Growing With Prayer

I was going to top off my lesson this is my new notebook it's a joke for those that have the electronics I brought my Bible a real Bible with covers and pages in between see for all you young people it's a Bible it's real Bible um I'm joking I'm not making fun of Technology although there's a few around here that might be like you have no idea of poor sister Stacy I don't need anybody amending that I'm thankful to be here tonight I counted a an honor to stand here and I don't take it lightly I never have I never will so I want to thank Pastor he's away we miss him tonight but I want to thank him for trusting me tonight and to stand here and teach a lesson and yes it's on prayer and you would think well prayer coordinator she should have this just this stuff memorize it it just comes as it's second nature to her and I do like to talk and teach and speak about prayer because it is something that I'm passionate about it is but it has nothing to do with a title it has nothing to do with a position because if you strip me today of a the title of prayer coordinator for CAC I would still have a passion for prayer because I have a passion to know Jesus I have a passion to be in his presence so I hope there's something that I say tonight I have prayed I have studied I've made notes and I one reason I didn't get anything typed off is because I thought I had it all ready last night and I thought well I can just type it in the morning and sister Sloan I started praying a little bit more and my notes started expanding so I even have it I mean I'm talking paper and Pen notes up here we're going way back so anyway I don't know how this goes am I supposed to excuse you thank you brother Durant everybody say thank you brother Duran as he plays in the back thank you oh oh I know as he plays the entirety of my message it's like I was never excused I'm sorry um we are talking this month about growth Church growth we are already as of today in March 2023. I mean the Year is already flying I cannot even I don't know I feel like I just uh got finished with Thanksgiving I don't even know where 2022 went and here we are March 1st 2023 so time is swiftly passing um and I feel something in the spirit when I say things like that because I feel like time is passing for us as a church and we want an Awakening we're talking about church growth how do we grow a church an Apostolic Church in 2023. well I'm just going to go out on a limb and say something the original Apostolic church was birthed in an upper room and we can read about it in the book of Acts on the day of Pentecost in a prayer meeting it was people that went there to Terry and to pray they didn't even know what to expect because like unlike us we have a book that we can we've Read All About It we've read about the outpouring of the Holy Ghost we understand what happened but they went into that Upper Room not knowing what to expect but just that that Jesus had informed them go and wait and tarry they and pray and that's what they did I believe in 2023 the same recipe that brought Revival and birthed the church in the book of Acts on the day of Pentecost in an upper room is exactly what we have to have in 2023 right now and that is prayer and a fasting a spirit of expectation I want to grow a church in 2023. Brother Gibson briefly mentioned how we've got people coming in just coming in off the street people are hungry people are hungry angry for something and some people don't know what they're really hungry for but that's what happens when an Apostolic Church begins to pray and fast you don't know who is going to be the answer to that prayer they're going to come in off the street they're not going to know what's happened but the spirit of God is drawing them to a place where they can find Jesus where they can find truth so we want to be a part of that end time we talk about the end time Revival but we want to be a part of that we want to grow I was thinking about growth and as you can see you know you immediately at least I do I actually think about plants and trees and flowers when I hear the word growth living things cannot be neglected now I say that I'm getting ready to tell you a little story and if you've been around me long then you're not surprised that I have a personal story to share but I was not born with a green thumb I love plants I do I want to do all the gardening I want to do all the planting I want to have house plants and I want them to be beautiful and I want to do all these things but I was not born with a green thumb a few years ago my mom gifted me with a um just a pretty little potted plant it was actually 2013. don't ask me I mean I remember that that's a miracle within itself but it was 2013 for Mother's Day and she gifted my sisters and myself with this little potted plant it was a little it had a bloom it was hot pink flowers and it was just a happy little potted plant that bloomed and it looked so pretty and it made me happy and I thought this is so sweet and I'm going to put this up in my kitchen window because I you know those little inserts that you find in plants that tells you how you should uh take care of that so it'll Live Well I pulled it out and I looked at the instructions I thought okay it needs light so I'm gonna put it