The Power of Prayer - How to Bring God's Power into Your Impossible Situation

Let me ask you something. What's the most difficult situation you're facing right now to me what is it that so far out there.

It would take a miracle to fix maybe at your marriage and probably your kids situation with your boss a health issue. I don't know what it is going to talk today about how to bring God's supernatural power into your impossible situation stay with welcome to this Tuesday edition of Living on the Edge with Chip Ingram Living on the Edges of international discipleship ministry featuring the Bible teaching of Chip Ingram on Dave and today she begins a new series called the power of prayer over the next several days you're gonna learn how to pray with confidence and bring God's supernatural power directly into your life and if you're not experiencing is power how to make sure you're getting a clear connection. Doubt you have a Bible open it down to acts chapter 12 let's join Chip for his message how to bring God's power into your impossible situation.

I like you to think of a metal chalkboard in your mind.

And like you to think for a second. What's the most impossible situation I would like to see God change what relationship, what finances what about me that you can't change and try to change it hasn't happened impossible. While it just got that on the chalkboard of your mind.

You got because I want you to read this passage and hear what God is going to say on the basis of him actually wanting to move in and out of hospital situation granite.

Sometimes God says no and I understand all that but what I like to suggest is that God would like to say yes a lot more than any of us would ever dream. Let's pick up the situation in acts chapter 12 verses one through 19. It was about that time the King Herod arrested some belong to the church, intending to persecute them again James the brother of John put the death with the sword and when he saw that that pleased the Jews, he proceeded also to seize Peter. This happened during the feast of unleavened bread and after arresting him. He put in prison, handing him over to be guarded by four squads of four soldiers each 16 guys to guard one guy Herod intended to bring them out for public trial after the Passover. That's the situation. Verse five. So Peter was camped in prison.

Sounds pretty impossible. Doesn't your brand-new multiplying church.

Your against the entire Roman army.

The fighting force of the land that controls the known world, and they have 16 soldiers surrounding your leader to find at night they put them in a cell and have one man on one side and one on the other, and they have them change they don't want this elegant way so Peter was kept in prison, but how did the church respond.

The church was earnestly praying unto God for him.

They didn't have any weapons. They did have the armies they sent me an impossible situation. He's a beloved leader greatly is by God. We will earnestly pray specifically for Peter unto God for his deliverance.

Let's find out if God hears the prayers of people. When the church gathers that night before Herod was to bring them to trial. Night before his execution. Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains and Sentry stood guard at the entrance. Suddenly an angel of the Lord appeared in a light shown in the cell he struck Peter on the side and woke him up quick and not be said and the chains fell off Peter's wrists.

Then the angel said to him, put on your clothes and sandals and Peter did so wrap your cloak around you and follow me. The angel told him Peter followed him out of the prison, but he had no idea what the angel was doing was really happening is little groggy right now he thought he was seeing a vision. They passed the first and the second guards.

They came to an iron gate leading to the city it open for them by itself and they went through when they walked the length of one street suddenly the angel left him. Then Peter came to himself, you know you can almost see him rubbing his eyes. The cold air hits his face now Peter, first of observation. How many of us would be asleep on the night before execution is guys resting in Christ. Secondly, how many of us if there was a crisis in this church, many of us in the middle of night 2 AM 3 AM with think to themselves, all fine here. I'm sure there's a prayer meeting going on praying for me, using the early church was built around an excellent commitment to corporate prayer crisis problem need prayer. It's all through the Scriptures and so Peter ends up meeting where a large group is already praying he knocks on the outer entrance and a servant girl named Rhoda came to answer the door. When she recognized his voice. He gets so excited and overjoyed.

She runs back without opening it explains Peter that that are your airline. They told her when she kept insisting it was so they say will must be as angel, but Peter kept on knocking, and when they open the door and saw him, they were astonished God had done the impossible. Peter motioned with his hands for them to be quiet and then he described how the Lord had brought them out of prisons and then he told him tell James and the brothers about this and he left for another place an impossible situation. The church responds in prayer. God responds through sending angel for deliverance. The faith of those people.

I bet grew a little bit that night just so it could be in the annals of history.

