Pray God-Sized Prayers

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This is not an 0:00:57.520 --> 0:00:58.920 offer to buy your self securities sn or is it 0:00:58.960 --> 0:01:00.000 investment legal or tax fives. 0:01:00.320 --> 0:01:02.240 He'll forget about the video game you gave him on 0:01:02.280 --> 0:01:02.840 his birthday. 0:01:03.160 --> 0:01:05.119 Wow, thanks Grandpa. 0:01:04.880 --> 0:01:07.280 But He'll never forget how you invested in his future 0:01:07.319 --> 0:01:08.280 with the uns stapp. 0:01:08.800 --> 0:01:10.480 Wow, Thanks Grandpa. 0:01:11.080 --> 0:01:13.600 The units stap makes it easy for grandparents and family 0:01:13.640 --> 0:01:16.319 friends to give funds to a child's investment account for 0:01:16.360 --> 0:01:18.760 a limited time. Download the uns stap and use the 0:01:18.800 --> 0:01:20.840 code I heeart fifty at sign up to receive a 0:01:20.880 --> 0:01:23.400 fifty dollars bonus when you fund your account. That's code 0:01:23.400 --> 0:01:26.400 iHeart fifty when you sign up at unest dot co 0:01:26.760 --> 0:01:29.319 for a fifty dollars bonus. See terms and conditions at 0:01:29.440 --> 0:01:30.120 UNEs dot co. 0:01:31.280 --> 0:01:34.039 Hi, this is Joel and Victoria. Thanks for listening to 0:01:34.080 --> 0:01:37.200 our podcast and thanks for supporting the ministry. If you 0:01:37.280 --> 0:01:39.880 enjoy today's message, why don't you be a blessing and 0:01:39.959 --> 0:01:42.600 share it with a friend. We appreciate you and pray 0:01:42.640 --> 0:01:58.440 for God's very best in your life. Oh God bless you. 0:01:58.840 --> 0:02:01.120 It's a joy that come in your homes. And if 0:02:01.160 --> 0:02:03.480 you're ever in our area, please stop by and be 0:02:03.560 --> 0:02:06.160 a part of one of our services. I promise you 0:02:06.280 --> 0:02:08.320 will make you feel right at home. But thanks so 0:02:08.400 --> 0:02:10.600 much for tuning in, and thank you again for coming 0:02:10.600 --> 0:02:13.600 out today. I like to start with something funny and 0:02:13.680 --> 0:02:16.919 I heard about this old country farmer. He was taking 0:02:17.000 --> 0:02:20.720 his nephew camping for the first time. His nephew had 0:02:20.800 --> 0:02:24.560 five degrees, was one of the smartest men alive. They 0:02:24.600 --> 0:02:27.600 set up their tent and quickly fell asleep. In the 0:02:27.600 --> 0:02:30.600 middle of the night, the farmer woke up his nephew said, 0:02:30.639 --> 0:02:33.360 look up. What are you see. Nephew said, I see 0:02:33.440 --> 0:02:36.320 millions of stars. Farmer said, I know that, But what 0:02:36.360 --> 0:02:39.640 does it tell you? He said? Astronomically, it tells me 0:02:39.680 --> 0:02:43.400 there are billions of galaxies. Meteorologically, it tells me it's 0:02:43.440 --> 0:02:46.040 going to be a beautiful day. Theologically it tells me 0:02:46.080 --> 0:02:48.359 God is a great creator. What does it tell you? 0:02:48.919 --> 0:02:51.280 The old farmer shook his head, said, it tells me 0:02:51.639 --> 0:02:57.040 somebody stole our tent. Hold up your bible. Say it 0:02:57.120 --> 0:03:00.240 like you mean it. This is my Bible. I am 0:03:00.280 --> 0:03:00.800 what it says. 0:03:00.800 --> 0:03:01.079 I am. 0:03:01.560 --> 0:03:03.800 I have what it says I have. I can do 0:03:03.919 --> 0:03:06.320 what it says I can do. Today I will be 0:03:06.400 --> 0:03:09.959 taught the word of God. I boldly confess. My mind 0:03:10.040 --> 0:03:13.200 is alert, my heart is receptive. I will never be 0:03:13.320 --> 0:03:17.919 the same. In Jesus' name, God bless you. I want 0:03:17.919 --> 0:03:21.480 to talk to you today about praying God sized prayers. 0:03:22.440 --> 0:03:25.560 How you pray will determine what kind of life you live. 0:03:26.360 --> 0:03:31.280 If you only pray small, ordinary, get by prayers, most 0:03:31.440 --> 0:03:34.680 likely you will live a small, ordinary, get by life. 0:03:35.400 --> 0:03:38.040 But when you have a boldness to ask God for 0:03:38.120 --> 0:03:41.440 big things, you ask him to open doors that would 0:03:41.560 --> 0:03:44.760 normally not open. You ask him to take you further 0:03:44.840 --> 0:03:49.480 than anyone in your family. When you pray god sized prayers, 0:03:49.880 --> 0:03:53.160 you will see the greatness of God's power. Now, all 0:03:53.200 --> 0:03:56.560 through the scripture we see this principle. Elisha prayed that 0:03:56.600 --> 0:03:59.320 it wouldn't rain for three and a half years, there 0:03:59.400 --> 0:04:03.440 was no rain. Joshua Will prayed for more daylight. God 0:04:03.520 --> 0:04:08.160 stopped the sun. One prophet prayed for protection. The enemies 0:04:08.200 --> 0:04:11.600 standing right in front of him didn't recognize him. God 0:04:11.640 --> 0:04:17.000 made him invisible. The common denominator is they ask for 0:04:17.120 --> 0:04:21.279 the unthinkable. When was the last time you asked God 0:04:21.400 --> 0:04:25.560 to do something impossible, something out of the ordinary. One 0:04:25.640 --> 0:04:28.640 reason we don't see God do great things is we 0:04:28.680 --> 0:04:32.800 only ask for small things. Most people pray over their food, 0:04:33.279 --> 0:04:36.279 pray for protection, pray for wisdom. That's all good, but 0:04:36.360 --> 0:04:40.279 it's limiting what God can do. There should be something 0:04:40.480 --> 0:04:44.599 you're praying about, something that you're asking for that seems 0:04:44.760 --> 0:04:48.599 far out. You can't accomplish it in your own strength. 