demonic influence or anything like that. It can't happen. If
you're saved, it can't happen. It's just, no, it never happens. So she
never got the information to know how to beat this fear thing. So she
struggled with fear all her life. And it was strong fear, fear, fear
stuff. Well, it's not a pass or fail. It's a battle. And we know we
win in the end, even if we lose a battle now and then. Well, when it
comes to the battle of overcoming fear in her life, she never won that
battle. She lost that battle. Well, does that mean she went to hell? No,
has nothing to do with it. We're saved by grace through faith. It's
not how clean, squeaky clean we are that gets us to heaven. It's a gift
of God that's given to us by grace through faith. So it has nothing
to do with that. However, it tormented her. She struggled with it
all her life. And boom, it went through my mind. And the reason was
Hosea 4-6. My people are destroyed for a lack of knowledge. She
just didn't have the information because it wasn't given to
her. Now the scary part about that scripture, we quote the
first part, but the rest of it for ministers, that's really scary
stuff right there. Just read it. My people perish for a lack of
knowledge, then he addresses the people who are supposed to be
giving them knowledge. And he doesn't say a kind thing. It's
like a warning. Because you have rejected knowledge. I also
will reject you from being a priest or a minister for me, because
you have forgotten the law of your God. I will also, or I also
will forget your children. So when God tries to show us
something or does show us something, and we reject it
because it doesn't fit our box, as ministers especially, it's
not just affecting me. It's affecting everybody I'm
ministering to. So it was a perfect example. So if you want
to jot that down, number 27, a lack of knowledge causes people
not to get answers. So with that, I thought, okay, let's
preface what we're talking about this morning with the
understanding that all of us are battling with things. There's
nobody here who's got it all together. I know Pastor Eager
likes to present like he does. I'll talk over here. I'm just
messing with you. There's nobody here that's that's got it
all together. We all have battles. But this isn't don't
let shame get ahold of you. To where it's like, oh man,
I'm worthless. I'm good for nothing. I did it has
nothing to do with that. This is just a challenge that God
saying go after this and see if you can take it down is the
battle. The war we win. Here is your battle. And when we do
take some things down, you got shame on one hand. Be careful
for pride on the other. But you fall into that and now
you're strutting your stuff like you actually won a
battle because pride goes before the fall in the next
battle. So, you know, just just some thoughts there of
going into what we're talking about. By the way, the P the
PowerPoint will be available with the message after it gets
edited and put online. There is a PDF of all my points
available for those of you watching online. If you go
to our website and then go to messages under that tab when
that opens up, it'll say handouts and other resources. It's
there and it should be under that title of prayers going
unanswered and 26 reasons they're not answered. Well, now
we could make it 27, but we're going to go on. So, the
reason I'm doing this is I felt God told me to do it
number one, number two to answer an ongoing question of
we prayed and we believe God and it didn't happen. Why?
Well, I'm going to give you some thoughts on that this
morning and hopefully the thoughts will help prime the
pump so that we get more prayers answered because we
identify some things that are going on and maybe why we
haven't gotten the answers. So, I have 26 points. If I
spend two minutes on each point, it's over 50 minute
message. So, with that in mind, I'm going to go fast
because if I dwell on a point, then I have to just
blow through a different one. So, let's jump in and see what
we can do here on this. Number one reason we don't get our
prayers answered is not working the process. Ask, seek and
knock. There's a process to this. Asking is the simple
request. Seeking is pursuing or getting revelation. So, you
asked and nothing happened. Well, what are you going to do
now? Or you asked and you got a little piece of
information or what are you going to do with that? Either
way, you've got to seek. You've got to pursue. You've
got to go deeper and get some revelation knowledge on
what you're dealing with. We have to engage. Once we
get that revelation knowledge, once we get that
reema, now it's time to enforce it. That's knocking. Door, you
will open for me now because now I know. The Lord has
shown me. Holy Spirit revealed to me what this is all
about. Now you will open. Knocking is enforcing. So,
there's a process there. If we're not working the
process and growing in that process, we will get
prayers that will go unanswered. And remember for
you scholars, in the Greek, it's in the present,
ongoing tense, ask and keep asking. Seek and keep
seeking. Knock and keep knocking. It cancels the
thing of, well, I tried asking God once and it
didn't work. Well, if you had a broken arm and
you went to the emergency room and they turned you
away. We're too full. We don't have time for you. Go
home. You'd just go home and never go to an
emergency room again, would you? I tried it once.
They didn't let me in. No, you'd go to a different
hospital. You'd keep until you'd find somebody
who lets you in. That's the concept. Keep after
it until it happens. Number two, asking, talking
about asking, asking with wrong motives. He
explains kind of some of their hard attitudes. You
lost and you do not have. You murder and covet, yet
you can't obtain. So in other words, they're
trying to get something. And their desire, lost,
they have huge desire for it. You murder, you
covet. That's mouth stuff, that's heart stuff,
but you still don't have it. You fight, you
war, probably with your wife or your husband.
Yet you do not have, because you do not ask.
However, you ask and do not receive. For those of
you who say, well, I did ask. Well, you ask and
you do not receive, because you ask amiss. That
you may spend it on your pleasures. In
other words, these are selfish requests. This
has nothing to do with the betterment of
someone else. This has nothing to do with
the betterment of the kingdom. This is
about me. I want this. He says, yeah,
you're probably not going to get much. Okay,
two minutes sidetrack. Little story.
When we were early in our marriage, there
were certain things that I grew up on a
farm. We had stuff we drove around on. We
did stuff. We're early married. We're
poor as church mice. We don't have any
money to buy anything. I want to go
camping and do some ATV and things like
that. Well, we can't afford any of it. So
we can't. Tap somebody on the shoulder
and town to give me some money so I can
do something here. He revealed a very big
principle to me. And he didn't do it. He
didn't speak it directly to me. He
spoke it. I was at a minister's
conference and the guy who was
leading it said, this is what the Lord
taught me and I feel like I'm
supposed to share it. And I think he
shared it just for me. He said, given
it will be given unto you, pressed
down, shaken together, running over,
will men give into your bosom? He said,
you and your wife are one. So giving
it to you, giving it to her, is giving
it to you, you're one. He said, would
you rather have other men give
things to your wife or would you
rather do it? Okay. He said, set your
heart that you want to bless your
wife. Not have other men bless your
wife. You want it to come through you
to bless your wife. And he said, now
your motives have to be pure. You
can't play a game with this. He said,
your motives have to be pure. He said,
but if you will do that, God will
get it to you so you can give it to
her. Okay. So thank God I married
somebody who's not big into, and
there's nothing wrong with this, but
she's not big into diamonds and
jewelry and, you know, they look at
the ring she's wearing and it's a
Walmart for twenty bucks and it's
like, oh, that's a massive rock.
