Powerful Prayer

Peter & John came to where the disciples were gathered and reported how the chief priests and elders had threatened them because they’d healed a lame man. Jesus had just been killed days before—so they took this threat seriously. So they prayed. 

You’d think they’d ask God to spare them and protect them. Instead they prayed this way, “Lord, look on these threats and grant to your servants that with all boldness they may speak Your word, by stretching out Your hand to heal, and that signs and wonders may be done through the name of Your holy Servant Jesus.”  WOW!

And the Father heard and was pleased. How do I know? The place where they were assembled was shaken and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit.

Wouldn’t you love to be in a prayer meeting like this? 

Maybe instead of asking God for protection, we should be asking for this kind of boldness and the power to heal in the name of Jesus! That kind of prayer excites God. And what was the result of that powerful prayer?

 

“And they spoke the word of God with boldness.”

They’d been with Jesus

Peter & John were brought before the high priest and his family after they’d healed the lame man. They’d been arrested and put in jail because of it. Peter was filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke. He told these religious leaders that they’d healed this man by the name of Jesus Christ—whom they’d  crucified—but he’d risen from the dead.  

The Jewish leaders did NOT try to refute the death and resurrection of Jesus! This would have been the perfect opportunity if they were going to do so.  I find that very interesting. 

But these religious leaders DID take notice these two men had been with Jesus. Did someone among them recognize them as Jesus’ disciples? Or was it the authority and boldness with which they spoke that reminded them of Jesus and associated them with Him? Either way…they knew Peter & John, unlearned men, had been with Jesus. 

Do people recognize we’ve been with Jesus? Do we look and speak more like the world…or Jesus? Is there boldness and authority, that the Spirit gives, in our lives?

The high priest knew Peter & John had been with Jesus. He tried to silence them. But because they’d been with Jesus…they couldn’t be silenced. 

You Killed the Prince of Life

The Holy Spirit had come at Pentecost and filled the disciples of Jesus. Soon after, Peter and John were at the Gate Beautiful and Peter healed a lame man who sat there daily.  The people were amazed! Peter took the opportunity to preach. He basically said, “Why are you so shocked?  We didn’t do this by our power! Remember the God of Abraham, Isaac & Jacob? He sent His Son, Jesus. You killed Him. You killed the Prince of Life! It was faith in His name that healed this man.”

“You killed the Prince of Life!”

You killed Him. I killed Him. We killed Him. Our sins killed Him. But guess what?  The PRINCE OF LIFE CAN’T STAY DEAD! Otherwise, He couldn’t be called the Prince of Life!

Jesus is ALIVE! He rules over life and death. And faith in His name can still do miracles!

Power of God

Ephesians 3:20 says, “He is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think according to His power that is at work within us.” What is that power? And how do we make sure it’s working in us?

I’ve had this picture of a funnel in my mind. The funnel is you and me. God WANTS His power to flow through us! What stops it? Flesh…or self. When we’re operating in what WE can do, there’s no room for God’s power to work through us. We love God—but we can do this on our own, thank you very much.  We may wake up every morning and read our Bible and tell God we love Him…but then we meet each challenge on our own. We see these things as small and say, “I’ve got this!”  We’re actually putting what WE can do above what GOD can do. So He steps aside and lets us. Or we may leave room for God’s power to eek through occasionally…but certainly not consistently. 

The other way to operate is to be filled with the LOVE of God! We wake up every morning and read our Bible and pray and tell God, “I know I can do nothing apart from You. My flesh is sinful. I NEED to operate in Your love and Your power today in everything I do. Fill me with Your love. Let me experience the height, depth, length, and width of Your love. I don’t just want a head knowledge, I want to intimately and experientially know Your love! Bind my flesh. Loose Your POWER through me.”

Operating in our flesh keeps God’s power from flowing through our lives. Flesh plugs up the funnel. But when our lives our filled with God’s love and flesh is bound from our hearts, GOD’S DYNAMITE POWER flows through our lives consistently!! 

