A Strong Life ft. Andy Stanley – Dr. Charles Stanley

when life throws you a challenge where

does your strength come from today I

want to share with you how to have a

strong life that perspective and power

that carries you through the storms and

a foundation of wisdom that will give

you a life direction fruitfulness and

peace then after the message join me for

a conversation my son Andy as we tackle

some very practical questions about

prayer and talk about how to have a

daily enriching conversation with God

next on InTouch a strong life you can

have a strong body and have a weak life

you can have a strong life have a weak

body well you can have a strong life and

a strong body all of us know what

constitutes a strong body but what

constitutes a strong life and that’s

what I want to talk about in this

message as we said we’ve had three in

this series of church and and family and

now the whole idea of a strong life what

is a strong life so I want you to turn

to a very familiar passage that just

perfectly describes we’ll be talking

about and that’s the seventh chapter

Matthew and the Sermon on the Mount and

in the beginning in the 24th verse and

how many times have you read this and so

I want us to look at this in light of a

strong life and so Jesus said in verse

24 therefore everyone who hears these

words of mine and acts on them may be

compared to a wise man who built his

house on the rock and the rain fell and

the floods came and the winds blew and

slammed against the house and yet it did

not fall for it hadn’t been built and

founded on the rock everyone who hears

these words of mine and does not act on

them will be like a foolish man who

built his house on the sand

the rains fell and the floods came and

the winds blew and slammed against that

house and it fell and great was its fall

when Jesus had finished these words the

crowds were amazed that his teachings

while he was teaching them as one having

Authority and not as the scribes when I

look in the scriptures and I think about

all the verses in the Bible that talk

about life and so forth here’s a perfect

picture of a weak life and a strong life

and remember this every one of us is

still building our life whether you’re

16 or 76 you’re still building your life

and what we are on the inside makes all

the difference in the world

and I think many people at first may

fool you about the lifestyle they look

like but then when the storms hit them

when reality breaks in when there’s

difficulty hardship pain suffering death

loss all kinds of hardship that’s comes

their way the people who have built

their life on the foundation have a

strong life if they built it on the

right foundation people who looked like

they could do the same thing but when

those storms come they don’t have the

same results so you can’t look and see

and tell how strong a person is or how

weak they may be what happens to them

when the storms light of life come and

they’re coming to all of us all kinds of

difficulty hardship and pain and loss

and bereavement it comes to all of us

and the issue is how do we respond in

Palestine for example that they would

have those torrential storms and as a

result those gullies if we would call it

gully would fill up with water and

before long it was a torrential flood

and anything that was weak would fall

the same thing is true in our life when

difficulty hardship and pain and stuff

in this apartment coming our way if our

life is strong we can stand it if it’s

not we want and this is what drives some

people for example to alcohol or drugs

or immorality or whatever it might be

they look strong until the storms of

life come then they got to find

something that would they think satisfy

them or strengthen them or help them our

encouragement there’s only one thing

that does that and what this whole

message is about and what what this

passage of Scripture is about when Jesus

speaks here he’s speaking of two lives a

week life and the strong life if someone

had to look at your life and try to

figure out which is true of you do you

have a strong life or a weak life what

would they consider if they look at you

they may say well he’s gotta be he’s got

to have a strong life she must have a

strong life but what would they say

when these difficulties and hardships

and trials and tribulations come how you

respond in those days that’s how we

judge whether our life is strong or

that’s weak so what I want to do this

message is simply this describe a strong

life we know what a weak life is what’s

a strong life about and how does our

life become strong there’s not a

question of whether you’ll face trials

and storms or not they are coming and

they will reveal who we are and what we

are like and what our foundation is

built on and you as a parent need to

think about this you’re building into

your children either a firm foundation

that will make it possible then to face

in in all the situations in life that

are coming or you may neglect that part

of your discipline in life for them and

they come along and they get blown off

the foundation whatever foundation they

had to begin with and oftentimes parents

say well I can’t figure I can’t I just

can’t believe you’re acting like this it

just may be that you never built the

foundation and them that would show them

how to face when

torrent of temptation comes their way

when the storm of trial comes away in

disappointment in heartache when there’s

loss in their life how do you respond if

you don’t have a strong life you don’t

respond correctly and oftentimes when

that storm comes instead of standing

strong and building you stronger what

happens simply this you cave in and

oftentimes a person will run and wreck

their life so I want us to think about

these characteristics and if you’re wise

you’ll shut these down they’ll all be on

the screen and I want to encourage you

to do this not only to jot them down but

listen be strong enough courageous

enough if that’s what it takes you to

write them down and take them home and

put them on the table beside your bed

and tonight before you go to bed just

read over them and ask yourself the

question or Lord number one in this area

is this in my life am i strong here am i

strong here oops oh I don’t have to ask

you about that one Lord what about this

and what about that in other words take

a little survey some other says well I

don’t need to do that no you don’t need

to but you’ll be wise if you do because

watch this you only know how strong you

are when you find out what your

weaknesses are if you don’t know what

your weaknesses are the devil will trip

you up for sure somebody says well I

could never be tempted by that that

wouldn’t ever come my way you’ve set

yourself up for an attack because Satan

would not he’s not going to ignore that

boast so once you listen carefully and I

want you to think if when I mention each

one of these why does it fit in my life

so let’s begin the first one is simply

this and that is a strong life has

placed their trust in Jesus Christ as

their personal Savior

that is a strong life begins with a

personal relationship with Jesus Christ

as Savior and Lord of their life that’s

first

that’s foremost you can’t put that any

other place except on the bottom that’s

the foundation did you’ve trusted Jesus

and that that is you can look back in

your life and know at a particular time

you may not be able to name that

day of the week or even the month but

you know or maybe even the year but you

know at a certain time you remember that

you gave your life to Christ and that

you know that you’re saved

that’s foundation evidence that you have

a strong life secondly and that’s this

that you are guided by the Holy Spirit a

person has a strong life is guided by

the Holy Spirit when Jesus saved you he

sent the Holy Spirit into your life to

indwell you why did he send him he sent

him for the simple reason that you and I

he knew could not live adequately apart

from him this is why he said to his

disciples before you launch you out on

fulfilling the Great Commission you’re

not ready yet you’re not ready until the

Holy Spirit builds you and enabled you

and empowers you to do what I called you

to do the truth is every strong life is

a life that has the indwelling Holy

Spirit and has him there for God’s

purpose that is to guide us and to lead

us we can’t look around and read the

paper listen to what I watch the

television and find out how to make

decisions we found out how to make

decisions by coming to God asking him

and the Holy Spirit who lives within

every single believer will guide you he

will enable you he will show you the

paths you should take in decisions you

have to make in life he’ll show you

which ones are the wisest decisions a

wise person will listen the promptings

of the Holy Spirit in your life and

that’s why when the Spirit of God speaks

you can’t say oh I was just my feeling

oh you know what I’m not going God

speaks clearly not audibly but he speaks

very clearly and often times stronger

than audibly because he will impress

your heart your life your mind your

attention to one particular area of life

that you’re dealing with he’s trying to

say something to you

o strong life listens to the indwelling

of the Holy Spirit thirdly a strong life

has this priority in their life and that

is spending time alone with prayer in

prayer with God spending time alone with

God in prayer is they listen this is the

connecting point you have with God

you look all around you you can read

this that never and so forth but your

connection point with him is the time

you spend with him in prayer and people

say well you know what I just found

myself too busy to pray no it’s just a

Miss listen it’s a misalignment of

what’s important in your life the most

important thing in your life is your

relationship to him your connection to

Almighty God he’s the one you talk to

he’s the one you you you bring your

needs to a strong person has a strong

prayer life I’ve never I’ve never met a

strong person really they did not have a

strong prayer life you can get by with

some little praying here and there but

you know what

that doesn’t make you strong a strong

life has a communication with God you

know how to talk to him you know how to

listen to him you know how to bring your

needs and hurts and joys and peace and

and everything else to him and that is

an absolute primary of your life in fact

if you think about teaching your

children in life if you don’t teach them

early in life by example first and by

your praying with your children you

listen watch this you have cheated them

you have denied them listen you have you

have hurt them in more ways than you

will ever know they’re gonna grow up

thinking they got to figure it all out

they got to depend on you for everything

no they should you’re believing in their

heart that Almighty God is their God

they know what prayer is they know who

God is and teaching them to spend time

in prayer with God every day there’s not

a single one of us who is too busy to

pray now if you tell God you’re too busy

to pray here’s what do you may do he may

