Listen it’s Wednesday night at 700 p.m. so you know what that means it’s time for Bible study and I am so excited and I just cannot tell you how excited I am for us to get a chance to get in this word and get a chance to spend this time
With you I hope everything is going well with all of your fasting and praying and I pray that you’re beginning to uh to to see the results of your life and sensitivity and commitment and distraction free life just getting better and better uh with this F and so
I just thank God for all of you that chose to uh to um partake in it with us and I just pray that it’s a blessing to your spirit just as much as it is to uh to mine so listen we’re going to go ahead and get started with our Bible
Study uh as we have uh uh every Wednesday night uh I’m just so excited to get into this because like I said it’s just taking our entire relationship with God to the next level but before I do that let me go ahead and start um as
I always do with just a few uh announcements for us to keep uh at mind uh first first of all don’t forget February is Black History Month and every month we are going to be celebrating so last week we celebrated all of our Educators and we thank God
For all of you that educate our children regularly and we thank God for you and so we uh started off with that and then this Sunday and this is a little bit of a correction hopefully you got the uh the video on Facebook or YouTube from um
Our first lady but a little bit of correction from what we announced on uh Sunday morning so this Sunday all of our kids that are um participating with the uh black history hero that they’re going to represent and hold up a sign or either say a little a couple words that
Tab has been working with you on you are to come prepared to do that this Sunday so this Sunday will be the Sunday that our young people come up and present their black history Heroes so please make sure we come prepared and then the next Sunday which will be the third
Sunday in February we’re going to have our come as you are 8 HBCU Divine 9 Sunday again this Sunday the Second Sunday February the 11th all of our young people should come prepared to do their black history hero speeches or hold up their sign or whatever it is
They’re going to do and they’ve been working with taban next Sunday uh February uh uh they should come uh prepared for their HBCU Divine n come as you are Sunday so for that Sunday we’re going to come and represent our colleges we’re going to represent our fraternities and our sororities and the
Part that they all play uh in black history month and American history to be honest with you so please come out prepare to do just that so that’s going to be Again One Last Time Second Sunday you come all of our young people will present their black history Heroes and
Then the third Sunday uh third Sunday we will come making sure that we are prepared to uh to represent our HBCU our divine nines and come as you are so everyone can dress down come comfortably and we’re going to represent our Squad represent our college and the part that
They played in American history amen so I will repeat that again just one more time at the end of our Bible study just to make sure we have it all down pat but I think we’re good and then the fourth Sunday oh my God I’m excited we are
Going to have our mayor uh mayor Gilbert will be with us we’re going to have our chief of Fise he will be with us and we’re going to be celebrating some local Legends uh in our church and in our community and we thank God for that so
We’re going to be uh honoring a bunch of people and honoring them for their service and everything they’ve done uh in through and around Apex and for our church and for our community so please come out and celebrate on the fourth Sunday it is going to be an awesome day
As we celebrate our Living Legends so we thank God for that amen amen so um with that uh just a couple other announcements just our general announcements don’t forget we continue to have Sunday school 9:15 a.m. to 10:15 a.m. every Sunday morning virtually we also have our prayer and connection call
7:30 a.m. every Friday morning first lady and I need to hear your voice we need to hear your praise report hear your prayer request but more than that we just want to know you’re doing okay and connect with you on our 7:30 a.m. Friday uh connection calls and then also
Don’t forget on February the 10th at 2: p.m. we’re going to meet with all of our singles for a singles brunch at Lucky 32 in carrye listen we are still fast Ing and it’s not the opportune time but it’s still the perfect time to get together and make sure that we’re spending some
Time with our singles hearing a little bit about you know the ministry and getting some ideas about how we’re going to go forth with that Ministry and so don’t forget that is 2:00 Saturday February the 10th this Saturday um at lucky 32s and then at 700 p.m. we’re
Going to we’re going to get with our couples our married couples for a date night a married couple’s date night and again the main purpose of that is a little bit of Fellowship ship but we are going to um to get together and make sure that we have an idea of what you
Want out of that Ministry some things that we’re going to be doing going forth in the coming year and first lady and I are so excited about this time we’re going to spend together and we just cannot wait so again 2 o’clock with the singles 700 p.m. with our um couples uh
And we’re just going to have a good time getting to know each other and talking about the ministry going forward so please make sure that you um uh have already registered with that uh if you have not um and so that kind of uh takes
Us there and catches us up on all of our uh announcements for this week listen if you want to give there’s several ways you can give you can always stop by the church 24 hours a day 7 days a week 419 South Salem Street and you can give that
Way simply fill out the envelope on the Dropbox uh second door on the left as you enter the parking lot or you can mail your gift to Apex First Baptist Church pobox 64 Apex North Carolina 27502 or if you want you can just simply go to our website Apex fbc.org and you
