Help Me to Start Talking - Prayer — Steve Mays

It's the 2012 summer of sermons with Steve Mays.

Let your request be known to God. Tell them you need help. I don't need help. Tell them you need counseling. I don't need counseling. Why is it so hard to have someone help you pastor Steve Mays says.

Requesting help from God is not a deficiency. It's a wonderful benefit of our relationship with the Heavenly Father. You have not because what you asked not. Okay, now raise your hand. If you've ever felt reluctant to ask for help I think we can pretty safely assume that most of us have a hand up right now.

There are many reasons people fear requesting assistance primary among them not wanting to seem weak and needy if you will. But as pastor Steve points out today those are some of the very reasons We ought to bring our requests before God through prayer today.

He takes the word pray and turns it into an acronym. P R A Y praise request accept and yield. For great reasons to spend time in God's presence. The lesson is called help me start talking. Here's pastor Steve to get us started.

Let's listen.

Hearing and Knowing the Voice of God

I don't think there's a greater time to live a greater moment to be part of this life and to make a Difference than right now. But I do believe with all my heart that God is calling the body. To rise up and to begin to love the Lord with all their heart and to really make a witness.

And so this morning we are in the area of talking to God. How can I learn to talk to God more and I do believe with all my heart God is speaking and you say well I never hear God speak. Well, just read the Bible out loud and God's spoken to you, you know I mean, it's that real and that Unbelievable, but we are not tuned in to really hearing the voice of God and I think that more than anything in your whole life you need to hear and you need to know the voice of God and It's either that you're hearing the voice of the enemy or you're hearing the voice of God.

Either you have come to a point in your life that you can discern between the two because of the maturity of your life or you haven't or There's one other possibility that you have been so hurt and that you have just checked out and that's okay.

We can check you back in that's okay. And so we want to encourage you in a very powerful way this morning to really take a good hard look at this. What we're gonna be looking at would you turn with me if you have your Bibles?

Jehoshaphat’s Prayer in Crisis

We're gonna be in a couple different places, but in 2nd Chronicles in chapter 20 We're gonna be there and there's an interesting passage and it really how to survive. It was a moment and that we see the Jehoshaphat was on the wrong side of the game.

He was called to be the king there in the southern kingdom and everything was fine. He did that which was right in the sight of the Lord, but he had one bad Problem coming up in his life quite a bit. He kept going over to the north and he kept hanging out with the different kings and they were teaching him some pretty bad things in fact he was there when all of a sudden one of the prophets came and said to the king don't go out and he mocked that prophet and beat him up the king of the north beat the prophet up and Jehoshaphat did nothing.

So finally one day they went out to war and it wasn't the king of the south. But it was the king of the north. He went out to do battle. And so he said to Jehoshaphat. Hey, you are a friend. Would you hold my?

Garment, I want to dress like everybody else so I don't get killed and you hold my garment and I'll be really happy I'll go out and fight this battle and so as he's holding this garment the king of Syria said now whoever has the garment kill him and A Jehoshaphat realized everyone was coming after him.

So he dropped the garment ran for his life by the grace of God the Bible said in the Spirit of God intervened and He was able to get back into the southern kingdom as he was walking back in town. No one knew anything no one had said anything but the man of God another prophet met him and said because you Have sinned against God in this unholy alliance.

You are now going to be dealt with. And now Moab and Ammon are going to come and surround you and they are going to bring destruction to your life. So he runs inside. He grabs the children grabs his wife.

They run to the temple. They stand before the temple and they make this statement. Unbelievable statement which redeems him in a very powerful way. It says in chapter 20 verse 12 Oh our God, will thou not judge them for we have no might against this great company That comes against us.

Neither know we what to do. But our eyes are upon you. This is one of the great verses of the Bible and boy if you have your Bible underline it. We don't know what to do. There is a Sentence that is absolutely hard to believe most people would never come to that moment.

We know exactly what we have to do. In fact, we are Overconfident in who we are. We never seem to be looking to God enough because we've come to realize we can do it all and Here's a man that knew that he was in trouble and when he was in trouble He stood before God stood before the children of Israel and said listen.

