Latest / Fostering Faith / Praying Bold Prayers for a New Year: How to Pray with Confidence

Transcript

Praying Bold Prayers for a New Year: How to Pray with Confidence · Fostering Faith

• 0:01
  Welcome back to Fostering Faith. We are here
• 0:04
  today. It is snowing outside and so we are recording
• 0:06
  as Gia and Derek are watching TV. And so I was
• 0:10
  like, let's make this time useful. And so we
• 0:12
  are recording today, looking at the beautiful
• 0:15
  snow on the ground. Welcome back to Fostering
• 0:17
  Faith. If you are a returning listener, thank
• 0:19
  you so much for coming back home this week. And
• 0:20
  if you are new to Fostering Faith, we welcome
• 0:22
  you. This is a podcast where we don't have it
• 0:24
  all figured out, but we are walking and fostering
• 0:26
  our faith together. And so we are deep into the
• 0:29
  January series. and today we are gonna be stepping
• 0:31
  into something that has a power to shape your
• 0:34
  entire year. I'm talking about praying bold prayers,
• 0:39
  not safe prayers, not predictable prayers, not
• 0:43
  halfway half -hearted, hope this works prayers,
• 0:46
  but bold prayers. And if one thing I want to
• 0:50
  take from you today, there is a book by Greg
• 0:55
  Rochelle that... Literally, I just got up out
• 0:59
  of my desk to look at my, and it's like the five
• 1:01
  most dangerous prayers in my women's ministry
• 1:05
  group. We read that together and it was such
• 1:08
  a good book, a very challenging book. Those prayers
• 1:11
  are definitely something that you would want
• 1:15
  to go read. And so. If you've not read it, take
• 1:20
  time, read the five most dangerous prayers as
• 1:23
  well as these two. And so if there's one thing
• 1:26
  that I want you to take away from today is this.
• 1:28
  Your prayer life sets the ceiling for your spiritual
• 1:31
  life. If your prayers are small, your faith is
• 1:33
  gonna be small. If your prayers are timid, your
• 1:37
  expectations stay timid. But whenever you and
• 1:41
  your prayers turn bold, your faith gets bold.
• 1:44
  Your perspective gets bold. Your obedience gets
• 1:47
  bold. Your life becomes aligned with a God who
• 1:51
  is far bigger than anything that you can imagine.
• 1:55
  In Ephesians 3 .20, Paul says that God is able
• 1:58
  to do immensely and measurably more than we can
• 2:04
  ask or imagine. And I want you to think about
• 2:06
  that. All that we ask, all we imagine, God is
• 2:10
  saying, you are not asking big enough. You are
• 2:15
  not imagining big enough. You are not praying
• 2:18
  in the way that matches my power. And this year,
• 2:23
  I want your prayer, praying prayers to stretch
• 2:26
  your faith. Prayers that make you nervous. Prayers
• 2:30
  that require God to show up. Because saved prayers
• 2:33
  do not move mountains. Saved prayers do not change
• 2:36
  families. Saved prayers do not shift atmospheres.
• 2:40
  Saved prayers do not heal hearts and break chains.
• 2:44
  But bold ones do And so let me tell you something
• 2:48
  real bold prayers do not come from arrogance
• 2:51
  But they come from competence in who God is You're
• 2:55
  not praying boldly because you are big you were
• 2:59
  praying boldly because he is Hebrews 4 16 says
• 3:04
  that we can approach the throne of grace with
• 3:07
  competence why because Jesus made a way because
• 3:13
  he because we are His, because He invites us
• 3:17
  to come boldly. Prayer is not about twisting
• 3:20
  God's arm. Prayer is agreeing with His will and
• 3:24
  His character. Prayer is saying, God, I believe
• 3:27
  you are who you say you are, and I'm going to
• 3:31
  pray like it. I want to give you three things
• 3:34
  today to help you pray bolder prayers this year.
