Dwelling Place

Guest (Male): God is looking for faith, unconditional faith that is. Here's Pastor Al Pittman.

Al Pittman: He wants us to ask. And when we respond in love and say, Father, you know what's best, it's fine. Lord, you said no. Father, it's all right. I still believe in you. That's the kind of faith God rewards. That's the kind of prayer when God says no that it's okay because, Lord, I want your will. And even though you've allowed something in my life that I don't understand, I still trust in your love and your wisdom for me. And God says, I'm going to bless that life. I'm going to bless that woman, that man that believes me, that trusts in the fact that I am a your heavenly Father, and I know what's best for you, even though you can't see it from where you're sitting.

Guest (Female): Dwelling place, dwelling place, dwelling place. You are my dwelling place, dwelling place, dwelling place.

Guest (Male): Calvary Worship Center in Colorado Springs presents this edition of The Dwelling Place with Pastor Al Pittman. I hope you're having a good day. And if you're in need of some encouraging words today, then you've come to the right place. We're currently studying Colossians and will be in chapter 4 verses 2 through 4. The subject is prayer and why we should always seek the Lord first and foremost. Too many of us use prayer as a last resort, and that's a real shame. It's as if we're telling God, okay, I can't figure this out, so it's your turn to try.

Is that really the message we want to send to God? Here's Pastor Al Pittman. So effective prayer, just in verse 2 just right there there are three things. It Paul says, continue. It must be steadfast. It must be faithful. If I'm going to have effective prayer to to sustain relationships, it must be faithful. It must be vigilant. It must be watchful. I'm watching out for my brother, sister in Christ. I am watching out for the schemes of the enemy. Most importantly, I'm watching out for God. And lastly, it must be full of thanksgiving. Thank you, Lord, for the blessing.

Thank you, Lord, for blessing our fellowship. You know, it just it it it's it's amazing what God has done in the few short years that we've been here as a fellowship. And I thank God. Sometimes I start grumbling and complaining, you know, because you know, we're trying to build a new facility and, Lord, we're cramped for space and, man, Lord, you know, they built the building. How come how come we can't how come you you know. It's like, you know, be thankful now, grateful now. Because if you're not thankful, this is what being unthankful does.

You miss the blessings God has set before you right now. We are so stinking blessed as a people. I mean, God has blessed us abundantly. You know, people whole families are coming to the Lord and and and sitting here and hearing the word of God. What a blessing that is. Individuals, people are coming back, rededicating their lives. The word of God is going forth. God's doing an awesome work. If we'll be grateful for what he's given us now, God will give us the rest of the things later. But we have to offer our prayers with thanksgiving saying, Lord, in your time, when you want it to happen.

And I've got some news hopefully before the end of the year that I want to come back and share it with you about the whole building thing and all and and it's awesome. So um just continue to be in prayer about that. But but God is working. He is faithful. But an effective prayer has to be full of thanksgiving and has to be vigilant, watchful, and it has to be continuous in all times. Well, let's move on to the second point of this message and that is the the heart of an effective prayer. I find that here within Paul's words as well in verses 3 and 4.

Paul says, meanwhile praying also for us. He's saying, now pray, you know, be earnest in prayer, stay in prayer. But meanwhile, you know, while you're praying, pray also for us that God would open to us a door for the word to speak the mystery of Christ for which I am also in chains, that I may make it manifest as I ought to speak. In other words, Paul is saying, I want to make sure I'm rightly dividing the word of truth. Make it manifest as I ought to speak. In other words, speaking properly in a way that honors the Lord.

But what I want you to see here is that is the heart of Paul's petition because really at the heart of his petition, he has two petitions here, two prayer requests, is he says number one that uh in verse 3 that God would give to us an open door for the word. And then in verse 4 he says that I may make it manifest as as I ought to speak. Pray for me so that these things these two things can happen. The heart of his prayer request we see here that Paul seeks the Father's will.

I think the heart of any effective prayer, effective prayer, is that at its heart, at its core is the desire to accomplish the Father's will and not my will. That has to be at the heart of any prayer that's going to be effective. It has to have at its core a desire to please the Father. Paul's request here is Christ-centered, not self-centered. And I don't know about you, but you got to remember Paul is writing this letter from prison. And he's not sending out prayer requests saying, you know, uh pray that God would get me out of here.

That'd be what I'd be writing, you know. If you're reading the epistle of Al Pittman it'd be like, you know, I don't know what happened. I God, I was serving him and now I'm in prison. Pray to God to get me out of here tomorrow. I heard he did it for Peter. Why can't he do it for me? I don't know what it is. I must have confessed something wrong. The epistle of Al Pittman. Now how encouraging would that be? You're reading that today. Hm. Really inspiring, you know. Big crybaby. That's kind of the way my epistle would read.

