Prayer Matters, Part 1

Prayer matters when you learn how to play golf away when you learn how to pray according to the word of God, you will discover that prayer matters in matters in heaven as well as on earth.

I'm sure you talk to people all the time, friends, coworkers or husband or wife. But how often do you spend time talking to God hello and welcome to Destin for victory with pastor Paul Sheppard, senior pastor of destiny Christian Fellowship in Fremont, California. You know most people don't really know how to pray and of the ones who do many of them don't pray as often as they should. Today pastor Paul wants to help you gain a better understanding of the power of prayer and the benefits of prayer, so that you can build and maintain a lifestyle prayer stay with us now. But remember, you can always visit pastor Paul.net to hear any recent Destin for victory message on demand. That's pastor Paul.net here is Pastor Paul.

Today's message prayer matters this series on embarking on is essential because the vast majority of people in America today and it's true in other nations well broadcast is being heard, but certainly here in America. The vast majority of people today have never been exposed to prayer as a normative and beneficial practice and increasing number of people in America don't know anything about the power of prayer and frankly many people who have been going to church depending on where you been going to church is still in some cases don't know anything about the power of prayer.

So one of the things the Lord is put on my hardest to make sure I do not assume people know how to pray what to pray about how to exercise faith in prayer.

I can assume that because we've got to disciple people today just like Jesus had to in the first century A.D. when he walked the earth were going to look in the moment at a passage where his disciples came to him and said, teach us how to pray and I want to spend some time teaching. What I've learned from the word of God and from experience about prayer because we need to know that God has given us some vital weapon called prayer and we must learn how to wield it.

In fact, when you read Ephesians chapter 6. People always talking about the armor of God, they talk about everything.

The helmet of salvation, breastplate of righteousness, Lawrence Girdwood, through all that and at the end of the passage. It doesn't look like it's a piece of armor, but he says make sure that you play because prayer is part of spiritual warfare and there are things that won't happen unless we learn how to pray and pray effectively grateful to God that I was raised in a home in which prayer was exercised. I'm so glad that I was raised in a church where God was worshiped where Jesus was Lord and where the effectual fervent prayers of the righteous were normative. I grew up around pray in folk and I'm honored and so glad the more I see people being raised as pagans, the more I'm grateful that I was raised in a believing home I went to a praying church I went to church with focal grades.

If you had any criticism. They pray too long and too loud. But thank God they prayed because I can testify like that gospel song. Of course somebody pray for me on their mind. The time and pray for me. I am so glad they prayed. I'm so glad they prayed.

I'm so glad they prayed for me. I'm so glad that prayer was not following and whole prayer took place. We break we didn't meet till we pray, we knew God is in this is only one blessing us with the ability that is and we offered thanks before we chowed down and so that was part of.

In fact, I grew up where the safe we have a barbecue you hold certain program will be asked to pray over the barbecue semiauto know about that but I see a few of you do know we almost at the Parker at somebody's big yard to me and the food laid out food table is ready.

We were going to do some damage but then they mess around and called on the wrong. Why don't you go on appraisal me because she got ready to get a hold to the father in the name of Jesus we bless your name will blessing us to death of the day the Lord has made a bold God was in the mercy that woke us up and started a reasonable portion of helping scrape and we could come on out to his house where we don't have the barbecue. Thank you, Lord, hands that prepare addicts. We bless we can go pray church picnic table don't pray and I'm telling you, but now is not going to learn how to play.

So glad and let me tell you something if you haven't learned how to pray.

This is your time to learn it because you will need prayer. The rest of your journey. In fact, if you have been praying the way that you got here is somebody been praying for you and only Chris and my family not know you will get it.

Some of pray for communities.

We learn how to see and pray for your block and pray for your community to pray for it when I got the California believe in God to move in this place I would just send the things wherever you wherever you live in town communities every week. We had our power prayer meetings sometime the safe would walk the block one church has it they called their SWAT team FWA things walking around town and they walk around town and wanted walking by the houses they prayed old God save these people in the name of Jesus the Lord bring them to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ hasn't done it one of their put a track in the dorsal like that to be serious about this thing because air makes a difference.

And so I need the help disciple this generation and help us and we will have a prayer foundation, we can take it for granted and it is our responsibility to pass it on. We've got to raise up a generation of people who know what it is to walk by faith, because as I've entitled this first message in this series I don't know how long it will be will be as long as it will be but we gotta talk about prayer, not just so that you get head knowledge, but so that you get the praying, playing for real because that's what's going to make a difference.

I've entitled this first message prayer matters, prayer matters, prayer is not something you wasting your time doing prayer matters. When you learn how to pray God's way.

