All Things Are Possible

Guest (Male): You watch the bottom line. You know you don't write a check if you don't have the money in the bank. If you watch the bottom line in your bank, why don't you watch the bottom line in your spiritual life? You ought to be ready for Christ's coming. That ought to be just as important to you as the bottom line in your bank.

Dr. Bernie Miller: I thank God for all of you who take special care in how you dress every day. Whatever you wear, you put thought into it. But have you ever seen people who are dressed for something but weren't ready for it? Like the guy who buys all the gym clothes, matching outfit, brand-new shoes, fitness watch, sweatband, and a water bottle the size of a fire hydrant. Then, after walking on the treadmill for about seven minutes, he acts like he just completed the Olympic marathon.

Some believers look like that in the spirit. We are dressed for battle, but we get beat, and we get beat badly. Why? Because we lack the most important weapon. We talked about the six pieces last week, but today we are going to dig deeper into the seventh. Ephesians 6:18 says, "With all prayer and petition at all times in the spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints."

I am supposed to do my part for me. I am supposed to pray for me, but I am also supposed to be on the alert for other people who may be going through some things. I should also pray for all the saints. That struck me because many times, even with me, I will pray for my family, but it ought to extend to your family. We have been purposefully praying for other people and their families because they need our prayers.

Now, praying in the spirit. I know some people think that means speaking in tongues. It does not mean that in this verse of scripture. In fact, Paul lessened the importance of speaking in tongues if you read Corinthians. One of the main things he wanted was for people to be enlightened with the Word of God. He said, "I speak in tongues more than anybody, but I would much rather speak so that people will understand what I am saying." Unless you have an interpreter, what we hear is nothing but gibberish.

Everything must be done decently and in order. So, what does it mean to pray in the spirit? Praying in the spirit means praying according to God's will, led by the spirit who maintains constant communion and contact with God on behalf of all of us. If you don't believe that, go to Romans 8. It tells you what the spirit does. He speaks with groans too deep for words. Prayer means devotion toward God, worshipful communication, and drawing near to God.

Have you ever said something to somebody and they didn't hear you because you talked so softly? Then they have to ask you to repeat it, and you speak a little louder, and they still can't hear you. I have a friend who has a hearing device on his iPhone. Sometimes when we are sitting together next to one another, he will have to turn up the volume on the phone. But with God, He can hear a whisper. You don't have to yell at Him. He doesn't have to adjust the volume. He can hear you as if you were whispering.

Then again, He also knows our thoughts. You don't even have to worry about saying a word. Many times when I pray, I don't say anything. I think my prayers. Sometimes when we pray out loud, we give away to the enemy what our fears are and what concerns us at that moment. I pray that the spirit would pray for me. As I am thinking about what I need, the spirit knows the mind of every believer, and He starts praying on my behalf. I can be somewhere and say, "God, in my spirit, in my mind, I need prayer," and the Holy Spirit goes into action.

When we pray, it means devotion toward God and worshipful communication. It means drawing near to Him. Prayer is not informing God; prayer is aligning ourselves with Him. God knows everything, so how are you going to inform Him about anything? Paul says to pray at all times. That means strategic moments. Have you ever been in a situation where you wanted to say something, but you didn't have the right words, so you just didn't say anything, but you thought it? By your thinking it, the Holy Spirit then prayed with groanings too deep for words and related it to God the Father because He knows what the mind of the Father is.

Paul is saying to pray in the moments that matter. Supplication means an urgent need or a desperate request. It recognizes our human weakness and dependence on God and His power. In order to pray to Him, we have to humble ourselves under God's mighty hand. When you pray to God, you are essentially saying, "I am not powerful enough to handle this. I need You." When you pray to Him, you are essentially humbling yourself, and He will exalt you at the proper time.

There are many examples of supplication in scripture. One that comes to mind is Hannah. She was abused by her husband's other wife because she didn't have a child. They made fun of her, and she made a desperate request to God. She was saying, "Lord, I want a baby." God answered her prayer and gave her a child. Then there was Solomon. God told Solomon He wanted him to lead the people. Solomon asked for wisdom so he could lead properly. Because he didn't ask for money or other things, God gave him wisdom and everything he didn't ask for.

Another example is Moses. He said, "These people are getting on my nerves, God. I need some help." These people were complaining that he led them out of Egypt, and now they were at the Red Sea. They couldn't all swim, and they had women, children, and animals. God told him to hold out his staff and watch Him work. He parted the Red Sea. Then there was Daniel. Some other folks had backstabbed him by saying he was not honoring the king's statue. Daniel opened up his window, pulled back the curtains, and he prayed so everybody could see that he was praying to his God.

