Well welcome to the impactus podcast I’m Dean Brenton and we are here to equip you as men for a life of purpose and godly impact so if you were to rate your prayer life today from 1 to 10 one being in the tank it’s toast it’s dead to 10
Being you should be teaching or writing your own book on prayer how would you rate yourself of course there’s really no easy rating scale for our relationship with God but prayer is one of those areas of our spiritual lives that can be difficult or even neglected
I know I can identify you know I’m a reader I can read all day long but praying doesn’t often come naturally to me at the start of this new year when topics around spiritual disciplines are common conversation this is a really great time to evaluate our prayer habits
And encourage you in your walk with God and I’m really delighted today to have Dr Bill Thrasher with us Dr Thrasher is a graduate professor of Bible and theology at Moody Theological Seminary and is a frequent speaker for churches and Retreats across the US and Canada his ministry interest include campus
Discipleship singles Ministry and evangelism he’s the author of several books including believing God for his best a journey to Victorious praying principles of Christian Living from Romans 5 to8 the attributes of God in Pauline Theology and living the life that God has planned now bill and his
Wife Penny live in the Chicago area and they have three sons his most recent book is entitled how to resurrect a dead prayer life and we all know prayer is important you know it’s the it’s the life blood of the Christian life but almost all believers find prayer to be
Heard and it’s so easy to become discouraged disillusioned and distracted so what can we do if we’re in a season of drought or if we’ve never really experienced a rich life of prayer and how can we sustain a meaningful and life-giving prayer life well this conversation is for you if those are
Your questions Dr Thrasher will talk today about the steps to reinvigorate or jumpstart a life of prayer you know it is a privilege to be able to bring you solid Biblical and practical content through these podcasts and if you know of a young guy who could use this kind
Of resource please invite them to check out our young men’s podcast as well we’d be really grateful if you would subscribe and share our podcast and leave us a review on the platform you use not for us but to get more people to experience this content
And if you would like to support the work of this ministry and these podcasts please head over to impactus dog and consider becoming a monthly partner or making a one-time donation to help us continue this Vision to see every man become grow and live as a disciple of Jesus now let’s get into
Today’s episode well welcome to the impactus podcast I am so thrilled today to have Dr Bill Thrasher with us welcome Dr Thrasher thank you so much I’m thrilled to be with you we had a few technical difficulties but we are in the m and you’re here so I’m really grateful
Praise God praise God glad to be here with you so would you tell us a little bit about yourself and your family your ministry work give us a little bit of uh bio information on who you are be glad to born and raised in Montgomery Alabama
Uh born again in the same city 13 years later as a 13-year-old boy Billy Graham came to my hometown preached in the local football stadium he was there I learned later about presidential order uh well president Lyndon Johnson called him and saying you know your gospel is
The only thing that could do anything for the racial crisis there so he preached canceled a European Vacation so I’m just grateful did because I heard the gospel and I came to Christ during that time um didn’t significantly grow after that be a part of a a denominational church and and wonderful
People but things weren’t real clear so I joined the Air Force Reserve um went to uh Auburn University it’s the State University there in Alabama uh the Winter quarter rather than the fall Quarter U but after about being there a year I pledged of social fraternity that
My older brother had pledged but I was wandering into the room of a fraternity brother one day he was a very unusual fraternity brother he had pledged that fraternity to lead people to Christ that’s usually if you know about secular fraternities on secular campuses state universities that’s usually not want
People join us but had and as I wandered into his room he began sharing with me uh I didn’t even ask the question but he shared this little book that crew used have you made the wonderful discovery of the spirit feel life I hung on every
Word I didn’t know enough to respond but I just said hey there’s a resource that I don’t know anything about I was a Christian but I was a defeated Christian my outward life was going very very well my inward life was full of fear and anxiety and certainly was not prospering
But I ended up rooming with him for a year and that’s what God used um that year to show the reality of that I began to be involved in a campus ministry wanted to go right into that Ministry but God changed the direction of my life
