Conversation with God E-Book

Brian Sutton

• Herausgeber: BroadStreet Publishing Group, LLC
• Kategorie: Religion und Spiritualität
• Sprache: Englisch
• Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2017

Seitenzahl: 171

Beschreibung

A vibrant prayer life is possible for everyone. Conversation is a natural part of life, but most people think communication with God through a vibrant life of prayer isn't possible or is only for "Super Christians." Conversation with God shares spiritual insights and provides a clear path for all people to experience a deeper relationship with God through prayer. Conversation with God will help you to: - Know the voice of God through constant conversation. - Participate with God in his love and work for humanity. - Recognize God's daily presence in your life and commune with him. - Surrender your needs to God. - Pray for the hurting, addicted, lonely, broken, hopeless, and lost. God wants to converse with you, much like speaking with a friend. Prayer is not the vehicle that takes us where we're going; it's the place we want to be—in genuine, engaging, daily give-and-take conversation with God.

Leseprobe

BroadStreet Publishing Group, LLC

Racine, Wisconsin, USA

BroadStreetPublishing.com

Conversation with God:The Power of Prevailing Prayer

Copyright © 2017 Brian T. Sutton

ISBN-13: 978-1-4245-5554-3 (softcover)

ISBN-13: 978-1-4245-5555-0 (e-book)

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form, except for brief quotations in printed reviews, without permission in writing from the publisher.

All Scriptures, unless marked otherwise, are from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. Scripture quotations marked NLT are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188, USA. All rights reserved. Scripture quotations marked NASB are taken from the New American Standard Bible, © Copyright 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. Scripture marked KJV is taken from the King James Version of the Bible. Public Domain.

Emphases in Scripture quotations are those of the author.

Stock or custom editions of BroadStreet Publishing titles may be purchased in bulk for educational, business, ministry, fundraising, or sales promotional use. For information, please e-mail [email protected].

Cover design by Chris Garborg at garborgdesign.com Interior design and typesetting by Katherine Lloyd at theDESKonline.com

Printed in the United States of America

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This work is dedicated to my late brother, William Jason Sutton. He left this life on January 9, 2015. Jason was quite possibly the funniest person I’ve ever known. I can easily close my eyes and see him gushing with a loud laugh as he slapped his leg. His heart was drawn to those who were downtrodden and cast away by others. May we all strive to live in the love of Jesus that reaches to the “least of these” around us.

Contents

Foreword

How to Use This Resource

Chapter 1Prayer Is Conversation with God

Chapter 2How to Approach God in Prayer

Chapter 3A Life of Prayer Is a Life of Trust

Chapter 4Prayer as Participation in the Kingdom of God

Chapter 5Victorious Life through Prayer

Appendices

Appendix 1 – Corporate or Group Intercession

Appendix 2 – About the Great Commandment Network

Appendix 3 – A Spirit-Empowered Faith

Appendix 4 – A Spirit-Empowered Disciple

Acknowledgments

About the Author

Foreword

It does not necessarily concern satan when the church announces a board meeting, a leadership conference, or another spectacular event. He has repeatedly watched these happen without doing much harm to his work on the earth. However, when satan hears that the church is going to develop a lifestyle of conversation with God through prevailing prayer, he knows that we are engaging in a realm of power that causes him and his imps to tremble. Through the power of prayer, satan has been defeated in every confrontation, beginning when he was an archangel who challenged the rule of God.

Unfortunately, among many Christians today, prayer is more assumed than achieved; it is more preached than practiced. Prayer is too often reserved for crises, rather than done in the sphere of everyday life. Many churches today have been duped into believing that plans, programs, organizations, personal skills, or charisma may be substituted for prayer. Not so! There is no substitute for prayer.

Brian Sutton is perfectly clear in his call for prevailing prayer. To prevail means to prove superior in strength, power, or influence. In this matter, Pastor Sutton is in full agreement with the apostle Paul who said in 2 Corinthians 2:5, “we are not sufficient of ourselves to think any thing as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God” (KJV).

Acknowledging our irrefutable human deficiencies through prevailing prayer, we call upon the strength, power, and influence of the one who said that “this battle is not yours, but mine.” Jesus Christ, our Advocate, made it possible for us to “come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need” (Hebrews 4:16 KJV).