Daniel also needed something answered from God. He prayed for an answer, and it took 21 days for the answer to come because there was a spiritual battle going on between angels. When the battle was done, the angel came with an answer on the 21st day. Sometimes when we pray, we want an answer immediately. When it doesn't come, you think you have sin in your life. No, you have some impatience in your life. Daniel prayed and pleaded for his people. Supplication is the antidote to anxiety.

Philippians 4:6-7 says, "Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God." Then the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding or comprehension, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. If you have anxiety in your heart, the Bible says to be anxious for nothing. Jesus taught that prayer is not a moment; it is a mindset. It is not occasional; it is continual.

If we put on the whole armor of God, why are we anxious when it comes to sharing the gospel? You ought to be bold about it. If you are in the spirit, just ask God how to approach a person. You want to share the gospel with them in a way that they will hear it, knowing that the enemy is going to try to steal the word that has been sown. I pray that the ground is fertile. Believers are to be anxious for nothing.

The shield of faith absorbs the fiery darts of the enemy like the Iron Dome defense over Israel. They have this dome defense, and it just absorbs all of those mighty, powerful darts from the enemy. It also helps us when we trust in God's promises. When you trust in God's promises, you automatically have a shield around you so as not to cause anxiety in your spirit. The helmet of salvation protects our mind from anxiety and insecurity.

The sword of the spirit is the Word of God. You need to be equipped before you walk out the door. You need to have a word in your spirit. Don't just rely on your phone because you have a Bible app. Suppose you don't have internet access? You are up the creek. That is why I always have a verse of scripture in my heart because I don't know when I am going to be attacked. God equips us to fight the good fight of faith.

We are always in a spiritual warfare. Some people leave home dressed for spiritual warfare like it is casual Friday at the office. But the enemy is dressed like Goliath in full armor because he knows the world is his battlefield. We act like it is just a playground. Before I leave home, I say, "God, I am putting on the full armor of God." This morning, I was praying for victory today against the forces of evil. Every time the word goes out, the enemy wants to destroy the word or stop the person from hearing it.

Armor without prayer isn't enough. You are dressed, but you are disconnected from the power source. There are seven pieces of armor described in Ephesians 6. Spiritual completeness is represented by the number seven. Prayer is the seventh piece that empowers us. Most people treat prayer like customer service. We only call when something is broken. I don't call the power company every day, but if my connection goes down, I am on the phone immediately. We call customer service when things break.

Most of our prayers are like that. We tend to pray when there is a crisis. But Jesus didn't pray like that. He prayed before a crisis. He prayed before choosing the 12 disciples. He prayed before the pressures of life came up against him. He prayed before making decisions about his life and ministry. He showed us how we ought to pray. Luke 3 says that when all the people were baptized, Jesus was also baptized. While He was praying, heaven opened.

When we pray, heaven opens because we are connected to the power of God. The Holy Spirit descended upon Him in bodily form like a dove, and a voice came out of heaven saying, "You are My beloved Son; in You I am well-pleased." Jesus' ministry began with prayer, leading to His Father's public affirmation and declaration. Believers should start their new life in Christ with baptism and prayer afterward.

Why did Jesus get baptized? He left us an example. Jesus was pure; the dove proved it. He hadn't sinned, but He got baptized to show us the discipline. When you are born again, the second thing you ought to do is be baptized to show other people that you have publicly confessed Jesus Christ as your Lord. Baptism means to go under and back up. The word picture is powerful. It is like taking a white piece of cloth and dipping it into dye. When it comes out, it takes on the color of the dye.

When you get baptized, you are saying you are taking on the character of Christ. When we obey God, the heavens open up. Luke 6:12 says Jesus went off to the mountain to pray and spent the whole night in prayer. Why? Because He was about to choose the twelve. He spent all night praying for God to show Him who should be His disciples. Later, everyone was trying to touch Him because power was coming from Him and healing them all.

When you are walking in the spirit according to the will of God, there is a certain power in you. You can say a word to someone going through something, and that word can be given in such a way that they receive it, and their hearts are warmed and comforted by that word that you've said. It could be just you saying good morning in a specific way. People were being healed because Jesus obeyed. He was giving us an example of what prayer can do. Prayer is power. When we pray, the Holy Spirit will attract people to the truth we proclaim.

Jesus didn't pray only when life fell apart. He prayed so life wouldn't fall apart. If you only go to God like customer service to complain rather than compliment, things are going to break down and you will be anxious. Prayer gives us strength to persevere. Every night, a little girl persevered in her prayer to God. She prayed for a bike. After a month, her dad told her God is not a vending machine. She said, "I know, Daddy, but if I keep praying, God might talk to you about it."