There I majored in business and God did very very well I graduated first in my class but God did not want me to go into business that’s a glorious thing if God didn’t wanted me to but he called me into the ministry so I worked with a a
Pastor for the summer um man named Ben Hayden he’s with the Lord he had a very significant uh radio broadcast called change lives and unbelievers were saved every every week uh he was a usual man a converted U as an adult and he was a CIA representative
A lawyer and a newspaper executive but he had gone into the ministry and uh he treated me like a son he just had one older daughter one daughter and uh but I was his intern and then then I went on to Seminary I thought I’d be a pastor
The warm-hearted people wanted to be pastors and missionaries the sort of subre girl type wanted to be professors I’ve wanted to identify with the warm-hearted folks but God led me to to teaching and so I went on into the doctor program and God’s L open the door
To come to the Moody Bible Institute and I’ve been there since 1980 uh so I’m in my 44th year teaching we have a a master’s program a seminary and I’m teach in the spiritual formation and discipleship master’s program and uh we teach a class on prayer I want the
People knowing that I need everything I’m going to be telling them just as our students I need everything I’m I’m teaching them so that’s probably more than you needed to know but that was the pilgrimage that that brought me uh to this point what an amazing testimony and uh
Ministry uh story that you have now I I’ve only known you for a few moments but I got to know you through your most recent book and I was I was delighted to receive it and I enjoyed every page it was a refreshing read on what prayer and the
Essence of prayer is really like now tell me where your passion for prayer emerged from and H how has prayer changed for you over the years well that’s that’s an excellent question certainly um obviously you know prayer there’s something that God does in a life that makes them sense their need
For God uh now we should sort of figure that because I’m a creature and he’s the Creator I’m I’m born out to be need of relationship but I somehow God I saw that in that fraternity brother that I room with for the year I saw that he
Prayed and I just he knows more about it than I do I guess that’s what a Christian is supposed to do I guess you’re supposed to brush your teeth every day I guess you’re supposed to pray and so u i developed the discipline of prayer uh in a meaningful way and I
Carried that discipline uh throughout my college and my internship that I did and my Seminary experience and all that six years of Seminary experience um and then on when God open up to the door to teach um so but if You’ asked me in regard to my pilgrimage
And you you know this is no way putting anybody else down when I say resurrect dead prayer life I’m really talking about my own experience now I think my own experience many times may be similar to a lot of people’s experience but it’s this I was very involved in the activity
Of prayer because longer around the church people say pray for this pray for this pray for this I tried to pray for it um and then one morning I said God this was my conscious thought I don’t know that I said it verbally but Lord I think the greatest gift you’ve given me
Is just take this burden off my back uh um I was very involved in the this activity of prayer but Lord I’m not sure I said I’m not sure I really expect anything to happen if you pray not expect anything to happen you ask sooner or later you ask yourself the question
Why pray and so if you’d asked me to to summarize what I’d learned about prayer I said well there’s two things I keep and I bought into both of them here’s what I’ll hear again again again prayer is very very very important I bought into that number two you need to
Discipline yourself to do it I bought it to B but yet my prayer life to die so there must be more to it than what it’s important it and you need to different from yourself to do it you know there five five commands in relationship with
The Holy Spirit walk by the Spirit uh be filled with the spirit don’t breathe the spirit don’t quench the spirit and the fifth one is pray in the spirit um I said God I’m not sure what that means but it really drawn to me okay this
Activity of prayer is not just a human activity you need you want to empower me and so God would you teach me I don’t know what that means but I think we all of us can be childlike enough if you command me something I know it’s your
Will if I ask you something important you will you said you’ll hear me so God would you teach me to pray in the spirit uh how does your spirit want to assist me and and and so uh God that put me on a journey and uh that’s a little bit
About what the book’s about that Journey that God also can come into their life whatever it is if and he can teach them to pray it’s so good how to resurrect a dead prayer life how how do you identify then what a dead prayer life looks like
What are some of the markers of a dead prayer life well for me you know it was the idea that what I’m not I had really I was involved in the activity of prayer but I watch it feel like I really lost touch with God and I feel like that what