In this book, Pastor Sutton does not present warmed-over clichés regarding prayer but probes deeply into the biblical definition of prayer, with special emphasis on how Jesus taught his disciples that prayer was more than an event—it was entering a conversation with God. Is it possible that these Jewish men whom Christ chose as disciples did not know how to pray? Not hardly. Their Jewish faith taught them to pray at least five times a day. But they wanted to know Jesus’ way of praying.

Jesus’ way of praying was so much more personal than what they had been taught by the rabbis. Jesus’ way of praying sounded more like a child having an intimate conversation with his father, and the disciples could relate to that. Interestingly, the disciples never asked Jesus to teach them to preach, teach, or lead, but they asked him to teach them to pray. Jesus taught them that prayer was to be perpetual and ongoing communication with God.

Multiple hours are spent in teaching Christians many things, but little to no time is spent teaching us how to communicate with God. Pastor Sutton makes an extraordinary appeal to correct that. My hope and prayer is that we will take notice.

Conversation with God: The Power of Prevailing Prayer focuses on prayer as communication. Communication is a two-way street. In prayer, we not only speak to God, but we endeavor to hear God speak. Scripture tells us in Exodus 33:11, “And the LORD spake unto Moses face to face, as a man speaketh unto his friend” (KJV). How incredible is that? We are in a relationship with God that involves give and take. The act of sincere prayer emboldens us to see ourselves as God sees us—as sons and daughters, members of his family who are privileged to have regular conversation with our Father. Prayer is a natural outcome of our relationship with God.

Let us never forget that it is not good works that God honors; it is a relationship. It is prayer, not good works, that drive toward a rightful relationship with God and with fellow humans. The casualties of the spiritual life may be traced back to the point of one’s failure to establish effective communication with God through prevailing prayer.

Our culture has so filled our ears with the excess of human noises that the voice of God is too often obscured. So much of life is so artificial that we attempt to cover it with entertainment and special effects. How much longer can we stay in touch with the inner-spirit when the demons of our busy world are making so much noise? The answer lies in the theme of this book. God desires us to move beyond mere survival and artificial living. He is calling us to an overcoming and victorious life through prayer.

The highest achievement of the Christian life is prayer and conversation with God, because it means that we are in God’s company and in union with him. Unquestionably, this is greatly illustrated by Pastor Sutton when he calls for a lifestyle of conversation with God. Although he emphasizes the importance of specific acts of prayer, he reminds us that, above all else, prayer is the desire for God, and that is much more than a programmed event.

The personal experiences of Pastor Sutton relating to the power of prayer and its impact on his life add an indisputable value to this book. He shares examples of family and others who have influenced his prayer life, which provides us with great insight as to why Pastor Sutton is so committed to this vital subject. It is my sincere hope and prayer that this book will bring each of us into a dramatic awakening of the spiritual life through fervent, effectual, and persistent prayer.

Lamar Vest

Former President and CEO of American Bible Society

How to Use This Resource

Do you ever wish for more closeness in your relationship with Jesus? Conversation with God is a perfect resource for personal and small-group study. Do you ever long to see God’s people ministering to the Lord in first-century power? Conversation with God can be effectively used as a church-wide devotional guide. Do you ever sense a burden to see a reclaiming of God’s church as a house of prayer? Conversation with God is ideal for prayer summits, prayer retreats, pastoral prayer teams, or beginning an intercessory prayer ministry.

Conversation with God is unique. It is unlike any of the resources you’ve likely read before, because the exercises in each chapter were written with the specific goal of engaging you in conversations with God. These exercises were created to move you beyond seeking to simply know about God to moving toward experiencing and relating to him. Why is this important? Because it’s only an experiential, Spirit-empowered faith that can live out our ultimate calling. The Conversation with God resource is designed to foster this kind of faith.

Conversation with God has a specific focus on ministering to the Lord through more deeply loving him with all our heart, mind, soul, and strength (see Acts 13:2; Matthew 22:37). The ultimate goal of our faith journey is not acquiring more facts or learning more doctrine; our faith is about a person. It’s this relational perspective on loving the Lord that produces Christlikeness and a faith that is marked by the Spirit’s power.

