The Power of Persistent Prayer | Lisa Osteen Comes | Lakewood Church Service

((music playing)) You fight the battle. You get the glory. ((music playing)) ((music playing)) One, two, three... Good morning, Lakewood. Get those hands together. This is the day that the Lord has made. Amen. We will rejoice and be glad in it. Come on. There's a light that shines with hope and grace, fills the sky with new mercy each day.

We're alive. Let your glory pour out Jesus. There's a joy that overwhelms our souls cuz we know our God is in control. Overflow, let your favor pour out Jesus. Oh, sing Jesus. Jesus. This is the day that the Lord has made. We will rejoice and—oh yes we will.

This is the day that the Lord has made. We'll rejoice. Oh rejoice and be glad in it. Rejoice and be glad in it. On behalf of our pastors Joel and Victoria Osteen, we want to say welcome to Lakewood. You look so good this morning. You sound great and we're grateful that you chose to worship with us here this morning.

For those of you watching online or listening by way of Sirius XM radio, we want to welcome you as well. Are there any guests here this morning? Can you just put your hand up real high? We want to honor you. Thank you for coming. Many of you maybe different parts of the country, different parts of the world.

Um we're grateful that you chose to worship with us. And we're going to start off how we do every Sunday. And that is simply in worship where we're releasing our faith in the atmosphere, allowing God to do what he wants to do. And maybe uh it's been a while since you've been to church.

Maybe this is the first time you've been here at Lakewood. We get a little excited about worshiping Jesus here, a little passionate because here here's what we've come to realize and learn is that better is one day in his courts than a thousands elsewhere. David wrote that Psalm 84:10.

It's one of my favorite scriptures. He's learned that more can happen in one moment in God's presence than anywhere else. And so today, you're not just wasting time and allowing the band and the worship team to sing some songs. That's not what we're doing. We're actually exercising our faith.

We're believing what we're singing. We're believing that when we when we say these words, when we release our faith, that God goes to work. You know, God holds the plans of your life. And the Bible says he's anxious to work his word in your life. He's anxious to move.

And what moves him is when you release your faith. So today, my encouragement is this. Don't just spectate. Be a participator today. Release your faith in a way that's comfortable for you. Some may dance a little bit. Some may shout a little bit. You know, whatever's comfortable for you.

My encouragement is that you would release your faith and allow God to do what he wants to do in your life. There's freedom available. There's strength available. There's grace available. There's power available. There's wisdom available. Anyone in need of some joy, of some hope. It's all available in his presence.

Father, we love you this morning. We thank you that you're here. You're in our midst, which means we have access to everything that comes with you. And so we thank you for grace. We thank you for power. We thank you for joy and hope and strength and peace.

We pray that you would have your way today. We love you. We honor you. And we worship you in Jesus name. And everybody said, "Amen." Come on, lift Jesus today. He's good. This is my story. I testify the blessings on blessings you poured on my life when I start remembering how good you've been.

Yeah. Fear turns to worship. Tears turn to praise. Chains of depression, broken by grace, when I start remembering how good you've been. Lord, you've been so so so so ((music playing)) you've been so so so so ((music playing)) Enemies weapons fall to the ground. Armies of heaven always surround when I start remembering how you carry my cross.

((music playing)) ((music playing)) ((music playing)) I see how you've been so so so so good ((music playing)) Come on everybody, put your hands together. How many of the Lord has been good to you today? He's been good to you all this week. We want you to lift your voices. Come on, lift your praise. Come on, repeat after us.

Say, when I say God is good, you say all the time. When I say all the time, you say God is good. When I say God is good, you say all the time. When I say all the time, you say— When I say God is good, you say all the time.

When I say all the time, you say God is good. When I say God is good, you say all the time. When I say ((music playing)) ((music playing)) ((music playing)) ((music playing)) Yeah. Heat. ((music playing)) ((music playing)) ((music playing)) What was lost is not gone. What was dead is not done. Take heart. Have faith. Hold on. What was lost is not gone.

He'll restore the years that were sown in tears. Nothing is over. Nothing is over. And watch him make a way. Have the final say. Nothing is over. Nothing is over. ((music playing)) not gone. He's gonna change it. ((music playing)) ((music playing)) Somebody praise him. ((music playing)) ((music playing)) ((music playing)) ((music playing)) ((music playing)) Come on, church. Do you believe that this morning? He's the redeemer and the restorer.

