Loyal, OK

Hang tough!     

 
Pastor Leon Seaton

How to Get Answers to Prayer

Prayer is a way of life for most of the members of this congregation. Communication with God is essential for the work we do. This morning I feel impressed that we should expect to move up to the next level… asking God to send miracles our way; to see people saved, healed and filled with the Holy Spirit. After all, “All things are possible to the one that believes.”

I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone--for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness.

This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.
1 Timothy 2:1-4

China has always been closed to the gospel.  In 1950 it became absolutely closed to the gospel and they were making slaves out of professing Christians and to boldly proclaim the gospel was a dangerous thing to do.

But God has always had a remnant of men, women and young people that will boldly do whatever He asks. Today God is challenging us to do the same!

Watchman Nee was saved at age 17.  Immediately after his conversion he began writing Christian books, some of which God is still using today. In his book Sit, Walk, Stand, he describes a preaching mission to an island off the South Coast of China. There were 7 men in the group – which included a 16-year-old new convert, whom he called Brother Wu. There were about 6,000 homes on the island

When Nee took his group to the island he planned to stay with an old schoolmate, but the man refused to let them stay when he heard that they were preaching the gospel. They finally found a man that would let them stay at his place – and he became their first convert.

Their preaching was ineffective… because the people worshiped an idol called Ta-wang. They were convinced the idol had power because it never rained on the day of his festival.

Young Wu – the 16-year-old new convert – asked the group that came to hear them preach when the parade and festival was scheduled. When he heard that it would be January 11^th at 8 a.m. he told them, “It will rain that day!” The crowd was stunned! They said, “That’s enough. We will not listen to you any more. If it rains on the 11^th, then your god is the true God.”

Imagine Watchman Nee’s response when he heard that story! He immediately called the group to prayer. On the morning of January 11^th there was not a cloud in the sky. However, as they thanked the Lord for their breakfast the rain came. It started slowly, but ended up as a heavy rain. The worshipers were so upset that they placed their idol on a chair and carried him out into the rain to make it stop. The rain kept coming; in fact it increased. To make matters worse, before they had carried their idol very far they stumbled, the idol fell and its jaw and left arm were fractured.

A number of the young people came to Christ that day. But the elders of the village did a recalculation of the day of idol worship and decided that they had chosen the wrong day. They decided they should have chosen the 14^th.

The 14^th was a beautiful day and the missionary group had a great meeting with good results. That evening when they met at the appointed hour they quietly reminded the Lord that they needed rain to defeat the idol. Less than a minute later the Lord sent torrential rain and floods.

The power of the idol was broken; the enemy had been defeated. –Roger F. Campbell, You Can Win!1985, SP Publications, pp. 35-36

Satan never gives up. Watchman Nee was imprisoned in 1952 for his witness and died in prison in 1972. But he had won man victories for the Lord.

God loves to answer prayer! He likes it when you pray, for He loves to have conversations with His children. We recently enjoyed a week with our youngest son, his wife and their children. It was fantastic! So, too, God loves to visit with each of us.

Like any parent, God does not want us to selfishly ask for things and favors every time we talk. We love to help our children, but love is a two-way street. God likes us to praise Him and just visit with Him. He likes to do some of the talking too.

By the same token, God wants us to depend on Him – and He likes to answer bold prayers. Martin Luther is famous for saying “Sin Boldly.” May I suggest that we also pray boldly!

A good prayer is a combination of obedience, submission, strong faith and bold asking. When we pray according to the scriptures, God is more than willing to answer our prayers.

The people of our church love to pray, and we get results. Yes, we go through some tough times. Several of us have had battles with sickness. Some years farming is a rough profession. The other professions and jobs we have can be very difficult. But God answers prayers.

But there are still needs. People in Kingfisher and Blaine counties fight alcoholism and drug problems. Some children are victims of child abuse. Yes, every county has these problems. But this is our area of ministry.

