Defiant Prayer

Today on Summit likely Katie Greer. Daniel did not get his marching orders from the king or the daily newspaper was popular. Now what was trending on twitter always being socially acceptable or politically correct. Daniel got his marching orders from God is when you try to please everybody. You will fail when you are concerned with pleasing only God. It makes decision-making much easier back to MetLife with pastor there and legend JD Greer. I'm your host Molly benefits thankful to be jumping into God's word with you again today before we get started with today's program. Let me ask you because your prayer life and lately for most Americans it usually consists of just the same old stock prayer before meals and thanking God for your food, and occasional SOS set up here in the middle of the Christ.

But prayer is met for so much more in its way more powerful than you could ever dream. As always, if you miss any of our programs or from the start of our featured monthly resource you can find out online@jdgreer.com or by giving us a call at 866-335-5220 right now. Let's join Pastor JD for a message. He titled defiant fair game is where you should charting your Bible.

The Bible teaches us that all the blessings that God wants to give to us. He does so by the means of believing prayer.

Prayer is the conduit by which his power comes into our lives in the conduit by which his powers released in our families, John Wesley, the pioneer of the great awakening in our country famously said that he was convinced that everything that God did on earth he did in answer to prayer about that is clearly an overstatement, but what he's getting at is the truth that so that when God wants to do something in your life when you must release power. He does so by the means of prayer. Prayer is the way that we lay hold of the promises and the blessings of God we make them our own.

The apostle Paul tells us that all the promises of God are yes for us in Christ Jesus.

There's a sense in which every promise in the book belongs to you. So I told you that I want you to read the Bible through every year.

Yes a big it's great. But even more importantly, you need to pray for your Bible, you learn to take the promises of God. Better bear I need to make them your own because that's how God's power blessing comes in your life. Prayer is when you add the wave of your faith to the wave of God's promise. The wave of God's expressed intention and not bid that releases the laser of his power onto earth. The question I left you with last week is is simply this. Where is the power and the blessing of God absent from your life. Where is it absent from your family simply because you cannot reason out the claim to blessing the power of God is your own, it's up to God that would give it to you so they didn't care. This is a you've never risen up to grab a hold of the blessing that he intended for you and make it your own through prayer. Lastly, we took a look at a guy named Jacob, a man who had laid hold of the promise and blessing that God had for him to a night of wrestling in prayer with God. You know I told you that it was. This was a blessing to got a declarative or him already, but it did not should become his blessing did not take root in in his life until he wrestled all night with God and grabbed a hold of it himself today were to look at another dog's life is very similar.

Daniel now even if you only been to church a few times you went to Sunday school.

Couple times a kid dangles will the stories that you likely know, is it dangles will most famous Bible heroes of all time.

So I will want to do is spend a little time in his life looking at a few things were to be a Daniel six. I will try to show you three things about Daniel's life and his relationship to prayer.

That's a major theme in Daniel's life. Three things about Daniel's prayer, so you personal Daniel's discipline in prayer or discipline of prayer sexually and will try to show you Daniel's defiance through prayer minimum so you Daniel's endurance and prayer.

Daniel's discipline dangles the five Daniel's endurance all yes just when you thought you got the Southern Baptist out of the boy. He goes and pulls something like that where you H a sermon.

Daniel's discipline is abides endurance. But if you put the emphasis on Dürer right in your eyes then it's a lie constructed be so that the best I can do. She's got a limited night.

Daniel chapter 6 verse one make you do for me just forsake you. Okay, look, you'll context for this.

Just as I want to go to make sense of the story.

Daniel was an Israelite captive that had been carried off to Babylon. I'm probably scholar say somewhere during his middle school years is a God told Israel that they were not faithful to him that he would send them out of the promised land of Israel into exile.

Well, sure enough, after years of repeated unfaithfulness and refusing to heed the warnings given to them by prophets, God kept his word and in 586 Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, wrote down with the Babylonian armies and killing thousands of of the inhabitants of Jerusalem and putting a bunch more into cages and carting them off as captives and slaves.

As I mentioned Daniel during this time is likely in his middle school years, which means that he probably saw his parents murdered in front of his eyes and then he was put into a cage and he was taken off into Babylon lastly got there. Evidently Dana was a pretty bright kid because Babel decided to start an intern program were there been a selection of the best and brightest young men in Babylon to train as interns in the palace and they decided they wanted to have some of the Jewish captive young man to be a part of that because that way they could train them, brainwash them in Babylonian ways and then use them to lead the Jewish people well. Through a series of events after Daniel gets brought into this program. God blesses him and Daniel distinguishes himself above all the others.

