[00:00:09] Welcome to Gracious Words.
[00:00:11] Gracious Words is taken from the weekly women's Bible study taught by Cheryl Brodersen at Calvary Chapel, Costa Mesa, California.
[00:00:36] Paul considered prayer to be the believer's most vital resource, but all too often it comes in last in our priorities.
[00:00:44] On today's program we'll see how we can harness and utilize the power of prayer.
[00:00:49] And now here is Part 1 of Cheryl's message titled, Untapped Power.
[00:01:19] So here we go. Chapter 2.
[00:01:24] So in my personal devotions, I'm in John Chapter 16.
[00:01:29] And you know sometimes when God speaks to you, you're reading your Bible and all of a sudden it's like, whoa!
[00:01:36] Like you gotta put your seatbelt on?
[00:01:37] Like you're like, how did I miss this?
[00:01:40] Did I see this before?
[00:01:42] But I came across John 16, 23 and 24, which I know.
[00:01:47] And in that day you will ask me nothing.
[00:01:50] Most assuredly I say to you, get this, whatever.
[00:01:55] Say it again.
[00:01:57] Say it like, not like whatever.
[00:02:00] Like whatever.
[00:02:02] Okay, one, two, three.
[00:02:04] Whatever.
[00:02:05] You ask the Father in my name because of what I've done.
[00:02:11] He will give it to you.
[00:02:14] Until now you have asked nothing in my name.
[00:02:19] Ask and you will receive that your joy may be full.
[00:02:26] Did you hear the power in that promise?
[00:02:28] Did you get it?
[00:02:30] That he's saying, now you can go running into the throne room of God boldly.
[00:02:36] Fall down before the throne of grace and say, Father, here is what I want.
[00:02:44] And it's not just about my needs.
[00:02:48] There are people that say, just your needs.
[00:02:51] No, he's not the great comrade.
[00:02:52] He's your Father.
[00:02:54] Father, you go in there and you say, God, I need a steak dinner tonight.
[00:03:01] I need to be so filled with you.
[00:03:04] I want a revival.
[00:03:07] I want this generation to know Jesus Christ personally.
[00:03:11] I want every single one of my children to have an encounter with Jesus Christ.
[00:03:17] I'm going to ask big things.
[00:03:20] You know, this is like carte blanche power.
[00:03:25] Like, I mean, let's say it the real way.
[00:03:28] Whatever.
[00:03:29] It's like, not like whatever.
[00:03:32] Whatever.
[00:03:34] Whatever.
[00:03:35] You know, God's going to put big things on your heart.
[00:03:38] Big things into your mind.
[00:03:40] You're going to pray the whatevers.
[00:03:43] Like, what if God wants to do this?
[00:03:48] What if he wants to save my neighborhood?
[00:03:51] What if he wants to do a real revival?
[00:03:53] What if he wants to use me?
[00:03:55] What if he wants to speak through me?
[00:04:00] Wow.
[00:04:02] This is so much power that when I was reading this, I'm like, am I safe with this power?
[00:04:09] I mean, this is me.
[00:04:10] I could start moving brine all over the place.
[00:04:14] Is this power that is invested in me by the blood of Jesus Christ?
[00:04:18] Is it safe?
[00:04:20] Oh, yes.
[00:04:21] Why?
[00:04:21] Because the Holy Spirit is moving on us to pray along with God.
[00:04:27] And prayer aligns our will with the will of God.
[00:04:30] You see, we have a God that wants to do great things.
[00:04:33] And he puts it on our hearts, some of these great things.
[00:04:37] And then we become participants.
[00:04:39] We become part of the investment as we pray.
[00:04:49] Think of Solomon in 1 Kings 3.
[00:04:52] He does all these sacrifices in Gibeon.
[00:04:55] And then he goes to sleep.
[00:04:57] Isn't that just right?
[00:04:57] This huge spiritual work.
[00:04:59] And then he goes to sleep.
[00:05:02] But God doesn't sleep.
[00:05:04] God comes to Solomon in a dream.
[00:05:06] And he says this, ask.
[00:05:08] And there's an exclamation mark after that, ask.
[00:05:11] Like, ask.
[00:05:14] Remember how Jesus said in Matthew chapter 6, ask, seek, knock.
[00:05:22] And he says, ask, what shall I give you?
[00:05:27] Solomon, what do you want?
[00:05:30] And Solomon then says to the Lord, I need wisdom.
[00:05:34] You've given me a kingdom.
[00:05:35] You've given me this authority.