• 3:40
  Number one. Bold prayers come from knowing God's
• 3:43
  character. If you do not know who God is, you're
• 3:51
  always going to pray small. But if you see Him
• 3:53
  clearly, everything changes. Whenever you see
• 3:57
  Him as a provider, you pray differently about
• 3:59
  your needs. Whenever you see Him as a healer,
• 4:02
  you pray differently about sickness. Whenever
• 4:04
  you see Him as a way maker, you pray differently
• 4:07
  before your future. Whenever you see Him as faithful,
• 4:11
  you pray differently about the things that scare
• 4:14
  you. And Jeremiah 32, 17 says, nothing is too
• 4:18
  hard for the Lord. If that is true, then why
• 4:22
  are our prayers so timid? Why do you pray like
• 4:26
  we're bothering God instead of partnering with
• 4:28
  Him? And so there are some religions that just
• 4:31
  say you have to go to all the people and you
• 4:34
  don't go to Him. Like, why would I? My husband
• 4:35
  had this conversation like years ago, like I
• 4:39
  pray over everything. Anything that's important
• 4:41
  to me, anything that I want, I go to him for
• 4:42
  it because that's the guy who has the answers.
• 4:44
  He's the one that has the keys. And my husband's
• 4:46
  completely different approach was I'm not going
• 4:48
  to bother him with that. I'm like, you have lost
• 4:50
  your mind. How would you feel like if Gia just
• 4:52
  wanted like a cup whenever she was little, but
• 4:55
  she couldn't reach it, but she didn't want to
• 4:56
  ask you because she didn't want to bother you.
• 4:57
  So she climbed up all the way up on the cabinet.
• 4:59
  She put her little feet on the drawers and then
• 5:02
  climbed up on the thing and then tried to get
• 5:04
  the cup and opened the cupboard and then fell
• 5:05
  off and hurt herself. because she didn't ask
• 5:09
  for her father to help her, who could have just
• 5:12
  easily walked in there and got what she wanted
• 5:15
  because it was good for her. Now, let's set this
• 5:18
  off real easy. Just because you pray for it does
• 5:20
  not mean that you're going to get it. He is a
• 5:22
  good father. He's only going to give you what
• 5:24
  you want. He's only going to give you what you're
• 5:25
  mature for. He's only going to give you what
• 5:28
  is in your best value. So if you're praying to
• 5:30
  hit the lottery and win $42 million and he knows
• 5:32
  that you're going to waste it and it's going
• 5:33
  to ruin your life, you're not going to get it.
• 5:36
  If it's not part of His plan. And if your objectives
• 5:41
  to your life is going to harm you, He's not a
• 5:44
  genie. He's not going to give you everything
• 5:46
  that you ask for. But as you spend time with
• 5:48
  Him, as you are with Him, your wants and your
• 5:52
  desires change. And so we're not bothering God
• 5:57
  for anything. He is our Father. He is Abba. He
• 6:00
  is and has made us for Him. So you calling to
• 6:05
  Him over Healing of your mother -in -law or your
• 6:08
  father your brother whatever it have you be or
• 6:11
  a parking spot at Walmart and good sale because
• 6:14
  I don't want to waste money Nothing. Nothing
• 6:16
  is too small. Nothing is too big for the God
• 6:19
  that has made the universe who has created the
• 6:21
  stars hung the moon There's literally nothing
• 6:23
  that you cannot go to your father with And so
• 6:26
  whatever, you know his character bold prayers
• 6:30
  become natural number two Bold prayers align
• 6:35
  with Scripture. God does not answer prayers that
• 6:40
  contradict His Word, but He absolutely answers
• 6:43
  prayers that agree with it. Praying bold prayers
• 6:46
  is not about praying for random things. It is
• 6:48
  about praying that promises of God back to Him.
• 6:52
  God, you said. God, your Word declares. God,
• 6:56
  you promised. When Joshua prayed bold prayers,
• 7:00
  the sun stood still. When Elijah prayed bold
• 7:04
  prayers, fire fell from the heavens. And when
• 7:08
  Hannah prayed bold prayers, God opened her womb.
• 7:12
  When the early church prayed bold prayers, jail
• 7:16
  cells broke open. Bold prayers are biblical prayers.
• 7:22
  So what have you been praying for this week?
