Get Your Shine On…As You Pray

We are to examine why we pray and Jesus said, make sure you're not playing to impress anybody that's his point here. Make sure that you are not trying to impress people instead you need to play because you made face-to-face encounter with the Lord every day of your life. Every member of the body of Christ should be a person of prayer.

But why we praise every bit as important as what we pray.

Hello and welcome to Destin for victory with pastor Paul Shepherd senior pastor – in the Christian Fellowship in Fremont, California.

You know a consistent prayer life motivated by a genuine desire to draw closer to God is essential in order for believers in Christ impact the world around them. Today pastor Paul reminds us that the light of Christ which dwells inside us becomes clearer and brighter to others as we develop a lifestyle of prayer.

Stay with us now. But remember, you can always stop by Pastor Paul.net to hear any recent testing for victory message on demand. That's Pastor Paul.net here is Pastor Paul today suggested for victory message get your shine on as you pray when you say Jesus wants you to examine why you pray examine why you pray look at what he said. He said be like and just as we saw in the giving message prior to this one.

When Jesus says hypocrites here in Matthew six he's talking very specifically about the analyses about the highbrow religions holier than thou folks.

Let me get you some. We got some 21st century premises and our churches right now people will act all super spiritual and all high and mighty and they don't even spend much time with sinners and all that kind of stuff.

Jesus called no hypocrite. Hope I don't pastor a single 21st-century hypocrite if you belong to destiny.

My job is to teach you that you have no business being, I grant you to be a person walks from God and who lets God have his way in your life. Please don't be like hypocrite because like he goes on to explain, he says they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corner of the street that they may be seen by men.

Jesus said in his day the sea wanted to intentionally come out in public and pray and they wanted to be seen. Love everyone, so they still in the synagogue and they even took it outside of the building and on the corners of the streets and Jesus bear motive. He said that they may be seen by men. Why we are to examine why we pray and Jesus said, make sure you're not praying to impress anybody that's his point here.

Make sure that you are not trying to impress people instead you need to pray because you need a face-to-face encounter with the Lord every day of your life and so he saying, pray, to impress people.

Now I had to point this out only because it's in the text and I will be faithful to the text. Having pointed out. Let me tell you what my experience has been hearing 21st-century America. We usually don't have to tell folks don't show off when you pray, don't pray to try to impress people. I just said that because it's in the text. Let me tell you what I find the challenge today is not getting people to stop and praying to impress people, which I was sedated to get people to pray. You know like I know there's a whole lot of folks who just don't play. They live their lives like they are humanists like they don't even have a relationship with God that they don't even have any trust in God that they don't expect to need God. All Christians today may have a God blessed life Monday through Saturday or faster seatbelts because I'm coming for you.

If you are one of these folk who are Christian in name but pagan in lifestyle. Jesus said not to pray. Jesus said when you pray when you pray, you ought to make sure you examine your motive, but today I need to tell folk by all means you need to develop a prayer life. We used to be one of these people who just lived your life in a secular humanist way and learn the importance of acknowledging the presence of God acknowledging your need for his power. Your need for his grace your need for his favor your need for his mercy nor need for his intervention. Your need for him to do what only he can do you need to realize we are limited but we sorry my limit last God. We can't do much but God can do all things therefore not. If you pray when you pray, you gotta make up your mind. I am not only going to be Christian in my profession of faith. I once asked the Lord in the my life but that's good but that's just like being in the starting blocks of a race as you will Christian race. You will need the Lord's help the Lord's grace every day of your life. And so my brother, my sister let me tell you right off the bat here you got to be a person of prayer on finding more people who are prayer less in their day-to-day life.

They just don't have a prayer life. They are some fold when they pray it's automatically a 911. Prayer that some people when they pray they only cause is not all I'm in trouble limit you some Jesus didn't say when you're in trouble. Pray now you can pray when you trouble. But Jesus here is teaching us to play as a matter of lifestyle, not pray as a bailout.

You are to play as a matter of your lifestyle.

You are to pray because you need the Lord every day, you need to practice is present.

You need to experience his power.

You need his intervention. You need all kinds of things from God. And so there needs to be part of your every day experience and so not to pray. When you play I want to encourage Christians today talk about getting your shine on you need to be pray and people because it will impact the folks that we have two deal with and so you need to be a prayerful person every day of your life.

Too many folks around you. I feel like they are completely self-sufficient, but they are not. And so you know, but have to pray that God will move in their lives and whatever he has to do, he will shake them on their sense of self-sufficiency and bring them to the point where they realize they need the Lord. How are people going to come to know they need him because your light is shining bright and you make it clear every day that you lead the Lord and so get your shine on as you pray not. If you pray, but as you pray, don't be a Christian who is functionally a humanist functionally an atheist, functionally an agnostic because you don't put your trust, your hope, your faith in the Lord, don't be one of those people who just goes to church because that's what you do know, though, you need more than short, you need to be in relationship with the head of the church who is Jesus Christ himself. Not if you're pray. But when you pray I want Christians to understand we are living in a world that is increasingly feeling self-sufficient really like the answers to every question are among the human race itself. I'm here to declare to you, you have to be the light to let folks know there is a God he is the creator of the heavens and the earth.