We need to repent and we need to get right and all of Israel the Northern Kingdom did it and God once again Turned it around and God destroyed The army and there by the very praise of Jehoshaphat and God gave him the victory and I believe that can happen in your life.

I believe with all my heart that God is going to do something that great. We don't know what is going to happen. We don't know where we're gonna be. We don't know if an earthquake is gonna come in LA.

No doubt probably will probably overdue, but we don't know exactly what and how much damage is gonna be done. We don't know anything about a nuclear bomb or anything and what's tragic is oftentimes the church has to have something drastic happen till we finally wake up and realize this is not heaven and You would think that over the years we would come to a better place that we would just be on fire for Jesus Christ.

But like so many we begin to kind of drift back into our old ways. And what do we do when all of a sudden something does happen? We're gonna panic and go crazy and get mad. Well, that doesn't do anyone any good.

In fact, that's probably where a lot of people are today. They've been hurt by God. Devastated overwhelmed and so they've made a decision not to really make a commitment to God. So they really don't want to worship.

They really don't want to trust him because they really don't know him and sooner or later I need to get rid of all that stuff because if I'm not Worshiping and giving God my very best like I did in the world I gave Satan my very best then it's not gonna work.

And if I'm bitter and resentful, it's not gonna work. God desires for me to lead and to do that I must be right with God and if things fall apart I need to be able to go across the street and help people or go next door and help people or figure out what we're gonna Do or be part of the solution and not just blaming everybody else.

It doesn't make a difference and I believe no matter what happens. We ought to be that type of people. But we let things get to us and things bug us and we can't seem to let him go and so here Jehoshaphat does something very wise.

He says I'm gonna get right with God and God's gonna turn it and I believe that every time you make a decision for God You're going to see God work in and through your life in a very profound way. And so he says here that we don't know what to do, but our eyes are upon you.

And yes, I do believe things are gonna get worse. I don't think things are gonna get better. I think things are beginning to turn and I believe that the Lord is coming now when I don't know. But I tell you what when I look around and see the different countries see things lining up.

Realize what Russia's doing with Iran look at all the different things of Turkey now leaving and what we're doing to Israel. I don't give us a lot of hope at this point and I realize two things are definitely gonna happen and I can say with Absolute authority either judgment or revival and I personally would like to see revival.

Because it would take and just sweep through the body of Christ and through the world in a very profound way. But revival is not for the church. It's for the church, but it's for the community the Welsh revival.

Don't forget 70 ,000 people were coming to Christ in the Welsh revival and they shut down the soccer. They shut down rugby. They shut down Parliament. They shut down the bars because no one wanted to do it.

They wanted to hear the Word of God being preached and that's not where we are today. It needs to go into the church and out into the community and that means I have to be affected. Billy Graham said it so well, there is no doubt that we are in serious trouble today.

We are caught up in a stream of history that is beyond our ability to control if there ever was a time. That we need to be on our knees and pray asking God to help us it is now God we need help and boy I'll tell you we need to be absolutely responsible.

It says in 2nd Chronicles chapter 14 verse 11 Asa said help us Oh Lord our God for we rest on thee and in thy name we go against this multitude. Oh Lord, thou art our God let not man prevail against thee and check it out God.

We don't want anyone coming against you. Well, he's talking about himself, but he's actually saying God if they come against us. They're coming against you and God we need you to fight for us and God enjoys that.

He wants to be part of our life and then we read in Isaiah chapter 62 verse 6 This is what I'm to do. I have set a watchman before the walls of Jerusalem. Which shall never hold their peace day and night and I believe that not only should pastors do that but I also believe men in homes Should begin to do that and we should do that with women should do it and women and men should start.

Holding their voices strong and saying in a sense the say the Lord God is coming and we are going to be a watchman and our life is not pleasing to God and what we're doing is not Right, and this is not right and we need to turn back to God.

But the problem is too many of us are in that situation. But God wants to get us out of it. He goes on to say that ye might mention the Lord keep not silent. Oh give him no rest till the Establishes Jerusalem a place of peace.

So listen, no rest no time for a vacation. This is it. The Lord's coming. What are we going to do? And then this is what God said. This is what really breaks my heart and Isaiah 59 verse 16 He saw that there was no man and wondered that there was no intercessor.

