Praying and Watching

Q: What does the Bible say about the importance of prayer?

The Bible emphasizes the necessity of prayer, urging believers to pray continuously and with thanksgiving. Scripture commands us to continue in prayer and to pray without ceasing, as seen in Colossians 4:2-4 and Ephesians 6. Prayer is not just a practice; it's a vital communication with our Heavenly Father, recognizing our dependence on Him. As Ezekiel 36 illustrates, God not only desires us to ask but has purposed to act upon our prayers, showing that prayer is an acknowledgment of our need for divine intervention and guidance in our lives. Through prayer, we express our trust in God’s sovereignty while also adhering to His command to ask of Him continually.

Q: Why is prayer considered essential for Christians?

Prayer is essential for Christians as it fosters dependence on God and aligns us with His will. Prayer is crucial for Christians because it represents our relationship with God and our dependence on Him. In Philippians 4:6, we are reminded to present our requests to God with prayer and supplication. This shows that we are not self-sufficient but rather reliant on God's grace for all aspects of life. Moreover, Jesus taught us to pray for others and for His will to be done, emphasizing that prayer isn't just about our needs but about the broader purpose of glorifying God and seeking His kingdom. A vibrant prayer life encourages spiritual growth and keeps our hearts focused on Christ.

Q: How do we know that God hears our prayers?

God hears our prayers when we pray in faith and in accordance with His will. Scripture gives us assurance that God hears our prayers, particularly when we pray in the name of Jesus, as highlighted in John 14:13-14. This means praying with the intent for God’s will to be done, not merely our desires. Furthermore, Romans 8:26 assures us that the Holy Spirit intercedes for us, making our prayers known even when we cannot articulate them properly. Therefore, our confidence in prayer rests not in our ability to pray perfectly but in God’s promises and His ability to understand and respond to our needs according to His divine wisdom.

Q: What does 'watch and pray' mean in the Bible?

'Watch and pray' means to be vigilant and alert, while continually seeking God's guidance through prayer. 'Watch and pray' conveys the necessity of being spiritually aware and vigilant against temptations and distractions. This concept is derived from Scripture, including Luke 21:36, where Jesus instructs His followers to stay alert and pray for the strength to endure trials. Watching involves being mindful of our surroundings and the spiritual battles we face, while prayer is our means of connecting with God and seeking His protection and guidance. Together, these actions prepare us for the challenges of life by deepening our reliance on Christ and keeping our focus on His return.

Q: Why should we pray for others?

Praying for others reflects Christ's love and acknowledges our communal dependence on God. Praying for others is a vital aspect of the Christian faith because it mirrors Christ’s intercessory role for humanity and affirms our shared need for grace. In 1 Timothy 2:1-2, Paul exhorts believers to make intercessions for all people, indicating that prayer is a way to show love and concern for others while fostering unity within the body of Christ. By lifting up the needs of others in prayer, we actively participate in God’s work and express our reliance on Him to meet those needs, thus embodying the spirit of Christian community that supports and encourages one another through prayer.