When you learn how to pray according to the word of God, you will discover that prayer matters in matters in heaven as well as on earth.

What do I mean by that walk, the moment I'm thinking about Cornelius in acts chapter 10 you remember when the early church was purely Jewish and they didn't know that anybody else would be able to receive the gospel, but there was a Gentile, a man named Cornelius you read about them when you get back to Michael turn to it in the interest of time.

Got a lot of ground to cover. But the Bible says he was a man he was a worshiper of God, even though he was not of the Jewish nation.

He was a worshiper of God, and he was devout day bombs and all of that, so he worshiped at the level of his understanding. And here's why I'm bringing him up what I'm saying prayer matters in heaven because you specifically told in acts 10, that when the angel visited him in a vision. The angel said, Cornelius is in your giving have gone up before God as a memorial will be right back with more of today's destined for Victor message from Pastor Paul Shepherd, senior pastor at destiny Christian Fellowship in Fremont, California to listen to any of Pastor Paul's recent broadcast up by Pastor Paul.net any time to listen on demand. That's Pastor Paul.net. You can contact us for prayer or make a safe and secure donation to the ministry online I don't forget you can also download the podcast.

It's bona fide I heart or wherever you subscribe to your podcasts.

Pastor Paul joins me in the studio after today's message but first let's join him for the rest of this message. Prayer matters God is receiving your prayers will matters when you matters and he was told your prayers have come up into the presence of God. As a result, that the Lord is going to send you to go get a man named Peter will come to your house and just let him do what God tells them to do and couldn't understand what it was all about but he learned obey God when you pray, you learn that it's important to obey God because you don't know what he's up to and query is sent for him and you know the story, I will walk you through that Reid asked him when you get a chance. As a result, we saw a group of Gentiles gathered in Cornelius's home and when Peter got there and he's still trying to figure out why God has sent him there and they said we already received is give us what you got and he opened his mouth and he began to speak in Revelation and said I perceive by God sending me here that God is no respecter of person and he started sharing the message of the good news of Jesus Christ as he proclaimed God's spirit on the household and the same thing Peter experienced in the upper chapter 2 is now happening in a Gentiles house and that's chapter 10 and multiple game they're praising God speaking in tongues. It never and I know Peter even while he's in the spirit. Here the resume and though God already shown you before you got to remember the revelation God gave them on the rooftop before he got there. He said if I called a clean don't you call it unclean old God can do more than you think you can do and all you gotta do is learn how to worship him and follow him when he leads you so prayer matters in heaven.

If your plans go before God and this passage indicates that it does.

That's the reason you want to get down the prayer business because God pays attention when you called on him and prayer certainly matters here on earth and will be talking to you through that along the way. We just lay some foundation about the importance of prayer. Notice in Chapter 11, the gospel of Luke chapter 11, the first two verses now it came to pass as he was praying in a certain place, he being Jesus when he sees that one of his disciples said to him, Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples. Verse two. So we said to them when you pray, stop right there.

Jesus was himself. Did you notice that in verse one, it came the past. Jesus was praying in a certain place and when he sees that's when they asked him to teach them the pray. But first there watching Jesus print now all to seal the deal by itself, Jesus the son of God had to play when he was on earth know what you doing think and you will live a high quality life and don't pray. Jesus had to pray.

God knows you need to pray in Jesus with all God at all man and you all man all woman is not a gendered designation. All human Jesus was human and divine, and yet he prayed and prayed. Occasionally he prayed on a regular basis. He would go sometimes get a loan away from the folks in pray he would pray. Often he would pray before his work a miracle to work the miracle of the feeding of the multitude, he prayed for Jesus shows us that prayer matters and if our Savior had the pray you and I better get down to some serious praying.

Amen. Luke 1818 verse one then Jesus spoke a parable to them that man always to pray and not lose heart. The Bible says Jesus said you ought to do it.

I've heard people have to know to be so disrespectful to the word of God is the safe. God knows everything, while I got to tell and do you understand how open so that is to a holy God for you to assume that because he knows everything he's your servant, and he will do everything you want to do because he knows it. That's not the way it works.

The Bible says you bring your request, your petition you desire without your bringing doesn't mean much without it's impossible to please God, for he that comes to him must believe that he wants this and that he is a rewarder not over everybody who knows God knows this stuff already. The rewarder of those who gently seek him diligently seek. There are some things you'll never see you. Member five you'll never discover Jesus said, and it will be given seek and you will find in the door will be open once the imprint if you don't have some things you will receive. If you don't seek something you won't find if you don't knock some doors will not be open.

