SERMON DATE AND TITLE: 2009/11/15 "Praying the Word of God"

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PRAYING THE WORD OF GOD
SERMON STARTER
The first time my pastor asked me to pray a public prayer at the close of a Sunday evening service, I froze up. I experienced a dry mouth, my hands became clammy and there were a lot of stutters, “uh’s” and long pauses. I said a few standard clichés people use when praying in public. There were also some of what I call, “Prayers of the Just.”
Lord, We’re just here tonight, because we just want to Thank you for Your goodness. We just want to ask you to just be with us as we just leave. . .
In Jesus’ Name,
A-Men
The reason you’re smiling right now is because you’ve been there and done that. Seriously, knowing what to pray and how to pray can be a concern. Many times when we come to God in prayer, wee don’t know how to pray. God’s Holy Spirit is available through the written Word of God to direct our prayers directly to God’s Heart.
This sermon explores just one of the many prayers of David and demonstrates how to use the Sword of the Spirit in heartfelt prayer that touches God’s heart.

Pastor Phil <><<

Sheepfold Ministries, November 15, 2009
Pastor Phil Roland
PRAYING THE WORD OF GOD
Psalm 3:1-8
“Many times when we come to God in prayer, we don’t know how to pray. The Holy Spirit is available through God’s written Word to direct our prayers to God’s heart.”
Pastor Phil
“For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” Hebrews 4:12

There are specific times when we need to Pray the Word:
I. PRAY THE WORD IN TIMES OF GREAT STRESS – Ps. 3:4,5
“I cried to the LORD with my voice, And He heard me from His holy hill.
  I lay down and slept; I awoke, for the LORD sustained me.”
          A. Anxiety can rob us of God’s Peace – Psalm 127:2
               “It is vain for you to rise up early, To sit up late, To eat the bread of                               sorrows; For so He gives His beloved sleep.”
                    1. Terminal Insomnia
                    2. Awaken in the night and cannot get back to sleep
                    3. Fears real, most imagined, leave us awake
                    4. We find ourselves pumping adrenalin
          B. Unresolved conflicts can take away our rest
                    1. Inherited Life’s Circumstances
                    2. Unresolved Grief and sorrow
                    3. Financial Distresses
          C. Use the concept of the verse and pray the prayer:
                "Lord, tonight, I'm going to lie down and sleep peacefully because YOU
                 alone are the one who makes me dwell here safely." Oh Lord, it is not
                 our security system that makes me safe, or the lock on the door but it is
                 you who is protecting me. Jesus, I know I will sleep like a baby tonight
                 since you are making me safe."

II. PRAY THE WORD WHEN UNDER ATTACK– Isaiah 54:17
     “No weapon formed against you shall prosper, And every tongue which rises
       against you in judgment You shall condemn. This is the heritage of the
       servants of the LORD, And their righteousness is from Me," Says the LORD.”
          A. Attacks may come from people
                    1. Slander and lies
                    2. People who are two-Faced
                    3. Unjust / Unfair Accusation
          B. Attacks may come from the enemy
                    1. Distinguish between consequences and Satanic Attack
                              a. Consequences are the result of Sowing and Reaping
                                 “Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a                                                  man sows, that he will also reap.” Galatians 6:7
b. Satan always attacks unfairly in severe vulnerability
PRAYING THE WORD OF GOD, p.2
                    2. Satanic Bruising happens when you are unable to fight back
          C. Attacks may come from the world
                    1. We do not fit in nor belong to the “cosmos” world system
                    2. The “cosmos” hates our Ten Commandments
                    3. The “cosmos” hates our morality and absolutes
          D. Use the concept of Isaiah 54 and pray the prayer:
             "Lord, I claim your word that says that no weapon formed against me
                shall prosper. I believe you that every tongue that is accusing me right
                now you will condemn."

III. PRAY THE WORD IF WEARY FROM UNANSWERED PRAYER
     "And shall God not avenge His own elect who cry out day and night to Him,
       though He bears long with them? "I tell you that He will avenge them speedily.
       Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the
       earth?"                Luke 17:7,8

You have prayed for a long, long time for an answer, but nothing

                    1. Parable = Unjust Judge and the Persistent Widow – Lk. 17:1
                    2. She wore him down with her continued petitions
          B. God is more infinitely more compassionate than the Unjust Judge
                    1. Don’t give up
                    2. God’s timing may not be your timing
                    3. God answered King Hezekiah’s lament – 2 Kings 20:5
                    “'Thus says the LORD, the God of David your father: "I have heard                                your prayer, I have seen your tears; surely I will heal you.”
          C. Use the concept of Luke 17 and pray the prayer:
             "Lord, I am your elect(chosen) and I have prayed to you day and night
                 and I believe you are bringing me an answer in this matter. Do not delay
                 any longer over me Lord but bring me justice speedily."