Ten specific “Loving the Lord” discipleship outcomes are listed and fully described in the Appendices of this resource. Within the text, these outcomes are labeled as L1–L10. You’ll find the outcomes within the devotional exercises throughout Conversation with God. (An entire framework for spiritual growth has been drawn from a cluster analysis of several Greek and Hebrew words that declare that Christ’s followers are to be equipped for works of ministry or service. See the Appendices.)

Next, imagine this: You’ve just begun a journey. It’s as if you’re going for a walk. As you read through Conversation with God, we invite you to walk in the light of God’s Son (see John 8:12), in the light of God’s Word (see Psalm 119:105), and in the light of God’s people (see Matthew 5:14). The devotional exercises contained in this resource are designed around these three sources of light. When you come to an exercise, we recommend that you pause right then and have a conversation with God.

We’re delighted that you’ve decided to take this walk with God. Be encouraged. God’s Word reminds us that it’s vitally important to walk in the light. In fact, Jesus told his disciples, “Walk while you have the light” (John 12:35).

The Great Commandment Network has developed the devotional exercises in this resource, the Spirit-empowered discipleship framework, and, in collaboration with others, the Spirit-empowered outcomes that are included. The Great Commandment Network’s deepest desire it to serve our friend, Brian Sutton, and the cause of Spirit-empowered discipleship.

The Great Commandment Network is an international collaborative network of strategic, kingdom leaders from the faith community, marketplace, education, and caregiving fields who prioritize the powerful simplicity of the words of Jesus to love God, live his Word, love people, and live his mission.

Chapter 1

Prayer Is Conversation with God

My grandfather, Paul Sutton, was not a preacher; he was a farmer, but he taught me much about God. He wore denim overalls practically every day, other than on Sundays when he went to church. I learned much about prayer as conversation with God from listening to my grandfather pray.

I was one of many grandchildren in the Sutton family, sixteen, to be exact. At one time, many of us attended the same church in rural Lawrence County, Alabama. It was wonderful to be raised in that small church with a big family.

All the grandkids loved to spend the night at Granddaddy and Grandmother’s house. It was a small, white house situated on a farm, but it miraculously swelled to accommodate all the grandchildren whenever we wanted to spend the night.

My grandmother, Beatrice, was a fantastic cook. We were often awakened in the morning by the smell of her biscuits, thick chocolate gravy (a Southern breakfast dish), and various meats being fried from the livestock Granddaddy raised. For me, those times spent with cousins at my grandparents’ house were precious. They were grand for many reasons, but perhaps the grandest of reasons was the opportunity I had to listen to Granddaddy pray.

Every night at bedtime, Granddaddy would turn off the television, stop all activity, and gather all of us into the living room. He would then ask us to find a place to pray, and we would all kneel. Granddaddy’s small living room would be filled with tiny Sutton kids on our knees beside Granddaddy and Grandmother. All ages were represented. We all said our dutiful prayers for our parents, siblings, Sunday school teachers, pets, football teams, “Bear” Bryant, or whatever else was on our young hearts. Eventually the room would grow still as our little voices faded off and got quiet. We’d slowly stop praying, one by one, and wander off to our beds. But whenever our prayers ceased, Granddaddy’s didn’t. He always continued to pray even after we were all finished.

He would talk to God like he was talking to his friend. And I distinctly remember one specific line from Granddaddy—I’ve never heard anyone say it quite like him—“Lord, bless all those that it is our duty to pray for.” When we heard him pray, we knew Granddaddy was listening to God. But perhaps even more so, when we heard him pray, we knew God was listening to Granddaddy. It was a conversation between heaven and earth. Hearing Granddaddy’s prayers helped me realize early on that prayer is simply a conversation with God. We speak and we listen. We talk and we hear. God wants us to converse with him, much like speaking with a friend.

Jeremiah 33:3 says, “Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.” These are powerful words indeed—a promise from God. Why then would we not pray? The truth is that we have many reasons. And even when we pray, prayer can become just another option for us, something to pick up and put down for our own purposes. But it can and should be so much more than that.