in my kitchen window it's going to be the perfect place and I would look at it as stood in my sink and I thought what a pretty little plant and it made me happy well I took care of that plant and I followed the instructions and that little plant it seemed to be doing okay and then I would get busy and I would do my things and a few months later I began to neglect that sweet little plant that brought me so much joy and I'd be and every once in a while I would look and it would just look a little droopy and it wasn't looking very healthy and I thought hmm I guess I should give it a little water and it's probably begging for water as I continually put water in my coffee pot I can almost hear my poor little plant just to drop just one little drop but I continued to neglect that plant months turned into years and me and this all this plant I thought oh it would almost come such a Christian near death like really if the blooms fell off there'd be dead leaves I'd go and I'd prune it and I'd try to fix it and I'd bring back to at least it looked like it was alive I struggled with this plant for five long years and one day we were coming back from we had been gone for a few days and I looked at my little plant when I got back up above the in the kitchen window and I thought there's just it's at the point of no return I had neglected that plant and I'm sad to say that I just I'll let it go I tossed it out living things cannot be neglected plants they need water they need sunlight they need nutrients talk about physically our physical being we cannot neglect what we need we want to be healthy if we neglect ourselves and taking care of ourselves and being healthy we're going to suffer at some point in our life we're going to suffer sickness and disease we cannot neglect the Necessities that we need we need water we need food we need vitamins we need exercise and I am preaching to myself because there's a lot of things that I need to do to take care of myself that I don't do in the physical but when you neglect something like I neglected that poor little plant poor little plant and you know what the sad thing is about that plant going back to that when I finally tossed it I realized there had been no new growth five long years and I chuckle but it's kind of sad five long years that plant never grew it never did bloom again once the balloons fell off it never bloomed again I kept waiting I thought maybe when I would finally you know bring it back to life a little bit I thought maybe it'll Bloom but uh when I tossed it it was actually smaller than when I it was first given to me that's how bad it really was no growth the same principles can be applied to our spiritual life our relationship with Jesus we cannot neglect the things that we know that we need to do in order to grow our relationship with Jesus Christ there are things that we have to do if we neglect the things that we've been instructed to do then we will eventually wither up and die and we cannot do that to grow individually and corporately we must be a church that prays the church is not a building now we know we're glad when we have a place to worship we have this Sanctuary we can come together we've had a church building over an iGo Gap Road we know that we have a building we will say I'm going to church but I think we all know that the church is not actually the building we are the church I want you to take your finger like this and point right here and say I am the church I am the church I am his church and we cannot neglect prayer we are his church where the blood bought Holy Ghost filled Saints of the most high God it is we that are the church and there are things that we cannot neglect and a lot of people are intimidated by prayer I've heard a lot of things a lot of people say prayer is not my thing or I can't pray more than five or ten minutes of a day it's just I really struggle well I hope there's some things that I will say that if you are in that boat that this will help you um prayer is never going to be easy I will say that don't think that prayer is just going to be easy it's not because we're human we're flesh and we've got to fight this flesh so prayer is not going to be easy but in order to learn to pray just do it there's my advice just do it just start somewhere just make that appointment I don't care if it's in the morning or whatever bet is best for you make an appointment with the Lord and keep it just do it we're talking about growing a church and we have to take responsibility as an individual for our own growth yes we come to church on Wednesdays we we listen to the teaching we come to church on Sunday and there's you know Spirit-filled worship and preaching and we grow from that but we've got to take care of our relationship with Jesus but in between the services well you know what are we doing what are we doing to grow individually because once again growing the church and who is the church we are the church ask yourself a question what does my daily routine look like and then we're not going to go around the room and I'm not going to ask you for your daily routine but it's something to think about self-evaluation do you ever do I do that I do self-evaluation because it makes me stop and really think about some things and this is not about