The author Luke writes in the morning. There was no small commotion among the soldiers as to what becomes of Peter con epilogue unit back at the ranch. What happened in prison after Herod had a thorough search made for him. He didn't find them. He cross-examined the guards and ordered that they be executed and Herod went from Judea to Caesarea and stayed for a while to pretty simple story is about a way, this isn't about signs and wonders. This isn't about apostolic issues. This isn't about gifts. This is about things that may have happened in the first century, but don't necessarily normatively happened today. This is about an impossible situation and a group of people who took it seriously and prayed.

Know what I like to suggest is that there's four key principles we can learn from the early church so that we can bring God's power into our impossible situation, and all four of those I think are found in verse five flipped back the page or look in your Bible. Notice the impossible situation is Peter in prison but now look at these four phrases, but here's the first phrase number one.

The church, the gathering of God's people. Number two was earnestly praying is continuous action and that word is a very specific word that will look at number three, they prayed on to God and number four they prayed for him and I like to take these in the order of I think priority is there here, but in priority of learning how to pray to bring God's power supernatural power into your impossible situation.

The first thing I think we learned is that we must learn to pray on to God alone word to her unto his little preposition in Greek means before or before the face of God. It means motioned towards access to or nearness at something no some of you this point of saying chip. Who do you think were praying.

I mean, we pray to God what you mean.

We must learn to pray to God you and I like to suggest this is been most profound difference that I've learned my own prayer life. I like to suggest that maybe 50 to 75% of the time in your prayers and mine. We don't really pray on to God. Now I don't mean your praying for some false God but I like to suggest that most of the time when were really not conscious that when we pray our focus is on our words, our focus is on what we're saying.

Our focus is on other people in the room and how they might think about what we are saying or our focus is on pure autopilot. Have you listen to your kids and sells praying groups how these little phrases keep popping up all Lord keep us say protect all those that that that the truth do you know what I mean and I think what this passage means that the early church did when they prayed unto God is, they came and they knew and more conscious of. They were in the very presence of God and their focus was on to whom they were speaking and they were absolutely certain that they were talking to him. Nothing to the difference think the difference is that about your head and just letting your your your mouth start to go if you stopped and somehow like the picture in Revelation 5 or Isaiah 6 you realized she was the throne room of God and their seraphim flying holy, holy, holy, and he's in unapproachable light and he is all-powerful and then combined with that, the Lamb of God and his goodness and his tenderness and his love and his desire to bless and draw you near what in your mind before you said a word you realized who God really I tell you, it will transform your prayer when you consciously become aware and take time to focus on who is your speaking to all the sudden the size of your problems begin to shrink in your emotional struggles begin to shrink because it's like bringing you know Penny and Nicole and dime issues to a multi-multibillionaire can he change a relationship like that. Can he peel a body like that. Can he turn the situation around at work, praying unto God is coming unto God with an awareness of who he really is. Before you say a word and then being certain that you're actually talking to him RA Torrey writes in his book I wrote down a quote we should never under one syllable of prayer either in public or in private until we are definitely conscious that we have come into the presence of God and we are really speaking to him. Can you imagine if you will, regardless of your political persuasion if the president of the United States, all the heads of Europe, all the heads of the entire world. The top 10 or 12 nations came and formed a tribunal they have the power to push buttons they have all the control of all the resources and they said we are going to give you an audience with the leaders of the top 12 countries in the world. You can ask what everyone for no guarantees of how long you will be allowed to talk, but these people had the power to do anything you want. How would you prepare for that meeting. Would you just flippantly walk and Sable got shot guys on pure logic here, let me come talk to you and you not know what I really need that you notice sorting. I'll tell you what I think carefully about every word that can come out of my mouth before those people and if they gave me a chance to ask for something I would've pondered.

What's the most important thing I really want from and if we would do that before humans.

How much more do we need to come before God recognizing who he really is and really aware that your speaking to him I will transform your prayer life really been trying to practice this and you not trying to ponder his attributes.

I remember reading about Martin Luther and how he would read through's carefully the Lord's prayer and then recite the 10 Commandments in a number of things just to remember who God wasn't in my heart I just never get we can't come to get a jumpstart. I just couldn't get close to God and my Bible was open. It wasn't where I was normally reading and Psalm 121 was open. I think I just glance at the Psalm before I pray I need to remember who God is. I glanced down this is I lift up my eyes to the hills from where does my help come my help comes from the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth. He won't let your foot slip.

