The Power of Prayer

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A daily program powered by the Truth Network. This is kind of a great thing, and I'll tell you what. Where pop culture, current events, and theology all come together. Speak your mind. And now, here's today's Truth Talk Live host.

What's the one thing you're praying for right now? We want to hear your answer. Give us a call, 866-34TRUTH. That's 866-348-7884. What are you praying for right now?

Welcome to Truth Talk Live. Well, I'm Brian Hill. I'm John Galantis. And we are here today with today's Truth Talk host, Dr. Abadan Shah.

Dr. Shah. This is the first time we're hosting Truth Network. It is, it is. It's surreal.

It is. I'm like pinching myself over here. This is great. It's a different energy to live radio. Absolutely.

This is Dr. Shah. You've done this in college. I know you grew up in the broadcasting world. This is a first for Ryan and I.

Yeah. Really? Yeah. To host. We've done live radio on Truth Network before, but to host, this is new.

I can't stop smiling. And I have to, number one, of course, give God thanks for this opportunity, but also Stu Epperson. Thank you, thank you, thank you for giving us the opportunity to do that. And I cannot think of two better individuals to help host this than John and Ryan.

Okay, you guys are so good.

So take it on. Amen. Thank you. Thank you. Listen, if you guys do call in today, make sure you do a couple things for us.

Leave us your email address, leave us your phone number. We want to connect with you later on. And we want to send you a free devotional, a free gift. It's a devotional written by Dr. Shah.

It's called 30 Days of Praying Through America. This is Daily Devotions to Heal Our Nation. This book actually came out in 2024, but it has been flying off the shelves. And if you call in today, we want to leave a gift for you.

So, make sure you connect with us. And what better resource as we're celebrating America's 250th anniversary of independence? I mean, 30 days of praying for our nation, praying for America.

So important. Dr. Shaw, before we jump in, you know, people may not know your office setup. People listen to you on the radio, they listen from all over. We've got some people listening right now from all over the United States.

So thank you for tuning in. That's right. One of the things that jumps out immediately is the wall of books behind you. And as a book lover, there's a.

Sort of a salivating that happens when I walk in your office and tell you what I'm going to do. I love that one. And I could read that one and I could read that one. It's a library to be envied for sure. Like it's, it's visually and it's impressive.

Yeah. It's impressive. You, you spent years, decades at this point studying theology, studying history, studying American history. We're talking about prayer today. Talk about why prayer is, why prayer matters from a theological perspective, from the study of God's word.

What is the importance of prayer?

Well Prayer is foundational to who we are. Prayer is communication with God. God is our Creator. God is our sustainer, God is our provider, God is our savior.

So We need to talk to the one who created us. who sustains us, who provides for us, who saves us. And that communication is prayer. But prayer is just much more than just saying, hey, God, how are you? Thank you for all of you.

It's me, Margaret. Yeah, it's so much more than that. Prayer is asking and receiving. That's right. There was a man of God who years ago made a big impact in the world of Bible studies and prayer and preaching.

His name was John R. Rice. And he wrote a book called Prayer, Asking and Receiving. And to be honest, when I first started reading that, I was like asking and receiving. What he was saying was.

Cut to the chase. Don't dilly-dally. Don't waste time. Don't quote verses to God. Don't spend hours and hours trying to thank God for this, that, and the other.

All those things are wonderful. Prayer is like a I would say 20 second. Opportunity on the elevator to talk to somebody who can give you the greatest thing you need. 20 seconds. Go.

No, God gives us much more than 20 seconds. Right, of course. But what if you like, okay, here starts? You get in, the person walks in. I just want to thank you so much for what a great person you are.

I got all your books so restricted. Just enjoy being in your elevator. You're down to like seven seconds now. And I just want to tell you: like, I have people who really adore you, and we meet once a week and talk about you. 12 seconds.

Yeah. 13 seconds. Get to the point. Prayer is asking and receiving. And that to me, I don't know if anybody can top that.

I have three kids, and two of my kids are of the age where they can talk. And we pray. We pray before every meal. And it never fails, especially my middle kid. He loves to pray.

But it's always the same thing. Dear Lord, thank you for this day. If someone's sick, please heal them. Thank you for my chicken nuggets and thank you for my cup and thank you for my plate. Thank you for the rug.

Thank you for mommy. Thank you for daddy. Thank you for the plant. Thank you for Teen Titans Go. Thank you for my TV.

I'm like, okay, hold on. Let's ask God what we want, buddy. Think about what we're saying. Think about what we're praying. But so many times we do fall into that sort of template mindset of like, this is the rhythm and this is how I pray.