Matthew 9:27-38  As Jesus went on from there, two blind men followed Him, calling out, "Have mercy on us, Son of David!"

When He had gone indoors, the blind men came to Him, and He asked them, "Do you believe that I am able to do this?" "Yes, Lord," they replied. Then He touched their eyes and said, "According to your faith will it be done to you"; and their sight was restored. Jesus warned them sternly, "See that no one knows about this."

But they went out and spread the news about Him all over that region.

While they were going out, a man who was demon-possessed and could not talk was brought to Jesus. And when the demon was driven out, the man who had been mute spoke. The crowd was amazed and said, "Nothing like this has ever been seen in Israel."

But the Pharisees said, "It is by the prince of demons that He drives out demons."

Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness. When He saw the crowds, He had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.

Then He said to His disciples, "The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into His harvest field."

What is God Asking of Us?

These needs still exist. 1 Timothy 2:4 tells us that God wants all men to be saved. That has not happened yet, so there is a need to pray.

Jesus healed all diseases. He has not changed. He is the same today as He was yesterday, and He will be the same forever. His power is unchanged. He needs workers in the harvest field. We are called to either be the workers or the ones that pray the workers in.

“If you are not getting answers to your prayers every day you need a deeper prayer life” wrote E. M. Bounds, who died in 1913.  He was exactly right!  Now we know that some prayers cannot be answered the day they are prayed.  But some prayers should be.

1. Elijah’s prayer for God to consume the sacrifice with fire. Elijah had kidded the prophets of Baal about Baal’s ineffectiveness. Therefore, God had to answer his prayer.

2. Daniel in the Lion’s Den. Without faith he would never have touched the floor of the den!

3. The 3 Hebrew children in the fiery furnace. They would have died like the guards did.

4. Peter’s prayer for Dorcas. She was already dead. Too late for CPR!

How Do We Get Those Kinds of Answers?

Glad you asked! (See Matthew 7:7, 8)  “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.”

1. Asking – Asking is easy. We simply let God know our needs and He sends the answer. It’s like asking grandma for a kiss. You know that prayer will be answered. James 4 tells us that not asking or asking with the wrong motives will stop your prayers dead in their tracks.

2. Seeking. This is when things get a little tougher. We have to seek God’s will as revealed in His word; we have to ask God for insights, and finally we have to look within ourselves to see if our thoughts, words, attitudes or unforgiveness is the source of hindered prayer.

“Delay is not denial.” There are two times when we can run into obstacles with our plans. One is when we are in the will of God. The other time is when we are out of God’s will. It’s just the way life is!

The disciples – the 120 – had to tarry (or wait) 10 days before God filled them with the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost. They did not understand why it took so long... they just walked in obedience.

Proverbs 24:10 states, “If you falter in times of trouble, how small is your strength!”

3. Knocking. This is the deepest level. Sometimes we seek the Lord and nothing happens. We all face obstacles that make us consider getting discouraged! Perhaps it’s too much month at the end of the money. Or it may be not getting accepted into college. It may be children that are not serving the Lord. It may be a car problem that the mechanic cannot fix.

You just have to hang tough. I’ve gone to my prayer room and told God I wasn’t leaving until I got the answer. It didn’t bother God any. He was going to be up all night anyhow. However, He was pleased with my persistence and gave me the answer. He will do the same for you.

Our church roof leaks around the tower… finally Tom and Sheryl decided that we have talked about it long enough. They researched the problem and we are close to a solution.

Answered Prayers May Upset Some People.

In Acts 3 Peter and John were on the way to the Temple to pray. A man that had been crippled from birth was there begging for a living. They had probably seen him many times, but this time the Holy Spirit gave them a nudge.

“We do not have silver or gold. However, what we do have, we give to you. In the name of Jesus, rise up and walk!” Peter then grabbed the man by the hand and helped him up… and he was healed.

Peter and John got into serious trouble with the religious leaders. And what did they do? They rejoiced!