But here he is. He's not saying, get me out of here. He's saying, pray for me that God may use me while I'm in here. He's not trying to get out. A lot of times we're trying to get out of something and God's trying to get something into us. One commentator said this concerning the purpose of our prayers. They need to be focused on the will of God rather than our own personal will. He said this. He said, and I quote, prayer is not telling God what to do or what to give. Prayer is asking God for that which he wants to do and give according to his will.

Close quote. You see, there's an attitude out there today among some people that that sort of, you know, God really doesn't know what's going on and he's waiting for you to tell him what's going on because he's just too ignorant. And so we have to go to God and we have to speak things into existence because God has he's out of creativity. He's out of creative power. And so God really doesn't know what to do. Hey, here I got a news flash for you. God knows exactly what he's doing. And it's not that God doesn't know what he's doing.

It's that we need to find out what God is doing. It's not going to God and having my will being done, but his will being done. Finding out what God's will is, that's what we're to be doing as believers. But there's teaching out there that tells you that no, you need to go tell God what to do. God's waiting on you. While the Bible says we're to wait on God, wait on the Lord. God's moving. He's not impotent. He knows what's going on. I mean, it's it's it's really when you think about it, it's really arrogant for us to think that it was good enough for Jesus to kneel down in the Garden of Gethsemane, great drops of blood falling from his face, his body sweating, great anxiety.

And it was good enough for him to say, Father, not my will, but your will be done. But it's not good enough for us. That somehow we can force our will upon God. We need to be careful. It's not, Lord, this is what we're demanding or we're telling you what to do and what to give. But no, Lord, we're asking you for that which you want to do and you want to give according to your will. Reason I say that is 1 John chapter 5 verses 14 and 15. Don't turn there, but you can write the reference down and check it out later.

But 1 John chapter 5 verses 14 and 15 says, if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And we all like that. God hears us. We ask anything according to his will. And even better than that, John 14:13 where Jesus said and whatever you ask in my name, I will do. Woo! We take off and write books and whole seminars on that part of the scripture. But you have to read on. That the Father may be glorified in the Son. My prayer should have at its core a desire to glorify God and not myself.

A desire for the Father's will and not my own will. Now this brings up a question. Some people may wonder, well, then then why ask if God's going to do what he wants to do anyway? Have you ever felt that way? Have you ever felt like you know, when you've asked God for something and the deadline passed and it didn't happen and now you're all bummed out and you know, you kind of feign submission to the Lord by saying, Lord, whatever you want to do is all right with me. I guess if you want me to repossess my house and lose my job, I guess okay.

Let your will be done. That that's not submission by the way. That's an attitude. God has to take us to the woodshed and pull down our little celestial pants and spank our little celestial bottoms and straighten us out sometimes. Why ask if God's going to do what he wants to do anyway? Well, consider this. Why do you want your children to ask you for things? Why do we want to Why don't we just let little Johnny get up in the morning, 4 years old and go downstairs and fry his own eggs and bacon up? Hey, Mama's going to sleep in this morning.

Little Johnny, go on down there and turn the stove on. Cook some stuff up there, you know. You imagine what that kitchen would look like. You know, my boys when they want to go someplace, I want to know where they're going. I want to know who they're going with. I want to know when they're coming back. Oh, you don't trust me, man? No. I don't trust you. No, it's not that. It's not that. It's not so much that. I just know what gene pool you came out of. No, I'm just I just I know what your old man was like, so I want to know where you're going.

Amen. Just telling it like it is. But in reality, the reason we do this, the reason we want to know what our children are doing, the reason we ask them things and all that is the same reason God asked us. Number one, we we want to ask our children, we want our children rather to ask us for things because we know what's best for them and they don't. We know what's best for them and they don't. And we you know, if we can do that for our kids, then how much more does God know than we?

The Bible says his ways are above our ways as far as the heavens are above the earth. God knows a lot more stuff than I know. We'll pause right here, but Pastor Al will be back in a few moments with part two of today's message in Colossians chapter 4. It brings us great joy when we hear from our listeners, so email us today at cwcchs.org. And we have a brand new address to share with you for Pastor Al's podcast. It's anchor.fm/cwcchs-podcast. That's anchor.fm/cwcchs-podcast. If you'd like to partner with us financially, please give us a call at 844-221-3363.

Or again, visit our website at cwcchs.org. Now let's return to today 's message in Colossians chapter 4. Here's Pastor Al Pittman.

Al Pittman: And so we want our children to come ask. We I don't want you to use the stove because, you know, you may burn yourself up. I don't want you out there running with anybody in the street because, you know, you may get into a situation you can't get out of. So I want you to ask for permission. And so God wants us to come in to ask for things because he knows what's best for us just like we want our children to come and ask for things from us because we know what's best for them.