And one, two, three, and now we're done. It's easy to laugh at the little kids, but our vocabulary is a little better, but we do the same thing. Yeah, but think about what Jesus said. Ask and you shall receive. That's right.

Seek and you shall find. Knock and the door shall be open unto you. You have not because you ask not. I mean, how many times does Jesus have to say that? That's right.

And then, of course, James talks about the you have not because you ask not, but you ask and you not receive because you ask amiss. Maybe we can cover a little bit about what that amiss means. Yeah, absolutely. Absolutely. We did an episode yesterday on our show, Clearview Today, which was, you know, how well do you really know God?

What do you really know about him? And one of the golden points that we put pointed out in that episode was the way that you act, even the way that you pray, reflects what you think about God. Like, if I feel like I have to pad all of these prayers, if I've got to let God know how good he is and get all this praise out of the way before I really ask, what does that say about how I see him? You know what I'm saying? Yeah.

Our view of God is going to impact, of course, the way that we talk to him. I mean, think about how you speak to your father or how different people might speak to their father depending on their relationship. If you have a good relationship with your dad versus if it's a little strange. Versus, if you maybe don't know your dad, that's going to impact the way that you think about how you speak to your heavenly father. How does that play out practically in our prayer life, Don?

Oh, it really does. You know, John the Apostle talks about that in 1 John 5, verse 14. He says, Now, this is the confidence that we have in Him. Confidence. Confidence has to do with the character of the person.

So number one, you need to know the character of God. But also does he have a good character? What is his character? He is A loving God. Of course, if you want to start off from the highest attribute, he's a holy God.

means he does not tolerate sin. He is a loving God. Means he loves us. loves us enough to give His Son for us. He is a wise, all-knowing, omniscient God.

He's an omnipotent God. He means He's all-powerful. There's nothing that is outside the reach of God. And I can go on and on. His eternal means there is no time limit on this God.

This is the confidence that we have in Him that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. According to his will does not mean that you have to attach that as a tagline to every prayer. God, give us this. We really need this. We really need healing according to your will.

Not necessarily. It's not about the tagline. It's about a heart that says, God, you know what is best. You Not only do you know what is best, but you love me enough to give me the very best. And I trust you with that.

That is the confidence we have if we ask anything according to his will. He hears us. And if we know that he hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of him. Remember what I said about John R. Rice's book, Prayer?

asking and receiving So much more than just thanking God and chit-chatting. It's asking and receiving. That's what the s part of 1 John 5 is. Verse 15 is, and if we know that he hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have, we have received the petition.

So there is that element of faith. As you're praying, this is not doubtful prayer. This is a prayer that believes. that God Is going to answer his children, that's right, and sometimes way better than what we're asking for. Oh, that's so good.

God, you said something one time that has really stuck with me about prayer, and this has kind of like flavored the way that I approach prayer. God's will for us is what we would pray for if we had the sense to ask for it. That's right, and it's not original to me. Um, I believe it was Adrian Rogers who said that. I was always so touched by that.

I said, You know, that is powerful. Yeah, it's such a good way to think about it, too, because you know, you fall into this trap of thinking, like, What if I ask God for a Lamborghini? What if I ask God for a new boat? What if I ask God for $10 million in my bank account?

Well, yeah, you can, but Is that God's will for you? You know, you got to know the character of God to know what to ask for and to be able to receive those things. I think one thing that a lot of Christians feel right now is fatigue, right? And we're going to talk about that as we're coming back from this break, but we want your calls: 866-34-TRUTH. That's 866-348-7884.

And here's the big question: What are you praying for right now? Give us a call, 866-34-TRUTH. We'll be right back after this. Truth talk life. You're listening to the Truth Network and TruthNetwork.com.

Welcome back to Truth Talk Live. We're back with Dr. Abadan Shah. Dr. Shah, we're talking about prayer today, and every one of us goes through seasons of prayer, seasons where prayer comes easily, and then other seasons where prayer seems to be a struggle.

Yeah. I mean, we've all been through those difficult times where it feels like God is not listening or your prayer seems to be bouncing off the ceiling and you feel like, is it even worth it? You hear that debilitating news, or some health situation, or some relationship that seems like it's gone beyond repair, and it feels like, man, this is it, this is the end. Does it even matter? And in those moments, Don't listen to your thoughts.

Don't listen to the enemy telling you, that's right, there is no God. This is the moment that you have to. Just live for yourself. Either you just need to sink in that bog of despair, or you need to just get up and fight the world, you against the world. None of those things are the right answer.

