A New Beginning

Guest (Male): God invites us to pray, and coming up today on A New Beginning, Pastor Greg Laurie points out how we can come to God and see our prayers answered.

Greg Laurie: Here's the secret to answered prayer in the affirmative. You need to pray according to God's will. Well, how do you figure that out? Well, Jesus said if you maintain a living communion with me and my words are at home with you, you can ask it once for yourself, whatever your heart desires, and it's yours. Wow. You're going to pray according to His will.

Guest (Male): Some people treat prayer like it's a game of chance, like bingo. They bring their petition to the Lord and then wait to see if they get lucky. You know, you win some, you lose some. Well, today on A New Beginning, Pastor Greg Laurie points out how to pray with more confidence. It's not up to luck. It's up to the Lord. The Lord who loves us and cares for us and told us to keep asking, keep seeking, and keep knocking. Practical prayer instruction is just ahead.

Greg Laurie: All right. Well, we're back in our Jesus and You series, and we're going to be looking at Mark chapter seven. The title of my message is "Jesus and the Mother Who Wouldn't Give Up." Before us here in Mark chapter seven is a story of faith. The faith of a woman who is desperate. The faith of a woman who effectively would not take no for an answer. It's the faith of the mother who wouldn't give up. Let's read about it. Mark seven, starting in verse 24.

Then Jesus left Galilee and went north to the region of Tyre. He didn't want anyone to know which house he was staying in, but he couldn't keep it a secret. Right away, a woman who had heard about him came and fell at his feet. Her little girl was possessed by an evil spirit, and she begged him to cast out the demon from her daughter.

Since she was a Gentile born in Syrian Phoenicia, Jesus told her, "First, I should feed the children, my own family, the Jews. It isn't right to take food from the children and throw it to the dogs." She replied, "That's true, Lord, but even the dogs under the table are allowed to eat the scraps from the children's plate." "Good answer," Jesus says. "Now go home, for the demon has left your daughter." And when she arrived home, she found her little girl lying quietly in bed, and the demon was gone. We'll stop there. What a powerful story that is.

So here we see this woman was a model of faith that we should emulate. In fact, in Matthew's commentary on the same story, Matthew 15:28, we find Jesus says, "O woman, great is your faith." So he wanted others to pay attention. Check out this girl's faith. Look what she has done. Now, think about this. Jesus is obviously an expert on the topic of faith. God incarnate, he is, who created all things. He has known every person he has ever called from Abraham to Moses.

From Sarah to Ruth, from Elijah to Elisha, from Peter to John. Yet he specifically commented on her faith. So this poor woman, her daughter was now under the complete power of the devil. And so she finds Jesus. And she says, "Please, touch my little daughter." And Matthew 15:23 gives us some commentary. It says he answered her not a word.

He answered her not a word. So wait, here's Jesus. He's going out of his way to visit Tyre and Sidon because he wants to have this moment with this woman. Now she finally comes to him and pleads that he would deliver her demon-possessed daughter, and he answers her not a word. In other words, he ignored her. He blew her off.

Was Jesus ghosting her? Was he ignoring her? Have you ever felt that way? Have you ever felt as though God wasn't listening to your prayers? He wasn't paying attention to what was going on? Nothing could be further from the truth. Why is it that our prayers are not answered more often in the affirmative? Let me give you a couple of reasons.

One answer may be there's something going on in the spiritual realm that you or I don't even know about. In Daniel chapter 10, there's a fascinating story where we find the prophet Daniel praying. And an angel is dispatched from heaven with the answer to his prayer. And then the angel arrives 21 days later. That's a long time for an angel because they move fast, by the way.

And then the angel explains, "Yeah, I was on my way to you with an answer to your prayer, but I came to a fallen angel, a demon power that overcame me, so Michael the archangel was dispatched to overpower that other angel, and now here I am with the answer to your prayer." Wow. So who knows what's going on? When you're praying, you think God's not listening. Oh, things are going on and just remember his delays are not necessarily his denials. This is why Jesus said men ought always to pray and not give up.

But another reason our prayers are sometimes not answered is because of unconfessed sin in our life. Nothing will bring your prayer life to a halt more quickly than unconfessed sin. Psalm 66:18 says, "If I had not confessed the sin in my heart, my Lord would not have listened." And Isaiah 59, the Lord says, "Listen, my hand is not too weak so it can't save you. It's not that I'm becoming deaf so I can't hear you. Here's the problem: your sins have cut you off from God, and because of your sin, he's turned away and will not listen anymore."