Can give that way and right now while you’re getting ready for this Bible study the simplest thing to do is just go ahead and pick up your phones matter of fact you can do it right now and text Apex first all one word to 73
256px first all one word to 73 256 and you can give that way amen so uh we thank God for all of you that have given and we thank God for the gift and The Giver of that gift amen so thank you for that um so let’s go ahead and start with
The word of prayer and then we’ll get into this Bible study for tonight I see all of you joining and I thank God for all of you that joined Wednesday after Wednesday it really blesses it blesses me like you have no idea so let’s start with a word of prayer father we thank
You for our Bible study tonight we thank you God for every single person that thought it not robbery to join and God we pray that this word will be a rama relevant right now word father so that we can show ourselves approved because your word says study to show ourselves
Approved so be in this Bible study God allow us to learn and to glean and to understand what it is that your word says and how it pertains to our life in Jesus mighty name we pray amen amen and amen so I am excited about this fast and
We’ve been teaching on fasting and praying in our 11:00 a.m. service Sunday mornings and we’ve been teaching on our Bible study for over the last month on fasting and praying and we use as our foundational scripture just as a little bit of a recap when Jesus Christ is
Encountered by a man whose son is epileptic and he tells him I have brought my son to your disciples but they could not heal him and I want to know why why couldn’t they heal him and so Jesus heals this young man and then the disciples he looks at him and says
Well you know why disciples look at him and say then why couldn’t we heal this little boy and they say listen it’s because of one your unbelief that if you believe uh that you’ll have the power to speak to mountains and mountains have to get up and move you can say go from
There to there this is Matthew chapter 17 and then he also says though but understand there are some things that are only going to react or going to come out um I’m paraphrasing a little bit through prayer and fasting and so that’s been the impetus of our 29 day Daniel
Fast of nothing but vegetables and fruits and Waters and things made by God you know through the Earth um that we’re going to partake in for the next 29 days and I’m already hearing testimonies and and by now it’s probably getting a little bit difficult to make sure you
Can sustain and find something different to eat because you probably we’ve had your your go-to things but just hang in there I think God is going to bless you mightily I’m praying that he does at the end of this fast I know he’s going to take our church to the next level he
Already is doing some things that you’ll be hearing about down the road and so I just thank God for all of you that are participating in this fast but he says in his word some things only come out through prayer and fasting and so that’s why we’ve been teaching on this praying
And fasting and that’s why we’ve been going uh over this in-depth teaching so that you understand that there is power in fact fasting that’s why uh uh when you fast things happen when you fast it takes your prayer life uh to another level and it brings you closer to God
And we’ve been talking about those things all week so now I want all month and so I want to transition today more into prayer and specifically the power of prayer and that what happens when you pray and and and how you should pray and and why prayer is so important and so we
Kind of talked about that a little bit last week when we talked about all the things that happened When you pray you know you pray to give God thanks and you pray to to you know open up a conduit with God from communication and communion but then also too I want you
To understand that there are some benefits of prayer that we don’t always talk about so first of all go with me to Philippians chap 4: 6 now I told you uh not too long ago that every now and then I would give you foundational scriptures that I would say this is a foundational
Scripture that you need to have on your phone in your notes section or wherever you keep little notes in your in your your your phone that you can readily access right that you can get to uh in a hurry and Philippians chapter 4 is one chapter 4 is one of those uh
Foundational scriptures specifically chapter uh verse number six Philippians chapter 4 verse number 6 and someone and you guys have been doing a phenomenal job with this so thank you but someone please uh put it in the uh in the um comment section for me Philippians CH
4:6 this is Paul’s letter to the Church of Philippi and it says do not be anxious about anything but in everything by prayer and supplication with Thanksgiving let your request be made known to God um let me read that again do not be anxious about anything but in everything by prayer and supplication
With Thanksgiving let your request be made known to God so first of all it just literally says to me that you don’t really have to walk around in a state of panic in a state of worry and constant fear uh uh that how is something is
Going to work out that’s the shadow of death literally when G when God talks about when David talks about in the 23rd psalm y walk through the valley of the shadow of death I shall fear no evil it’s that shadow that’s hanging over your head that the the next you know
Shoe might drop that this might occur or this might happen literally you don’t have to constantly walk around anxious and or or being anxious or full of anxiety or worried all the time that something bad has happened even if it’s been foreshadowed even if you’ve gotten a word that there’s going to be
Something a layoff or you know your money is going to run out or there’s there’s a cancer diagnosis or someone is sick listen to God be the glory he’s literally saying to you in Philippians chapter 4 turn all that over to me just make your prayer Pray how you want this