IV. PRAY THE WORD IF YOUR CIRCUMSTANCES LOOK BAD
     “But I would speak to the Almighty, And I desire to reason with God.” Job 13:3
          A. Job was a righteous man who suffered great testing / trials
                    1. His three “comforters” were actually “accusers”
                    2. His faith in the goodness of God stays strong
                    3. He actually becomes God’s defender as well as his own
          B. Sometimes bad things happen to good people for no reason
                    1. Life sometimes has random cause and effects
                    2. We try to figure out “Why?”
                    3. We may even get angry with God
                    4. Job’s taunting friends tried to get him to express his rage
                    5. Instead, Job held tightly to his faith in God
            C. Use the concept of Job 13:3 and pray the prayer:
               "I call upon what is true here in God’s Word to be manifest in my life, my                    circumstances and my needs."
1. If my need is money I will pray:
                    “For every beast of the forest is Mine, And the cattle on a thousand                 hills.” Psalm 50:10

PRAYING THE WORD OF GOD, p.3
                        “Lord, You own the wealth of this world, and I ask out of Your                               storehouse, you meet my needs.”
2. If my need is restored relationships I will pray: (Acts 9:3)
                        “Lord, you changed the Apostle Paul in an instant on the road to                                   Damascus, change my heart and the heart of my adversary.”

V. TO PRAY THE WORD, YOU MUST KNOW THE WORD
      “Your word I have hidden in my heart, That I might not sin against You!”                                                                                                                         Psalm 119:11
A. Daily Reading of God’s Word is a necessity to Pray the Word
                    1. American Bible Society, Daily Bible Reading Guide                                    http://www.americanbible.org/absport/dailybiblereading/sample.php
                    2. The Bible.Net Daily Bible Reading Schedule
                      http://www.thebible.net/read/sched.html
                    3. Salvation Army has a great site for new Christians
             http://www.salvationarmy.org/ihq/www_sa.nsf/vw-                                          sublinks/70897AF91C5FDF3680256D520047E32E?openDocument
          B. Ask God to make His Word alive to you
                    1. No matter your circumstance or age, God’s Word will apply
                    2. God’s Word is relevant for all mankind for all time – Isa. 40:8
                        “The grass withers, the flower fades, But the word of our God                                        stands forever."

HANDY REFERENCE LIST
OF EMERGENCY PHONE NUMBERS
EMERGENCY NUMBERS TO PRINT OUT AND KEEP WITH YOUR BIBLE
When in sorrow.......................................................... call John 14
When men fail you..................................................... call Psalm 27
When you have sinned............................................... call Psalm 51
When you worry......................................................... call Matthew 6:19-34
When you are in danger............................................. call Psalm 91
When God seems far away......................................... call Psalm 139
When your faith needs stirring.................................... call Hebrews 11
When you are lonely and fearful................................. call Psalm 23
When you grow bitter and critical............................... call I Corinthians 13
When you feel down and out...................................... call Romans 8:31
When you want peace and rest................................... call Matthew 11:25-30
When the world seems bigger than God..................... call Psalm 90
When you want Christian assurance............................ call Romans 8:1-30
When you leave home for labor or travel.................... call Psalm 121
When your prayers grow narrow or selfish.................. call Psalm 67
When you want courage for a task.............................. call Joshua 1
When you think of investments and returns................. call Mark 10
If you are depressed.................................................... call Psalm 27
If your pocketbook is empty......................................... call Psalm 37
If you are losing confidence in people........................ call I Corinthians 13
If people seem unkind................................................. call John 15
If discouraged about your work................................... call Psalm 126
If self pride/greatness takes hold................................. call Psalm 19
If you want to be fruitful.............................................. call John 15
For understanding of Christianity................................ call II Cor. 5:15-19
For a great invention/opportunity................................ call Isaiah 55
For how to get along with fellow men......................... call Romans 12
For Paul's secret to happiness..................................... call Colossians 3:12-17
ALTERNATE NUMBERS:
For dealing with fear................................................... call Psalm 347
For security.................................................................. call Psalm 121:3
For assurance.............................................................. call Mark 8:35
For reassurance........................................................... call Psalm 145:18
PLEASE NOTE:
Emergency numbers may be dialed direct No operator assistance is necessary!
All lines to Heaven are open 24 hours a day!
Feed your FAITH, and DOUBT will starve to death!
Pass it on and on!
Pastor Phil Roland, 2009
Psalm 3:1
3:1 LORD, how they have increased who trouble me! Many are they who rise up against me.
2 Many are they who say of me, "There is no help for him in God." Selah
3 But You, O LORD, are a shield for me, My glory and the One who lifts up my head.
4 I cried to the LORD with my voice, And He heard me from His holy hill. Selah
5 I lay down and slept; I awoke, for the LORD sustained me.
6 I will not be afraid of ten thousands of people Who have set themselves against me all around.
7 Arise, O LORD; Save me, O my God! For You have struck all my enemies on the cheekbone; You have broken the teeth of the ungodly.
8 Salvation belongs to the LORD. Your blessing is upon Your people