So I need to confess my sins on a regular basis because you and I, we sin way more than we think we do. And that can be hindering your prayers from being answered. Now let's come back to the story. So here's this woman, "Lord, Lord, heal my daughter." And then Jesus says, "Now listen, I can't take the food from the children and give it to the dogs." Did Jesus just call her a dog? Actually, he did.

Now, let's understand what word he used because in those days, there were two words that were used for dogs. One word is used to describe the mangy packs of dogs running around on the street attacking people. That's not the word he used. Years ago, I was in a third-world country, and I went for a run and I was being chased by wild dogs. I can tell you I ran faster because I did not want to be bit and even worse, eaten by the dog, okay?

That's not the word he used. There's another word to describe dogs that means the little puppies. So effectively Jesus said, "You know, it's not right to take the children's bread and give it to the little pets, the little puppies." And then she says, "Oh yes, Lord, but even the little puppies get the crumbs that fall from the master's table." Can't you see this is a playful exchange? I can't prove it, but I think there was a little bit of a smile on the face of our Lord. I think she could see that.

I think she had strong faith that would overcome this so-called hurdle, and I think Jesus knew she would overcome the hurdle, and he would ultimately commend her for this amazing faith. My son Jonathan, they just got a dog for their son, my grandson Christopher. And it's a little female dog that they named Biscuit. So we have a little bit of history on the name Biscuit. My son Christopher, who's been in heaven now for a number of years, was given a dog when he was a little boy and we had just visited my grandmother, Mama Stella, we called her, who was an amazing cook and she made the best biscuits on earth.

So we came home that night and I said, "Christopher, what do you want to name your little dog?" He said, "Biscuit." Okay, so that's how the name came to be, which is not the greatest name for a dog, especially when you lose it and you're walking down the street yelling, "Biscuit! Biscuit!" People think you're hungry, they throw bread at you. Well, Christopher liked that name, so he named his little dog Biscuit. So I went over to their house the other day and Biscuit, his dog, was coming to me more than him.

He asked me why. I said, "Because you're his master and I'm his megamaster." "Papa, why are you the megamaster?" "I just am." Well, the reason I'm his megamaster is I was giving him little treats on the side, you see. That's how you become the megamaster. So think about that now, and effectively, Jesus is saying, "Hey, I can't give the children's food to the dogs." "Oh, come on, even the megamaster gives a little crumb to the dog that are near the table."

And, man, have we not become a culture obsessed with dogs lately? When did all this start exactly? You know, in the old days, you used to have something in your backyard called a doghouse. Remember those? A doghouse. And if the husband was in trouble, the wife would say, "You're going to the doghouse." Remember Snoopy used to sleep on top of his doghouse? Now our house is the doghouse. Now we live in the doghouse.

It's almost like it's a dog's world and we just live in it. They sleep in our beds, they eat at our tables, we push them around in strollers, we carry them in baby carriers, which looks so pathetic. Dogs have Instagram accounts, organic gourmet food, luxury fashion. There's massage therapy for animals. So we've gone from being pet owners to being owned by our pets. I've actually heard people say, when invited to church, "Come to church." "We can't leave the dog alone." Leave the stupid dog at home and go to church. Give me a break. Seriously.

Listen, I love dogs. Dogs are great. But don't build your life around your dog. Your dog is not your child, okay? But she can see the love in his eyes. She can see the compassion. And then she presses on, and then he does the most amazing thing. He says, "Okay, I'm going to give you exactly what you want."

Look at verse 29. "Good answer. Now go home, the demon has left your daughter." I think the disciples' jaws dropped to the floor like what just happened? What just happened? That girl was revealing how we should pray. And what do we learn from this? Jesus answered her prayer because of her persistence, tenacity, and commitment. When the door was shut in her face, she only knocked harder. It reminds us of Jacob who was wrestling with the Lord and he finally says, "I won't let you go until you bless me."

Guest (Male): Pastor Greg Laurie will have the second half of his message in just a moment. It's such a blessing to hear from listeners who take time to express their appreciation.

Guest (Male): Hey, Pastor Greg. I'm a pastor in North Carolina. Just wanted to let you know that you and your ministry has been a great blessing to me. I have learned and shared many things that you've said over the years. I am also a UPS driver, so I get a chance to see a lot of people in a day's time and there, too, get to share things that you have shared with me as I drive back and forth to work. Just wanted to let you know you have been a great gift to me. Thank you.

Guest (Male): When we hear from you, it's not only a blessing, it also confirms that the program is touching lives. Would you consider sharing your story? If so, call Pastor Greg at 1-866-871-1144. That's 866-871-1144. Well, we're considering the story of the mother who wouldn't give up today. Pastor Greg continues his insights on effective prayer.