Thing to turn out let me know that you know who it is and who you are that can take care of this situation and so when you pray it should take the anxiety away it should take the fear and I say this often but let me say it one more time
That’s how we can always tell when you don’t have a sufficient prayer life doesn’t mean you don’t have one all of us pray to some degree um but it doesn’t mean it means you don’t have a sufficient prayer life when you’re constantly worried and constantly full
Of anxiety and fear that the other shoe is going to drop or something’s going to happen listen Trouble Comes it’s going to rain on the just and the unjust we’re going to deal with things from time to time that’s just simply life but what I love about the fact that I’m a Christian
What I love about the fact that I am a child of God is that I can cast all of my cares on him that I know that he is a burden Bearer and a heavy load sharer that I know that no matter what happens
I can put it in his hands and God will handle it doesn’t mean it’s going to turn out the way I want it to but it does mean that at the end when it’s all said and done all things work together for the good of them that love the Lord
So my job is to love the Lord my job is to make sure that I have a relationship with him and if I have that relationship with him then prayerfully everything is going to turn out right everything is going to be good because all things work
Together for the good of them that love the Lord so I want you to just say to yourself right now I I got to get rid of this anxiety and this fear and this worry and always worried about okay what’s going to happen next and and and
How is this going to turn out God is in control he says I’ve already made a way of Escape I’ve already worked it out I’ve already overcome the world and so he says this past that’s why I add the word already to it because it l literally means I have overcome the
World you are going to be fine regard of how this turns out God has got you somebody put in the comment section you are going to be fine come on that’s shout worthy tonight that on a Wednesday night we’re finding out that despite all the hell that the devil is trying to put
Us through God told me you are going to be fine matter of fact prophesy to yourself and say self I’m going to be fine despite the storm despite the Raging Thunder despite everything that’s happening around me I am going to be fine so do not be anxious about about
Anything but in everything now this is the second part this is the B part of that scripture that I want to talk about he says in everything in prayer and fasting in everything so in other words if I’m going to make a major decision in my life something that’s going to affect
My life materially going forward I want to make sure that I’m praying I want to make sure that I’m fasting I want to make sure that I’m going to God for direction I’m going to God for direction I’m not using my own thoughts my own feelings my own on emotions because your
Feelings and your emotions will fool you and you’ll make decisions based on money you’ll make decisions based on friendships you’ll make decisions based on your finite amount of knowledge about that situation and it may not be the right answer that’s why child of God married husband married woman single
Person whatever it is you need to learn to seek God in a greater way for direction over your life and that’s fasting and that’s praying that’s going down on your knees and refusing to move until God tells you or or or you have a pretty good piece about what it is that
God is telling you before you act upon it that’s what David did when David get got the zig and found out his everything had been burned and he thought his wife and his children and all of his his his soldiers wives and children were dead
The Bible says he went and put on his EOD his church clothes he changed his clothes he washed his face because he knew he was going before God and so he said listen I I need to pray God should I pursue or should I stand still and let
You handle this and God said no pursue but I’m still going to handle it he said pursue and you shall recover all I just need you to get to a place in your life where you consistently seek God for answers when you consistently ask God first before you make a major move even
Before you have a difficult conversation ask God to guide your tongue ask God to put the words in your mouth to say because sometimes we think that we got to go tit fortat we think we got to say this because they hurt us now I got to
Lay the hammer down and I got to hurt you even more we have a joke in my family that sometimes when people go low we go lower come on somebody and so no that can’t always be the case sometimes you got to listen and be still and let
God speak through you but you won’t know what to say if you don’t have a prayer life so he says in everything he don’t want you just to pray and please hear this Apex First Baptist Church family our community our E Church please hear me on this don’t just pray in Calamity
Don’t just pray when uh uh you’re feeling like hell is broken loose in your house and you don’t know what to do and you’re scared that you know all of a sudden things are not right just just learn to pray consistently if it’s nothing more just to say God I love you
And I thank you that nothing today is going to happen that you aren’t already aware of and that you’ve not already prepared me for and that I see overflow coming or just say God I just want to say an intercessory prayer I want to pray an intercede for someone uh on
Their behalf my neighbor that I just passed that looked a little bit down my boss that seems to be going through and he’s getting a lot of pressure from other uh uh other entities or people above him or her or father I just want to pray for my child that they make good
Decisions today it doesn’t always have to be Lord I think I have cancer or Lord I think I have diabetes Lord I think I’m losing my job or God we’re about to lose everything this just pray because he is Alpha and he’s Omega he’s the beginning
And the end he is the author and the finisher of our faith and so what we have to understand is that prayer is something you ought to be doing and I’m going get into that a little bit later uh in this Bible study but he says in