He's the lift over our head. Come on, let's declare this together. It's coming back. It's coming back. It's coming back better. It's coming back. It's coming back better. It's coming back. Coming back better than ever. Everything the enemy stole is coming back. It's coming back better. It's coming back.

It's coming back better. It's coming back. It's coming back better than ever. ((music playing)) It's coming back. It's coming back ((music playing)) ((music playing)) ((music playing)) ((music playing)) ((music playing)) ((music playing)) and he'll restore the years that were sown in tears. Nothing is over. Nothing is over. Watch him make a way. He'll have the final say. Nothing is over. Nothing is over.

Yes, Lord. Great is thy faithfulness, oh God, my father. There is no shadow of turning with thee. Thou changest not thy compassions. They fail not. As thou has been, thou forever will be. Let's sing it together. Great is thy faithfulness. Great is thy faithfulness. Morning by morning, new mercies I see.

All I have needed thy hath provided. Great is thy faithfulness. Great is thy faithfulness. Great is thy faithfulness. Lord unto me. When I reach the end of my own strength, that's when you step in and prove your faithfulness. I remember what my weapon is. And with lifted hands watch you move again.

Are you not the God who is in heaven? The one who reigns forever. My eyes are on you. My eyes are on you, Lord. Cuz you fight the battle, you get the glory. Here come the angels. Here comes the victory. The enemy is outnumbered, outnumbered. You fight the battle.

You get the glory. Oh, come on. We declare. I don't have to do this by myself. No. When I call your name, I have heaven's help. I will lift my eyes and look again to the king of all who has called me friend. So when the battle comes, I will remember.

You're my great defender. My eyes are on you. My eyes are on you, Lord. ((music playing)) ((music playing)) ((music playing)) ((music playing)) ((music playing)) ((music playing)) ((music playing)) You fight the battle. You say—. You get the glory. ((music playing)) ((music playing)) ((music playing)) ((music playing)) ((music playing)) ((music playing)) You get the glory. ((applause)) Father. We believe that this morning that as we stand here releasing our faith that you are going to work on our behalf, Lord, actually, you've already finished the work.

We're just walking in faith, believing that we're going to continue to go from strength to strength and glory to glory. Lord, you say that we are victors and never victims. That tells us, Father, that we may face things. We may come up against things, but as we stand in faith and trust you and release our faith that you will work all things out for our good.

Thank you, Jesus, that things may be coming against us, but we know that your word says you raise up a standard against the enemy. And so today, I decree and declare a mighty standard around every person under the sound of my voice, a heavenly standard. Father, thank you that you are protecting, you are sustaining, you are giving us everything that we need.

That we are connected to you, Jehovah Gyra. You are our provider of all things. We're not limited to our contact book today. We're not limited to our bank account. We're not limited to our place of employment. Your word says you'll give us whatever we need when we need it at the right time.

So thank you that you are opening up the windows of heaven and you are pouring down blessing upon every person under the sound of my voice, increasing their character, increasing their integrity, increasing all the things that you've placed on the inside of them to grow. Thank you that we will be people that will bear much fruit in the season to come.

Not just externally, but internally. We will be people of growth. We will become everything you've designed us to become. Thank you, Jesus, that we lack nothing today. We are fully content. We are fully at peace in you, knowing, Father, that you will get us right where we need to be at the right time.

Hallelujah. I know many people in the sound of my voice today, Father, are facing critical decisions, needing to make big, big choices this week concerning their place of employment, their family, where they live. Father, I thank you that your word says we can come to you when we need wisdom and you'll give it to us generously.

So, thank you that you are giving us wisdom, discernment today, this week, leading and guiding us. You say we can plan our way, but you will establish our steps where they need to be. Thank you that you are taking us where we need to be. Opening every right door, closing every wrong door, bringing in the right people and weeding out the wrong people.

God, we just believe that our future is in your hands so we can rest today knowing that you hold it all. You are the architect of our life. You're the author and you're the finisher. So, we thank you that in this chapter of the story, we are right where we need to be.

And you will bring to us everything that has our name on it. You say, "Victory is stored up for the righteous." I just believe and declare that in 2026 some things are going to unlock for people. Things that have been in storage that are coming out of storage.

The right relationships, the right opportunities. Everything that has our name on it is being unlocked. Thank you for new ideas. Thank you for creativity. Thank you for wisdom. Lord, I declare healing over every person under the sound of my voice. people that are battling sickness, not just physical health, but mental health.