First, the number of voices happen first Daniel chapter 1 of the king commanded that all these interns eat a very strict diet that he thought would make them healthy and smart.

Well, the problem was it included about the foods that were forbidden to Jews. The evil of the law of God to dangles of that we can eat these things and and and Daniel supervisor said what you got Edom because this is what the king thinks make you healthiest and smartest and you don't need a bottle labeled as execute you and replace it with somebody else and so Daniel symbol of what one would try this. I'm my own diet on the Jenny Craig diet how lead vegetables and fruits is not true, but I I am on this diet. Once you give us 10 days me and my friend Jeremy said Abednego once you give us 10 days and it is look at us outlet and see if we would like were suffering. Well, sure enough, after 10 days there complexion is is is is better on their bodies are stronger and so Daniel proved his courage and God proved his faithfulness. Daniel chapter 2. You find out the God gave Daniel an unusual amount of skill at all the maths and sciences that he distinguished himself above everybody else. And every single subject plus God gave Daniel the unusual ability to interpret dreams which caught people's attention because not only could Daniel tell you what was in the books that he study you can also tell you what was in your head that you dream the night before Daniel knew it seemed like he knew everything was like the Old Testament version of Google you just ask him and ban outcomes. The answer, well, it says finally that God put an excellent spirit in Daniel which will know exactly what that phrase means but I take it to mean that he just exuded such favor and graciousness that you just love to be around you know people like that. Daniel chapter 6 all that leads into Daniel six is the context in the six verse one it please Darius, who was the King Who Had Pl., Nebuchadnezzar the center of the kingdom hundred 20 satraps. I'm going to what that is but somehow the government official sound like you want with but no it's a government official Novembers to three high officials of them. Daniel's wonder to me. Satraps give an account of these interns 120 were selected to rule the country and then they selected three to be head over those satraps and Daniel was one of those Daniel the Jew was one of those then verse three. This Daniel became distinguished above all the other high officials of satraps because an excellent spirit was in him and the king plan to set him over goal kingdom bout you catch that here's a Jew that is going to be number two in the whole kingdom right by me king all these are the Babylonian interns are jealous of the rich, influential parents are jealous that this kit you this Jew is good to be over. Everybody so they the high officials in the satraps sought to find a ground for complaint against Daniel with regard to the kingdom, but they could find no ground because he was faithful, and no error fall was in him. They look at his tax returns. They were dead on. They look at his private life.

No skeletons in his closet. They look on his Facebook account. Nothing shady had been posted.

He had no outstanding parking tickets. There was nothing they could pin on him.

Then verse five easement said we shall not find any ground for complaint against this Daniel. Unless we find it in connection with the law of his God, by the way you're in pretty good way when that's all they can say the problem with I guys.

He obeys God way too much. That's what I said about being over six guineas high officials and satraps came by agreement of the king and they said oh Darius great king live forever. You know you should know when someone opens a conversation that way. That is not a good direction right by me to owe your awesomeness.

You just so awesome. You should know now Darius was stupid and so verse six of her seven all of us. The high officials of the kingdom.

The presets in the satraps and counselor governors are agreed that the king should establish an ordinance and enforce an injunction that whoever makes petition to any God or man, for 30 days except you will think shall be cast into the den of lions. The Dan of course was their ultimate form of punishment rule nobody can pray to anybody for you for 30 days and so the of the deadlines rose now okay establish the injunction and sign the document so that it cannot be changed according to the law of the Medes and the Persians, which can never be revoked.

The law of the Medes and the Persians was this code that said I want something a bit. Simon, the law, it could not be undone even of all the parties change their minds and bought it was a bad idea.

Think blood covenant or pinky swear or sequester order, it would be a way to figure out that in our day and time.

Verse nine.

Therefore, King Darius signed the document in the injunction he fell victim to flattery and bad political advice, I love this. The first person when Daniel knew that the document had been signed. He went to his house where he had windows in his upper chamber open toward Jerusalem he got down on his knees three times a day and prayed he gave thanks before his God just like you done previously.

Daniel did not get his marching orders from the king for the daily newspaper or the school administration officials what was popular now what was trending on twitter always being socially acceptable or politically correct or anything else.

Daniel got his marching orders from God, which was by the way, the key to his success is when you try to please everybody. You will fail when you are concerned with pleasing only God. It makes first of all decision-making much easier because you know that a lot of decisions you talk to may because you know that you go to please God and God himself prospered. Daniel because of it was the key to his success as he live for an audience of one.

