Latest / The OneCry Podcast / #236 MADE TO PRAY (Part 3 - Partnership)

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#236 MADE TO PRAY (Part 3 - Partnership) · The OneCry Podcast

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  What I would want us to hear is, God longs for us to believe that in prayer there's
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  partnership.
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  There's partnership.
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  That God is inviting us in this approach to partner with Him in the invasion of His Kingdom
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  right here on earth.
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  Welcome to the OneCry Podcast, a nationwide call for spiritual awakening.
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  The goal, accelerating the movement of God through sharing revival truth, stories, and
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  reports.
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  Welcome to the OneCry Podcast once again.
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  Kyle, here we are.
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  I mean, we just keep showing up, you know, week after week.
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  People think they can get rid of us, but we're coming back.
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  We love to do what we're doing and we're honored that anybody would join us and that you have
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  joined us.
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  Boy, we're in the middle of something really exciting.
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  We started a series, Kyle, about two weeks ago.
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  If you missed the first two, go back and catch up on the Lord's Prayer as a foundation,
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  a model prayer, but teaching us the truth that we were made to pray.
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  We were made to pray.
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  And today you're going to take us into something that's really exciting about our partnership
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  with God and His great purposes.
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  That's right.
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  Man, yeah, this is the one I've been anticipating.
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  And I say that to caution us.
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  Don't skip the first two parts of approaching God in prayer.
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  Because the Lord Jesus knows better than we do.
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  And so, just encouragement, like you said, man, go back, spend time with us.
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  I love what you said last week, Bill.
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  I don't know if it was between even podcasts when we were talking about it.
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  That, man, just the more time you spend with the Lord's Prayer here, that there's just
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  more to learn.
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  And that'll be true until one day we stand in His forever presence.
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  So we talked about in these first two weeks, just to sort of set the stage and remind us
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  one, that you really were made to pray.
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  Because you were made for a relationship with God.
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  Like the greatest longing of the human heart is Him.
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  And what we lost in the garden was that communion and the walking with God and the cool of the day.
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  And that's why we had to be driven out because of our sin, all those things.
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  And the beauty of the gospel is that Jesus came to walk us back into the presence of the Father.
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  To bring us back into that relationship to the fullest measure possible here.
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  Until ultimately we will experience it for all eternity one day because of what Christ has done on our behalf.
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  Man, all good news.
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  The disciples are watching Jesus.
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  Man, He just prays like nobody we've ever seen before.
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  What is that?
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  Lord, teach us to pray.
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  And you know, Bill, I actually have a prayer card.
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  This is just something to say.
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  I have a prayer card that helps prompt me in my prayers.
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  And it says, Lord, teach me to pray.
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  And I'm very, very grateful that God led me to put that in there a long time ago.
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  Because I think the Lord is still answering that.
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  That He's always.
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  So I'd encourage our listeners, first and foremost, again today, in your spirit, just say to the Lord, Lord, teach me how to pray.
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  I really want to learn.
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  You know, Kyle, this sounds so silly.
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  But the older I get, the more I realize God will just answer prayers.
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  It's so true.
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  There's stuff that if you want things that are genuinely and humbly in your heart, if you don't ask, you don't have because you do not ask.
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  That's right.
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  You say, man, I want to learn how to pray.
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  Ask Him.
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  Yes, exactly.
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  Just ask Him.
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  And then believe Him that He's going to do that.
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  So, Lord, teach us to pray and teach us because I think what we've seen these first two weeks, at least I've seen it fresh.
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  This is the Christian life.
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  Yeah.
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  This is just the means by which we walk with God.
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  And we realize He's our Father.
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  And then when we start seeing Him, we begin to worship Him.
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  And as we worship Him and we're walking with Him, now we're ready for the next step.
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  That's exactly right.
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  Yeah.
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  Well, you just said it, man.
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  You know, so we did look the first two weeks, relationship, worship.
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  You know, He's our Father.
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  He invites us in.
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  He says, come in close.
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  Sit down.
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  And I said this the first week.