He created everything that exists both what you see and what you do not see, and we need to let that light shine. There is a God. We need to declare by our billing walk with him and by our very presence in the way we live our lives every day.

We need to declare the people there is a God and you are not him but we need to know there is a God and you're not. You don't qualify you to say, let there be you are the create.

You are not the create tour you think you are self-made. How dare you think you pulled yourself up by your own bootstraps you did no such thing, but wonderful God, you would have the boots the straps or the grace to pull them up. God has given you the power to live your life. The Bible says in him we live and have our being without him. You have no being. And so you and I need to the Clare. We were saved by grace need to declare the world around us.

There is a God, you're not him, and you need him in your life. We have humanists all around us. And now I'm noticing more and more. There a lot of sense. There is something unexplainable outside of the human race. Notice what people do a lot these days. They talk about the universe doing this and the universe doing that they universe all the universe sent me a message send message of the create create and send you a message but the creator sautéing will be right back with more of today's destined for the true message from Pastor Paul Sheppard to listen any Pastor Paul's recent broadcast.

Be sure to stop by Pastor Paul.net any time to listen on to me, that's Pastor Paul.net. You can contact us for prayer or make a safe and secure donation to the ministry right there online Institute after the message from Pastor Paul joins me in the studio.

The first was listened as a shares arrested today's message get your shine on you, pray and so things I want to get it clear don't get caught up in this foolishness, which are friends and relatives in and loved ones. What have you don't get caught up with them. Talk about the universe sent them somebody create. That is the create tour and so we need to make this very very plain. As we live our lives don't buy you a lot of folks on my fate.

This same thing with universe fate. It was just fate. There is no such thing about you believing in faith without subtly acknowledging that you know there is some force that causes certain things that happen, but that horse has a name. It's not fate and is not universe that force that you're alluding to is the Lord himself and so we need to let our light shine get your shine on things and let people know God is real. God exist. Hey has always been here, is now, he will always be okay when I do make any sense happy to be a God who don't have a beginning well know about the universe. Universe without a beginning, it makes no sense. You can explain what you believe and debunk what I believe. I believe that in the beginning God because God has revealed himself in creation is revealed himself in our concepts. He's revealed himself, especially through his word and ultimately he revealed himself in the person of Jesus Christ I know who I believe I know why I believe it. You believe in the beginning and you can't even explain the stuff came from that banning so the fact of the matter is you can back me up. Also my belief in the beginning God created the heavens and the earth, that is, the universe and all that we see and so God is the one that we are to pray to on a regular basis. Examine not only your motive for pray but examine your need for prayer. Make sure that you build prayer into your every day life. You wouldn't grow up like some of us as Sunday school children you were taught to pray for some of us were taught to pray in our home before we went to sleep so y'all can remember doing all can remember. Now I lay me down to sleep I pray the Lord my soul to keep it should die before I wake I pray the Lord my soul to take that were teaching us how to play before we knew the Lord for ourselves, to acknowledge him before we went to sleep and we need to get back to that Christian parents and grandparents aunties and all that. Teach your children the pray teaching that God is real, that God is listening and teach your children to pray.

We got to return to prayer and Christian. You gotta stop acting like you only need God for some quick emergency. You've got to realize that you need to talk to the Lord every day of your life so so that's the why you pray. Examine your motive.

Examine your need to have a regular prayer life.

But not only the why. The second thing Jesus alludes to hear in this passage is how you should pray he want to examine all your motive you want to examine your method of pray what I mean by that. Look at verse six of Matthew six Jesus said but you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your father who is in the secret place, and that your father who sees in secret will reward you openly.

And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions, as the heathen do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words.

Now let me just pause there and help you understand what Jesus is saying, so he already said examine your motives of the Pharisees. They pray intentionally out in public because they want to be seen.

And so now he's contrasting it and he says now you when you pray, find a secret place.

All he's doing is giving us a contrast is not legalistic. He's not saying you can't pray publicly he's just saying that can be your motive for playing earlier in the service and every service we have either I or somebody else pray a prayer for those in the service.

Those watching those listening is no contradiction what Jesus said the one saying you can't pray publicly he's a say in your motive can't be because you want to impress people, we don't pray when we have prayer services without trying to impress anybody when trying to help all by praying for you when playing in agreement with you that God will move in your life. And so there's nothing wrong with other people knowing it, but that cannot be your motive to be seen and heard of people so Jesus gives us the contrast that he says when you pray, find the room, shut the door to find a secret place and talk to God all the same is what is important when you pray that you get a hearing in heaven, and I hope you understand that in your life, what you need is a hearing in heaven. You don't need anybody to be impressed with how spiritual you are. You will be doing your friend so I'm never seen by pray like a girl can really break no matter what they think you need to apply because you need a hearing on high. You need the Lord to hear and answer.