I really wasn’t expecting anything to happen I’ve sensed that expectancy see prayer is is God’s idea not ours he’s the one who say keep asking keep seeking keep knocking uh and so uh and he’s the one wants to enable us mean when God wants to do something scripture is very
Clear how he works when God wants to do something he puts a prayer burden on somebody’s heart um that person prays in responds to that prayer burden and that’s how the work of God set in motion so he doesn’t want it’s not like okay I want you to rub a rabbit’s foot long
Enough and then something then then now you can have the you can enjoy the rest part of the day I think that’s the way I sort of looked at what church growing up well if I went to church on Sunday then it gave me a license to enjoy the rest
Of the day that’s not that’s not that’s not godly that’s not the way God motivates us and so if you’ve lost a sense of expectancy something is not right uh I mean Luke 111 used to be on the top of my prayer life every day Lord teach me to
Pray wow I really like how you framed that there was activity but no expectancy right that’s a that is powerful so for the guys who are listening to this and and probably uh not just guys as well but there in the culture we live in and the hurried pace
Of life and the stresses of Life how can someone enjoy God’s presence and find that kind of peace and prayerful attitude again well that’s certainly a great question I I know in my own life uh even when I began to serve the Lord you know
Uh God showed me I just started the day in a sense of hurry inside I mean it may not have been as a real clear to anybody else because I may have looked calm but I just started the day in a hurry um I I know this is radical this but and I’m
Not saying this is what God would call uh everybody to do but I I I now was single at that time I have a longer single life but I I would take I would take a train to Chicago that’s where the the school is I teach you at and I would
I would take a train and I would get there about two hours before I had to be there uh and just to be still and be quiet to make sure Lord am I um really fully obeying your your command to what cast all my cares upon you I think
Sometimes we can just get so used to carrying a care we just say hey that’s just normal I guess I’m just supposed to be loaded down but uh but God so loves us you know that he he and I would want anybody to know that he loves you in
Your most anxious moment he loves you in your most frazzled moment but he loves you so much he hasn’t sent us you to live this way and he wants to teach teach you to live uh I was raised diligent because of my mother my mother was just a diligent person you know but
Uh John Wesley the Earth he Mets this leader uh it’s the right kind of diligence he’s served with diligence but he said he said although I’m always in haste I’m never in a hurry I never do more than I can do with perfect kindness of spirit and so I said God would you
Teach me that kind of diligence uh that you know we can we can begin to enjoy the Lord in the midst of our labor we all have many responsibilities and many things to do um but I I also I think it certainly helped me my first year of teaching um
Uh you know first year of teaching everything’s new so you’re doing all these new preparations now I was single so I could sort of work night and day and not be abusing anybody but me but uh I remember there was one particular week where we had
A that particular time we had a special Bible Conference still have that Bible Conference too Founders week it’s called but anyhow they uh you so there’s no CL there’s Bible Conference uh all week but no classes uh so that sort of a gift to a first year teacher but I remember just
Being alone with the Lord one day and uh doing a lot of preparation and uh and God just stopped me saying U and I this solemn conviction just from God he says you know uh of course I think it applies to anybody it’s the idea that I will
Never give you so much to do uh that you can’t have time to develop a relationship with me you can give yourself too much to do you can allow other people to give you too much to do but I won’t and you know I took that a I
Begin to se time with God as a gift he wanted to give me as a gift he wanted to give me not as a another thing to put on my to-do list who wants that we already got too many of those things but U when
I begin to see it as a gift God wants to give and you know and it’s it’s like where is your the level of your faith to receive that gift I I’d rather a person say okay I’m going to I’m going to receive uh two minutes or five minutes
As opposed to maybe trying to while I’m going put two hours maybe you don’t have the level of faith that way but God’s going to grow that Faith he’s going to grow that whatever uh whatever they may be God Honors that uh and he grows us in
Regard to them so we thank God for that and it’s it’s a wonderful Adventure yeah yeah that is so profound that God doesn’t put more things on our to-do list he wants us to uh just take that time as a gift I I just think that’s that revolutionizes what prayer looks
