Pray For The Future

[0:00] Welcome. Thank you for choosing to listen to another faith-building message by Pastor David Entry. Faith comes by hearing and by hearing the Word of God.

[0:12] May your knowledge of Jesus Christ increase as you listen. Be blessed. When it's time for fasting, it's not time to be entertaining certain things because you are believing God, having to remember you.

[0:27] Why would you expose yourself to things that will invalidate what God is doing? When I say it's not time to be in your website, people are in a relationship, they are getting ready to marry.

[0:41] That's not what I'm talking about. I'm talking about the things that expose you to. You have to now work hard not to sin. The time of prayer, why are you putting yourself in a position where you have to work hard?

[0:54] Oh God, forgive me. I don't have to sin. Oh God, why do you put yourself in such an environment? Jesus prayed and his prayer was heard because he feared, his reverent fear for God.

[1:09] And so let us approach, two things I've spoken about so far. When you approach prayer, approach the prayer with fear. So in the time of prayer, let's attach a certain level of high level of seriousness to the prayer.

[1:26] You understand what I'm saying? You can be praying and also doing something else and take the prayer lightly. This guy is giving too long prayer to be.

[1:39] You know, there must be a certain level of reverent self-fair towards God. Yes. When you are coming to his presence. And then the second one is, the fear of God is not only when you are in his presence, even when you are out of his presence.

[1:53] In this season of fasting, please, I'm begging you. In this season of fasting, you know, when you go and take that shoe, your sister will argue with you. So you don't want to argue at this time.

[2:05] Don't touch the shoe now. Okay. Let's finish the fasting. Don't go and... Don't do what you bring unnecessary provocation to agitate your spirit.

[2:16] I'm telling you, Satan will do that. Even if you don't do, you will do it by himself. Satan will create things that will agitate your spirit. He will provoke your spirit. That will anger you.

[2:28] Satan will do it. A lot of it. At work. At home. By your neighbor. Suddenly, your neighbor will come and put down his rubbish. Or his stuff in the bin on your compound.

[2:40] And he will tell you that it wasn't him. It was a fox's. But you saw him. And he's been doing that. So you see? And he's annoying. But you have to be careful.

[2:52] The enemy doesn't provoke you. That is suddenly you feel your husband has said something that has really annoyed you. Or your wife has said something that has really annoyed you. Your mother has said something that has done something that has really annoyed you.

[3:04] Your father has done something that has really annoyed you. Don't forget. Satan is out to get you in order to downgrade. And to degrade. And, you know, to make your fasting.

[3:15] You will decline. But this is not the time to decline. This is the time to climb. Amen. Amen. I see you climbing higher and higher and higher.

[3:27] Amen. Jesus in his days of flesh was praying with fear. Or praying with cries and tears to him who was able to save him.

[3:43] And he was hurt because of his fear. So Jesus said a parable that men always ought to pray. Men always. Or men ought always to pray and not to faint.

[3:56] Luke chapter 18 verse 1. Then, watch this. This is the parable he told them to this effect. And he spoke a parable unto them to this end. That men ought always to pray and not to faint.

[4:09] Verse 2 says that. Saying, there was in a city a judge which feared not God, neither regarded men. And there was a woman in the city.

[4:20] And she came unto him saying, avenge me of my adversary. An adversary is someone who is just fighting you. He's fighting you. So he is adverse to what you are trying to do.

[4:31] He's opposing what you are trying to do. Verse 4. And he would not for a while. But afterwards, he said with himself, though I fear not God, nor regard man.

[4:43] That phrase means that if I fear not God, I can choose to do what I want to do. No one can punish me. That's what it means when he said, fear not God. That he won't regard God. And then if he said, he regarded no man.

[4:54] No one can intimidate him. He was never afraid of any man. And he couldn't be bothered about what any man would do. So the Bible says that he feared not God, nor regard any man.

[5:05] This is the kind of person you are dealing with. So there's nothing you would do to make him do what he didn't want to do. Or he didn't care. And no one can do anything to him. He had that much liberty to do what he wanted to do.

[5:19] And the Bible says that. He himself said, though I fear not God, nor regard man. Yet, because this woman troubleth me, I will avenge her. Lest by her continual coming, she wearieth me.

[5:31] In other words, the woman kept coming and coming and coming. Morning, he would come. 6 a.m., she would come. 9 a.m., she would come. 12 a.m. 12 a.m.

[5:42] 12 a.m. She would come. 3 p.m., she would come. 6 a.m., she would come. 8 p.m., she would come. 8 p.m., she would come. Monday, she would come.

[5:52] Tuesday, she would come. Wednesday, she would come. Thursday, she would come. Friday, she would come. Saturday, she would come. Sunday, she would come. Monday, she would come. The mom said, this woman does not know relaxing and giving up.