We could not hear more important
messages than what we've been studying from God's Word these
days, especially from the book of Colossians. Christ is all. We looked at that a few weeks
ago. Christ is all. We get a hold of that. We don't
need to know anything else. Christ is all. And then we looked
at putting off the old man, putting on the new, what that means.
The peace of God dwelling in our hearts, reigning and ruling
over our hearts? If it did, we'd have peace, wouldn't
we? The Word of God dwelling in us
richly in all wisdom. Here today, it says in verse
2-4, look at this, continue in prayer and watch in the same
with thanksgiving. with all, praying also for us
that God would open unto us a door of utterance to speak the mystery
of Christ, for which I am also in bonds, that I may make it
manifest as I ought to speak." Prayer. Prayer is the text. It's more than the subject. Praying
continuously, he said. Pray. Continue in prayer. Pray
continuously. Pray without ceasing, Paul said. Praying always, it says in Ephesians
6. With all prayer. Our Lord said
this in Luke 18. He gave the parable that men
ought always to pray. Ought always. And not to faint. Not to quit. Why should we pray? Why pray? God is sovereign. God is predestined of all things.
Everything is going to take place exactly the way God purposed
it and ordained it. So why pray? Why pray? Because He said to over and over
again, Scripture says so. Look at Ezekiel 36 with me. Ezekiel
36. Because Scripture tells us to.
Scripture commands us to. He says, continue in prayer.
Pray without ceasing. Our Lord said, men ought always
to pray. Why pray? Why do we need to pray?
How do we pray? It's a vital, vital truth we
need to learn. Not in our heads, but in our
hearts. Ezekiel 36, those of you who know this passage know
that it speaks of what the Lord purposed to do for His people.
He says in verse 24, I will take you from among the heathen and
gather you out of the country. I will sprinkle, verse 25, sprinkle
evil, clean water upon you, cleanse you from your filthiness, from
your idols. Verse 26, a new heart will I
give you, a new spirit I will put within you. I'll take away
the stony heart. Verse 27, I'll put my spirit
within you. I'll cause you to walk in my
statue. Verse 28, you shall dwell in
the land. Verse 29, I'll save you. I'll
call for the corn. No famine upon you. Verse 30,
I'll multiply the fruit. But down in verse 37, it says
thus, saith the Lord God, I will yet for this be inquired of by
the house of Israel to do it for them. So, he's purposed to
do these things, and it shall be. He said, I spoke of it, I'll
bring it to pass. But, he says, you're going to
ask me for it. You're going to ask me for it.
Why do we pray? Because God tells us to. Because
scriptures command us to. Why do we need to pray? Because
we're poor and needy. That's why. Because we're sinners.
We're prone to sin. We're liable to sin and temptation
because we're totally dependent on our Heavenly Father. That's
who we're praying to, our Heavenly Father upon whom we completely
depend for everything. Everything. He said, I reminded
you of the church at Laodicea, how that They said, we're rich
and increased with goods and have need of nothing. He said, thou knowest not that
you're wretched and miserable, poor, blind and naked. That's
the church. That's the church. That's the
angel, the preacher and the people. He said, if you say that, you
don't realize. How wretched, miserable, poor,
blind, and naked you are. He said, I counsel you, buy gold,
try to buy these things, the truth, and sell it not. Ask for
it. Prayer is praise. We looked at Psalm 33 recently. Praise the Lord. It's a good
thing to give thanks unto the Lord. Praise the Lord. That's
why we come here. Praise. Prayer is praise. Our
Lord said, After this manner of prayer, our Father, which
art in heaven, I, hallowed, holy, be thy name. Prayer is praise. It makes us conscious of our
great God. It makes us conscious of our
dependence upon Him. And when we pray and He answers
our prayer, we acknowledge His hand in what we pray for. If
we do not, And something happens anyway. And He's so good and
He's so faithful that He sends the bread every day, whether
we ask for it or not. Right? He's going to give us
our daily bread whether we ask for it or not. That's how faithful
and good and kind our Father is. But if we don't pray for
it and it comes, well, people of the world attribute these
things to Whatever, mother nature, their own goodness, or their
own work ethic, or their own ability to provide, or luck,
if something good happens, somebody's spared or whatever, they can
contribute to luck, or just chance, or just fate, don't they? But
God's people Call upon Him for these things, and when He answers
it, they thank Him for it. You did this. You did this, right? We've been asking the Lord to
heal and help James, haven't we? Well, who are we giving the
credit to for this? Who does the world give the credit
to? Doctors. Right? But the King's heart,
the doctor's hand, everybody's hand, everybody is in the hands
of the Lord. They are just tools in His hand.