making anyone feel guilty or anything like that nobody has perfected prayer nobody ever will it's it's a work in progress we are a work in progress but just do it but ask yourself what does my daily routine look like uh First Timothy Chapter 2 and verse 1 through 6 says I exhort therefore that first of all supplications prayers intercessions and giving of thanks be made for all men for kings and for all that are in Authority that we may lead a quiet and Peaceable life in all godliness and honesty for this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our savior who will have all men to be saved and to come unto the knowledge of the truth for there is one God and one mediator between God and Men the man Christ Jesus who gave himself a ransom for all to be testified in due time so there were three words in that and those scriptures that really it just kind of jumped out at me first of all you want to start a Ministry you want to be involved you want to do you want to teach a Sunday school class you know maybe you feel like you've been called to preach or maybe you're called to the mission field I don't know whatever it is you're wanting to do for God's kingdom first of all we should pray everything grows from prayer Everything grows from prayer prayer is what started the apostolic church and prayer is what's going to carry this Apostolic Church into the end time Revival that we're looking at it's happening now we see it happening now it's here upon us so uh supplication prayer intercession things that are mentioned in these scriptures supplication as most of you know it's just taking your needs to him taking your needs to God saying this is what I need this you know it could be a physical need it's a spiritual need financial whatever it is you this is your opportunity to bring your needs to God prayer prayer is simply communication it's talking to your friend it's talking to Jesus that's what prayer is intercession intercession is when someone has a need and you say you know what I'm going to stand in the gap for that person I'm going to stand in the gap for that need and that's what intercession is but I think it's clear that we should be people of prey the scripture it's all in the scripture some more questions I've got for you to ask yourself for some self-evaluation am I praying persistently or periodically that's a tough one because sometimes isn't it it's like day in you get real busy how many is busy how many people have full calendars your schedule is just jam-packed and you think how can I find time to pray if you don't find time to pray there will be something that comes up and you will make time to pray so get into that routine am I praying persistently or periodically am I praying privately or only publicly is your only time that you're praying when you're with your church family on a Sunday or a Wednesday or our prayer service is that the only time you're praying I've been guilty of that in the past or just you know barely getting by through the day with just a little prayer here and there it's okay we're human um some more questions just and some of this may sound repetitive but I want us to stop and really think about it because when we ask ourselves these questions and we honestly answer them it will let us know where we are am I growing am I where I need to be when am I praying once again is it oh do you have a schedule is it in the morning do you get up early before everyone else gets up are you uh do you do it in the evening or is it noon I mean when are you praying it's it's good to think about that you're thinking about your schedule you're thinking about your priorities number two where am I praying by praying only at church do I have that secret place that closet at home or or someplace where this is where I go to pray where am I praying who am I praying for when you are praying and it's your prayer time who are you praying for do you have a list of people or is it mostly just yourself and your your immediate family so think about it you were answering these questions honestly this is just between yourself and Jesus it's not we're not going to share this with anybody why am I praying am I praying because I feel like well to be a good Christian I've got to pray right you know I've got to do this pastor told us we better pray is that why you're praying is that why I'm praying am I praying because I want to get brownie points with God well I I don't think God works on the brownie point system so you can put that one to rest why are we praying why am I praying now those are just questions you can answer them or not for yourself but it lets you see what your prayer life looks like am I making prayer a daily priority can I honestly say that I am a person of prayer I want to be a person of Prayer somebody said well you're a prayer coordinator I mean I've got a little confession and then that's not surprising either for some of you that know me um I used to be real busy you know those days when if you've got the app you know when there's prayer requests there are some days that it just blows up and or people or my phone is really I'm getting all these texts and I'm getting things and I'm trying to get them out onto the to the app I'm getting out getting them and before we had the app I would