0:04:49.360 --> 0:04:52.359 The phrase I hear in my spirit is dare to 0:04:52.520 --> 0:04:56.080 ask Your dreams may look impossible. You don't have the 0:04:56.120 --> 0:04:59.680 funding the connections. God is saying, I dare you to 0:04:59.720 --> 0:05:02.200 ask me to bring it to pass. I dare you 0:05:02.279 --> 0:05:05.240 to ask me to show you a flood of my favor. 0:05:05.920 --> 0:05:08.480 A lot of times we pray, God, my child's off course, 0:05:08.520 --> 0:05:11.359 if you'll just turn him around, And that's good. But 0:05:11.440 --> 0:05:17.279 that's an ordinary prayer. Ordinary prayers get ordinary results. God 0:05:17.360 --> 0:05:20.080 meets us at the level of our faith. If you 0:05:20.160 --> 0:05:24.400 ask small, you're going to receive small. A God size 0:05:24.440 --> 0:05:27.840 prayer is God, I'm asking you to not only turn 0:05:27.880 --> 0:05:30.960 my child around, but use him in a great way. 0:05:31.440 --> 0:05:34.680 Let him make a difference with his life. An ordinary 0:05:34.720 --> 0:05:37.640 prayer is God, help me to get by this month. God, 0:05:37.720 --> 0:05:39.920 help me to pay my rent. And there's nothing wrong 0:05:39.960 --> 0:05:43.520 with that. But a God size prayer is God, I'm 0:05:43.560 --> 0:05:46.640 asking you to increase me in such a way that 0:05:46.720 --> 0:05:49.400 I cannot only pay my house off, but help pay 0:05:49.400 --> 0:05:53.600 somebody else's house off. An ordinary prayer is God, just 0:05:53.640 --> 0:05:56.120 take me as far as my parents. God help me 0:05:56.120 --> 0:05:59.120 at least not to lose any ground. But a god 0:05:59.240 --> 0:06:02.800 size prayer is God, help me to take our family 0:06:02.920 --> 0:06:06.000 to a new level. Let me set a new standard. 0:06:06.440 --> 0:06:09.119 When people look back one hundred years from now, God, 0:06:09.200 --> 0:06:12.200 let them say it was that man that woman that 0:06:12.279 --> 0:06:15.400 made a real difference. But I wonder how many of 0:06:15.440 --> 0:06:19.479 your prayers are not being answered simply because you're not 0:06:19.680 --> 0:06:23.359 asking well, Joel, God's God. If he wants to bless me, 0:06:23.480 --> 0:06:26.279 he'll bless me. It says in James four to two. 0:06:26.640 --> 0:06:30.280 You have not because you ask not. If you're not 0:06:30.560 --> 0:06:35.440 asking big, you are shortchanging yourself. You will never reach 0:06:35.680 --> 0:06:40.840 the fullness of your potential if you only pray small prayers. Now, 0:06:40.839 --> 0:06:43.080 I'm not talking about just making a wish list and 0:06:43.200 --> 0:06:47.760 praying every whim. I'm talking about asking God for what 0:06:47.880 --> 0:06:51.800 He's already promised you. The scripture says, when you walk 0:06:51.800 --> 0:06:55.479 in God's ways, you will lend and not borrow with 0:06:55.680 --> 0:06:58.680 long life. God will satisfy you. As for me and 0:06:58.760 --> 0:07:02.080 my house, we will serve Lord. There are hundreds of 0:07:02.200 --> 0:07:06.200 promises that you have every right to pray and ask 0:07:06.240 --> 0:07:10.480 God to bring to pass. Plus there are specific dreams, 0:07:10.920 --> 0:07:13.880 desires that God's placed in your heart. They didn't just 0:07:14.040 --> 0:07:18.120 randomly show up. The creator of the universe put them 0:07:18.200 --> 0:07:21.240 in you. They are a part of your divine destiny. 0:07:22.160 --> 0:07:25.720 In Psalms that talks about the secret petitions of our heart, 0:07:26.320 --> 0:07:30.560 the hidden dreams that you haven't told anybody about. One 0:07:30.640 --> 0:07:33.280 way you know that from God is they're so big 0:07:33.720 --> 0:07:37.760 you cannot accomplish them on your own. God does this 0:07:37.880 --> 0:07:41.920 on purpose so that it will take faith. Faith is 0:07:41.960 --> 0:07:44.920 what pleases God. Faith is what allows him to do 0:07:45.000 --> 0:07:49.080 the impossible. So God will put something big where you 0:07:49.120 --> 0:07:53.280 don't have all the talent, the education, the connections, the confidence. 0:07:53.880 --> 0:07:58.000 God will even allow certain obstacles that we can't overcome 0:07:58.160 --> 0:08:00.800 on our own. We can do one of two things. 