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  If there's an icon around this to help even set it in your mind, I think it'd be two chairs facing each other.
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  And that the Father's saying, hey, come sit with me.
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  Let's breathe and be together.
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  I love this relationship.
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  If there was an icon for last week in worship, it would have been hands lifted in exaltation and praise.
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  Man, you are everything, Lord.
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  You are great.
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  I am.
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  And you're the story writing God of all history and all the ways that we might learn how to pray our praise.
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  So I hope that you do that.
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  Now, once you get in relationship to worship, dude, this right here, I just can't believe this more.
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  I mean that.
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  Like, I'm on the verge of just bursting into tears right now.
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  That God would decide that He would advance His kingdom through the prayers of His people.
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  It just blows me away.
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  And why the Lord said, here we go, Luke 11.
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  When you pray, say, it was Father, it was hallowed be your name.
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  And then in Luke 11, it says, your kingdom come.
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  Matthew 6 gives us a little bit more.
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  Verse 10, your kingdom come.
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  Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
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  And what I would want us to hear is, God longs for us to believe that in prayer, there's partnership.
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  There's partnership.
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  That God is inviting us in this approach to partner with Him in the invasion of His kingdom right here on earth.
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  So if there's a picture, it'd be a hand lifting up, lifted up, and one lifting down, coming down.
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  That we are laying hold of God in light of seeing His kingdom come to bear in, listen, in this real world, in real ways.
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  In real ways.
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  That we would ask for the kingdom to come in our own lives personally.
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  That we'd ask the kingdom of God what is true in heaven to be true here on earth in our families.
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  To see what is true in heaven to be true in our church.
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  To see it to be true in our city, man.
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  To see, listen, a wholeness.
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  A renewal.
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  A bringing about of what God originally intended.
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  And I would want our listeners just to breathe for a second and to believe something with me.
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  That God wants to use your partnership in prayer.
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  To bring about His purposes.
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  To bring about the salvation of souls.
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  The saving of generations.
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  The forming of families.
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  The advancement of His kingdom.
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  The shaping of cities.
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  To change the ethics and the morality of a nation.
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  That God has decided that there's something that starts, is sustained, and brought to culmination only as His people partner with Him in prayer.
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  So this is what I would say to us as listeners.
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  You've got an assignment.
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  You've got an assignment only you can fulfill.
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  It's the Isaiah 62 moment where he says,
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  On your walls, O Jerusalem, I've set watchmen to watch day and night until I establish my purposes to make Jerusalem a praise in all the earth.
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  That God has intended, man, and here's what Jesus is saying to His disciples.
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  He's saying, man, now that you've related to the Father.
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  Now that you've worshipped Him.
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  I want you to pray the kingdom of God to come.
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  I want you to pray the power of God to be displayed.
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  I want you to pray for the transforming work of God to happen.
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  I'm going to pray for the advancement of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
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  I'm going to pray for the renewal of cities.
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  That's what Jeremiah 29, when he looks at those that are in captivity and doesn't tell them to be sorry for themselves.
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  By the way, you're going to be in that captivity for a long time.
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  While you're there, I want you to pray for that city.
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  I want you to bless it.
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  And its flourishing will be your flourishing.
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  For us, what He's saying to the disciples is, listen, I want you to pray in such a way that the world would see heaven come here.
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  They would see the fullest manifestation of that possible.
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  But I think, Bill, what we often miss here is that prayer is not just generic.
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  It's got to land specific.
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  It's got to land specifically.
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  I'll give you a couple of illustrations of this.
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  I've encouraged our church family, never pass a water tower that you don't pray a blessing over the cities that God's placed us in.
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  Because in our area, there's water towers in every city.
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  There's a water tower for Brandon, a water tower for Pearl, a water tower for Flowood, all these areas.
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  And pray that the kingdom of God would come in such a way that people would start seeing the city get better.
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  See the places start flourishing.
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  I'm not exaggerating at all.
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  And you can ask the mayor of Brandon.
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  He has his own words to me.
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  He goes, God is blessing our city in an unprecedented way right now.