That must have really cost pastor
a lot. Oh, yeah. It really set me
back. She's just not big into that
stuff. But do you know what she
likes? ATVs and campers and boats
and stuff. Trucks. Our first diesel
truck on the back on the license
plate had said my loves, because
this was right after, oh man, this
was, this is a good story. You
got to watch a podcast. I talk
stories there. It was right after
the Lord had showed me this.
Within two, three years. And she
wanted a diesel truck. And I'm
going, do you have any clue, woman,
what this will cost? Why don't care.
I think God is big enough. Well, he
is, but he hadn't shown up with
the bag yet. I mean, show me
the money. We'll go do this
thing. Well, I had just learned
this. And we were, for two, three
years, we'd be driving down the
highway. Look at that truck. I want
one just like that. And it just
made me mad. It's like we knock
off the truck stuff. We can't
afford it. We don't have any
money for it. So I learned this
principle. I said, okay, God. I
said, what do you want for a
truck? Let's get real. So she
listed it out. This is how we
got our first diesel truck. I
said, okay, let's agree in
prayer. God, you get us the way
to buy that. You'll get your
truck. It didn't take long at
all. Here we go. We ended a
long story short. I can't keep
going because I got other
points covered. But a long
story short, we ended up buying
this truck. So I said, okay,
well, we're going to have
to celebrate this. So I got a
license plate that said my
loves. And everybody said, oh,
isn't that sweet? She bought a
truck for her husband. It's
like, nope. This is flipped. It
goes under this point. If you
will honestly want to give
to your wife, your husband,
your God will give to you as
the husband, so you're the man
giving into her life. You
become an avenue. It didn't
take me long to figure this
out. Honey, what do you want
for an ATV? You wouldn't want
a camper by chance, would you?
And I can honestly say most of
the stuff that came to us
is because she wanted it and
it came through me. Okay, God,
she wants a camper. What can
I say? It wasn't my idea.
You bless her. Don't ask with
selfish motives to spend on
your own pleasures. You're
asking a miss. Verse number
four, at the end there,
whoever therefore wants to
be a friend of the world makes
himself an enemy of God. He's
talking about when you get
selfish on your asking with
God, you're actually in
agreement with how the world
does things. It's selfishness.
It's wrong motives. You're
verse four at the beginning.
You're a spiritual adulterer,
adulteress. You're not
functioning how the kingdom
functions. You've turned to
how the world functions and
it doesn't work. So he goes
on and says, do you think
the Scripture says in vain
that the spirit is jealous?
Therefore, now notice this
because we usually take these
next verses and we don't tie
them in with the previous.
The previous are, you've got
to have the right motives
when you ask God for
something so that you
don't turn ungodly. Here he
says, God resists the
proud, gives grace to the
humble. Verse seven,
therefore submit to God,
resist the devil, he will
flee from you, draw near
to God, he will cleanse
your hands, you sinners,
purify your hearts, you
double-minded. You know what
he's talking about? Asking
with the right motives. This
whole section is about
asking with the right
motives. Resist the devil.
Why? Because he's trying to
turn you selfish. No, I'm
not saying it doesn't work
for other things. I'm
saying in context, so this
is what he's talking
about. At the end, humble
yourselves in the sight
of the Lord and he will
lift you up. So under
this one point, there's a
number of things that are
listed why we don't get our
prayers answered. Just
trying to prime the pump.
Number three, now we lost
some time. We have not
received a rama word. And
without a rama word, we
don't have faith. That's
what Paul said. I'll give
you the scripture here in
a bit. What does it say?
The word, rama, is near
you in your mouth and in
your heart. That is the
word, rama. That's the
Greek word, rama, of faith
that we preach. There's two
Greek words for that are
translated into the King
James version as word, W-O-R-D.
One is logos, which means
the rented, written,
printed Word of God. And
rama, which means the
spoken Word of God. We can
memorize the written Bible
and not have faith.
Faith doesn't come from the
logos or the book. Faith
comes when God speaks
something from the book
into your heart. And you go,
whoa, I never saw that
before. All of a sudden
it became alive because
the Holy Spirit spoke it
to you. That alive is
faith. Next scripture,
whoever believes in him
shall not be put to shame.
I just throw that in there
in the context. Don't have
time to get into it.
Whoever calls upon the
name of the Lord shall be
saved. We will win the
war. The verse I want you
to see is verse 17. So then
faith comes by hearing and
hearing the spoken Word
of God, or the rama of
God. If you have not
received, if you're going
after a promise and he
hasn't spoken anything into
your heart yet about it,
I always call it, let God
weigh in on what he thinks
on this. Once he weighs in
and speaks to you and says,
this is what I want for you,
there is an explosion of
faith and ownership. And
this is mine that takes
place in your heart that
you can't get talked out of.
When it's just the book,
well, I don't believe that.
Oh really? Well, what do
you believe? And then we
go back and forth and this,
that and the other. Once it's
spoken into your heart and
they say, well, God doesn't
do that. Well, I'm sorry,
you're too late. You got to
me late. God already spoke
to me and you know what?
Nobody will ever talk me
out of this. I know
that I know. So we have
to have that to have
faith. If we don't have
that, we need to ask,
seek, knock, pursue until
he speaks to us. And
sometimes he gives me a
rainbow word immediately
for myself or someone else
to believe with them. Then
there's other times I've been
on something now for two
years, something that I'm
dealing with. I'm going after
by faith, asking God,
give me a rainbow word,
give me a rainbow word. And
nothing this last week.
I finally got one word,
one word and it's like,
oh, here we go. We're
going to war now. I have
a word on it and it's not
even a scripture. It's just,
I won't tell you what it is
because then we have another
story and I don't have time
for that. But sometimes you
have to ask and pursue
to hear God's voice. He
really wonders how strongly
we want to hear him and
how strongly we want to
know. So once you get
that rainbow word, you have
to call things that are
not as though they were. So
in other words, you start
speaking what God told you
he wants the outcome to be
and you stop speaking what
grandma said, what your
dad said, what the doctor
said, what your best friend
online said. There's
no power in that. The power
is speaking what he said
and aligning with that. For
Moses writes about the
righteousness of the law. In
other words, righteousness
is what is right with God.