0:08:00.840 --> 0:08:02.960 We can think, well, too bad didn't work out for me. 0:08:03.720 --> 0:08:06.920 I don't have the connections, or I couldn't get the financing, 0:08:07.040 --> 0:08:09.760 or the medical report doesn't look good. We can talk 0:08:09.800 --> 0:08:12.840 ourselves out of it. Or we can say, God, I 0:08:12.880 --> 0:08:15.400 can't do this in my own strength, but I know 0:08:15.480 --> 0:08:18.800 you are all powerful. There's no limit to you. So God, 0:08:18.840 --> 0:08:21.400 I'm asking you to make a way, even though I 0:08:21.440 --> 0:08:25.400 don't see away. This is what David did First Chronicle 0:08:25.520 --> 0:08:28.640 seventeen God gave him the promise that one of his 0:08:28.760 --> 0:08:31.560 descendants would always be on the throne. He would have 0:08:31.600 --> 0:08:35.440 this lasting dynasty. David could have said, God, I'm just 0:08:35.480 --> 0:08:38.559 a shepherd boy. I was out tending my father's sheep. 0:08:39.000 --> 0:08:44.520 I don't have formal training, education experience. No, David understood 0:08:44.520 --> 0:08:48.520 this principle. Even though it looked far out, he didn't 0:08:48.520 --> 0:08:51.959 dismiss it. He said in verse twenty three, God, do 0:08:52.360 --> 0:08:55.880 as you have promised, let one of my descendants always 0:08:55.920 --> 0:08:59.680 be on the throne. Imagine the nerve David had to 0:08:59.720 --> 0:09:03.480 ask for something so big. Verse twenty five gives us 0:09:03.480 --> 0:09:07.080 the key. He said, God, I have been bold enough 0:09:07.200 --> 0:09:10.760 to pray this prayer because you have spoken it over me. 0:09:11.520 --> 0:09:14.679 In other words, God, I'm asking you to do something amazing, 0:09:15.120 --> 0:09:18.840 not because I have all the talent, education, connections, but 0:09:19.000 --> 0:09:23.760 because you have promised it. Now, what God has promised you, 0:09:24.360 --> 0:09:28.120 the dream he's placed in your heart, may look impossible, 0:09:28.640 --> 0:09:31.680 but if you'll just dare, do like David and say, God, 0:09:31.800 --> 0:09:34.640 you promised it. Now, I'm bold enough to ask you 0:09:34.720 --> 0:09:38.400 for it. When you do, don't be surprised if thoughts 0:09:38.400 --> 0:09:41.440 come saying it's never going to happen. You don't have 0:09:41.559 --> 0:09:44.880 the talent, You come from the wrong family, You made 0:09:44.880 --> 0:09:49.040 too many mistakes. The enemy gets stirred up when you 0:09:49.120 --> 0:09:52.480 start asking God for big things. He'll leave you alone 0:09:52.520 --> 0:09:55.680 as long as you pray small, ordinary prayers. But when 0:09:55.720 --> 0:09:59.720 you start praying god decizest prayers, you start asking God 0:09:59.760 --> 0:10:02.880 to tell where you've never been before, That's when those 0:10:02.920 --> 0:10:05.800 thoughts will bombarde your mind, saying who do you think 0:10:05.840 --> 0:10:09.200 you are? Just smile and tell him. A child of 0:10:09.240 --> 0:10:13.120 a most High God, I read about this seven year 0:10:13.160 --> 0:10:16.520 old girl named Jamie. She lived on a farm with 0:10:16.559 --> 0:10:19.319 her family, and they had a cow that was about 0:10:19.320 --> 0:10:22.040 to give birth, and her father had already told the 0:10:22.120 --> 0:10:24.840 family that they weren't going to keep any more cows. 0:10:25.440 --> 0:10:28.040 Every time one was born, they'd either sell it or 0:10:28.080 --> 0:10:31.480 give it away. But for some reason, little Jamie really 0:10:31.520 --> 0:10:35.040 wanted to keep this cow a desire of her heart. 0:10:35.280 --> 0:10:38.400 She started pleading and pleading with their father, Daddy, please 0:10:38.559 --> 0:10:42.079 let me keep it, Daddy, please make an exception. After 0:10:42.120 --> 0:10:46.000 a couple of weeks she wore her father down. He said, Jamie, 0:10:46.000 --> 0:10:48.760 I'll make a deal with you. If the calf is 0:10:48.840 --> 0:10:52.040 born black, then you can keep him. But if he's 0:10:52.080 --> 0:10:54.439 brown or spotted like the rest of our cattle. We're 0:10:54.440 --> 0:10:57.680 going to give him away. She agreed. Well, little Jamie 0:10:57.800 --> 0:11:02.160 didn't know any better. She started praying and praying every 0:11:02.280 --> 0:11:05.400 night before she went to bed. God, I'm asking that 0:11:05.520 --> 0:11:08.640 this cow will be born black and that there won't 0:11:08.679 --> 0:11:12.240 be any doubt that he belongs to me. Now, most 0:11:12.320 --> 0:11:15.160 of us adults, we never pray anything like that. That's 0:11:15.280 --> 0:11:18.080 far out, that's kind of radical. Do you know what 0:11:18.120 --> 0:11:23.040 I've learned? Radical faith gets radical results. A couple of 0:11:23.040 --> 0:11:25.839 weeks later, the little calf was born. It was not 0:11:25.880 --> 0:11:29.360 only solid black, but right between his eyes do you 0:11:29.400 --> 0:11:32.760 see it? There was a big jay. Her name was Jamie. 