just lay you out with something that

puts you in the hospital of about two

weeks flat on your back and then all

you’ve got to do is pray and for some

time we bring things on ourselves well

Lord I would just would if I if I had

time he will give you time the truth is

you have time and the time you have is

the time he’s given to you it’s a matter

of your choosing

how you spend your time listen you can’t

in it’s not spending you can’t invest

your time in any way that stronger makes

you stronger than praying and talking to

him as a day listen it’s not just the

hab

it is a habit it’s a daily discipline in

your life he is first above everything

else very important for strong life then

of course a strong life is built upon

the teachings of the word of God and

listen and the application of them it’s

one thing to hear it but applying it is

something else so when you come on

Sunday morning you take notes for

example what do you do with them it’s

application and I think about how many

people go to church week after week and

month after years and years and years

they never carry a Bible they never take

a note they can tell you anything the

pastor said and and they in years and

years and years later they can’t tell

you anything why because they heard it

but they didn’t apply it we have to

apply think of all the sounds that you

get in any given day whether it’s

television radio traffic and people

talking whatever it might be the sound

of the the sound of the word of God and

the sound of the voice of God is the

most important sound and you and I

cannot do anything any more important

than feeding upon the Word of God that’s

for example you show me a strong life

and I’ll tell you somebody if you keep

talking to them a little while they’ll

bring up some scripture that God’s laid

on their heart and all of us who have

been through difficult and trial

we’ve got scriptures scriptures that God

placed upon our heart that take us

through difficult times if you don’t

read the Bible you don’t have one you’ll

say well there’s some verse in the Bible

somewhere it goes something like this

you know what that won’t work and

somebody will say once and well why do

you keep why do you keep holding that

Bible up because that’s what this is all

about this isn’t about my opinion this

is about what holy God who created us

and has a will and purpose and plan for

our life who will be there when we die

who will call us the judgment this is

all about him and all about his

relationship to us in our place in life

that’s why we hold the Bible up and

that’s why we hold it up because we’d

like to see everybody carrying the Bible

to church you go to church to be

instructed in the Word of God

not just to go to church to sell your

conscience

and but that’s exactly what some people

do consistently listen a person who has

a strong life consistently obeys God as

a habit and attempts and tries to leave

all the consequences to him sometime we

don’t that’s why I said try if you have

the habit of your life obeying God for

example think about this as a follower

of Jesus Christ to disobey God should be

and they should be an exception in your

life to obey Him should be the norm for

your life why because that’s who we are

and the strong life is a life that is

built on obeying the truth of the word

of God then of course one of the one of

the areas of a strong life is that we

see the Lord Jesus Christ as the

strength of our life now think about

this for a moment

Paul said I can do all things through

Christ who strengthens me he’s in jail

beaten chained locked up you name it and

you know what his foundation was so

solid that no matter what they did they

never discouraged him they never made

him quit they tried their best to stop

him from attempted assassinations to

everything else they did why because he

was strong he was strong in the Word of

God he was strong in his relationship to

God he was strong in his obedience to

God and he knew in his heart that the

strength of his life was not in his body

but was in his relationship to Jesus

Christ that’s where our strength lies in

relationship and all these other things

are part of that relationship so ask

yourself the question how strong is your

life how much have you life for example

do you get up in the morning and say

well I’m gonna do this happen the other

how often do you get up to say father I

want to thank you that you’re my

strength today and if you have a job

that’s very difficult do you ever say to

him lord I need I need your strength to

there to get this done I don’t even know

how I’m how I’m gonna be able to do what

I’m supposed to do you’re my strength

then what you’ve done is you you have

invited the Lord God into your life so

to speak through His Holy Spirit to

enable you and strengthen you and

encourage you and don’t it does not let

you quit because with

you can accomplish anything God has set

before you to accomplish then of course

you’ve got to live a disciplined life a

disciplined life is a part of a strong

life because if a person’s disciplined

they’re not disciplined in just one area

if you live a disciplined life you

careful about what you eat you careful

about exercise you’re careful about how

you spend your time you’re careful about

how you spend your money and and we talk

we’re talking about that in a second in

other words you if you live a

disciplined life you in control of your

life I don’t mean in control in a bad

way I mean for example you have goals

and you have direction for your life if

you live a disciplined life there’s some

things you don’t do and if you decide to

live a godly life you’ve made that a

decision in your life and you stood here

week after week after week and you’ve

said you’ve sung this song

I surrender role if you’ve done that and

Jesus Christ is a Lord master of life

you’re building strength and I believe

if you come to church week after week

you take notes you apply them to your

heart you’re building strength God is

building strength into your life

building truth into your life and

building a sense of discipline listen a

disciplined life doesn’t say oh I just

don’t think I’m not going to work today

our disciplined life equal doesn’t say

I’m gonna read the Bible and pray today

I’m just gonna take I’m just gonna do

what I want to do today a disciplined

life isn’t something that happens once

in a while it is a daily constraint in

our life that is a constraint that God

gives us for our own good and that’s

what we try to teach our children we

teach them to live a disciplined life so

you don’t have to discipline you want

them to do certain things you get up a

certain time put on that clothes look

their best and so forth so ask yourself

the question is would you consider your

life a disciplined life you’re in

control or do you just sort of come you

just sort of go with the wind just

whatever comes your way a disciplined

life is a strong life and it’s necessary

then of course I think about the

direction for Allah

what’s the direction where you headed

what are you trying to accomplish in

life I think about how many people get

up and say well I’ve got to go to work

this morning work 8 hours and thank God

I’ll be off at 4 or 5 o’clock or how

many people say and I’ve had them to say

to me maybe purchasing something and

somebody else say I’ll say how you doing

always cute little conversation you well

I’m doing fine thank God it’s Friday

thank God it’s Friday let me ask you a

question

are you living to work 8 hours a day to

get paid so at the end of the week you

can get paid Oh next week you get paid

are you living your life in order to

live till you get 62 or 65 so you can

finally retire and as you said do what I

want to do I do nothing you tell you

about a I’m gonna do nothing your body

responds because God never built a

single one of us to ever reach any age

where we don’t do anything he intends

for us to be usefulness the Bible says

is fruitful in all age every day of our

life every day of your life is a gift

from God it’s not to be wasted and to

say well I’m not gonna do anything today

you can speak you can walk you can

handle things you can help many things

you know I can do until the last day of

our life you and I should be serving him

in some fashion even if it’s just

talking to someone else and some of us

as well but suppose among them in the

hospital in the bed and I don’t have it

five days to live you can talk to a lot

of nurses in five days you can talk to a

lot of other people the hospital do

dying and sick and you name it but

you’re not in the hospital you well at

what point in your life do you have the

right to tell god this is it no more

work you’re gonna enjoy life if you have

a strong life guess what you’re gonna

find the more time you have listen the

more you want to serve God and the

stronger you’re going to get very

important we see a life from God’s

viewpoint from his beef on not our own

then what about these storms of life

because of a strong person listen a

strong person can withstand the storms

and learn from them now most people when

a big storm comes in their life

difficulty hardship pain whatever it

might be they want to ask why have you

allowed this why the God if you love me

why do you love this to happen

why have you take my love one was my

child sick or have I lost my job why

don’t I lost my money to God oh you know

what

why have you done all this to me well

you remember what we said about those

two houses both of them look alike you

can’t tell which is the strong one

without the storm the storms in our life

God allows them they may come through

your animating coming through somebody

else no matter what they come in order

to do what in order to build godly

strength within us he allows them to

build strength

why was Paul such an awesome servant of

God why didn’t God say what Paul you’re

so faithful and loyal and devoted to me

right now these epistles you shouldn’t

be in jail you shouldn’t be tried you

shouldn’t all these things that happen

to and persecuted almost assassinated

why did why did why didn’t God allow

that in his life I’ll tell you why there

would be no there would be no Romans and

no Corinthians and no Ephesians in

Galatians and Colossians and all these

books he wrote in prison

it was difficulty hardship and pain that

he learned the awesome lessons why does

God send these into our life or allow

them to happen he never he never said it

would be an easy life

some people’s life seems to be easier

than others at my age I can tell you

this I wouldn’t change a pain a

heartache a trial a tribulation a hurt

disappointment tears I wouldn’t change

any of that

but what God has taught me under any

condition and God’s God allows these

things in their life we may see them as

enemies and it may be our enemy or maybe

somebody that breaks our heart whatever

it might be but what’s God up to he’s

allowing them why to build inner

strength into your life storms are

coming and the question is can you

handle them are you ready for them if

you haven’t got the right foundation if