He who watches over you never slumbers nor sleeps and goes on talks about his goodness, and he'll be your shade at your right hand and how he longs for you to come in and he'll protect you and love you and all the sudden the lights came on, I realized God wants me to talk to. This is a safe place. This is one is holy and infinite, and powerful, and yet he desires Chip Ingram to come today. Talk is like the heavens open.

Let me ask you, are you praying unto God. Are you really aware of who you're speaking to, and are you certain that as you speak your really talking that raises a couple questions doesn't some of you might say will. Gosh, maybe who maybe maybe God just works this way for people like chipper for pastors or missionaries or whoever else how could I know that I can come into God's presence and then how can I know for sure that God is really going to hear me when you give me the assurance it has nothing to do with your status.

It has nothing to do with your merit the basis of our assurance before God's throne is the work of Christ on the cross. The way that you can know and I can know and every single person on this earth who knows Jesus and a personal saving way that when you come before God, you have access before the very throne room of God. Look at the verse I put down Hebrews 1019 it says. Therefore, brothers, we have confidence to enter the most holy Place or the holy of holies, for God's power were the most intimate expression of his person is and how do you get there by the blood of Jesus your merit your absolute guarantee that you can come into the presence of the Almighty Creator of the universe isn't because you've been a good boy or a good girl today. It's by the blood of Christ. The problem the case me from God is my sin. And when he died on the cross he paid for your sin. When he rose from the dead and seated at the right hand of God, he pioneered a trail that you and I have absolute confidence right before the throne of God on the basis of not your spirituality but on the basis of his finished work on the cross as powerful people you can know for sure. On the second question that may come up is what is there some issues in my life that need to be taken care of.

Great first John 19 first John teaches that not only did he do that once and for all but the blood of Christ keeps on cleansing. If there's an issue between you and another person, or God confess your sin, and he says he'll cleanse you and forgive you and then he'll draw you in here. A second issue is what that's how we have basis. But how does it actually work you know and I know at least in our experience, some of those of you that a walk with the Lord for a while. There's times where were you pray and I can explain it, but there's times of such intimacy with God, with your eyes shut. I feel like I can almost reach out and touch and at other times when I pray that I'm trying as hard as I can try having been there is like being I'm not sure my prayers make it to the ceiling.

You know I'm talking about and I don't have a desire to pray and I feel dry.

I know I ought to, and I know I should want to and I don't feel close to God. I had these big dry feelings and when you do that, how can we know and how can we break through what's the means of access. The Scriptures very clear here. The means of access into God's presence 24 hours a day is by his spirit he see the Scripture teaches. We pray to the father we pray on the basis or through the sun and we pray in the spirit it's the spirits ministry and what his ministry is his ministry in prayer is to take you by the hand and me by the hand and personally escorted us to the very throne room of God to make God's presence real in our hearts and in our experiences.

It's true in reality there's no barriers between us and God. Because of the work of the cross. But in our experience often doesn't John out and so it's the work of the Spirit to do that, notice the verse here from Ephesians 218 it says, for through him. Christ, we have access and that word means introduction into God's presence to the father. How by one spirit the other day I was praying. I'm trying to apply this to my life and I had one of those bounce off the ceiling times. So what you do you just say you have often done cannot be candid with you upright a few generic prayers and said well I guess I'm just not into it too much today upright. More later today, which I usually don't do oral pray tomorrow harder, which I usually don't. That's when you need to pray the most and you know what the spirits ministry with the promises. The promises that you can sit quietly and say Lord I know that I can't pray apart from the Holy Spirit's ministry and you promise that he will leave me by the hand and take me to the very throne room of God and make God real in my experience, and so you can sit quietly and say God the Holy Spirit. We you please right now. Take me to the throne room of God and make the experience and the reality of God real in my heart and then sit quietly believe and expect that God will do that and you know what he will took me about 10 or 12, maybe 15 minutes. I struggled my struggle and then I finally pray that I sat quietly and in all the old books the old books about people really prayed. They had a little phrase you don't hear much is called breaking through or praying through.

