You're not going to get a crown without a cross. You're not going to get glory without suffering. You can tear that off. You can forget that if you think you're just going to have all glory and no problems. If you want the Lord to lift you up, you'll have to lower yourself, and that may include suffering for the cause of Christ.
Hello, and thanks for stopping by for today's Destined for Victory, where we feature the preaching ministry of Pastor Paul Shepard.
Well, the Apostle James, brother of John, had just been martyred for his faith.
So, because the Jews approved of King Herod's decision, He decided to arrest the ringleader of the new church, the Apostle Peter himself. That's what we pick it up today in our continuing series, God is a Finisher. Remember, come see us at pastorpaul.net to listen to any recent message on demand, including today's. That's pastorpaul.net. You can subscribe to our podcast at Spotify or wherever you enjoy podcasts.
Now, let's listen closely to Pastor Paul's destined for victory message: It's time to pray. God knows everything. He knows your future. He knows what's going to happen in your life. And he allows James to have the homage.
Yeah. of being the first to die. Like Christ, because you know what? That suffering was the prelude to the glory He wanted. They wanted glory, but you're not going to get a crown without a cross.
You're not going to get glory without suffering. You can tear that off. You can forget that if you think you're just going to have all glory and no problems. But I want to encourage somebody. I want some of you all who know your kingdom first, who know you're surrendered to God, who know your life is about doing the will of God.
And you say, but I'm going from one trial into another one. I just want you to see that's your suffering cup filling up so that God, when He blesses you, He'll also fill up your glory cup. And tell God, Lord, I'm looking for some blessings to come out of all this that I'm going through. I'm looking for a shift. to come.
For I go through a season of suffering, but I'm believing God for a season of glory and victory. And so Herod stretches out his hand and kills James, the brother of John. Don't be surprised when the enemy gets stirred up, when he is emboldened against you, against your family, against your church, against any area of the will of God. When you see the enemy stirred up. That just means that God is up to something and the enemy is in panic mode.
Now When Herod saw that this pleased the Jews, He got happy. He said, Oh, wow, the people like this. This one sent my popularity rating through the roof. And so he said, okay. Since they like me taking one of the leaders, let me go on and take the ring leader.
Peter was the most prominent. of all of the apostles at this time in the history of the church. And so he arrested Peter also. But this was the time of the Passover. This was during the week of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, a seven-day feast following the Passover.
And he arrested him during that time, but he said, I'm not going to kill him right away. Since the Jews are going through this feast period, I know how special that is. I will wait. And after this Passover period ends, I'll put him on public trial, which will be a mockery, just like the trial of Jesus. But it will seem like it was the consensus to have Peter killed.
And then we will put him to death that way. But here's what happened. God even orchestrated the timing of Peter's arrest so that they couldn't kill him right away because of the feast period. And that gave the church time. That gave the church time.
Time to react. Time to decide we're not putting up with this. Time to say we got to do something about this. I want to let you know they had time.
Now, just because they had time doesn't mean that they would automatically use it properly. Do you know some of us have time, but we're misusing it?
Sometimes you have time to respond to a crisis, an attack of the enemy, but you don't know what to do.
Well, this message is coming to say: here's why God gave you time so you can pray. The church Heard That James had been killed and they were mourning his death. The church now gets word that Peter is in prison, but they haven't killed him yet. And they called an immediate prayer meeting. And said, let's go into prayer.
Not just a single prayer session, but let's pray constantly. Let's pray continually. Let's push. Pray until something happens. And they began to pray.
They could have responded with mere complacency. They could have said, well, you know, it's a shame. I sure hope they don't kill Peter. Do you know if the church had responded? I sure hope they don't kill Peter and not pray.
Do you know Peter would have been the second martyr? Here's what we got to understand. Prayer matters. In the kingdom of God, prayer matters. Jesus would have never given us the authority to pray, the right to pray, the right to use His name if prayer didn't matter.
I have to preach this because we live in a world where people now are getting their cues and getting their philosophies from people who don't know the Lord. If you want to know how to live, get into the owner's manual for living, it's called the Bible. The B-I-B-L-E, yes, that's the book for me. I stand alone on the word of God, the B-I-B-L-E. That's an old Sunday school song.