Things that are right with
God. Verse 6, but the
things that are right with
God that come by faith, but
the righteousness of faith
speaks this way. How are we
going to get this answer? Do
not say in your heart,
well, who's going to go to
heaven and get this? Or
who's going to go into the
abyss to get this? How are we
going to get this answer? What
are we going to do? This may
not work. You're going down
the wrong direction. The
righteousness of faith does
not start questioning
everything in doubt and
unbelief. The righteousness
of faith, what does it
say? The word, that's
Ramah, is near you. In
your mouth and in your
heart, that is the word,
Ramah, the spoken word. So
it makes sense. He says the
word is near you in your
mouth because he's talking
not about the written word,
he's talking about the
spoken word. If he was
talking about the written
word, he said the word is
near you, it's in your
coffee table at home. It's
on your night's end. It's
laying on the passenger
seat in your car. And
he's not talking about
the written word, he's
talking about the spoken
word. What comes out of
our mouth? Starting from
the very beginning of our
salvation. Translator from
the kingdom of darkness,
kingdom of light. It comes
by belief. What are we
believing? What the Holy
Spirit just spoke to our
heart. People are sitting
in a service, people are
sitting in front of TV,
people are sitting reading
or in a conversation with
their family, and the
Holy Spirit speaks
something in their heart
and they go, I need a
savior. I need my sins
forgiven. That's a
rainbow word. And if they
will believe that, yeah
you do, you need that. Okay,
I believe that. What do I
do now? Make Jesus Lord
and you do that with
your mouth. Confess Jesus
as Lord. You'll be saved.
So right from the very
beginning it goes with
heart belief, heart belief
based on what? Verse 8. He's
talking about rainbow words
here. Heart belief and
confession. Verse 10. For
what the heart one believes
under righteousness, see
that's how God does it, the
right way of doing it. And
with the mouth confession is
made under salvation. So how
do we secure the promise?
Same way. He will speak
something to our heart and
now we align our heart,
our belief system, our
verbiage with what he
spoke to us. And we just
like God we call those things
that are not as though they
were. Going back to that
truck story. I heard this,
if I heard this once, I
heard this a hundred times.
Oh, thank God we've got
a truck. I don't see one
yet. What's she doing?
Calling those things that
are not as though they were.
Or be not as though they are.
Many point what translation
you read. See, that is how
faith that has spoken into
your heart is activated. If two
or three will agree is
touching any one thing it
will be done for them. Watch
that because that works both
ways. Well, I went to the
doctor and he said I'm
dying. So I guess, I guess
you are because you just
agreed with them. If two
will agree as touching
anything that works both
ways. Well, my husband said
we're out of money and we're
not going to have enough to
make rent. So I guess we're
going to be careful, careful,
careful what you're agreeing
to here. Well, I was
just going to say, I guess
we're going to not be
able to pay the rent this
month. Well, that's what
you're believing for. You
got it. Why don't you listen
to God and say, God, we
don't, I don't know where
the money went. Maybe we
need to check that first. But
number two, we don't have
enough money to pay the
rent. You said you'd
provide our needs. So talk
to me. What's going on
here? Let them weigh in and
now talk his language, not
the other. Not, not
confessing the promises
causes us not to get
answers. Unconfessed or
cherished sin. If I
regard iniquity in my heart,
the Lord will not hear. I
naive he says, if I had
cherished sin in my heart,
the Lord would not have
listened. So this is
David talking now. So he
knew the principle. If we
regard iniquity or have
cherished sin, what is
cherished sin? Cherished
sin are those things that
we know are wrong, but we
keep them in our life because
we like them. It is a rare
person that I meet who hates
what's going on in their
life, who doesn't get free
of it shortly. God will
give him the knowledge,
he'll give him the
understanding, he'll show
him something. Somehow the
connection will be made to
get them free. It's rare,
there are some, but it's a
rare thing that they don't
get that knowledge. My
mother was one of those
rare ones with her fear
she didn't want it, she wanted
it out, but do you know what
she was serving? Religion.
Because there was information,
this was back in the 60s
already, there was
information coming through
the charismatic move, those
heretics, that Christians
could actually have demonic
torment. Boy, and they just
cast that out because that's
false doctrine, that is
not good. Go to God and
ask him to weigh in on this.
Don't just go with your
religion. Well, she went
with the religion and she
ended up staying bound. But
it's a rare person who's not
seeking to get free where
God won't give him the
information to get free. It's
a rare person who hates
their sin and is not getting
free of it. Do you know
when we don't get free of
our sin? When we
cherish it, we like it.
Well, I don't want to stop
doing that. Well, you might
also just add on what you're
thinking. I enjoy that. Well,
there be the fly in the
ointment. Now, here's the
problem. When we have that
in our heart, that's how we
live. God says, yeah, I'm
not going to listen to them
until they change that
attitude. Well, if God's
not listening to your
prayers, guess what? You're
probably not going to get
answered. Well, I don't know
I'm believing God. Well, you
might be. But he ain't
listening because you have
something in your heart that
you're holding on to that
you know you shouldn't be,
but you like it. You
cherish it. Got to deal with
that if you want your
prayers to get answered. Even
in Jesus' time, they knew
this principle. We know that
God does not listen to
sinners. He listens to
the godly man who does his
will. This was a guy coming
questioning Jesus. How are
you doing all this because
they're calling you a sinner,
but yet we know that God
doesn't listen to sinners. Where
did he get that principle? We
just read to you. Number six
reason why we sometimes
don't get our prayers
answered. We're double-minded
or we're in doubt. Verse 6,
beginning of it, and this is
talking about asking about
wisdom. Of course, the
principle applies to
anything. Let him ask and
face, not doubting. Verse 7,
for let no man suppose that he
will receive anything from the
Lord. He's double-minded.
He's unstable in all his ways
because he's doubting. He's
double-minded. It's not
going to work. You say, how
do you get rid of that? Ask
for a rainbow word. God weigh
in on this. What should I
be believing here? There is
nothing that dispels doubt
like God speaking to your
heart and saying, this is what
I want. Go after it.
Number 7, lacking prayer and
fasting. Sometimes we don't
get our prayers answered
because we don't like to fast.