The right answer is prayer. That's right. Go to God in prayer. You say, What if I don't feel like it? What about those moments where I just don't have the strength to pray?

Remember the. Bible tells us The Holy Spirit prays for us. With groanings that cannot be uttered.

So just know that in those moments that you can't even voice your request, you can say, God, help. That's right. That's right. And listen, we want to hear from you guys today.

So make sure you call that number 866-34Truth. You can talk with Dr. Shah and Ryan and myself live. And if you do call, make sure you leave your email address. We're going to connect with you.

We're going to send you a free gift later on. You know, Dr. Shah, there's a sense of fatigue, I think, in a lot of people, not only just Christians, but lost people as well in the world right now. It seems like every day brings another headline, right?

Some other disaster, some other crisis, some other reason to be discouraged. And believers are becoming fearful. They're withdrawing. And prayer is typically the last thing we turn to. Yeah.

Yeah. We often say, You know, but all we can do is pray. No, it's not about all we can do is prayer. It's the most important thing that you can do. That's right.

It is vital to talk to God. When you hear of moral and spiritual decline, when you hear about wars and rumors of wars, it feels like evil is about to swing back like this pendulum and you're going to go on the other side and it's going to be horrible, terror. In those moments, come together and pray. And maybe we can talk about it in a few moments: the importance of praying together. That's right.

Let's do it. Individual is important, but collective prayer. is vital.

So important for us. And speaking of coming together in prayer, you know, we have a caller on the line who has a prayer request. That's right. Christy from Henderson, North Carolina has a prayer request. Christy, you are live on Truth Talk.

Thank you for calling. Yes, absolutely. I was just I had a prayer request, something that's really been on my heart and my mind lately, is all the young people. Especially the Christians, not I mean, the unsaved too, but especially the Christian young people that are trying to serve the Lord. There's just so many distractions and Things trying to keep them from doing that.

And so I just want to, I've been praying for them, and I wanted to lift them up in prayer today. Amen. Amen. Ryan, do you want to pray for the young people? I mean, that's sort of your wheelhouse, isn't it?

Absolutely. Absolutely. So let's, you know, we just talked about the words of coming together in prayer.

So let's pray. Christy, pray with us on the air. Heavenly Father, we thank you for Christy. We thank you for her heart, for the young men and women who are seeking to serve you, who are seeking to grow in their faith. And God, we know that there are so many distractions, so many things pulling at their mind and at their heart, seeking their attention, seeking their affection.

But I pray right now for the young men and women who we have contact with, young men and women in the world, God, that you would reveal yourself to them in a powerful way. You would meet their needs. You would show up in their schools. You would show up in their homes and their friend groups. And you would draw them to you in a mighty way.

You would spark revival in this generation of young men and women. Give them a heart to serve you and to serve others. And God, I pray for those of us who are older, that you would give us opportunities to speak into and encourage those who are younger than us, both younger physically and younger in the faith. Thank you for Christy and for her heart. And I thank you for this opportunity to pray in Jesus' name.

Amen. Amen. Thank you for your call, Christy. Thank you. Absolutely.

And we want to hear from you guys as well. Let's get these phones ringing. You know, what are you praying for right now? 866-34TRUTH. Dr.

Shah, every believer has prayers that we feel like have gone unanswered, right? And we might think that God is ignoring us, but we know that's not the case.

Sometimes God changes our circumstances, but a lot of times God is going to change us. Oh, absolutely. You know, God's providential control over our lives is comprehensive. It is detailed. It is capable, it is loving, it is best.

That's right. Sometimes we think, you know, does God know what's happening? Absolutely. He knows every little detail. I mean, even the hair on our head are numbered.

That's right. A sparrow doesn't fall to the ground without the father knowing it.

So he is very aware of everything that is taking place. And so. Yes, we need to come to God knowing that He knows everything, He cares. And he wants to answer us. That's right.

So, I want to ask this question for the sake of our listeners who are out there. If God knows everything, What's the point of praying if he already knows, if he already is aware of the things that we're going to even pray before we ask for them? Why pray? You see, God wants to bring us in a partnership with Him. It's not enough to say He already knows, go ahead and do it.

Like He is some bureaucrat sitting there with no regard for His people, whether those who work for Him or those who are buying His product or impacted by Him. He has no concern about them, He's just going to do what He wants to do.

Well God's will will always be done. Let's not make any mistake about that. But when it comes to In our circle of influence, God wants to partner with us. He wants us to connect with him. And so even right down to simple things as God, provide for us money so we can buy a car.