0:11:33.600 --> 0:11:37.520 It's like God stamped at ja. He was saying, I'm 0:11:37.520 --> 0:11:41.599 gonna make sure everybody knows this cow belongs to little Jamie. 0:11:42.120 --> 0:11:45.959 What am I saying? When you pray God sized prayers, 0:11:46.400 --> 0:11:49.080 God will show up in a big way. He'll give 0:11:49.120 --> 0:11:52.600 you the desires of your heart. Are there dreams that 0:11:52.640 --> 0:11:56.719 you've talked yourself out of problems you'll convince you'll never overcome. 0:11:57.200 --> 0:11:59.880 Why don't you do, like little Jamie take the limits 0:11:59.880 --> 0:12:03.000 on for God. What if the only reason it's not 0:12:03.160 --> 0:12:07.600 happening is because you're not asking. Jesus said in Luke 0:12:07.640 --> 0:12:11.680 twelve thirty two. It is the father's good pleasure to 0:12:11.760 --> 0:12:15.560 give you the kingdom. God wants to give you the 0:12:15.600 --> 0:12:18.560 desires of your heart. But you have to have the 0:12:18.600 --> 0:12:21.600 faith of a little child and be willing to ask. 0:12:22.520 --> 0:12:25.480 As a father, who would I rather bless than my 0:12:25.559 --> 0:12:29.400 own children? Who would I rather see increase and do 0:12:29.480 --> 0:12:33.080 great things? Nobody more than my own children. It's the 0:12:33.120 --> 0:12:37.120 same way with our heavenly Father. It gives him pleasure 0:12:37.679 --> 0:12:40.240 to give you the kingdom. It brings a smile to 0:12:40.320 --> 0:12:44.040 his face. But what if my children never ask, and 0:12:44.440 --> 0:12:47.599 they acted like they were bothering me, they were intimidated. 0:12:47.840 --> 0:12:50.520 That would make me feel badly. I'd say, come on, 0:12:50.840 --> 0:12:53.720 step up to the plate. I'm your father. I want 0:12:53.720 --> 0:12:57.000 to be good to you. Some of you today need 0:12:57.040 --> 0:13:00.960 to step up to the plate. Quite asking small, Quit 0:13:01.000 --> 0:13:04.800 acting like you're bothering God. Quit praying weak barely get 0:13:04.840 --> 0:13:08.640 by prayers. Your father owns it all. He created the 0:13:08.679 --> 0:13:11.600 whole universe, and if you're going to see the fullness 0:13:11.640 --> 0:13:14.200 of what he has in store, you got to learn 0:13:14.280 --> 0:13:18.520 to ask big. I pray every day, God take our 0:13:18.600 --> 0:13:22.840 ministry where no ministry's ever gone before. I pray, God, 0:13:22.960 --> 0:13:29.000 let our children supersede anything Victoria or I have ever done. 0:13:29.160 --> 0:13:32.679 There are prayers that I pray in private. Never told 0:13:32.800 --> 0:13:36.360 anybody in the world the secret dreams of my heart. 0:13:36.840 --> 0:13:39.280 If I told you, you say, Joel, are you kidding? Do 0:13:39.360 --> 0:13:41.760 you really think that's going to happen? The truth is 0:13:41.920 --> 0:13:44.560 they may not all come to pass, but I'm not 0:13:44.640 --> 0:13:47.680 going to let my lack of asking keep me from 0:13:47.720 --> 0:13:51.400 reaching my highest potential. I don't want to get to 0:13:51.440 --> 0:13:56.440 heaven and God, say, Joel, I had all this for you, favor, 0:13:56.520 --> 0:14:00.960 good breaks, divine connections, but you never ask. You stayed 0:14:00.960 --> 0:14:04.040 in the safe zone. I wanted you in the faith zone. 0:14:04.440 --> 0:14:07.600 You prayed ordinary prayers. I wanted you to pray God 0:14:07.720 --> 0:14:11.120 size prayers. And I believe one reason that I've seen 0:14:11.160 --> 0:14:15.320 God's favor is I have learned to ask big. When 0:14:15.320 --> 0:14:18.200 my father went to be with the Lord nineteen ninety nine, 0:14:18.320 --> 0:14:21.400 I had never ministered before. It was a bold prayer 0:14:21.440 --> 0:14:24.720 to say, God, I'm asking you to help me not 0:14:24.800 --> 0:14:28.000 only maintain what my parents have built, but helped me 0:14:28.040 --> 0:14:31.200 to take it much further. When I walked into a 0:14:31.280 --> 0:14:34.680 jewelry store and saw Victoria for the first time. It 0:14:34.720 --> 0:14:38.040 was a bold prayer to say, God, let her see 0:14:38.040 --> 0:14:43.400 how good looking I really am. I'm only kidding. I 0:14:43.440 --> 0:14:46.880 didn't pray that, but I sure thought about it. It 0:14:46.960 --> 0:14:49.360 was a bold prayer to say, God, give us the 0:14:49.440 --> 0:14:53.320 Compact Center where the Rockets used to play basketball. When 0:14:53.360 --> 0:14:56.560 I look back over my life, I wonder what wouldn't 0:14:56.600 --> 0:15:00.480 have happened had I not prayed these bold prayers. Maybe 0:15:00.560 --> 0:15:03.480 I wouldn't have met Victoria. Maybe I wouldn't be up here, 0:15:03.640 --> 0:15:07.640 Maybe we wouldn't have this facility, says in Psalm thirty one. 0:15:08.240 --> 0:15:13.040 God has blessings stored up for those who honor Him. 0:15:13.640 --> 0:15:17.880 Because you honor God. There are blessings right now that 0:15:18.080 --> 0:15:27.800 have your name on them, stored up houses, businesses, ministries, books, movies, children, ideas. 