you don’t have a strong life you

you don’t respond to that right away and

you find yourself giving up and quitting

or being tempted to go to some other

alternative whether it’s some drug or

some form of immorality or something to

drink or whatever it might be of johning

something and to get the pain out listen

God’s purpose is not to get the paint

out but to get the strength on the

inside of you to build you to be a godly

person so that you can accomplish his

purpose for your life you so I don’t

know what his purpose is he’s more than

willing to show you he’s more than

willing heavy somebody says well I’m 60

years old what purpose has got it got in

my life well let me say two things

you’re asking a little late but he still

has a purpose for your life and he’ll

take you wherever at least some of this

he’ll take you wherever you are willing

to give yourself to him and from that

point on he’ll use you and work in your

life to accomplish his purpose for your

life and accomplish his will a strong

life is what God wants and so without

the storms they’re not going to be in

this strong life and you can look back

over the years that people who’ve been

great saints of God and much written

about him they went through turmoil

hardly he was brokenness you name it

they went a good example as hospital

chambers for example he only lived to be

40 about 22 years of age many of you

don’t know who he is he little a

devotional book called

how many of you know what it is my most

for his highest now that Thailand itself

says a lot he died in an early age but

look what that little book has meant

I’ve read it for years and years and I

written in college and it’s not how long

you live it’s what you do with your life

so what his wife do she took all of that

and sort of arranged it and put it she’s

one to put the book together and those

two people that most people ever know

had used that God has used that book to

transform some of the people’s lives and

mr. God God has a purpose for your life

you need to find out what it is and give

him your life and ask him to build

strength into your life so that whatever

years you have left you don’t want to

waste them God means listen God makes

you to be fruitful all your life

strong and you can be and the strong

faith of course is one of the

characteristics of a strong life and

what builds faith tough times difficult

times and so a strong life’s been tested

and tried and you come somebody said

they’ve been born as we say with a

silver spoon in their mouth they’ve

always had everything they wanted and

everything went their way you know what

I want swap trials and tribulations and

heartaches for that kind of life for

anything in the world because you know

what they’ve missed it they’ve missed it

so the next time you get to complaining

about something and remember this is a

lesson God has he’s got a lesson in

every single trial heartache burden loss

so we have he has a lesson wise men and

women seek to know what their lesson is

people who not worrying about their

foundation and don’t care about it they

just go on and complain and moan and

groan get on some drugs and so forth

they have them get through it and miss

wonderful opportunities in life then of

course a present a strong life has has

courage they got courage you have to

have courage to go through some

difficult that’s not Egyptian remember

what God said to Joshua he said be

strong and of a good courage fear not

neither be dad was made for the Lord

your God is with you because I’m putting

you in charge of 2 million of these

Hebrews and you you remember that they

rebelled against you and the rebelled

against him we’re gonna stone you to

death and they’ve been a problem to

Moses all of his life you’re gonna be in

charge what kind of a test was that but

you know you read the book of Joshua

God’s blessing him all the way through

the book all the way through the book is

blessing him he made one arrow closed a

eye after he did after he defeated the

folks in Jericho and that he listened to

somebody else instead of God and they

got wiped out but from then on he

listened to God and you can see how he

God worked in his life he was a man of

courage

listen Courage’s and something somebody

can give you courage is something

that you grow and your life but trusting

God and watching him work and answer

your petition then I think a person with

a star has a strong life is optimistic I

mean you’re looking for the best why not

when I say to people look your best do

your best

be your best that’s an optimistic a

viewpoint but it’s also a godly

viewpoint if you represent Jesus you’re

looking best you you represent him you

ought to do your best you represent him

you ought to be your best why not

listen we represent him he’s the Living

God

we’re his messengers every one of us is

a Messenger of God on this earth and a

person with a strong life is gonna be

optimistic and not down in the dumps you

show me somebody who’s always

complaining about something and here’s

what’s gonna happen things are getting

tough Oh God

I don’t know what to do I’m afraid of

what’s gonna happen to government’s done

this and you government’s gonna do that

just look to God and forget the

government I mean God is the one who

manages their life and no one else and

so you gotta be optimistic and then

here’s something else that builds a

strong life develop friendships

listen develop friendships with people

who will enrich your life there’s

something awesome about good friends

good friends of character who themselves

have a strong life some people in your

life that that you enjoy being with that

listen just being with you and just

being with them enriches you you say

well how do you mean interview mean

money no but you laugh you love each

other you kid eat other and you help

each other words that each other

business is awesome then of course

expressing love and care for other

people if you can’t express love and

care for other people

you’re not strong if you can’t love

you’re not strong love is one of the

basic listen what listen when when Paul

describes the fruit of the Holy Spirit

where does he start love joy peace love

loving somebody else you you’re giving

yourself away to someone else you may

give them things

you may you may give them yourself in

other words but most of all loving

someone is making yourself available to

them tearing them up encouraging them a

person who really loves is an encourage

a person who really loves is a person

who makes a difference in the people

around them so ask yourself this

question the people who know you do they

think of you as a person who loves or

person who complains all the time how

many of you love being around a

complainer

none of us people who are just

complaining about everything doesn’t

mean that’s what happens they find

something complain about godly people

strong people find something good

something good not something to complain

about all the time loving is very

important then of course a person who

has a strong life they love listen they

love they live and they serve God out of

their spiritual gifts now a spiritual

gift is a gift of service or a gift of

giving gift of exhortation they’re all

that seven major gifts in the book of

Romans so in the first service I said I

asked how many of you know what your

spiritual gift is and some of them did

some didn’t it will just give you joy to

learn what your gift is because once you

begin to operate up your gift a lot of

things that are paying to you net won’t

be paying the more like you just say oh

is that the way that is and so once a

person learns their spiritual gift then

they become strong you you work out of a

whole different resource a spiritual

gift is a gift from God that enables you

in a particular area of your life to do

exceptionally well and so when you’re

trying to do something you don’t have a

gift for it it’s difficult but I’m

simply saying when you have that gift

there’s a sense of inner strength we all

have one or more that inner strength

does something to you for the inside and

you’ll be able to do better whatever you

do then of course quick to forgive a

strong person that’s quick to forgive

you want to you want to hinder yourself

you hold a grudge you be unforgiving and

you say well what’s that got to do with

a strong life I’ll tell you what happens

to a person who has an unforgiving

spirit it will affect you ultimately it

will affect your very physical body if

you have an unforgiving spirit you hold

grudges you have a sense of hate those

attitudes attitudes that affect the

person because you see whatever affects

your emotions that affects your body

because you can’t separate spirit

emotions and physical but it all goes

together and it isn’t just the spiritual

thing it’s a spiritual thing to act that

way but it becomes a physical thing what

you think and how you feel makes all the

difference in the world and a strong

person is careful about how they relate

to people and so you would be quick to

forgive let me ask you a question

what profit is there what profit is

there in a person’s life when they hold

a grudge they’re not forgiving they

build hatred in their life and I’m

Austin they just hold it there what

advantage to you is that not one what

disadvantage is there to you many messes

up your relationship to God you say you

mean to tell me if my relationship

somebody else is not right my

relationship to gods not rights exactly

right and yes what happens when you hold

those attitudes in you and that only

hinders your relationship to the Lord it

hinders every aspect of your walk with

him and it it’s going to affect your

body people who have that attitude after

a while you know who had shows first

right here you started watching them it

shows there it’s already been working on

the inside but that’s where it shows

first God intends for us to be godly and

to walk before him in a holy fashion he

created us that way and you know what it

doesn’t make any difference if a million

people tell you it’s not right just let

them say it the truth is that’s what the

Word of God teaches if you’re thinking

about our God who is holy and loving and

forgiving and you say well sometime I

have that problem I can remember the

time when in my life I dealt with that

once and for all and knew how

to deal with it something had happened

to me that hurt me and so I was just

sort of saying well Lord that you know

you know that stuff you tell him he

doesn’t listen to and so it’s like the

Lord said to me remember the cross I

thought yes how many times have i

forgiven you yes

have I held anything against you no do

you what right do you have to hold

anything against anyone when I have

forgiven you of everything you have ever

done and I have it even beforehand

forgiven you of all you’ll ever do that

cured me

it should cure everybody if you if you

have those kind of feelings toward

somebody else just look at the cross his

outstretched arms and his shed blood

took care of all of our sin all of our

mistakes all of our heartaches and all

of our burdens strong life is very very