Oh God, I would love to have a relationship, a relationship that glorifies you, a relationship that brings joy in my life, a relationship that would Uh um make life easier, whatever. God wants you to partner with Him.

So it's important. To bring him along. That's right. Have you ever prayed for something and then God answers, but he answered in a completely different way than you were expecting? Like, I prayed for this.

I have a vision of how God's going to answer this. And then the way he actually answers it is something completely different. You know, the great theologian Garth Brooks said it this way: Thank God for unanswered prayers. Not that he's a great theologian. What I'm saying is, that song is true.

Thank God for unanswered prayers. Because sometimes we have no idea what we're praying for. That's right. James and John came before Jesus, wanted to destroy the village of the Samaritans. And Jesus said, You don't know what spirit you are.

Oh, man. And I know that's an extreme example, but even in our prayers, we say, God, I really want this, really want this. And God says, No, no. And it's because he loves us too much. That's right.

He doesn't want to give us a stone. He wants to give us bread. He doesn't want to give us a scorpion. He wants us to give us fish. And it's frustrating for us in the moment because we think we know exactly what's right for us, right?

We think we know it, like, this, what I'm praying for is good. It's not like I'm praying for a Lamborghini or a million-dollar mansion. I'm praying for something good. And God says, no, you don't know what's good. I'm what's good.

That's right. Will. Yeah. That's right. We've got another caller here, Chris from Raleigh, North Carolina.

Chris, welcome to Truth Talk. Thanks for calling in today. Thank you for taking my call.

So this kind of goes align with what you guys were just saying. You know, there are scriptures that cause us to very bold praying as well, such as John 15, 7, Jesus says. If you abide in me and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish. And it will be done for you. And Jesus said, you know, if you have faith, you could say to this mountain, and it'll be cast into the sea.

There just seems to be this call for us sometimes to be very bold and even very specific in our prayers.

So how bold should we be? And how confident should we be? And how do you balance that out with also being reasonable, if that makes sense? Oh, absolutely. Great, great question.

Because that's where the rubber meets the road. Because you'll have a lot of people who will say, like, yes, yes, absolutely. Let's pray. Yes. Ask and receive.

Man, yes, that's it.

Well, how big a request are we going to make? You know, are we going to ask God to heal someone who is on deathbed? Are we going to ask God to give us this big plot of land and we don't have any money? But man, they need a church in that community. We need to pray for that.

How about praying for someone who is diametrically opposed to the plan of God, but we're praying that God will. Get their heart, and they will come to Jesus Christ and be saved. How big a prayer are we going to pray? You know, this is where learning from history helps us. When we study the history of prayer, what we find is that men and women of God throughout history did exactly what Chris is saying.

They were so full of the Holy Spirit that they prayed in boldness. And it's not like they had. tons of theological degrees. But they prayed with boldness, And got answered. That's right.

Chris, thank you for calling, man. We're going to take a quick break. I hope that answered your question. But you guys, make sure you're calling 866-34TRUTH. We can't wait to hear from you.

866-3442. 3-4 truth. We'll be right back. Truth, talk, lie. You're listening to the Truth Network and TruthNetwork.com.

Thanks for sticking around here on Truth Talk Live. If you're just joining us for the very first time, my name is John Galantis. I'm here with Ryan Hill and today's Truth Talk host, Dr. Abadan Shah. We're talking about prayer, but we also want to talk to you.

What are you praying for today? Make sure you call us at 866-34 Truth. That's 866-348-7884. Whether it's for your family, your health, your church, maybe something only God knows about. We want to hear from you.

While we were on break, we had three or four people call in, so we're going to take these one by one. We've got Donna from Oxford, North Carolina, on the phone right now. Wanted to give a thought about prayer. Donna, listen, you're live on Truth Talk. Yeah, John, today I'm praying for the strength and the wisdom to.

Lay all of the hard stuff at the feet of Jesus, and then, here's the tricky part, and then to leave them there. I'm really good at giving my burdens to him in prayer, but then I pick them right back up when I get worried or scared.

So I'm asking God to help me to trust him enough to let it go. to believe that he's already worked. And to rest in the peace that comes from knowing that my problems are far safer in his hands than they are in mine. and knowing that he's got me. Yeah, I've definitely done that where I pray for something and then God starts moving.

And I'm like, let me get it back. Lord, I want to give this to you and then I'm going to take it right back after the prayer. Dr. Shah, how do we give it to God and leave it in his hands?

Well, it's human nature. Yeah. It's human nature. We are prone to worrying. We're prone to fearing and doubting.

