The Alex McFarland Show-127-Pray Without Ceasing with guest Tonya Skelly

The spiritual condition of America, politics, culture, and current events, analyzed through the lens of Scripture.

Welcome to the Alex McFarland Show. Philippians 4, 6, and 7 has a lot to say about prayer. It says, Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.

Hi, Alex McFarland here. Prayer. It's been said that prayer is the nerve that moves the muscle of God, and today we're going to talk about prayer. Because, you know, studies show psychologists tell us people have anxiety. People right now are fearful.

And to a degree, that's understandable. There's a lot going on in the world, and spiritually, culturally, economically, militarily, there's a lot going on in the world. Here in the United States of America, we've got an election coming up, and people are wondering, where can we turn for help in times like these? Well, you know, Hebrews 4, 16 says this, Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and help in time of need. Well, we're going to talk about prayer, and we're going to talk about a very special event coming up, an event where I'll be there speaking, which is Pray North Carolina. This is on September 21, 2024, but we've got a very special guest, and Tanya Skelly is the chair of Pray-NC.com.

But I know people across the nation are going to be hearing this, and even if you're not in North Carolina, I encourage you to visit their website, Pray-NC.com. And if you can come, I would love to meet you in person at the big event, the Big Prayer Rally, September 21. But to talk about this and more, our very special guest right now, Tanya Skelly. Tanya, thank you for making time to be on the program with us, but even more importantly than that, thank you for what you're doing to rally Christians to pray.

Yes. Well, thank you so much for having me on. It's an honor to be able to speak with you and to talk about this event.

Well, you know, before we get into the event, I want to hear about what you do. You're a board member and the leader of Pray-NC. What is Pray-NC? And tell us about how this organization came to be.

Sure. So my husband retired from the Army. Neither one of us are from North Carolina, but we say we got here as fast as we could. And when we moved to our county, our city, I just felt like the Lord put it on my heart to gather people together to pray. And our local ministry, so we live in Rowan County, and we have a local ministry that started about eight years ago called Pray-Rowan. And it's all churches coming together the first Saturday for one hour to pray and worship the Lord under the banner and the blood of Jesus Christ. And what ultimately came out of that is Pray-NC.

We have 100 counties in North Carolina. And so this is our third year of having all 100 counties coming together to worship the Lord, to pray to him, to petition for our cares, our concerns, our needs that are really plaguing all of our cities, our counties, our state and our nation. So we're bringing that all before the throne of Christ. When Christians come together and unify, because that really means a lot to me, Tanya. You know, I love John 17, 21, where Jesus, you know, he was on his way to the cross, and he prayed, Father, I've finished the work you've given me to do. But he prayed for the church, and he said, Father, that they all may be one, O-N-E, unified, that the world may believe you have sent me. Tanya, isn't there something just very powerful and very anointed when Christians come together with one heart, and we cry out to God together, no agenda but to lift up Jesus? I mean, the power in the presence of God is there when Christians gather to pray, isn't it? Amen.

Amen. And it's interesting, that scripture, that passage, John 17, 20 through 23, is what the Lord laid on my heart and wouldn't let me go. I mean, I was hearing it in sermons.

I'm hearing it in the radio. I was studying it in BSS. And that ultimately is the scripture that we cite that this ministry was founded on, that may we be one in him. And you're absolutely right. What it does, it edifies the body. It edifies, if we go back even together, it's going to edify our local churches, our marriages, our homes. There is power when we come together to pray.

I think we can't even fully understand, but it is incredible. And part of what we do, too, is it is a time of prayer, but it's also a time of worship. We have a worship team that's coming together with a statewide choir, people coming from different counties that have come together that are going to be singing in the choir. The worship team is from several counties, and we're going to worship the Lord. That's going to usher in the sweetest spirit right before we go into that time to pray. You know, Tanya, I was thinking about this.