[00:05:39] I need wisdom.
[00:05:40] These are your people.
[00:05:41] I need wisdom.
[00:05:43] And God said, you've got wisdom.
[00:05:46] But I'm going to even add more to that.
[00:05:49] That's not the end of the story.
[00:05:51] I'm going to even bless you more.
[00:05:54] I remember being in England.
[00:05:56] I know exactly where I was.
[00:05:58] I was about to go to sleep at night.
[00:05:59] I might have told you this before.
[00:06:01] I might have said it last week or the week before.
[00:06:03] I'm old.
[00:06:03] I don't remember.
[00:06:04] But I remember the Lord coming into my room and saying,
[00:06:08] ask for whatever you want.
[00:06:11] At the time, I had two teenagers.
[00:06:13] One was not walking with the Lord.
[00:06:15] She wanted the world.
[00:06:17] She even admitted to me, I just want the world.
[00:06:19] I like the world.
[00:06:20] I want to be like friends, like the program Friends.
[00:06:23] I like the way they dress.
[00:06:25] I like the way they live.
[00:06:26] Their life is just so fun.
[00:06:28] I just want to be like that.
[00:06:29] And the other one was just angry.
[00:06:33] My other teenager.
[00:06:35] And then I had these two little ones.
[00:06:37] And instead of looking at them like potential for godly leaders, I was like, oh, what are
[00:06:43] they going to do to me?
[00:06:45] What am I raising?
[00:06:46] I was so like, Father.
[00:06:49] And the Lord said, Joe, ask.
[00:06:51] And I said, I want all of my children walking with Jesus.
[00:06:55] And I named each one.
[00:06:56] This is a fourfold prayer, God.
[00:06:58] I want Kristen and Char and Kelsey and Brayden.
[00:07:01] I want them to walk with you sincerely, truly, really.
[00:07:05] I don't want pretense.
[00:07:06] I'm a pastor's kid.
[00:07:07] I've seen a lot of pastor's kids that just pretend or come to church, whitewashed sepulchers
[00:07:14] with death inside.
[00:07:15] I want my kids to be thoroughly, authentically walking with you and knowing you.
[00:07:21] And whatever it takes, God, I want you to do that.
[00:07:23] And I felt like God said, done.
[00:07:26] I was like, okay.
[00:07:28] You know, I didn't see the evidence.
[00:07:30] It was totally fulfilled for at least 20 years.
[00:07:33] But I prayed and I reminded God of that night and that covenant that we made together and
[00:07:40] what he told me.
[00:07:41] And I can tell you today, October 22nd, 2021, all of my children are authentically walking
[00:07:51] with Jesus.
[00:07:52] And not only are they walking with Jesus, they've become my mentors.
[00:07:56] I mean, and somebody said, what does it feel like to see your son up here preaching?
[00:08:03] And I could say, which one?
[00:08:06] Because both are so dang anointed by Jesus.
[00:08:09] And I sit there and I glean and I listen.
[00:08:12] And I am thrilled to the core.
[00:08:17] And I say, God, you kept your promise.
[00:08:22] You kept your word.
[00:08:25] You are a God that answers.
[00:08:28] Get this, prayer.
[00:08:30] He is, I'm 61 years old.
[00:08:32] And I'm going to tell you, God answers prayer.
[00:08:36] It's the history of my life.
[00:08:38] God answers prayer.
[00:08:41] It's powerful.
[00:08:44] It is powerful.
[00:08:46] Prayer is the untapped resource in the believer's life.
[00:08:52] Prayer is the most untapped, underused, neglected, and yet powerful and dynamic resource that we
[00:09:01] as believers have to move mountains, to change the direction of nations, to bring down strongholds
[00:09:13] of the devil, to wipe out drugs.
[00:09:17] We have that power.
[00:09:19] We have that power.
[00:09:21] Power.
[00:09:22] And that power is through the venue of prayer, of asking God.
[00:09:32] Asking God.
[00:09:35] Why don't we tap into this power?
[00:09:40] Well, I think it's because we lack faith.
[00:09:44] We believe more in our power to work, more in our, let me make some money for you so I
[00:09:52] can tithe.
[00:09:53] We believe more in what we do for God than what God wants to do for us.
[00:09:59] We believe more.
[00:10:01] We're doing for God.
[00:10:03] We'll do for you.
[00:10:04] We'll do for you.
[00:10:04] We'll do.
[00:10:05] We'll do.
[00:10:05] We'll do.
