Changing People Through Prayer - Part 2

Welcome to this weekend's In Touch Podcast with Charles Stanley.

Do you know someone who needs to change? Instead of nagging, today's podcast gives you a better place to start. Let's listen closely for insight from Colossians chapter one in changing people through prayer. I want to give you a pattern of prayer that will help something is going to happen in prayer. Lord, I want to know, I want to be overflowing, I want to be full of the knowledge of your will.

And notice what he says. He says, Now, fill with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom. That is, God, I want your viewpoint. That is a request all of us have a right to ask about any and every circumstance in life. Full of the knowledge of God's will. That's request number one.

Request number two, listen. He says, Not only to be filled with the knowledge of His will and all spiritual wisdom and understanding, but He says, Secondly, so that you may walk in a manner worthy of the Lord. A lot of people's walk is like air.

When they come through light, they leave nothing of any eternal value. Their whole life is consumed in things that are temporal. But he says, One of our request is that that person should walk in a manner characteristic of him. Because you see, the truth is, all of us who have Christ living within us are an extension of the life of Jesus. Which means that when people meet us, they really should meet the Lord Jesus Christ, that our character, conversation and conduct should be of the nature and the quality that they cannot help. But meet him when they meet us. And we should pray that for our Children pray that for believers whom we see are weakening in their faith and beginning to compromise with the world.

Praying first of all, to be full of the knowledge of the will of God overflowing with that and all spiritual wisdom and understanding. And walking in a way that is waiting, that has heaviness to it. We bear an impression, and people who know us cannot ignore us. They either like us, love us or despise us, but surely not ignore us.

You say, I don't like criticism. My friend, neither did Jesus, I'm sure. Neither did the Apostle Paul. But you and I are not here in order to gain the world's approval, but to make such an impression upon them, they will either grasp the Christ whom we know or want to get rid of us. But to ignore us, never.

Nothing could be a worse testimony about the Christian faith than to be able to be ignored silently. Third request, filled with all the knowledge of the will of God, walking in a manner worthy of the Lord. And then he says, thirdly, pleasing him in all respects.

Now that doesn't mean to be in bondage, oh my goodness, shall I do this, that or the other. Listen, when you're full of the knowledge of the will of God, showing you his will for your life, it should be the bottom line. That is the desire of our heart should be to obey God.

Now look at this. First of all, to know the will of God is to ask for God's direction for our life. Secondly, to walk in a manner worthy speaks of the quality of our life. And then pleasing him in all things speaks of the desire of our life.

That is to be obedient to God. And somebody says, well, I want to be sure I'm obedient to the big things. I'm not worried about the little things.

You better worry about them. You better be concerned about the little things because oftentimes a life changes and a great decision hinges on what appears to be a little decision. But in the mind of God is a great decision. Praying first of all, the full knowledge of God's will, walking in a manner worthy of our Lord, pleasing him in all respects. Not just being obedient about some things, but a desire.

Listen, I don't mean some legalistic now, some legalistic demand and requirement. That's why I put the emphasis on the desire within the heart to obey him. Not obeying him to be seen or because you're scared to death that God's going to judge you, but a loving desire to obey him. Obeying him in every respect. Number four, bearing fruit in every good work. Our prayer should be to bear fruit in every good work. That is the very implication here is activity, involvement, service, giving of ourselves. Now, when you begin to pray, God, let my life bear fruit in every good work. Bearing fruit, he says in every good work. Now, I want you to think about the people that you know who are going through life. And if I should ask you, what kind of impression have they left on you?

Well, not anything particularly. You know that a lot of people are going to go through life and when they're gone, they're going to be emotionally missed for a season. But many people, their life will have been so lived that it really didn't make a whole lot of difference that they came this way.

You know why? Because their life was involved primarily in things that are temporal, not in things that are eternal. Fruit bearing. And I want to ask you, my friend, has your life made any difference, any eternal difference in anybody's life since you've been saved? Bearing fruit. That means productive.

That means because you're here, something's going on. Your life's making a difference. And I want to ask you again, is it making any decided difference in anybody's life? Well, listen, walking in a manner worthy of the Lord, pleasing him in all respects. And then he says, bearing fruit in every good work. And then he says, likewise, the next part of that prayer is increasing in the knowledge of God. And notice he didn't say knowing God. He says increasing in the knowledge of God. What do you suppose God in heaven wants you to learn more about than everything else? Do you think he's more interested in your learning about the trees and the seasons and the birds and the oceans and technology and medicine and history and literature and mathematics?

Do you think? Well, I'm sure he has this much interest that whatever you're involved in, you do well at. But what God wants you to increase in knowledge about above everything else is who he is, how he operates in a person's life. Tragedy upon tragedy upon tragedy is to live 50, 60, 70 years and end up facing a God whom you are totally ignorant about, except that he is God and he's the father of the Lord Jesus Christ. And by his grace, you've been saved. I want to ask you a question.

What in the world are you hungry to know about? Compare your time reading the newspaper to the Bible, the magazines to the Bible, listening to the television of the Bible. Remember all that God has blessed you with. And are you satisfied with knowing so little about him? He says, praying that there might be a continuous increase in the knowledge of God. And then look at verse 11. The next part of that prayer is strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might. When he says strengthened with all power, do not miss. Supernatural power of God strengthened with all strength, with all power, according to his glorious might.

