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Battle Plan for Prayer

Praise Thursday on the Road!

On the Road with Big Blue once again today for the afternoon Drive!
Today was the sale of champions at the Knox County Fair and we purchased four hogs to give away on Saturday! If you would like to register to win, you can come visit us at the fair, or you can register online at WNZR.fm!
One registration per person, per day, and we will be drawing this on Saturday, the 29th, at 6:00pm. If we draw your name, you have 9 minutes and 9 seconds to either come to the WNZR tent at the fair, or call us at 740-392-9090.

Our For King and Country trivia question today was as follows…
Zach Williams debut song broke records, holding the number 1 spot for radio at 15 weeks, surpassing the previous record by 3 weeks. The song also received a Grammy Nomination, Billboard Music Award Nomination and a nomination at th K-Love fan Awards. What was his debut song?
the answer? Chain Breaker.
Congratulations to Jennifer from Mt. Vernon! She wins the tickets!

For Praise Thursday today, we talked about the Cross of Christ.
The beginning of the chapter comes out swinging. Incredibly convicting. They say that people don’t have evidence of a real prayer life because they don’t have a relationship with God to begin with. Check out this convicting passage from Matthew…

“21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ 23 Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’”
If you think you’re going to heaven just because you walk an aisle or prayed a prayer, you should be concerned. You need to stop and take a step back and reevaluate your life and make sure that you truly have God in it.

So, the cross of Christ is telling us to have a relationship with The One who saved us. We’re not the ones who save ourselves, but it is God alone. We need to have a relationship with Him before we can expect an exceptional prayer life.

Thanks for listening!
Hope to see you at the fair!
-Lilly 

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The Keys of Prayer

 

Last week we talked about 10 ‘locks’ that hinder and muddy our prayer life. This week, we’re talking about 10 ‘keys’ to ‘unlock’ and enhance your prayer life.

  1. Praying persistently by asking, seeking and knocking (Matthew 7:7-8).  We have to make time to pray.  We shouldn’t hold back in our asking and we should be doing it every day.  Remember, He will answer when the time is right!
  2. Praying in faith.  We should pray with confidence; Jesus praised those who asked in faith. (Mark 11:24) “ 24 Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.”  Prayer is not a magic genie lamp – it’s based on our loving relationship with God, so we can more clearly come to know what He’s wanting to give us.  Where He’s wanting to take us.  We can believe and know that it’s coming to pass in His time.

  3. Praying in secret (Matthew 6:6). “But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.”
    Galatians 6:7-8 reminds us not to pray for show; that is sowing to the flesh.  We need to seek Him with grounded humility.

  4. Praying according to God’s will.  We think of this as hidden and mysterious, but the Bible reminds us in Romans 12:1-2: “Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. 2 Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.”
    Prayer can show us where God is willing to go and where he’s not ready to go. In John 5:14-15 “14 This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. 15 And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him.” When we genuinely desire the knowledge of His will and are committed to following it, He will inspire us with a new level of assurance in prayer.

  5. Praying in Jesus’ name.  It’s not just a “sincerely yours” at the end of prayer, it’s reflective of an unselfish, God-honoring heartbeat within ourselves.  It’s a statement of of worship and admitted need. John 13:13-14 says “13 And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.”
    Praying in HIS name is to pray as HE WOULD.  We don’t approach God based on us, our authority or what we’ve done; it’s on what He’s done!

  6. Praying in agreement with other believers.  Matthew 18:19-20 19 “Again, truly I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything they ask for, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven.20 For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.”  Praying with other believers really zooms your prayer experiences off the charts! When we pray in a group with one heart and one mind. It pleases God.  He loves and honors the synergy with others when we pray.

  7. Praying while fasting.  This can mean going without food or other things, which allows us to focus.  Acts 14:23 reminds us of the fasting pattern of Paul and Barnabas.  It helps open our spirit to God instead of just feeding the flesh – seeking Him above all your other appetites.

  8. Praying from an obedient life. I John 3:21-22 “21 Dear friends, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God 22 and receive from him anything we ask, because we keep his commands and do what pleases him.”
    The intimacy you desire with God travels through the connective bond of your obedience to Him.  When we pray with an obedient heart, we can make requests without shame, working with Him and not working against Him.

  9. Praying while ABIDING in Christ and His word. This means staying close in fellowship with someone.  It involves spending time in God’s word, allowing it to fill our hearts and guide our thinking.  It also means staying clean before God, not allowing sin to build up or go unconfessed.  John 15:7 –“If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish and it will be done for you.”

