AS WE LOOK TO THE WORD OF GOD TODAY I WANT TO CONTINUE ON IN SOME OF THE THINGS THAT WE HAVE BEEN TALKING ABOUT IN THIS SERVICE THUS FAR. I BELIEVE TODAY THAT ONE OF THE MOST UNDERESTIMATED THINGS THAT WE CAN DO, UNDERESTIMATED IN ITS IMPORTANCE OF DOING IT, IS THIS THING CALLED PRAYER. PRAYER IS AN AMAZING THING WHEN WE LET IT WORK IN OUR LIFE. BUT MANY TIMES IT'S THE THING WE TURN TO LAST IN THE MIDST OF OUR TESTING AND TRYING. AND UNFORTUNATELY, BY THAT TIME WE'VE BROUGHT IN SOME OTHER THINGS, BECAUSE OF OUR ATTEMPTS TO RESOLVE OUR ISSUES. AND NOW WE FIND OURSELVES HAVING TO TALK TO GOD ABOUT MUCH MORE THAN WE INITIALLY NEEDED TO TALK TO HIM ABOUT. SO TODAY, I WANT TO ENCOURAGE YOU IN THESE FEW MOMENTS THAT I HAVE, TO KEEP A PRAYER LIFE. TO DEVELOP YOUR ABILITY TO TALK TO GOD. BECAUSE IN YOUR PRAYING YOU WILL FIND SOMETHING THAT WILL HELP YOU. AND IT WILL MAKE THE DIFFERENCE. NOW, AS I TALK TO YOU ABOUT THE POWER OF PRAYER TODAY, I WANT TO TURN TO A VERSE OF SCRIPTURE, FOUND IN THE BOOK OF LUKE, CHAPTER 11. IN LUKE 11, THERE'S ONE VERSE OF SCRIPTURE THAT I WANT TO TAKE A MOMENT TO TALK ABOUT, IT'S VERSE 1. IN LUKE 11.1 IT SAYS, "IT CAME TO PASS THAT AS HE WAS PRAYING IN A CERTAIN PLACE WHEN HE CEASED, ONE OF HIS DISCIPLES SAID UNTO HIM, "LORD, TEACH US TO PRAY, AS JOHN ALSO TAUGHT HIS DISCIPLES." HEAR THE REQUEST OF THIS ONE DISCIPLE. WE DON'T KNOW, REALLY, WHICH ONE IT WAS, IT PROBABLY WILL TELL US, BUT I DIDN'T LOOK TO SEE, IT DOESN'T MATTER. THE REQUEST IS, "LORD, TEACH US TO PRAY." NOW I THINK THAT'S SOMETHING THAT EVERYONE OF US OUGHT TO ASK OF GOD. HELP US TO KNOW, HELP US TO LEARN, HELP US TO PRAY. YOU SEE, THE ONE THING THAT GOD NEEDS FOR US TO DO, IS SOMETHING THAT HE WILL HELP US TO DO. AND AS WE GO ON AND READ, WE LEARN WHERE HE TEACHES US WHAT WE HAVE COME TO CALL, THE LORD'S PRAYER. REALLY, IT PROBABLY OUGHT TO BE CALLED THE DISCIPLE'S PRAYER. BECAUSE THIS IS THE MODEL THAT GOD GIVES TO US OF HOW WE OUGHT TO PRAY. TODAY, PRAYER IS IMPORTANT. PRAYER IS THE MODE BY WHICH WE TALK TO GOD ABOUT THE THINGS OF OUR LIFE. PRAYER IS MORE THAN JUST MAKING A SUPPLICATION UNTO GOD. A SUPPLICATION IS A REQUEST. WHERE WE SAY TO GOD, LORD, THIS IS WHAT I NEED, THIS IS WHAT I'M GOING THROUGH, THIS IS WHAT I'D LIKE YOU TO DO TO HELP ME. PRAYER IS TALKING TO GOD AND THAT'S THE THING THAT WE RECEIVE OUR GREAT BENEFIT FROM. IT'S IN TALKING TO HIM. ONE OF THE MOST OBVIOUS THINGS THAT WE CAN THINK OF IN THAT IS, THAT AS WE TALK TO GOD, WE COME TO KNOW GOD. THINK ABOUT THIS IN YOUR EVERYDAY LIFE. HOW DO YOU COME TO KNOW ANYBODY? YOU COME TO KNOW THEM BY CONVERSING WITH THEM. AND WHEN I TALK ABOUT CONVERSING, REMEMBER CONVERSING IS, LISTENING AS MUCH AS IT IS TALKING. GOD COMES TO KNOW US THROUGH OUR TALKING. WE COME