Being aware of operating in our flesh or God’s love is the first step. Which are you operating in? How much of God’s power is flowing through your life? How much power do you want to flow through your life?

He does more than we can imagine—ACCORDING TO His power at work in us. Let’s tie up our flesh and let His love and power flow through us—He wants to blow our minds!!

According To

Philippians 4:19 says, “And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.”

Andy once preached on this verse. He made this point:

If Elon Musk called you up and told you that he wanted to bring a gift by to you, you’d get pretty excited!! But what if he showed up and gave you $20? What a disappointment! That gift wouldn’t be “according to” his riches. He’s the richest man in the world and could easily give you one million—or even one billion—dollars! 

God owns it all. So when He says that He’ll meet all your needs “according to” His riches…you can expect ALL of your needs to be met! He will supply (fill to the full) your needs (your needs, requirements, necessity, your employment, your occasions) according to (from the higher to the lower) His riches (wealth, money, possessions, fullness, abundance, plenitude) in glory (kingly majesty) by Christ Jesus (The Anointed Salvation)!

HE is your Savior! Your job isn’t your provider. Your family nor your friends are your deliverer. Your ingenuity isn’t your salvation. Jesus is. 

Your expectations and all of your hopes should be in Jesus! He’s promised to meet your needs.  

Control

Jesus had been scourged and then brought before Pilate. Pilate was actually afraid and asked, “Where are you from?” Jesus didn’t answer. Pilate then responded with, “Don’t you know I have the power to release you…or crucify you?!” Jesus spoke and said, “You have no power except what God gives you!”

I waltz through life thinking I’m in control—until I’m faced with an overwhelming situation and realize I’m not—and never really had control.  My life is to be an expression of God’s life through me. He wants the world to see what HE can do—not what I can do. Left to my own, I create messes. He creates order which brings victory!

I’m not saying we can’t do good things. We’re made in the image of God and are Christ-bearers. But we are so limited. Our vision is limited. Our strength is limited. Our knowledge is limited. Our wisdom is limited.

Why don’t we trust God more? He has everything in His hands. He knows the beginning from the end. He has all wisdom and all power! And yet we rely on our limited strength. It’s familiar. It’s what we can see and touch!

LET GO and trust God. I know it feels scary. But you never really had control. It’s an illusion. Satan gives you the illusion of control and power so you won’t depend on God!  He fears what God can—and WILL do through you.  

“Now to Him who is able to [carry out His purpose and] do superabundantly more than all that we dare ask or think [infinitely beyond our greatest prayers, hopes, or dreams], according to His power that is at work within us,”  Ephesians 3:20 AMP

What Just Happened?

Judas and a contingent of soldiers came to the Garden of Gethsemane to arrest Jesus. I love how John describes the scene in John 18. Jesus knew what was about to happen…and he stepped forward. Jesus stepped INTO the Father’s plan for his life. He stepped FORWARD. 

Jesus asked who they were seeking and they said, “Jesus of Nazareth.” Jesus responded with, “I AM.”  Now the New King James says that Jesus said, “I am He.” But when you look up these words in the Greek, it says, “I AM.”  Remember what God told Moses to tell Pharoah when he went to ask for the release of Israel?  He said, “Tell him I AM WHO I AM sent you.” Jesus was declaring at this moment who he was!  I AM!

Now this is the exciting part! When Jesus declared who he was, it says they all fell backwards! I picture them being like a run of dominoes falling all over each other! What just happened? Was it the atoms in their bodies responding to the voice of the One who created them? Was it God displaying His authority? Was it Jesus declaring he didn’t have to die—but he was choosing to die for our sins?

I don’t know. It’s one small verse tucked away in John…and we’re left wondering, “What just happened?!?” Jesus stepped forward while his captors fell backwards. They were never in control.  

Eternity

Eternal death began the moment you were born physically. Because the first man, Adam, sinned, we were then all subsequently born into sin. Romans 5:12 says death spread to all men because of Adam’s choice. So eternal death begins the moment you are born physically. Everyone will reach a point of understanding the truth that we’re a sinner and need a savior. Do NOTHING…and you will die and go to hell.  