[00:10:05] And God's saying, will you just sit down and let me do for you?
[00:10:12] Will you get on your knees?
[00:10:15] We believe in our methods more than in God's ways.
[00:10:21] We believe in our recipes and how we do things and our rituals more than we believe in the
[00:10:29] way of God, which is through prayer.
[00:10:31] We believe more in the pervasiveness of evil than that God will work.
[00:10:39] We resign ourselves like, well, I guess it's evil.
[00:10:43] Guess this is the way the world's going.
[00:10:45] No.
[00:10:46] Oh, no, it's not.
[00:10:48] Not by your marching, not by your demonstrations.
[00:10:50] But if you would get on your knees and begin to pray, if you would grab friends and say,
[00:10:56] let's get on our knees, let's begin to pray.
[00:11:00] We don't trust that God actually is going to work and we're almost afraid to pray.
[00:11:05] Because I don't want to put it out there and you not work and be disappointed.
[00:11:09] And so we never put it out there.
[00:11:11] Or we're just like, and if you want to save the governor, go ahead.
[00:11:16] But I don't think you will.
[00:11:20] Secondly, we are in too much of a hurry.
[00:11:23] We don't like his timetable.
[00:11:26] We want it down now.
[00:11:27] We're too used to in and out hamburgers.
[00:11:29] Let me just say that.
[00:11:30] I want to put my order in and by the time I get to the window, I want it ready for me.
[00:11:35] You know, what is it?
[00:11:36] Del Taco?
[00:11:37] Isn't it sad that I know these places?
[00:11:39] But Del Taco has that little timer.
[00:11:41] Like if, you know, the clock runs out before you get your order, it's free.
[00:11:48] Yeah, 21 seconds and you better get it.
[00:11:50] I got a free red burrito one time.
[00:11:54] Took them 25 seconds.
[00:11:58] And sometimes we're like that with God.
[00:12:00] God.
[00:12:02] My timetable.
[00:12:05] It's already been two minutes.
[00:12:07] Where is the answer?
[00:12:09] As I said with my children, 20 years.
[00:12:12] 20 years.
[00:12:14] But God answered it.
[00:12:17] God answered it.
[00:12:19] We want things done in our time.
[00:12:22] And so we pray once.
[00:12:25] We pray twice.
[00:12:26] Maybe three times.
[00:12:28] And then we just stop.
[00:12:30] Because it wasn't answered in that first week.
[00:12:34] Thirdly, we want to express ourselves and make ourselves known more than we want God known.
[00:12:43] I'm sorry, but it's true.
[00:12:45] We want to be seen as accomplishing something for God rather than standing back and saying,
[00:12:52] all I did was worship.
[00:12:53] And all I did was bow down.
[00:12:57] All I did was pray.
[00:12:59] And this is God.
[00:13:02] Do we believe that God can?
[00:13:05] Do we believe that God will?
[00:13:08] We need to move from God can to God will.
[00:13:13] We need to move into that.
[00:13:16] Prayer is powerful.
[00:13:19] And it highlights the work and ways of God.
[00:13:25] The Bible is literally filled from cover to cover with answered prayer.
[00:13:32] If this book tells us anything, it tells us that God answers prayer.
[00:13:39] It reveals to us the power of prayer.
[00:13:43] That it brings God's presence to the battle.
[00:13:47] That it brings God's presence to the dreams of Nebuchadnezzar.
[00:13:55] To the dreams of the Pharaoh of Egypt.
[00:13:59] It reveals the enemy's strategies to the little prophet Elisha in Dotham.
[00:14:10] It levels mountains.
[00:14:11] It removes barriers.
[00:14:13] It defeats the enemies all by prayer.
[00:14:17] In Revelation 8 verses 3 through 5, we read about prayers.
[00:14:23] That the angels come with their censers and with the prayer of the saints.
[00:14:29] And they mix the prayer of the saints with the incense of heaven.
[00:14:34] So prayers become mixed with heavenly essence.
[00:14:42] And then it's put on the throne of God where the prayers of the saints.
[00:14:48] That's you and me.
[00:14:49] The prayer of the saints is mixed with the incense of heaven.
[00:14:55] It's amalgamated.
[00:14:56] No longer two separate substances.
[00:15:01] But it becomes one substance.
[00:15:03] And then it tells us that the smoke ascends to God.
[00:15:08] He smells it.
[00:15:10] He breathes it in.
[00:15:12] And once God has breathed it in, the angels then take these amalgamated prayers from the
[00:15:19] golden altar before the throne of God.