We declare healing over every person from the top of their head to the soles of their feet feet. By the blood of Jesus, we are healed. I speak to every cell, bone, ligament, tissue, muscle that everything in our body is operating exactly how it's been designed to operate in Jesus' name.

Thank you, Lord, that we're getting wiser, we're getting stronger, we're getting healthier, and that 2026 will not just be a get by year, but it'll be an abundant year, a fruitful year, a year where we continue to grow into everything we've been called to grow into in Jesus name.

If you believe it and you receive it, come on, Lakewood believers, can you shout amen? Can you give Jesus a shout of praise? He is good. He is faithful. Oh, better is one day in his court than a thousand elsewhere. Are you thankful you're in church today? Are you glad to be in church?

It's a good It's a good place to be. We're thankful that you're here. You know, it's easy throughout our week to get talked out of who God says we are. And so, we take this opportunity every Sunday to be reminded of what God says about who we are.

People may have labeled you something. Circumstances may have tried to label you something. But let's get back into agreement about who God says we are. Can we can we do that? So let's repeat this with with conviction and with faith. I am blessed, prosperous, redeemed, forgiven, healthy, whole, talented, creative, confident, secure, disciplined, focused, prepared, qualified, motivated, valuable, free, determined, equipped, empowered, anointed, accepted, and approved.

Not average, not mediocre. I am a child of the most high God. I will become all I was created to be in Jesus' name. Amen. You sound great this morning, full of faith. You know, I love what Hebrews says about coming to the throne of grace with great confidence, coming quickly.

And I believe that today there are many of you who need something from God. Um, I don't know what you're facing today, but here's the reality. We serve a God who is anxious to meet your need. He's anxious to perform his word in your life. And often times, we can allow condemnation.

We can allow maybe things that we've done wrong this week to put us in a place of shame. And we actually feel like we're not good enough to come to God and ask him for help. I have good news today. The Bible says to come to God's throne of grace.

That's how he's branded his throne. It's a throne of grace. It's not a a throne of shame. It's not a a a a throne of condemnation. The gospel says we belong long before we learn to behave. So today, come to the throne of grace with confidence. You know, when you picture a throne, even today, especially in the ancient times, you don't just approach a throne with confidence.

You don't approach a throne quickly. You were summoned. You were invited to the throne. The cross is humanity's invitation to the throne of grace. Isn't that amazing? So, we can come to the throne of grace today because of the blood of Jesus. And we can come to it not with hesitance, but quickly.

Yes. anxious to meet our heavenly father because of his grace. And the Bible says he will provide for us mercy and grace. He will unlock heaven and provide for us whatever it is that we're in need according to his will. So our prayer partners are going to come and stand in front of every section.

And we would love to join our faith with yours to believe for miracles today. If you need healing, come. If you need provision, come. If you need strength, come. So our prayer partners can come. you can come and join your faith with one of them and we're going to believe that God's going to turn the tide of the battle as we begin to pray.

The rest of us, let's continue to worship as we pray today. God bless you. Good morning, Lakewood family. We are so glad that you are joining us this morning from all over the world. And this is the time in the service when we pray for your needs. And praying for other people is one of my favorite things to do.

So, I'm so happy to be with you this morning. If you have any prayer requests, you can drop them in the comments section or you can always join our 247 community at jolostein.com/ community. And we're always available to pray for your needs. But let's start with a couple of praise reports from the comments.

Alicia said she received a job opportunity. Hallelujah. And Haiti said, "The Lord healed her sister-in-law from cancer." So, praise the Lord. You know, God is answering our prayers. God loves to answer prayers just like Pastor Nick was talking about. He loves us. He wants to meet our needs.

And so, I just want to encourage you. I want to stir your faith up. Jesus said, "Where two or more are gathered in my name, I will be in the midst." We are gathered in his name this morning. He is in our midst. And when the Lord is in our midst, anything is possible.

Miracles are possible. So I want to I want you to just stir your faith up. Have an expectant heart when we pray right now that you are going to receive your miracle breakthrough. Amen. So let's go to some prayer requests in the comments. We have a couple of healing prayer requests.

Jackie is battling cancer and Lisa is praying for her husband's kidney function uh to to be restored for complete healing and restoration. So, I want to pray for Jackie and Lisa's husband and anybody else watching who needs healing in your body. Lord, I just lift up Jackie. I lift up Lisa's husband.