You and sold the method can't be that you are specifically trying to be seen. Even if you are seen by people make sure that's not your motive, he says, because what's most important is that you have a one-on-one contact with God. Jesus prayed publicly at times throughout his ministry so we can be against public prayer. He prayed often out loud. You see him in John 11.

He's at the gravesite of Lazarus and get right to raise the man, but he prays first he prayed in a lot of different settings throughout his earthly ministry so it's not against public pray and I don't want you to feel like Jesus is you can't pray in other folks are nearby course you can say and it can be your motive to try to impress people on the record. When I go to a restaurant.

What these days don't call, but I don't go to restaurants because I will know what's going on in there and so when I do get food from out, I bring it to my safe house. Talk about in my secret closet, i.e., in my secret closet. I need not there would be crazy people see them all these restaurants and sit across the table from each other to gotta put a mass down, eat some ability to have a master begin with women I stop retuning on the floss and I'm really go back to preacher back to the matter. I want you to know God will hear you when you play formal right motive. Don't worry about it, but I also don't want you to be falsely condemned back to the matter is it is okay to pray when I was starting to say when I eat food back in the restaurant days and hopefully will days of returning when they bring my food. And pray over whatever food back there in the kitchen. What kind of bad data. You have really missed about that particular day put my life in their hands. I want you to bless this I hope they prepared with good intentions, but no matter what I want you to bless this food and by blessing. It saying secretly Lord some out series. I'm not playing. I pray when I go to restaurant you at my table to play if you want to be.

He then you go head looked at me, but I'm praying over my food because I think is important that we acknowledge God in matters like that acknowledgment.

When you get your car I believe in order pray for somebody else see you prayed in your car will be condemned on praying because I want God to get me where I plan to go and you got these crazy folk out here this Friday crazily angry. They mad the boy know you don't know what the people are doing around you. You can be the most terrible driver, but there someplace around us. So when you get behind the wheel need to trust God with your safe passage. Thanks so much for being here for today's destined for victory message get your shine on as you pray, as promised, Pastor Paul Shepherd joins me know from the studio in California pastor as a country we find yourselves just a little over a month into the first 100 days of a new administration already been lots of changes we know that some listing in her audience today are thrilled about what's been done so far. Others are concerned got me thinking about a conversation you and I had just days before the election last year and if you'd be willing.

I thought this would be a good time to remind us what you said to all of us back then take just a moment to share some truth with us about where our hope should be doing these days. I'm happy to do that. I think the key truce to following Jesus are reminding ourselves that elections don't change what we are called to do and how we are called to live here is one of the things I think we need to keep in mind that I grew up on the old hymns of the church I grew up in a church where we sang gospel in and had fun songs, but we sang hymns and anthems a lot right and so I love the him that I'm thinking about it now. In answer to your question. My hope is built on nothing less. But Jesus blood and righteousness. I dare not trust the sweetest frame, but wholly lean on Jesus name on Christ the solid rock I stand, all other ground is sinking sand. In fact of the matter is I think you need to make sure that your hope lies firmly and solely in Jesus Christ. It can never be in the White House, it can never be in a party, it can never be in Congress.

It can even be in the decisions made in the Supreme Court. It has to remain in Christ all other ground is sinking sand and I think if our listeners put their hope in Jesus Christ, then we will continue looking to Jesus who is the author and finisher of our faith while I'm reminded of Psalm 24 seven some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God, thanks for those words of wisdom Pastor Paul at a time when there's so much pain and uncertainty in the world. The good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ remains a source of hope for all who embrace it and no more than ever.

Many are searching for that hope. This is why your prayers and financial support of destined for victory is so critical as our way of saying thanks for your generous donation would like to send you a booklet called your purpose is calling God often uses other people to push us into fulfilling our God-given purpose. He also uses challenges or crises to help steer us in the right direction in your purpose is calling Pastor Paul shares three directors for anyone who's trying to discover his or her purpose. That's your purpose is calling our gift to you today by request for your generous gift to Destin for victory. Just call 855-339-5500 or visit Pastor Paul.net to make a safe and secure donation online course. You can also mail your gift to Destin for victory PO Box 1767, Fremont, CA 94538. Again, our address is Destin for victory. Box 1767, Fremont, CA 94538. Is that why you get to shine on and you pray because while people are not trying to impress them that I'm going to see God blessed me to go to see God take me through my trials to go see God get me through my hardships they're going to see God manifest as blessings in my life to see the answers to prayer. That's tomorrow in Pastor Paul Shepherd's message get your shine on as you pray. Until then, remember he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion.

In Christ, you are destined for victory