The Space between our prayers and praise

 

What do we do while we wait for our prayers to be answered?

 

In Daniel 10:11-13,  Daniel's prayer was answered the first day he prayed, but he had to wait 21 days for the answer to come.    

 

1. God hears our prayers.  

 

Psalm 18:6

ESV

In my distress I called upon the Lord;
    to my God I cried for help.
From his temple he heard my voice,
    and my cry to him reached his ears.

 

2. God answers our prayers.

1 John 5:15

 

ESV

And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him.

 

Matthew 7:11

 

ESV

 If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!

 

3. God uses the time that we wait for our prayers to be answered.

Matthew 7:11

 

ESV

If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!

Our struggle is to not take matters into our own hands.

4. Don't waste the time that we wait for our prayers to be answered.  

Psalm 130:1-6 

 

ESV

 

Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord!

²     O Lord, hear my voice!
Let your ears be attentive
    to the voice of my pleas for mercy!

³ If you, O Lord, should mark iniquities,
    O Lord, who could stand?
⁴ But with you there is forgiveness,
    that you may be feared.

⁵ I wait for the Lord, my soul waits,
    and in his word I hope;
⁶ my soul waits for the Lord
    more than watchmen for the morning,

    more than watchmen for the morning. 

A.  Focus on God's ways.

Hebrews 10:23-25

 

ESV

 

 Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. ²⁴ And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, ²⁵ not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.

 

B. Focus on God's Word.  

Find a verse and make it personal.  God's will is His Word.    

1 John 5:14 

ESV 

And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us.

C.  Focus on God's work.

Hebrews 12:1

 

ESV

Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,

Mark 9:23

ESV

 

 And Jesus said to him, “‘If you can’! All things are possible for one who believes.”  

Facing Fear

 

Fear is like a virus that keeps us from living the life that God has called us to.  It is a weapon that the enemy uses on us.  

We must stand our ground and face our fears, so God has our permission (faith) to work on our behalf.  

Fear comes at us like a storm.  We must take our fear and shape it into a prayer.  Fear prompts us to pray.  End the prayer in faith by thanking God in advance.   

We must reject Satan's lies.  Then, we rest in our trust in God. Never be afraid to put your unknown future into the hands of a known God.   

2 Timothy 1:7

English Standard Version

...for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.

Luke 1:26-31

English Standard Version

26 In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, 

27 to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. And the virgin's name was Mary. 

28 And he came to her and said, “Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you!” 

29 But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be. 

30 And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. 

31 And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus.

Exodus 14:13-14

English Standard Version

13 And Moses said to the people, “Fear not, stand firm, and see the salvation of the Lord, which he will work for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall never see again. 

14 The Lord will fight for you, and you have only to be silent.”

Philippians 4:6

English Standard Version

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.

2 Corinthians 10:5

English Standard Version 

We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ,

Psalm 56:3-4

English Standard Version

3 When I am afraid, I put my trust in you.
4 In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I shall not be afraid. What can flesh do to me?

Trials and Temptations

 

James 1:1

English Standard Version

 

1 James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ,

To the twelve tribes in the Dispersion:

Greetings.

 

 

Right now in Covid 19 we are dispersed abroad.  Some of us are meeting in Church and some on the Internet. 

 

James 1:2-3

English Standard Version

 

2 Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, 3 for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness.

If we don't quit, we win. 

Trials are external.  They are about the circumstances that we find ourselves in.  

1. God wants to use our circumstances to mature us.   

We don't have a choice of which trial we have, but we can choose our attitude within it. 

James 1:4

English Standard Version

4 And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

 

 

2. We can use trials to get closer to God.  

 

"God shouts to us in our pain."  C. S. Lewis

 

We must ask for help.  

 

James 1:5

English Standard Version

5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.

 

We must stand firm in our faith, and focus on God alone.  We must focus on the faithfulness of God. 

 

James 1:6-8

English Standard Version

6 But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. 7 For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; 8 he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.

 

1 Peter 1:7

English Standard Version

7 so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.

 

3. Satan wants to use temptation to destroy us.   We must understand the process.  

 

James 1:14-15

English Standard Version

14 But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. 15 Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death.

 

 

Temptation happens on the inside of us.  

Here's the process.

 

1. Deception

2. Desire

3. Disobedience

4. Death

 

"Sin will take you further than you want to go.  Keep you longer than you want to stay.  Cost you more than you want to pay."    