So I am, I completely sympathize with Donna because I've been there and I may be there tomorrow. And so I have to go right back to God and say, God, I know I just came, but I'm giving this situation back to you because I'm playing it over and over again in my head and I'm trying to find ways to attack this problem. And I'm trying all the avenues that I can to fix this when I know it is beyond me. I know that it's only if you step in.

So, God, please take it back. And then God in His own. Gracious, powerful way, he will just give me some sign, something to assure me that he is in control. Amen. It may be related to that situation, it may be completely unrelated, but somehow he tells me, you know, I'm God, you're not.

And that gives me enough assurance to go, okay, Lord, thank you. I can go to sleep now. That's right. You're in control. Amen.

That's right. Donna, thank you so much for calling. We want to talk to you a little bit. Make sure you leave your email address. Make sure you leave your phone number.

We want to send you a little gift as well. We got Caroline from North Carolina as well. Caroline, you are on Truth Talk. Hi, friends. I just wanted to let you know that one of my recent prayers has been praying for wisdom and guidance as I'm navigating sharing the gospel with.

my non-believing friends, but specifically with my friends who have taken the route of deconstruction, who have have experience in the faith, but have ultimately decided that they want to walk away from it for whatever the reason may be. Talking to a friend who's going through deconstructing, walking away from Christianity. Dr. Shah, how do we navigate that? But really, what should our prayer be for that person?

Well, I've been there. I've been there. In fact, I was pastoring while I was in my head wondering, is all this real? Wow. You know, am I just doing this to make a living?

Am I just completely mistaken? You know, and in those moments, I had to just rely on God and say, God, I'm going to take one. day at a time, one step at a time, and keep trusting you because It is difficult. But what is happening, what was happening in the process Is of course people were praying for me, didn't know I was going through that. but in the process my foundation.

was becoming stronger and more secure. I will never say that nothing will ever shake me. Of course, things can happen that will shake you. But I am so much more secure having gone through those struggles. through those days of doubts and just questioning and wondering.

Is this all a game? I mean, I grew up in a pastor's family.

So, you know, your mind begins to say: am I just doing this because? Dad did this? Am I doing this because My mom's dad, who was also a pastor, is this just a generational thing that I'm just in a generational business?

So it was deeper for me. But In time. I found out that all those things that I was preaching or even Um trying to preach. They prove to be true. God proved them.

And so Prayer, prayer, prayer. Pray for those friends. Pray for each other that we'll become stronger and more grounded in our faith. That's what God is doing. That's right.

Amen. And Caroline, we're praying that alongside you as well as you navigate those conversations. Thanks so much for calling in today. We got Jimmy from Henderson. Absolutely.

See you, Caroline. Thank you for calling. We got Jimmy from Henderson, North Carolina. Jimmy, you are on Truth Talk Live, my friend. How are you?

Pretty good. Thank you. It's very hot out there today. I know. I'm telling you.

I I wanted to pray for Um, you know, it's something that's on my mind all the time. Um for a good man to step up and be active in The war that on good and evil you know, which is a spiritual warfare that is happening in the nation. Um you know It says in You know, be steadfast in what you do, and the ones that are in it. not to be wary and not to to give up Um This completely Oh. dedicate yourself to it.

to making things better. in trying to make this world a better place. Um I know that that sometimes Like In the book of Jude at the very end, it says That, um that they were trying to pull people From the fire. And, you know, it would smell of smoke on their garments. You know, that's like have Have fallen They took it to the to to try and to save people.

And that's what we need to do. For America today, no matter how much spiritual warfare out there. Yeah, and just for that and just for this nation. It was founded on in on Jesus Christ and the principles and or religion. You know, just Pray for that because I think That's a lot of times it's going askew, and we seem to give up and think it.

It doesn't matter. You know, I know I have been Okay. I have been in a country. Where I couldn't Thank you. And and I couldn't.

Be there and praise Jesus. And we don't want to be there. That's right. Amen. Dr.

Sha, as we're thinking about that, especially this month, having just celebrated July 4th, what should our prayer for America be?

Well, I mean, I completely concur with Jimmy. You know, sometimes it gets discouraging when you hear the statistics or you hear the polls and you hear. Average people in the street talking about what they believe in their value system and how much they believe that their vote matters and those kind of things. I think often about Paul's statement in Galatians chapter 6, verse 9. Paul says, And let us not grow weary.

while doing good. for in due season we shall reap, If we do not lose heart. And it's very difficult.

Some days it's. tougher than others and you almost feel overwhelmed. And you think to yourself, man, unless something radically changes or there's an awakening. We're praying for an awakening in America. And here and there, you're seeing those fires of revival and fires of awakening happening.

