Nakita Kolov, the Russian nightmare.
No, the devil's nightmare here. From it's time to man up. Challenging men to step into their true manhood. Your chosen Truth Network Podcast is starting in just a few seconds.
Enjoy it, share it, but most of all, thank you for listening to the Truth Podcast. 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 bestselling 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, how's your heart today? Not your physical biological heart, but your heart as scripture describes it in relationship to God.
Right. When the Old and New Testaments refer to the heart, they're describing what it is that motivates us more than anything else. It's the center of our desires and what we really want in life.
So it's really what you live for. And that's where prayer comes in because few things reveal the condition of our hearts like prayer. Yeah, boy, isn't that true? The very thing Jesus pointed out when he quoted Isaiah about the religious authorities in his day is, they honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. I mean, isn't that the challenge we all face sometimes when we're talking to God? Yeah, it is, Ravi. And it's not just when we're talking to God, it's if we're talking to God.
Oh, you had to say that, didn't you? Well, if we're not communicating with him, that also shows us something about our hearts. So think about the old hymn that says, Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it.
Prone to leave the God I love. Here's my heart. Oh, take and seal it.
Seal it for thy courts above. In other words, Lord, I wander away from you so easily. Please make my heart yours. That's such a great prayer to pray. Lord, help me with my heart.
Oh, it really, really is. And it's scriptural prayer, right? Because if you think about it, scripture talks about God working with people's hearts in quite a few places, really, like when it says he hardened Pharaoh's heart or when he says that he put a new spirit in his people and removed their hearts of stone and gave them a heart of flesh.
That's exactly right. God actually says that twice in Ezekiel. And whenever you see God saying something twice in his words, you can underline it and you can highlight it and draw circles around it because he does it for emphasis. And this is where praying about our hearts can be such a powerful thing because it's like saying, Lord, help me to want what you want. And the beautiful thing is he does that. He works on a level that goes even deeper than our wills. And he does change our hearts over time so that we can look back and say, Abba, Father, thank you that I'm not where I once was. I know I'm not where I need to be yet.
But thank you that through your help and through your spirit, I'm making progress. Oh, wow. Yeah. I mean, that's the beautiful thing about God. He never gives up on us. He's for us, even when we're against ourselves. Yeah, he is.
He is. And our hearts matter so much to him. Proverbs 4 23 says, above all else, guard your heart for everything you do flows from it. So we know that this is a prayer that God loves to answer. And just think about that. Think about the ways he can change our hearts for the better and what a difference that can make. I mean, think about it. You know, if my heart's changed in my relationship with him, or in my relationship with my wife, or in my relationship with that person I'm having trouble with at work, you know, just imagine if my heart's changed. Oh, I mean, in everything we do, what a difference that can make.
Oh, yeah. I mean, the other good thing about praying like that is it's really saying, Lord, I want to be yours. And we need to pray that way anytime, but especially when we're really struggling with something. Yeah, I think that's, that's on point, because God's word has so much to say about this, about, you know, our hearts and his.
I mean, Jesus described his own heart as gentle and humble in Matthew 11 29. And he wants to help us be like that. And he wants us to know that he's that way so we can come to him. And he says that if we follow him, we'll find rest for our souls. So I mean, that's, that's all part of that verse.
So the result is peace. And, and just being close to him, and we want that. Oh, yeah, we do. You know, also think about what he says about where your treasure is, that's where your heart will be also. And if you're playing like praying like this, right, it helps us treasure him. You know, that's what we want. And, you know, certainly, that's where we want to be. Yeah, yeah.
And, you know, just being honest with him about our hearts is so good. I, I heard someone say, once the church doesn't say her lies, she sings them. Oh, wow.
Yeah. And I think about some of the things I've sung to God, and maybe I liked the song, but I wasn't really thinking about what I was saying in the moment. And then it's like, gulp, you know, I guess that's right. So now sometimes when I sing in the lyrics, say something like, everything I do is for you, Jesus, you know, now I try to be really honest and turn it into a prayer and say in my heart, Lord, help me to be this way, so that everything I do is for you. I like that.
I mean, it may seem like such a change in what you're singing, but it's really huge, right? Because his sincerity is, is a matter of the heart. And, and that's really what God is after. Yeah, yeah, I think of one of those quoted verses in the Bible. It's when God spoke to his people when they were in captivity, for I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you, not harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future. Oh yeah, that's Jeremiah 29.11.
Right, right. Well, you often hear that verse quoted, but there are two verses that come right after it that we really don't want to miss. So Jeremiah 29.12 says, then you will call on me and come and pray to me and I will listen to you. And then verse 13, you will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. So first notice that this is about prayer. You'll call on me, you'll come and pray to me. And then God promises that when we go after him from the heart, it's then that we meet him in fresh ways. Wow, I love that. I mean, you will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart and honest down to earth prayer is the way to do that. I mean, it's so practical. I guess, you know, you could say bringing it down to earth makes heaven much closer.
I love it. Well, Robbie, would you wrap things up with a prayer that will do this, that will pray more and more from the heart? Yeah, Lord, thank you so much that you keep banging away at our hard hearts so that we can see this, Lord. Like the Psalmist said in Psalm 119, Lord, we seek you with our whole hearts, but Lord, let us not wander from what you've told us to do. Lord, help us to see that this opportunity is at every moment and see the opportunities that come your way to just somehow or another, touch our mind with your spirit and let him guide us back to you in prayer as we think about the delight of meeting with you in our heart and in your presence is fullness of joy. At your right hand, our pleasure is forevermore. Thank you, Lord. In Jesus' name, I pray. 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.
Whisper: medium.en / 2023-07-26 15:45:10 / 2023-07-26 15:48:55 / 4