Therefore his arm brought salvation unto him and his righteousness sustained. In other words God's looking out and he doesn't see a watchman and doesn't see a people watching and he's beginning to say I looked I was Searching.

I was diligent. I could find nobody beginning to stand up and saying hey, that's wrong. And this is right or no one's saying. Hey, you really shouldn't do that. Unequally yoked situation because even the pastor said about Jehoshaphat He was unequally yoked and we say we don't want to get involved.

We've got enough problems in our own life and that's the whole problem happened in Germany. No one wanted to get involved and it was too late. Someone's gonna have to get involved. Schools are gonna have to stand up.

People are gonna have to stand up. Nations are gonna have to stand up. Otherwise, the Lord's gonna keep saying in Isaiah 59 I found no man. Then in Isaiah 63 verse 5 It says this I looked and there was none to help and I wondered that there was none To uphold and there is none that call upon my name.

In other words, there's no one to stir it up. I couldn't find anybody and so here in Isaiah chapter 59 verse 16 I could find no man and then in Isaiah 63 verse 5 I looked and there was no one to help and one last one in Ezekiel chapter 22 verse 30 I sought for a man among them that should make up the hedge.

Stand in the gap before me for the land that I should not destroy it, but I found none. I'm looking for a man or a woman that will simply say enough is enough. I'm gonna be righteous. I'm gonna stand for God.

I'm gonna have a backbone for God. I'm not gonna compromise my life and God said I couldn't find nobody and That is where we are as a nation like it or not. We are a nation that doesn't believe in prayer.

We've turned our back on Israel and things are gonna get weird. But what are we gonna do as for me in my house? We're gonna serve the Lord. That's what you should be saying as for you as a man. You should be making a stand like you've never made a stand before.

I'm gonna raise my kids. I'm gonna go after my kids. I'm gonna go after my community and as women the very same thing. I'm gonna speak my mind and once again hold righteousness the standard of our home and when we do that I believe God has a saying but the problem is if I'm too mad at God, I'm not gonna praise him.

I'm not gonna love him. I'm not gonna pray because I feel like where were you God when I needed you? Well, the bottom line is I left him. He has never left me. He'll never leave me nor forsake me. But my sins have separated us from each other and four things I want to share with you little tiny things this morning and I thought about this how can I teach this in such a way that you would remember it and Try to share with you how important it is and I came up with this idea about the foundation as prayer last week.

The foundation was power and a purpose and a plan in your life. Well today really what God is asking is for you to be able to talk to God. That's my heart this morning. Can you talk to God? Can you really have a great fellowship and dialogue with God?

Can you reason with God and share with God without getting mad and walking away and chucking it? Or are you willing to stand up like Job and that's what God said to Job stand up and All of a sudden Job begins to get a little bit self-righteous and God says where were you when I made the crocodile?

Where were you when I made a giraffe? Where were you when I flung the stars into existence? 77 questions later two chapters. He says I'm gonna fall down my face and suck dirt for a little bit. Okay, if you don't mind in other words, I've added Isaiah the very same thing.

You touched my lips and what was me when God touches you it changes your life. You can't be the same way. You're not arrogant. You're not prideful and that's the problem here if I'm prideful and arrogant Why do I need to ask God for help?

I can do it myself. I can balance the book it only takes a month or I can fix that car. And so you begin to fix that carburetor, but you don't really think about it. You kind of feel maybe you ought to pray about but you don't.

Then you drop the screw down the manifold and Then you realize now you got to take the whole engine apart. Are you gonna turn it one more crank just one more little crank and you hear that voice don't stop.

Just what Pam you snap it and you realize oh, man. Now you have to take the manifold off and take it down and get it bored out or then you're sewing anything. I know what I'm doing. Well, sure you do.

You've been doing it all your life, but now you sewed the pocket upside down. Why is that? Because you're under so much stress. Well ask God to help you where you go out and you go shopping. Do you ask God to give you a deal?

No, have you asked God to stretch your gas? No, I have. Why not. I mean he gave manna, you know Pastor I'm we're gonna have to blog about that. Well, I'll tell you what if he can do fish and multiply it and have 12 baskets.