send out these text messages I was constantly doing that and then I would think okay I got that done and I would go off to do something and something would just kind of tug at me but you didn't pray I was making sure all of you got the prayer request but then I would get so caught up in making sure that it was posted and everything uh I was doing what I was supposed to do but I would walk off and think okay check got that done and I would think you have to pray for those prayer requests too that's what happens sometimes we're human we get busy we get sidetracked we get distracted I just gave away what I was getting ready to talk about the greatest enemy of our personal prayer time our personal growth uh it's not the devil I think we do give him a little too much credit sometimes um it's distraction that is the greatest enemy of your personal prayer time distraction I mean this is what I have to do I put away my phone if you have um I have a I have a fossil it doesn't tell me I'm about to have a heart attack so if you if you have one of those phones that talk to you take your phone off I mean take your uh watch off put your phone in another room don't have it in there with you get your Bible you know the one that and there's nothing wrong with having your Bible I've got my Bible on my phone too but get a Bible of course I brought my big one it's like I'm not really sure why I brought the big one sisters long but here it is um but anyway get your Bible your real Bible in a notebook and a pencil or a pen and get in that secret place and find your place of prayer and get into the presence of Jesus because if you've got your phone or your little apple watch or whatever you're gonna get a little ding about the time that the Holy Ghost is hitting or something's happening and you're going to get distracted you know children are not the only ones distracted by shiny things adults are too it's like oh look so we've got to stay focused we have to stay focused and if we're going to grow we have to do this uh and not be distracted Ephesians uh chapter six and verse 18. praying always with all prayer and supplication in the spirit and watching there unto with all perseverance and supplication for All Saints and for me that utterance may be given unto me that I may open my mouth boldly to make known The Mystery of the Gospel not all habits are bad I know when we hear that word habit you immediately do you not immediately think negative thoughts like that's got to be a bad thing but not all habits are bad we can have some really good habits if you're only praying corporately in the in in a group at church or a prayer meeting or or whatever pre-service prayer uh prayer and this sin this sounds harsh but I'm talking to myself if that's the only time I find time for prayer then that's more of a hobby and not a habit our habits habits don't have to be bad our habits create our disciplines our disciplines will make us disciples more repeat that again our habits create our disciplines and our disciplines will make us disciples and isn't that the ultimate goal aren't we wanting to grow the church to grow the church we start with the person looking at you in the mirror we start with ourselves we've got to grow our relationship with Jesus you may think it's so hard to pray well don't put so much pressure on yourself start with five minutes start with five minutes before you walk out your door say I've got five minutes and I'm going to pray and then you can grow from that 10 minutes 15 minutes include the word include worship there's something that happens I love corporate prayer I love praying in this Sanctuary with my brothers and my sisters but there is something about when you are along with Jesus and you pray and you push and you stick it out and then Heaven seems to open up and it is like you are standing on Holy Ground when you when your living room feels like it has turned into a sanctuary and it is just you and Jesus there is something so rewarding about that young people get it in your heart now I want to be a person of prayer if you want to grow a Ministry one day today start start with prayer because everything will grow from that everything will grow from prayer that's how we grow closer to him that's how he he loves that time together so let that become a habit I'm going to have a the habit of prayer and eventually that does turn into where I'm disciplined and eventually you're like I cannot even walk out that door today before I pray that's how it becomes but then when you do pray and you have you have come up with that routine and you walk out and you've been in the presence of Jesus you take that with you whether it's on your to your workplace to school to the store and you may not even realize it but once you've been in The Presence of Jehovah you may think oh this is just a great day you walk in and somebody is down somebody is depressed and you walk into the room and something happens in the atmosphere is because you've been in The Presence of Jehovah something has happened because you gave yourself to prayer if something happened is because you had that discipline I'm going to make a habit of prayer every day that's when we become disciples that's when we see the church grow because we took care of this person first and