forgiving quick to forgive and then of

course there’s inner peace person else

is throwing that’s gonna have been a

piece why your relationship with God is

right relationship with others is right

difficulties hardship pain comes to

there into your life what happens in

spite of all that there’s a peace and I

can remember this you know some things

you can remember you’ll never forget I

can remember when I heard the worst news

I could ever hear as a pastor worst and

I got the phone call and when I finished

I put the phone down I had this

overwhelming sense of awesome peace and

I remember saying God you’ve cared me

through all these other storms you’ll

take me through this one because

because God is faithful he will keep his

word no matter what we do and it’s all

of these things that build strength into

our life that so when the torrential

storms come we don’t waver we don’t give

up we don’t quit and then of course the

wise use of money and that is if you

have a if you if you have a strong life

and if if you’ll think about it for a

moment money drives most people and look

at what in other words what happens in

America it’s it’s what’s happening on

the stock market what’s happening here

what’s happening to this corporation

that one what’s happening to money how

much money do people have well it’s a

real simple way and that is we save some

we give some we spend some and in the

giving we tithe their income and trust

God to do exactly what he says and I can

tell you I’ve been a Christian for 68

years I have more than tithe all

sixty-eight years I’ve been blessed over

and over and over and over and over

again and he couldn’t even tell you why

but I can tell you this here’s what

happens when you obey God you can’t even

tell why he blesses you you can’t

predict what God’s come though you

distrust him and see what happens in a

strong life isn’t word about money

if somebody says but I just I just have

enough to make ends meet well I’ve been

there too and you know what my ends got

met why because God’s not gonna come up

short he’s gonna do exactly what he says

given that she’ll be given to you how

good measure pressed down shaken

together and running over the top that’s

what he says now what we deserve but

what he decides to give us a strong life

knows how to handle money and a weak

life oftentimes does not a person can

know how to handle money and still have

a weak life but if a person has a if a

person is a strong life they can know

how to handle their money and then of

course listen to this

belonging to belonging to a Bible

teaching Church now I wouldn’t tell

anybody else where to go to church but I

can say this if you’re gonna live a

Christian life you need to know what a

Christian life is all about

if you gonna live a godly life and

follow the Lord Jesus Christ you need to

be taught we listen God’s continually

teaching me I study all week long I’m

not looking for sermons I’m looking and

asking God to speak to my heart teach me

something new work in my life if you go

to a church and sit there twenty or

thirty minutes or an hour and nobody

opens the Bible you in the wrong church

you may not like that but let me ask you

a question why to go spend an hour in

some in a church and the Word of God is

ignored

that’s what church is all about church

is about worshipping Him had them under

who I’m worshipping with from the Word

of God very important that you belong to

a church where they teach the Word of

God so that you can grow in your life

and you can be strong and you can be you

can be fruitful for the kingdom of God I

will not tell you what to do about your

church I’m just asking you why would you

spend an hour in the church where the

gospel is not preached and the very

qualities and characteristics of

Almighty God and never talked about

Jesus’s tell they ignored what’s that

all about I wouldn’t go to a church like

that I wouldn’t go to church they didn’t

teach the Word of God because this is

what this is a time to worship Him and

what what helps me worship Him is

knowing the truth about him where do I

learn that I learned from reading myself

and I also learned from those who’ve

gone before me who also teach me the

truths that they’ve learned very

important view gonna be a strong person

that you have a source from which you

strengthened continuously then of course

a strong person works to build a strong

family if you have a strong life you

want your children to be strong you want

them to know early in life what the

Christian life is all about and you want

them you want to live the kind of life

before them they don’t have to ask

what’s a Christian life like they

and say my daddy of my mother is a

wonderful Christian building is strong

then we had a whole sermon on this I

won’t repeat that and then a servant

spirit a person has a strength within

you that’s from God that makes you want

to serve others you want to help others

you want to do something for somebody

else if it’s all coming your way it’s

not very fruitful it’s when you’re not

able to give ourselves away to other

people so a strong life

it’s a giving life not just money a

strong life is giving of ourselves

there’s somebody else let me ask you

this how many of us have been helped in

our life by other people every single

one of us we’ve all been helped by

somebody else and God intends for us to

do the same for other people then of

course to be goal-oriented that is you

have goals in life somebody said to me

one time how can you how can you be

trust God and still have goals well

Jesus had goals he says I must needs go

through Samaria and he knew that his

ultimate goal was the cross and so God

has goals for all of us you know it’s if

you if there’s a purpose for you living

their goals and that purpose things that

he wants you to accomplish and

oftentimes a person won’t they won’t set

a goal in their life because they think

oh that’s too high God would never do

that to me so they get down here no

listen is God weak no God’s great he’s

powerful he’s on mission we should set

godly goals godly guilds for our life

that look look like it’s something we

can’t do but God will help you reach it

if you’re willing to walk the pathway of

obedience and faith and an optimistic

spirit trusting him and everything you

do then of course to be confident to be

confident and these doesn’t mean to be

cocky doesn’t mean to be proud in

egotistical it means listen that you

have a self assurance that is based on

your relationship to God that whatever

he called you to do you can do it

wherever he called you to go you can go

well I think about how many missionaries

have gone to many many

in the world laid down their lives

preaching and teaching the gospel

confident that God had sent them and

therefore they could weather the storms

whatever it might be every single one of

us has a degree of confidence because

when you walk at the money but the key

in your card to turn it on you’re

confident that it’s gonna turn on your

engines gonna turn on you’re gonna get

to work you drive an expressway most

people around you doing at least 80 or

85 you have a sense of confidence I’m

not sure what it’s built on confidence

that you’re gonna get to work

we have confidence about many things

listen oftentimes we have less

confidence in holy God than we have in

things that we can’t do anything about

why wouldn’t you be a confident person

why wouldn’t you be assured God is your

heavenly Father Jesus as your Savior the

Holy Spirit is your motivator and he’s

your energizer and there was why

shouldn’t we be confident a strong

person is and then I would mention two

last things first of all one of them is

to be fruitful if you’re a strong person

you’re gonna be fruitful your life’s

gonna be fruitful somebody’s gonna see

you and think you know what that’s kind

of person I want to be that’s what I

want in my life and all of us have met

people like that and I can remember the

two pastors the first one I ever met

that I’d never heard in the preaching

like he preached and I was in in Texas

when I heard him and I remember sitting

there thinking god I knew somebody could

preach like that in the night I’m

hearing him it absolutely transformed me

gave me gave me all sorts of confidence

and assurance and and I wanting to be

fruitful in my life the other man this

first time I ever heard him I thought

here’s the second man he’s really

stirred me I’ve watched the Spirit of

God of working him I thought Lord thank

you thank you thank you I’ve heard the

second man that motivated me to want to

give my best no matter what stead of the

Word of God be true to the Word of God

so if you think about it you’re either

gonna bear good fruit a bad fruit and

you know what if somebody says well who

determines that nobody but us

we’re the ones who determine that and so

a strong life is fruit-bearing in

listening character conduct and

conversation they got to be strong the

last thing I would say is simply this

and that is this kind of life we’re

talking about will impact the lives of

others you’re gonna have an influence on

other people a strong life always

impacts other people so I would

encourage you to whether you listened or

whether you were sitting here to take

this list and you’ll say well there’s

all this apply to me well I feed it it

certainly item over everyone I’m applied

to me I want I want every single one of

those things in my life when I for

example one remember something oh when I

want to when I want to go when I went to

accomplish certain things I write them

down I put them beside my bed I put them

on my study now as I go over them and

over me over them because I don’t want

to lose them if you just put this you

put this in your bow so I’m gonna keep

this really close in my Bible no no no

not that I just get it off the paper and

yet in your heart in your life if you

mean business if you keep it somewhere

close that you can keep reading them and

really mean you thank God what’s missing

in my life and Lord Shoji well first of

all you’re not being obedient to me

first of all you’re not spending time in

prayer words if you want to if you want

a strong life and if I should ask you

how many of you want a weak life nobody

is gonna want a weak life and I’ll just

share with you the things that make for

a strong life and I pray God will

entrench them into your heart and into

your daily activities of your life amen

father we thank you this morning that

you’re so good to us so gracious and

kind and even in our best efforts father

we falter you always then pick us up

keep us moving

and the girl is like yourself you said

you predestined us to be conformed to

your image I pray that you’ll sink these

truths into every life and that each

person will be wise enough to look at

themselves in the light of what is a

strong life and make a decision to give

you their best in Jesus name Amen Jesus

Christ is the foundation of a strong

life live for God and you’ll find peace

and blessing visit intouch.org e to

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well dad you just finished up this