I lift up any person watching who needs healing in their body. Lord, I thank you that you are Jehovah Rafa, the God who heals us. Lord, you said that Jesus didn't just die for our sins. Didn't just take our sins on himself, but he took our sicknesses and infirmities upon himself at the cross.

And by his stripes, we were healed 2,000 years ago. Jesus already took every sin, every sickness on himself. And so I just speak healing, wholeness, and restoration over every person under the sound of my voice. Lord, touch every organ, every gland, tissue, blood, cell, muscle, ligament, tendon, eyes, ears, every part of their body and restore health in the mighty name of Jesus.

Amen. Hallelujah. Okay, there's some a couple of comments in in the uh in the comments section about uh people grieving loss. So, Cindy uh lost her mother and Reggie lost lost um his father. So, I just want to pray for anyone who has had loss. God, I thank you that you your word says you are near to those who have a broken heart.

Lord, I pray that Cindy and Reggie and anyone who has suffered loss would feel your presence. They would feel you so close to them, Lord. Lord, you said you bind up our our wounds. You bind up our our our broken heart. Lord, you said that your your Holy Spirit is the comforter.

So, I ask you to send the comforter to comfort them, to strengthen them, to bind up their wounds. Father, I ask you to just give them peace and strength in the midst of their loss, Lord. And let them know that you are a God that restores, that you will give them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning in Jesus mighty name.

Amen. Okay, we got some family um prayer requests, family related prayer requests. Margie is asking for her son to be delivered from his alcohol addiction. So, Father, I lift up Margie's son and anyone who is battling addiction. God, I thank you that you are bigger, higher, stronger, and greater than any addiction or anything that we face.

So, we come against addiction. We come against every stronghold, every bondage, every generational curse, and we break it in the mighty name of Jesus. We command all the forces of darkness to leave Margie's son and leave every person watching who has family members or who is battling themselves with addiction or strongholds to leave them in the name of Jesus.

And Lord, I thank you that Margie's son and everyone watching will be free, will be healthy, victorious in every area of their life in the mighty name of Jesus. Okay, one more family related prayer request. Sandy is asking for restoration in her relationship with her siblings. So, Father, I ask you to heal everybody who has relationship issues.

Father Lord, bring healing, restoration, wholeness, peace, unity, love. God, I just ask you to put family members back together. Father, help them to forgive. Help them to be united in love again, Father. Lord, put put it back together better than it was before, Father, in Jesus mighty name.

Well, we love you so much. I wish I had more time to pray for you, but we're out of time. And I just hope you have a blessed and prosperous week. And we love you and we'll see you back next week. God bless you. Oh, we worship your name, oh God.

((music playing)) ((music playing)) You're worthy of it all. Come on, can you sing with heaven this morning? You're worthy of it all. ((music playing)) Hallelujah. You deserve glory. ((music playing)) You're worthy of it all. Hallelujah. You're worthy of it all. ((music playing)) You deserve the glory. Awesome. You may be seated. Well, we have a special guest here this morning and in a unique opportunity to explore a message that we feel is very necessary.

Uh Christine D'Clario resides in Dallas, Texas. She's here with her husband and she has two children. She's a bilingual songwriter, worship leader, um millions and I don't know, billions of streams maybe all over the world, but she has written a book. So add author to the title. Likewood, can you welcome Christine D'Clario as she comes.

How are you? Good to see you. I'm so happy to be here. Uh, so you didn't travel far to get here. No, just right from Dallas. We made it fun cuz you know the kids, we need to make everything. The kiddos. Now, how old are your kids? Nine and seven and a half.

Nine and seven and a half. Raise your hands if you have any kiddos under 10. Any kiddos under 10? Should we pray for them now or should we wait or we can like do a direct line because we're going to need prayer middle of the night sometimes. Let's talk about the book Healing in the Desert.

Um I will say she you are very transparent in this book which I appreciate and many will appreciate after they read it. Um the message of this is so necessary. God meets us in our brokenness. Yes. I won't go any further. Just talk about because this is really about your story and your journey and what you've walked through.

What why the book? Why why this message? Why you think it's important? Well, it's very interesting because when we look at the Bible and we look at the end of the story, it says that the children of God overcome the enemy by the blood of the lamb and the word of their testimony.