we went out there Beyond these walls and we started reaching and that's how it happens we're growing a church in 2023 before Jesus taught how to pray we know the Lord's Prayer and we're not gonna I'm not gonna dive into that but The Lord's Prayer a lot of people memorize it a lot of people have it maybe on a plaque or somewhere in their home and but you know that prayer was not meant to be like just the only way you pray it's a pattern it's a prayer pattern it was Jesus telling you this is how you pray giving you prayer focuses you know we have prayer focuses a lot of times on pre-service prayer and sometimes even on our Monday night prayer here at church on location we have Focus prayer well actually before Jesus taught how to pray when he gave us the Lord's Prayer he taught us how not to pray this comes before the actual Lord's Prayer Matthew if you want to um turn with me or get your screen going or whatever you got Matthew um let's see if they're gonna put it up on the screen I don't know Matthew chapter 6 and verse 5. and when thou prayest Thou shalt not be as the hypocrite Hypocrites are for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets that they may be seen of men verily I say unto you they have their reward there is the rules for praying these are not my rules these are this is what Jesus said number one to go along with that verse get real the biggest Revelation I had a breakthrough with my PR my personal prayer life is when I quit trying to pray a certain way do you ever feel like oh I'm not praying right oh did I am going to get it wrong oh my goodness Jesus knows us he knows me if I got up here and started saying oh Lord Thou Art holy and I started these and thou's and I sounded like a standing walking KJV Not only would y'all look at me very strangely but I feel like Jesus would just give me a little thump on the head because he knows me he knows I don't talk with these and thou's and all that he knows and he knows you my biggest breakthrough the biggest breakthrough in my prayer life is when I just got real when I'm having a bad day and I want to talk to Jesus I want to talk to my friend and all what a breakthrough that is he knows us he knows how we talk he's not expecting you to come out with these eloquent words and everything sounds so beautiful and and and then this scripture it's talking about how some people just want to be heard they get up to be seen well that's good that's their reward though I hope they enjoyed it because that's it so just be real in your prayer life in your personal prayer get real prayer isn't a weekly performance it is a daily relationship okay number two another another rule Matthew will can get Matthew chapter 6 and verse 6 up on the screen quickly because if not I'm gonna have to oh there we go I'm gonna have to pull up a big old Bible um but thou when thou prayest enter into thy closet and when thou has shut thy door pray to thy father which is in secret and thy father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly so the number two rule is get along there's something special about your personal prayer time when you can find that secret place that place that's yours maybe it's your favorite chair maybe you're a walker like me and I'm being very careful tonight because I know one of these days I'm gonna fall off this uh but I'm a walker when I pray and um so whatever it is wherever your place is get alone and I know right now some of you parents of young children you're thinking you have no idea I cannot be alone I have no alone time Jesus will work it out you do the best you can with what you have you put forth the effort and God will reward you I promise but try to if you have to wait till they all go to sleep or or whatever you can find that time to get along with Jesus um number three we're moving on to the we're in the same book Matthew chapter 6 and verse 7. we're going to see how quickly we can get that scripture up and I'm awaiting Matthew chapter 6 and verse 7 and it's there we go but when you pray use not vain repetitions as the Heathen do for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking so number three get specific get specific in your prayer that vain repetition it's okay that we repeat some phrases when we're praying I mean it's okay um Brother Gibson if you took your wife and said okay let's go grab coffee and let's just you know just the two of us and we're gonna let's just let's just talk and they sat down at the table and he would look at her and he'd say Karen Karen Karen Karen Karen oh Karen I love you Karen Karen Karen oh Karen I love you Karen Karen Jesus Jesus okay you see what I'm saying it's okay to say Jesus name 14 times it really is I and you know what I'm gonna do it I know I'm gonna do it on the next time I get up here to leave prayer I want to say Jesus three times in a row and they're gonna be like vain repetitions Jesus knows his name and that name is powerful and it's beautiful but our prayer has to be made up more of Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus I love you Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus now there have been times that I have caught myself saying Jesus over and over again or it may be enough not just that name maybe there's another uh phrase that you use