  10. Praying while delighting in the Lord.  When He is our greatest delight and first love above all else…then we’re in a position to have God bless us with our heart’s desires.  It’s only when we receive His salvation that we can truly begin to love Him. John 14:15 – “if you love me, keep my commands.”
    Psalm 37:4 – “take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.” He takes delight in us when we do the same.

    Here’s the prayer from the end of the chapter!
    Lord, you are a good and loving God, You didn’t need to allow us to know you and pray to you, but you did.  I thank you that through Jesus, we can boldly approach your throne of grace in our time of need. Make me a strong and effective prayer warrior.  Help me walk closely with you, to pray in faith, in Jesus’ name and in agreement with other believers.  May I delight in you above all else. Give us grace and faith to trust you for great things. Prompt us with great requests so we can lift them back up to you and watch you answer them for our delight and for your glory. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

    Our word of the day today was an early hat tip to the Knox County Fair!
    Ovine
    pertaining to, of the nature of, or like sheep.

    Ovine comes straightforwardly from the Late Latin adjective ovīnus“pertaining to a sheep.” The Latin noun ovis “sheep” is identical with theProto-Indo-European noun owis “sheep,” the source of Greek óïs (dialectal ówis), Lithuanian avìs, Sanskrit ávi-, Germanic awiz, which becomes ēowu inOld English and ewe in modern English. Ovine entered English in the 17th century.

    Thanks for listening!
    -Lilly

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The Locks of Prayer

God has given us rules to help our prayer life and battle plan be successful.

Stephen and Alex have categorized these biblical principles into the locks and keys of prayer.  The locks are things that can bring down or muddy our prayer life.  The keys give prayer a boost beyond any earthly limits.

There are ten locks:
1. Praying without knowing God through Jesus (John 14:6)
Like people who don’t share much common ground in a relationship have a hard time keeping conversations going, those who haven’t believed in God for the forgiveness of their sins cannot expect God to feel obligated to respond.

2. Praying from an unrepentant heart (Psalms 103:14)
God looks at our hearts and He knows when we are broken by our sin. Being broken by our sin isn’t the problem. The real trouble comes when our hearts aren’t broken by sin at all, and when we’re cold and indifferent toward His word and our transgressions.

3. Praying for show (Matthew 6:5)
“When you pray, you are not to be like the hypocrites.” Public prayers that have not been seasoned by private prayers are hardly worth the hot air it takes to speak them. Don’t forget that when you’re leading others in prayer, you’re still praying to the audience of One.

4. Praying repetitive, empty words. (Matthew 6:7-8)
Prayer can be off the cuff, it can be written out and read word for word, it can be so deep and heartfelt that out only comes out as single syllables. The thing that makes prayer a string of wasted words is when we talk and talk but we’re not listening to anything we’re saying.

5. Prayers not prayed (James 4:2)
The most ineffective prayers are the ones we never even take the time to pray. How many times do we just ‘motor’ past God, not even braking for direction or advice? We’re too busy or in too much of a hurry to seek His counsel. We mean to pray; we thought about praying; we just never got to work it in to our schedule.

6. Praying with a lustful heart (James 4:3)
If lust, greed, bitterness or pride are our motives to request something, then God will not be pleased to respond. Like a wise parent with a pushy child, God knows what to give us for our good, and what not to give us for our good as well. If we love Him most, He takes delight in giving us good things.

7. Praying while mistreating your spouse (1 Peter 3:7)
When we’re not treating our spouses with respect, God makes a special mention of that as an inhibitor to prayer. How can we expect to be at unity with God while sowing disunity throughout our homes? Being ugly to our spouses is a backbreaker in prayer.

8. Praying while ignoring the poor (Prov 21:13)
When you show compassion to those in need, God shows favor on your request. But the opposite is true as well. If you snub the poor and destitute like they’re less than human, an eyesore, or invisible, expect to feel a blockage in your prayer.

9- Praying with bitterness in your heart toward someone (Mark 11:25-26)
It’s sinful to receive God’s forgiveness then consider ourselves exempt from ‘forgiving if we have anything against someone.’ Bitterness is a toxin that’s not only harmful to us spirtually, mentally, and physically, but it also poisons the effectiveness of prayer and the full experience of our relationship with God.

10- Praying with a faithless heart (Hebrews 11:6)
Whenever we don’t trust someone’s ability to do something a breach clouds that relationship. We should ask in faith without doubting because anyone who doubts is driven and tossed by the wind. Lukewarm belief is the weakest form of prayer, and doubt locks us out of our prayer closet.