Now look at that word might. According to his glorious might is a different word. Kratos from the other word strengthened and power, dunamis. And that word is used never of man's power, but only of God's power. And what he's saying is it's strengthened with all power according to his glorious supernatural power. Which is our way of praying this.

What? Lord, I want to walk in your energy. I want to walk in your strength. I want to serve in your power, in your might, not in my own.

And in essence, what happens is this. It is not that something God comes down from heaven and gives us, but rather the Holy Spirit who is living within us when we pray that prayer, literally releases in our physical body energy and strength, releases in our spiritual life divine spiritual energy to make an impact upon someone else's life. You see, the truth is God didn't leave us down here to live our life the best we could, but he came to live within us. And we talk about praying for power in a person's life. It isn't power that God gives me as a gift. It is the release of that which is already within you through the Holy Spirit. Now, when a person says, Well, I would serve the Lord bearing fruit and all good works, if I could just do that, my friend, God Almighty, the source of all strength and power and might, has already committed himself to enable you through the power of the Holy Spirit, always in every single situation with no exception to what? Enable you to do every single thing God has required of you. You never have to worry about having enough of what you need to fulfill what God requires of you.

And this is a simple excuse that people use for not serving God. Well, you know, I, I just don't have it. Oh, you've got it.

You're just not utilizing it. Either you don't know you have it or either you don't know what it is. But the power of the Holy Spirit is indwelling every single believer. Therefore, we are without excuse when it comes to bearing that good fruit in every good work. If we say, Well, you know, I just don't know how and I just don't think I can. Absolutely correct.

Neither can I nor can anyone else. That's why he said, Ye shall receive power after that the Holy Ghost has come upon you. He's already come upon you. He's living within you. You have all the energy, power, strength and anointing of God you will ever need.

It is a matter of believing and choosing to accept that is true. And then getting into activity, getting into service for God and watching him release that through you. Praying strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might for the attaining of all steadfastness and patience.

What is he saying? He's saying that we should pray for that kind of divine strength and energy within us. In order that we may have that never give up spirit. And these two words, steadfastness and patience bearing up under the pressure hanging in there when the going gets rough.

We don't throw in the towel. We're trusting in the power of God to see us through to get it done. I don't believe a child of God ever has the right to throw in the towel because they say, Well, I just can't do this. My friend, if God calls you to do it, surely you can't.

But he can. It's amazing the people who sit and listen to sermons who keep saying the same thing they learned years ago that is not true. Praying old prayers they learned years ago that are not true. You have within you all the power you'll ever need to do any and every single thing God ever requires of you. So we don't have to pray if God will just help me friend. What more can he do than to come and live on the inside of you to assure you that at any given moment you are serving him. The power of God is released for that activity, no matter what it is. And yet I hear prayer, Oh, God, please help me. He's already done it. He's given you a lifetime dose and you won't ever need any more.

It's a matter of you trusting him to release it in you. Patience, he says in steadfastness, joyously giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to share in the inheritance. And then the rest of what he says there is this we're to pray that our life may be an expression of joyous thanksgiving for what? For the expressions of God's grace toward us named here. He's qualified us what to share in the inheritance of the saints. He's delivered us from the domain of darkness, transfers to the kingdom of his beloved son. We've been redeemed from our sins and forgiven of all of our sins. Now, you think about this prayer for just a moment. What do you suppose would happen in your life if somebody targeted you and began to pray this prayer?

God called your name. Fill him with all the fullness of your will, with all spiritual wisdom and understanding. Teach him how to walk in a manner worthy of the Christ whom he professes.

Place within his heart, create within his heart a desire to please you in everything. So work in his life that he or she will bear fruit in every good work. So create a desire in their heart for you that they will be continually increasing in their knowledge and understanding of your ways. Strengthen them with all power and might according to your glorious supernatural power.

So that steadfastly and with patience they'll be able to do all kinds of trials and testing. And Lord, let the motivation of their life be joyous thanksgiving for the work of grace. That they are part of your inheritance. Translated from the kingdom of darkness to the kingdom of light. Redeemed by your precious blood, forgiven of their sins.

Friend, period, know if it's thy will, know anything else, period. God will answer that prayer. That is a powerful prayer. And if you with all sincerity in your own life before God will target somebody and begin to pray that prayer, read it to God every day with their name in it, there is no way for them to remain the same.

There's no way. Listen to what he said now. This is the confidence. This is the boldness that we have in him when we go to the throne. If we ask anything according to his will, everything in that passage is his will. If we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he's listening, he hears us.

We know without a shadow of a doubt we have the petition we desired of him. If you pray that prayer for yourself, you cannot remain the same. You pray that prayer for someone else continuously, faithfully.

They cannot remain the same. God will hear that prayer toward anyone you pray it for. What will happen if you start praying that prayer?

You will be transformed. That is the power of prayer. Father, we bless you and praise you that you've made it possible for every single one of your children to cry out to you.

And you will hear an answer. And I pray even now that every single person who listens to this message will begin to pray this prayer first of all for themselves. And then to target some other person for whom they're concerned and watch you demonstrate your wonderful, indescribable, awesome power in the life of that person as they watch them change and transformed by your precious grace.

Amen. Thank you for listening to Part 2 of Changing People Through Prayer. For more inspirational messages like this, visit our online 24-7 station. And if you'd like to know more about Charles Stanley or In Touch Ministries, stop by intouch.org. This podcast is a presentation of In Touch Ministries, Atlanta, Georgia.