Welcome to this weekend's In Touch Podcast with Charles Stanley. What's your attitude toward prayer? Today's podcast helps us enlarge our vision of the necessity and benefits of spending time with the Lord. Now, if I should ask you, how do you go about praying?
What would you say? If I should say to you, what is your plan for prayer? You say plan for prayer. I mean, all I do is just talk to God. I talk to him on my way to work. I talk to him at work. I talk to him at home. I don't need a plan.
Yes, you do. If you don't set some time to pray, you're not going to find it. Listen, you don't find time to pray. You make time to pray. You set aside time to pray.
If you work by calendar, you put it on the calendar. If you don't, you won't do much praying. He says alert, diligently crying out to God. But first of all, you've got to set aside some time. Secondly, a place. You say, well, man, I can pray anywhere you sure can. But there's something about your place. Now, when I used to study here at the church, I have a prayer room right off the study there. And so that was my place at home where I study now. I have another place to pray. And I used to have a place downstairs in the basement that was just a little prayer room. But then I discovered something that when I stretch out an afghan, which is what I happened to pray on, if I stretch it out in my study, every time I walk in that door, there it is with a pillow and the Bible on it. Every time I walk in there, I'm reminded that's where God and I do business.
Now, I say that not to say that you should do it my way. You can find some place in your house. You say, well, but I live in a small apartment. I don't have a place to pray.
Yes, you do. You can find a place to pray if you want to. Listen, if you think God is important enough for you to meet him, you'll find the place. For example, let's say that you have a particular room that you pray in. Let's say you have an extra bedroom at your home and or some place that you can pray in and you don't really go in there very often.
If you'll choose a place like that, when you walk in, it is amazing how emotionally you get you're ready. It's like when you when you go in there, you and God do business. That's where you and God fellowship. That's where you bring your burdens and you unload to him and you cry out to him and you plead with him. There's something about a place that can become very, very precious to you in your prayer time.
Because that's the only thing you do right there. That is one other thing you need and that is a purpose. What are you praying for? Primarily, you want to develop your intimate relationship and fellowship with the Lord Jesus Christ. So you're developing a relationship with him.
That's number one. That's your first purpose. Second purpose is to receive from God that which you need, whatever it may be, no matter what it is. And the third purpose for your praying is for God to use you to intercede for other people, to make change in other people's lives or their families or the nations or whatever it might be. So I've given you in just a few moments a whole plan by which you can pray, which you can develop your own prayer life, and it'll make all the difference in the world.
You don't just get out and just sort of fumble through. You have a plan. Now I challenge you to do it. And I think in the rest of this message, you're going to see it's not only a challenge, but Paul makes an appeal here that is a tremendously strong appeal. So he says in this passage, first of all, what is the right attitude?
Devoting yourselves to prayer, keeping alert in it with an attitude of thanksgiving. And then he says, he issues us a very strong appeal. Now notice how he says this beginning in verse three, praying at the same time for us as well. He says now, first of all, he says there is your own time for personal petition. That is the time you spend personally with God.
And that's what he's referring to here. And the basis for this is when he says praying at the same time for us as well. So Paul knows that our diligent petition before God and our alertness and our thanksgiving, we are going to be asking for things about ourselves. But then he says praying for us as well. Paul knew the importance, listen, he knew the importance of prayer. And that's why he said, for example, in Romans chapter 12, verse 12, he says devoting yourselves to prayer. He says in Ephesians chapter 6 verse 18, he says, praying always with all prayer and perseverance because he lists all of the armor for the soldier of the cross.
He says the helmet of salvation, breastplate of righteousness and all the rest. Then he says in praying with all prayer and perseverance, encouraging people to pray. He says pray without ceasing. And Jesus said we ought to always to pray and not to faint. So Paul is always encouraging his church to pray. And one of the most beautiful prayers that Paul ever prayed for anyone is in the first chapter of Colossians beginning in verse 9.
I'm not going to read all that. But he says for this reason also since the day we heard of it, we have not ceased to pray for you and to ask that you may be filled with all the knowledge of his will and all spiritual wisdom and understanding and all the rest. A beautiful prayer of Paul, one of his beautiful prayers. So he was always motivating the folks to pray. But likewise he was also encouraging them to pray for him. And if you'll notice how he says it here. He says praying at the same time for us as well.
Praying for us as well. Now what is he talking about? He says here's the right attitude.
Diligently, alert and with the spirit of thanksgiving. And now he says I want to appeal to you to pray. And he says my appeal is to pray not only for yourself but to pray for the ministry. And he says I have two requests.