TO KNOW GOD THROUGH HIS TALKING. MANY TIMES, GOD IS TALKING, BUT WE'RE NOT LISTENING. THAT'S WHEN WE INJURE OURSELVES. THAT'S WHEN WE REMOVE A GREAT SOURCE OF HELP FROM OUR LIVES. WHEN WE'RE NOT LISTENING TO WHAT GOD HAS TO SAY. MANY TIMES THE SOLUTION THAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR, HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH THE PROBLEM THAT WE THINK WE'RE TAKING TO THE LORD. MANY TIMES GOD HAS TO SOLVE SOMETHING ELSE BEFORE HE CAN SOLVE THAT ONE THING THAT YOU TURNED TO GOD FOR. BUT HOW WOULD YOU KNOW THAT IF YOU'RE NOT LISTENING TO THE VOICE OF THE LORD. YOU SEE, IT'S THAT STILL SMALL VOICE THAT SPEAKS DEEP WITHIN US SOMETIMES THAT HAS THE MOST POWERFUL ADVICE. GOD IS TRYING TO HELP US, HE'S SPEAKING TO US, YET, WE'RE NOT STOPPING LONG ENOUGH THAT WE CAN HEAR AND PAY ATTENTION TO WHAT HE HAS TO SAY TO US. NOW THE REASON THAT BECOMES IMPORTANT IS THIS, PRAYER IS OUR LINK TO THE VITALITY OF THE HOLY SPIRIT AT WORK IN OUR LIVES. IN OTHER WORDS, PRAYER IS OUR LINK TO THE ANOINTING OF GOD. NOW WE DON'T THINK ABOUT THAT TOO MUCH. BUT WE HAVE TO REALIZE TODAY, THAT UNLESS WE LET THE HOLY SPIRIT WORK IN OUR LIVES, UNLESS WE GIVE THE HOLY SPIRIT FREEDOM OF ACCESS, UNLESS WE GIVE IN TO WHAT THE HOLY SPIRIT IS DOING, WE'RE CONSTANTLY GOING TO BE STRUGGLING WITH THE THINGS THAT COME TO US. THE HOLY SPIRIT IS NECESSARY TO EVERYONE OF OUR LIVES. NOW I COULD TAKE THE WHOLE REMAINDER OF THIS SERMON TODAY, TO TALK TO YOU ABOUT THIS ONE ISSUE. YOU SEE, WE HAVE TO REALIZE TODAY THAT WHEN JESUS CAME TO THIS EARTH, HE CAME FOR MORE THAN JUST THE REASON OF DYING ON AN OLD RUGGED CROSS, THAT OUR SINS MIGHT BE DEALT WITH. YES, HE SHED HIS BLOOD TO WASH OUR SINS AWAY. BUT HE ALSO CAME SO THAT HE THAT WAS COMING AFTER HIM, COULD COME. THROUGHOUT HIS MINISTRY ON THIS EARTH, WE HEAR THE LORD TALKING ABOUT THE COMFORTER AND THE NEED FOR THE COMFORTER TO COME. WHEN THAT COMFORTER COMES, HE BRINGS WITH HIM, ALL THAT WE HAVE NEED OF, TO DEAL WITH ALL OF THE THINGS THAT WE ARE GOING TO DEAL WITH IN THIS LIFE. HE BRINGS STRENGTH, HE BRINGS COMFORT, HE BRINGS PEACE, HE BRINGS ASSURANCE. HE BRINGS THOSE KINDS OF THINGS TO OUR LIFE. BUT HEAR ME TODAY FRIEND, HE ALSO BRINGS GUIDANCE, HE BRINGS INSTRUCTION, HE TEACHES US HOW WE OUGHT TO WALK, HOW WE OUGHT TO LIVE. AND THROUGH OUR WALKING AND OUR LIVING, WE BRING INTO OUR LIVES A LOT OF THINGS THAT WILL EITHER HELP US OR HURT US. THROUGH THE INTERVENTION OF THE HOLY SPIRIT, WE RECEIVE THE HELP OF GOD. BUT YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE TO OPEN UP YOUR LIFE, YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE TO LET HIM COME IN. AND THROUGH HIS COMING IN, HE BRINGS WITH HIM ALL THAT YOU ARE GOING TO HAVE TO HAVE, IN ORDER