We pray to Him and ask Him and we thank Him when He answers
our prayer. We give Him the glory and the
credit. Prayer is praise. Prayer is thanksgiving. It says there in verse 2, praying,
continuing prayer and watching the same with thanksgiving. Thank
you, Lord. Thank you for this day. Thank
you for the breath I breathe. Thank you for the clothes I wear.
Thank you for everything. A man can receive nothing except
it be given him from above. What do we have that we have
not received? Every good and perfect gift cometh
down from our Father's love. Every single thing that sustains
our life on this planet comes down. Rain, sunlight, everything
from what we wear to the materials we use is a miraculous gift of
God. And only a fool would not see
that. God's people see it. You see
it. And we give thanks in everything. Give thanks. Give thanks. Prayer
is thanksgiving. Prayer is communication. Prayer
is communication with our God, our Father, our Lord. You know,
those you know and those you love, you're in communication
with, aren't you? You talk to, you speak to. You don't stay in close contact
with those you don't love. You don't. But you stay in contact
and you're in close communication and company with, communion with
those that you love. Those that you love. When it
says that Enoch walked with God, he didn't walk with the Lord. The Lord wasn't with him in actual
person. How did Enoch walk with God?
The same way you and I do. He talked with God. He spoke
with God. He spoke to Him. He walked with
Him. He talked with Him in prayer. The Lord Jesus Christ prayed
always. Always. It was natural to Him. Like breathing. Because He was
in such close fellowship with His Father. The Father was not
visible, was He? And yet, our Lord walked with
him and spoke with him, and prayer was natural to him. In fact,
there were times he would be speaking to the people, walking
along with his disciples, speaking to the people, and then all of
a sudden just say something. I thank you, Father, that you
have hid these things from the wise and prudent. Father, glorify
your name. And boom, there was thunder. The Lord would answer him. And for those newborn children
of God, prayer is now supernatural. It's not natural, but it's supernatural. The Lord gives this. This is
how you know that they've been born of God, this new life. They
commune with God. It's like you cannot not speak
to your Lord. It's out of the abundance of
the heart. When a new heart's been given,
you say, thank you, Lord. Help me, Lord. Forgive me, Lord. Lord, you're in communication
with them. Out of communication. If you're out of communication
with somebody, you're out of sorts, aren't you? You're out
of sorts. Out of fellowship. Out of fellowship. So prayer is communication. Prayer
is requests and supplications. Philippians 4, 6 says, and everything
by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving. Prayer and supplication. Let your request be made known
unto God. Prayer is request and supplication. We can and should go to our Heavenly
Father with everything. In everything, give thanks. Everything. Be careful for nothing,
but in everything, with prayer and supplication. You know, it's
usually the small things which give us the most grief, isn't
it? It's usually the small things. One old writer once said that
it takes the grace of God to deal with the breaking of a china
cup. as well as the loss of a child.
Not the same amount of grace, mind you. Not anywhere close
to it. But it still takes the grace of God. Without Him, we
can do nothing. We can't handle anything. Little
things are what give us great grief, don't they? So pray about
it, whatever it is. Pray about it, or it will give
you grief and great trouble. Maybe spared some grief. if we
pray about it. You say, I don't want to bring
something up so trivial to the Lord. He knows about it anyway. You better ask before you do
it. You better ask. It's just so small, it won't
matter. It's nothing trivial or insignificant, is it? Little
things lead to big things. Request and supplication. Request
not just for ourselves either. Admit it. When you pray, who
do you pray for mostly? Lord, help me. Lord, forgive
me. Lord, give me. Lord, me, me, me. And you do need to pray for yourself. That evil King Saul one time
said to Samuel, pray for me. You pray for me that the Lord
won't It's all you pray for yourself. He should have been praying for
himself, shouldn't he? We do covet the prayers of the
brethren. We do need to pray for ourselves, but not only for
ourselves. Not just for ourselves, but for the other, but for the
saints. It says in 1 Timothy 2, he said to Paul, to young
Timothy, and the Lord to everyone, I exhort, therefore, first of
all, that supplications, prayers, intercessions, giving of thanks
be made for all men." All men, kings, kings, the president. It may be a hard matter to pray
for someone that you, or your enemies. Pray for them that despite
how they use you. That may be a hard matter, but
the Lord says do it. that we may live peaceably. Lord,
God saved the king. That's what good Englishmen used