Everything I need somebody to do me a favor right there in the comment section put in quotations in everything pray and everything by prayer in everything by prayer and supplication so this is not even a new theme we’re doing it as a church probably for the first time
Corporately but it won’t be the last time we do it we’re going to make it a regular part of what we’re doing because I’m believing in God and I want you to be a part of this movement that you know before Co we were three almost three two
Services trying to go to three just having a great time busting at the scene but I’m telling you God is about to do something special he’s about to elevate our worship Services he’s calling people to Apex First Baptist Church he’s doing a wonderful thing because he wants to
Use us mightily to affect that community and everything that’s on its way and God we got to be ready for it and so this fasting and this prayer is the way that we’re going to make sure that we are prepared to do the work of God and what
He has called us to do we’re going to be prepared to fight the devil and make sure he has no power in our church or in our congregation or in our lives and so that anyone connected to Apex First Baptist Church will fall under that covering our family our e members folk
That just watch us um I just talked to someone this morning from Maryland uh that was telling me how often they watch our our broadcast and that just blesses me like you would not believe and so I just thank God for that and so in everything by prayer and by supplication
So I don’t want this to be a one-time event I don’t want you to just pray when bad things happen I don’t want you to just fast when you’re at wits in and your back is against the wall and you don’t know what to do I want this to be
And God wants this more than me this is what I should be saying God wants this to be a regular point a consistent thing that you do to make sure you’re hearing from him what kind of creature does not listen to The Creator regularly regularly so he says but in everything
By prayer and supplication and then he says with Thanksgiving so that means at the end of it you ought to be saying God I thank you because you know even if you don’t answer this Spirit you been better to me than I’ve been to you now I often
Say this you often say this we’ll say you know God’s been better to us we’ve been to ourselves no the real thing is even though I say that myself and it’s true the real thing we got to understand is is God’s been better to us than we’ve
Been to him we don’t always pray like we ought to we don’t always come to church and fellowship like we ought to we don’t tithe or give back or give to other people that we ought to even though his word says we should and so he has been
Better to us than we deserve he’s been better to us than we have been to him and so I thank God that we’re going to add all of this to a regular part of what we do at Apex First Baptist Church as a matter of fact from here on out at
The beginning of every year we’re going to Pro uh we’re going to Proclaim and declare a fast and so I thank God for that uh going forward and then he says make your requests be known to God but in everything by prayer and supplication with Thanksgiving let your
Requests be made known to God but then he also says right here he says listen uh you’re going to pray and you’re going to St and fast you’re going to do it with Thanksgiving but at the same time I need you to open your mouth and tell me
What it is you feel like you need me to do okay God I I need you to step in God I need a job I need a promote I need I need I need this I need that I need my child to be healed I need my my marriage
Restored I need this and that whatever it is you need to make that request known to God but more than that you need to know that God answers prayers and we’re going to get into that matter of fact let’s go there now so um go to Mark 11 we’re going to read
Verses 23 and 24 another foundational scripture that you should have in Your Arsenal it should be on your phone somewhere where you can just read a list of scriptures during your devotional time and my prayer is that all of us have devotional time all of us should
Have time where we sit down and say God this time is devoted to you and if you don’t have that devotional time you need to make some uh working out is important I want you to work out but to me devotion is working out your mental health
Devotion is you getting and say God I need to spend some time with you and I need you to to understand that so you need to have that time so this needs to be one of your foundational scriptures so uh Mark 11 23- 24 for verily I say unto you that
Whosoever shall say unto this mountain be thou removed and be thou cast into the sea and shall not doubt in his heart but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass he shall have whatsoever he saith therefore I say unto you that what things soever
You desire here it is when you pray believe that you receive them and you shall have them let me say verse 24 one more time therefore I say unto you that what so what things soever you desire When you pray believe that you receive them and you shall have them man what a
Foundational scripture here so Mark 11 verse 23-24 now it says for truly I say unto you this is this is a truthful statement he’s saying in other words you can Bank on this this is a promise this is something of a law that you can take to the bank I’m
Telling you this and you can hold me to it this is what God God is saying in his word you can you can hold me to it you can rely on it this is foundational for verily I say unto you that whosoever shall say to this mountain Now
Understand this whosoever is not saying if you’re not a Christian it’s not saying that if you’re not someone that has faith is not saying that if you’re in not someone that believes in God what he is saying is Mark is saying here is this you don’t have to be a pastor you
Don’t have to be a deacon in the church you don’t have to be a bishop over 40 churches you don’t have to you know uh uh be have some High um uh office in the church you don’t have to have been saved uh for 40 years you’re going to be a new