fantastic three-part series called

strong and you talked about I’m strong

churches strong families and then just

becoming strong personally so what I

want us to do I thought would be fun is

to take the subject matter from that

great series and ask the question how

does personal prayer interact or our

interface with those three topics and

before we jump into the specifics though

I thought we should just talk about

prayer in general now as a pastor and I

don’t know if you hear this I bet you do

that the thing I hear most from people

about prayer is Andy

I just don’t think prayer works it just

doesn’t work and then people tell a

story about something they prayed for

and it didn’t work so Before we jump

into the specifics why do you think

people think prayer doesn’t work and

what do you think I guess in general is

the even the purpose of prayer to begin

with well the purpose of prayer most

people don’t even think about and that

is the purpose of prayer is God wants us

to develop an intimate personal

relationship with him he said he

predestined us to be conformed to the

likeness of his son and his son and he

had this awesome relationship and so

that’s what the artist looking for and

the reason it doesn’t work number one a

lot of those people who’s saying they’re

praying are not even saved secondly

people who are saved have sin in their

life and thirdly many people are just

praying for selfish things they’re not

praying for all the people they’re not

asking for the will of God to be done

it’s all about me myself and I and God

is not interested in that yeah I think

that’s true in fact when I listen to

people for even Christians if I’m in a

small group and we have prayer requests

you know the prayer requests are usually

pretty self-centered or if they’re not

self-centered they’re somehow related to

being self-centered because it’s pray

for my son or my daughter or my aunt

somehow it gets back to me and then God

doesn’t do exactly what we want God to

do and we think something’s wrong with

God they sort of make out an errand boy

or Santa Claus yeah and so when I get in

trouble lord here’s where I am I need

some help I need this I mean that that’s

not even what prayer is all about so if

you had to summarize it you have you

know if somebody would say so tell me

why should I pray just give me one good

reason to pray if I don’t see the

results I’m getting why should I

continue to pray the

because it’s the will of God that you

pray and Paul put it this way he said

pray without ceasing

it’s that development of a relationship

and so if a person never prays you have

no relationship to God and if you’re

praying with only selfish motives

that’s no relationship he wants intimacy

with us and I think until a person

realizes that their prayer life is just

gonna be empty

now when you say prayer life I’m

thinking for many listeners and viewers

prayer life they’ve never heard they

know what prayer is into what life is

they’ve never heard prayer life and

growing up one of my earliest memories

we’ve talked about this one of my

earliest memories was when we lived in

Miami and you built a cinderblock

shed in our backyard for tools and a

lawnmower but then you took part of that

you put a dividing wall and you had your

study out there and mom would send me

out there to get you for dinner when

dinner was ready and I’d run out there

burst into the door and you would be

stretched out on your face praying and I

couldn’t hear what you were saying but I

could hear that you were saying

something in my whole life I remember

wherever we lived you always had a place

to pray and I think that’s associated

with your prayer life so talk about why

you had a place and then answer this

question do you think everybody should

have a place or was that something

that’s just kind of something you did

because of your personality well you

know I grew up with my mom teaching me

to pray to pray not necessarily and then

when I got my first paper route I prayed

all the way around the paper out every

morning out loud or just yeah I allow it

because nobody on the streets the five

o’clock one at 5:30 in the morning so I

didn’t care what they heard me or not

and so I did it because I felt the need

and I grew up in a situation which

you’re aware of that I needed God I

didn’t do very well in school to begin

with

and so I grew up with a sense of need of

him and the wonderful thing about it is

it taught me to begin my days every day

talking to him and I still do and so

when I look back over those times and

then I think about time since then in

every study I’ve ever had I’ve always

had a place to pray a prayer room

and it is it just became a way of life

for me that you begin the day with the

Lord and and when I didn’t for example

at home a place in my study I had a

place to pray and one of the reasons I

think you need a place is I discovered

this sort of as a result of doing it and

that is when I would get to the place I

was going to pray it’s like I didn’t

have to get ready Wow the words I’d been

there so often for the very same thing

of talking to the Lord when I got there

I didn’t have to say well you forget

this and that the other it’s like I was

ready and the second thing and people

will think this is foolish but it

doesn’t make any difference what they

think about it there are times when I

pray I want to cover up my head and the

times when I would pray I want to be in

a dark room I don’t want any

distractions and I think there’s

something about having a place that you

and God meet and that place is very

precious and very special it’s where you

open your heart it’s where you claim

your promises it’s where you deal with

trials and heartaches and burdens and

your life that you can’t even share with

anybody else it becomes like an altar Li

it’s like a place of a place of

sacrifice you and the Father meet and

you share your heart and I pray out loud

most of the time and somebody says well

you don’t have to pray all that no I

don’t but I do because what I discovered

I’m not distracted if I’m praying out

loud if I’m just sitting you’re mumbling

mm-hmm then I made start thinking about

something else but if I’m talking to the

Lord and I’m talking out loud and

unloading my heart to him and believing

that he’s listening to me and so often

had discovered this and having that

place if I’d come in in the afternoon

after a pretty tough day or even if it

wasn’t that tough day and I’d lie down

and on my face that’s the way I pray and

people said you don’t have to kneel no

you don’t but to me our reverence God is

a holy God

and I feel like that’s what I need to do

personally but I’d lied and sometimes

I’d go to sleep many times while you’re

praying yeah that’s right I bet no one

listening today has ever had that happen

to them before so this is a I’d go to

sleep and here’s the interesting thing

when I wake up I’d be so alert and it’s

like God allowed me to go to sleep to

climb my spirit and to just flush out of

me all the things that I’ve been

thinking about and things I may have

been concerned about so that time of

quietness is a time of God just just

cleaning me out and and just making it

possible for me to focus on him so

you’ve always had a place I’ve always

had a place and so tell us about your

places and the reason I ask is because

when I talk this is one of the well this

is one of the greatest things you taught

me because I’ve always had a place and

I’ve always had a place to pray because

I grew up seeing that and for me and

respond to this is that this sounds if

this is what you’re talking about when I

was in college I would get went to

Georgia State I would get there early

and I found a hallway it was a stairwell

that was an emergency stairwell if the

elevators or escalators weren’t working

and I got there early and I sat on the

same step at this on the same floor

inside the same door every single

morning before class at Georgia State

University on the days that I had class

and that was my place at school and the

only thing I ever did there because it’s

the only time I ever went to that

hallway I would sit there and to your

point it’s like I was immediately ready

to begin my social life then at home I

had a different place but I tell people

all the time it doesn’t have to be a

prayer room it doesn’t have to be a

prayer closet it could be a chair and

the only time you ever sit in that chair

in a guest room is when you’re gonna

have your devotional life is that what

you’re talking about absolutely you know

and when I was growing up also we had a

very small house and and I found the

place in the church which is two blocks

away downstairs in the basement way back

here to go through three doors to get to

distil room but I in the afternoon after

I delivered newspapers I would go in