There's a difference between those two things. But we need a massive movement of God. And I think it is it is Happening, I believe we are on the verge of seeing that. Amen. And I know we think, man, yeah, you've been saying that for 20, 30 years.

No, I think we are closer to the next great awakening. You know, Paul also says here in verse 10, and therefore as we have opportunity, let us do good to all. Especially to those who are of the household of faith. Of course, talking about Israel, but to all, go out there and do good. And the greatest good you and I can do is not just feed the hungry or help the sick or help those who.

Cannot help you back. All those things are very vital. But the greatest good is giving the gospel. That's right. That's right.

Telling people about Jesus Christ. And I Totally agree with Jimmy. The heart has to change. Amen. Jimmy, thank you so much for calling, man.

Thank you for make sure you leave your email address. We want to send you a little gift. Just a thank you for calling in. You know, Dr. Shaw, we've had so many great conversations with people today.

And I know people are going to keep calling 866-34 Truth. That's 866-348-7884. But you know, we can talk about this maybe a little bit after the next break, but we can talk about it now as well. How this opportunity is an answer to prayer. Oh, man, absolutely.

This opportunity, us being on the Truth Talk, Truth Talk Live, even us being as a show on the Truth Network is an answer to prayer. And we just want to say thank you to Truth Network, especially to Stu Epperson, dear, dear friend of ours, who we got connected with through a crazy set of circumstances, but who were like, we were praying for this opportunity. We were praying for a chance to, you know, be on the airwaves, an opportunity like that. And through a chance encounter, we're taken out to lunch by Stu Epperson. And, you know, A couple here.

We are. Absolutely. Here we are. Absolutely. I mean, again, we're just giving God the glory for that because.

Humanly speaking, this is not possible. I mean, here we are, but now we're seeing, wow, how amazing is this? God will put those people in your life. You know, you never think it's going to be the people that He always does. You always think that the moment God changes your life forever, it's going to be this big spectacle.

And sometimes it's as simple as lunch with a man you've never met. Yeah. It's a phone call from a guy who says, Hey, I want to give you guys a show. But that's how God works. You know, earlier we were, one caller talked about.

Asking for bold things. And one of the bold things we prayed for was: God, give us a bigger platform, not for our glory, but to spread the gospel. And the reason I could pray that way and y'all prayed with me is because reading George Mueller's autobiography. For those of you who haven't read, go on Google, you'll find free downloads, or you can buy a book. on Amazon.

His biographies has been reprinted. It's a classic. But he took care of tens of thousands of orphans in England. And never asked for money, but God kept providing because he prayed and said, God, would you provide? And I actually had the opportunity to go to Bristol Um, in England, and visit the orphanage because I wanted to see the place that he was at and the and the dorms that he built and all the work that he did, all still there, yeah, still there, and still growing going strong, and again.

learning from history and listening to big prayers being answered. Enables us to then pray big prayers. That's right. And God answers every single time. And it's not just like, oh, I heard someone.

No, you have a story now. Just like our Clear View Today show, we have a story now. That's right. That's right. The story of obedience, the story of one man, you know, interacting with us and giving us an opportunity.

We're grateful for that. Absolutely. Absolutely. You know, talking about prayer, there are things in your life that, like you said earlier, you would ask for if you just had the sense to ask for them. And as God is maturing us, Dr.

Shah, as God is bringing us into a place of spiritual maturity year by year by year, how do you see that manifesting in your life? Oh, man, I'm seeing things getting bigger. Mm-hmm. Um and becoming more difficult. Because sometimes people think that the older you get or the more you are walking with Christ, The longer you are, A believer, things will get easier.

No, they're going to get difficult. That's right. But God gets even bigger. Amen. Amen.

And we're going to talk about that right after we come back. Make sure you call us. The lines are still open. 866-34TRUTH. That's 866-348-7884.

How is God answering prayers in your life? Take a break. We'll be right back. Uh Truth taught. You're listening to the truth network and truthnetwork.com.

Welcome back to Truth Talk Live. If you're joining us for the very first time, I'm John Galantis. I'm here with Ryan Hill and today's Truth Talk host. Dr. Abadan Shah.

It's very good to see all you guys. And Ryan, you got something to let us know before we jump back in? I do.

So we were talking at the top of the episode about Dr. Shah and Nicole's devotional 30 days of praying for America. And just want to really quickly mention this one is half off for the month of July. If you order this on Amazon, you're going to get a half off. If you order the e-book, some people like reading on your Kindle, you're going to get that half off as well, just for the month of July, just as a celebration for 250 years of America's independence.