Yeah, you can say ouch there
if you want. Jesus is
talking. He's dealing with
getting deliverance for
someone here. And let's just
read it. Lord, have mercy
on my son for he's an
epileptic. He suffers severely
so he has a physical
epileptic problem. Let me
just say it that way. And
suffers from it for he often
falls in the fire and often
into the water so I brought
him to your disciples but
they could not cure him. Then
Jesus answered and said, oh
faithless and perverse
generation. You know, I'm
going to say it now. I've
got to written my notes
later but it shows up a
number of times. I don't know
why certain Christians get
so bent out of shape when you
bring up the thought. You
know the reason we don't
always get answers to our
prayers? We don't have the
faith. Don't tell me I
don't have the faith. You
can't condemn me. I'm
believing God. And they just
okay. A little nuclear
explosion here. That's
not true. What in the
world is Jesus talking about?
Why can't the disciples
cast them out? You don't
have enough faith. Or you're
not using what you got and
you're perverse. It's like
well, we've heard the
faith part but have we ever
looked up the perverse part?
He said the reason they
can't do it is they're
faithless and they're
perverse. Then the
disciples came to Jesus
privately and said, why
could we not cast it out? So
Jesus said to them, because
of your unbelief. And then
he talks to him about the
mustard seed type of faith
that can move mountains.
However, you're not going to
get this kind of faith
except by prayer and
fasting. So does prayer
and fasting chase the
demons out? No, prayer
and fasting chases the
unbelief, the doubt out of
us so that when we
speak, we're speaking in
faith. Now they go.
I've heard Christians say,
well, I'm praying fasting
for so-and-so because
they've got demonic things
and I'm praying that God
chases them out. Go to
Culver's and get a burger.
You're wasting your time.
You're praying and fasting
is not going to make God
chase a demon out of
someone else.
Prayer and fasting, Jesus said,
changes us. The reason the
disciples couldn't get it to
move is their lack of faith
and their perverseness. I'll
touch that here in a bit.
But their lack of faith.
The cure all?
Praying fast. You've got
to address what's going on
in here so that the faith
becomes readily available out
there. You can move mountains
with just a little bit. But
you've got to change what's
going on in here.
Perverse means to distort,
misinterpret, or corrupt.
That, I think, is funny.
They could not cure Him.
Jesus answered and said,
verse 17,
O faithless and perverse
generation. So, in other
words, you're going to
distort things, you're
going to misinterpret
things, and by the time
you're done, you're going
to have corrupted it.
This may smack a little bit,
but that's okay. Don't say
amen.
When things don't work for
us by faith, the first
natural, how would you say,
lever we grab is to distort
what's going on, misinterpret
what's going on, and
eventually corrupt it.
Well, I prayed that God would
you fill in the blank.
Nothing happened.
So, here's my conclusion on it.
Oh, here we go.
We're going to distort it.
We're going to misinterpret
this whole thing, and by the
time we're done, you'll have
thrown it under the bus.
Corrupted it.
Well, I prayed for it.
And I don't know if that's
true in the Bible.
I don't know if it means
what it says.
I don't know.
I tried, and nothing happened.
So, I'm just not going to go
into it.
You just did.
You just went perverse.
Well, I prayed and it
didn't work.
Try praying and fasting.
That's Jesus' advice.
Boy, you're all excited about
this message this morning.
Number eight.
Not asking God according to
His will.
Now, this is the confidence
we have in Him that if we ask
anything according to His
will, He hears us.
And if we know He hears us,
whatever we ask, we know that
we have the petitions that
we have asked of Him.
So, the key here is,
what's His will?
Because if we ask according
to His will, He hears us,
and if He hears us,
we're getting it.
So, what is His will
in your situation?
We need to consider that.
Whatever we're praying for,
we need to consider,
what is His will in this?
What is the scriptural
foundation for His will
in this?
What you're praying for?
Will it support and fit
your destiny?
Why you're on this earth?
What you're doing here?
And I suppose I better add
this.
Why you're on this earth?
What you're doing here for
Him?
Not for yourself.
For Him?
And then ask the Holy Spirit
to instruct you.
He'll show you.
He'll teach you.
He is the great teacher.
Where is God at on this thing
that I'm pursuing?
Again, you're looking for
God to speak.
You're looking for a
Ramah word.
Once you find that,
well, here is what God,
the Father, wants in this
situation.
Once you find that,
now you've got to turn
that in.
Now it's a Ramah in your
heart.
Now you've got to turn
that into how you live,
how you act, how you speak,
because now you know
you have it.
According to that verse.
That's Hebrews 11-1.
You have the title deed.
You own it now.
It's mine.
Because the Father weighed in
and I'm in agreement with Him.
This one will stop us
from getting our prayers
answered.
Unforgiveness.
If you do not forgive,
neither will your Father
in heaven forgive your
trespasses, which means
now you not only have
iniquity in your heart,
now you're slowly filling up
with stuff because He's not
forgiving you because you're
not forgiving someone else.
Remember the other principle?
If there's sin in our heart
and we know it's there
and we're not dealing with it,
He won't even listen to us.
So if we're not forgiving
someone, Jesus flat-out said,
well, you're not going
to be forgiven.
Well, but the problem is
this is going to cripple you
from getting answers to prayer
because you're going to put
yourself in a position where
the only thing you hear
from God is you got to deal
with that.
You got to deal with your
attitude.
You need to talk to that
person.
You need to fix this.
You need to straighten this.
But God, I'm believing for
this.
You might as well let that
go until you deal with this
because He's not listening
to you about that.
He's dealing with this.
Unforgiveness.
It can stop us from getting
prayers answered.
Ignoring poor people.
Whoever shuts his ears to the
cry of the poor will also
cry himself and not be
heard.
The thing of being heard by
God is a big deal.
There's some things he just
chooses not to listen to.
Not going there.
Poor.
Okay, let me give you the
Hebrew definition behind
this.
It can mean materially poor
or lacking resources.
Like money or finances or
food or whatever.
In other words, don't shut
your ears to someone who has
a legitimate financial need.
Like James said, don't just
well, I'll pray that it all
works out for you and you run
off to the restaurant and they
go home hungry.
He says give them something.
Help them.
Put some work with your
faith.
That's in that context.
Okay.
But it also means people who
are weak,
feeble
or thin
physically or socially.
So they might be physically
weak, feeble or thin, or they
might be socially
weak, feeble or thin.
Which I thought that was
really interesting.
Socially, they're poor.
They're a poor person.
People don't accept them.
People don't want anything to
do with them.