There's many a time, it may take 1015 minutes maybe little bit more the kind of breakthrough and most of us quit before we break through until heaven opens up in the spirit of God assures you in and God wants to do that and he wants us to pray unto God, the majority this message is on this because if we don't do this, the rusty things don't matter much today believing first who it is that were talking to and being assured that were actually talking to him. The basis is the blood of Christ, the means of access is the Holy Spirit, and I would encourage you before you utter a syllable in prayer, either publicly or privately that you stop and say God I want to remember who you are and I want to make sure that I'm speaking to you, not to the people in praying or not just get my prayers that you will experience a radical transformation in your life. The second thing he says that we need to do is that we need to pray earnestly the word earnestly.

Here is the a compound word has two parts. The first act meaning out in the second half of this word mean stretch the idea of our English word, we get the word pretension is translated in first Peter 122 is deeply or fervently. It's a word used in Luke 2244 where Jesus is praying and then he sees the disciples and he goes back to pray and it says therefore, in any he prayed more earnestly, as he was doing battle. The idea here is focused intent and passion. It's coming to God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind. Think God I need business I want what I'm asking of you. I'm not going to the motions. Those of you that have had children do remember a time when one of your little children when the temperature went 202 and then the temperature went about 103 and then went 204 Tiger. Your prayers changed different sat there with a tiny little baby that's burning up or when you're little kids. I'll tell you what, you don't pray to the Lord. We would really like if it's in your will, according to your sovereign plan to bless this child according to your divine purposes.

Ohlone you hear a mom or dad next to that baby own God save my child. Please see teasingly the content, like we need to come to Cuba really talking to earnestly the word needs to be stretched out here so please be stretched out to be for God's sake.

God hear our cry and you know the evidence of when you really mean business.

The level of your perseverance. The third thing we need to learn to do is we need to pray corporately. We need to pray unto God, we need to pray earnestly we need to pray corporately that I get that from the little phrase the church earnestly prayed unto God for him, the church. The meaning of the word of the church means the assembly or the gathered ones, the Equus, the church was born. It grew and it exploded in the context of a commitment and belief that the body of Christ gathered for intercession is the most powerful force on the earth.

I dare you to read through the book of acts and prove me wrong. The early church believed that the most powerful force on this earth. So in the body of Christ gathered and approached Jesus and the father and the power the Holy Spirit and they asked in unity and if you don't believe me do a quick sketch.

The early church was born, where out of the prayer meeting. Chapter 1 of acts when Jesus ascended he said hey you go wait and go pray right. Chapter 2 Pentecost came during what they were praying. Chapter 3 the first miracle where were Peter and John on their way to Peter and John are on their way to a prayer meeting when they do the miracle chapter 4 they get beat up, thrown into prison. Then they get let out and they come back to the church what they say who only to get to suffer like this for Christ and then they prayed for more effectiveness and the ground shook my chapter 6 the whole structure of the church changed man.

Elders and deacons.

Why one simple reason because the leadership said we must give ourselves to prayer and the ministry of the word. What was Cornelius doing when God revealed himself to him is pray. What was Peter doing when God revealed himself in chapter 10 to go talk to Cornelius. He was praying, where the first missionaries come from acts 13 what what were they doing when they called Poland's Barnabas out there praying historically and globally. You'll find every great movement of God is tied with people who begin to lay hold of what's true about prayer. You can look at the Wesley brothers, Jonathan Edwards. You can go back to the Reformation or you can go over to Korea today where God is moving marvelously and you'll find the churches more in the morning five in the morning six in the morning.

Hundreds of thousands of people pray daily corporately application.

I think we praise the church, you know, in terms of rural corporate priority coming together to pray for week but it would seem to me if our church believed in prayer we had the kind of crisis there'd be about 300 people there on Tuesday night for corporate prayer instead of 30. Now if you got commitment and it's God's will.

Don't come but if you want to see God work in a supernatural way that I'll check you on Tuesday and let's get before God must believe what the New Testament says and let's call out to him and you will be a part of the work of God the things that the final point.

Not only is it unto God and earnestly and corporately, we must pray specifically did you notice it's for him.