0:15:27.920 --> 0:15:31.320 They have your name on them. God wants to release them. 0:15:31.520 --> 0:15:34.760 He's just waiting for you to ask. Will you have 0:15:34.840 --> 0:15:38.600 a boldness to ask for things that even seem impossible. 0:15:39.240 --> 0:15:41.840 It's good to ask for our needs, but I'm encouraging 0:15:41.840 --> 0:15:45.560 you today. Ask for your dreams, as for your goals, 0:15:45.920 --> 0:15:49.360 ask for the secret petitions of your heart. I heard 0:15:49.360 --> 0:15:52.120 a story about a young mother. She and her family 0:15:52.480 --> 0:15:55.400 moved to New York City back in the nineteen sixties 0:15:55.560 --> 0:15:59.200 from Puerto Rico. They were very poor and they lived 0:15:59.200 --> 0:16:03.600 in a rough nameighborhood in government housing. Drugs, gangs, violence 0:16:03.640 --> 0:16:07.640 all around. At the age of nine, her young son, Victor, 0:16:08.240 --> 0:16:11.800 was recruited by a game. Everybody he knew, all of 0:16:11.840 --> 0:16:15.240 his friends were in games. By the time he was twelve, 0:16:15.560 --> 0:16:19.840 he was hooked on heroin. It had already been arrested, involved 0:16:19.840 --> 0:16:23.720 in robbing, stealing, killing, all kinds of things that weren't good. 0:16:24.320 --> 0:16:28.000 His mother was so heartbroken. She couldn't control her son. 0:16:28.680 --> 0:16:32.240 She was a very small woman. She only spoke Spanish, 0:16:32.400 --> 0:16:36.440 but she was very feisty. One thing this mother knew 0:16:36.440 --> 0:16:41.120 how to do was pray every day, seven days a week, 0:16:41.240 --> 0:16:44.640 and twice on Sundays. She would go up to the 0:16:44.680 --> 0:16:48.240 little storefront church there in the projects with her sister 0:16:48.760 --> 0:16:52.000 and they would pray for her son, Victor. She didn't 0:16:52.040 --> 0:16:54.520 just pray for God to keep him out of trouble. 0:16:55.040 --> 0:16:59.080 This mother knew how to pray God size prayers. She said, God, 0:16:59.200 --> 0:17:03.560 I'm asking you to make my son a minister, use 0:17:03.640 --> 0:17:07.160 him to touch people all over the world. Twelve years old, 0:17:07.400 --> 0:17:09.959 Victor would come home at three o'clock in the morning 0:17:10.200 --> 0:17:14.119 totally stoned. This mother would be in the kitchen waiting 0:17:14.160 --> 0:17:16.959 for him with her arms held open. She'd give him 0:17:16.960 --> 0:17:20.720 a hug and say, Victor, God's hand is on your life. 0:17:21.280 --> 0:17:24.320 You have a destiny to fulfill. God is not only 0:17:24.359 --> 0:17:26.840 going to save you, He's going to make you a minister. 0:17:27.200 --> 0:17:31.119 She spoke faith into him. The more she prayed, it 0:17:31.200 --> 0:17:34.719 seemed like the worse he got. His teacher at school 0:17:34.800 --> 0:17:37.600 told the mother, your son is going to end up 0:17:37.640 --> 0:17:41.119 in the electric chair. She'd let those words go in 0:17:41.160 --> 0:17:43.879 one ear and out the other. She kept praying month 0:17:44.000 --> 0:17:47.480 after month. Didn't look like anything was happening. But what 0:17:47.680 --> 0:17:51.800 she couldn't see is while she was praying, God was 0:17:51.920 --> 0:17:55.760 moving on a young man in another state by the 0:17:55.840 --> 0:17:59.359 name of David Wilkerson, calling him to come to the 0:17:59.440 --> 0:18:02.720 roughest streets in New York and share the good news. 0:18:03.280 --> 0:18:07.480 One day, Victor ran into this new young street preacher. 0:18:08.000 --> 0:18:11.919 Right there on the corner, God touched Victor's heart. He 0:18:12.000 --> 0:18:15.200 knelt down, gave his life to Christ. God set him 0:18:15.200 --> 0:18:18.399 free from the drugs, from the gangs, from the violence. Today, 0:18:18.520 --> 0:18:22.320 Victor Torres is not only clean and sober. But he's 0:18:22.359 --> 0:18:26.199 the pastor of a great church in Virginia. They have 0:18:26.320 --> 0:18:31.800 amazing outreaches to drug addicts to gain members. He goes 0:18:31.880 --> 0:18:34.680 all over the world telling what God has done for him. 0:18:35.280 --> 0:18:38.879 But I thought about where would Victor be If this 0:18:39.119 --> 0:18:42.760 mother had not dared to pray these God sized prayers. 