Why can't he do a little bit with us? You know, oh I want to stress out and let me stress out. Let me stress out. I like stressing out. I don't like stressing out. Chill out. I stress out. No, we're that stupid not gonna do that.

You can ask God to keep you safe. Why then you get in an accident should ask God keep me safe. You know, we just are so prideful arrogant stubborn. Not you me. I'm just gonna make sure okay number one Lord teach me how to pray.

The Four Movements of Prayer

An acronym is something like the word goth G-o-l right, you know what it means. It means gentlemen only ladies forbidden now. I Did not say that that's what it means. It means in the old days women were not allowed to play golf.

That's very common history. I took the word prayer p-r-a-y and this is what I want to try teaching you if all of a sudden there's an earthquake and your house is down and Your family's okay. What are you gonna do besides panic and cry and everything else?

Well, you're gonna have to make some decisions in your life. First of all, your family's alive. So let's praise God and let's start making some great decisions. So let's take this attitude of prayer no matter what happens if I'm in a mall something blows up.

I need to go to God you have to get back to God. No matter what happens in your life. You hit a tree a tree falls on your car doesn't make a difference. You need God to help you. You need God to get you through this life.

Don't ever be afraid of that. You say well, that's a crutch. It is a crutch, but other people have alcohol and guns and everything else. I have a crutch. Jehovah. He's a rock and he'll take care of my life.

That's great stuff, you know. So here's what he says number one P first of all Lord teach me how to pray the first letter P Represents praise. You have to start praising God not that you praise God for the earthquake praise God for the earthquake.

Praise God for that car that has ran over my kid. No, that's crazy, but you praise God because he's God because he's there. He'll never leave you nor forsake you because he knew at this moment in your life.

That you would be able to handle whatever happens in your life because of the providence of God. Because God is going to help you and you begin to realize. Things happen. We used to think things were a bummer until we lost our son-in-law.

He was murdered. That's a bummer because he'd never come his back. Everything else is an obstacle that becomes a problem. But everything else my house falls down. My cars are crushed. I have Gal and I and we're alive and the kids are alive.

That's all that counts. We can build again so I can praise him for that Job. It says that in one moment he lost everything and he said naked I came in and naked I go out. Blessed be the name of the Lord.

He was able to praise God. His wife came to him and said curse it be God and he said honey. Don't you know that good and evil come from God? He was able to minister. The same thing happened Naomi. Don't call me Naomi.

Call me Mara. I'm bitter. And they said no you are Naomi. You're not bitter. You're back here where you should be no matter where you go in the Bible people go through difficult times. But they make it and the reason why they let God into their life.

So first of all, it says in Psalm 100 verse 1 make a joyful noise unto the Lord all ye lands. Serve the Lord with gladness. Come before his presence with singing. Know ye that the Lord he is God. It is he that has made us and not we ourself.

We are his people and the sheep of his pasture. Enter into his gates with thanksgiving and into his courts with praise be thankful to him and bless His name for the Lord is good. His mercy is everlasting.

His truth endures to all Generations. So number one as I'm setting next to my house or next to my car or I'm setting in the hospital I can't praise God for all that, but I can praise God that in the midst of what I'm going through God has always been there and God has always been good and listen to what he's saying in verse 1 make a joyful noise.

Well, I'm gonna come to church. I'm not gonna worship today. Well, that's fine. That's cool. But just once again, why should you worship? How about this God made you to be the praise and the glory of him?

He gave you the ability to worship why it brings pleasure to God so you don't have to but you're being disobedient. So by faith, let it go. Let that thing go let the attitude go the chip on the shoulder.

Why if you cannot worship you can't pray if you cannot look to God. You're not gonna be talking to God if you're mad at God. You're not gonna want to get right with God. You have to have a song in your heart when Silas and Paul were beaten at midnight.

They begin to praise God. That's the jailhouse rock right there and all of a sudden the place rocked and they got out but again once again over and over again, we see God ministering by his power and his anointing and Jesus Christ he was beaten.

But once again, we find this the strength of his life. And so make a joyful noise in verse 1 and verse 2 serve the Lord with gladness. So be happy. I don't want to okay come before his presence with singing.