to always pray, that God save the king or the queen. If He
saves the king or the queen, He may save the people. Lord,
spare us all. Save us all. Forgive us all. When the Lord taught us how to
pray in the disciples' prayer, He said, after this manner pray,
Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom
come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this
day our daily bread. Forgive us our trespasses, our
trespass. And he went on to say, for if
you forgive not others their trespasses, neither will your
Father forgive you. If we pray only for ourselves,
we may not have our prayers answered. That's a fact. That's a fact. Our Lord prayed mostly for others,
didn't He? Intercessory prayer is what it's
called. Praying for others. Our Lord prayed mostly for others. And the Lord granted every prayer
He asked, didn't He? God answered. Continue in prayer,
it says here in Colossians 4. Continue in prayer. Continue. Without ceasing, always in an
attitude of prayer. Prayer is not posture, but it's
an attitude. However, I believe scripture
to be on your knees when possible, in private. I really do. You'll
look through the scriptures, you'll see. All the saints did
that, didn't they? In private. Don't let anybody
else see you doing it. Our Lord said, you take heed
that you don't do your alms to be seen of men. The self-righteous
Pharisee loved to be seen praying. It's an evil man that would have
people take his picture praying, like old Billy Graham. That's
evil. Do it to be seen of men. Don't
do it. Our Lord said, when you fast,
when you pray, don't tell anybody about it. As we said Wednesday,
if you read through the Bible, fine, but don't tell anybody
about it. I read a fellow the other day
said, I've read through the Bible a hundred times. Well, big deal. That's an abomination to God,
isn't it? That's what the Pharisees did.
We tied, we do this, we do that. Blew a trumpet. Look at us. That
is evil. It's evil. Don't do it. Take
heed that you don't do it to be seen of men. That's your reward. You won't be heard of God, but
men will praise you. We seek praises of God, not men,
don't we? Continue in prayer without ceasing.
Prayer is an attitude, not a posture, per se. You can pray without
being on your knees. You can pray without speaking
out loud. The hearts cry. Prayer is from
the heart. You can't always be reading the
Scriptures either, can you? Let the Word of Christ dwell
in you richly in all wisdom. You can't always be reading the
Scriptures. You can always be praying. You can always be speaking
the Lord. Pray without ceasing. Continue,
he said. Don't quit. Don't quit. Do you remember the
importunate widow? James said you have not because
you ask not, because it's not importunate prayer. The Lord
gave this parable. She kept coming to the judge,
saying, avenge me, avenge me of my adversary, help me, help
me. She kept coming, help me, help
me, help me. And the unjust judge says, that's
it, I'm tired. Give her what she wants. Our
Lord said, did you hear what the unjust judge said? How much
more, he said, shall the heavenly Father grant the request of his
people. that we bear long with them.
Shall he not avenge his very elect? Oh, yes. I tell you, it will be speedily.
Now, I've been praying a long time for this. Time is nothing. It goes so fast. When it's over,
I keep telling Jennifer this, that it won't be long before
you look back and say, that didn't last very long at all. When you're
going through a trial, it seems like forever, doesn't it? It
seems like forever. You can't sleep. You can't eat. It just goes on and on. It's
long and it's painful. And then when it's over, you
say, boy, that didn't last long. Seventy years. Eighty years we
live on this earth. We think it's a long time, don't
we? Oh, man. What is your life? It's a vapor.
Old Methuselah was going, I've lived 969 years. How much longer? It's over. He said, well, how long was it? Oh, it was over for a minute.
It was just a vapor. Continue. Continue. Days are
short. And know this for our comfort.
Know this. If you pray in Christ's name,
the Father hears you. For your comfort, know this,
He hears you. That's really all we need to
know. Whether or not He's going to grant us what we're asking,
we don't know. But if He hears us, He hears
us. And Christ said that. You pray
in my name, the Father hears you. He hears you. If we pray
in the Spirit, that's what He said in Ephesians chapter 5. Pray with all prayer in the Spirit. In the Spirit. What does that
mean? It means from the heart. It doesn't mean this mumbo-jumbo
stuff people are talking about. It means in the Holy Spirit.
You know, in Romans chapter 8, the Holy Spirit, who is the Spirit
of Christ, it says in Romans chapter 8, verse 26, the Spirit helped with
our infirmity. But we know not what we should
pray for as we offer. We just don't know. Like little
children that ask for things they don't need. That's all right,
go ahead and ask. It said, but the Spirit itself
maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.
He searches the heart, knows what's the mind of the Spirit.
And he makes intercession for the saints according to the will