And notice what his requests are. He says if you will in verse 3. Praying at the same time for us as well that God may open to us a door for the word so that we may speak forth the mystery of Christ for which I have also been imprisoned. Now Paul made his appeal to them to pray for him for the ministry. So let's look at several of these passages if you will. And let's begin in Romans chapter 15. Notice how Paul over and over and over again appeals to them to pray in his behalf for the ministry that he's carrying on. He says in verse 30 of Romans 15. Now I urge you brethren by our Lord Jesus Christ and by the love of the Spirit.
Listen to what he says. To strive together with me in your prayers to God for me. He's not saying would you when you pray have your little nighttime prayer?
Would you just ask God to bless the Apostle Paul? That's not what he's saying. Listen to this. He says strive wrestle together with me in your prayers to God for me. He says I need for you to come before God and wrestle in this spiritual warfare for me because I'm going through all kinds of difficulty, hardship and trial. And then if you'll notice again in Philippians chapter 1 verse 19.
Listen to what he says. He says for I know that this shall turn out for my deliverance through your prayers and the provision of the Spirit of Jesus Christ. Then in 1 Thessalonians 5th chapter 25th verse this time Paul makes again a very simple request. In verse 17 he said pray without ceasing. Verse 25 he says brethren pray for us.
Now let me ask you a question. Why do you suppose the Apostle Paul here's this gigantic spiritual man whose spirituality was above and beyond any one of his peers. But he continually in letter after letter plea after plea crying out to those people to pray for him.
Why? Because the Apostle Paul understood that all the preaching and the teaching in the world is of little value unless it is backed up with some God fearing prayer by the saints. Now I want to say that to you. Paul's appeal here is a two-fold appeal. First of all he says that the doors of opportunity he says the doors of opportunity may be opened. But what good are doors of opportunity if there isn't somebody there to pray.
Now what is Paul saying in this passage? He said I'm appealing to you to pray first of all for what? I'm appealing you to pray first of all for open doors.
Two specific things, open doors. If you'll go back to 1 Corinthians chapter 16 and Paul refers to this when he was in Ephesus and writing to the Corinthian church and he said in verse 8 I shall remain in Ephesus until Pentecost for a wide door for effective service has opened to me and there are many adversaries. Now Paul's idea of an open door was an opportunity now watch this, an opportunity to preach the gospel. Notice he didn't say pray for the jailhouse door to be opened. He didn't even ask for that.
You know why? He was asking for doors of opportunity to preach the gospel to be opened. Because as Paul was a prisoner in Rome at one time he was probably chained to a Roman soldier. Can you imagine the privilege, listen to this, can you imagine the privilege of being chained to the apostle Paul every four hours for so many days? Not only that, when he wasn't chained to them.
They guarded him and he was kept in a house or prison whatever it might have been at that particular time of his imprisonment. But the scripture says that Caesar's household was being permeated. What he was preaching about the crucified resurrected Christ had reached all over Caesar's household. He says I want you to pray that a door of opportunity might be opened. And listen, when people begin to pray God begins to work. The truth is that God works in response to the prayers of his people that Paul would not have written to every single one of these churches to say pray for me, pray for me, pray for me, pray for me.
And he says what I want first of all is the door of opportunity. The door of opportunity opened and there are multitudes of people who would believe the truth if they could just hear it. Who are hungry and thirsty, who are living in all types of bondage and all types of sin. They are imprisoned by their sin and they don't know that Jesus can do anything forgive them and take them to heaven. They don't understand that Jesus Christ will live his life through them and in them day by day giving them victory and peace and joy and making their life fruitful.
They don't know it. You have the awesome responsibility to pray for God to open the doors of opportunity. That the truth may be shared as far and wide as he can make it shared. But he says I'll make a second appeal to you.
Not only that the doors of opportunity might be opened he says but here's the next appeal. He says for the Word, he says the door of opportunity is for the Word. So that we may speak forth the mystery of Christ for which I have also been in prison in order that I may make it clear in the way I ought to speak.
So he says now the second appeal he says is the way in which the gospel is presented. The truth of God is presented. The message first of all he says he calls a mystery. What was the mystery that Paul was talking about? A mystery once hidden now revealed. For Paul the mystery involves several things but the two primary things here are these. Number one that the author of salvation that Christ's crucifixion at Calvary and his resurrection and his ascension was the open door for both Jew and Gentile alike to be saved and to be brought together in the same body which is the church.