Convert he says so don’t think that only the Nobles or back in the Mosaic law the levitical priesthood said no this is you don’t have to be the order of M CH he said literally this is whosoever shall say unto this mountain okay so first of
All he’s saying you child of God that’s listening to me tonight tonight you have the ability the wherewithal the power the ausia the dunamus to speak to mountains to speak to problems to speak to issues to speak to things that are going through matter of fact somebody
Put this in the comment section you can speak to mountains you can speak to whatever it is that’s standing in your way whatever it is that’s burdening you down whatever it is that has you uh worried and upset and and anxious whatever it is that you feel like is
Unsurmountable whatever it is that you deemed impossible you have the ability to speak he said whosoever shall say you are the whosoever and your mouth is to say you have the ability to say to the problem the issue the trouble the circumstance the Calamity the storm the
Whatever it is that’s when Jesus Christ when they woke him up from the boat he didn’t think it he actually opened his mouth and literally said peace be still and when he said that he didn’t say you know um wind be still he didn’t say water be still storm be still he said
Peace in other words I demand peace I demand that everything around me that’s causing a problem or Calamity I demand it to stop right now in the name of Jesus he said I demand peace and so you have the ability to open your mouth and speak to any mountain and say you will
Be removed you will get out of my way you will stop causing me problems and sleepless nights and the ringing of my hands and worry all the time he said you can speak to this mountain and say to that mountain get out of my way in the
Name of Jesus get out of my way and cast it into the sea and and and it’s got to respond to you because you’re a child of God that’s what it says huh that’s what the word says but the key is you got to have faith that’s what the next part of
This verse says and shall not doubt in his heart so in other words you can’t say uh you know Pastor said this but is it really going to happen is it really going to come to past is God really listening to me does he really hear my
Voice does he really hear my prayers because you know know I I’m this and I’m that and I I don’t know and I haven’t been to church long come on get that out of your system get that out of your belief system get that out of your vernacular and out of your conversation
The Bible says that’s all that matters that if you shall not doubt in your heart that means god I I have 100% confidence that when I wake up in the morning I’m going to be healed in Jesus name and if it doesn’t happen tomorrow I’m still going to keep believing in God
That sooner or later the chemo that they giving me is going to work the pills they putting is going to work or God you just going to reach in and snatch it out so much so that I’m not even going to know who did it but I I mean when it
Happened I’m just going to know who did it and that was you he said but you can’t doubt in your heart and then he takes it a step further he says not only can you not have doubt in your heart but you shall believe that those things
Which you what he said in his word shall come to pass I can do all things through Christ that strengthens me my God shall supply all of my needs I’m going be the head all those things that he says shall come to pass so it’s not just having no
Doubt or having faith it’s also having a Faith system that takes you to believe that everything God says that every word that comes out of the mouth of God that’s why he says man shall not live by bread alone but by every word that comes
Out of the mouth of God right and so he says that you shall believe that those things which he sayth are you with me are you with me shall come to pass they shall come to pass they shall come to pass and he shall have whatever he saith
My God that’s a good word right there okay so he shall have whatever he said now therefore I say unto you that what things soever you desire When you pray so it’s not enough to walk around and just say you know I got enough faith that I ain’t even got
To say it I know prayer is the process that God likes to use for you to communicate with him it’s the process that God likes to use so that he knows that in this situation that you are uh and that you recognize that he is who you say he is that you
Know his place in your life and that he has priority in your life so he wants you to be specific and say God I’m praying to you for XYZ because only you can do this only you have the ability to do what I’m asking you to do he doesn’t
Want you relying on uh folk that doesn’t care that don’t matter uh government systems that don’t matter um a paycheck that in the end of the day it was God that provided anyway he wants you to believe and count on on him and so understand that whenever you pray he
Ought to believe that that thing that you are Desiring believe that you receive it and you shall have them that’s what the word of God says it’s not Frankie mlan it’s not me giving you some kind of inuendo that’s what the word of God says when you pray believe
That you receive them and you shall have them that’s the Bible That’s God saying that so you ought to walk around believing that you’re healed because I prayed for for it believing that your family is going to be okay because you prayed for it believing that your
Eyesight is going to be corrected and 100% because you prayed for it you will not go blind in jesus’ name that they will not have to cut off limbs in Jesus name because I prayed for it and I believe it and God answers prayer that’s why when he goes through in Hebrews he
Goes through that um that uh the what I call the the faith Hall of Fame he talks about Abraham he talks about it because recognize that they had a level of faith that believe that even a 90 some years old can still give birth to a child that
My wife can successfully give birth to a child uh uh that I still have the ability to to to do what God has You Know spoken over my life and promis and that’s the kind of Faith level and belief system that you have to have so