of God. This is what they're asking for,
but this is what they need. They don't know. They don't know.
Father, forgive them. They know not what they do. Spirit. We pray in the Spirit. He hears
us. In Christ's name, we pray in His will. If you ask anything
in my name, He said, that means in His will. Not my will, our
Lord said, but thy will be done. I will be done." He'll hear us. He says, continue. Keep calling,
though you don't get an answer. All day, keep calling. Continue. That means all day. David said,
in the evening, in the morning, and at noon, I will arise and
call upon you. My voice will be heard, he said.
My prayer. We love the Psalms, don't we?
Do you love the Psalms? Are they some of your favorite
scriptures? When you want and need a word from God, where do
you go? The Psalms. Why are they your
favorite? Why are they not your favorite,
but why are they most dear to you, the Psalms? Why? Because
they're mostly prayer. David, a man after God's own
heart, pours out his heart, and you find in there your heart's
feeling. Words that you can't express,
that the Spirit of God led Him to pray, and you say, yes, that's
what I need, that's what I want, Lord. Just what David asked for.
Right? So they go hand in hand, prayer
and Scripture. Continue. All day. All your days. Keep calling.
I keep thinking about this Scripture. Whosoever shall call on the name
of the Lord shall be saved. That doesn't mean Well, I called
years ago and he saved me." Oh, no. It's ongoing. It's continual. Whosoever shall call, and call. I need saving every day. I need saving every moment from
temptations. Don't you? From the world, from
self, from Satan, my adversary. Huh? From a bad spirit, a bad
attitude. I need to put on the new man,
put off the old. Help, Lord, help. Whosoever shall
call, and call, and call, and call, and call. Person quits
calling, they won't be saved. Person never calls, Lord, they
won't be saved. Person quits calling, they won't
be saved. Whosoever shall call on the name
of the Lord, continue in prayer. Continue in prayer. Keep calling. And know that if you call on
Him in sincerity and truth, that's Christ. He hears you. He hears
you. John said that, didn't he? We
know that He hears us. This is a confidence we have
in Him that if we ask anything according to His will, He heareth
us. Take your burden to the Lord
and leave it there. Quit calling, but that's who
you take it to. Keep calling. If you don't get
an answer, keep calling. Sophie. Sophie now likes to get
on the phone, you know, and call us. And the other day, I heard
the answering machine was blinking, and I turned it on. And it was
Sophie. And she was hollering, Me, Mom!
Me, Mom! And she started talking about...
You know, went to the potty or this and that and the other,
you know. Me mom, and she kept saying this, saying that. She
mainly answered the phone. And so Sophie thought she was
talking to her. And she kept calling. Me mom
wasn't answering. She kept talking. Me mom wasn't
answering though. What'd she do? She kept talking.
I know you're there. I heard you. Keep calling. He doesn't answer. He's hearing you. Maybe that's
your answer. Maybe no answer is no. My dad used to do that. Dad,
you hear me? No, he hears me. He hears me. Keep calling. Maybe no obvious
answer is our answer. Watch, he said. Now look at this.
Continue in prayer and watch. Watch in the same, that is, with
prayer. Watch unto prayer. Watch. Watch. What does that mean? Watch out.
Be watchful. Be on your guard. Beware. Be aware of danger. Beware. Watch out for snares. for traps,
for pits, for temptations, everywhere. Beware. Watch out. Your adversary,
his wiles, his subtleties. Ephesians 6 tells us what to
do that we may be able to stand against his subtleties, his wiles,
the wiles of Satan, his wiles. You know, he doesn't use any
new tricks. He's not using any new tricks. He's using the same
things they've been using on human nature for 6,000 years.
And we can see them. How? Right here. This is the light. These are
our eyes. The eyes of the Lord. Watch out. Under prayer. Lord, don't let
me fall for this. Lord, lust of the flesh, lust
of the eyes, pride of life. This is what our adversary uses.
Flattery. Self-righteousness. On and on
it goes. Divisions. Watch out. Watch out. Watch out for self. Watch out for that old man. He's
still doing the same things he's always done, too. Bad attitude,
self-righteousness, divisions, schisms. Beware of men, our Lord
said. Beware of men. Wolves in sheep's
clothing. There are many, many false prophets
that have gone out into the world, our Lord said. Beware, Satan's
ministers have transformed themselves into angels of light, ministers
of righteousness. I have people all the time who
want me to listen to this fellow and that fellow, and I listen
to them or do some research into them, and I think, don't they
see this? Don't they see this? That they're in it for their
own glory? No, they don't. They don't see it. That's why people
need a watchman. A good shepherd. Spot the wolf. Watch out. Paul said, beware
of dogs. Beware of dogs. Beware of evil
workers. And mostly in religion. Mostly