Our son uh Nathan, when he was a little bitty guy, he had such a sweet attitude. You know, we would come to us sometimes and they, Dad, you know, can we go to the store and get some ice cream or something? Well, no, son. I'm in the middle of something. I can't do it now. I said, okay, maybe we can go tomorrow. I'm like, what? I'm thinking, that that ain't my kid, you know. I mean, he's he's just so, you know, he was so polite and just, okay, Dad. Okay, Dad. With joy and I go, oh man, I can't believe that's my boy.

But he was like that and it was just it would just blow our minds that he would just like, okay, Dad, that's fine. And it just blew our minds because he was trusting us as parents and and really and saying in effect that, Dad, you know what's best. I think the other reason that God wants us to ask him as parents want their children to ask them is is that um parents delight in our children and their children asking. I love it when when the kids come and ask. Why is that? Because but even though the parents may say no, by asking the child demonstrates a desire for relationship.

And the fact that he is also the fact that that child is willing to place their faith in the parents' wisdom and in that parents' love. Oh, Dad, I can't go now. Okay. Maybe tomorrow. Man, it's like when a kid does something you your child does that you go, next time I get a dollar in my pocket, I'm going to give it to him. I just want to bless him. I just want to whatever, you know, it maybe not. I'll get, son, I'm going to make a way, you know. And I think many times that's the way the Father looks at us.

He wants us to ask. And and when we respond in love and say, Father, you know what's best, it's fine. Lord, you said no. Father, it's all right. I still believe in you. Job said it. He said, yet though he may slay me, I'm going to serve him. That's the kind of faith God rewards. That's the kind of prayer when God says no that it's okay because, Lord, I want your will. And even though you've allowed something in my life that I don't understand, I still trust in your love and your wisdom for me. God says, I'm going to bless that life.

I'm going to bless that woman, that man that believes me. That trusts in the fact that I'm a your heavenly Father and I know what's best for you even though you can't see it from where you're sitting. That's why we ask when our children to ask. That's why God wants us to ask. He knows what's best and he wants to have fellowship with us. Same reasons we want our children to ask. But here's what I want you to note here in in Paul's prayer is that Paul is praying while he's in prison and he's focused on God's agenda, not his own.

His prayer is Christ-centered. It's not, you know, about all about Paul. It's about the will of God. In fact, he's in prison for obeying God. And Paul says that I'm in prison here and because I'm speaking the mystery of Christ for which I am in chains. Another way to translate mystery in Christ is the mystery which is Christ. In other words, I'm in prison for preaching about Jesus, for telling people about Jesus. 1 Corinthians chapter 1 verse 23 Paul declared, we preach Christ. The world will lock you up for preaching Christ. They will oppose you for preaching Christ.

But the gospel, the message of Jesus Christ, the glory of Jesus has to be at the center of our lives and at the center of our prayers. That has to be the motivation. Maybe God is saying no because he desires to magnify his name through your circumstances greater than you he ever could by giving you the very thing you're asking for. If that's the reason he's doing it, then, Lord, let your will be done because what's important is that your will is is experienced or your will is done here on earth as it is done in heaven, that many may come to know Jesus Christ.

I don't know why God allows believers to get to have cancer or to go through trials or to lose a loved one or whatever. I was at a funeral yesterday and actually we had a memorial service here on Friday for a man who dropped dead at the age of 35 years old. His parents attend our fellowship. 35 years old, strong as a bull, dropped dead. I sat there in the room with his parents and I I I told about you know, I don't I have no have a I don't have an answer. I don't know why.

Not only that, there's been them other tragedies, some other relatives that have passed within a short period of time, within a 3-week period of time they've lost four relatives. But I watched God yesterday do something extraordinary. As we were having a funeral service at another church here in town, and this young man happened to be a part of a motorcycle club. I mean, there were guys there that had bandanas on with swastikas on it and and you know, I mean, these these guys there's some rough guys. And all of them drove in from all over the country to show their respects for one of their fallen comrades.

And they came in with the leather jackets on the motorcycles. And it snowed yesterday, but here they got here to show their respect. Had to be hundreds of them with a particular motorcycle club. And uh they came together and got packed in that church. And that father of this 35-year-old man who had passed away was able to share the testimony of his son who just days before he went home to be with the Lord gave his life to Jesus Christ. And standing before hundreds of these tough looking characters, he was able to share the good news of Jesus Christ.