And by the way, if you're just tuning in, Alex McFarland's here. We're talking with Tanya Skelly, who has been used by God to bring together a prayer movement in North Carolina. But I think about this, Tanya. So often we have our petitions and our needs, and that's good that we bring them to the Lord. And, you know, we're praying for our homes, we're praying for America's young people, praying for our nation. But John 12 32, the Lord said this. Jesus said, If I be lifted up, I will draw all men to myself. And I love that you have worship, because I believe when we exalt Jesus, we lift up the name of the one and only Savior. When we worship, there's something the world takes note of in that. I mean, we have a lot to ask God for. But I think when we all Christians get together, first and foremost, we want to lift up his name and worship him.

Yes, he is worthy of our worship and our praise. And I will tell you something that we started last year. So this is our third year, is not only are we starting with worship music, but we also start with the blowing of the shofar. And we are coming with a time of repentance before we bring our worship to him before we bring our cares and our concerns to him. There's much that we, you know, we need to come to him for.

But there's many times that we have failed to do it with the proper heart posture. And so, again, powerful. And, you know, it's interesting when we look in Scripture, we can see over 30 different times that Jesus himself prayed and then he taught the disciples how to pray. And he commands us to pray. There's many scriptures that also talk to us about how we should pray, what we should pray for. And so if he commands it, we need to be doing it. Amen. You know, I've often noted and I'm sure you've heard ministers preach on this that the disciples, this is in Luke 11, by the way, they didn't say, Lord, teach us to do miracles or Lord, teach us how to multiply the loaves and the fishes. But the disciples came and said, Lord, teach us to pray. That's so important because everything rises or falls on prayer.

It really does. We've got to take a break. Tanya, before we take a first break, what is the website for the big gathering? September 21, Greensboro, North Carolina. I'll be there.

Angie and I will be there. What's the website for PrayNC? It is pray-nc.com. Pray-nc.com. Folks, stay tuned. We're back after this brief break. Fox News and CNN call Alex McFarland a religion and culture expert.

Stay tuned for more of his teaching and commentary after this. You know, Mark Twain said the man that won't read is no better off than the man who can't read. Hi, Alex McFarland. When it comes to voting, I think voting is like that. The person who won't vote is really in no different position than the person who can't vote. And here in the United States of America, we can vote, and I urge you to do so. Now, to help you in your decision-making process about the persons with whom you should cast your vote, on my website, alexmcfarland.com, slash vote, I urge you to go to that. We've created a first-time voter's guide, alexmcfarland.com, slash vote. We talk about the issues, really what the constitutional position is, and even the biblical position. So, please, pray for the country, and I beg of you, don't passively opt out, but actively be informed, influence others, plan to vote.

Download our free voter's guide, alexmcfarland.com, slash vote. He's been called trusted, truthful, and timely. Welcome back to The Alex McFarland Show.

Welcome back to the program. I love the statement, prayer is the nerve that moves the muscle of God. And before we resume our conversation with Tanya Skelly, let me just say this, folks, God is listening for your prayer right now.

For some people hearing this broadcast, maybe you're not even sure what it means to be a Christian. But do you know, we often say this, and it's true, it's not merely some saying, but Jesus is as close by as a prayer. And somebody who is being used by God to motivate countless masses to pray and experience the Lord, it's Tanya Skelly of PrayNC. Tanya, I wanted to commend you that your website, Pray-NC, as in Pray, North Carolina, Pray-NC.com, you've got the ABCs of salvation on your website. This is awesome, because that most important of all prayers, folks, you might pray 10,000 prayers in the course of your life, but the prayer that is the most important prayer you'll ever pray is the salvation prayer. Tanya, I commend you for including that on your website.

Thank you. I actually created little cards, like business cards, that has an 800 number on the front, where there's a 24-hour hotline for Billy Graham. So anybody can call it, and on the back of it is the ABCs of salvation. And everywhere I go, if I'm leaving a tip, I leave that little card.

If I'm getting gas, it goes into the gas pump. If I'm staying in a hotel, I drop those cards around everywhere. And I do believe I will get to heaven one day, and I will meet at least one person who received that card just when they needed it. So in all things, be obedient. And my license plate, Romans 10-9. And so, you know, in all things, may it point people to Jesus Christ. Amen.