Like because often times we think of prayer as a to-do list or a thing I must do on my calendar yeah and most of the things on our our calendars are self-inflicted right and and so to take that time is can be really I think a
GameChanger so I hear this a lot when it comes to prayer uh and it’s it’s the the classic question of uh what do I pray for I don’t I don’t know what to pray for where do I begin what would you say to that I said
I’ say a few things to it um certainly uh uh I would begin I mean like CS Lewis said the prayer that recedes all prayer is this let it be the real I who speak let it be the real thou I speak to you know what’s on your heart what does God
Put on your heart you know if you if you’re fearful and you’re not talking to God about that fear you’re not praying God says don’t be anxious for anything but praise God he doesn’t stop there because that just make me more anxious but he says what everything you’re
Anxious about talk to me sometimes you have to talk to him God what is it I’m really anxious about and then he says tell me what you want me to do about but don’t forget to thank me uh because that’s what lifts your heart to God you
Can talk about your anxiety and pray about it and you get more wrapped up in that than God so start with your heart uh and see that’s what God’s spirit wants to help you get in touch with your heart uh that was I talk about a
Practice that I’ve done in regard to the Lord’s Day I try to you know there was a Kinga perod of about life that uh number of years ago I I I just sort lost the joy of the Lord’s day I was there I was faithful I sung the songs but I felt
Like I’m just sort of glad when it was over I didn’t feel like my heart was engaged you can always blame the church blame somebody else but uh I remember taking beginning I’ve done this discipline now for over well over 30 years almost 40 but it’s the idea of
Just I just look at my week coming up and and uh and then I I try to write down just the three greatest concerns because um it’s the idea God showed me just a little unburdens some preparation go into that heart go into that that Lord’s day whatever it may be sharing
Your heart with him because that’s what I feel like I I lost the joy of the Lord’s service because I feel like my heart really wasn’t engaged but when I begin to just take that little simple preparation you know and maybe a relational concern maybe an upcoming
Decision it makes it may be an upcoming responsibility um whatever it is I have those sheets of paper and then next day or so I’ll write down any insight God’s been pleased to give and uh and those sheets of paper they’re worthless anybody else but you know they’re
Reminder me God knows my name and my address he can interact with any one of us as if we were the only person in the world because he’s infinite uh he doesn’t take his concern away from anything else any war going on or any conflict or any other thing that seems
Like so much more important but our little world he loves us like Paul Apostle Paul said life I now live I live in the faith of the Son of God he loved me he believed he loved the world but he loves you as if you’re the only person
In the world so he’s infinite now certainly so getting in touch with your heart letting and God’s spirit wants to do that he wants to help you get in touch with your heart he wants to help you pray your heart um and I would early certainly say scripture too scripture is
Like the fuel to the fire um the the George Mueller the one he founded those orphanages and uh and he was a rascal growing up he in his own words he was that he was an habitual liar and a thief uh so he got saved as an adult uh and he
Founded those orphanages his own conviction was that uh he didn’t have the freedom to ask anybody but God about his needs um and so uh he but the real burden of that was he cared about orphans but he wanted to to tell the Christian World there was a prayer
Answering God that could be trusted and so but he he said this he said in the first couple years of his life he he gave his attention to to Christian books and uh but he said boy uh I and God convicted him that he did he neglected
The scriptures and so he said I used to start the day with prayer there’s a better way to start the day with prayer how is that start the day with God’s word and let God’s spirit take his word and begin to form prayers in your heart I think that that secret of meditation
Which is not just something a certain person can do or a certain kind of person you do but meditation is just talking to God about his word with the desire of it your life come into agreement with it so certainly that can stimulate you to pray and that’s a great
Place to start that’s the way I start every day uh I you know just as some people uh cooks and I’m not a cook at all but you know they plan their menu well I plan a spiritual menu just from my study of scripture I have each day
Just a a key verse or two that I’m going to start today with and it’s a special verse that means a lot to me it’s something that related to what I want God to do in my in my students or in my family or and most of all in me um and I