PRAYING THE WORD OF GOD
Verses for Comfort
Psalm 23:4 NIV
Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.
Psalm 25
This is an excellent Psalm for consolation, help and deliverance - It is helpful to read this aloud as a prayer to God
Psalm 31 NKJV
23Oh, love the LORD, all you His saints! For the LORD preserves the faithful, And fully repays the proud person. 24Be of good courage, And He shall strengthen your heart, All you who hope in the LORD.
Psalm 34:18 NIV
The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.
Psalm 68:6 NASB
God makes a home for the lonely; He leads out the prisoners into prosperity, Only the rebellious dwell in a parched land
Psalm 119:48-50 NIV
I lift up my hands to your commands, which I love, and I meditate on your decrees. Remember your word to your servant, for you have given me hope. My comfort in my suffering is this: Your promise preserves my life.
Psalm 119:76 NIV
May your unfailing love be my comfort, according to your promise to your servant.
Psalm 147:3 NIV
He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.
Psalm 147:11-12 NKJV
11The LORD takes pleasure in those who fear Him, In those who hope in His mercy. 12Praise the LORD, O Jerusalem! Praise your God, O Zion!
Jeremiah 29 NKJV
11For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. 12Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you.
Romans 8:31-39
2 Corinthians 1:3-5 NIV
Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God. For just as the sufferings of Christ flow over into our lives, so also through Christ our comfort overflows.
2 Corinthians 4:16-18 NIV
Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.
2 Thessalonians 2:16-17 NIV
May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal encouragement and good hope, encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good deed and word.
Verses on Fear
2 Samuel 22:33 NIV
It is God who arms me with strength and makes my way perfect
Psalm 3:2-4 NIV
Many are saying of me, “God will not deliver him." Selah 3 But you are a shield around me, O LORD; you bestow glory on me and lift up my head. 4 To the LORD I cry aloud, and he answers me from his holy hill. Selah
Psalm 31:23-24 NKJV
23Oh, love the LORD, all you His saints! For the LORD preserves the faithful, And fully repays the proud person. 24Be of good courage, And He shall strengthen your heart, All you who hope in the LORD.
Psalm 47:1-2 NIV
Clap your hands, all you nations; shout to God with cries of joy. 2 How awesome is the LORD Most High, the great King over all the earth!
Isaiah 41:10 NIV
So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
Jeremiah 17:7-8 NIV
7 "But blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, whose confidence is in him. 8 He will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought
and never fails to bear fruit."
Luke 12:32 NIV
"Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom.

Romans 8:35-39 NIV
35Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? 36As it is written: "For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered."37No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Colossians 1:13-14 NIV
13For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, 14in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
2 Timothy 1:7 NKJV
“For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind”
Hebrews 2:14-15 NIV
“14Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might destroy him who holds the power of death--that is, the devil-- 15and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death.”
1 John 4:4 NKJV
“You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.”
Revelation 12:10-11 NIV
10Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say: "Now have come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Christ. For the accuser of our brothers, who accuses them before our God day and night, has been hurled down. 11They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death.