Greg Laurie: We don't always know the will of God, do we? So we pray to the best of our ability and we ask the Lord to do certain things for us. But when we're praying as an example for a nonbeliever to be saved, you are praying according to the will of God because the Bible specifically says God is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. Here's the secret to answered prayer in the affirmative. You need to pray according to God's will. Well, how do you figure that out? Well, Jesus said in John 15, "If you abide in me and my words abide in you, you shall ask what you will and it shall be done unto you."

Or as another translation puts it, Jesus speaking, "If you maintain a living communion with me and my words are at home with you, you can ask it once for yourself whatever your heart desires and it's yours." Wow. Whatever my heart desires? Yes. Whatever your heart desires. But check this out. When his word is at home in you and you're maintaining a living communion with him, you're going to pray according to his will. You see, you're going to be aligned with his purposes.

So this woman prayed. She would not give up. She had what I might describe as hysterical faith. Let me explain. Read the story of a middle-aged mother named Angela. She was doing some housework, washing some dishes, and suddenly her son, a junior in high school named Tony, who was working on his '64 Chevy Impala, there was a loud crash, the car crashed on top of her son and he was lying unconscious under the car.

So Angela burst from the kitchen, lifted the car 10 inches off the ground and pulled her son out. And there's a phenomenon to describe this thing that happens occasionally, and it's called hysterical strength. Hysterical strength. The strength of a mother who won't give up. Well, we need hysterical faith where we're not going to give up. Jesus says knock and it shall be opened, seek and you shall find. Don't give up in your prayers. And that's what this mother was like. She kept praying, keep pressing on.

Never stop praying for your children. Sidlow Baxter, a commentator from days gone by, put it this way and I quote, "Men may spurn our appeals, reject our message, and oppose our arguments. They can even despise our persons, but they're helpless against our prayers." So what do we learn from this story? Number one, faith is found in the most unusual places. It is grace, not the place, which makes people believers.

God sought this woman out even though she was not an Israelite or a Jew. He took hold of her faith as she took hold of him. You know, it's funny how Jesus commended faith on two occasions and neither one was with one of his people, with the Jews. Rather, it was with these Gentiles. She was a pagan woman and the other one was a Roman centurion who asked Jesus to intervene for him, and Jesus said, "I have not found faith like this in all of Israel." Number two, no matter what you're facing, bring your problems to Jesus.

What are you going through right now? Bring it to Jesus. Pray about it. Don't worry about anything, Paul reminds us in Philippians. Pray about everything. And the peace of God that passes all human understanding will guard your heart and mind in Christ Jesus. Some people say, "Well, I'm not worthy to approach God." Can I tell you something that might surprise you? You never were worthy to approach God. You never will be worthy to approach God. Your access to God was never based on your worthiness. It's always been based on his sacrifice where he gives you access to God through the blood of Jesus Christ.

So take advantage of that access. And when you pray, seek to find God's will and pray with persistence and have the hysterical faith like this mother had. What are you facing right now? Maybe it's a prodigal son or daughter. Maybe it's a broken marriage. Maybe it's a personal struggle. Something you've been praying about for a long time like this woman. Keep praying, keep pressing on. God will hear your prayer.

No matter who you are, no matter where you're at. I remember when I prayed one of my first prayers which went something like this: "God, if you're real, make yourself real to me." I wasn't raised in the church. I wasn't raised reading the Bible. I wasn't really even parented for the most part. And because of this, I became very hard, very cynical, very closed off, walled off. And I didn't know anything about God, but I knew I wanted a relationship with him.

And so you know my story. In my high school campus, I came across a group of Christians singing about Jesus and I sat down and eavesdropped on their conversation. And when that preacher, Lonnie Frisbee was his name, played by Jonathan Roumie in the Jesus Revolution film, said, "Jesus said you're for me or against me," I put my faith in Jesus, but I did not know what I'd done. No one explained to me afterwards, "Greg, you're a Christian now and you need to start reading the Bible." They didn't give me a New Believer's Bible. It didn't exist yet.

So no one said anything to me. The bell rang for the next period class and I left that weekend for my plans I already had to go up to the Ortega Mountains and use drugs. And I went with my friends and I was going to go drop acid as we used to say, take LSD, and smoke some weed. And I said, "I want to be by myself." And I sat down on a rock and I was thinking about what I'd just done. And I didn't really know what I'd done, but I knew something had happened to me.

And I realized I don't want this anymore. And I threw that pipe away and I said, "God, if you're real, make yourself real to me. I don't understand this. I don't know what to do next. I don't even know how to believe, but if you're real, make yourself real to me." And you know what? He did and he does and he will continue to do so for you.