Talk to God talk to God about that and so uh take God’s word talk to him about that um is the idea of meditation so what to pray about meditation pray your heart uh it just so wonderful God loves you so much that uh he’s saying I want
You to help you get in touch with your heart and I want to listen to you somebody that interested in you is really special yeah that is so good it’s and for I can I can probably hear some guys who are are probably listening today and they they’re hearing get in
Touch with your heart and they thinking it it sounds very emotional but but it’s it’s actually getting in touch with the the needs that are that’s right that are dominating your thinking and and your mind and and your your your world and and God wants to be involved and he
Wants he wants that access I think that is such a a powerful reminder now now sometimes we come to prayer when it’s desperation time we have a real need or something something is difficult yeah but tell me how even those desperation times God can use to transform not only ourselves but future
Generations well I started a fatherson club uh just with another father initially just to say let’s just help each other father our sons you know probably nothing I’m more committed to than that and probably nothing makes me feel more inadequate than that and so uh you know and so we sometimes we would
Invite people to come uh just to let the boys interview them they may be a pastor and they they learn to ask him questions how do you prepare a sermon how can we pray for you all well one one time we had this dear individual he may still be
Living or whatever he’s a prolific writer of children’s books uh Gil beers with the Todd St of many many books but uh and he says I want to talk to you about Heritage tonight and uh he talked about two grandmothers uh one way up the latter
And then one the grandmother of his um of his wife Grandma Rudy she was a um a pastor of a um uh pastor’s wife there in Iowa and he died um and he left her penion she had three children and was pregnant with a fourth she was so penless she couldn’t
Even put a roof over her head so she moved them with a relative now she could have despaired but she says you know God my job is to pray for my children and pray for my unborn grandchildren you know as he shared that night uh and I
Said I was just so moved um because he talked about not just her children because one of her children was his mother-in-law um but he talked about the 17 grandchildren and he gave the pedigree of just uh all that God is done all Christian with Christian mates and
Even the grandchildren went beyond that uh great grandchildren and the and 10 of those 17 grandchildren I got him to document all this and and he he said oh I’ll be glad to I had all documented so he sent it to me and I give just a brief
Summary of that I think on page 123 124 but uh of the book and just what God did 10 of those 17 grandchilden they said let’s after she died let’s see let’s keep going what grandma Rudy started now here you’d say okay that that was a pitiful lady and but few people would
Say they’ve had the impact of a grandar Rudy uh in regard to use that need uh to cry out to God so whatever there is in your life that makes you you sense your need for God that’s the greatest thing you have going for you I I spent a year
Asking God uh each year I I label for the Lord Lord what do you want me to trust you for this year one year it was a number of years ago the year 1990 God how can I be used of you to raise up prayer among your people I laid that
Before the Lord for a year and uh I got one insight and you know that sort of looks so sparse at the end oh couldn’t Somebody Pray in afternoon and get flooded with a lot more than that but I think the one Insight is what I’ve had the privilege to share with with
Countless people it’s just simply this um tell God’s people how to make use of their needy moments um a needy moment uh is you know when you can take your fears and turn them into conversation with god take your Temptations and turn them into conversation with god we can talk more
About that that helps me every day of my life and so whatever there is that makes you sense don’t don’t despise that that’s the power of your prayer life and uh I know we men sometimes you you know here’s the way I grew up um I grew up in
A wonderful family but we just didn’t talk at this level uh if you had asked me are you fearful are you angry I’d have said no and I I wouldn’t have I’d have been lying but it wouldn’t have been intentionally lying to you I just
Wasn’t in touch with my heart and so uh but you know God wants to help you get in touch with your heart he wants you to share your heart and how meanful it is that we can begin to what share our heart with him and even have Fellowship
To share our hearts with others as we shareing with God so that’s a little bit of that answer that’s a good question I don’t know if that’s a good answer but that’s an excellent question that’s a great answer and a great story as well well we’re excited to let you know today