Verses for Hope

Numbers 23:19 NIV
God is not a man, that he should lie, nor a son of man, that he should change his mind. Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfill?
Psalm 31 NKJV
23Oh, love the LORD, all you His saints! For the LORD preserves the faithful, And fully repays the proud person. 24Be of good courage, And He shall strengthen your heart, All you who hope in the LORD.
Psalm 33 NKJV
18Behold, the eye of the LORD is on those who fear Him, On those who hope in His mercy, 19To deliver their soul from death, And to keep them alive in famine.
Psalm 42 NKJV
5Why are you cast down, O my soul? And why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God, for I shall yet praise Him For the help of His countenance. 11Why are you cast down, O my soul? And why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God; For I shall yet praise Him, The help of my countenance and my God.
Psalm 92:12-15 NKJV
The righteous shall flourish like a palm tree, He shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon. Those who are planted in the house of the LORD Shall flourish in the courts of our God. They shall still bear fruit in old age; They shall be fresh and flourishing, To declare that the LORD is upright; He is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in Him.
Psalm 119:48-50 NIV
I lift up my hands to your commands, which I love, and I meditate on your decrees. Remember your word to your servant, for you have given me hope. My comfort in my suffering is this: Your promise preserves my life.
Hebrews 6:17-20 NIV
Thus God, determining to show more abundantly to the heirs of promise the immutability of His counsel, confirmed it by an oath, that by two immutable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we might have strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold of the hope set before us. This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which enters the Presence behind the veil, where the forerunner has entered for us, even Jesus, having become High Priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.
Psalm 147:11-12 NKJV
11The LORD takes pleasure in those who fear Him, In those who hope in His mercy. 12Praise the LORD, O Jerusalem! Praise your God, O Zion!
Jeremiah 17:7-8 NKJV
7"Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, And whose hope is the LORD. 8For he shall be like a tree planted by the waters, Which spreads out its roots by the river, And will not fear when heat comes; But its leaf will be green, And will not be anxious in the year of drought, Nor will cease from yielding fruit.
Jeremiah 29:11-12 NIV
11 For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD , "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. 12 Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you.
2 Corinthians 4:16-18 NIV
Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.
2 Timothy 2:11-13 NKJV
This is a faithful saying: For if we died with Him, We shall also live with Him. If we endure, We shall also reign with Him. If we deny Him, He also will deny us. If we are faithless, He remains faithful; He cannot deny Himself.
Titus 1:1-2 NIV
1Paul, a servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ for the faith of God's elect and the knowledge of the truth that leads to godliness– 2a faith and knowledge resting on the hope of eternal life, which God, who does not lie, promised before the beginning of time,
Revelation 2:7 NKJV
To him who overcomes I will give to eat from the tree of life, which is in the midst of the Paradise of God
Revelation 2:17 NKJV
To him who overcomes I will give some of the hidden manna to eat. And I will give him a white stone, and on the stone a new name written which no none knows except him who receives it.
Revelation 3:5 NKJV
He who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God, and he shall go out no more. I will write on him the name of My God and the name of the city of My God, the New Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from My God. And I will write on him My new name.
Verses for Healing
Psalm 103:2-5 NIV
2 Praise the LORD , O my soul, and forget not all his benefits-3 who forgives all your sins
and heals all your diseases, 4 who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion, 5 who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's.
Psalm 147:1-3 NIV
Praise the LORD . How good it is to sing praises to our God, how pleasant and fitting to praise him!
2 The LORD builds up Jerusalem; he gathers the exiles of Israel. 3 He heals the brokenhearted
and binds up their wounds.
Matthew 7:7-11 NIV
7"Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 8For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened. 9"Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? 10Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? 11If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!
Mark 16:17-18 NKJV
And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons, they will speak with new tongues, they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly they will recover; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover."
John 16:23-24 NIV
23In that day you will no longer ask me anything. I tell you the truth, my Father will give you whatever you ask in my name. 24Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete.
2 Corinthians 1:19-20 NIV
19For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, who was preached among you by me and Silas and Timothy, was not "Yes" and "No," but in him it has always been "Yes." 20For no matter how many promises God has made, they are "Yes" in Christ. And so through him the "Amen" is spoken by us to the glory of God.
Acts 4:29-31 NIV
29Now, Lord, consider their threats and enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness. 30Stretch out your hand to heal and perform miraculous signs and wonders through the name of your holy servant Jesus." 31After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly
Galatians 3:29 NLT
29And now that you belong to Christ, you are the true children of Abraham. You are his heirs, and now all the promises God gave to him belong to you.
Hebrews 9:14 NIV
14How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God!
Hebrews 10:22 NIV
Let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water.
James 5:14-16 NIV
14Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord. 15And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up. If he has sinned, he will be forgiven. 16Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.
1 John 1:9 NIV
9If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness
1 Peter 2:24 NIV
He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds, you have been healed.

You have prayed for a long, long time for an answer, but nothing