[00:15:22] And they fill their censers with this amalgamated substance.
[00:15:28] And they hurl it.
[00:15:30] I love the word hurl.
[00:15:32] They hurl it back to earth.
[00:15:37] And it becomes lightning, earthquakes, thunderings, and one other thing.
[00:15:50] Noises.
[00:15:52] Noises.
[00:15:53] Noises.
[00:15:54] Thunderings.
[00:15:55] Lightnings.
[00:15:56] Earthquakes.
[00:15:57] See, prayer brings God's power, God's wisdom, God's ways, God's purposes to every trial,
[00:16:07] to every state, to every country, to every person, to every situation.
[00:16:16] This is what prayer does.
[00:16:20] Prayer brings us into this incredible premise.
[00:16:25] It's not my will, but your will be done.
[00:16:30] Maybe we don't pray because we have forgotten that the will of God is good.
[00:16:36] That the will of God is abundant.
[00:16:39] That it's beneficial.
[00:16:41] That it's wondrous.
[00:16:44] We have come to believe that our will is better than God's will.
[00:16:49] It's the truth.
[00:16:50] It's the sad, sad truth.
[00:16:53] I remember as a teenager saying, God, I know you have a plan up there, but I really like
[00:16:57] my plan.
[00:16:58] Would you please accomplish my plan?
[00:17:00] That was one prayer that he said, absolutely not to.
[00:17:04] For my good.
[00:17:05] For my benefit.
[00:17:06] Aren't you thankful for all the prayers God has not answered?
[00:17:09] That he said, no.
[00:17:11] Brian had...
[00:17:13] My dad used to tell this story.
[00:17:14] I just have to tell this.
[00:17:16] My dad used to tell this story.
[00:17:17] Well, I was there.
[00:17:18] I was actually there.
[00:17:19] I remember the week that my dad came like floating into his office and he went up there
[00:17:25] and he kissed my mom and he just gave her a big hug.
[00:17:29] And my mom's like, check what's wrong with you.
[00:17:31] What's going on?
[00:17:32] And he said, Kay, I just saw an old girlfriend.
[00:17:35] By this time, my dad was in his seventies.
[00:17:37] I just saw an old girlfriend that I prayed and prayed I could marry.
[00:17:41] And I just, I didn't even recognize her.
[00:17:44] And as I was talking to her, I was saying, God, thank you for saying no, because you meant
[00:17:53] Kay for me.
[00:17:55] So recently, some people in the church met one of Brian's old girlfriends that he was
[00:18:00] quite serious about.
[00:18:01] And it was Lance that went to Brian and said, Brian, you know that story that Chuck tells
[00:18:06] about, thank God he said no?
[00:18:08] I just think you ought to do that right now.
[00:18:12] And I was like, bring it down, Lance.
[00:18:15] Yes, hallelujah.
[00:18:21] Do you believe God's will is better than your will?
[00:18:24] Do you?
[00:18:26] If not, you need to pray, God, show me how superior your will is to my will.
[00:18:31] Your will is superior.
[00:18:33] It's got better things for me than I want for myself.
[00:18:36] Again, I quoted C.S. Lewis, I think it was last week or the week before.
[00:18:39] Remember, I'm 61.
[00:18:41] I'm forgetting these things.
[00:18:42] But C.S. Lewis said, it's not that men ask for too much.
[00:18:45] It's that they settle for too little.
[00:18:49] Hudson Taylor, who was a missionary in China, he started the China Inland Mission.
[00:18:54] He served for 51 years as the head of the China Inland Mission.
[00:18:59] He imported 850 missionaries to China.
[00:19:03] The work is still going on in China today.
[00:19:06] He set up over 20 different missionary posts all over China.
[00:19:12] And during his lifetime, over 125,000 Chinese people were saved.
[00:19:20] And he said this.
[00:19:23] This is his motto.
[00:19:25] Learn to move man by God through prayer alone.
[00:19:54] Hudson Taylor had to pray for the political upheaval.
[00:20:03] We had an impress.
[00:20:05] We had an impress.
[00:20:05] We had an impress.
[00:20:05] Got upset and tried to exterminate every Christian in China.
[00:20:10] Hudson Taylor had to learn to pray.
[00:20:15] And how the heart of this imprint changed.
[00:20:21] And how the heart of this imprint changed to save the missionaries and to save the Christians in China.
[00:20:30] 1 Timothy 2 is all about prayer.
[00:20:34] Let me say this.
[00:20:36] It is not about the role of women.