Do you know what? We're just sharing from the heart here. I really resonate with what you're saying, that you pray, Lord, at least one person gets saved. When I was a young believer, I was such an introvert, very shy, never knew I would be in the ministry. But I was a Christian, and I just wanted one, at least one person, I wanted to somehow be used by God to see one soul get saved. And I used to pray, and I was very, very shy and socially awkward, Tanya. But I prayed, and I said, Lord Jesus, just give me an opportunity to witness to somebody. That's all I want, and my life will be complete if one person would accept Christ. And folks, listen, everything I'm saying, I give God the glory.

But let me just say, in 35 years of being a Christian, we've seen a lot, a lot, a lot of people come to Christ. And just like God is using Tanya Skelly, listeners, God wants to use you. There are no superstars in God's world.

There's no, you know, rock stars on his team. There's just ordinary believers. And Tanya, don't you feel like that there's just a world of impact and fruit that God wants to manifest in the life of any and every believer, if we present ourselves to be used by God? He will use us, won't he?

Amen. I really believe God's love language is obedience. He wants us to be obedient.

And I've heard people say, well, I don't know what his will is. Open his word. He is not hiding his will or his ways from us. Get in his word.

Be a Berean. Study God's word. And I promise he will show you. But even going back to what we're talking about, prayer, it is a relationship with Jesus Christ.

It's a relationship with God, the creator that we can be in. And it's by conversation with him. I love the passage, pray without ceasing. I walk through my day so often without saying amen because I'm in constant communication with him about little things, big things, everything. I'm just talking to him all the time when I'm driving down the road, when I'm doing laundry.

I mean, it's a constant conversation with him. And I'm also thinking about 1 Thessalonians 5, 18. You had mentioned that to give thanks and everything.

And I think sometimes people can struggle with that. Well, how am I going to give thanks for and they can lift marital trouble, a wayward child, a car accident, physical illness. It doesn't say give thanks for those things.

It says give thanks in. And so he is walking alongside of us. And we also don't understand fully sometimes how he is working everything out. And so we just need to be obedient, coming to the foot of the cross. And again, he is our creator. He wants to hear from his kiddos. Amen.

Amen. Well, folks, if you're just tuning in, Alex McFarland here, we're talking with Tanya Skelly. She and her team have organized Pray North Carolina 2024. I invite you to come to Greensboro, North Carolina. Folks, I can sort of talk about this a little bit because my family's been around Greensboro for a long time. The historic Carolina theater is where this is going to be. I've rented it.

It's an exquisite movie palace from the 20s. Beautiful. But people from all 100 counties of North Carolina are coming in and you don't want to miss it. No matter if you're not from North Carolina, wherever you are in America, you've got time to come and be a part of this move of God. And Tanya, for the event, I know it's free, but you are encouraging people to register and there's parking in the downtown area can be a consideration. Give us the website for this September 21 event of prayer and how people can come and why you would urge people to be a part of this.

Yes. So you can get your free tickets online. The reason why we're doing tickets is because, as you said, it's in a theater. And so there is, you know, only so many seats.

There's about twelve hundred seats that we have. And so we just need to go online to get your ticket to register in regards to parking. And there are parking lots all around because it is downtown. It's on a Saturday morning.

September 21st is a Saturday. And so there'll be plenty of parking. And we have many volunteers that are coming together that day to make sure that you get parked just fine.

And they're greeting you and they're going to be there to host you. The other thing I would say is there is a ministry out of Asheville, North Carolina, called Hearts with Hands, and they are a disaster relief ministry. We're asking people to bring canned foods or you could even go to their website, heartswithhands.org, to find out what they need. But when a disaster hits in North Carolina and even states around, they're one of the first people there on the scenes working with other churches. So we want to bless them. They have a needs list that you can find on their website.

We're asking if you can just bring some canned goods, bring some things that you can find on their needs list. But yes, it's a free event. And I'm so excited. Like every single day as we get closer to that day, I almost feel like my heart's going to beat out of it.