Sometimes persistent prayer moves heaven. Sometimes it moves people God is working through. When there is resistance, persistence goes the distance. Jesus taught about being persistent in prayer. We need to learn how to ask with faith, seek with focus, and knock frantically. He didn't say to ask, seek, and knock once. Matthew 7:7 says to keep asking, keep seeking, and keep knocking. This is pressing and pursuing in prayer even though you haven't gotten an answer yet.

Ask like it matters to you. Ask means to request from a superior with humility. It means saying, "God, I need You." Those words destroy all pride because you are admitting you are dependent on Him. Some of us struggle to ask God for anything, but we will ask Google for everything. "Google, why does my elbow hurt? Google, what does this emoji mean? Google, is the chicken in my fridge still good?" We won't ask God for wisdom.

James 3 says, "Who among you is wise and understanding? Let him show by his good behavior his deeds in the gentleness of wisdom." If you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your heart, do not be arrogant. That wisdom is not from above; it is earthly and demonic. But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and reasonable. Reasonable means willing to yield. It is full of mercy and good fruits.

When you get wisdom from above, it is pure and gentle. If the advice someone gives you makes your spirit uneasy, it isn't from above. When God gives it to you, there is a peace that surpasses all understanding. The King James says it is easy to be entreated. That means like going to a podiatrist and having them make a mold for a custom shoe. When God gives you wisdom, it fits you like a shoe made just for your feet, with your corns and bunions and everything. When God fits you, it is like walking on air.

Seek means to search diligently like it is a valuable piece of jewelry. You will find God when you stop browsing like you are window shopping and start knocking. Some people just give a little tap-tap-tap. I don't hear any faith in that knock. That's just a friendly little knock, and the door isn't going to open. Jeremiah says you will seek and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart.

To knock means to knock repeatedly until access is granted. Have you ever gone to the wrong house and knocked with confidence? Or have you ever been at the mall and forgotten where you parked, but you see a car that looks like yours and start pulling on the handle? The person sitting inside looks at you like, "Excuse me?" You thought it was your friend's house, so you knocked politely, then a little harder, then you banged on the door, and then a man appears in his robe. You realized you had the wrong address.

Some people are persistent with people but passive when it comes to asking God. James says you do not have because you do not ask. If you don't ask, you don't get access. Matthew 7:8 says everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks, it will be opened. It means to do it continuously. Seek Him like you've lost your keyring. I misplace mine every now and then. I am looking everywhere for it. I flip the couch pillows and check the refrigerator.

You should seek God like you've lost something valuable that you have to have. Ask with assurance and sincerity. Knock without stopping. Not praying is like not opening the garage door before you drive out. It isn't going to be a very good day, especially if you are backing up. I won't give any names, but we were out at lunch this past week and some people I know thought the garage door was up, but it wasn't.

God doesn't want a text message relationship. He wants a personal connection. 1 Thessalonians 5:17 says to pray without ceasing. The literal imagery is like a cough that keeps coming back or sneezing continually. Prayer isn't a moment; it's a mindset. God's will is for us to stay connected in prayer. He doesn't expect nonstop words; He desires nonstop worship. You can think about God all the time even while you are working.

The mind God has given us is powerful. We can take in a lot of information in a moment's time and determine what is important and what isn't. We see a lot of images all day long, but none of them stick because they are just coming in and out. But then there is something that comes in that says, "That's God talking to me." When He talks to you, He is trying to give you some wisdom so you can complete the task that you're doing.

I put songwriting aside for a while because I lost the ability to do what I wanted to do musically. I decided to devote all my time to the church and my family. Then God gave me an opportunity. Brother Sam and I have been writing songs together for years. God gave me the green light to do something on the side because it didn't take away from my work here or my family. I asked God, and He made it easy for me now to write songs with all the apps.

It is a blessing. I had asked Him a long time ago, but God finally opened the door. God has a lot of stuff in His Bible, but y'all be praying because someone heard one of my songs and they thought it was good enough to send to a very well-known person. I am excited about that. I asked Him and kept asking Him. God said, "I've got this. The time is not right. This is not a denial; it's just a delay."

Jesus says to keep asking, seeking, and knocking. It isn't that little tap-tap-tap. It means it is important enough to you that you knock and keep on knocking. For believers who have stopped doing that, Jesus is now knocking on the door of your heart. He says, "Behold, I stand at the door and knock." I would like to come in, but I have to be invited. That's a terrible place to be, to have Jesus have to invite Himself into your house.

You ought to have such a great relationship with Him that just a little knock and you know Jesus is right there wanting to come in. For those who don't know Jesus, He invites you to come to Him and believe in Him, and He will give you rest for your souls. For those who walked in today anxious about something, God knows you have been knocking, but you have to get some things right with Him first. Stand where you are. God says not to retaliate when people speak ill of us. Vengeance is mine, says the Lord.