Any of y'all Sunday school children remember that one? The B-I-B-L-E. Listen, listen, that is God's owner's manual for living. Only book like it on the planet. Your Bible is not some ordinary holy book, not some ordinary ancient group of ancient scripts.
No, no, it is divinely inspired. Your Bible was written over a period of 1,500 years by over 40 different authors who lived on three different continents. It was written in three different languages, but it comes together as God's word to us across all generations because it is inspired of God. And this book tells you that God sent His Son to die for your sins. And that Son, when He got to earth, He taught us before He went to the cross and later before He ascended back to heaven.
He said, I have given you the keys to the kingdom. I'm leaving, but I'm leaving the keys with you. You know, when somebody leaves you keys, that means you have access to something. If you leave me the keys to your mansion, that means I can go in the mansion, in every room in the mansion. When you leave me the keys to your Bentley, that means I can drive it.
Come on, I've never had it happen, but I'd love somebody to drop them off to me. I have driven some folks nice Mercedes in my day.
So I'm looking for an upgrade. Whenever God blesses you with a Bentley, just drop off the key, say, Pastor, whenever you want a wheel, go head on. The Lord said, I'm giving you, Peter, the keys. And it wasn't just Peter alone, but Peter represented all of us in the family of God. I'm giving you authority.
Prayer. is the key to change things. Prayer matters. If the church had just sat around and said, I wonder what's going to happen. Oh, I sure, I sure hope Peter ends up okay, he'd have died.
He needed some folk to get up under the burden of this matter, of this crisis, of this persecution, and pray. He needed some folk to say, No, we will not accept the death of our leader now. No, I realize that Jesus said that all of them will suffer, but he doesn't have to suffer now. We need Peter now. We want Peter now.
And they prayed earnestly. What I want to get you to understand is that there are some things in your life that God says you ought to start praying earnestly. It's time for you to pray earnestly. Quit being casual. The junk that's happening in our world is stepping up.
Everything is increasing. Everything is going to another level. And so the church has got to take its prayer. The church has got to take its fasting. The church has got to take its, we will not stand for this to another level.
Just to meet what's coming up against us, we got to go to another level. And so the church prayed fervently. Prayer matters. Don't believe in fatalism, it's not a biblical concept. You know what fatalism is?
That means, that's what, and you hear people say it all the time.
Well, you know, whatever's going to happen. It's already in the works. Whatever's going to happen, the Bible doesn't teach that. Why would Jesus tell you to pray if it didn't matter whether you prayed or not? Come on, think this through now.
Why would he tell you to pray if whatever was going to happen was going to happen whether you pray or not? No, he taught you to pray because if you pray, some things will happen, and if you don't, some other things will happen.
So The church said no. We know Peter's got to die at some point, lay down his life for the Savior. We know he's ready to go. We know he's saved. We know he'll be with the Lord when he's gone.
But we're not ready for him to die now. And we're going to bombard heaven.
Now, see, here's what happens in 21st-century thinking. People say, yeah, but what if you do all that fervent prayer and he dies anyway? You don't take your mysteries. And decide to live life based on the stuff you don't understand. Anybody who's a prayer warrior, anybody who has gifts of miracle or healings or anything, anybody.
Anybody in that case is going to see some things happen that you didn't pray for, that you didn't want to see. I have laid hands on people and asked God to heal them, and they died. I didn't kill them. Come on, somebody. That means the Lord, who their life belonged to, took them out of this world rather than leave them in this world.
First of all, when you are a believer, to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord. If I ask God to heal you here and He chooses to take you out of this world, you didn't lose, you won. Come on, when you leave this world, this junk. This mess, these diseases, this poverty, this recession. These relatives?
That boss, that job. Those folk getting on your nerves, those folk messing with your kids, those people. When you get out of this world and you are a believer, you got it made. Never feel sorry for a saint the Lord took home. Because where they are, if the Lord were to say to them, now I'm glad to have you, don't get me wrong, but you know, they're praying for you.