The truth is that prayer is a mighty vehicle for us. It is something we use to carry out the purposes of God in our lives. We know prayer can increase the effectiveness of our ministry; we know prayer will boost our ability to reach the harvest. We pray so we can lead; we pray so we can work; and we pray so we can preach. We pray so we can accomplish what God wants us to accomplish. We pray so we can talk to God. And we pray so we can hear from God.

Prayer and the life of prayer are spiritual practices. I cannot explain them to you; rather, they must be experienced. I’ve seen a myriad of T-shirts and bumper stickers that say, “Prayer changes things.” But prayer does not change things. Prayer has no power whatsoever in and of itself. If simply being enthusiastic about prayer as a powerful vehicle were enough, I could pray to anything and receive an answer. No, prayer doesn’t change things; it is God who changes things! I’ll say it again: It is not prayer or even a life of prayer that brings us power; it is the God to whom we pray who has all power.

Paul said in 1 Thessalonians 5:16–18, “Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” The church has been called to pray continually. You and I have been called to pray continually, pray without stopping. It is a vital part of the life of a Christian. Whatever has gone on in the past, you can decide today that you’re going to be a person who prays—a person who maintains a lifestyle of prayer. I’ve made the decision—I will pray.

It’s not prayer itself that has the power; rather,

it is the God we pray to who has the power.

MAKE THE DECISION: AN EXPERIENCE OF SCRIPTURE

Jesus replied: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.” (Matthew 22:37)

Make the decision to pray by first learning to love God and making him your priority. Since the greatest of all the commandments is to love God, let’s pause to consider the question: “How is it that we really love God?” Often our response indicates that we believe that loving God is equal to doing things for God. All the while, he is simply longing for us to relate to him.

If God needed something done, then he could enlist the angels for perfect execution and without complaint. We, as his created image bearers, have the privilege of intimacy with him. Our journey with God in prayer provides this unique opportunity.

As we approach him in prayer, where do we begin? The psalmist declares:

Worship the LORD with gladness;

come before him with joyful songs.

Know that the LORD is God.

It is he who made us, and we are his;

we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.

Enter his gates with thanksgiving

and his courts with praise;

give thanks to him and praise his name.

(Psalm 100:2–4)

Imagine that you’re a parent and one of your teenagers initiates this conversation: “Mom/Dad, I’d like to take this time to share the gratefulness I feel for all the ways you have loved me so well!” What an absolute miracle that would be, right? But wouldn’t you agree that kind of heartfelt expression of gratitude communicates love? Likewise, you and I express our love to the Lord in many relational ways, and one of the most important is through our gratitude.

Prayer is a journey into deepened love with the Lord. “Re-joice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus” (1 Thessalonians 5:16–18). Pause now to pray a prayer of thanksgiving and serve God with a glad heart:

Father, as I reflect on the countless ways you have loved me well, my heart overflows with thanksgiving. I’m especially grateful for how you have blessed me with __________, and how you have sustained me through __________. I praise you for your generosity and grace. Receive my thanksgiving and praise as a small expression of my deep love. Amen.

L1. Practicing thanksgiving in all things.

In 1 John 5:14, we read, “This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us.” Prayer is a conversation with the one who is always there. It allows us access through Jesus Christ into a conversation with God. The Father is always seeking a conversation with us; he greatly desires to communicate with us.

My wife, Renee, and I recently did some redecorating in our upstairs bathroom. We took down some wallpaper, spackled a few holes, and repainted the walls. She purchased some new decorations and pictures. Of course, she wanted me to hang these pictures on the walls.

So I went into my garage, reached into my black tool bag, pulled out my hammer, and grabbed some nails from my old plastic ice-cream bucket. I took my hammer and used it to drive in every one of those nails in the exact location where Renee wanted the pictures hung.

When I finished, I hung the pictures and headed back into my garage. I opened my black tool bag once again, placed my hammer back inside, and zipped up the bag. Finished! Right now, as I’m writing this, my hammer is put away. I know where it will be the next time I need to drive in a few nails or hang up more pictures. That’s using my hammer as the tool for which it was intended.

We might as well admit it: We often use prayer in our lives and in the church as a tool from a tool bag. When we need God to do something for us, when we need something in ministry, when we desire to have something accomplished, we go to the spiritual tool bag because we know that prayer is what we should use. We