Now I don't know why a 35-year-old man would just drop dead, but I know that the kingdom of God has been furthered because of the testimony that his father was able to share and because of the testimony of this young man's life who came to know Christ just before he left this world. I could have never written a script like that. I had no idea that he knew all these guys in his motorcycle group and that hundreds would come from all over the country to be at this funeral. Very popular man. And yet the gospel went out.

There's no way I could have reached them. But the gospel was shared yesterday. So we don't understand, we don't know why. But, Lord, if it happened for your sake and for your glory, dear God, then I submit myself to the fact that, Lord, whatever your answer is, may it be to your glory and for your purpose. If we are to see sustained results, folks, in this city, within this church, and within our lives, we must be a people who bear the characteristics of effective prayer and a people who at the heart of our prayer desire to see the kingdom of God furthered regardless the cost attached to it.

That's what we find here in the life of the apostle Paul. Jay Vernon McGee used to say, God is still on the throne and prayer changes things. Or God is still on the throne and prayer changes things, you know, anyway. I'm sorry, Jay, but uh that was a bad impression, impersonation of your voice. Anyway, God is still on the throne. Prayer changes things, but prayer also changes us that God's will might be done on earth as it is in heaven. Three last things I want to get throw out to you real quick here. Final thoughts.

Number one is that prayer is an act of faith. Prayer is an act of faith. It's actually the first step in faith. The Bible tells us that we should not grow weary while doing good. In due season we will reap a harvest. Galatians 6:9 if we do not lose heart. Author by the name of Kathy Truitt writes this. She says that I believe God wants us to be successful and yet success is not always obvious. The Chinese bamboo tree does absolutely nothing or so it seems for the first four years. Then suddenly sometime during the fifth year it shoots up 90 ft in 60 days.

Would you say that the bamboo tree grew in 6 weeks or 5 years? I think our lives are akin to the Chinese bamboo tree. Sometimes we put forth effort, put forth effort, put forth effort and nothing seems to happen. But if you do the right things long enough, you'll receive the rewards of your efforts. Prayer is an act of faith. Keep on praying. Prayer is also an act of grace toward one another. Another author by the name of Lauren Sanny said this. Ask for others what you are praying for yourself. I like that. Do you pray for others like you pray for yourself?

Do you pray for others? I mean, do you pray for yourself like, Lord, just convict me and get me and and just, you know, break me and hurt me and make me and you know, all that. In our world we're usually praying, Lord, bless me. Do we pray that way for others? Ask for others what you are praying for yourself. Philippians chapter 2 verse 3 says that we should do everything without selfish ambition, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. The third thing is this quickly. Is that prayer is an act of true sincerity.

We must be sincere in our prayers if we're to be effective for the Lord, effective in the life of others. An author by the name of Maxie Dunnam said this. In many ways we we act our way into Christlikeness more than pray our way into Christlikeness. We act our way into Christlikeness rather than pray our way into Christlikeness. If we will be like Jesus, folks, it will be because we are people of effective prayer. Bible says that the prayers of a of a fervent and effective prayer of a righteous man avails much. 1. 1 If 1 our 1 hearts 1 are 1 right 1 before 1 God, 1 1 our 1 prayers 1 will 1 avail 1 much.

1 We 1 have 1 to 1 be 1 sincere. We can 't fake it. It has to be in the truest of sincerity that we pray, the trueness of sincerity that we pray.

Guest (Male): Prayer is an act of faith. Prayer is an act of grace to one another. And prayer is an act of true sincerity. Does that describe the way you pray? You've been listening to The Dwelling Place with our Bible teacher Pastor Al Pittman, the pastor of Calvary Worship Center in Colorado Springs. As we close things out today, we want to remind you that you can hear today's message from Colossians again at our website cwcchs.org. We can also supply you with a CD copy when you call 844-221-3363. That's 844-221-3363. And while you're at it, listen to our free podcast by going to anchor.fm/cwcchs-podcast.

We always enjoy hearing from our listeners. Whether it's a prayer request, comment, or question related to the study, we want to hear from you. Email us today at amen at cwcchs.org. That's amen at cwcchs.org. At The Dwelling Place we pray that your walk with Jesus Christ has been strengthened by these messages. And we're grateful to those who choose to partner with us to see this ministry continue and even expand. To make a secure donation, drop by cwcchs.org or text the word give to 719-354-2778. That's give to 719-354-2778. You can also write to us at Calvary Worship Center 505 Castle Road, Colorado Springs, Colorado 80904.

If you missed any of that, it's all available at cwcchs.org. If you're in the Colorado Springs area, visit us at Calvary Worship Center. We'd love to welcome you this weekend. Join us at our west side campus or our creek side campus. You can find service times and directions for both on our website. And we hope to see you soon. This has been The Dwelling Place with Pastor Al Pittman, a presentation of Calvary Worship Center in Colorado Springs, Colorado.