I know they were praying for you and asking that I spare your life. And I decided to bring you home. But you know, I really could change my mind and send you back. Do you know if the Lord said that to anybody who is now in his presence, don't matter how much they loved you? They would say Tell you what, why don't you bring them here?
Still ahead, the second half of today's Destined for Victory message, featuring the teaching ministry of Pastor Paul Shepherd. As always, you can hear any of our recent messages on demand at pastorpaul.net. That's pastorpaul.net. Of course, you can always listen and subscribe to the podcast at Spotify, at Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get podcasts. We're so grateful for the prayers and donations of our listening friends and partners like you.
As summer winds down, we ask that you keep us in your prayers and perhaps send a special gift so that we can finish out the year strong financially. You know, the great commission has to be funded to be fulfilled. It always has. Thanks in advance for sending a generous gift today. You can make that gift online at pastorpaul.net or call 855-339-5500.
The Lord doesn't just want you to pray, He wants you to pray with passion and with perseverance. The fervent prayer of a righteous person accomplishes much.
Now, here's the rest of today's message. It's time to pray.
Now I know that hurt your feelings because you think, no, no, I am their boo for sure. Listen, let me tell you something. I don't care how booed up you think you are. I'm serious. I'm serious.
You get your feelings seriously hurt. They would not come back to you for anything. Just one glimpse of him in glory. Will the toils of life repay? If they ever just get a glimpse of Jesus, they are through with this world.
Goodbye, world. I stay no longer with you. They are out. Deuces. Done, through, it's over.
Y'all messing up my message. Whatever. Let me interpret, that's the peace sign and.
So now one of the things people say is deuces, that means peace out. Goodbye. God bless you. That's all that means. All right, you good?
All right. See, I don't just preach and pray all the time. I hang out, see what's going on. Prayer matters. Don't believe in fatalism.
It's not a biblical concept. If you are passive, some things will happen. And if you are aggressive and assertive in prayer, some other things will happen. Yes, you'll have mysteries. No, nobody I know has a 100% success prayer rate.
In other words, prayer is requesting. The request can be denied. But I don't I don't want somebody in this case. I don't want the Peter in my life dying because I didn't pray for him. If they're going to go, let them go over my prayers, not because I didn't pray.
Is somebody getting this?
So stop sitting around just watching him saying, I sure, I sure hope he recovers. I tell you, don't look good. And the doctor just came back.
Some of us were more in touch with what folks say. Stand in touch with what God said. What if God is saying about them, I'm going to heal them if you'll call on me? I'll heal him if you'll turn your plate down. I'll heal him if you intercede.
I'll heal him if you say, No, God, don't do it now. Any of y'all have kids? You know, children have different temperaments, but any of y'all ever raised any child who doesn't like no? They don't like No! And I'm not talking about some bad child who you've told them very clearly and they just insist on what they want and they think they can have their way by screaming and hollering and throwing stuff and all of that and blat out on the floor.
I'm not talking about that kind. I can't relate to that kind. When we were growing up and we saw that kind, we backed up. In my day, when we were growing up, when we saw that kind, we wanted to get out of the way because we knew what was going to happen to them. You only have to worry about it now.
You can walk right up on it because nothing is going to happen. They're just going to pick them up and say, Oh, honey, no. No, I'm so sorry. And they're still kicking and screaming. They slap them in the face and they just pick him up and getting slapped and beat up and punched.
And they just walk out the store with a black eye. I can't relate. I just can't relate. I'm sorry, I can't relate. I start scratching, I don't even itch, but I just, I can't, I can't, I can't handle that.
I'm like, what is the matter with you? Kind of crazy pill you take. Letting some kid pound you and pummel you. Cause you wouldn't buy the toy wouldn't buy the candy I grew up where they said, no, you did not. Fall out of Out here in the store, and you're gonna embarrass me falling out in the mall.
Are you kidding? When they got through with you, you had a salvation experience. Who? When they got through with you, you were saved, sanctified, filled with the Holy Ghost. That with a mighty burning fire, you had a yes in your spirit, yes to the Lord.
I can't relate. I saw my friends get a spanking at school. Back in the day, if you had to go to the office because you were acting up in the class. The office if it got bad enough would call your mother They didn't call the cops in my day. They called your mama.