But…if you recognize you are a sinner and realize that Jesus, the Son of God, lived a perfect life without sin and died on the cross, taking the sins of the world upon Himself, you’re faced with a choice! Your eternity depends upon that choice.  Do nothing and you have an eternity of DEATH and torment. Choose to believe Jesus’ death was for you and you ask for His forgiveness and choose to follow Him—and eternal LIFE begins at that moment.  

YES!!  Eternal LIFE begins when you repent and give your life, your allegiance, to Jesus!  Eternal life begins here on earth! And what is eternal life? What will we be doing now and in heaven? According to Jesus’ last prayer for His followers in John 17, eternal life is knowing God the Father and God the Son. He wants to reveal Himself to us. We will never know the depths of God—but we should be trying—even now! As we begin to plumb the depths of who God is, faith expands, relationship is built, and intimacy grows. We will never know all of the expanses of God—David says He is unsearchable. But that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t search. It just means we’ll never come to an end of knowing Who He is.  

Eternal life begins at the point of salvation. Knowing God is our ultimate satisfaction and fulfillment. 

Truth Cards

Are you in a crisis? Maybe you’ve been there a long time! It could be with parents who constantly put you down, a marriage where you’re verbally abused, a prodigal son or daughter dealing with addictions, or a crisis of faith where you no longer know what is true. Or maybe there’s no crisis—you just need truth! 

I want to make a suggestion. Go and buy a package of 3x5 cards. On each card, write a truth from the Word of God. It may be as simple as “God loves me! John 3:16.” Each card should contain one truth that God says about you. You will have to open your Bible and search it to do this exercise—which is exactly where you will find TRUTH!  God’s Word IS truth and He wants you to know truth!  John 17:17 says we are sanctified (set apart from profane things) by truth. 

After you are armed with dozens of truth cards, begin reading them daily. It takes WEEKS of reading these cards out loud before your mind begins to believe them. Put them on your mirror, in your car, in your kitchen—wherever you will see them every day. Read them out loud so your soul (mind, will, and emotions) and spirit hear them and begin to believe them. 

Satan wants nothing more than to fill your mind with lies. He’s been doing it since you were a small child. It’s time to fill your mind with TRUTH!  “You shall know the truth and the truth will set you free!” John 8:32. You can’t imagine the kind of freedom that moves in when you fixate on truth. Chains will fall off!

Truth cards are a simple tool to transform and renew your mind and bring you to that place of freedom. Make truth cards with your children—give them a jumpstart to freedom! 

In My Name

Kaye Smith is my friend. If I were to ask her to do something—knowing she COULD do it—what would that be? Well…I could ask her to write her name  mirror image. She’s left-handed and amazes people with that skill. I would ask her to make a cheesecake—because she makes the very best! I would ask her which wildflowers to plant together because she has beautiful gardens. I would go to her with ALL of my medical questions because she’s the best diagnostician I know!

What would I NOT ask of her? I wouldn’t ask her how to repair my car. I wouldn’t ask her about mountain climbing…and she knows nothing about building a roller coaster. I know beyond the shadow of a doubt that she wouldn’t help me rob a bank! That would be unthinkable to her. 

Jesus told us in John 16:23 to ask anything in His name. The Hebrew means to ask in “the name used for everything that name covers.” I know what Kaye’s name covers—and what it doesn’t.  What does Jesus’ name cover? He owns everything and is over everything. What does it not cover? Anything illegal to His name—sin or selfishness.  

Kaye is a beautiful friend and is willing to help anyone who calls on her. Everyone who knows her knows her strengths and we’ve all called on her for some pretty amazing help. 

How much more can Jesus do?! Ask in His name…and all that His name covers.  

Abide

Just as these grapes won’t grow unless they’re attached to the vine, we won’t grow if we’re not attached to Jesus. In fact, John 15 says, “He who abides in Me and I in him bears much fruit; for without Me, you can do nothing.”