That this episode is brought to you by De insurance now dexs is a licensed insurance broker providing access to Preferred rates on home and car insurance to faith-based organizations academic institutions and Charities while supporting Ministry advancement in Canada so call decks today at 1 180024 5283 or go online to De
Insurance.ca to find out how much you could save so let’s let’s go a little deeper for for the men who you know have a struggle in their life because I love what you’re you’re you’re saying in terms of turning our weaknesses or our desperation into moments that God can
Really use Amen to draw us closer to him but for the the man who struggles who who’s facing Temptation who’s yeah who’s may maybe has some addictions in his life right how can God use those moments through prayer to defeat the enemy in our lives oh my I tell you if I could
Just shout one thing and I was about to die this is about what I would shout right here it’s this that you know that temptation is a is an appeal to a legitimate need to meet it in an unrighteous way um to I mean there is a
Wayward part of me until I get to Glory uh no matter how much I know no matter how whatever maturity anyone can and so uh it’s when you can learn to take that Temptation and to turn it into conversation with god you’ll talk from your heart uh so you know it’s uh the
Really the cycle of addiction is just what uh when you you you sense uh a Temptation and uh something a wrong thing can sort of can partially work in the temple realm and uh you go to that and that leads to guilt uh and that leads to B
Bondage and that leads to really intense need and so there you got to have another another fix and so that’s the cycle of addiction but but I like uh this and it can relate to anything uh no even in regard to the S sensual realm
The way God made us men or whatever you know remember the person uh who I read this from they said you know don’t look at your your sex drive as just a a a wolf to be caged but look at it as a seeing eye dog to lead you to Jesus you
Know the idea uh you see it can be your key to delighting in the Lord when when you know probably one of the most unlikely things you would expect is when you read in 2 Samuel um is it 11 when he when he falls with basba I think it’s
Chapter 12 when Nathan when Nathan uh sends Nathan rebuke him but I mean he’s just everything he does is you know regard the way he responds to Saul and second Samuel is just you would never expect that but when kings go to B and he sees beautiful basba and he lust for
Her and he he he falls into adultery and then he fear hits him and he and he murders and then he covers that stand but when God sends Nathan to him in 2 Samuel 12 beginning verse 7 and following he says now David remember I
Gave you this I gave you this I gave you the um and I have many more things like this to give you uh he’s saying he’s saying David I understand what you were feeling when you had those wrong thoughts to basba I made a man I made a
A woman I understand that but now David when you had those urges why didn’t you come to me if any man’s thirsty let him come to me and drink um so we can come to Jesus with our thirst I’m just so grateful you can have a transparency
With God that you can’t have with anybody else and we need transparency with other people keep people that we can talk to God and and say boy pray for me I’m being tempted it so um but I tell you another thing you know certainly taking your Temptations turning into
Conversations with God God you do that day after day he that unseen God becomes the greatest reality of your life but also with any persistent Temptation This this helps me literally every day of my life and it’s not a sin to be tempted it’s not a sin to be tempted you know no
That’s it’s it’s really wonderful to be in touch with that Temptation and so write down your persistent Temptation and ask God say God would you give me uh every time I’m tempted in this way I’m going to be tempted because I am persistently tempted in this way God
Would you give me a prayer burden a prayer request that I’m going to use this temptation as a trigger to pray uh no more complicated than that Lord you like the psalmist says when thou do say Seek my faith my heart said to thee thy
Face Thou shalt seek and so you see U God is telling us is almost counterintuitive when I’m being tempted God’s telling me to seek him and so you using but the genius of that is sometimes in trying to resist the temptation you get more wrapped up in
The temptation but this is the way okay in the Temptation you use it as a prompting to pray for another strategic you know if start out just being in a partnership with somebody look when I’m tempted I’ll pray for you when you’re tempted you pray for me um I just know
That I pray with compassion for people in those moments you know I think if you and I devise prayer we sort of pray from our pride now Lord I’ve got it together and now put this guy into shape you know but uh but God says no pray for me it’s
Your weakness and and I can I can pray with them I can weep with them I can cry out to God with them but every day of my life night and day I need that what I’m saying there but to take that Temptation and to pray for others and think of