[00:20:39] It is not.
[00:20:40] When we pull it out and we extract it and we make it about who women are and are not to be in the church, we miss the point.
[00:20:48] The whole context of 1 Timothy 2 is prayer.
[00:20:56] Paul wants Timothy to get the people in Ephesus praying because the power is in prayer.
[00:21:05] He wants to get them away from the fables, away from the genealogies, away from the arguments, away from the Hymenaeuses and the Alexanders that are shipwrecking the faith.
[00:21:21] And he wants Timothy, get the people praying.
[00:21:26] Get the men praying.
[00:21:27] Get the women praying.
[00:21:29] So he says, so in this chapter, there are four points.
[00:21:40] And these are the four points.
[00:21:42] Number one, teach men and women to pray.
[00:21:47] Teach them.
[00:21:48] Get them praying.
[00:21:49] Number two, teach them the people that they are to pray for.
[00:21:55] Teach them who they are to pray for.
[00:21:58] Thirdly, tell them why they're supposed to pray.
[00:22:03] Give them the reasons they're supposed to pray.
[00:22:08] Fourthly, show them the weapons, both men and women, that they are not to substitute for prayer.
[00:22:16] I'll go over all these.
[00:22:17] So I just wanted to get you ready for this.
[00:22:22] Paul is saying, I left you in Ephesus to get men and women praying.
[00:22:26] When men and women stop praying, the churches turn political instead of spiritual.
[00:22:33] And they get involved with trivialities and temporal things.
[00:22:38] And they lose sight of the eternal things and the eternal plan of God.
[00:22:47] Jesus taught his disciples to pray.
[00:22:50] Luke 11, 1.
[00:22:54] He taught them by example.
[00:22:56] Jesus was always praying publicly and privately.
[00:22:59] He taught them by giving an example of prayer.
[00:23:02] Jesus did all he did by the power of prayer because prayer is our connection to God.
[00:23:10] Paul exhorts Timothy.
[00:23:13] And he says, therefore.
[00:23:16] Therefore.
[00:23:17] The therefore refers to you've been left in Ephesus.
[00:23:21] You've got enemies.
[00:23:22] You've got problems.
[00:23:26] Therefore.
[00:23:28] Therefore.
[00:23:29] And then he says, I exhort.
[00:23:33] I am telling you.
[00:23:35] I am strongly beseeching you.
[00:23:38] I'm begging you.
[00:23:41] I'm encouraging you.
[00:23:44] That you make it.
[00:23:46] And he says, first of all.
[00:23:48] First of all.
[00:23:49] This phrase, first of all, that we find here.
[00:23:52] Therefore, I exhort.
[00:23:54] First of all.
[00:23:55] First of all.
[00:23:56] Of primary importance.
[00:23:59] That's the Greek rendering.
[00:24:00] Of primary importance.
[00:24:02] Or a priority.
[00:24:05] Put this at the top of the church priority list.
[00:24:10] First.
[00:24:11] That prayers.
[00:24:13] Intercessions.
[00:24:14] Giving of thanks.
[00:24:15] Be made for all men.
[00:24:19] Let your first response be prayer.
[00:24:26] Prayer has the power to move mountains.
[00:24:30] Change nations.
[00:24:31] Bring down strongholds.
[00:24:33] And defeat evil.
[00:24:34] It is the most untapped, underused, and neglected resource we have as believers.
[00:24:40] As children of God, we have this right, power, and authority to call upon God for anything.
[00:24:47] But why does it take us so long to go to prayer?
[00:24:50] Sometimes we lack faith.
[00:24:51] Or maybe our pride stands in the way.
[00:24:54] Or maybe we think we know best.
[00:24:56] Whatever the case, prayer should be our first resort and our substance and supply.
[00:25:02] We hope you have been blessed by today's Bible study.
[00:25:05] For more information about the Gracious Words radio program
[00:25:08] and the teaching ministry of Cheryl Broderson,
[00:25:10] please visit our website at graciouswords.com.
[00:25:14] Coming up next time on the Gracious Words program,
[00:25:17] we'll look further at the power of prayer
[00:25:18] as we continue our series,
[00:25:20] Letters to Lead, Live, and Love By,
[00:25:23] in the first epistle to Timothy with Cheryl Broderson.
[00:25:26] We do hope you make plans to join us.
[00:25:29] Again, for more information,
[00:25:30] please visit our website at graciouswords.com.
[00:25:52] This program is sponsored by Calvary Chapel, Costa Mesa, California.
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