Whatever decisions you make wanting you to please, and it was God because God was in charge of his success in a message titled defiant air, deep down, many of us really don't feel like prayer makes a difference even more. We don't fully understand the love that God has for us, and therefore his desire to answer those prayers. So this month we are offering a bundle of resources to help make praying regularly and with greater competence little bit here it's three bucks each. Called five things to praying they will cover how to pray for your city and community. Praying for your kids and praying for your parents. Each of these relationships matter to even more. They matter to God for presenting these requests is something God not only loves to hear longs to answer so give us a call today at 866-335-5220 or go online to Jeannie Greer.com to reserve your copy now let's get back to her teaching only extrapolate three things out of that story that I mentioned to you about Daniel's prayer. Here they are. Number one will rephrase them to apply to our lives, our prayer should be characterized by discipline our prayers to be characterized by discipline. This story tells us that Daniel prayed routinely three times a day. I'll make the case for you that this was one of the primary sources of Daniel strength.

This is what gave him the ability to withstand the Empire. It's what gave him the ability to prosper. What gave them the ability to face the lives the is that he met with God as often as he ate, as often as you do physical strength. He drew spiritual strength.

The most important discipline that I have in my life's daily meeting with God, my parents taught it to me when I was a teenager and about God's grace with his help, that is been a part of my life almost every day versus I was a teenager is just daily meeting with God to be able to bring to him these things and that led his power, his strength come into me. Honestly, those of you that do not have a timer you meet with God every day. I don't know how you do it. I really don't. I don't know how you gain the wisdom to make decisions. I don't know how you have the strength to maintain your marriage and other relationships.

I don't know how you don't know a difficulty. I don't know how you deal with difficult people.

I don't how you raise your children. Because that is the lifeblood for me because it is the place where God's wisdom and his power is the vehicle the conduit by which God releases that strength.

That's the key to Daniel strength visiting me to God, three times a day. Jesus before he made decisions before he chose his 12 disciples spent all night in prayer all night window. It was awesome.

He spent a significant amount of time in prayer before you made a decision where you go to college where you major in the day you have a Merry right already, you'll need it because maybe Jesus just resisted that he needed. I gotta stop because he was weak right yeah I would say that Jesus thought he needed a kind of prayer covers before he made significant decisions and probably be a good idea for me and you that we would make significant decisions that we have a prayer that brings up our stuff all the time you look at the children of Israel in the Old Testament. What you find out is that the place where they went wrong. Joshua 11 is when they forgot to pray about certain decisions and is made a because they look obvious to them. I would say that you are cutting yourself off from the life and power of God in your family and your life unless you have a daily type that you meet with God is powerful is in the link for this to you by example.

On the other side, but I before Jesus died, he each of these disciples of the garden of Gethsemane where he wanted to pray because he knew he was about to undergo that the trial of his life. It took three of his disciples, Peter, James and John little farther in the garden Gethsemane told them to pray for an hour. He said watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation and then we know he went off a little farther and spent some time by himself. He came back at least a couple of times during that hour, and he found them operating by sleeping and he woke them up. I'm sure he wore them out. They tried to pretend like they had a brain goblets missionaries in Jesus name, amen. I'm sure they tried that but Jesus is on mission so he was a full Heisei could even watch and pray with me for an hour right now now now we know that Peter left that garden of Gethsemane. After sleeping to Howard what you do.

He denied Jesus three times what Jesus told him, pray as you go into temptation. What if you made it through that hour of prayer, might it be that he would not have denied Jesus three times this seems like that's what Jesus said he know Jesus finds him sleeping to the statement he made. The spirit is willing, Peter. But the flesh is weak. Yes, you don't want to deny me, but your flesh is weak. What if the means by which God steals our spirit and strengthens our resolve is meeting with him and pray God gives us the ability to make wise decisions. The ability to bring Harley to our marriage, ability to raise her kids.

What that was the means by which God did that and you cut yourself off from it soon.

I'm doing that is the way you overcome the weaknesses of your flesh is the way that you gain access to the wisdom and power of God. I'm not saying pray three times a day is the magic number. I'm just in with you baby stay in prayer with you what I do in the morning, which is one thing that was upright in my calendar, my God, this business in this good and today a much stuff in the middle that I'm even know about yet. I need your help in each of these. What if you lay hold of God's power and his promises daily in a time that you set aside for prayer. By the way, you need to set a time to not be one of these people are like all.

I just pray all throughout the day know you do not right, Thomas might cut you off in traffic and you're like oh Jesus I got that I did count.

I am praying for you. Have a me on talking about time you set aside where you meet with God, you gain his strength and his power.