No more I I decree right now in the name of Jesus that after listening to this Bible study you’re not going to walk around any more defeated and and and and worried and discouraged and defeated and not worried about and worried about you know the every shoe that’s going to drop
Or everyone that’s talking about you everything that’s against you to God be the glory your life is going to be free from now on uh uh worried about every little thing God don’t want you worried about the next flu the next covid the next this the next that this is the life
We have and we’re going to be present and we’re going to enjoy it and we’re going to spend time worshiping and loving the Lord in the life that he’s given us amen now whenever you talk about prayer there are a lot of forms of prayer but there basically four forms of
Prayer that I want to kind of break down for you I’m going to give them to you first and then I’ll break each one of them down to you so first of all the first form of prayer is the prayer of blessing and adoration that’s when you
Praising God God I just want to thank you for being God all by yourself I just want to thank you for what you’re about to do I just thank you okay uh uh that’s for what for who he is okay for who he is that’s simply for who he is for for
Just being God all alone that’s the first type of prayer prayer of blessing and adoration and adoration somebody put that in there prayer of blessing and adoration amen now the second is the prayer of petition asking for what we need including when we need forgiveness forgiveness or asking God for
Forgiveness is a prayer of petition so petition an example would be you know God I I I need you to to to provide for me um I’m wored about the bank account I’m working hard I’m trying to make ends meat but God there’s no food on the
Table and I need you to provide that’s a prayer of petition asking God to do something God the doctor has said XYZ and I’m asking you that that not be the case I’m asking you to intervene I’m asking you father God to heal my body that’s a prayer petition okay that’s a
Prayer petition that’s praying for you for God to do something that you need including forgiveness so prayer a blessing and adoration uh adoration literally means to adore something to to to to to um to put on praise and uh worship and honor to someone is adoration when we lift up God
In church it ought to be an adoration God we adore you that’s why all of our songs have to be to and about God and His adoration so that’s prayer of a blessing and adoration one form and then uh a prayer of petition is another form when you’re asking God for something you
Need or to do something on your behalf the third form of prayer is a prayer of intercession asking for what others need and and listen I I I want you to put this in in Your Arsenal as well every now and then just pray for somebody else
Pray for somebody you just happen to over here in the grocery store and you could tell they were struggling to uh to to pay a bill now I pray that you would have so much faith that you pay the bill for them that you would just pull out
Your credit card and pay that $25 whatever it is be a blessing to their life don’t tell anybody don’t actually be pattering your back just take care of it but if you can’t then but but if you see them struggling or they they don’t quite have enough money to pay and they
Had to put something back pray right right there for them or if you were in the doctor’s office waiting for your physical or waiting for to see the doctor and you see other people that it’s obvious it’s obvious to you they’re dealing with something that they’re
Going through say a prayer for them in the see say God you know heal them right now in Jesus name God I don’t know them I don’t know what kind of light they live I don’t care if they’re saved or unsaved I don’t know if they know you or
They profess you I don’t know father God but I know they’re sick and I I know they’re struggling and I know they’re in pain and so God I’m praying right now I’m interceding on their behalf used to be when we would hear about someone in the church going through you know now we
Just kind of talk about that person sometimes or we may mention it but used to be we would call a prayer meeting and we would get on the phone and we would say listen pray for sister so and so pray for brothers so and so and and and
Pray that God does this or pray that God does this or whatever and that’s honestly what our prayer call is about it’s interceding it’s praying for somebody else and every single person on that call says Hey pray for me and my family but also pray for this family or
That family or pray for our youth or pray for this whole world or pray for our church and God you know and when that happens we uh we know that God answers prayer and so that’s something we ought to need be doing we ought to intercede for other folk so that’s a
Prayer of intercession When you pray for someone else and then there’s a prayer of Thanksgiving that’s when you’re thanking God for what he’s done and praying what he has given and so just like I’m saying that part of your prayers ought to be um God uh I’m praying for somebody else another part
Of your prayer should be God I’m not praying anything for me I’m just praying to say thank you you’ve been so good to me and I see on the news where this person is going through that and this person is dealing with their child being lost or this person is dealing with
Their home bring down and this person dealing with this and God you didn’t see fit to let any of those things be my story and I just thank you for it God I thank you for it tonight so I just want to just say thank you for what you’ve
Given me thank you for my husband my wife thank you for my children thank you for my job thank you for my paycheck thank you for my health and my strength and my eyesight and my abuse of my limbs thank you God for all these things that
You bless me with that I sometimes take for granted can you imagine the power of just giving God thanks of just saying father thank you for everything you’ve done in Jesus name so that’s that’s that’s the prayer of Thanksgiving so the prayer of blessing and adoration the