But this is not the only devotional on prayer that Dr. Shah and Nicole have written. In fact, the first one that was born out of... everything happening in 2020 was 30 days of 30 days through a crisis. This is a profound resource.

I, you know, worked on this with Dr. Shah, but reading through this as a devotional was so helpful. And not just 2020, but different crises that we go through. What are people going to say about you on the other side of it? Because there is going to be another side.

What are people going to say about you?

So good. That one's available as well as 30 Days to a New Beginning. You know, sometimes you get stuck in life, sometimes you get in the rut and you feel like you're spinning your wheels. This will help you kind of break out of that and see a clear path forward. 30 days of praying, or 30 days to a new beginning, and then, of course, praying for America.

Three devotionals that are going to be a blessing to you and to your family. Dr. Shaw, what was the heart behind writing these? I mean, honestly, it's God. God really led on our hearts and guided us through this process.

And so each of these books has touched many lives, and we give Him the glory for that. I mean, honestly, when we sat down to write those 30 days, it was just the topics would just come and then. Mm-hmm. Later on, we heard from people saying, Man, that day, that day 12 was so impactful, or day 17 was so impactful.

So, really, God has blessed us with these resources. Amen. And book number four is coming out very soon. It's 30 Days of Seeing Christ in the book of Judges. We've got about 10 minutes left in the show.

We got two callers waiting, so I'm going to take these back to back. We got Jamal from Winston-Salem. Jamal, you are live on Truth Talk Live, my friend. Hey, and I'm so glad you guys are on. That is nice to see you.

Hey ma'am, how's it going? Yeah, yeah. I said, oh no, I've got to call these guys and just talk to them a little bit. But I'm not going to hold you guys up.

So, what I like to pray about is. I pray that uh More hosts, more programming. More preachers, more churches like you all. get put out there, we'll be definitely needed. you all don't run away from the topics and hit it with a biblical perspective.

So I pray that more of you guys and more of these topics, more of these shows get out there to the masses. And so they get inspired to do the same thing. Amen. Thank you, Jamal. Thank you.

Listen, make sure you leave your email address, your phone number. We want to send you a free gift right away. I just want to say, Jamal, I know who you are. And I think the world of you, brother, you're amazing. Yes, you are.

And thank you for your encouragement. And happy birthday, by the way. It was recently, wasn't it? Oh, man, a deep cut on that one. Hey, I appreciate that very much.

Absolutely. Absolutely. Love you, brother. Love you, Jamal. Thank you for calling, man.

All right. We got Mike from Dayton, Ohio. Mike, you are on Truth Talk Live. Good to hear from you, man.

Well, thank you.

Well, what's on my prayer of mind is my children. I have a 35-year-old son and a 32-year-old daughter. who was not coming to church with me very often or maybe Easter and Christmas and I would love to see them be really on fire for God. And you know, if they have a. you know, that's my heart.

Anything and um but I do pray for Truth Network and this show and and all the all the hosts that are in this uh even to mall. I love the show and I love the Truth Network. But then again, I like to pray for my son and daughter. Amen. You there?

Shaw, Dr. Shaw, when we are, you know, thinking as parents of adult kids, that can be a difficult road. But how do we keep our kids? How do we keep encouraging them and keep them close in prayer? Yeah, my heart goes out to Mike and so many others who are in the similar boat.

You know, either you led your children in church their whole life, or maybe you came back to the Lord and now you're trying to reach your family. But either way, that is the greatest accomplishment or the peace, I would say not accomplishment, but the peace you have to know that your children are walking with Christ. And so I totally understand that. And here's where we find. Comfort and assurance that God will answer.

Is that Jesus gave that beautiful parable of the prodigal son, right? Of course, it was in the context of the Gentiles and in the context of the Jewish people and those who had drifted away. I mean, it was, but what a beautiful story that the father was there waiting for the son to come home. And when he came, he was not just. Just standing there, he ran to greet him.

And so, also, with us as believing fathers and mothers, we want our children to just come running, not just to us, but to their heavenly Father. That's right, and to have that same vital relationship.

So, God understands our hearts, and He does answer time and again. I mean, just as a pastor, I've seen people come to me and say, Man, there was a time there that I was so Worried and concerned, and just it was constantly consuming me. My children, my children, my children, and then also sometimes my grandchildren. But boy, look, God answered prayers. I was like, I know.

That's right. I know. You prayed. We prayed. And look, they're sitting there and they're serving God and they're on fire for God.