People shun them.
They're always standing kind
of alone.
Nobody's including them.
He says, you don't knock
that off.
He said, I'm not going to
listen to what you want.
You're going to come to me
and say, oh God, I need
help.
He said, talk to the hand.
I'm not going to listen.
Why?
Because they asked you for
help and you said, talk to
the hand.
You planted some bad seeds
and now you're going to
get the harvest.
Don't shut your ears to
people who are socially
struggling or physically
struggling.
And the last one is, they're
socially vulnerable or
helpless.
They're needy, powerless.
They have a reduced status.
Didn't the scripture say
someplace something about
defending the poor?
Don't jump on the side of
the group that's making fun
of somebody.
Because that will shut
down your ability to get
answers to prayer.
Whether it's their clothes,
whether it's the car they
drive, whether it's how they
do their hair, whether it's
the nose they got from their
dad, what, no matter
what it is, be nice.
Because if you want God to be
nice to you, we have to be
nice to the poor.
That doesn't mean just
financially poor, okay?
Moving on.
Not listening to wisdom.
This is a heavy-duty one.
Because I have called and you
have refused to answer.
This is wisdom talking.
If you go back to Proverbs
reading context, this is
wisdom speaking.
Because I called you, you
refused to answer and have
stretched out my hand and no
man has heated it.
And you treated as nothing all
my counsel and would accept
none of my reproof.
So in other words, wisdom is
trying to get us to change
our ways and how we live and
we're ignoring it.
Verse 26, I will also laugh
at your calamity.
I will mock when the thing
comes that shall cause you
terror and panic.
When you're panic,
when your panic comes as a storm
and desolation and your calamity
comes on as a whirlwind, when
distress and anguish come upon
you, then will they call upon
me, wisdom.
But I will not answer.
They will seek me early.
So in other words, you're not
sleeping well.
And diligently.
You mean business.
But you're not going to find
wisdom.
Why?
It's seed time in harvest again.
You planted bad seed.
God is speaking to you
to fix some things, change some
things, rearrange some things,
do some things different.
And you're just not listening.
So God says, well, I know how
to get your attention.
When you come to me,
not only is he not going to
listen, he's going to laugh.
Oh, you're in trouble now.
Oh, here you go.
You say God wouldn't do it.
He would.
And when wisdom refuses to
answer me, they will seek me
early and diligently, but they
will not find me.
I'm not going to answer.
I will not answer.
You're not going to get some
prayers answered.
There's just some things that
aren't going to get answered.
So it's good when God tries to
speak some wisdom to us about
our cherished sins that we
listen.
Or about the poor that we
listen.
Don't shout me down.
Number 12, not honoring your
wife.
I already gave an example for
this so I can just read through
it.
Husbands likewise dwell with
them with understanding, giving
honor to the wife as to the
weaker vessel and being heirs,
as being heirs together of the
grace of life.
If you're going to inherit from
God and you're married, you're
going to do it with your wife.
And you need to understand that
and you need to give her honor
in that or the last phrase
there.
Your prayers will be hindered.
You've got to honor them so
your prayers are not hindered.
The health of your marriage can
determine whether you get an
answer from God or not.
And all the women inside are
going, oh, yes, get them, get
them.
But you're sitting there all
calm, collected, while the guys
are thinking, I hope he moves
on quick on this one.
Seriously, the health of our
marriage affects whether God
answers prayers or not.
Unbelief.
Jesus, this is that same
section.
Jesus rebuked the demon.
This is just a few verses in
from the Scripture we read
earlier.
And the demon came out and the
child was cured from the very
hour, the epileptic child.
Then the disciples came to
Jesus privately and said, why
couldn't we do it?
And he said, because of your
unbelief.
He'll say it again through the
writer to Hebrews.
It says Hebrews 319 below.
That Scripture is coming.
So he'll say it again there.
Disobedience can keep us from
getting prayers answered.
For who having heard rebelled?
Indeed, was it not all those
who came out of Egypt led by
Moses?
Now with whom was he angry for
40 years?
He's asking questions they
already know the answer to.
Was it not with those who
sinned and whose corpses fell
in the wilderness?
And to whom did he swear that
they would never enter his
rest or the promised land?
But to those who did not
obey.
Disobedience keeps us from
getting the promises.
Then he makes an interesting
statement.
So because of their disobedience
they didn't obey.
They were in rebellion.
So we see they could not
enter in because of unbelief.
Do you know that disobedience
has its roots in unbelief?
The reason we're disobeying
many times is because we
really don't believe what
God said.
Well, I don't know if it's...
I mean, I don't know if it's
like that, see?
You're marking your unbelief
for the excuse to do what
you want to do, which is
going to come out next.
Why, there's a lot of
Christians.
Yep, here we go.
There's a lot of Christians
who live like this.
You can't tell me they're
all.
Where are we going?
We've got some cherry sin.
We've got some disobedience
because we don't really believe
when God says all liars
and those who love to make
lies or falsehoods will
be in the lake of fire.
Well, not all.
I mean, I know a lot of
Christians.
They're good people and
they lie some too.
Yeah, here you go.
You don't believe it.
You like to lie.
So now you're going to cover
your own disobedience.
Well, I don't know why God
doesn't answer my prayers.
Well, I have an idea.
That could be part of it.
Since therefore it remains
that some must enter it,
promised land, and those to
whom it was first preached
did not enter because of
disobedience.
Sometimes we don't get the
promises because of our
own disobedience.
Number 15.
He's got something better
planned for us.
There are many plans
in a man's heart.
Nevertheless, the Lord's
Council, it's the Lord's
Council that will stand.
I'll give you one more verse.
The Lord brings the
Council of the Nations
to nothing.
He makes the plans
of the peoples of no effect.
The Council of the Lord
stands forever, the plans
of his heart to all
generations.
So what God wants
come to pass, just let him
do what he wants to do.
Because blessed is the
nation whose God is the
Lord.
I mean just follow him
and let him do what he
wants to do.
The people he has chosen
as his own inheritance.
They're the ones who are
blessed.
But many are the plans
in a man's heart.
Nevertheless, it's the
Lord's Council that will
stand.
Sometimes God doesn't
answer our prayers
because he's got something
better.
I have a wonderful little
example here.
When we were starting the
church up here and we
realized we needed to do
something so we bought the
modular and put it on our
property, I was trying
really hard to talk the
banker into a larger
facility to where you take
three or four modulars and
they line them up and they
make one big room and we
could have sat like 150
people and we could have
had the children's church
in another section of the
building.