Mama was worse than the cops. Mama would come up to the school.
Sometimes she didn't even put on her shoes, had her house shoes. Still on. I'm sliding. up in the stink, walk in the room, open the door, say thou Come here. Excuse me, teacher, so I'll be and the teacher understood back in the day, and Dow just got up.
We all giggling, because we know what Dow's getting ready to get. And she didn't have to take Darryl anywhere. Right out in the hallway, you heard. there was a lick for every syllable I tell you that you I can't relate to this world. That's one thing when I don't want to go home anytime soon, Lord, but when I do go home, I'll be glad I'm delivered from this world of parenting.
I don't get it. I never saw such Absurdity in my life. Scared of your own kids. I don't know what to do with them. Set them to my house.
Yeah. Give me a weekend. No, I'm playing, I'm playing. Y'all started lining kids up. But you know, that's how the old saints grew.
The old saints would look at somebody's kids and say, Honey, if he was mine for 15 minutes. Woo! Where am I in this message?
Okay, I got it. Fatalism is not a biblical concept. It matters that you pray.
So pray like it matters. Yes, you will have mysteries. No, you won't understand everything. No, you won't get why God didn't answer certain prayers the way you wanted Him to. But he'll answer other prayers the way you want him to.
So pray! Because the one thing is for sure: if you don't pray, you can't get an answer to a prayer you never prayed.
So, make sure your prayerlessness is not the reason why the miracle didn't occur.
So you ask. In his name. Learn to ask for what you want. Be specific when you pray. If you're not specific, how you gonna know it got answered?
I know what I ask for.
Now, if the Lord chooses to respond a different way, that's on heaven. That's not on me. But here, Father, is what I want. I believe this to be consistent with your will. I confess I'm limited in my knowledge of what you want, but I do have the principles and precepts of the word, and I do see patterns of you having done this for other people.
So, Lord, here's what I want. If I don't want them to die now, I say, Lord, spare their life. God, work a miracle, reverse this disease, reverse this diagnosis. God, work a miracle, do it now. If that's what I want, I'm not going to stand there and pray, Lord, just take them comfortably on to the other side.
If I don't want them to go to the other side yet. I can trust God with them if they're going. He knows how to take them. I'm going to pray for what I want. The church said, no, we don't want to see Peter go now.
No, that is not our heart's desire.
So we are going to ask God. And we're going to pray fervently. You have time. The proof that you have time is you're in the crisis, but the crisis isn't resolved yet. It might have gone from bad to worse.
But it's not over yet. Just because it's moving from bad to worse, you still have time to catch it. And say, no, Lord, I want you to reverse this. We want to see your glory in this. We want to see you turn this thing around.
Thanks so much for being here with us for today's Destined for Victory message. It's time to pray.
Always glad to have you with us. You know, a big reason why Destined for Victory can share these messages with the world is because listening friends and partners like you sustain us with your prayers and financial support. But as you may know, donations almost always decline during the busy summer months. I spoke with Pastor Paul about this very subject once, and here's what he said: It would be great if your mortgage company or whoever you pay your housing bill to would say, Hey, it's summer, and I know you got things you want to do.
So that's not going to happen for you and your family life. And it doesn't happen for those of us who are broadcasters of the Word of God. The stations we broadcast, the platforms that we use, they require that we support them financially every month. And for that reason, we need our listeners to be supportive of us. We don't have the ability.
to broadcast without Thinking about paying the bills. That's where our listeners, that's where our donors come in. As you consider the fact that. Twelve months. Every month without fail, we need your support.
We appreciate the fact that you'll think of us during the summer and realize that the bills are still coming and the word of God still needs to go out. And thankfully, we're able to reach some people on vacation or wherever they happen to be, even some of those who aren't normally listeners, and we're able to reach them with the word of God.
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Prayer Changes things. Prayer changes people. Prayer changes circumstances. Prayer changes you. And all of them need changing.
And so we're going to look at the fact that prayer matters. You're not wasting your time when you pray. Prayers are heard on high. That's next time in our continuing message. It's time to pray.
Until then, though, remember: he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion. In Christ, you are destined for victory.