there and just unload my heart to the

Lord and ask for direction for my life I

can pray as loud as I wanted to

and nobody is and I wouldn’t prank

anybody else but somehow when I pray out

loud I’m not distracted and my mind

doesn’t wander but that place is very

precious and I think everybody needs a

place I really do and I have somebody

pastor friends and when I talk about

these things they’ll ask me about my

devotional life and they’re always they

always seem to be shocked that I have a

place and I just assume well doesn’t

everybody have a place but it’s because

I grew up that that was just an

assumption so I don’t think it’s a

personality thing I really do think

people need a place and I think we need

to pray out loud not because God can’t

hear our prayers but you’re exactly

right

people say well my mind wanders when I

pray and I always say exactly what you

what you inferred I say that’s because

you don’t pray out loud you have

thinking prayers and so all you need is

a new thought to come along but if you

pray out loud and there’s no one around

no one’s going to interrupt you you know

there are a lot of mental interruptions

if you’re praying out loud it’s it’s a

point of focus you know the second thing

about praying out loud sometimes I’ve

been praying and I will I will be

talking with a lot about but something

particularly and when I hear myself say

it I think oh yes Lord do you ever write

things down while you’re praying

absolutely that’s why I keep a notepad

about I know we’re getting off the

subject a little bit but that’s that I

do as well and that’s an interesting

thing so why why would you stop praying

to write something down because I don’t

want to forget it their words if God

said it I do not want to forget it and

often times and I discovered this also

if I’m studying and I’m tired I get in

the prayer room go fast asleep and not

meaning to but I do when I wake up I’m

so real I’m so refreshed it’s like God’s

clear that everything now he can speak

yeah and I discovered that first of all

I thought well I’m not very spiritual I

go to sleep I supposed to be praying no

it’s God’s time of quieting our spirit

so I can really hear what he has to say

and I think that encourages a lot of

people because I think everyone who’s

been a Christian for very long is

frustrated by how easily they get

distracted and how oftentimes they fall

asleep when they’re praying but you’re

saying that God

can use that if we don’t wake up and

then get busy again and miss that

opportunity to wake up to hear them to

listen carefully and all of this assumes

that you have carved out time for this

and there’s this isn’t prayer while

you’re driving this isn’t I have five

minutes this is throughout your life and

I guess the paper route helped establish

that you’ve set aside time and for you

it’s normally mornings right right and

you know III started in the mornings

because at that point in my life I was

thirteen years old and I was that than

all these streets and so forth and where

I live and I was afraid so I get up and

before I got out of the bed I started

praying and you know this is a habit

I’ve had over these years before I get

out of the bed I ask God to give me

wisdom for the day and direction and

make me sensitive to his presence and I

want to be obedient to your Lord today

whatever that might be or you get out

before I get out of the bed because I

love lined and the quietness and the

darkness and somebody says why would you

why would you cover up your head cover

my head because I don’t want any

distractions and so if I don’t see

anything hear anything it’s just God me

and I love that and there’s a lot of Old

Testament imagery there there’s a lot of

that kind of reverence for isolation

there’s a lot of Jewish tradition around

that very idea even things that aren’t

in the Old Testament where that was a

part of the separation

it almost represented the private

Tabernacle going into the Holy of Holies

this is my quiet

that’s my holy polish that’s right okay

so let’s change subject a little bit the

series that you did strong it’s

fantastic he took these three topics

Church family and personal life and so

let’s talk a little bit about praying

for the church now I would guess most

Christians never pray for their church

they might pray for their pastor but in

terms of just praying for their local

church and I think you and I would agree

that if there’s an institutional

organization anywhere in the world that

needs prayer not because things are bad

but because of you know the church is

really the epicenter of the activity of

God on the earth you know Jesus said I’m

going to build my church

that’s the only thing he said he was

going to build and he’s been building it

for 2,000 years so if you if you could

say to every Christian in our country I

want you to pray for your local church

and here’s what I want you to pray what

would you want them to pray as you think

about strong local churches I would pray

first of all that my church would have a

vision for their purpose to reach people

for Christ and meet their needs

secondly I’d pray for unity of spirit at

what we do we do it together we head in

one direction in three I would pray for

the spirit of obedience to permeate that

church and for I would pray for an

awareness of the dependence upon the

holy spirit to accomplish all the work

that yacht is set forth at church so in

a sense

anybody who listened to that message

could actually take those points and you

could each one of those could be what

you pray for your local church even

though I picked three or four I think I

can’t remember exactly I think it was

point number nine you talked about unity

and I want to read this passage from

John 17 and let you comment on this

because in John 17 as you know and most

of your audience knows this was Jesus

high priestly prayer and it’s so

fascinating because he prays for his

disciples and then he prays for those

who will believe based upon their

testimony which is us so in essence he’s

praying for us in the future and for the

future Church and I just think this is

such an interesting comment Jesus is

John 17:20 Jesus says my prayer is not

for them alone talking about his current

day disciples I pray also for those who

will believe in me through their message

that and then in the next verse he tells

us what they pray and sometimes when I

preach this passage I say to people okay

now we’re about to find out what Jesus

prayed for us what do you think it was

and I let people guess what do you think

he’s going to pray him he could pray

anything for us and he prayed the very

thing that you just mentioned that all

of them may be one father just as you

and are you and me and I’m in you may

they also be in us so that the world may

believe that you have sent me that the

reason that people will take the church

seriously is the unity they see in the

church and so I do think it’s so

important that we all of us pray for

churches that there would be unity not

necessarily around style or the way that

we do things that but Outsiders would

look at us so when you think about

praying for unity in the church again

give us one you know if you forget

everything else I say you’re going to

pray for your local church

well should we pray around that I would

pray that the

Spirit of God would speak to the hearts

of the people in the church that we

would have a oneness of mind in heart

about who we are where we headed what

we’re trying to accomplish and that

total dependence upon the Lord Himself

and I think one of the reasons Jesus

said that it’s because if there’s no

unity than what’s our message to the

world yep we don’t have a message if

there’s this unit and you think about

churches that have splits and the pastor

gets runned off or he leaves or whatever

and there’s this unity that’s heartache

there’s disappointment there’s

accusations as anger all kinds of things

and I mean Jesus of course foresaw all

that and when he prayed that prayer he

was indicating does how extremely

important the spirit of unity is for the

effectiveness of the of the body of

Christ and isn’t it interesting I mean

it’s 2,000 years ago there isn’t even

church yet and he knew the number-one

thing the church would struggle with was

unity I mean it’s really fantastic

because we know churches rarely split

over theology that would sort of be a

breath of fresh air right he split over

the disunity among people over the some

of the dumbest things we’ve and look at

the Apostle Paul he wrote all those

letters but it was conflict everywhere

he went disunity is pharisees sadducees

you know those who love the law and i

mean it was just totally confusion in

fact I think sometimes I certainly would

not have wanted to be the pastor of the

Corinthian church there was nothing but