Ravi Zacharias

 

James 1:16

English Standard Version

16 Do not be deceived, my beloved brothers.

1 Peter 5:8

English Standard Version

8 Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.

 

 

We can fight back in temptation, and use it as an area of growth.  

 

Remember AC/DC

 

Avoid the situation.

Counter with the Word of God. 

Develop healthy friendships.

Commit to prayer.  

 

Let's live in victory.

 

James 1:18

English Standard Version

18 Of his own will he brought us forth by the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.

The Single Life

https://www.churchofthehighlands.com/media/message/the-single-life

(Romans 1:21-25 NLT) They knew God, but they wouldn’t worship him as God or even give him thanks. And they began to think up foolish ideas of what God was like. As a result, their minds became dark and confused. Claiming to be wise, they instead became utter fools… As a result, they did vile and degrading things with each other’s bodies. They traded the truth about God for a lie. 


The Single Life “Single” Status Defining Dating Social Space Hurt & Hesitation 


1 Corinthians 7:7 NIV “But I wish everyone were single, just as I am. Yet each person has a special gift from God, of one kind or another.” 


1 Corinthians 7:32-34 MSG I want you to live as free of complications as possible. When you’re unmarried, you’re free to concentrate on simply pleasing the Master. Marriage involves you in all the nuts and bolts of domestic life and in wanting to please your spouse, leading to so many more demands on your attention. The time and energy that married people spend on caring for and nurturing each other, the unmarried can spend in becoming whole and holy instruments of God. I’m trying to be helpful and make it as easy as possible for you, not make things harder. 


“Free of Complications” 


Single and Simple 



Ecclesiastes 3:1 NIV There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens. 


“Pleasing the Master” 



Single and Seeking 


Matthew 6:33 NIV “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” 


Psalm 23:1 NIV The LORD is my shepherd, I lack nothing. 


“Time and Energy” 


Single and Serving 


Psalm 92:12-15 NIV The righteous will flourish like a palm tree, they will grow like a cedar of Lebanon; planted in the house of the Lord, they will flourish in the courts of our God. They will still bear fruit in old age, they will stay fresh and green, proclaiming, “The Lord is upright; he is my Rock, and there is no wickedness in him.” 


“Whole and Holy” 


Single and Secure 


Matthew 7:24-25 NLT “Anyone who listens to my teaching and follows it is wise, like a person who builds a house on solid rock. Though the rain comes in torrents and the floodwaters rise and the winds beat against that house, it won’t collapse because it is built on bedrock. 



“If you try to build intimacy with another person before you have gotten whole on your own, all your relationships become an attempt to complete yourself.” – Dr. Les Parrott

Into the Unknown!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wa78qxQCKgo&list=RDwa78qxQCKgo&start_radio=1



Isaiah 43:18-19 (NLT)

¹⁸ “But forget all that—
    it is nothing compared to what I am going to do.
¹⁹ For I am about to do something new.
    See, I have already begun! Do you not see it?
I will make a pathway through the wilderness.
    I will create rivers in the dry wasteland.

Sometimes we don't see the possibilities, but the problems.  Don't we enjoy new things?  However, sometimes we push back.  We push back because...

1. It's unclear.  

Stress is at it's highest while facing the unknown.  There is even less stress when we know something bad is about to happen.  

2.  It's unsettled.  

You can't make up your mind.

3.  It's uncontrollable. 

Our prayers tend to be telling God what  to do.  God does his best work in the unknown.  We can have control or growth in our faith.  We can't have both. 

We must remember that...

1. God is for us.  

Mark 9:21-23 (NLT)

21 “How long has this been happening?” Jesus asked the boy’s father.

He replied, “Since he was a little boy. 

22 The spirit often throws him into the fire or into water, trying to kill him. Have mercy on us and help us, if you can.”

23 “What do you mean, ‘If I can’?” Jesus asked. “Anything is possible if a person believes.”

2. Anything is possible.  

I don't have to hold onto facts when faith is stirred up in my heart.  

Hebrews 11:8 (NLT)

8 It was by faith that Abraham obeyed when God called him to leave home and go to another land that God would give him as his inheritance. He went without knowing where he was going.

3.  Now is the time.   



https://www.churchofthehighlands.com/media/message/into-the-unknown