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  Let me tell you why I believe with all my heart.
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  It's because God's people are praying for, hey, God, would you bring about vocational opportunities, jobs?
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  Would you bring about manufacturing?
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  Would you bring about the educational system would get better in this area?
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  Now, we're going to partner with those prayers and actually see it happen.
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  We'll serve and do.
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  But it starts in our partnership and asking you to actually do it.
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  Bill, I had a crazy moment.
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  I told you about this not long ago.
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  There was some of our areas on that.
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  It's on that teetering like this is either going to be renewed and get better or it's going to ruin and become a despondent kind of area.
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  So it's going to go one way or another.
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  So there was this little strip mall area near where I work out, and it was just looking bad.
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  You're like, man, I don't know what's going to come.
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  And it was raining one day.
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  And I'm not kidding, Bill.
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  I walked out.
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  It was gloomy.
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  I was looking across.
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  It was like a movie scene.
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  It's like some little flickering lights that barely worked on the outside of that little strip mall or park.
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  And I just stretched my hand out and I said, God, would you bring businesses right there that make this community better?
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  I out loud said it.
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  And I just knew the Lord's grown me enough to know that, hey, he hears this.
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  He hears this.
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  I'm going to ask.
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  We'll just see what happens.
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  So I prayed that.
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  What about life?
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  I come back to the place and work out.
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  And no joke.
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  Weeks later, there's a brand new sign out in front of it that says, coming soon, tractor supply.
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  Now, I don't know what part of the world you're from listening to this.
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  But, man, in Brandon, Mississippi, it don't get much better than that.
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  But what it did is it started there, and then other things came.
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  Other things started developing.
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  Well, what I'm saying, that's either coincidence or God actually hears the prayers of his people and brings about things that actually help a city, a community flourish, which is true for church.
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  We recently and we do this.
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  We'll do it again in February.
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  We will ask everybody that's a part of our church to put the names of far from God people.
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  And we put it on a cross and we make a commitment to pray from that day to Easter for them by name.
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  Well, I can tell you doing this several years now and doing that, we have seen hundreds, hundreds of people go from a name on a cross to becoming a follower of Jesus Christ and then being biblically baptized.
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  And you say, well, why do you think all that happens?
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  Because some people start partnering with God in prayer.
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  Oh, God, Kingdom of God, come and save John.
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  Kingdom of God, come and save Janice.
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  Kingdom of God, Lord, hear me and move on their behalf.
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  And I would just say to our listeners, and Bill, I'd love to hear from you, that there is a role that you have in partnering with God in prayer that brings about the kingdom.
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  I don't know, and here's how it plays into this podcast.
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  There's not a revival in history that's not marked by some people that laid hold of God and started believing for a movement.
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  And, you know, I tell you what's beautiful about this, Kyle, and we're going to see this in heaven.
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  If we saw it now, if this ever really got a hold of us, it would transform us, is this partnership starts in heaven.
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  So, for instance, I would say that prayer that you prayed for that strip mall was probably initiated by God in your mind.
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  And I think this is what it means in Ephesians 6, 18.
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  It says pray all the time with all kinds of prayers in the spirit.
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  And I don't think that's some kind of, you know, hocus pocus prayer or something.
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  I think what that means is we're walking in the spirit and we're stepping into heaven.
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  You know, the Bible says, keep your minds there.
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  And we're seeing what God's doing in heaven.
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  And it prompts these spirit initiated prayers.
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  And we just join in partnership with God.
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  And that prayer comes through us and goes back to the Father.
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  And I want to tell you something.
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  God loves to answer prayers that he initiates.
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  And so here we are joining in this partnership.
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  And I've had people say to me, well, why does God, why doesn't God just bypass us and just do it?
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  Because God is raising up children.
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  That's right.
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  He's raising up soldiers.
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  He's raising up men and women and leaders that will rule and reign with him for all eternity.
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  And so we're learning how this partnership works.
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  And we get in on what God's up to.
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  And we can literally bring heaven down.
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  That's right.