0:18:43.840 --> 0:18:47.560 Maybe David Wilkerson would have never shown up, maybe being 0:18:47.560 --> 0:18:52.400 the penitentiary, even dead. But when it looked impossible, when 0:18:52.400 --> 0:18:55.960 the odds were against her, every voice told her you're 0:18:55.960 --> 0:18:59.280 wasting your time. Your son's too far gone. He's never 0:18:59.280 --> 0:19:02.360 going to amount to anything. She dug her heels in 0:19:02.600 --> 0:19:05.520 and said, God, you said, as for me and my house, 0:19:05.680 --> 0:19:08.679 we will serve the Lord. God. You promised it, and 0:19:08.840 --> 0:19:11.680 like David, I'm bold enough to ask you to bring 0:19:11.720 --> 0:19:15.200 it to pass. See, most people would have prayed an 0:19:15.320 --> 0:19:18.560 ordinary prayer, something like God, just help my child to 0:19:18.600 --> 0:19:21.439 not get in any more trouble. But when you know 0:19:21.480 --> 0:19:25.960 how to pray these God size prayers, your children, your relatives, 0:19:26.080 --> 0:19:28.960 they don't have a chance. God will move heaven and 0:19:29.080 --> 0:19:32.480 earth to bring that promise to pass. Now you may 0:19:32.520 --> 0:19:34.720 have somebody in your life that you are about to 0:19:34.760 --> 0:19:38.600 write off somebody like Victorim but where they're making bad decisions, 0:19:38.720 --> 0:19:42.800 look like they'll never straighten up. Keep praying, keep asking 0:19:42.880 --> 0:19:46.240 God not only to bring them back, but to do 0:19:46.320 --> 0:19:50.960 something great with their life. I found when somebody is 0:19:51.040 --> 0:19:55.120 living radically the wrong kind of life and God touches them, 0:19:55.480 --> 0:19:59.000 they will live radically the right kind of life. God 0:19:59.040 --> 0:20:03.240 will use them to do amazing things Like this. Mother, 0:20:03.520 --> 0:20:06.119 we have the promise as for me and my house, 0:20:06.280 --> 0:20:10.040 we will serve the Lord says in Psalms, the seed 0:20:10.320 --> 0:20:14.480 of the righteous. That's your children, your grandchildren will be 0:20:14.680 --> 0:20:20.800 mighty in the land. Not addicted, defeated, mediocre, No, mighty, 0:20:20.840 --> 0:20:26.680 powerful history makers. Now, don't pray small prayers over your children. 0:20:27.400 --> 0:20:30.160 Doesn't matter what they are or aren't doing. Right now, 0:20:30.440 --> 0:20:34.439 pray bold prayers. God, I'm asking that my child be 0:20:34.680 --> 0:20:38.160 mighty in the land. God, let them be history makers. 0:20:38.440 --> 0:20:41.320 Let them leave a legacy of faith that will be 0:20:41.440 --> 0:20:46.280 seen for generations to come. Dare to ask big. I 0:20:46.359 --> 0:20:48.439 prayed for a college student right here at the altar 0:20:48.560 --> 0:20:50.879 a few weeks ago, and she had just finished her 0:20:50.960 --> 0:20:55.560 master's degree, and she studied medical research. She was a scientist. 0:20:56.200 --> 0:20:58.520 I don't even know why I said it, but I 0:20:58.600 --> 0:21:03.000 prayed God her find the cure for cancer, let her 0:21:03.440 --> 0:21:07.160 do something astounding with her life. Well, Joel, what if 0:21:07.160 --> 0:21:09.679 it doesn't happen. What if it does happen, You have 0:21:09.920 --> 0:21:14.760 not because you ask not. God is saying, ask me 0:21:14.880 --> 0:21:19.359 for big things. I created the universe. I flung the 0:21:19.400 --> 0:21:23.440 stars into space. Don't ask me for a two dollars raise. 0:21:24.320 --> 0:21:27.080 Don't ask me to just keep your children out of trouble. 0:21:27.920 --> 0:21:31.600 Don't ask me to just help you make it through life. 0:21:32.160 --> 0:21:36.320 Ask me for compact centers. Ask me for cows with 0:21:36.400 --> 0:21:40.520 your initial on it. Ask me to turn drug addicts around. 0:21:41.359 --> 0:21:44.800 Ask me for children who will become history makers. Ask 0:21:44.880 --> 0:21:47.840 me to part red seas, to bring water out of 0:21:47.840 --> 0:21:51.240 a rock, to show your floods of my favor. God 0:21:51.320 --> 0:21:53.879 is saying, I dare you to ask. I dare you 0:21:53.960 --> 0:21:56.080 to stretch your faith. I dare you to take the 0:21:56.119 --> 0:21:58.520 limits off of me. I dare you to pray God's 0:21:58.520 --> 0:22:02.240 size prayers. A couple of weeks ago, we were in 0:22:02.280 --> 0:22:05.840 the airport parking lot late one Friday night. We just 0:22:05.920 --> 0:22:08.600 returned home from a night of hope in another state. 0:22:08.800 --> 0:22:11.440 It's about two o'clock in the morning when we got 0:22:11.440 --> 0:22:15.360 to our cars. My mother's battery was dead. Something must 0:22:15.359 --> 0:22:17.600 have been left on, and my brother Paul and I 0:22:17.640 --> 0:22:21.159 and my friend Johnny got the battery cables and we 0:22:21.320 --> 0:22:23.800 drove my car up there and put the cables on 0:22:23.840 --> 0:22:26.960 my mom's car. Her lights came on, but the car 0:22:27.000 --> 0:22:30.240 wouldn't start. The engine wouldn't turn over at all, not 0:22:30.359 --> 0:22:33.320 one sound. A mechanic came out from the airport to 0:22:33.400 --> 0:22:35.800 help us, and he worked and worked, but he couldn't 0:22:36.040 --> 0:22:39.320 get anything going. Johnny was reading the owner's manual. It's 0:22:39.400 --> 0:22:41.960 like we were missing something. The engine would not turn over, 0:22:42.600 --> 0:22:45.960 freezing cold out there. After about thirty minutes of trying 