• 7:23
  What have you been praying for this month? As
• 7:25
  we've been hopefully in scripture more and we're
• 7:28
  looking and seeing how people are praying and
• 7:30
  talking to God. Is that how you're changing,
• 7:32
  how you're talking to God? Are you talking to
• 7:34
  God the way that the Psalms are saying, the way
• 7:36
  that Proverbs are saying? Are you writing and
• 7:38
  memorizing scripture? Are you looking at the
• 7:42
  God that served Joshua, Aaron, Hannah, Elisha,
• 7:47
  all these people that are in the forefront of
• 7:51
  the Bible and even in the back half, Peter, Paul,
• 7:54
  John, are you looking at how they talk to God?
• 7:59
  Bold prayers are biblical. Number three. Bold
• 8:03
  prayers require bold obedience. You cannot pray
• 8:08
  for God to move if you're not willing to move
• 8:11
  with Him. Oh God, I want this. And then He tells
• 8:15
  you to do something. Oh no, I'm not willing to
• 8:16
  do that. No, I just want you to give it to me.
• 8:19
  Sometimes we want God to do something big in
• 8:21
  our lives, but we're unwilling to take that first
• 8:23
  step. God, I want to be debt -free. Okay, then
• 8:26
  quit wasting your money. I'm not willing to do
• 8:28
  that. Oh god. I want someone's I want this girl.
• 8:31
  I want this boy You need to have a relationship
• 8:33
  with me first. I Don't have time for that And
• 8:38
  so we want miracles without obedience We and
• 8:42
  so not even just miracles just things in general
• 8:45
  what we look at these people on Instagram in
• 8:48
  YouTube and like all the stuff and we we look
• 8:50
  at people's lives and we're just like oh my gosh
• 8:52
  I want their life and it's not fair and blah
• 8:54
  blah blah. We have that comparison trap and that's
• 8:56
  a whole show on that end. But even in the same
• 8:59
  instance, like we want people's physiques, we
• 9:02
  want their minds, we want their followings. But
• 9:04
  are we willing to sacrifice and do what they
• 9:06
  did to get where they're at? 90 % of the time
• 9:09
  is no. A year ago or so, she was like, oh, my
• 9:12
  gosh, I want arms like you, I want abs like you.
• 9:15
  And I'm like, OK, let's go down to the gym. Let's
• 9:17
  cut out the junk food in your diet. Let's go
• 9:18
  do that. And she was like, no. So we can want
• 9:22
  all the things, but are we willing to put the
• 9:23
  hard work in? And if you're not, then don't ask
• 9:26
  for it. And then as you walk with God, as you
• 9:29
  sit with God, it's, I want you to give me what
• 9:31
  I'm mature enough for. I want you to give me
• 9:33
  what I am ready for. I want you to consistently
• 9:37
  move me into the next area that you have trained
• 9:40
  me for, that you have given me and put me through
• 9:42
  that fire and put me through that. You've gotten
• 9:44
  the dross off of me, the impurities out of that
• 9:46
  area. And I'm slow to learn. And so he has to
• 9:49
  put me through the furnace. Several times in
• 9:51
  one area because I just I'm just slow and I'm
• 9:54
  trying to get better. I'm getting better. I'm
• 9:55
  getting better. But am I perfect? No, am I far
• 9:57
  from it? Absolutely. But in that same instance,
• 10:00
  we want the miracles, we want the blessings,
• 10:02
  but we have to have the obedience to match it.
• 10:05
  We want breakthrough without surrender. We want
• 10:07
  victory without discipline. It's not going to
• 10:10
  happen. Bold prayers always lead to bold obedience.
• 10:16
  You're praying for healing. then obey how you
• 10:19
  should steward your body. Praying for wisdom,
• 10:22
  then steward how you obey reading your word.
• 10:25
  You're praying for financial breakthrough, then
• 10:27
  obey in generosity. You're praying for clarity,
• 10:31
  then obey in silence and listening. You're praying
• 10:34
  for purpose, then obey in the small, everyday
• 10:37
  choices that honor God. Every bold prayer has
• 10:41
  a bold step attached to it, and it honors God.