in religion. Good articles in the bulletin
today. Real good articles. Especially the one about wrong
doctrine, false doctrine. J.C. Ryle, a hundred years ago.
Sounds like today. Beware of the concision. Watch
in the same. That is, watch unto prayer. Watch
unto prayer. The Lord, remember, the Lord
was, He said, now is my soul exceedingly sorrowful even unto
death. He said, you watch with me, His
disciples, while I go pray. You watch, meaning you pray to
it. And He came back, and what did
He find them doing? And he said, could you not watch
with me for one hour? Oh, but our Lord is so merciful.
He said, I know the Spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak. He said, watch that you enter
not into temptation. Pray that you enter not into
temptation. Watch. Watch out. Watch in prayer. Lord,
lead us not into temptation. Lord, let me not fall into traps
and snares and pits. Lord, deliver me from the deceitfulness
of sin. There are pleasures in sin. We're
seasoned now. Lord, show me that. It's just
seasonal. The end is forever. Lord, deliver
me from the deceitfulness of myself, the heart that's deceitful
above all things. Lord, the deceitfulness of riches. The deceitfulness. The deceitfulness.
Open my eyes to Satan's wild. Lord, open my ears, especially
this thing called discord. Oh, Lord, please help me. Lord,
give me strength to resist. Watch unto prayer. Give me strength
to resist. Lord, let me rejoice today. Let me be thankful, not murmur
and complain. Lord, let me be merciful and
gracious. Lord, don't let me sleep through
the Word. This is my only hope, my only
help. Don't let me sleep to it. Let me not sleep as do others,
but watch. And watch means to wait on the
Lord. Look, watch for his coming. Continue
in prayer and watch in the same. That means to wait for his coming. Look, be looking. Be looking.
Be looking. Hasten his coming. Our Lord said
this in Luke 12. He said, you be as men that are
watching or waiting for their master to return. Because he's
at the door. You see that he's at the door?
Any clouds out there in the sky today? You see those clouds? He's stirring his feet. He's
getting up. Stirring his feet. Well, can't you see the signs
of the time? He's near. He's even at the door. When you
see all these things, you say, know that He's near. He's right
at the door. Watch. At a time when you think
not, He's coming. He's coming. Watch. Watch unto
prayer. Even so, come, Lord Jesus. Come, Lord Jesus. Watch. Watch. And look at this. He says,
With all praying, verse 3, every time you pray, pray for us. Who's us, Paul? Me, and Timothy,
and Titus, and Paproditus, and Luke, and all of us. Pray for
us. Pray for us. That the Lord would
open unto us a door of utterance. The Lord doesn't open it. He
won't be open. But the Lord shuts. No man can
open. I don't care how gifted a speaker,
how powerful, how loud, whatever. Weep, cry, shout, trumpet, dance. They won't mourn. They won't
laugh. They won't rejoice, no matter what you do, unless the
Lord opens the door. Unless the Lord opens the door.
Do we need our heart's door open? He said, I have a hole I stand
in the door and knock on it. Well, who's going to open that?
Who's going to open our understanding? Who's going to open our ears?
Lord, dig my ear. Who's going to open our heart?
Who's going to do that? Pray for us. The world calls this
foolishness what I'm doing. Biggest waste of time in the
world. But people, this is the power
of God and the wisdom of God. Pleased God by the foolishness
of preaching to save. There was a day when I was dead
and trespassed in sin. And you couldn't no matter what
anybody said to me, could not get through my head. The young
rebel that I was, you could not no matter what. But God, one
day, same old, same old, I was sitting in a group like this,
much like this. I had my eye on, my heart on
a girl. That's all I was interested in.
That and making some money. But God had his eye on me. All along. Little did I know
it. And the Word came with power. Through the same old fella, that
same old earthen vessel. Heard him many, many, many times.
Yes, my dad, he's a preacher, but all of a sudden, it's the
voice of God speaking to him. The world says, that's Pachanasi. Well, it's not to me. Not to me. The power of God and the wisdom of
God. If the Lord will open my mouth and my heart, he just may
open your child's heart. Your heart, your husband's heart,
your wife's heart, your parents' heart, right? Pray with all of
it. Every time you pray, pray for
me. Oh, this preacher, this man is
a finite man trying to describe and declare mysteries. Who is sufficient for these things,
Paul said. Paul said we pray, we preach
in part, we know in part. Oh, and you do this. You do this.
Thank you. Thank you. I hear you men do
this all the time. Lord, bless our pastor. And I
cringe when I hear the title, when I hear the name. Thank you.
I don't deserve that. I don't deserve it. Boy, but
I covet it. I covet the prayer. You pray all the time. Lord,
give him liberty. Give him words to say. A man
can receive nothing except to be given him from above. You