Every time a mother father had an impure thought they prayed for the P of their children think every time you you had that fiery D of discouragement that that thrown at you you pray for the encouragement of your spiritual leaders so you’re praying from your weakness I
Just there was a missions conference I spoke at just a few weeks ago but they turned into short a prayer conference and I shared this principle um number of years ago did the same thing at the Moody Church when Luther was a PR was a
Pastor there so uh but using this I pray that that’s if that’s not clear I’m not saying it’s complicated but it took me a little while to work that in my life but I tell you that helps me every day of my life and I pray it would help these
Precious men of God uh that are trying to live for the Lord and I know there’s a battle there’s a there there are times sometimes the battle is so intense that uh your greatest goal is just to survive the day and that’s certain the bar sort
Of low but Lord if I can surviv the day I’m a success you know but there are those evil days there are those evil days and uh so anyhow I pray that God would meet each one of us in our most needy moment oh that’s so good I I
Really appreciate that idea of taking our Temptation our weakness our anxiety our struggles and turning it into prayer and seeing God at work now one of the things and and my copy of your book is highlighted and marked up because I I enjoyed it so much um one of one of my
Uh one of the things I enjoy the most was the thought that you referenced I’m going to read you your quote here because I think you captured it so well but that we’re not alone when it comes to prayer this is not something that we are alone trying to do on our own
Strength but there is something called Divine help let me read your words uh because I think it’ll speak to the guys that are listening one of the first first things I learned was that I needed Divine help to motivate my prayer life I discovered that we must first confess
The following truth as unflattering as it is Lord I confess that in and of myself I do not really care about anyone but myself apart from Jesus liberating work on the cross and the enablement of the spirit the only life anyone of us could ever know is one filled with
Selfish ambition and motivated by what is in it for me we are not able to pray with Christlike fervency and Christlike compassion without Divine help now you nail this this idea so well in the book and you talk about uh the idea and the concept that that we have the Holy
Spirit who is our Advocate who who comes alongside tell us why we’re not alone when it comes to developing our prayer lives well you know just as God says walk by the spirit and apart from him we can do nothing that that includes our prayer life you know that uh you know
That when I walked in that fraternity brother’s room and he shared with me I didn’t know anything about the Holy Spirit I was in a denominational church we as re Reed Apostles Creed every every week I believed in the Holy Ghost but had no how the world of that uh fit into
My daily life but God’s spirit uh wants to help me uh see a need and feel a need and and uh begin to be gripped by it but also come and realize okay Lord my helplessness do anything about it uh but I need to surrender that to God and cry out to him
With that and asking him to work don’t scheme uh I give some examples there you know where uh this dear lady she got saved when they were married she her husband NE one were Sav she got saved and uh and then she knew she wasn’t supposed to nag or
Preach at her husband but um she said okay I won’t do that but she had books all over her house turned to the exact back page and wanted her husband to read and she said God had to convict her for scheming before she before he saved her
Husband so um you know God gives Promises to the needy uh I like that I like Psalm 72 it says uh save the children of the needy I always felt like my children qualified uh he sets the uh Psalm 724 and5 uh Psalm 10741 and 42 he
Sets the needy securely on high away from affliction makes his family like a flock ifpr see it and are glad and all unrighteous shuts his mouth U I said God I’m needy I’m needy today uh it’s not like you outgrow that need I mean that that’s just reality actually Jesus says
Apart from him I can do nothing that’s pretty NE so um uh but God’s spirit wants to enter into that he wants to he wants to motivate he even wants to guide our prayer helping us get in touch with our hearts helping us pray our hearts uh
Even praying our hearts when we don’t know how to pray so um it’s a it’s a wonderful thing and also he wants to empower us to believe him so uh I try to go through in the book the various ways God’s spirit wants to help us and uh so
We’re not in this by ourselves and you know come to God like just say Lord teach me to pray I’m just so grateful some things I’ve had to unlearn about prayer things that you know and uh but but he knows us he knows our personality he knows our schedule he knows our