I'm bummed don't want to don't you know that he is the Lord. He is over your life. You are the shape. He is God. He's going to take care of your life and so he says in verse 4 enter into the gates with Thanksgiving and into his courts with praise be thankful that you have a life and so when things happen to me I need to understand that things are gonna happen in me and then things are gonna happen through me.

So when big things happen to me big things happen in me and big things happen through me. So I see that God works in and through my life. So I have to have an attitude of praise. I don't know why I came down with prostate cancer, but I did but bless it be the name of the Lord.

It's in remission. I don't know why all these surges but I know a lot of people have had surgery since I've had them. So praise God and the possibility of going down that road and not having a song in my heart is not worth it.

So I'm gonna praise him. I'm gonna worship him. So that's it. Are you gonna worship? No, I'm not. I lost my job. You're never gonna find a job to change your attitude. Maybe God has something better. In fact, the Bible says he withholds that it might be more gracious in the end and God says again His thoughts for you are not evil, but good to an expected end.

God doesn't want to hurt you. In other words God does things in your life to get you because you're not listening to him. And so yeah, there's storms in my life, but I don't know what's gonna happen this time.

I don't know. We might all be living together. So I'm gonna have you listen this Bible study. So you're nice to each other. So pray worship praise him. So number one Lord teach me how to praise you. But number two Lord teach me how to pray but notice the R and the R stands for Request and this is the tough one.

Asking God for Help

It means you're going to have to ask for help. You're kidding me. I'm not gonna ask for help. I think the cutest story in the Bible is why it took the guys two years to find Jesus. The wise men Jesus was two years old when they found him.

Probably if they would have had the women go they could have found him when he was still a baby. They wouldn't get direction, you know, I don't know but it's crazy. We will not ask for direction. I know exactly where I'm going honey.

I've been with pastor Rob and the GPS is running. He doesn't believe it. I said Rob, are you a satellite? I just know this area like it doesn't. I mean the things hooked up to the world. I know it better than that thing knows it and We get lost every single time with him.

So he doesn't but I can't yield to that. I don't understand it. I can't figure it out. I can't figure out this woman. So I'm not gonna talk to her no more. You better talk to her. It can get a lot worse.

So all of a sudden you realize there's a request and that means you're asking and so what it means is Share with him if he enjoys your worship, he enjoys talking with you. And can you talk with him? Can you have a decent dialogue and have a heart-to-heart talk with God?

Can you tell God how you feel how things have not gone? Right how you feel about certain things. Martha did where were you when my brother died. If you would have been here He would never died. Jesus was not upset.

He said come let us reason together it says in Philippians chapter 4 verse 6 be careful for nothing but in everything by prayer and supplication. Thanksgiving let your request be known to God ask him and tell them.

Hey, tell them you need help. I don't need help. Tell them you need counseling. I don't need counseling. Tell me your marriage is up in the pits. It's not bad. I can fix it. Oh God help us look at it, why is it so hard to have someone help you and Sometimes I need to ask for help when I had back surgery I had to ask for food.

Otherwise, I wasn't gonna eat bring food, please quick. And so you guys helped out but I was helpless and I had to do it. Did I like it? No. Did it humble me? Yes, was it good for me? You bet your life.

Because it gave people a chance to love me when I wouldn't let them do that. I don't need it. Don't want it everybody else. What are you really saying that you're above everybody else when you know in your heart.

You need it and you can't bring yourself to ask it. So if you can't ask us, you're not gonna ask God for anything. Well, I tell you what, you ought to start asking God. Do you have not because what you asked not when you go shopping do you ask God to give you the best deals?

No. When you go buy a car, do you ask God to get you the best deal? No. When I go out with my wife, I asked God to please make it quick. I She doesn't know it. I think she's come for service. I hope she's not here.

She usually I hope I'm not even look over there. But anyway, I just say God make it quick because she has one thing in her heart charge to the mall. We go and sometimes I'll pray God. Put on her hard to go to the thrift shop.

Because I know that you can't only spend so much money there but man to go in a mall with that store and Have me by her side. Then it seems like she remembers everything 20 years ago. She needs to get down.