Prayer of petition right the prayer of um intercession praying for somebody else and then the prayer of Thanksgiving those are the four forms of prayer that commonly most often uh you going to see and you’re going to use amen now the probably the most familiar of course is
The prayer of petition we are often taught to ask God for the things we need but asking and praying for them are not necessarily the same we pray for our petitions we are asking God who loves us very much for something that we believe is good for ourselves and for others so
By using this form of prayer we are mindful of the needs of others as well as the needs of our own and then of course intercession and then the prayer of Thanksgiving so so that takes us to uh the last part of our study for tonight uh and that’s Matthew 6: 5-8 so
Turn with me if you will to Matthew chap 6: 5-8 Matthew 6: 5-8 now this is Jesus Christ again talking to the disciples and this is where he teaches them how to pray right and so he says to them something that is so foundational and I’ve said it a
Thousand times and let me say it a thousand and one in verse number five he says and when you pray in other words I expect you to pray I don’t want prayer to be something that you get around to I don’t want prayer to be something that you hope that you’ll
Get a chance to do or if I get time for it or if someone reminds me no prayer ought to be just like drinking eating and sleeping it ought to be something that you got to do just like you got to shower you got to you know get exercise
And you you may get around to getting exercise you may get around to eating right you may no prayer can’t be like that prayer has got to be something that you do sufficiently you will never know that his grace is sufficient if you don’t have prayer time are you with me
So you got to make sure prayer time is something you have it says and when thou prayest and so he’s saying to the disciples you know if you weren’t able to get this boy healed if you weren’t able to after walking with me and being a part of my Ministry to deliver this
Young man then it tells me that maybe your pray life is not where it ought to be you need to pray more he says and when you pray so uh every religion and I want you to hear this no matter what God they profess or who they think they pray
To all of them pray Buddhists pray uh Arabic or Muslim religion they pray five times a day to the East and make sure they put this in their PL there’s Ramadan and all these times when they specifically uh yam kapore and all these where they simply make sure that they
Spend quiet time with God and pray um and so this is important because you have to understand that when you pray he is expecting all of us to pray and he says when you pray in verse uh number five thou thou shall not be as Hypocrites don’t just pray just so
Somebody can say oo that Deacon knows how to pray oh my God you are strong prayer life no you that’s not what it’s about it’s not being patted on the back he says don’t pray um don’t be as the Hypocrites are for they love to pray standing in the synagogues that means
They only pray in the church or on the corners where folk can see them he says that they may be seen of men so prayer uh is not about man it’s about you and God it’s about your communication and your communion with God so verely I say
Unto you that they have their reward but thou When you pray even enter into the closet and when you shut the door when you have shut the door pray to the father now notice who he says pray to the father he said don’t depend on men don’t depend on pastors
Don’t depend on ministers he says you pray to the Father which is in secret and thy father which seeth in secret come on watch this shall reward you openly you don’t have to go tell anybody oh I pray for eight hours I pray for a
Day and a half I did this and I did this when they see you walking around healed when they see your marriage restored when they see you with your new job when they see you with money in the bank and when they see you and your kids healthy
And happy and not suicidal and worried and depressed all the time they will know that you have a prayer life you don’t have to tell anybody when Calamity hits and you are still so confident in your belief that God is going to fix it they will know about your prayer life
Doesn’t mean you we get it now doesn’t mean that you don’t get tired every now and then but trust me when I tell you they will know that you have a strong and sincere prayer life amen so he says pray and God will reward you openly did
You hear that he said I will reward you openly huh it says right here in the Bible right here uh in verse number uh uh six he says but thou when thou prayest he says it again but you when you you pray enter into thy closet and
When thou has shut thy door pray to the Father which is in secret and thy father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly but when you pray third time he says it in verse five and when thou prayest in verse 6 but you when you pray
Verse seven but when you pray use not vain repetitions so don’t just say something over and over again that you’ve heard don’t do little chants and all this stuff like this that you’ve seen people do just because you’ve seen them do it and don’t really know why
They’re doing it he doesn’t want your prayer life to be just something that you say just to be saying it he doesn’t want every time you pray for your food it shouldn’t be the same prayer every time you pray for and I’m guilty of that as well uh but he’s saying don’t don’t
Just make vain repetitions because what happens is you’re just going through the motions and as God you don’t want me going through the motions when it comes to you you want me to be specific when it comes to you you want me to have tailored customade blessings when it
Comes to you and so I don’t want you to just go through the motions he says no I want you to specifically talk to me speak to me right he says don’t don’t use vain repetitions as the heathens do for they think that they shall be heard for their much