Makeup he knows our circumstance es and God wants to enter into that and Lord teach me to pray you say Lord if if prayer is U right as a delight to you I want to Delight you so God show me how pour the grace of prayer upon Him
Meaning Grace means God’s spirit can give us motivation and power to pray as well as do whatever else he calls us to do oh that’s so good and such a good reminder that we are not alone ever because he’s Emanuel he’s God With Us right but even in our prayer lives
Sometimes we don’t make the the leap in logic but even in our struggles with our prayer he is with us and wants to empower us amen for uh the the guy who’s watching at the beginning of this new year and who uh you know wants to do a
Fresh start and see his spiritual life reinvigorated but really doesn’t know where to begin what would your encouragement be to that that guy who’s watching today well certainly I I would say everyday schedule an appointment with God uh if you sometimes miss that appointment you have to reschedule it
Well that’s okay we do have to do that but schedule an appointment with God according to whatever Faith you have he says devote yourself to prayer keeping alerting it with an attitude of Thanksgiving but uh and in that appointment uh I would say start with scripture uh if you don’t know any other
Place to start just maybe read one PSAL um I know there was a time in my life I’m I’m in a Psalm every day uh you read five Psalms a day you get through the book of Psalms 150 in a month with all else I’m doing that’s too many so right
Now read one Psalm and just look for some verse that you can talk to God about that’s the start also say God by your grace uh help me get in touch with my heart and help me share my heart with you each day of my life um so that’s a
Place to start um and God honors any effort you make toward him uh and so that’d be a place to start start with make an appointment at least read a Psalm and maybe you have far more plans or whatever but do that and take that
One verse and talk to God about it yeah that’s so good just start just yes amen yeah just begin Dr Thrasher where can we uh the men who are are watching and listening today where can they get a copy of this great book to begin a new
Uh Fresh Start in prayer well my my website is WW ww. Victorious pray.com and if you clicked on books you could find all the books I’ve read and you clicked on this book and it would give you a link to Amazon um you can go to Moody Publishers as well www Moody
Publishers and it would also give you a link to word of this book as well so I do pray for the readers of the book every day that God I do uh that God would greatly refresh you and minister to you in whatever way you need uh in
Regard to crying out to God and finding Delight in him ask God to give you an addiction for the joy of prayer amen and God can do it well I would be remiss if I didn’t ask you to pray for the men who are listening today and that God would
Do exactly what your your book title says that they would uh find a resurrected prayer life and a new level of Spiritual Authority and a new level in their relationship with God in this new year would you pray for for us today delighted to do this Lord thank you for
This time with Dean God I ask you for every precious person listening dear God or to this podcast that Lord you would enter into their life with fresh encouragement uh fresh power uh fresh motivation I pray God you would put hope in their spirit in their greatest battle
Almighty God I pray you would uproot lies from their mind that aren’t consistent with them being your beloved child and Lord the power that raised Jesus from the dead and brought hope to a hopeless situation I pray they would know that resurrected power the power that seated Christ above all
Principalities and powers and that well organized spiritual force that we battle against God I pray they would know that they have authority seated with you dear God and we join together and pray in the name of Jesus for our life and for our loved ones that you like Michael the
Archangel we pray Lord rebuke the evil one in any way he’s seeking to hinder Lord their life their marriage or future marriage or their children or their grandchildren and we ask God that you attend to all that concerns them dear God we pray in their darkest moments you
Would send your help from heaven we pray this year would be the best spiritual year of their life dear God and we pray that God Not only would you Revitalize their pray life but God they would overflow even use their weakness dear God meet them in their Temptations to
Not only have find fellowship with you and talking to you about those but even interceding for others in their weakness and we pray this in Jesus name even read the deepest petitions of their heart my heart God that we don’t even know how to pray and we ask this in Jesus name amen
Amen to that thank you Dr Thrasher for being with us today and challenging us and encouraging us uh in our prayer lives I know this is going to Bear a lot of fruit with those that listen to this podcast so thank you so much thank you thanks for listening
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