[6:07] So if I don't do something for her, she will weary me by her continual coming. And remember, remember, Jesus said, the Bible said, he said this parable with the intention, with the purpose of teaching them how we always ought to pray.

[6:30] So the parable was not about the woman. He was just using the story to show you that continuing in continuing. Continue to continue.

[6:41] We make a difference for the one in power to help you. So watch this. The Bible says that, let me read it again. Yet, because this widow, verse 5, this widow troublet me, I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me. Now watch this, verse 6. And the Lord said, hear what the unjust judge.

[7:07] In other words, someone who doesn't even care about people. Someone who doesn't care about people's pain and people's troubles. He said, just even listen to what this person is saying. Verse 7.

[7:18] And shall not God avenge his own elect, which cry day and night unto him, though he bears long with them. So he's trying to say that God too, when you call on him regularly, he will do something.

[7:38] It's obvious. He started by saying, he told them this parable, a whole parable, to show them how men always ought to pray and not to faint.

[7:48] And then after showing them the parable and telling them about how men always ought to pray, he told them how this woman went and went and went and continued going. They just said, if I don't do something, I'll continue to come.

[8:00] Then the Lord said, even look at, listen to what this unjust person is saying. Who doesn't care about anybody? Who is crooked? Who is cruel? Look at what he's saying. And he said, shall not God, if a man who doesn't fear anybody, who doesn't respect, who doesn't care about people can do this, how much more your heavenly father?

[8:21] Thank you, Jesus. How much more? I'm just trying to tell somebody, the prayer you prayed this morning is working for you. The prayer you prayed this afternoon is working for you.

[8:31] The prayer we are praying today is working for you. Amen. See it's working. Go where to see the works. Just continue praying. Continue praying. Continue praying. Yes, yes, yes.

[8:42] The prayers you are praying are working for you. Amen. Continue welcoming. Yes, yes, yes. Amen. Prayers work. Now watch this.

[8:54] The Bible says in Ecclesiastes chapter 11, verse 3. Do you know what it says? I like it. It says that if the cloud be full of rain, they will empty themselves upon you.

[9:07] Wow. If your heavens are full of rain, and if the tree falls towards the south or towards the north, in the place where the tree fallen, there it shall be.

[9:21] The direction the tree falls, that's where it leads. The way your prayer is going, that's what will determine the outcome of your life. There's an English idiom or English adage.

[9:36] Some of you don't know what it means. I didn't say idiom. I said idiom. English idiom. Or adage or proverb or wise saying or one-liner which says that the way you lay your bed so you lie on it.

[9:59] If you lay your bed and it looked very bad, you didn't do it well, the way that's how you are going to lie on it. However investment you are making into your spiritual life, that's what you are going to get.

[10:15] In spite of your pastor's anointing. the way you lay your bed and let me quote the scriptures. The scripture says that wherever a tree falls, whether to the north of South, wherever it falls, the same direction is going to lie.

[10:33] What you are doing today is what is going to determine what can go. Thank you, Jesus. Listen to this. What you are doing today will determine what God will do for you tomorrow.

[10:45] Wow. What you are doing today will determine what you can ask or you can expect heaven to do tomorrow. But if you do it anyhow and not take it serious and not invest time and fear and reverence into it, how then can you expect that heaven will do it for you differently?

[11:06] You are not praying in the day of crisis that you begin to pray. It's in the day of crisis that you begin to pray. Some people don't care about prayer.

[11:18] They don't care about all this spirituality where I can't be bothered. I know you will be bothered. The day you will be bothered you will realize that it will work for you as fast as it should be. It will not work for you because I don't believe in God anything.

[11:31] It will change anything about God. It is a hard thing. When somebody says I am upset with God as though that would change God. Sometimes it's so bizarre when people have an unhealthy spiritual mindset.

[11:48] It doesn't affect God. So the point here is this. What you are investing today it will show thank you Jesus it will show tomorrow.

[12:01] The praise we are offering today it will change your story. Some of you young people listen to me you need to pray about the course you are going to read you are going to study you have to pray about the university you enter you have to pray about even the one who sits near you at lectures or if you go for university accommodation and you have roommates flatmates you have to pray about these kind of flatmates before you could say Jack they have introduced you to smoking weed they have introduced you to vodka they have introduced you to going out and by the time you can realize they have taken so much out of your life mothers fathers pray about your doctor's university education don't wait till it's time for her to go she's not there before you pray this is what I'm trying to say men always ought to pray and not to faint because there is always a future ahead as long as there is a future ahead there will always be the need for prayer yes sir now the scripture says that when the heavens are full when the heavens are full of rain they will empty themselves if your heavens says that if the clouds be full of rain they will empty themselves upon the earth so just keep loading heaven with prayer like the woman was doing in the parable keep loading keep loading he said he will avenge them speedily those who cry out to him day and night