It would have all been
self-contained right there.
It would have filled up
at least half of my back
yard maybe more between
parking and that modular.
I look back and I say
thank God that did not
happen.
And I cranked on him
because it wasn't that
much, it wasn't that...
I told him, I said,
a new car and a truck,
that's all I'm asking
for financially.
Well, it's a lot easier to
repossess a new car and a new
truck if it's not setting
on your property like a
modular.
That was his excuse.
And I couldn't talk him
out of it.
I tried.
I look back and say,
thank you, God, for not
answering that prayer.
Because we would have had
enough room to keep growing
there, we probably would
not have bought this.
We'd have missed this
opportunity.
Now we would be stuck
because of my brilliant
plans.
And he just didn't answer
that prayer.
And there was a while there
I was frustrated with him
like, come on, God,
let's do this thing.
Nope, we're not going
that route.
You know why?
He had something so much
better for us.
Not adding works to
our faith, thus faith by
itself, if it does not have
works as dead.
It's kind of self
explanatory.
We're believing God.
What are you doing?
We're not doing anything
but believing God.
Well, it's dead.
You always got to put
some works with your faith.
I'm believing God,
my arm gets stronger.
It hurts.
But what are you doing
with it?
Well, I'm not doing anything.
It hurts.
You ever think
of maybe trying to
move it a little bit?
Well, that hurts.
I'm believing God.
Put some works
with your faith.
If you actually believe
it's going to get better,
start acting like it.
Do something with it.
Galatians 5,
for if we are in Christ Jesus
neither circumcision
nor uncircumcision counts
for anything,
he's dealing with the Jewish problem
of everybody's supposed
to get circumcised
and he's dealing with that.
He says the only thing
that counts here
is faith activated
and energized
and expressed
and working through love.
Faith has to be energized
and expressed
and you've got to do
something with it.
There has to be
works tied to it.
Number 17,
not living in faith
and love as we ought.
Now this is
an interesting scripture here.
Take a little bit
to go through it.
For this reason
I bow my knees
to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ
from whom the whole
family and heaven and earth
is named,
that he would grant you
according to the riches
of his glory
to be strengthened
with might.
That word might,
there's dunamis.
It's normally translated power.
Here it was translated might.
That he would strengthen
you with dunamis
or might
through his spirit
in the inner man.
So Paul is praying
for these people
that the power of the Holy Spirit
would change them
on the inside of this body.
They're inner men.
They're spiritual men.
For what?
That Christ may dwell in your hearts
through faith
that you being rooted
and grounded in love.
There's the two things
he's praying.
I pray you change
by the dunamis power
of the Holy Spirit
that you,
that Christ
or the anointing
dwells in your hearts
through faith
and that you get more grounded in love.
Then he goes
and talks about love
verse 18 and 19.
Comprehend with all the saints
the width, the breadth,
the length, the height
to know the love of Christ
would pass his knowledge.
Verse 20,
now notice,
he's not done
with his thought yet.
Now to him
who is able to do
exceedingly, abundantly
above all we ask or think
according to the dunamis
that works in us.
Oh, the power, the dunamis.
Well, he just said
something about that.
He said,
I'm praying
that something change
on the inside of you
through dunamis power
that
your faith gets changed
and your love walk
gets changed.
And according to
the change
of your faith
and your love walk
by the dunamis power
he is able to do
way beyond
what you can ask or think
according to that
dunamis, that power
that is working in us.
Well, what is it working
in us to do?
It's changing our hearts,
our inner man
to faith and love.
The meter
of how much God will do
in verse 20
is tied to our submission
to the inner man
changing
in faith and love.
They work together.
That's why he used
the same word, dunamis.
I'm praying the dunamis
changes you
because as the dunamis
changes you
according to that
the dunamis will flow
through you.
See it?
Well, what if we're
one of these Christians
that
we're not changing?
We're the same, you know,
we were five years ago.
That could be a problem
with getting prayers answered
because we're not growing
in faith or love then.
Our inner man isn't changing.
Which means
the dunamis that's at work
in us is kind of
capped down by us.
We're not letting it
free to do what it wants.
Well, in proportion
to how that's capped down
it can operate through us.
Let it free
to change your inner man
and it will be free
to operate through us.
Above what we can
ask or think.
Thank you, Brother Mix.
Not guarding our heart.
Everybody else is thinking.
They're going,
I'm not sure.
Sure what I think about that.
Well, there it is.
Not guarding our heart.
Proverbs 4.23
Keep and guard your heart
with all built
vigilance and above all
that you guard
reading too fast.
Keep and guard your heart
with all vigilance
and above all
that you guard.
In other words,
guard your heart above everything
for out of it flow
the springs of life.
Jesus touched that this way.
A good man out of the good
treasure of his heart
brings forth good
and an evil man
out of the evil treasure
of his heart
brings forth evil.
So guard your heart
because it's like a spring
and out of it come
I think the King James says
the issues of life.
So guard your heart
because out of your heart
can come good or evil.
Jesus talked about both of them.
Coming out of the heart.
Well, in Proverbs,
he goes on and explains
how to do that.
How do you guard your heart?
Put away from you
false and dishonest speech.
Stop lying.
Stop deceiving.
Because it's going to affect
what comes out of your life.
And put away willfully
and contrary talk.
This again is perverse.
I believe in the King James.
It talks of actually the
the Hebrew definition
means talk of departing
is the definition.
Let me read it again.
Talk of departing
or turning aside.
So in other words
to guard your heart
you never leave a back door open
of well, if this doesn't work out
we're just not going to
we're just not going to serve God
that way anymore.
Oh, you're not guarding your heart.
You know, this doesn't go the way it should.
We'll just find a different church.
We won't go to word of life anymore.
Yep, careful.
Anything where
we are willful
and contrary
to what God is wanting us to do
put it far away from you.
You got to get it out
because if you don't
you're not guarding your heart.
You say, well, if I don't guard my heart
what's going to happen?
You're not going to get your prayers answered
because it's rather than good
coming out of the issues of your heart
you're going to have evil coming out
because you just chose evil.
As a man thinking in the heart
so is he.
Out of the abundance of the heart
the mouth speaks.
I mean, there's just a lot of things
tied to this.
Let your eyes look right on
with fixed purpose
and let your gaze be straight
before you.
In other words, don't start
when God says, I want you going this way
that's all you need to look at.
