Encouraging prayer God offers an open invitation for his people to talk with him at any time about anything. On encouraging prayer, Dr. James Banks, author of the best-selling Prayers for Prodigals and many other books on prayer, provides weekly biblical insight to help you learn to love to pray. And now, here's James.
Well today on encouraging prayer, we're looking at something That can change your life in a profound way. We're talking about prayer and the difference that it makes. For spiritual insight. And this is such a valuable topic, James. Oh, it really is, Ravi.
It's one of those things that can help us want to pray more if we really take it to heart, you know?
So when we talk about insight, Think about it. What is it that you mean? We're we're talking about navigating life, an internal sense of What direction to take? And something that's really more than just hunch or instinct, people talk about that a lot, you know. Basically, what the Bible talks about when it says that God will make your paths straight.
straight. And that verse is a great place to start. Right, I mean out of Proverbs 3, trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding. And in all your ways, submit to him, and he will. Make your path straight.
Proverbs 3, 5 and 6, 8. And submitting to him. or acknowledging him, as some versions put it. Mean that Means that we yield to him in the moment. We let him.
into wherever it is we are, whatever it is we're doing. And so this refers to the posture of our hearts. And of course, that's all about prayer. You know, we're turning to him. frequently through the day We're we're not just Again Um letting him into our moments.
his moments because we're leaning into him. Making the effort to to serve him and obey him. And then he gives us The insight for living, that's a great phrase out of the NLT in Psalm 19.8, the New Living Translation talks about God giving insight for living, and I love that.
So really uh this is about an internal compass that It's directed by God's reality in your life and your heart, right? Yeah, right. I mean, that's a great way to put it. the more tuned in we are to him as our true north, if you will. uh the more we're going to know where to go.
And that's Where Paul is going in Ephesians 1, when he writes, I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened. in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people. and his incomparably great power for us who believe.
So he's talking to people who are already believers But what he's going after for them is the power of the Holy Spirit at work within us Again, A couple verses later, he mentions the same power that raises Jesus from the dead. you know, working and moving in and through us. And the point is, that there are things that we will not see, will not know. Apart from God doing that, working through us, opening our eyes. given us direction.
Oh, I love that. And of course here Paul is talking about the most important knowledge of all, and that's the knowledge of God. And and it's not head knowledge, really, it's heart knowledge, right? Right, right. It's the eyes of your heart.
And it's all about having hope in our lives, you know, having this sense, if you will, about what's coming, that there's good coming to us. That the world and all its evil, no matter what it throws at us, even death itself. cannot stop. Because it's a good that is not of this world, it outlasts this world. and will carry us through it.
into the very presence of God. Yeah, wow. And that's really one of the most practical things you can imagine. Yeah, it is. It is because It it makes a difference.
in the moment. Again, going back to that comparison with the compass. Y you know, you might find your heart turned just a few degrees. That will end up in a place that you never would have arrived at otherwise. And that's where it really gets exciting.
Oh, I can tell you. Yeah. It really, really does. Just like. Uh as I Was led by the spirit, I guess, to listen to a podcast this week that really talked on the whole subject of prayer, which led me to.
Uh uh some prayer insights. Into actually hearing the heart of God and really understanding so much more about the way God is working in my life. It's unbelievable. Really? Just a few degrees, like you said, to make one simple decision to listen to something that you felt like the Spirit was asking you to listen to, like you listening today to this show.
Yeah. Yeah. You know, it it's It's the whole notion of Of Yeah, it has. Scripture says, delight yourself in the Lord, and he'll give you the desires of your heart. When our hearts, when our lives become more and more absurd, about him.
Then Here's another scriptural phrase. It's a matter of being in step with the Spirit. And You know, it it takes time for us to discern this. But we have to pray. We we we have to wait.
But you'll begin to sense as you do, and the more you pray, not for prayer's sake, but for his sake. you know, for loving him and and just wanting to be his. the more you'll sense him moving through you and giving you direction for life. And oh, we need this. Oh, you know, it's funny.
One of the things I heard in that podcast that I can so relate to is they said it's nearly impossible to keep your. attention focussed on God for more than seven seconds. When you all of a sudden you're wanting to go get something to eat, you're not you know, you got all these things that attract your attention, and I could I could so relate to that. But one of the things that they said that I could also know is what you just mentioned. Is l Holy Spirit, stick with me here.
Help me to focus in on... Getting into that place of intimacy with God that changes everything, like you said, that actually helps me feel like I can hang in there for more than seven seconds. That's it. That's it. And again, this isn't some, you know, otherworldly ethereal kind of thing.
I mean, just. Yesterday I had to give someone advice in a financial matter. And I you know, that's not my strong suit. But all of a sudden I found God giving me direction that was very Very practical. In the moment.
You know, as I just I thought about it, it took a little time. Uh but you know, he was in it in a way that, man, I would have missed it. Otherwise. And Yeah, you the things he wants us to see the Either way. It we just We want to go there.
But to do that, we've got to go to him. No, it's so beautiful and so well worth it.
So this would be a good time to pray. Go ahead. Lord, thank you for James, and I thank you for this insight this morning. And, Lord, We need straighter paths, there's no doubt. And like he said, with just a few degrees, Lord.
Lord, help the Spirit guide us into that place of relationship, that you can guide us to where life really is, and that we might have it more abundantly, as that would be with you. We know that. And Lord, help us to stay. Stick with it and be faithful. In Jesus' name I pray.
Amen. Amen. You can hear more from Pastor James by visiting his website. JamesBanks.org or by visiting Peace Church in Durham, North Carolina. May God bless you and encourage you as you pray.