So, Mike, I'm going to pray for you a short prayer. Yes. And not just for you, but also for those out there who are praying. That their children will either come to God for the first time or return back to Him. That's right.

Father, we come before you and we acknowledge, God, that you are that heavenly Father who waits longing for His children to come back to Him. God, we pray today for Mike's family. Lord, I pray that his children will come to him and come to Jesus Christ and find their hope, their salvation through him. If they don't know you, that they will be saved. But if they know you, that they will truly commit their hearts to you.

And it will not just be dad's faith or mom's faith or... pastor's faith, but it'll be their own personal walk with Jesus Christ, daily feeding upon your word, daily being led by the Holy Spirit and knowing that they belong to you and start living for you in this short life you've given to us. Lord, by faith we believe. We believe, God, that you will answer our prayers. We love you in Jesus' name.

Amen. Mike, I want you to do me a favor, man. I want you to send us an email. Dr. Shaw, D-R-S-H-A-H, the Sierra Hotel, Alpha Hotel.

I want you to email us right after you hang up because we want to stay connected. We want to send you a free gift, but we also want to send you some resources for exactly what you're going through.

So I don't want this hang up, this phone call to be the only interaction we have. Make sure you email us, Dr. Shaw at ClearviewBC.com. Bravocharlie.org, and we're going to get you hooked up with some resources. But thank you for calling.

You know, Dr. Shah, as we are ending the show today, we've got maybe a few minutes left. Talk to us just a little bit about corporate prayer, the prayer in the church. I think maybe we have three or four minutes left. Absolutely.

You know, corporate prayer is important because there are many times we are not able to bear that burden alone. Our shoulders are not big enough. That's when we need others to come alongside. and help us pray. To help shoulder the burden.

to content with us. To listen to us, so sometimes we need someone to talk to, just like Mike was talking about. his children. We need someone to talk to because in that talking Not only is there a sense of release that, hey, I have... Have someone else to shoulder this burden, but also.

What I said back are words coming from scripture. What I said were words that are encouraging and hopeful. Hopeful is not that, I hope it rains today. Hopeful is. It's a rock-solid assurance that God will answer.

That's right. It's a cousin of faith, but it's not faith. Faith is, I believe God is going to answer. Hope is, I can see it. We're waiting for the blessed hope and the glorious return of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

He's going to come back again. We can see that. By faith.

So also we need others around us to help us pray. That's why a church needs a ministry of prayer. And it can be tricky. The enemy will attack it. It will try to distract you.

The moment you start to get people to pray, oh my goodness, there'll be chaos here and there. Don't give up. Don't give in. Continue. Yeah.

And what you will find is that in your people coming together and praying. you will see a lot of prayers being answered for the church. For individual lives? for families, but also the community. Also for the nation, you will see prayers being answered.

So. Individual prayers, great. Collective prayers are very important. If I have a second, I want to read a quote by Ian Bounds. Ian Bounds was a man of prayer.

He was a chaplain during the Civil War. I went by his house, went by his graveside, all that. I mean, it's just amazing. He said, What the church needs today is not more machinery or better. not new organizations or more and novel methods, but men whom the Holy Ghost can use, men of prayer, men mighty in prayer.

The Holy Spirit does not flow through methods, but through men. He does not come on machinery, but on men. He does not anoint plans, but men, men of prayer. And of course, he's talking about the pastors, but. If you talk about the whole church body, we're talking about the people.

Coming together in prayer. That's what God uses.

So come together in prayer. That's right. That's right. It's been so impactful in your ministry, in our church. You know, we have several opportunities for corporate prayer, whether it's in service, whether it's during the week, special events.

But prayer matters and prayer changes things. And it matters that we pray together. Absolutely. Tuesday morning, we have our men gather at six o'clock. Yeah.

And I mean, we have 30, 35, sometimes 40, 45 men who will come and give that time. And it's time bound, 6 to 6:30. That's right. A little bit of devotion, and then we go right into praying. Three times.

Consistent every Tuesday. Yeah, absolutely. Three times a year, we do a 24-hour prayer vigil right here at our church where people can come, they can sign up for slots and they pray. There's someone here praying guaranteed 24 hours for a whole day. These are ideas of things that you can implement in your church.

We are so glad that you listened today. Dr. Shaw Ryan, I had a great time. This was fantastic. This was really fantastic.

Wonderful. And big thank you to Stu Epperson, the Truth Network, for allowing us this opportunity. We're so glad that we were able to come on and share with you guys. We're praying for you. We love you.

Thank you for listening to Truth Talk Live. We'll see you next time. Truth talk lie.