You don't need to look at any options.
Well, that doesn't work out.
We could always do
wait a second, God said do this
that will work out.
You might have taken by faith
you might have to pursue it some
but that will work out
because that's what God said.
Well, I'm just keeping my options open.
Yeah, you're not guarding your heart.
You're opening it up
for unbelief and all kinds of stuff
to get in there.
Consider well the path of your feet.
And let all your ways be established
and ordered a right.
Watch what you do in life
how you live
because it affects your heart.
Well, I can't see where
hanging out with a bunch of guys
who are just kind of
rough around the edges
and crude and rude
and don't have any use for God.
I can't see how that will affect me.
Are you there to witness to them
and get them saved?
Are you pouring from your vessel into theirs?
Or are you just hanging out
like Psalms 1 says
standing in the wave center
sitting with the cedars.
What's your posture?
Because if it's not to pour into them
you're going to absorb from them.
And when you absorb from them
it affects your heart.
You're not guarding it.
Watch how you live your life.
Who you associate with.
What did it say in the New Testament?
Evil...
What is it? Evil corrupts good character?
Evil ways, evil manner,
something like that corrupts good character?
If you're there to get them saved
that's good.
If you're there to hang out
and just be cool with your ungodly buddies
they're going to affect you.
And now it's going to affect your heart.
And now you're not guarding your heart.
And it's the wellspring of life.
Now your life is not going to start going
as well as it should be
because you're not guarding your heart.
Turn not aside to the right or the left
to remove your foot from evil.
In other words, again,
if you know something's wrong
just kind of don't even walk that direction
just pull back.
Not confessing our sins to each other.
I preface this.
Don't cast your pearl before swine.
However, there's a principle here.
Therefore, confess your sins to each other
and pray for each other
so that you may be healed.
Do you know what he's dealing with here?
Pride.
Well, I ain't going to tell anybody what I'm into.
Well, then you may not get healed.
Well, I believe in God I get healed.
Well, until you confess your sins
your prayers may not be very powerful and effective.
Praying religiously or traditionally
but not engaged with our spirit, soul, and body
we talked about this last Sunday.
Again, it's that same scripture
the one I just read here.
It's in the King James.
The effectual fervent prayer
means energized, energized, energized prayer.
Energized.
You are throwing yourself into that prayer
fully.
You're energized.
Spirit, soul, and body.
You're in that prayer.
Well, we like to do silent prayers.
We just fold our hands, close our eyes.
Well, now you're violating a number of principles.
Specifically, the word of faith is in your mouth.
You better open it.
You better say something.
And when you do, energize it.
Don't just,
well, God,
we know you're an awesome God.
If it be your will,
well, if you don't know his will,
we already covered that principle.
You're not going to get nothing.
You got to know what his will is.
See, there's so many ways
we cancel our own prayers.
Giving up and not persevering.
You need to persevere.
Don't throw away your confidence.
It will be richly rewarded.
You need to persevere so that when you've done the will of God,
you will receive what he has promised.
Hold unswervingly to the hope we profess.
For he who promised is faithful.
The answer is going to be in God's timing
on some requests.
Now, I'm not going to throw a blanket over everything we pray
and say, well, we're just waiting for God's timing.
Yeah, some things you can't wait long and it's over.
God's timing is now.
Today is the day of salvation.
But then there are other things you pray for
and you believe in God for.
There's stuff that Mary and I prayed for 20, 30 years ago
that are happening now.
Hang on. Don't throw away your confidence.
You have to learn how to persevere.
Once God speaks to you, stay on it.
Don't back away from it. Persevere.
Here's another scripture kind of goes with that timing thing.
For let us not grow weary in while doing good.
For in due season, we shall reap if we don't lose heart.
There is a timing to some things.
There's a destiny to some things.
And if he gave us some of the things we were praying for today.
We're praying for him. He gave it to us today.
We'd lose it.
We wouldn't have learned the lessons we need
to maintain it and hold it.
So there's a timing.
So keep praying. Stay on it.
Number 22.
Not discerning the body of Christ correctly.
This comes out of 1 Corinthians 11.
Not handling other believers and those in the church.
This isn't just only church, other believers also
and those you go to church with.
Not handling them correctly.
Verse 18 talks about there's division in the church.
And then at the end of the section there
he talks about giving preference to each other
which love prefers another person.
So verse 18 there it shows
there are divisions among you.
It's the bottom of your screen.
There's problems here.
Therefore whoever eats this bread
drinks this cup.
In other words you're taking communion
and there's divisions in the church.
Don't do that. Don't do that.
You've got to fix that first.
If you don't, for this reason
many are weak and sick among you
and many sleep.
That word sleep there is speaking of physical death.
For if we would judge ourselves
we would not be judged.
But when we are judged
we're chastened by the Lord
that we may not be condemned with the world.
Therefore my brother,
when you come together to eat, take communion,
wait for another, one another.
Of course they had a meal.
They did a meal and did communion with the meal.
It was their tradition back then.
And that's fine. Nothing wrong with it.
So he says when you come together to eat
wait for one another.
That's preferring each other
because what they were doing
is there were poor people there
who would go to the front of the line
and grandma who brought the casserole
said, hell will freeze over
if they're going to eat all my casserole
before I get some.
And she jumped in front of them.
And Paul says, what are you doing?
You're doing more damage than good.
Prefer, wait for one another.
If they're hungry, bring two casseroles.
Believe God for the money.
Have some faith.
Hide one in your car.
You can go out and eat afterwards.
Feel so good about it.
Oh, I got my casserole at least.
No, this is actually serious.
Better get serious again.
For he who eats and drinks in an unworthy matter
eats and drinks judgment to himself.
Sick, weak, and some died.
Prefer each other.
And if you're hungry, go to the casserole
in your car or eat at home.
Because if you're going to come together
and start elbowing your way
to the front of the line
and then take communion,
it may not go well for you.
You may not get your prayers answered
when it comes to your physical health.
Being too casual, let's back up.
Being too casual about how we live
and the devil or the mnemonic.
Be well balanced, temperate, sober of mind.
Be vigilant and cautious at all times.
Why? Because there is an enemy
trying to take us out.
Realize that.
Don't get too casual.
Don't get too sloppy in your Christian life.
There is an enemy waiting for an opportunity.
Withstand him.
Be firm in faith.
Faith ties in with winning this little war
or this little battle.
Here's another way that Paul talks about it.