[13:35] Luke 18 8 so just keep loading keep loading up prayers don't be tired don't say today now pray I've prayed already and some people have had made a prayer timetable or fasting timetable it's okay I'll fast on Monday and then I'll join the prayer line on Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday I just like to relax and enjoy my evening it's always my plan or it's my date night when it's time for prayer I say it's your date night what guarantee do you have that this date will become a date what guarantee do you have that this date has a future pray for the future let me give you one more or two more scriptures I like this scripture in Acts chapter 10 verse 4 Bible says that and when and when he looked on him he was afraid that's

[14:35] Cornelius when an angel appeared to him and Cornelius looked on the angel and Bible said he was afraid all right so he was afraid Acts chapter 10 verse 4 he was afraid and said what is it Lord and he said unto him thy prayers and thy arms and come up for a memorial before God I didn't know that I'm sure this was thinking so all these prayers I was praying it was being registered it wasn't going in vain every prayer goes every prayer is saved God has a storage it's like it's like a storage it stores your prayers and they stay before God watch this I'm about to say something very strong every genuine godly prayer you have prayed stays before God and it never goes in vain if you pray that

[15:36] God deliver me from temptation when temptation comes you will see that God will for you to escape every prayer if you pray that God help me so I don't mess up in my exam God will help you before the exam to prepare anything that is why I said don't be anxious for anything but everything by prayer let your request be made known to God Philippians chapter 4 verse 6 let your request be made known because God everything you talk to God you pray about gets registered even though you may not see the answer immediately some answers will come immediately there's some answers will come in the human timing so let's say you have to pay some amount of money by tomorrow and you kept praying about it since Monday and then by today God provides there are time to the answer will not be within this frame of human timing what do I mean you are supposed to pay the money tomorrow and you pray

[16:38] Sunday even the money hasn't come next week the money hasn't come three months later the money hasn't come does that mean God did the answer you didn't see the way you wanted it but that prayer has been stored it has been stored so this is what the angel told Colelia he said your prayers and your prayers and your donations your seed has come before God for a memorial it is there when they say it's a memorial that means it's something God remembers it cannot be forgotten it stays in the presence of God that is why Jesus has to teach them how men always ought to pray and not to faint because every prayer is adding to it every prayer is adding to it every prayer is adding to it that 9am prayer has added to it that 6am prayer has added to it the 9am has added to it the 12 midday has added to it the 3pm has added to it the 6.30 has added night 1 has added to it the

[17:47] Monday prayers has added to it the Tuesday prayers we forget but God doesn't forget he doesn't have that kind of thing an ability to forget we because we are human beings we have an ability to forget but God does not have that it's just like you put a name in a computer will the computer forget it no unless memory is full then it won't go in but as long as it goes in it will stay dead because the computer has not been given doesn't have what it takes to forget it's just a programming God doesn't forget so as you keep putting in and making inputs prayer inputs most of us would like to put money in our account than prayer before God Lord prays before God and so that means that anytime we are saying let's pray take it very serious because it means that it's another time to load up investment for my tomorrow some of the prayers will get answered now some will get answered later some will even get answered when you have been called and gone to

[19:00] God some some of us are praying for revival some of us you watch this you watch it many of us alive here will live to see one day this is what we used to pray about that's why I'm very happy I can see some children I can see some children sitting and being part of it I'm happy because they will live to remember that's what they used to pray about years ago later because prayers stay before God I'm talking about godly Christian prayers they stay before God what memorial are you building with your prayers and with your giving any giving you give you are adding to the memorial before God so our prayer builds a memorial it's like building a monument before God some of us there's not enough prayer to save you from the kind of things that your background has meant to cause you so you have to keep input prayer you can love that prayer so much that it is waiting there's no other way the enemy can have an upper hand over you there's been enough prayer

[20:13] I know some of you may wonder but we always have to pray for the pastor you see I can get where you are coming from because if God said we are praying at 9 p.m.

[20:31] would you pray would you organize that prayer no you have been a part of what is going on because somebody had an obeyed God and your future is tied to the prayer you are going to pray you won't even get enough of the time you want to pray so when they say let's pray for God it is not a fashion statement anyone who is their God servant needs to be prayed for because he is dealing with your life he is dealing with your future he has to be able to lead you well because you need a messenger why won't you pray for your doctor when you are going to do the surgery you are praying let your stomach handle it pray for that doctor too you pray for quick recovery but I of temptation anything in your future anything coming ahead so we have to pray and enforce the favor of

[21:54] God and the help of God Bible says God knows how to deliver your time from what has been planned to cause you harm and cause you hate you are going to pray that prayer that God I commit my future I commit the days ahead in your hands if you have a concern it Thank you for listening to hear more from David Entry follow him on Facebook Instagram Twitter and LinkedIn why don't you subscribe to our YouTube channel at Karis Church and subscribe to our podcast so you are always up to date be blessed