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  Now, if we ever realize that that's how this thing works, man, it's Katy, bar the door.
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  That's right.
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  Because we'll start saying, okay, God, what do you want to do next?
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  That's right.
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  What area of the town?
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  What people?
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  Lost people?
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  What churches do you want to revive in this area?
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  And we start listening to God, really praying God initiated, heaven initiated prayers and praying them down.
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  Man, I mean, all heaven breaks loose.
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  And the kingdom of God comes.
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  The interesting thing, when Jesus started out his public ministry, he said this.
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  He said, the kingdom of God is now among you.
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  It's here.
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  Why?
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  Because I'm here.
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  And I'm talking to my father.
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  And I'm praying.
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  And so the kingdom's coming.
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  And everywhere he went, it was like this oasis would spring up in the desert of love and grace and truth and healing and righteousness and teaching.
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  What was that?
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  You say, what was that?
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  It was the kingdom of God coming through a praying man of God named Jesus.
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  Right.
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  Who is cooperating with his father.
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  Hallelujah.
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  And here's the thing.
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  Just encourage.
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  Let's make it practical, our partnership.
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  So what does that look like starting today?
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  Starting today, how would you partner with God in prayer to see his kingdom come, his will be done on earth as it is in heaven?
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  And I think it's what Bill just said.
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  Ask God to put on your heart what's on his heart.
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  Ask God to put on your heart what's on his heart.
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  Well, on God's heart, it's lost people.
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  On God's heart, it's renewing.
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  On God's heart, it's families.
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  On God's heart is the flourishing of cities, man, to see that there's order and the ability for future generations.
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  On God's heart, it's rebuilding.
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  Well, man, think about it, put it down, and then pray it like crazy.
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  Pray like crazy.
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  Don't back up.
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  Lean into it.
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  Go, man, partner with God and walk circles around places praying.
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  And go partner with God and pray for people and just see what happens.
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  See what God wants to do.
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  And here's the thing that I love, man.
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  The more I believe and the more God allows me to live in it and just be a part of it is God is real faithful to do his part.
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  The problem is never on his side.
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  Pray, therefore, to the Lord of the harvest.
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  What?
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  To send out laborers.
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  The Lord is real faithful.
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  Ours is now to accept.
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  Listen, if God's going to bring about renewal in your family, it's going to be through you being the one that decides to partner in prayer.
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  God's going to bring about, man, a real fresh move of God in your local church.
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  Don't look for somebody else to stand the post.
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  You stand yours.
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  And if you see the slide and degradation of your city and your area, that means God's calling you.
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  You to partner with him to see the light come, to see the life of God come, to see the truths of God come again.
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  It won't stop with your praying.
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  You'll have to move into it actively and share the gospel, be a witness, all those things.
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  But it has to start with your praying.
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  Can I share before we pray, Kyle, a real practical story?
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  I may have told you about this.
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  I'm not sure.
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  But so the first part of this past year, one in the middle of the night, my daughter-in-law texted my wife and I.
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  And they live in Seattle.
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  And he's a church planner.
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  And Seattle is really dark and demonic.
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  It's just the walls are down.
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  Satan has great reign.
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  And, you know, it's just a place.
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  Well, they have six kids.
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  And they're constantly having to pray prayers of spiritual warfare against the enemy real directly.
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  So she texted us one night and said, please pray.
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  My oldest son is it was just like, you know, he's at that time was like eight years old, said, man, he's just waking up.
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  And tonight it was horrible.
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  Just fear and and demonic oppression, we believe and pray.
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  Well, I got up.
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  And I went into my to my prayer spot.
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  And I realized I didn't know how to pray for Caleb.
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  And I just said, Lord, what do you want to pray for Caleb?
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  What's on your mind?
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  And I had a notebook right there.
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  And I just I just wrote his name on the top.
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  What do you want to pray?
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  I just ask him.
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  And Kyle, God brought to my mind about 10 or 12 of the most specific things you have ever heard in your life.
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  And it startled me.
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  I would have never thought of these things.
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  And I just started writing them down.