This woman in our story knew so little. She worshipped false gods, but she heard about Jesus and just called out to him. And he heard her prayer and answered her prayer. And he'll do the same for any person who comes to him with real faith. And remember, faith is just, "Okay, as much as I understand, I believe," like that one man said, "Lord, I believe, but help my unbelief." You don't need super faith. You just need to put as much faith as you have in a super God who would do abundantly and above that which you could ask or think.

And so in closing, I want to say there might be somebody here who doesn't have a relationship with God. Maybe you're hearing these things I'm saying for the first time. But you need to know that 2,000 years ago, Jesus Christ came to this planet of ours. He was born in a manger, he went and died for our sins on a cross and rose again from the dead three days later. And now he's here with us standing at the door of our life and knocking. And he's saying if we'll hear his voice and open the door, he will come in.

And I ask you in closing: have you asked Jesus to come into your life? Has he forgiven you of your sin? Do you know that when you die you will go to heaven? Do you have this relationship with God? You can have it right now. He's standing at the door of your life and he is knocking and he is saying if you hear his voice and open the door, he'll come in. If you would like to open the door of your life to Jesus Christ, you can do it right here, right now.

Let's all bow our heads for a prayer. Father, I pray for everyone here, everybody, wherever they are. If they don't have this relationship with you, help them to come to you and believe. Help them to come to you and find your forgiveness. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.

Guest (Male): Pastor Greg Laurie with an important prayer today here on A New Beginning. And if you'd like to make a change today in your relationship with the Lord, Pastor Greg will help you do that in just a moment, so please stay tuned.

Ever start your day off wrong? Things started badly and just kept going downhill. Well, a lot of it has to do with your focus, where your mind is centered as the day starts. Why not plug into Pastor Greg's daily devotions? They're free of charge. It's good encouragement to keep your eyes fixed on Christ. You can read each day's devotion or listen to the audio version. Your choice. Sign up today free of charge at harvest.org.

Well, Pastor Greg, a few moments ago you spoke of the need to get our hearts right with God. Could you help someone who wants to do that right now?

Greg Laurie: Yes, I'd be delighted to. Listen, as you've listened to this program today, maybe something's been happening inside of your heart where you're sensing I need to do this personally, but how do I do it and what do I do? Let me help you. It's very simple. In fact, it's so simple you may be shocked. God, this relationship with him is just a prayer away.

The Bible says if you will call upon the name of the Lord you'll be saved. So I'd like to lead you in a prayer where you do just that. You call on the name of the Lord. You know, sometimes when I'm talking with someone one-on-one and they want to accept Jesus Christ, I'll have them pray a prayer after me. Maybe you'd like to do that right now. Thousands have done this over the years listening to our broadcast and the Lord has changed their lives, and it can happen for you right now.

This can be the moment where you change your eternal address literally from hell to heaven. I'll pray a simple prayer, and I would just ask you to pray this prayer out loud if you like after me. Just pray these words: "Lord Jesus, I know that I'm a sinner, but I know that you're the Savior who died on the cross for me and rose again from the dead. Jesus, I choose to follow you from this moment forward. In your name I pray. Amen."

I know, it's such a simple, short prayer, but you just called on the name of the Lord. And you know what? He heard that prayer, and if you meant that prayer in your heart, he answered that prayer. Now let me help you to get started on the right foot in your new life in Jesus Christ. The greatest adventure awaits you: the life of walking with God. I want to send you what we call a New Believer's Growth Pack that includes a New Believer's Bible and a whole lot more. And let me be the first to say to you, congratulations and welcome to the family of God.

Guest (Male): And to get that free New Believer's Bible along with the other items in our growth pack, just let us know you've prayed along with Pastor Greg to receive Christ today. We'll be glad to send our New Believer's Growth Pack your way. Call us at 1-800-821-3300. Call anytime, 1-800-821-3300. Or write us at A New Beginning, Box 4000, Riverside, California 92514. Or just go online to harvest.org and click "Know God."

And then let us say a word of thanks to those who support us financially, those who make it possible for us to bring you these studies each day. We are definitely a listener-supported ministry. It's the generosity of listeners that helps us be here with these programs. So if you've partnered with us, thank you. And if you have yet to partner with us, well, I hope you'll get in touch today and let us know that you're standing with us. Even a small investment would help. It's actually an investment in changing lives. Thank you for partnering with us. You can donate securely online at harvest.org or write A New Beginning, Box 4000, Riverside, California 92514. Or call us at 1-800-821-3300. Again, that's 1-800-821-3300.

Well, next time, as Pastor Greg continues his series called "Jesus and You," he highlights the Lord's encouragement for grieving hearts. Join us here on A New Beginning with pastor and Bible teacher Greg Laurie.