Oh Lord get me out of here the request and the peace of God and so are you asking God? Have you asked your wife? How are you doing? No. You stupid you think I'm gonna ask her how I'm do it she's gonna tell me exactly how I'm doing.

Well, that's good. If you're a man ask her I feel like Don Knox not John Wayne right now. I don't think I can ask ask her how you do. You might be surprised. Ladies ask your husband. Am I still that drippy faucet?

Complaining all the time where I'm getting better. I'm not gonna ask that question. See, we're too afraid. So a P I'm gonna praise him are I'm going to begin to request. Then we come to third teach me how to pray the a Accept.

Accepting Suffering by Faith

Oh, this is a killer. Suffering with him and Hebrews 11 6 but without faith. It's impossible to please him for he that cometh to God must believe that he is and he is a Rewarder of those that diligently seek him.

Yes, you're going to suffer. You might lose everything. You might lose a child. You're going to suffer. You might lose something that you have no Ability to stop it. It's gonna be painful. But if I can accept it if I can by faith live it.

I don't have to like it don't have to understand it. But do I believe that God is in charge? Yes, I do. Do I know why he's doing it? No, I don't do. I wish I would know. No, I really don't know. I just want to get over this moment of my life.

That's fair. But to reject it to get bitter towards it is to turn on God and Habakkuk and 317 although the fig tree shall not blossom neither show the fruit be in the vine or The olive shall be fallen on the field or the meat in the flock.

What is really saying is though your garage is empty and your cars are broken and your icebox is not working. And there's no food at all. I will jump around verse 18 I will rejoice in the Lord and I will jump for joy in God my salvation in the Hebrew.

It means I'm gonna jump up and down and spin around because I know that I am in God's perfect will now. Wait a second Habakkuk. How can you do that? God just told him that he's bringing Nebuchadnezzar down to destroy everything.

It's okay because God told him and God's gonna get him through it. You see all I need is for God to speak. All I need is one word that you're gonna make it you two are gonna make it your family's gonna make it.

We're gonna make it. And lastly it says Lord teach me how to pray notice the Y. It means the yield surrender to him. And so the first one very simply sing to him the second share with him third Suffer with him and lastly he says here surrender to him.

Yielding to God’s Will

And Luke 22 verse 40 When he was at that place He said unto them pray that you enter not into temptation that you enter not into temptation. He was withdrew from them about a stone cast knelt down and pray saying father if thou wilt remove this cup from me.

Nevertheless, not my will but thy will be done and instantly the angels came and what that tells me is the last and most important Thing I'm gonna yield to God and what he says is listen God if there's any other way I don't want to do it if this is the only way I'll do it and God said this is the only way in Jesus said For the joy that is set before me.

I will do it. And so what I'm saying to you this morning is very simple prayer is simply talking with God. But it's talking to God when you don't feel like talking to God. There's nothing in you except you're moody and angry and uptight.

I can't come to God you come to God just like you are. The Bible says let's reason together say it the Lord and if you could sit there for a moment and just Let God touch you. Everything would begin to work out.

But Satan has to lie to you. Don't go to God. Don't ask him for a thing. You know what he's done in your life. And so people don't talk to God. So when the crisis comes they're gonna fall apart. But I think just the opposite we need to stand.

You need to fix your house and then you need to go across the street and fix your neighbor's house. You need to feed your home. Then you need to go down the street and feed somebody else's home. You need to bandage up your kids and you have to go down bandage up somebody else's you can't do that.

If you have an attitude with God Change my life. Help me to praise you. Help me to request from you help me to accept. The things are so hard in my life. But mostly help me to yield what you've always wanted myself.

I give you my life right now.

P-r-a-y praise request. Accept and yield pastor Steve Mays with four powerful reasons to spend time in God's presence. On March 11th 2011 a nine-point earthquake hit Japan. An earthquake So strong it literally shifted the earth's axis than a few hours later a tsunami swept in causing death destruction and nuclear meltdown.

A large tsunami. Engulfing the port of Kamaishi in Iwate Prefecture with more than 20 ,000 dead or missing. Millions struggled with loss. Trying to make sense of it all. Today's events. Remind us of just how fragile life can be.