I'm just so excited. But what I could also say is there is a foundation of prayer even leading up to this. This isn't prayer just in that from 12 to 2, which is the time.

The doors are opening at 11. But there's a foundation of prayer. And then there's prayer that continues long after that. But it is a special time for us to come together on that day, September 21st from 12 to 2. You know, Tanya, it's very special to me. Our ministry, oh golly, 20 years ago we rented the Carolina Theatre. Of course, I've been there my whole life. And if you know central North Carolina, the Carolina Theatre is a beautiful historic place. People like the Three Stooges performed their live.

Judy Garland sang there 65 years ago. But here's what's special. The Lord Jesus is going to be there. And the presence of God will be there.

And so, folks, at a time when our nation still needs revival, many churches are plateaued or declining and they need a jump start. And maybe your marriage, maybe you want to come and pray for your family. But don't miss this. My wife and I are so excited about it.

And Tanya, we've got to take a break. But I just want to commend you for your obedience to the Lord. Because so many of us, we are the beneficiaries of your obedience. And I thank you. Thank you so much for having me on.

I can't wait to see you on the 21st. Amen. Well, folks, the website is Pray-NC.com. Stay tuned.

We're back after this brief break. Fox News and CNN call Alex McFarland a religion and culture expert. Stay tuned for more of his teaching and commentary after this.

to help people grow in relationship with God. He arms his audiences with the tools they need to defend their faith, while also empowering the unchurched to find out the truth for themselves. In the midst of a culture obsessed with relativism, Alex is a sound voice who speaks timeless truths of Christianity in a timely way. With 18 published books to his name, it's no surprise that CNN, Fox, The Wall Street Journal and other media outlets have described Alex as a religion and culture expert. To learn more about Alex and to book him as a speaker at your next event, visit alexmcfarland.com or you can contact us directly by emailing booking at alexmcfarland.com.

He's been called trusted, truthful and timely. Welcome back to The Alex McFarland Show. Welcome back to the program.

Alex McFarland here. As we have said in the previous segments, the Pray NC event, September 21. I do hope to see you there in Greensboro, North Carolina. In all seriousness, it's fun to gather and have a big event, but we really do need to pray. Our nation needs prayer.

And you can find the complete information at my own website, which is alexmcfarland.com. As we're recording the show, we just wrapped up seven summer camps. Seven that we did, and then two others that I had the privilege of speaking at. More than 1,200 teenagers over the summer, more than 165 salvation decisions, and then hundreds of kids that were believers, and they've said that they've committed to reach their friends for Christ.

At our camps, we teach the kids to say the Pledge of Allegiance, and many of them have told us that they had never heard the Pledge of Allegiance. And so many great things are going on. I've got a very full travel schedule for the fall of 24 and the spring of 25. Two things about next year. I will be at the Cove twice next year, the Billy Graham Training Center.

My 19th year, I give God the glory. I'll be there once to teach the Book of Job, and then I'll be back a second time, myself and J. Warner Wallace, to do a series on apologetics. And so you can go to the website, thecove.org, or my own website, thetourscheduleatalexmcfarland.com. Also, let me say this, we are ramping up for a major, major national apologetics event in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, late August of next year. And I want you to be in prayer. I want you to plan to be there. We'll have a number of great speakers we've already invited, like Dinesh D'Souza, Eric Metaxas, and others.

It's going to be amazing. And so please be in prayer. But also, we're going to need a lot of help to put this on, and we've got a vision. I believe God wants us to do our biblical worldview apologetics seminars all around America. And some of you may remember almost 20 years ago, we did Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut.

Well, I want to go to Berkeley in California. But all around America, we've got people reaching out to us, and they're saying, Alex, please come to our city. Help us learn how to defend the Christian faith. So be in prayer, and as you're able, as you can give, please partner with us. We are committed to evangelize the lost, equip the saved, contribute to the fulfillment of Christ's great commission, but also to save our nation.