Everybody understand that. So don't you dare say what God, you know, it's a good take care please not show servant servant. I notice is tight but it's right will spoil generation God just will do it.

Just take it just I got stuff during that time be. I'm too busy to bring you to the pray. You are the more you want to pray just say it's in the busy you are, the more you want to pray God all the stuff I got a call please.

This is to lead man died me and direct me I need to speak to me. I need to just leave me to the right places. I need to hear you when I'm on the job.

When you work you better here. God driving these highways you better here.

God will keep God will shoot you but nothing your car with the Lord which cut you all for whatever the man got up on the right just I think it was yesterday.

Just dropping for no reason. Plaintiff claims plaintiff to my left elbow make and I heard the Holy Ghost say leave them alone. Leave him alone just to show this month in my spirit. He said he left lane is available. Once you got his way because he want you out of his way and is unhappy that you will move cookies right up on you, but I did say but I'll have to move right says that the Lord wanted me to move over said now you can go to good and finally he's excellent acting all exasperated finally got over the mentally blessing Jesus the help given the help you need CW and their flipping people off you not represent the sun shine through you see the actual flares that want to do. Nobody told them to thereby straighten up all for you. That's the way our flesh operates with ourselves we are ambassadors which means I gotta represent McKay and so I gotta be nice if you had it all just wave at people see all five fingers. You gotta pray everywhere you go. Everything you do teach along the way. You gotta have a time that you designate to pray St. when we were growing up they called it have no devotion have your private devotion. That's what I heard all my life growing up and have private devotion, and I came alone within the domain set aside some time get away from the busyness in the house or whatever and just you and God and the word, and you're communicating with God. It is God was very important and things taught us to do it and will talk about all those kinds of things.

But the fact of the matter is this in addition to having a time when you pray, and when you read the word and when you meditate, let the word speak to you and let the Holy Spirit speak to you. You need to develop that in your life as a habit but don't think your prayers overcooking had to move 1015 20 minutes of the motion. The fact of the matter is you better be praying while you drive in the work driving the school. You better bring your view on the bus pray on the bus for Lombard pray on the barge of Middlemarch. You better pray on their you listen around the country. That's our Bay Area rapid transportation you got your version where you are. You need to pray on that to you who have been on public trust is a long time God gave you a car, and all five talk to him in the car he gave you a Jesus said when you pray, not if you're for prayer should not be an option for child of God.

Thanks so much for being here for today's destined for victory message prayer matters. But before we leave you today. Pastor Paul has joined us from a studio in California pastor. Thank you for your time. We started this year with a couple of messages that look toward the future. In fact the book were offering everyone who gives such a generous gift right now is called, it pays to serve Jesus. Let's talk about the booklet and what's in it. Houses could be helpful to us. Yeah, I'm glad to talk about this booklet it's based on a series that I did entitled, it will be so worth it and it's a series where I look at the encounter Jesus had with a man we call the rich young ruler, and he came to Jesus really eager to find out what it would take to receive and enjoy eternal life. And when Jesus told him what it would take. He walked away sad because he was unwilling to part with his many possessions in order to gain eternal life. After that encounter the disciples said, well, we've given up everything and it kind of made them rethink okay what we get out of this deal we gave up everything and what we have to look forward to. And Jesus response is what the series is based on Jesus said no one gives up everything and he listed a number of things he said who doesn't receive in this life with persecution 100 fold. And then they'll receive eternal life thereafter and I'm helping people understand that an eternal perspective must always be in focus.

The fact is, it pays it really does pay both in this life and in the life to come. It pays to serve Jesus but it calls us to sacrifice and to surrender and those of us that are willing to do it. We're going to see God bless us in wonderful ways. That is a great word of encouragement, pastor, and now is a great time for all of us to begin thinking that way as we kick off a brand-new year, still facing some of the challenges from 2020 was challenges of the need to reach so many more with the hope that can only be found in Jesus is the reason we so appreciate your financial support of this ministry. Keep in mind when you give your generous donation this month will be happy to send you pastor Paul's booklet, it pays to serve Jesus. This booklet expounds and what Pastor Paul just shared with us and I know it will be an encouragement to you in this new year. Again, the booklet is called, it pays to serve Jesus as our gift to you by request for your generous gift to Destin for victory. So call us at 855-339-5500 to give over the phone or visit Pastor Paul.net to make a safe and secure donation online. As always, you can mail your gift to Destin for victory PO Box 1767, Fremont, CA 94538. The enemy so balance watching the movements to me, don't you have to do in spiritual. You have to learn how to target your prayers weapon where the enemy of your soul is that's next time.

In Pastor Paul Shepard's message prayer matters. Until then, remember he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion in Christ, you are destined for victory