Think about that! If we’re not attached to Jesus with His life flowing through us, WE CAN DO NOTHING! (Not even one thing, according to the Greek.) In fact, Jesus said if we don’t abide in Him, we’re like a dead branch that’s cast into the fire. And if we DO bear fruit, He prunes us so that we’ll bear more fruit. Come to think of it—those hard things that happen in our lives may not be Satan attacking us.  It may be God using His pruning shears on us for a very good purpose—to create more fruit. 

We can do NOTHING apart from Jesus…but then He tells us that if we abide in Him and His words abide in us, we can ask for whatever we desire and it will be done for us. WOW! His desires become our desires. 

The Greek for “abide” means to remain, dwell, sojourn with, tarry, continue with, to wait for, to endure, to continue to be present, to last. Stay with Jesus. Stay in His Word. Walk with Him and remain with Him. Don’t leave! 

And then ask and it will be done. I love what the Greek says about this. It will come into existence, it will appear in history, it will come upon the stage!

There’s so much power and LIFE in abiding and asking!!

God is Greater

Jesus was preparing His disciples for His departure. He’d told them that the Holy Spirit would come and teach them all things and that He wouldn’t leave them as orphans—He’d be back. And then He told them to ask the Father anything in His name, He would do it. And then He says this: “If you loved Me, you would rejoice because I said, ‘I am going to the Father,’ for My Father is greater than I.”

I read that verse and wondered what it means that the Father is greater than Jesus. I asked the Holy Spirit to teach me. Blue Letter Bible says greater means greater. Jesus and the Holy Spirit both submit to the Father. Jesus said he only did what He saw the Father doing. The Holy Spirit said he brings messages from the Father and not on His own authority.  

I was driving to the grocery store this morning and was complaining to God about a situation that affects me. I’d gotten to a place of forgiveness and letting go, and God spoke to my heart, “My plan is greater than your plan. I am greater than you.” I actually started laughing!  The Holy Spirit has a powerful and quick way of teaching!!

God is good and only does good. God is greater. His plan is greater. Thank You, God!!

Dust

In John 13, Jesus washes the feet of the disciples. Peter, believing it’s too servile a task for Jesus to be doing, exclaims, “You will never wash my feet!”  Jesus responds with, “If you don’t let me wash your feet, you will have no part with me.”  So Peter responds with, “Then wash my head and hands, too!” Jesus says, “He who is bathed, needs only his feet washed—not his whole body.”

I believe Jesus uses this as a metaphor for what happens to us as we walk through the world. When we accept God’s gift of salvation, our “whole body” is cleansed. We’re saved for all of eternity!  We are His and He will never leave us. But then our “feet” get dirty from walking in this world which is dominated by sin. Our spirit is saved and made new…but we still walk in the flesh. We still sin. And we need God’s forgiveness—and the forgiveness of others. That’s why Jesus told his disciples that they must wash one another’s feet. Forgive one another.  

Dust is so interesting. Genesis 2:7 says man was made from dust.  The Hebrew word is āpār which means dry earth, dust, ashes, mortar. So man’s flesh, his body, was made or built from dust. Man also creates dust when he sins (flesh).  Genesis 3:14 says that because the serpent (Satan) caused man to sin, he was cursed. He would now eat dust for the rest of his days.  Some scholars believe that through the years, the serpent has eaten so much dust that he has grown exponentially and has become the dragon in Revelation 12:9.  

Let’s not give the serpent dust to eat. Let’s keep our hearts pure and forgive one another quickly. Let’s wash one another’s feet.  

Hearing God

Twenty-nine years ago, Peter Lord came to our church and taught on “hearing God.” At the time, the Baptist leadership had asked him not to speak about it publicly—just to small groups. I’m sure they were afraid of the topic. So Peter complied and offered to teach a group of open-minded young people at First Baptist Church Borger how to hear God. I was more open than I’d ever been and eagerly approached him after the service.  I told him, “I know I’m not young (I was 40), but I really want to learn!”