I think that we pray a lot of vague generalities about God's will, working out all things in our every want to work and I know your sovereign in any of that's true. I think were bailing out. Oh God, whatever you want to happen when you want to happen as a father or a parent your kids at all. Mother and father whatever you want for for for dinner is fine with me. It's just great. Whatever you want to give me for my birthday is apparent what you want to know, son, daughter, what you want when you bring specific joy to your heart is appearing on billing notion you'll never see God's power until you start praying specifically, I put my top 14 things specific things impossible in the life of members of my family and for my life for this church right specific things down to put before the throne of God is the of the eternal God of the universe doesn't want to bring how into your impossible situation. She will be back in just a minute with a specific application to this message. But if you're just joining us, listening to Living on the Edge with Chip Ingram chips message today how to bring God's power into your impossible situation is from his series, the power of prayer, whether you're a new Christian or a seasoned follower of Christ. Prayer is the key to God's throne room and answered prayer is something you can experience is your relationship with the matures in the power of prayer will discover the steps to developing a dynamic prayer life to learn how to remove common roadblocks to answered prayer and how to pray with absolute confidence for limited time ship series, the power of prayer is available for special ulnar discount price and the MP3s are absolutely free for complete ordering and pricing details. Just visit us online at http://livingontheedge.org or give us a call at 1-888-333-6003 will chip what you give us today about God being very, very personal, like a loving God who delights to spend time with his children can seem, let me put this carefully up at odd to some of us especially if we didn't experience that from our earthly parents right what I've learned is everybody has all kind of ups and downs and struggles of life and work in marriage and kids in singleness and and I'm just in that party with them. But here's what I have learned in the midst of all of that.

What I've learned that God wants to meet me when I'm down he wants to meet me when I'm struggling in and the way he meets me is is often through person off into the Scriptures, but I think the most profound way that God meets me when I need hope is that I talked to them and sometimes is not a great or easy conversation and and words don't come easily, but what I found was I always thought there was a special way to pray.

You and I would listen to other people and wish I could pray like them or not know this or not, know that and what I wanted to do was help ordinary regular people like me learn how to talk with God, we just actually pray and talk with God in a simple clear way where you really connect and experience him and so we developed an online course. It's five short videos is very practical and I share with you. This is how I personally connect with God that this is what I've learned over the years. I want to encourage those of you who really want to experience God more deeply and is not that you don't pray, but like all of us were human right we get into ruts and pretty soon for saying words but were not experiencing God's presence, or his power. If that's what you want this online video course is really good help.

Frank's trip will this online course on prayer really is a great tool for Living on the Edge matter where you are in your prayer life what your peers and the questions that go with each short session will take you to a whole new depth of communication with the Lord you can do these five sessions at your own pace by yourself with a few friends just go online to LivingontheEdge.org and take your next step toward experiencing God through prayer. When elders chip with his application. As we close today's program.

I want you to lean back where ever you are and I want you to really ask yourself what is the most impossible situation you're facing. I find sometimes even as followers of the Lord Jesus.

We we just assume will that's impossible. It'll never change, and yet all through the New Testament we see God work in miraculous ways. Not saying he's always going to do a miracle in every situation, but he has it, and he may just want to intervene in a way for you and sometimes I think, well, I've prayed about that. I've asked nothing happen and so let's just pause for a moment I want you to really think what we learn today. First, are you really praying unto God, you know, we all get tired and we just say words are you really recognizing who in fact you're praying to his power, his Majesty, his love as second unit. Are you praying earnestly, I know with me. There's times where I hear words coming out of my mouth but there's not an earnestness. There's not a passion there's not a sense of hope.

God, I really want this from you and I really mean it. If third you know have you brought people into your life to pray with you.

There's amazing power all through the New Testament the church history movements of God.

Have you asked two or three people, or even the whole church sake, let's come together and ask God to intervene and then finally, are you praying specifically, one of the big house in my entire life was stopped praying. Oh Lord, you know, bless so-and-so or help my kids to turn out writer, would you give me a better marriage and I started praying very specific things and I got to see God do very specific answers, so I think we can have a wonderful time together. If you can't make all the series.

Make sure you download the app and it'll be on there day after day after day. There's message notes a go with it.

Let's go on a journey together and really learn how to get answered prayer a reality in our lives just before we close. I want to thank those of you who make this broadcast possible through your generous giving Living on the Edge invests your gifts to purchaser time create programs and provide resources to help Christians live like Christians Living on the Edge is been a blessing to you. Would you prayerfully consider sending a gift today. You can donate online at http://livingontheedge.org or by calling us at 1-888-333-6003. Thank you for your partnership with us tomorrow.

Chip continues his series the power of prayer. So I hope will be with us for that for everyone here. This is Steve really saying thanks for listening to this Edition of Living on the Edge