conflict and disorder and sin and

disobedience and I think what an awesome

sense of commitment Paul had because

disunity was one of the biggest problems

he faced you know and it’s the very

thing jesus prayed for right okay the

second thing you talked about in the

strong series was family and in the

message you said this a strong family is

one in which the members of the family

have a love and devotion to one another

a strong family is one where members

that family have a strong love and

devotion for one another so with that in

mind how should we pray for our families

and I think just the family in general

how how would you how would you do that

well I can tell you how I prayed for my

family and you’re a part of that

I prayed number one

that the spirit of obedience would be

transferred from my life to your life

into that his life and in his life I

prayed that you would discover the will

of God for your life I prayed that you

would walk obediently before him I

prayed that you would do your best or

whatever God called you to do and people

would ask me oftentimes well did you

pray for nd to go in the ministry I said

no I never suggested it I just said my

desire for you is that you be obedient

to God

whatever that requires of you and I pray

that for the family then I also think we

have to pray for their protection and a

sense of discernment to know what is

right and what is wrong and what is good

and what is best and what’s the will of

the Father and that their business of

unity within the family that’s not

always the case but I think that’s a

vital part of what we pray for the

family and to pray that we would have a

testimony as a family yeah I have a

testimony and I think that’s very

important today because look at most

families today they’re all broken up

they have no concept whatsoever of a

real sense of love and devotion to each

other when we had our first child and

Andrew was in a car seat I remember we

were driving to Hilton Head South

Carolina and I said to Sandra I said and

I’m not really much of a goal setter

you’re an extraordinary goal setter and

helped me with that but I’ve that’s just

not a strength for me but I said I feel

like we need to have a family goal or

two and that we would then pray toward

this goal if we can kind of set what’s

the North Star for our family what’s the

the place we want to be someday and this

is 20 over 20 years ago and we landed on

this idea and it’s it goes right to this

unity idea we decided that the the

finish line or the bullseye on the

target for us as a family would be that

when our kids are old enough not to have

to be with us that they would want to be

with us that when they had the choice to

be wherever they wanted to be and go

wherever they wanted to go that when

they could there would be a desire not

oh it’s Christmas we have to go it’s

Thanksgiving we have to go but they

would lean

would want to be with us and setting

that as a goal and praying for that and

praying with them about that here we are

20 years later and recently we were all

five together and we were walking around

and and to finished up dinner and I just

whispered to Sandra said it worked

I said look our kids you know they’re 21

19 and about 21 19 17 you know there are

a stage where they can get in their cars

go over the – off in college and they

enjoy being together and I really do

think it was establishing that up front

but then to your point not only defining

what is a strong family but praying to

that end because as you know when you

pray to an end it shapes your behavior

and so I feel like we’re at a stage

where we are reaping the benefits of

really prayers in that very direction

well you remember growing up oftentimes

when we had an issue we had a table

about this size and we’d all get we had

a place right we’d all get around the

table and pray about whether its buying

a car or house or whatever it might be

about moving right and I remember I

think one of the important things is to

involve the children in major decisions

and when I was thinking about leaving

Bartow and coming the First Baptist

Atlanta I decided one of the things I

was concerned about is how you respond

to that we lived in Bartow and you know

two blocks the understand it was a big

lake we could fish and do all these

things and so I said that let’s go for a

bike ride which we did pretty often and

I remember the question I asked I said

Andy what would you think about if I

told you I was thinking about leaving

Bartow and moving to a big city Atlanta

Georgia

I thought never forget what you said you

said I quoted accurately well whenever

God has spoken before and we have obeyed

him he’s always blessed us why hurry it

I said that that’s exactly what you said

and so I said thank you Jesus fifth

grade

yeah I said thank you Jesus that’s how

long you know I would say that was young

you thought flesh and blood did not

reveal that to you you’re only in the

fifth grade you know

well but you grew up believing God and

trusting him and believing that prayer

mattered and I think back we prayed

about everything and going back and kind

of connecting some of these dots and you

just brought this up because this is

later in my notes we had a you know we

talked about having a place of Prayer

individually but we had a place of

Prayer as a family some people call it a

family altar you were great as a pastor

about not over spiritualizing things and

I’ve tried to do that with my kids

because as a pastor people expect you to

have a family altar I don’t really even

know what that is

but we had a place you said let’s pray

and we all knew we were gonna go right

over to that round coffee table and we

were gonna get on our knees and pray and

so as a father

we’ve Sander and I’ve done the same

thing ours is a little less formal we

call it stare prayer and it’s because we

always gather on the stairs would say

let’s pray we go to the stairs we could

kneel if when a kneel or sit and as the

kids were older and you know we could

all get on the stairs so it over time we

called it stair prayer and we still call

it that the other night Allie and Sandra

and I went over we said let’s pray and

we all just headed to the stairs so

having a place even as a family can make

a significant difference well and you

are evidence of the fact that it’s

fruitful and that it works well time

will tell by this point my forget been

all right let’s move to the third

category we talked about praying for the

church and pretty first family and the

third part of the series you talked

about having a strong life so when you

think about and you had so much helpful

content but when you think about if I’m

gonna pray for a strong life what’s

central what what do you pray for

specifically what’s in some ways the one

thing well my personal conviction is to

pray God I want to be an obedient

servant so make me sensitive to what

you’re saying correct anything in my

heart of my life that would cause me to

be disobedient in any way so I think

obedience is Ishi and if you’ll think

about it you don’t hit people talk about

the obedience no and so when I talk

about being obedient to God I’m sure a

lot of folks think what does that mean

it means you do what he

says to do and it means you found out in

the word exactly what he says and I

think you can’t separate effective

praying from reading the Word of God

because you you can just get off in all

kind of situations and circumstances it

without God’s Word and this is well

that’s why I call the Bible the guide

book this guides me in every single

decision of life this nothing you can

come up with so you read the Word of God

here’s what he says and then you talk to

him about it well God what did you mean

by this and it’s not having a Bible

study it’s it’s looking in the guidebook

to think well now how about to deal with

the situation circumstance in my goal

for you all was that early in life that

you could never remember when we started

praying together or I can remember when

you aren’t you didn’t even have an idea

hardly who I was I’d get a massage your

bed at night I’d pray that the Lord

would bless you and gave you guidance

and God that law that you show ended

very early in life your will for his

life I pray that before you haven’t

understood what the will of God was

about and I prayed it when you didn’t

know what it was about and I’ve always

prayed it that that God would show you

his will and that you would walk in it

and I say the same thing for Becky and I

think if parents will just hone in on

that one thing Lord show them your will

and give them the wisdom and the courage

to be obedient that takes care of

everything yep and again it’s it becomes

directional kids here their parents

praying for them and there are a lot of

things you pick up just listening to