When angry, do not sin.
Do not let your wrath, your exasperation,
your fury or your indignation
last until the sun goes down.
In other words, deal with your anger correctly.
Leave no such room or foothold for the devil.
Give no opportunity to him.
That's what he just got talked about.
He was talking about there in Peter when he said
there is an enemy looking for a way in
to damage you, take you out.
Realize that and don't be too complacent on that.
He's talking here about forgiveness.
You have to forgive.
Verse 11,
Less Satan should take advantage of us
for we are not ignorant of his devices.
Don't be complacent with how we live our Christian life
because we're under grace.
Well, I'm under grace.
I can kind of be sloppy and it's fine.
Sloppy agape.
Yeah, you might be sloppy
and you leave a big door open
and the demonic comes in and levels you.
And it's like, well, I don't understand
why God's not answering
because you let the enemy right in.
You need to shore up some things, close some doors,
close some windows, keep them out.
24, we're almost there.
Not being prepared for what we're facing.
We're in the fire before we have the fire suit on.
You've heard me say that many times.
What do I mean by that?
We haven't developed the ability to hear him,
be led by him.
We don't understand faith or how faith works.
We don't know what it means to fight the fight of faith.
We haven't learned patience, perseverance,
the ability to stand up under something,
having done all the stand, stand.
Just basic growth Christian stuff.
We're not living in our purpose or destiny.
Our life is all about us.
We haven't conquered fear.
We're still living in disobedience and willful sin.
We haven't grown beyond the believer child stage.
We haven't come to what First John 2 talks about,
you've got the child, you've got the young man
where he learns to overcome the evil one.
We've never learned how to overcome the evil one.
And then something big hits us.
And we need to really be able to turn the power on
to deal with this.
It's not going to be there.
We're not prepared for what we are facing now.
We're in a fire and we haven't even prepared for this.
We don't have the fire suit on at all.
Number 25, not understanding,
binding and loosing in our identity in Christ.
I may come back and deal with some identity in Christ stuff.
I won't do it today and I put this at the end
because I didn't know how much time I'd have left,
but we had too much fun so I don't have any time left.
He's talking about, I'm giving you the keys of the kingdom.
Here are the keys.
Whatever you bind on earth has to be bound in heaven
or whatever you loose on earth is loosed in heaven.
That's actually the wrong translation.
The right translation, the amplified hits it,
a number of others hit it.
Whatever you bind, declared to be improper and lawful on earth,
must be what is already bound in heaven
and loosing is the same thing.
So it's not about we bind something and heaven responds.
It's about heaven has set the standard and we respond to heaven.
It's already set there and we go in agreement with it
and say, yep, I'm in agreement with that.
That has to take place on earth.
Here's how it says it in chapter 18.
It's the same thing.
It already has to be bound in heaven.
So here are some simple questions.
If we're going to bind and loose
according to the way it really is,
not us coming up with an idea,
I'm binding it so now God's going to take care of it.
No, it's the concept of God already took care of it
and I'm getting in agreement with God
and I'm binding this.
To make that happen,
there's some basic things we need to know.
Who are we?
Who are we in heaven?
Who are we on earth?
What gives us the right?
What is heaven declaring?
Has to be already bound or loosed in heaven?
Well, what is already bound and loosed in heaven?
What are our rights and authority in Christ?
Who am I really in the kingdom of God?
If we don't know,
it's going to be very difficult to bind and loose.
So we may come back and revisit that.
Here's the last one.
We are not saying amen to the promises
either because we don't know how
or we're choosing to stay in unbelief.
For as many as the promises, as many...
Slow up.
For as many as are the promises of God,
they all find their yes,
their answer in him, in Christ.
Please circle that, underline that,
mark that up, do whatever you have to in your Bible.
There is, well, you know, some things
just might be the will of God that we don't get that.
Is it a promise?
If it's a promise, he already said yes.
There is no no.
He already said yes.
That's right.
So if it's a promise, he said yes.
I mean, you got to take that to the bank.
If it's a promise, he said yes.
Well, maybe it's his will that I suffer.
Is it a promise?
Well, yeah, the Bible says I should.
Then he already said yes.
He wants you to have the promise.
For this reason, we also utter the amen
or so be it to God through Christ
to the glory of God.
Amen.
What does amen mean?
We utter the amen.
Speaking with your mouth.
Confessing with your mouth.
When we say amen, when we understand amen,
it means we understand the promise.
We understand that Jesus already fulfilled the promise.
His work is already done.
We are coming into agreement with what he already said.
And amen literally means be done or so be it.
And from our heart, we are saying,
there is the promise, now be done.
There is no subjecting it to God's will.
We already know his will.
If it's a promise, it's yes.
So let's wrap it up.
All of these things we have to discover
by the Holy Spirit leading us.
Everything is by the Spirit.
Please keep that in mind.
And always remember,
when the word or the promises
seem like they're not working,
it's never on God's side.
It's always on our side
because for as many as are the promises of God,
they all find their yes, their answer in Christ.
All the promises are yes.
That's the answer.
Yes. In Jesus.
So don't put it on God.
It's got to be someplace we're not connecting some dots.
And don't get all frustrated
because we will lose a battle now and then.
But the more we understand the less battles we will lose
and we will win the ultimate war.
Don't make excuses.
Well, that's probably not God's will or God's sovereign.
He chooses.
He already said, you want this?
Yeah, I'd like it.
Well, yes, I gave it to you.
Yes. Take it.
Well, it might not be your will.
Yes.
Grab this thing.
Well, I don't know.
You're sovereign.
And I'm saying yes.
Don't blame God.
Well, his word might not know.
It's yes.
If we're not living in what Jesus bought,
it's on us, not him.
Don't go into shame.
Don't go into pride.
This is a war.
This is a battle we're in.
This is what we're after.
And he wants us to win in every point of it.
That's his will.
If we don't win every point, there's no condemnation.
Just keep fighting.
Keep swinging.
That's the goal.
So Lord, help us to help this to somehow get inside of us
that we become more effective, more productive,
more efficient as Christians.
Holy Spirit, I pray, even as we looked at it this morning,
some things were pointed out to some of us,
saying there it is.
That's what you have to fix if you want the answer.
So Lord, help us grow in this.
Not with condemnation, not with fear,
not with shame, not any of that.
Just help us grow in this and become another level of glory
more like Jesus, from glory to glory.
In Jesus' name, amen.
Amen. Be blessed. Have an awesome day.