• 10:46
  Now, let me talk to the person who's saying,
• 10:48
  Tracy, I want to pray boldfires, but I feel unworthy.
• 10:52
  I feel too messed up. I feel too inconsistent.
• 10:55
  I feel broken. Listen to me. God does not respond
• 11:01
  to perfect people. God responds to surrendered
• 11:05
  people. You do not have to be perfect. You do
• 11:10
  not have to have a perfect track record. You
• 11:12
  need a believing heart. You need enough courage
• 11:16
  to say, God, I want you in this. God, I trust
• 11:20
  you with this. God, I cannot do this on my own.
• 11:26
  God cannot work with a heart. God can work with
• 11:29
  a heart like that. He cannot work with a heart
• 11:31
  that says, I can do this without you. Why should
• 11:35
  I trust you? He can't work with a hearted heart.
• 11:42
  So here's your bold prayer challenge this week.
• 11:45
  I want you to write down one prayer that feels
• 11:48
  so big, so big for you and one prayer that scares
• 11:55
  you a little and one prayer that requires faith
• 11:59
  beyond your comfort zone. And so a prayer that
• 12:05
  feels too big for you, one prayer that scares
• 12:08
  you a little and one prayer that requires faith
• 12:11
  beyond your comfort zone. Maybe it is salvation
• 12:17
  for someone in your family. Maybe it is healing
• 12:20
  in your body. Maybe it is freedom from anxiety.
• 12:24
  Maybe it's restoration in your marriage. Maybe
• 12:27
  it's clarity for your calling. What college that
• 12:29
  you're supposed to go to, what boyfriend you're
• 12:31
  supposed to date, who you're supposed to marry.
• 12:34
  Maybe it is provision for something impossible.
• 12:39
  Maybe it's for any business. Maybe it's for a
• 12:42
  breakthrough that you have been God for but stopped
• 12:45
  believing that he could do it. Write down that
• 12:48
  big one and pray it every day this week. Pray
• 12:53
  it whenever you feel faith. Pray it whenever
• 12:58
  you do not. Pray it until your heart catches
• 13:02
  up. Pray it with confidence. Pray it with expectation.
• 13:07
  Pray it with perspective that God is not limited
• 13:10
  by the limits of you. Because God does not need
• 13:15
  perfection, perfect conditions to move. He just
• 13:18
  needs a willing heart. And so we would love to
• 13:22
  pray for you this week. Dear family father, thank
• 13:24
  you so much for today. Thank you so much for
• 13:26
  these listeners. Thank you so much for the boldness
• 13:28
  that are in their heart. Thank you that this
• 13:29
  message has served them. Thank you that you are
• 13:32
  allowing us to build... Bold prayers because
• 13:35
  we know your character. Thank you that we have
• 13:37
  bold prayers because it aligns with scriptures
• 13:39
  because we are in the word more. Thank you for
• 13:42
  bold prayers because we are going to be obedient.
• 13:44
  Thank you that you are teaching us about obedience.
• 13:46
  Thank you that we are unbiding in you. Thank
• 13:48
  you for all that you have done for us. We pray
• 13:51
  all this and you say amen and amen. And so let
• 13:56
  me close with this. Bold prayers do not guarantee
• 13:58
  easy outcomes. Bold prayers do not guarantee
• 14:02
  deep into seeing me with God. They do pull you
• 14:05
  closer. They anchor you. They stretch your faith.
• 14:09
  They align your heart with heaven. And I believe
• 14:12
  this with everything in me this year. You are
• 14:16
  going to see God answer prayers you have carried
• 14:18
  for a long time. Prayers that you thought were
• 14:21
  forgotten. Prayers you thought were too late.
• 14:25
  Prayers you thought were dead. Get ready to pray
• 14:29
  boldly because God is going to move boldly. Thank
• 14:34
  you for being here this week and we're gonna
• 14:37
  finish up next week in January strong in our
• 14:40
  episode 4 the faith to go where God sins We hope
• 14:45
  to see you then have a great week. We love you
• 14:47
  guys. Bye