TO DEAL WITH THESE THINGS IN OUR LIVING. DON'T EVER DENY THE HOLY SPIRIT ACCESS TO YOUR LIFE. NOW WHEN PEOPLE HEAR US PENTECOSTAL PREACHERS TALK ABOUT THAT, THEY GET REAL NERVOUS. BECAUSE THEY THINK THAT WE'RE TRYING TO GET THEM TO DO THIS AND THAT AND MAKE HOLY ROLLERS OUT OF THEM. FRIEND, NO MATTER WHAT DENOMINATION YOU'RE A PART OF, IF YOU'RE NON-DENOMINATIONAL TODAY. YOU DON'T BELONG TO A SPECIFIC GROUP. I CAN STAND HERE TO TELL YOU THAT THOUGH I AM A PENTECOSTAL PREACHER EVERY ONE OF US, REGARDLESS OF OUR RELIGIOUS AFFILIATION, WE NEED THE HOLY SPIRIT. YES, WE DO. YOU MAY THINK THAT YOU'RE A NOTHINARIAN, BUT YOU STILL NEED THE HOLY SPIRIT. BECAUSE WE CANNOT LIVE SUCCESSFUL VICTORIOUS LIVES WITHOUT THAT INTERVENTION OF THE HOLY GHOST AT WORK WITHIN US. PRAYER IS OUR LINK TO RECEIVING THAT DIVINE INTERVENTION. AS WE TALK TO GOD AND WE OPEN UP OUR HEARTS TO HIM AND OUR LIVES TO HIM, THAT HOLY SPIRIT WILL COME IN, AFTER ALL, IT IS THROUGH THE MOVING OF THE HOLY SPIRIT THAT GOD ANSWERS OUR PRAYER. THROUGH THE HOLY SPIRIT WE ARE ABLE TO HEAR THE VOICE OF THE LORD SPEAKING. THROUGH THE HOLY SPIRIT, THAT SPIRIT QUICKENS US AND STRENGTHENS THESE MORTAL BODIES. THE BIBLE SAYS, "IF THE SAME SPIRIT THAT RAISED CHRIST FROM THE DEAD DWELL WITHIN US, IT WILL QUICKEN US." WHEN I LOOK AT THAT WORD "QUICKEN," I REALIZE THAT WHAT HE'S SAYING TO US IS, IS THAT HE WILL EMPOWER US FOR WHATEVER WE NEED HIM TO DO. IT'S NOT US, BUT IT'S HE THAT DWELLETH IN US. WHEN JESUS WALKED THE EARTH, HE DWELT AMONG US. BUT WHEN HE DIED ON THE CROSS OF CALVARY, HE SET INTO MOTION A CHAIN OF EVENTS, THAT WOULD BRING THE HOLY SPIRIT INTO THE LIVES OF MANKIND IN THE UPPER ROOM, SO THAT NOW, GOD IS NOT JUST DWELLING AMONG US, BUT NOW HE'S DWELLING WITHIN US. AND FRIEND, WHEN HE DWELLS WITHIN YOU THAT'S WHERE YOU RECEIVE YOUR STRENGTH AND YOUR POWER. IT'S NOT YOU, BUT IT'S HE THAT DWELLS WITHIN YOU. AND THAT IS THE HOLY SPIRIT. IF YOU WANT TO TALK ABOUT THE POWER OF PRAYER, YOU HAVE TO START THERE. BECAUSE AS WE GET ON OUR KNEES BEFORE GOD, THAT'S WHAT WE'RE OPENING OURSELVES UP TO, WE ARE OPENING OURSELVES UP TO RECEIVE THE GIFT OF THE HOLY SPIRIT. SO THAT IT MAY WORK FREELY WITHIN OUR LIVES. OH, I'M NOT EVEN HALF WAY THROUGH THIS MESSAGE TODAY. THERE'S SO MANY THINGS THAT I WANT TO TALK TO YOU ABOUT, ABOUT PRAYER. WELL, I DON'T HAVE TIME TO DO THAT, SO, I'M GOING TO CLOSE IN A WORD OF PRAYER AND ASK GOD TO HELP YOU TODAY. PRECIOUS LORD AND SAVIOR, I ASK YOU RIGHT NOW, THAT THROUGH THE MOVING OF YOUR HOLY SPIRIT TODAY, YOU WILL COME AND BEGIN TO QUICKEN EACH ONE THAT IS IN NEED. STRENGTHEN THEM BY YOUR PRESENCE I PRAY. HELP THEM, GUIDE THEM, KEEP THEM, ALL OF THESE THINGS THAT THEY HAVE NEED OF. AND WE ASK YOU THESE THINGS IN JESUS' NAME, AMEN.