Here’s the prayer from the end of the chapter…
“Lord , reveal to me anything that is hindering my prayer life, and help me get rid of it quickly. IF there is any arrogance in me, pretense, manipulation, bitterness, ruthlessness, or a lack of faith in You, Forgive and cleanse me Lord. Lord I forgive those who have wronged me as you have forgiven me, I thank You for your kindness and patience, I am tired of being the one who is blocking myself from being as close to You as possible, and receiving what You desire to give me. Unhinge me, I pray, from any locks of prayer. Open me up so You can work, without hindrance, through me.
In Jesus’ name, amen.

Thanks for listening!
-Lilly

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Postures of Prayer

 

Can our posture intensify our praying?
Can we study the word to see how our postures can help us?
There are 7 different postures we can look at…

1. Bowing: this is a physical expression of honor and allegiance; the act of bowing is associated with worship.  Just the bowing of our heads alone communicates that we are addressing the One to whom we’ve pledged our loyalty.

Bowing also sometimes is called dropping to our knees: Solomon’s prayer in 2 Chronicles 6:13 is given as he knelt down in front of the entire congregation of Israel.  Daniel kept kneeling three times a day despite the risk.  Philippians 2:10 reminds us that one day, every knee will bow before Christ.

2. Lying prostrate
This could be like Ezra in Nehemiah 8:6 with your face to the ground (prostrate meaning still or not moving while lying down).

Jesus does this in Matthew 26 in the garden before his arrest.  Also in Revelation 1:17, John fell at his feet like a dead man when he saw Christ resurrected!

Just like prayer drives us lower to the ground in surrender, it can lift us up from our earthly existence.

3. Lifted hands
I Timothy 2:8 “I want the men in every place to pray, lifting up holy hands without wrath and dissension.”

You can fall to your knees but also lift your hands.

4. Lifted eyes: this helps us set our sights on heaven

Jesus does this in John 11:41 and Luke 9:16.

5. Silence: Psalm 46:10 “Be still and know that He is God.” When we are awed and amazed, we are often in silence.  Psalm 62:1 about our souls waiting in silence for Him, since He is our salvation.

God can hear our silent prayers.  Share story of Hannah from 1 Samuel 1:13.

6. Lifted voices: this is the opposite of silence, from Psalm 141 and Psalm 77.

7. Crying out: Psalm 55:17; this carries the idea of something intense and loud or even shrieking in pain.  This is something intense and loud, heavy and heartfelt.

John tells us in Revelation twenty times that the words being spoken in heaven are identified as a loud voice.

There’s a difference between the prayers we do when we’re on our back fighting sleep and the ones we do where we take a specific posture.  Posture is not mandatory or specifically prescribed, but can be deliberate.

Lord, take all of me – my hands, my eyes, my feet, my voice. Use all of these gifts you’ve given me so they return to you as clear expressions of my worship, love, devotion and submission.  I so easily lose sight of you going through the motions of religion.  Lord, turn even my posture of prayer into a means of steadying my wandering mind and opening my ears to YOUR voice.

Thanks for listening!
-Lilly

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Scheduled & spontaneous prayer

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Today we continue our summer series on prayer, inspired by the book The Battle Plan for Prayer, from Alex and Stephen Kendrick.

Our thoughts today focus on both scheduled and spontaneous prayer.

SCHEDULED? There are times in life when we may be motivated to pray – but prayer should also be part of a daily schedule.

1 Thessalonians 5:17 reminds to “pray without ceasing.” That means never being far from the attitude of talking and listening to God.  Our goal is to make prayer a natural part of our thinking.  We pray in the quiet moments and in the chaos.

Prayer is an ongoing opportunity. It’s a critical part of the life of a believer.  A priority and a passion.

David made prayer a habit even as he was king (Psalm 55:17).  Daniel prayed to God three times a day, even when he knew it could cost him his life.  Jesus modeled the habit of prayer in Mark 1 and Luke 5.

We can do this.  We can schedule this.  Individual prayer, family prayer, small group prayer over coffee, etc.  When we want something bad enough, we will make time in our schedule to do it.  Jesus offers us eternal treasures from his Word. So let’s stop making excuses for not scheduling prayer!

Plan to spend time to be with the Lord and watch what He does with it in your life!

SPONTANEOUS? Sometimes unplanned events give us the chance to respond to life with prayer…at a moment’s notice.  This is how we engage with whatever comes at us.  We learn to use spontaneous prayers.

Psalm 32:6 says, “Let everyone who is Godly pray to You in a time when You may be found.”

What are those times? An unexpected blessing. A crisis for you or someone you know or care about. When you need wisdom and clarity in a financial situation.  When you need courage to share your faith.  Prayer can be an immediate reflex rather than a last resort.