Speaking be not ye therefore like unto them for your father knoweth what things you have need of before you ask him so it’s no point of going down a laundry list or Litany of all the different things you need and all the things you want read it again for your father
Knoweth what things you have Le of before you ask him okay he is not asking you to remind him that you need a blessing to remind him that it’s been eight days since your bill got paid that is already passed due I know it helps to
Say those things because you can say at least I said it but the truth of the matter is is that God knows where you are he knows what you have need of before you ask him before you open your mouth he knew what was going on before
You knew what was going on he knew what was going on and so he just want wants you to know and he wants you to show him that he is God all by himself that you place no God before him so uh you’re going to go and ask him and ask a
Neighbor and ask a friend and ask a coworker ask a no he said come to me and when you come to me I already know what you’re going to pray I already know what you’re going to ask me for I just want to see that you know whose you are and
That we have that kind of relationship where you’re dependent on me and nobody else did y’all hear that depend on him and nobody else it’s all about him it is all about him amen and I can’t wait for you to hear what we I’m preaching about this Sunday it’s a new something I’ve
Never preached on in my entire tenure U but I’m telling you I think it’s going to take your prayer life your fasting life it’s going to take your whole relationship with God to the next level so make sure you come Sunday morning and get into to experience that and if you
Can’t get there make sure you tune in but he says literally literally right here in the word of God that he knows what you need before you pray amen before you pray so then he says don’t you know don’t don’t be like them he saysi want you to be specific about what
You say he says I know what you have need of before you ask him now watch this then he goes into this thing where he tells them exactly how to pray he says after this manner therefore pray ye so now in verse number five he says and
When you pray in verse number six he says when you pray and verse number seven he says but when you pray right and verse number eight he says don’t be like them uh before you ask them he says after this manner this is how I want you
To pray so this is the fourth time literally he has said prayer is not an option prayer is something that you got to do and the more prayer you have there’s no such thing in your life as too much prayer boy I’m preaching this thing come on somebody put that in the
Comment section there’s no such thing as too much prayer you can’t pray too much okay what what what happens is you can pray the wrong stuff and when you just start going through vain repeti ition and saying the same thing over and over again thinking that that’s going to get
You heard now he said be specific pray to me let me know where you are make your request known to God okay but then he literally is saying then in verse number eight then but not ye therefore like unto them for your father knowth you have needs of but when you pray pray
Like this therefore pray in this manner and then he goes into what we often call The Lord’s Prayer but it’s actually God’s model of what a prayer should be he says 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 and forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors and lead us not watch this into temptation but Deliver Us come on are you with me but Deliver Us from Evil for thine is the kingdom thine is the
Glory come on thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever amen okay okay so that’s that’s what you have to understand as the God’s motto of a prayer Now understand something in verse 5 When you pray verse 6 When you pray verse seven When you
Pray verse eight pray in this manner so he has made it clear that prayer is something that we have to do if we want to communicate effectively if we want God to be a part of our life if we want to make sure that we have the life that
God intended for us to have amen amen so listen that’s it for tonight so let me tell you where I I I I just want to get this in your spirit you need to be in the place on Sunday God is going to move God has given me an awesome word for you
And I thank God for uh for that word already in advance for the lives that are going to be changed um but I need you to be there so listen um if you’re there tonight watching this and you don’t have a relationship uh with Jesus Christ I want to offer you the
Opportunity to fix that it’s very simple all you have to say simple but serious repeat after to me Father forgive me of my sins I believe in Christ Jesus and I believe you raised him from the dead just for me if you said that congratulations you are saved and please
Put in the comment section or get in contact with us at church to let us know you gave your life to Christ then finally if you don’t have a church home we would love to serve as your covering at Apex First Baptist Church either virtually or in person membership it
Doesn’t matter to us as long as you’re a part of the body and as part of our family and we thank God for all of you that have joined we thank God for the many people that continue to join and watch us virtually all over the country
That we hear about all the time and it just blesses us immensely we thank God for you may God bless you may God continue to smile upon you and may he keep you in his perfect will enjoy the fast and I said it just like I said it
Enjoy the fast enjoy the sacrifice enjoy the time of getting to know God better you only have a certain amount of days left you’re going to be okay you’re going to make it through what is it I guess 22 days left uh so we’re already the third the way through this thing
Well almost fourth of way through this thing so let’s get through it we got this together I’m excited about it it’s been a great it’s been a great experience so far amen I love you be blessed have a wonderful evening I love you
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