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  And it was so real that I thought I'm going to pray these things for him for the rest of his life.
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  God is giving me a prayer pattern for him for the rest of his life.
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  I wrote all those things down and had this glorious time of real affirming prayer.
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  And then I went to the scripture just to read my Bible.
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  And there was a passage where Jesus said, I've sent you out.
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  And I saw Satan falling from heaven.
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  And and I thought this is this is my promise for for for him.
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  And I wrote that down.
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  So anyway, I later sent I just took a picture of it with my phone and I sent it to my daughter in law and my son, David.
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  And she calls me the next day.
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  And Kyle, she is just weeping.
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  And she said that I haven't I've been so burdened for him the last few days.
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  I can't even eat.
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  And I've just been fasting and praying for him.
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  And I had to know how to express it.
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  Everything that was in that list for him is what's on my heart for him.
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  So what what happened in that moment?
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  I was just walking in prayer.
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  And God said, this is what I want you to pray for your grandson.
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  And I want to I'm going to bring my kingdom.
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  And I'm fully believing that every single thing on on that list is going to be accomplished in his life in the next years.
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  And I've since started going to the Lord in my notebook.
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  I've got a notebook that's just for my grandkids, 27 of them.
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  And saying, Lord, I'm not going to write anything down here about this grandchild until you tell me what's on your heart, what's in your kingdom.
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  And I want your kingdom to come.
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  I want to partner with you in praying your prayers for my grandchildren.
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  So what a privilege.
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  Amen.
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  What an incredible privilege we have.
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  And I wonder if we could just go to prayer right now.
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  And in that way, I wonder if you just bow your heads right where you are.
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  All of us joining with God.
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  We have a relationship with the Father.
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  We worship him as we come into his presence.
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  And now we get the privilege of being in partnership with God.
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  And I wonder if you would ask the Lord this question.
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  Lord, where do you want me to join in partnership with you in prayer right now?
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  And just listen.
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  Where's the partnership?
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  What's the next agenda in this partnership of prayer?
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  And just ask him.
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  And be quiet for a moment.
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  Is it for, does a name come to your mind?
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  A place come to your mind?
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  A school?
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  A government agency?
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  Something in your community?
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  Something in your church?
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  Maybe God wants you to pray for your pastor and your staff in a whole new way.
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  And I wonder if you would just say to the Lord, Lord, by your grace,
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  I want to join in partnership with you as we pray in these coming days.
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  Teach me to walk in this partnership so that your kingdom may come
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  and your will be done on earth as it is right now being done in heaven.
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  Or take us there.
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  And we pray that in Jesus' precious name.
• 26:11
  Amen.
• 26:12
  Amen.
• 26:14
  Well, hallelujah.
• 26:15
  Kyle, I kind of just got wound up there a little bit.
• 26:19
  Hey, no, roll with it, bro.
• 26:21
  That's so good.
• 26:22
  That story, that has so changed my prayer life this year.
• 26:26
  And I just realized as you're talking, what's happening?
• 26:29
  I'm coming into partnership with God about my grandchildren in a way that I
• 26:33
  never have before.
• 26:35
  And I'm so grateful.
• 26:37
  Yeah, I'm just so grateful.
• 26:39
  Man, I tell our listeners to listen, the burden God gave you for that
• 26:44
  and the clarity he wants to give them in other ways.
• 26:48
  So, man, as we walk away from here today, welcome to the party.
• 26:53
  I mean, like God of the universe is inviting you to partner with him in
• 26:57
  prayer in ways that will advance his kingdom in ways you won't know
• 27:00
  until you get to heaven.
• 27:02
  So, as we're walking through this, learning how God has made us to pray
• 27:06
  in right relationship and worship, now partnership, he's layering it in
• 27:11
  and more good stuff to come, share it with somebody.
• 27:14
  And, Bill, I guess we'll come back next week and just keep on going, huh?
• 27:17
  I think so.
• 27:18
  I don't know why.
• 27:19
  I mean, unless you or I die before then, we're going to be right here.
• 27:22
  So, we'll see you next time.