I'm trying to teach is just one of my children already in a way that's appropriate for them to minutes from the breakfast table in the morning most important 10 minutes. I think we spent the day to miniaturize regional from a devotional, a kids version of devotional goal Jesus calling, which is above verses that are written as of the spoken first-person Jesus taught this a couple minutes talk about what they got in front of them and we pray for God's power blessing to go over them throughout the day. That is something that you have got the discipline to put into your life because it will be a game changer for you and your children but you understand why it is that we pray is because apart from Jesus.

We can do nothing of lasting significance. Nothing we can raise our families, we cannot build our careers, we can build our lives apart from him. I told you last week. I quote Psalm 127 one all the time to God when I'm pray for my family, unless the Lord builds the house as you labor, labor in vain. God, unless you are the one who builds my children, unless you establish my marriage. Unless you build my church, my ministry, my life I'm laboring in vain. How much have you labored in vain. Building a house that has no spiritual significance at all. You labored hard labor hard to build your career to build your family you want more ridiculously hard list God builds the house, the way that you lay hold of the blessing of the power, the promise of God consistently throughout the Bible is by believing prayer so our prayers should be characterized by discipline, number two, our prayer should be characterized by defiance our prayers to be characterized by defiance now defines what will I we see the Babylonians walls that you shouldn't pray.

Yes usually.

Should the fighters or something more here only pressure just a little bit deeper on this because when Daniel prayed he was defying not just the king's orders he was defying a situation he didn't want to be in that he believed God wanted to change.

Thankfully, the words of one of Daniel's prayers that he pray three times a day is recorded for us in Daniel chapter 9 tribute to Bob flip over to Daniel nine will be walking through a couple of opening the ears of the things Daniel prayed three times a day like this for 70 now, therefore, all our God. Listen to the prayer of your servant and to his pleas for mercy for your own sake your own sacral Lord make your face to shine upon your sanctuary, which is desolate thinking here of Jerusalem several hundred miles away where the Temple lies in ruins as I God says about your day and about your plans. It lies desolate first 18 oh my God. Incline your ear, and hear open your eyes and see our desolation's in the city that is called by your name, for we do not present our pleas before you because of our righteousness on our because of your great mercy Lord here. Lord forgive Lord pay attention Lord act delay not for your own sacral my God because your city and your people are called by your main now there is so much in that prayer I see a spirit of repentance and humility because God's. I can hear you when you're acting in defiance of him. I see that he's grounding his prayer not in his worthiness, but in God's mercy. Use it Daniel. There was ever anybody they could say I'm wordy for you to hear my prayer. Anybody else would Jesus Daniel could've said it, they are more than he had grabbed his worthiness. He grabs it God's mercy when you approach God like a God, you owe me this, I gotta be good so you should give me this is never to hear that prayer when you say God your mercy is infinite, your compassion is never ending.

That's when you get God's attention, probably most importantly, what I see. Listen is an awareness by Daniel of the promises of God and that prayer what Daniel demands hear what he says hey Jerusalem desolate and open your ears to hear, is a near verbatim quotes from Deuteronomy 30 were God promised that if his people got sent into exile if they repented up of themselves and prayed that God would restore them back from exile to the land of Israel. As you Daniel's doing is holding up the words of God. God is all know the promises of God to God as God. You promised that your name or names on the line. This is not an idea you said it and I want you to do what you said you would do effective prayer begins when you perceive the gap between where a situation is and where God wants it to me you are listening with pastor Jane Greer in a message titled defiant prayer for my teaching series called press through today we'd like to get a very encouraging resource into your hands at the set of three guides that will help you to pray for three specific areas of your life. Praying for your kids for your parents and for your community.

There are 21 different areas and situations to focus on and within each of those areas, we give you five different things to pray for you can use each book in a variety of ways you can pray through a set of five things each day. Over the course of three weeks and then start again or you can take one of the prayer themes for the week and pray one point every day from Monday to Friday. Each prayer suggestion is based on a passage in the Bible.

See you can be confident as you use it you are praying, great prayers, prayers that God wants you to pray because they're based on his word. You can request this three but bundled when you get a one time gift today. When you make your first donation as a monthly gospel partner gospel partners commit to regular monthly getting in a real sense, they are the backbone of this ministry. If you've been going through this program. Diving deeper into the gospel with us between a team that makes all of this happened, give us a call at eight 663-3550 T-20 tomorrow is the last day to reserve your setbacks that number again is eight 663-3550 C training or you can get and request online Jane Greer.com you can also write to crises, resource addresses JD clear ministry, PO Box 12293, Durham North Carolina 277 09 and remember to ask for the five things to pray bundle I Molly benefits encouraging you to join us again tomorrow. This short study dictating answers the question. Control already knows what the Wednesday on Senate life Greer ministry