He took us through a simple exercise of asking God questions and then listening to that still, small voice in our hearts for the answer. It was transformational in my life. 

But back up a few years…I had gone through a time of examining many old teachings and belief systems I had held—asking God to reveal truth about each of them. It had been a painful process. So I wasn’t inclined to just accept anyone’s teaching without comparing it to scripture. I was careful. So I began the process of examining this teaching of “hearing God.”

Some of the scripture that God led me to were these:

“My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.“ John 10:27

“Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me.” Revelation 3:20

“Your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying,
“This is the way, walk in it,” whenever you turn to the right hand or whenever you turn to the left.”

Isaiah 30:21

“But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you.” John 14:26

“Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know.” Jeremiah 33:3

“However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come. He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you.” John 16:13-14

This last passage convinced me that we SHOULD hear God’s voice (or the Spirit’s voice—He & God are one!). Some of the functions of the Holy Spirit are to teach us, guide us, counsel us, and help us. We must HEAR him for those things to happen. 

**IMPORTANT NOTE: What the Spirit speaks to our hearts will never contradict what the Word of God says. Satan imitates everything God does. He will speak to you and try to deceive you.  You MUST be a student of the Word of God to know the difference. Always examine whose voice you’re hearing.  

How do you hear God’s voice? As you read the Bible, ask the Spirit to teach you. Your eyes will be opened to truth. Very often, one verse will “jump out” at you and you can stop and ask the Spirit to give you understanding. And then listen. You won’t hear an audible voice (although some have)—but a voice in your heart or mind. It takes practice. (I often compare knowing God’s voice to learning to differentiate Andy [my husband] & Phil’s voices. They are identical twins with identical voices. But after being married almost 50 years, I can easily tell them apart because I’ve spent so much time with Andy.) I practice hearing God’s voice the same way—with repetition. I usually journal my conversations with God. 

There are times when you need a specific answer which may not be in the Bible. For instance: Do I move to Pampa or Borger? You’ll find principles in the Bible (such as God will light your path). But this is when hearing God’s voice is so helpful. The verse above in Isaiah says God will tell us to turn right or left. Trust that He wants you to KNOW!

One other thing…you WILL mess up!!  I’ve messed up over and over. But God doesn’t beat us up for trying and failing!!  He’s a gentle Father. He wants you to hear His voice. Just like you didn’t spank your child for falling when he was learning to walk!  Oh no!  You cheered his successes!  God will do the same for you.  Admit to God, “I messed up.” And then get up and brush yourself off and listen again. Satan very much wants to stop this process. He knows the power that comes from you hearing God’s voice.  

Ask God questions and then listen. Be still.  You can’t rush God…just like you can’t rush a new and budding relationship with a potential spouse. The fun is in the time you spend together getting to know one another.  God’s greatest desire is to fellowship with you. He may have put you in a place of questions so you’ll come to Him for answers. He delights to spend time with you. He wants to do more than give you directions. He wants to tell you the secrets of His heart!

Be still…and listen!

Secret Disciples

There have been secret disciples since Jesus was alive! Jesus even talked about them in John 12. There were rulers who believed in Him, but didn’t confess Him…because they feared man more than God. They were afraid they’d be kicked out of the synagogue if they followed Jesus openly. He said, “I have come as a light into the world, that whoever believes in me should not abide in darkness.”

There are still secret disciples in 2025. There are people who believe Jesus is the Son of God but want to follow at a distance. They’re afraid that if they publicly affirm Jesus as their savior, they might lose their marriage, their job, their country club golfing buddies, their roadtripping/shopping girlfriends, a seat at the dinner table, or their standing in the community. They fear man more than God. 

Jesus didn’t ask us to be secret disciples. He went on to say, “I speak whatever the Father has told me to speak.” That’s the kind of disciple He desires. Bold ones. Those who will speak truth openly. Those who spend time with the Father, know His heart, and share His message. 

To be a bold disciple takes fearing God more than men.