your parents pray for you in your

message and that this was just took me

by surprise and and at first I thought I

don’t know but then I thought no this is

a big deal you talked about maintaining

an optimistic outlook and I thought in

terms of having a strong life that’s

really powerful clinically that’s been

proven optimist just do better in life

they live longer how is there a

connection between your prayer life and

your optimism

absolutely and here’s the reason who am

I talking to I’m talking to all mighty

God who has all power to do all things

secondly I’m talking to a God who

me absolutely unconditionally I’m

talking to a God who wants the best for

me I’m talking to a God who has promised

in his word to enable me to accomplish

anything and everything he set out for

me to accomplish and so I think if a

person’s prayer life is affected they

gonna be optimistic they’re gonna be

excited and I wake up every morning

excited I do and even when I’m facing

some trial or some particular burden I

can end up a thanking God you’ve heard

me I know you’re gonna work in this even

as I did this morning praying to

somebody very special in my life and

praying that the Spirit of God would

give them wisdom and direction and so

you know it’s it’s a it’s a powerful

thing and I think one of the main things

about prayer that the Lord taught me

that in fact I was in seminary the first

year second year and my place to pray

was over in the corner of the living

room didn’t have a living room and a

very small kitchen one bedroom the bath

that was it

as over Nocona I’ll never forget this

it’s and I was praying about school and

the future and so forth

it’s like the Lord said to me very

clearly and I don’t know what I was

praying about at that particular point

but it’s like he said to me you must

remember this it’s not you it is me it’s

it’s me in you and and secondly he said

to me very clearly whatever you

accomplish in life you will accomplish

on your knees not by your education not

by your intelligence not about your

gifts by on your knees so that was God’s

signal to me you operate on your knees

in devotion to him no matter what and

when I think of all the battles I threw

in these 80 years it’s worked I mean I

am optimistic because I’ve seen God

bring me through so many things that

other people would have said no give

them quit and walk away or whatever it

might be I don’t know how you can pray

actively if you’re not praying in faith

that is faith in God that he will do

what he says he will be what he said he

would be and he will enable you no

matter what i am and i heard a clinical

psychologist he wasn’t doing a spiritual

talk it was just a informational talk

about behavior and they did broad

studies about educated people and not so

educated people super-bright people not

so bright people who all went into a

certain kind of sales and they were

trying to figure out what the common

denominator was or the people who did

well and those who didn’t and after they

looked at all kinds of different

categories and they determined at the

end of the day it was belief that the

person who believed they could did and

the person that at some point along the

way quit believing they could didn’t and

when I heard that I thought it’s so

amazing that it’s the central to Jesus

teaching especially in the book of John

he comes back to over and over and over

the importance of belief and not simply

belief in the promises of God although

that’s extraordinarily important is

central to us as Christians but just the

human characteristic of belief and then

when I saw that in your message I

thought that’s a big part of who you are

and what you’ve done you have always you

believed that God would do what God has

promised but you’ve always believed

anything is possible that it’s just I

mean you grew up telling me that you can

do anything you set your mind to it’s

possible and you’re an optimist and I

guess in spite of the way you were

brought up you had every reason to be a

pessimist but um I just think it’s

powerful and I was so glad that in the

message even though it seemed you know

there wasn’t a verse for optimism you

know it’s absolutely true and there’s

certainly a spiritual component to that

well if you’ll think about it look at

the god you serve and if you’re walking

obediently before him and listening to

him how can you lose yep and I remember

when they were voting on me at the First

Baptist Church Atlanta and that big

business meeting we had is here they

keep me afar me whatever and I’m sitting

over in the wing in the wing and nobody

knows that I’m there and in the process

I had my Bible open and I was looking at

this verse

and he says no weapon formed against you

will prosper and I’m sitting over that

reading that and I’m listen to all these

people just saying all the things they

want to say it was all over they voted

for me to be the pastor and I think

there’s something very important about

praying with scripture because all I had

that night was it was a pastor scripture

no weapon formed against you will

prosper and so I said then I keep

reading it and I listened to all this

stuff and I keep reading that and I was

thinking this morning I was talking to

someone who’s going through a very

difficult time and they gave me a

passage of scripture and of confidence

of what y’all was going to do then I

gave them this one back because they

were saying I want to be sure I say the

right thing it’s very important and how

I’m strategic it was I gave him this

verse I put my words in your mouth and

they’ve covered you with a shadow of my

hand Wow that’s Isaiah what I was there

51 16 and 551c read it read it one more

time okay I put my words in your mouth

and have covered you with a shadow of my

hand imagine that and I’ll tell you what

I didn’t want on occasion when President

Reagan was president and as a group of

us were meeting with him and and

naturally you gotta have your picture

made and all that stuff so you know

we’re not allowed to give him anything

but he was on his getting ready to go to

Russia the next week I wrote that out a

very small piece of paper and I shook

his hands and I said mr. president you

God told me to give you this and he took

it he took it yeah and I found that

later he said one of the persons who

work with them that the most important

thing that had happened in that meeting

is a note that somebody handed him

really yeah so I thought that was very

interesting and I’ve never heard that

story before

yeah well I don’t tell it because I

don’t want somebody think well do you

know President Reagan well I think we

should probably just give all of his

credit all of his success to that day

when you handed him that note that might

have been the defining moment in his

presidency

well what happened to pull down it

the Berlin Wall No well you think about

walking away and he’s thinking oh great

you know I mean people are always trying

to give the prize I mean people are

always trying to give us stuff imagine

the president right and he gets in a

quiet corner and he’s about to handed to

somebody else or throw it away and he

looks sticks it in his pocket and as you

know presidents really don’t carry

anything there it’s almost there too

dignified like the King they to carry

something is almost work so to think

that he had that in his pocket and maybe

the only thing he carried around for

that day or the days to come that was a

pretty bold move because I had put my

words in your mouth and have covered you

with a shadow of my hand which means he

would tell him what to say and cover

there Wow all right well we’re wrapping

up and we’ve talked about prayer the

purpose of prayer that most people need

a place and we need to pray out loud and

we talked about praying to this grid to

pray for your church pray for unity John

17 pray for that pray for your family

and pray for yourself personally that

you build on a solid foundation anything

else you want to add to all of that or a

different subject or in summary to your

audience before we wrap up yeah I’d

simply say this that your life is gonna

be determined by your prayer life what

you accomplished of what you failed to

accomplish your prayer life based on the

truth of the word of God will determine

your success of your failure your

relationship to Almighty God into others

and whether you accomplish in life what

you set out to accomplish and most of

all it will determine the degree of

intimacy you have with your heavenly

Father very very important well that was

fantastic can’t think of a better way to

wrap that up thanks for having this

conversation I think everybody loves to

appear a little bit deeper into your

personal life it makes it more personal

for all of us so thanks and I love doing

it with you and I love you thank you