when you're praying and I'm not saying please I don't I don't want to come off as I'm telling anybody that you're not praying right I'm not this is not directed towards anyone I'm trying to help us grow a church who is the church we are the church so we've got to grow so get specific with God that's the next rule that's the third rule get specific I already talked about getting real just talk to him he knows what he knows what you're like Jesus I've had a bad day Jesus I need your strength I'm not too sure how I handled that situation at work today it might not have been right Lord help me forgive me start talking to him as if he's just right there with you just be specific with your prayer Matthew chapter 6 and verse 8 and we're going to talk about the the very last rule it says be not ye therefore like unto them for your father knoweth what things you have need of before you ask him have you ever stopped to think well why do I need to pray God already knows you you look at that verse he already knows everything why do I need to pray it's a relationship not only that Jesus desires that time of communion with us we're his kids we're his kids he wants that time to commune with us and to spend with us he is actually waiting on us to bring our needs to him so just get started that's the last rule just get started just jump in there and just get started prayer grows you prayer grows the church we don't pray just to get what we want we pray to grow in Christ Jesus he's not God is not a Genie in a Bottle he's not waiting for us to give him a list of things to do for the day he's not that that's not who he is we want a relationship we want the church to grow then we have got to make sure that our relationship with him is growing and it's strong and it continues to grow we never I don't care if you started out in church yesterday or if you are fourth fifth sixth generation Pentecost it doesn't matter you don't get to a place to where you just kind of plateau and think okay I'm good yeah I'm gonna go to prayer meeting you know I've been in this all my life so I'm just gonna go see if anybody needs help no if you think that then you're probably the one that needs help but we never reach a place of we where we stop growing if we stop growing we're dead we're dead we don't want that the church is not going to die I'm not going to be like that little plant that I put up in that window I'm not going to neglect the things that are going to keep me alive and close to Jesus I'm going to get into his presence I'm going to discipline myself I'm going to have a habit of prayer and when I do that and I become what I need to be then I can reach someone that needs Jesus I believe that with my whole heart I believe people can see Jesus in us and just think if you've got that glow about you just come from church you go out to eat you don't think Pete you're a waitress or your waiter can tell there's something it's not just about the way you address it's about your demeanor there's something that happens when you're in the presence of Jesus and that's what prayer is it's getting into his presence it's having a conversation with our creator and we grow closer to him and when we grow closer to him we're growing in the church the church is actually growing it's about personal growth Psalm 37 and verse 4. Delight thyself also in the Lord and He Shall give Thee the desires of thine heart now that scripture sounds like if I pray and I ask him I'm gonna just he's gonna give me what I want and he'll be like okay Lord I really need a new car or I'm getting real I'd really like to have that house that just got listed no I think that scripture has been somewhat misunderstood from time to time Jesus certainly he does want to bless his children and he does bless his children we have been blessed abundantly right here at CAC I could I could hand the mic to a lot of you right now and you could testify of the goodness of God and how you have been blessed whether it's at your job or in your health your finances we know that God wants to bless his children but this scripture does not mean that he's just going to give you all the things that your little heart desires not that way although he wants to bless his children but to Delight in this verse it's referring to spending time in his presence spending time in his presence then when you're in his presence he will change the desires of our heart he will give us Godly desires he will give us holy desires he'll take our desires and he will replace them with his desires that's what that means getting when we Delight ourself in the Lord that means we are in his presence we're taking on his desires what makes him happy what he wants us to do we are growing a church we are growing ourselves we're getting closer to him I said it in the beginning the apostolic church it was birthed in an upper room now I know times have changed I know we have technology at our fingertips and that can be good and that can be bad because we are easily distracted but we have to understand that even with Changing Times there are some things that remain the same prayer some of the the basic foundations of the church what grew the church in the beginning is what's going to grow the church in 2023 prayer who has right now lost loved ones