That was a mystery. Unknown in the Old Testament but now revealed in the Apostle Paul has explained that. That both Jew and Gentile alike receiving the Lord Jesus Christ as personal savior, Lord and Master of life now together in the body of Christ as one. The second mystery is this that God not only is in heaven but that once you receive the Lord Jesus Christ as your personal savior now Jesus Christ comes to live on the inside of you. He comes to indwell you and the awesome sense of joy and the awesome sense of confidence that you and I have.
This supernatural God living on the inside of us through the power of the Holy Spirit is a mystery once hidden but now revealed. And Paul says I want to get that message to all of those out there who need it. He says I plead with you to beseech God for an open door.
And then the second thing about the message is this. He says and I want you to pray that God will show me how to say it in a way that is clear and understandable. Now that is my prayer for myself every week. That is my prayer for myself every time I stand in this place.
Lord I want you to teach it to me so it will be so simple and plain that I can understand it. And then Lord show me how to say it in such a way that the nine year old boy can understand that sin and its consequences are devastating. That God loves him unconditionally. God will save him. God will live in him.
God will grow him up to make something of great value to him in the kingdom of God. I want the nine year old boy to understand it. The seven year old girl to understand it. And then maybe the adults will catch on after that. But surely they need to understand. Now I want to just challenge you about something here.
I want you to listen carefully. Do you ever think about praying that God will prepare the servant so that you'll get everything God wants you to have? And I want to say to you folks who never pray for your pastor. Can you imagine going to church on Sunday morning and expecting God to speak through a man to your heart when you've not even lifted his name before the Father and ask God to prepare him? You see, here's the tragedy in most churches. Most church members take their pastors for granted.
Oh, he's been doing this. All he's got to do is just get up and open his mouth. The only thing you're going to see when a fellow opens his mouth is his tonsils unless he's been on his face before God. Because the truth is none of us have anything to say of any value whatsoever apart from being with God.
A man can have all kinds of degrees, all kinds of knowledge, all kinds of understanding and be eloquent and smooth and suave and all the rest. And I want to tell you, it isn't worth two minutes of your time if God hasn't empowered it. And what is it that puts punch in the preaching but the praying of the people? Now don't come in here and say, well, you know, why do we pray?
Everything's going to work out all right. I want to tell you, my friend, the Apostle Paul appealed to his people. He appealed to them that they would pray for God to give him understanding. And when I read the book of Colossians and Ephesians and Philippians written here in general, I think, oh, God, how grateful I am that you inspired and spoke and made it clear and simple and plain to the Apostle Paul so he could make it clear enough for me to at least understand at least part of it. Do you not realize that you have an obligation before God to pray for whoever stands in this place to preach the gospel?
Don't take it for granted. Dad, you ought to be praying that God would teach me the truth because it's your children who are listening. My friend, you and I have a divine obligation before God to bombard heaven for opportunities of open doors and that the truth may be simple and plain to be understood by everyone and anyone. Oftentimes the pastor will call me and say, well, you know my church, get ready to fire me or this, that and the other, so forth. And I have to ask myself the question, I wonder how many of those folks, if they didn't like something about their pastor, why didn't they pray for God to change him? Why didn't they begin by praying God changed me?
Why didn't they begin to pray God speak to my pastor, teaching the truth that you take for granted? That anybody who stands and preach, he ought, listen, you don't know how we have to struggle to understand the truth. And to wrestle with God, as Paul says, strive with me to know the truth, to understand the truth that is simple and plain and understandable by everybody. He says, I appeal to you. My appeal is that you would plead with God for open doors of opportunity, that you would plead before God to make the message simple and plain and understandable. Now, I'm going to tell you something, if I were going to come listen to somebody preach for an hour or something like that, while I'm sitting here, I'd want to get everything I can squeeze out of that time. And the best way to get the most out of it is to pray for God to work in his life and to teach him the truth and to show him how to teach me the truth. And then, Lord, I want you to get my heart ready to hear it. We need for God to reveal his power, God to change somebody's life, God to speak to multitudes of people.
That's the reason we're meeting. To worship him, to praise him, to confess, to repent, to have God change your life, revolutionize our thinking, build our perspective of what God is all about. Now, friend, that's a lot of difference than just wobbling into church and sitting down and waiting for it to be over. You and I have an awesome responsibility, and I appeal to you in the name of Jesus Christ to pray for God to open greater doors and for God that teaches the truth in the simplest fashion. Thank you for listening to part two of Devoted to Prayer. For more inspirational messages like this one, 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.