0:22:46.040 --> 0:22:49.880 everything we possibly could, Paul said to my mom, Mother, 0:22:50.040 --> 0:22:52.080 the car's not going to start. Why don't you just 0:22:52.200 --> 0:22:55.760 ride with me and we'll come back tomorrow and get it. Well. 0:22:55.800 --> 0:22:58.680 My mother was not about to leave the airport without 0:22:58.720 --> 0:23:01.640 having her car. She said, no, Paul, I've got two 0:23:01.680 --> 0:23:05.119 funerals to officiate tomorrow. I have to have my car. 0:23:05.600 --> 0:23:08.479 It was two thirty in the morning. I was tired, 0:23:08.600 --> 0:23:12.200 it was freezing. I said, Mother, take my car. I'll 0:23:12.280 --> 0:23:14.280 ride home with Paul. You can drive it right now, 0:23:14.400 --> 0:23:17.200 she said, Joel, I don't want your car. I want 0:23:17.240 --> 0:23:20.879 my car. Let's go try again. We went over and 0:23:20.920 --> 0:23:24.480 worked another fifteen minutes, doing everything we could. Still the 0:23:24.560 --> 0:23:27.520 engine never turned over. One time, I said, Mother, we 0:23:27.520 --> 0:23:29.840 could be here all night. The car is not going 0:23:29.880 --> 0:23:32.520 to start. We might as well go home. She said, 0:23:32.600 --> 0:23:37.399 give me the keys. She had that look in her eyes, like, 0:23:37.520 --> 0:23:40.400 do not mess with me. I don't know if she's 0:23:40.440 --> 0:23:43.320 mad at me or mad at the devil. But she 0:23:43.440 --> 0:23:46.600 got in that car and started praying. And when my 0:23:46.720 --> 0:23:51.080 mother really means business, she prays loud. She doesn't need 0:23:51.119 --> 0:23:54.440 a microphone. She makes sure that God will hear her. 0:23:54.720 --> 0:23:57.679 I looked over. My mother was praying over the steering wheel, 0:23:57.760 --> 0:24:01.200 praying over the radio, casting the out of the engine. 0:24:01.320 --> 0:24:07.160 She knows no shame. When I was growing up. When 0:24:07.160 --> 0:24:09.800 I was growing up, my mother would pray over the 0:24:09.840 --> 0:24:13.240 dishwasher if it brought. She'd pray over the lawnmower. And 0:24:13.280 --> 0:24:15.639 I'm over there with some of my friends, getting a 0:24:15.720 --> 0:24:18.119 kick out of it, kind of laughing, and all of 0:24:18.160 --> 0:24:21.880 a sudden, we hear the car crank right up. That 0:24:22.000 --> 0:24:24.760 engine didn't struggle, it didn't turn over and over. It 0:24:24.840 --> 0:24:29.280 immediately cranked up. My mother readd That engine so loud 0:24:30.240 --> 0:24:32.720 she had to have that pedal on the floor. It 0:24:32.920 --> 0:24:36.480 sounded like it was going to explode. We ran for cover. 0:24:36.880 --> 0:24:39.760 My mother put it in gear, and she started driving 0:24:39.800 --> 0:24:43.600 around in circles in that parking lot, eighty years old, 0:24:43.800 --> 0:24:50.280 doing donuts. Three o'clock in the morning. I thought, dear God, 0:24:50.320 --> 0:24:53.960 we're gonna get arrested out here. I wanted to say, mother, 0:24:54.080 --> 0:24:59.119 you are grounded. When she finally drove off, she didn't 0:24:59.119 --> 0:25:03.359 wave goodbye to uh. She didn't say thank you for 0:25:03.440 --> 0:25:06.000 at least trying. She didn't blow us a kiss. She 0:25:06.200 --> 0:25:10.000 just left us standing there in her dusk. When you 0:25:10.119 --> 0:25:15.240 face situations in your everyday life that seem impossible, God says, 0:25:15.640 --> 0:25:18.879 I dare you to pray? I dare you to ask 0:25:18.920 --> 0:25:23.439 me for that car to start, Joel. God's got bigger 0:25:23.520 --> 0:25:26.000 things to deal with and me getting my car started. 0:25:26.119 --> 0:25:29.080 Let me tell you you are God's biggest deal. You 0:25:29.119 --> 0:25:33.760 are the apple of his eye. Too often we limit God. 0:25:34.240 --> 0:25:36.359 We have a small view of who he is. We 0:25:36.440 --> 0:25:40.000 think God is up there, somewhere, far away, running the universe. 0:25:40.640 --> 0:25:43.600 I can't bother him with this small problem. I can 0:25:43.640 --> 0:25:47.359 only pray if I have some kind of major catastrophe. Listen, 0:25:47.400 --> 0:25:50.359 God knows the number of hair on your head. He 0:25:50.480 --> 0:25:53.760 knows your words before you speak them. You are not 0:25:54.080 --> 0:25:58.040 inconveniencing God by asking him to help you in your 0:25:58.080 --> 0:26:02.080 everyday life to be good to you. He wants to 0:26:02.160 --> 0:26:05.719 show you his favor in a new way. He's saying today, 0:26:06.359 --> 0:26:09.800 I dare you to ask. Heard a story about a 0:26:09.840 --> 0:26:13.600 small congregation in the foothills of the Smoky Mountains. They 0:26:13.640 --> 0:26:16.600 had just built a new sanctuary on land given to 0:26:16.640 --> 0:26:19.840 them by one of their members. A month before they 0:26:19.880 --> 0:26:23.560 were to move in the building, inspector informed them that 0:26:23.600 --> 0:26:27.480 