that you want to see saved in the church I mean all of us right what's going to make that happen it's when a church gets hungry for a move of God so hungry that they lay aside the distractions so much that they'll they will make their own Upper Room experience they will get into the presence of Jesus put the phone away put the watch away I don't want the distractions I want to get into the presence of Jesus I want to grow the kingdom of God the same way on that in that Upper Room in the book of Acts I want to wait and pray with anticipation of what God's going to do I believe that we are going to see our loved ones come into church I believe that we're going to see those prodigals saved full of the Holy Ghost living for God again I believe it I believe and we've got to believe this we've got to get this we've got to get it if we want to grow this is our launching pad you've been you've repented of your sins you've been baptized in the name of Jesus you've received the gift of the Holy Ghost that is not the end it's just the beginning and then we pray we pray and we live for God we get into his word we fast oh my goodness I could talk about fasting and that would just take up too much time but when you couple prayer and fasting together when the church prays and fast when we make those sacrifices oh my gosh we're gonna Heaven is going to open up we're going to see people coming and continuing coming in off the streets keep that baptistry warm because I tell you we're going to see people coming in they're going to lives are going to be changed and transformed it's going to happen why because I'm going to be a person of prayer said I am going to be a person of Prayer yes because there's a Praying church and when it's a Praying church it's a growing church if I if we're a Praying Church we're a growing Church we're not going to die we're not going to sit on the sidelines and let other people experience Revival we're going to have Revival at CAC you're going to have Revival in your homes in your families restoration is going to come healings are going to come miracles signs and wonders are going to come why because we are a Praying church we are a church that we understand what it's like to be in The Presence of Jehovah and we understand that the miraculous is going to happen why because I'm giving myself to you Jesus I'm giving myself to you that's what prayer is it's saying Jesus here I am here I am I want to be in your presence I want to know you sometimes I think about um and I can't remember who first said it about making the appointment prayers that you make that appointment and you keep it and I might have told this uh story in Sunday school a while back but um there's a person that I know a little bit younger than I am but all their life they have they grow they grew up in a Pentecostal Church filled with the Holy Ghost at a young age stayed in church might have had you know a few years in the teenage times that you know they might have wavered a little bit but still in church did you know about two years ago this person confessed that for the first time in over 40 years of being in a Pentecostal church had they really discovered what it was like to have a prayer life so if you're there and you feel like I don't have that I don't have a prayer life now you feel so guilty or you know someone who's struggling with that you're not alone we've all struggled we all have struggled because we're human we are we're flesh and our flesh fights all right the flesh will fight and because our spirit may be willing but our flesh is fighting all the time but you get into that habit and this person was like what I have missed oh I've prayed but I didn't get along with him the way I needed to that person started to find getting uh setting the alarm about an hour and a half before they had to leave for work and uh she would go into this place of prayer she found her little spot this is going to be my place of prayer and she disciplined herself it became a habit it became a discipline and the rewards began to to follow that but it took all those years so what we don't understand is when we are not spending time in prayer every day we're robbing ourselves we're robbing ourselves of blessings of being in his presence when we are in his presence there is fullness of joy so when we don't get into his presence every day we're robbing ourselves of Joy we're robbing ourselves of peace that passes all understanding we're robbing ourselves of just that precious one-on-one time with Jesus and he wants to hear from us and when I think about making that appointment and then not keeping it this person told me it's as if when I go now to my place of prayer it's almost like I Feel Jesus there waiting what if you missed your appointment what if you had been accustomed to that that daily appointment with Jesus can you imagine get a physical get a visual of Jesus just waiting in that place thinking where is she where is she and then I don't show up the Creator the King of Kings the Lord of lords waiting on us to keep our appointment with him and that just did something to me I don't want to keep him waiting I want to get into his presence I want to grow closer to him I don't want to neglect the things that's going to stunt my growth or stop my growth