What can prompt us to pray? Here some things we experience on a regular basis:

  • Newness – when we begin something new (project, relationship, year)
  • Needs – physical, emotional or spiritual needs; He is Jehovah Jirah, the God who provides. Matthew 6: 8-11 reminds us that He knows what we need even before we ask Him
  • Blessings – as God provides, protects, guides and forgives, thank Him!
  • Burdens – take these to the Lord and stop trying to solve them all on your own; this means not just your burdens, but those of your friends and family (Galatians 6:2)
  • Crisis – these are the life-changing events where we turn to Him; Psalm 50:15 says, “Call upon Me in the day of trouble…I shall rescue you.”
  • Worries – we can turn worry into prayer. Philippians 4:6-7 and I Peter 5:7
  • Sin – anything related to sin should lead us to pray. Jesus instructed his disciples to pray when tempted.  We have to humble ourselves and confess our sin.  I John 1:19 reminds us that we can trust that He will forgive and cleanse us!

Our circumstances should launch our prayers.  We can pray for anything and everything!

With all of this in mind, our Word of the Day is spontaneous (spon-TAIN-ee-us), an adjective meaning something that arises from a momentary impulse.

Thanks for listening!
-Joe

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God’s Answers to Prayer

Good afternoon! I hope you’re having a great day! Today on the show I talked about the 5 different answers that God has to your prayers.
We first must establish that ‘no’ is an answer to prayer, and there are two answers to prayer that God gives us that actually involve the answer of ‘no’.

1. “Yes. Immediately”.
Sometimes what we pray is exactly in line with God’s will, as well as his timing, and His answer will arrive on the spot. We also need to realize that God is answering our prayers before we even pray the prayer. He says that ‘before they call, I answer.” God is simply not bound by time. He may start answering prayers ten years before you pray it/ He is, now, preparing things for you through the prayers you have yet to pray.

2. “Yes, in due time.”
We need to understand that a delay is not a denial. This answer is basically a “yes, but you’re not ready for it yet.” God is working behind the scenes in your life, waiting for a more perfect moment to unveil His amazing ‘yes’. If it is a “yes, but not now’ answer, what He is giving us is the faith and patience to wait for the right time to arrive.

3. “Yes, so you’ll learn from it.”
Sometimes God gives us what we want because He knows that it will teach us a lesson. We’re much better off trusting God to give us what we need, when we need it, and when we’re ready for it. There are moments when, if God gave us what we asked for, we would one day regret it, and we would thank Him for saying ‘no’. We need to pray freely using the Luke method (or the Hillary Scott method) by saying ‘not my will be done, but yours’, which is sometimes the hardest thing to pray in tough situations.

Now we enter into the realm of the tough answers. No.
This #4 is a toughy to hear…

4. “No, because your heart isn’t right”
Sometimes a no isn’t a ‘wait’, sometimes it’s us asking and not receiving because we are asking with the wrong motives, so that we may spend it on our pleasures. This is insanely hard to hear, but it is very good to have our hearts aligned with God, and having our requests, again, focused not on our will, but His. God isn’t saying no forever, but He realizes that we are not in a position to appreciate the gift or to handle it well. Besides, if it’s not God’s will, do we really want it anyway?

5. “No. I’ve got a better plan.”
Obviously, God knows what is best for his children, and we know that He has a plan for us, it tells us that in Jeremiah 29:11. Sometimes we ask too small, confined by our own limits and knowledge, not thinking outside of what we’ve seen and experienced.
We pray for a handful when God wants to give us a houseful.
WE ARE ALLOWED TO PRAY BIG PRAYERS! Never be afraid to pray boldly and for big things. When we ask for big things, we need to realize that God may just choose to amaze us even further. That’s why praying ‘Lord, will you do immeasurably more than I could ever ask or imagine in this situation?” because we know that He is a powerful God that can do just that, which it tells us in Ephesians 3. One of my favorite verses.

Here’s the prayer for today…

“Father, my default has been to think You probably weren’t listening, and even if you were, You’d probably say no. I bow before you today – more convinced than ever that I am in wise, loving, caring, powerful hands. Convinced that I can trust you. Convinced that every ‘no’ is some way to an even better ‘yes’. You said You withhold no good thing from those who love You. Thank You for letting me ask, and thank you for letting me know that Your desire is truly for my ultimate good. May I trust You even more and pray with even greater faith knowing You want to be glorified through my answered prayers.
In Jesus’ name, amen.”

Thanks as always for listening! Pray boldly.
– Lilly

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