their parking lot was too small. Unless they doubled the 0:26:27.520 --> 0:26:30.359 amount of parking spaces, they would not be able to 0:26:30.400 --> 0:26:34.240 occupy the building. The problem was they had used all 0:26:34.280 --> 0:26:37.239 the land to build on. The only property they had 0:26:37.320 --> 0:26:40.520 left was behind the sanctuary. It was a big mountain 0:26:40.880 --> 0:26:44.679 had a huge hill on it. The next Sunday pastor 0:26:44.760 --> 0:26:47.800 told the congregation there would be a special prayer meeting 0:26:47.840 --> 0:26:50.880 that night to ask God to somehow make a way 0:26:51.160 --> 0:26:54.080 that they could move in to their new sanctuary. On time, 0:26:54.440 --> 0:26:57.480 twenty four people showed up. They prayed and prayed, and 0:26:57.880 --> 0:27:01.640 after an hour the pastor announced, God has never let 0:27:01.720 --> 0:27:03.879 us down in the past, and he's not going to 0:27:03.960 --> 0:27:06.160 let us down this time. We're going to move into 0:27:06.240 --> 0:27:10.560 our sanctuary on schedule. The next morning, ten o'clock, there 0:27:10.560 --> 0:27:13.159 was a knock on the pastor's door. It was a 0:27:13.200 --> 0:27:17.679 construction foreman. He said, excuse me, reverend, we're building a 0:27:17.720 --> 0:27:21.600 shopping center one county over and we need some filled dirt. 0:27:22.200 --> 0:27:26.000 If you will sell us the dirt behind your new sanctuary, 0:27:26.240 --> 0:27:28.720 we'll not only pay you for it, but we'll pave 0:27:29.000 --> 0:27:32.720 all the areas where we dig up. That little church 0:27:33.560 --> 0:27:36.359 got their parking lot for free, and they moved in 0:27:36.680 --> 0:27:40.080 right on schedule. What am I saying today? When you 0:27:40.240 --> 0:27:43.960 pray God sized prayers, God will show up in a 0:27:43.960 --> 0:27:47.080 big way. Some of you are not seeing God do 0:27:47.200 --> 0:27:51.240 great things because you're only asking for small things. God 0:27:51.320 --> 0:27:54.760 is saying, ask me to open doors that seem impossible. 0:27:55.400 --> 0:27:58.520 Ask me for that business you've been dreaming about. Ask 0:27:58.680 --> 0:28:02.720 me to give you this secret petitions of your heart. God. 0:28:02.720 --> 0:28:05.439 I have this boldness like David and say, God, you 0:28:05.560 --> 0:28:08.000 promised it. I see it in the scripture. Now I 0:28:08.040 --> 0:28:11.600 will be bold enough to ask. Remember there are blessings 0:28:11.640 --> 0:28:14.920 stored up for you right now, with your name on them. 0:28:15.440 --> 0:28:18.240 And if you'll learn how to pray God's size prayers, 0:28:18.400 --> 0:28:21.600 then like Victor's mom, you will see your children become 0:28:21.680 --> 0:28:24.879 mighty in the land. Like this pastor. The right people 0:28:24.920 --> 0:28:27.800 will show up at the right time, like little Jamie. 0:28:27.920 --> 0:28:30.480 God will give you the desires of your heart. I 0:28:30.600 --> 0:28:33.560 believe in declare you will see the fullness of what 0:28:33.600 --> 0:28:37.600 God has in store, overcoming every obstacle, defeating every enemy, 0:28:37.800 --> 0:28:41.880 and becoming everything God's created you to be in Jesus' name. 0:28:42.240 --> 0:28:46.280 If you receive it, can you say amen? Today? We 0:28:46.560 --> 0:28:49.120 never like to close our broadcast without giving you an 0:28:49.120 --> 0:28:52.200 opportunity to make Jesus the lord of your life. Would 0:28:52.280 --> 0:28:56.440 you pray with me? Just say, Lord, Jesus, I'll repent 0:28:56.440 --> 0:29:00.720 of my sins. Come into my heart. I make you 0:29:00.800 --> 0:29:05.000 my Lord and savior. Friends, if you prayed that simple prayer, 0:29:05.080 --> 0:29:07.600 we believe you got born again. Get in a good 0:29:07.640 --> 0:29:11.000 Bible based church. Keep God first place. He's going to 0:29:11.040 --> 0:29:13.040 take your places that you've never dreamed of. 0:29:13.640 --> 0:29:16.520 Thank you for listening to the Joelos Deine podcast. 0:29:16.840 --> 0:29:19.480 Help us continue to share the message of hope with 0:29:19.600 --> 0:29:20.959 those all over the world. 0:29:21.280 --> 0:29:22.840 Visit Joelostin dot. 0:29:22.640 --> 0:29:25.680 Com slash give hope to give a gift today. 0:29:26.960 --> 0:29:29.880 Thanks so much for listening to today's message. I hope 0:29:29.880 --> 0:29:33.240 you'll subscribe so you can receive the latest podcast to 0:29:33.320 --> 0:29:36.520 keep you inspired all through the week. We're praying for you. 0:29:36.720 --> 0:29:39.160 I know God's best is still ahead. We'll see you 0:29:39.240 --> 0:29:39.800 next time. 0:29:46.800 --> 0:29:48.800 Somewhere is here and our sleep is just as important 0:29:48.840 --> 0:29:50.960 as our weekend plans. So get the sleep you deserve 0:29:51.040 --> 0:29:53.120 with Lisa. 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