I want to see a church full of hungry Souls I want to see a church where we we have no we have no choice but to find something another location because we're busting at the seams it's going to happen when we become people of prayer we have dedicated ourselves to that so 2023 the church the Apostolic Church we need to remind ourselves every day that our world needs what we have our world needs Jesus therefore we make up our minds today tonight that we will be people of prayer we will be a church that prays fervently with a spirit of expectation don't neglect the things of God get into that time of prayer get into his word Oswald Chambers said prayer doesn't fit us for the greater work prayer is the greater work prayer is the greater work so many times we want we say we want to do things for the kingdom I want to work for the kingdom I want to see the kingdom and the church grow prayer is the greater work prayer is what's going to launch a Ministry prayer is going to want is going to put you on a mission field prayer is going to make a preacher out of you one day I don't know what's in store for our young people but I know that if you start praying now there if there's no there are no limits with God he can do anything so young people that are in here let that get a hold of you you can start your prayer life if you don't feel like you have a prayer life right now you can start tomorrow you can start tonight because it's never too late adult if you feel like hey I've not been doing what I need to do don't beat yourself up just get in there and do it because it's never too late that's what's so good about God he understands who we are he created us he understands who we are but what he responds to is a hungry people a hungry people when we when we're hungry in the natural what do we do we make a little trip to the kitchen and we get us a little snack well we need the hunger for the things of God and God will feed us he will fill us and that's all we go to give ourselves to the things of God and watch this church grow watch yourself grow yeah I believe it can we just stand to our feet can we just stand to our feet right now church because it is time to grow but first of all we've got to pray let's pray I believe right now if you want to see the church grow I want you to lift up your hands if you're ready to grow closer to Jesus I want to lift up Lift Your Hands Up Jesus I thank you God for your presence Jesus I thank you God for your word God I thank you Jesus because you're here with us right now God give us hungry Hearts to hunger after you and your ways to seek your face and your will and in your time God I'm trusting you with all things Jesus I believe that you are the you're here to grow our church you're here to grow CAC but you're looking for a hungry people you're looking for a people that will pray and seek your face with their whole hearts I worship you Jesus I give myself to you I give myself to you Jesus I give myself to you I want to be close to you Jesus I want to be in your presence Jesus I wanna win the loss for you Jesus I want my family saved Jesus I love you Jesus fall on us fall on us here at CAC sweet Spirit fall on us foreign thank you Jesus God responds to those that are hungry for him God responds to those that want to be in his presence he responds to our worship and our praise and he worships and he he responds to our prayers and don't neglect those things that are going to bring you closer to Jesus make up your mind right now that's starting now I'm giving myself to him all over again I'm giving myself to prayer I'm giving myself to Kingdom work I want to see Revival I want to see souls coming in and lives changed God I want to be a part of what's happening to the church in 2023. thank you Jesus thank you Jesus thank you Jesus just get it in closing I just want you to find someone next to you to pray for someone's if you're by yourself I want you to find someone and let's just pray for one another and closing let's pray for one another to be strengthened for us to be hungry and disciplined and create a habit of Prayer Jesus be with my church family tonight God I pray their hearts are encouraged God that they feel strength from you they feel peace from you God that you see us where you are God I pray your Abundant Blessings on CAC and I thank you for what you're doing I thank you for what you're going to do I thank you for the souls that are coming in I thank you for the souls that are going to come in I thank you for those that are going to be baptized in Jesus name I thank you for those that are going to be in the altar being filled with your sweet spirit I thank you Jesus for what the future is with you in it God there is a future that is bright for CAC because we are a people of prayer and I thank you God give us strength and direction order our steps in your name Jesus in your name Jesus we thank you can we just Praise Him can we worship him before we leave tonight just clap your hands raise your hand work worship Jesus he is worthy he's worthy of Our Praise he's worthy of Our Praise thank you Jesus thank you Jesus thank you Jesus thank you Jesus thank you for your attention I hope that something I said resonated with you I thank you for your patience God is good be blessed in Jesus name