want a word from the Lord? This is what the Lord uses. And
a man can receive nothing except the Lord. Open the door, veterans.
Lord, open my mouth, please. Open my mouth. Open my heart.
Give me liberty. Make the Word come to mind. Word after Scripture after Scripture.
Lord, your arrows are sharp in the hearts of your people. Bring
them back to mind so I can shoot them. Pew, pew, pew. Keep shooting. How many Scriptures
do we use? Thousands. Why? Because we know
it's the power of God and we don't know which one the Lord
is going to use. Which one? Which one? Until finally, suddenly,
one verse will get through this kink in our heart and pierce
our heart. That's what we're hoping for.
One word. So we use many. Pray for us. Pray for us all
the way. Pray for yourself that the Lord
will give you your ears to hear. Every time you come here, pray,
Lord, open my ears. We're so attuned to and so listened
to everything that our hearts by nature, our ears are shut
to the Word of God. And we've got an adversary. We
really do. This is what the Scripture says.
We don't wrestle with flesh and blood. We're not just dealing
with the tiredness of the flesh because we're weary in the flesh.
We wrestle with principalities and powers. He knows what the
power of God is. He's seen the power of God, the
Word of God take people from His captivity. He's seen that.
He sees it every day. So His grand design is to keep
people from hearing God's Word. Our peace comes from it. He doesn't
want us to have peace. Looking to Christ gives us peace.
He doesn't want us to look to Christ. He knows that. Craft Him. Pray that the Lord
will give you ears to hear. The meeting coming up, Brother
Greg, just another meeting. Well, it may not be. It may not be. Rolf Barger came
to town years ago, didn't he? And we're here because of that.
This church is here because Rothbard came to Ashland, Kentucky in
1950. That's right. Just an old meeting,
just a revival. Oh, boy, was it ever a revival.
Lord, revive thy work in the midst of the years. Wouldn't
it be wonderful, Lord, to bring people from this community in
here? Boy, there's a faithful preacher coming up. Good preacher,
no less so than Elijah. Oh, he'd tremble if he heard
me say that. He's got the same message. He's got the same Word.
Same Spirit. Bring them in. Go out in the
highways and hedges and compel them to come in. Pray for the
preaching. Pray. You know, the man out front
is the fellow who's taken the most assault from the enemy. If he comes down, It's awful. I ain't just saying it. I'm not
just doing a Bible study here. Pray for us. He said, every time
you pray in all prayer, all pray for us. Verse 4, that I may make
it manifest as I ought to speak. That I might speak what ought
to speak Christ's Word and say it in a way I ought to say it.
This flesh, you know, don't you? You try to speak to people, don't
you? How does it come out? Does it come out all right? You
go away thinking, boy, I did that nicely. Oh, you just grieve, don't you? I
get mad at people. I know it comes out that way
up here sometimes. Oh, pray for me that. You know,
when visitors come, I have mixed emotions. I really do. I have mixed emotions. I'm glad
they're there. I want them to hear it. But I
think, oh, you know, if they don't believe this and they go
away and reject it, their condemnation is greater. Or I think they don't like this.
And I look up. They don't like what I'm saying. Then I get mad
at them. I don't do that. Or somebody comes in, I'm going
to tell him. I know what they're going through. I know what they're
thinking. I'm going to prove this to them. Don't do that.
There are other people here. There's so many things that take
place and there's so many conflicts and so much trouble and turmoil. It's just a wrestling match is
what it is. You say pray. Pray for us. Pray for the brethren. Pray for
yourself. Pray for the preacher. Pray for the Word. Pray, pray,
pray, pray. Always. Continue. Don't stop. Don't stop. Every day. Day in,
day out. All day. Pray. Pray. Okay.

Praying and Watching

What does the Bible say about the importance of prayer?

Why is prayer considered essential for Christians?

How do we know that God hears our prayers?

What does 'watch and pray' mean in the Bible?

Why should we pray for others?

Sermon Transcript

About Paul Mahan

Comments

Joshua

Articles

Featured Authors

Podcast

Sermons

Featured Preachers

Books

Browse by Format

Music

Recent Comments

About

Legal

Subscribe

Account

Articles

Featured Authors

Podcast

Recent Comments

Sermons

Featured Preachers

Books

Browse by Format

Collections

Music

About

Legal

Subscribe

Praying and Watching

What does the Bible say about the importance of prayer?

Why is prayer considered essential for Christians?

How do we know that God hears our prayers?

What does 'watch and pray' mean in the Bible?

Why should we pray for others?

Sermon Transcript

About Paul Mahan

Comments

More from Paul Mahan

Related Sermons

Same Scripture

Articles by Paul Mahan

Joshua

Where this book stands in the tradition

Plato

Augustine

The Western Christian Tradition

This Book