And so you can give securely online at AlexMcFarland.com, or you can mail a check, if you would, to just simply TNG, as in Truth for a New Generation, TNG, PO Box 10231, Greensboro, North Carolina 27404. And I thank you. Well, we were talking with Tanya Skelly about the Pray North Carolina event September 21, but let me refer to the Prayer Guide for America that we've given out, more than a quarter million of these in the last decade. We've given out this pamphlet, and it's on our website, but it says in 1 Timothy 2, 2-4, Pray for kings and for all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty, for this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior. By the way, do you see that reference to the deity of Christ, God our Savior? Jesus is God incarnate, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.

The Church is to pray for kings and for those in authority. I know that even as this election draws near, and it is so imperative that the 120 million adult born again people in America pray, folks, there is so much on the line. The legal protection for the unborn, our relationship with the nation of Israel, suppressing terrorism and protecting freedom and safety and stability.

The border, the illegal drugs coming across the southern border, the terrorists coming in, the rule of law that tax paying American citizens have the right to keep what they earn, freedom of religious expression. I mean, folks, how much evangelism are we going to be able to do if it becomes illegal to tell sinners to repent? I mean, can you imagine if the misgendering legislation were to tell a man that indeed God made you a male? How much preaching will the preachers do if it becomes a felony to misgender or dead name as they say somebody? We have to pray. And folks, we're just 60-some days away from our next election. I've said this to many an audience around America.

Look, you only need to really ask two questions. I could talk about the salient points of constitutionalism versus critical theory, but all you need to think about is where does a candidate stand on life and where do they stand on Israel? If you know where a candidate is, does the constitutional guarantee of the right to life extend to the unborn? How about those that are in a coma? I mean, if we can abort the unborn, does that mean we can euthanize the ones that are comatose? Look, all you need to ask yourself is where do they stand on life and where do they stand on the nation of Israel?

And if they do not acknowledge the right to life, if they do not acknowledge Israel's right to self-defense, then you know how to vote. And I'm not just speaking as a Christian, but just as a rational, reasonable, morally conscious adult. And so for all the Christians that say to me, oh, Alex, our home is in heaven, the church has no business speaking about the public square. Well, 1 Timothy, when you get to heaven, you can tell Paul he was wrong, which of course is ludicrous. Paul says that we are to insert ourselves into the public square. We are to pray for kings and authority and that we may live a life in a culture most conducive to the spread of the gospel. So praying for our nation, we need to pray that God would remove spiritual blindness, pray that the Holy Spirit would work in people's lives, pray that God would rule and overrule, pray that people everywhere would see the Christian church in a positive light because it is so positive and so beneficial to the culture, pray that people would be drawn to God, to the gospel, to churches, pray that ministers would be courageous, pray that a miracle would be delivered from the power and the persuasion of Satan. And let me just say this, and I want to be careful how to say this, but I pray that some of my fellow pastors and ministers would pray some sermons that potentially could get them fired.

Now what do I mean by that? Brother pastor, clergy, Sunday school teachers, Christian leaders, this is no time to play it safe and to just quietly, politely do nothing. This is a time to tell our nation and beyond about a holy God before whom we all will appear one day, a nation that if we do not repent and have a revival, we will lose our freedoms and our constitution. This is a time that we fast and we pray for the lost. We pray for young people. We pray for the restoration of families. We pray that our zero percent birth rate will be turned around and people would see children as a blessing and building a family as a sacred privilege. And yes, for the Holy Spirit to give us an honestly tabulated election come November of 2024.

In other words, we're praying as if our very future depends on it, because in fact it does. May God bless you. May you stay bold and stand strong.

And for those of you that can, I look forward to seeing you September 21 in Greensboro, North Carolina. Alex McFarland ministries are made possible through the prayers and financial support of partners like you. For over 20 years, this ministry has been bringing individuals into a personal relationship with Christ and has been equipping people to stand strong for truth. Learn more and donate securely online at alexmcfarland.com. You may also reach us at Alex McFarland, P.O. Box 10231, Greensboro, North Carolina, 27404, or by calling 1-877-YES-GOD1. Thanks for joining us. We'll see you again on the next edition of The Alex McFarland Show.