So there is a power in our story that our testimony, the testimony of Jesus in us becomes the prophecy for somebody else. So it's important for us to be able to highlight the highs and the lows and all the inbetweens and how God has still been faithful for me.

That looked like going through childhood sexual abuse at the age of five, losing my father to addiction when I was six, moving to another country by the time I was seven, and being thrashed back and forth by trauma throughout my entire childhood and adolescence, then having an encounter with the Lord.

Um, dedicating my life fully to Jesus and being in ministry. Glory, glory to God. Praise the Lord. I love how celebratory you guys are. Um but then falling into reality that being an itinerate minister does not make me devoid of going through really strong suffering. And so trauma that went unresolved and wounds that went ignored turned into something that I almost couldn't handle because when I had my children which by the way are two miracles.

I couldn't have babies and one of my test many testimonies is that the Lord healed my womb and gave me two back to back. That's amazing cuz only he gives the miracles and the overabundance. And so after my overabundance came here and I'm holding these two literal miracles in my hand.

I started having weird symptoms. Turns out it was a severe postpartum depression. Um my diagnosis was postpartum depression, chronic postpartum anxiety, and I was brushing on the surface of postpartum psychosis. So my brain was really, really sick. Yeah. But I was in ministry and I was already a household name in many places.

However, though I was ministering life in the house of God, I was having and struggling with thoughts of death because one of my strongest symptoms was suicide. So, how do how do I deal with that? Being a leader within the church, I had not understood that yes, there are anointed mental health professionals who have been gifted by God to pull people out of darkness and into light.

I was too afraid, too ashamed, too stigmatized, and let's let's be frank, too religious. Yeah. And it took me coming to the very edge and my children nearly being pulled away from a loving mother permanently. to understand that if I am not truly taking care of myself for the glory of God and that means what the shama says you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and all your soul and all your mind and all your strength and others as you love yourself and I understood that my story is not just for me it would be very self-centered of me to just celebrate the what the Lord has done with me and not share it because my breakthrough came when I surrendered.

My breakthrough came when I took desperation and I turned it away from a curse and I let it be a gift that allowed me to open up for that the Lord could do something in my life even though I didn't understand what it was. For me, it looked like calling out for help.

Great. And reaching out to people who were anointed and gifted to be able to understand what was going on in my brain and in my body and in my wounded soul. Yeah. and submitting to the process with godly anointing. And now I have graduated from a very arduous process of psychotherapy, deliverance, fasting, praying, doing all the things and understanding that our former self is always going to be better.

Our later self is always going to be better than our former. And God takes us from glory to glory and blessing to blessing because he lets us go through suffering after suffering and shows his face to us in the midst of our sufferings. We all go through deserts.

We are not exempt of suffering in this life. But if in if in that suffering we understand that he is our source and he is our fountain and he is our deliverer and he is our present help in time of need, then we can get through it. Yes.

And so that's why I wrote the book because I got tired of the enemy whispering in my ear that I can. I can because he can and he already did and I'm more than a conqueror. So there it is. There it is. Aren't you glad that she is talking about this and wrote this message?

It is ne it is so necessary. Um like you said, things have been stigmatized to a degree and it's unfortunate. However, um as we continue to lead forward with this message, um as the church, capital C, um I think a lot of people are going to be set free and and get on the path to healing and appropriate healing.

Um talk about the work of healing you you unpack in the book. If you can briefly just what does that mean to you? What does that mean for us? The work of healing. The work of healing is submitting every part of yourself to the guide of the Holy Spirit.

The word says he is the spirit of truth and guides us to all truth. Sometimes we focus on the spirit. Spirit spirit spirit. But according to the shama, there's four essential parts of us. If we only condition one leg of a four-legged table, sooner or later that leg is going to that table's going to collapse.

That's what happened with me. I was in prayer, in fasting, in ministry, but I wasn't eating right. I wasn't sleeping right. I wasn't hydrating. I was on and off planes when I shouldn't have been. I wasn't really taking care of my emotional health. I was completely dregulated because I was severely traumatized.

I mean, there was so much going on with me that I had ignored. And the Holy Spirit had been beckoning me to take care. You know how our car sometimes turns on the check engine light and if you go too much time without taking it to repair, you're going to lose your car.

Same thing happens with our whole being. God created us to be everything we can in his image and his likeness. And he created us to be one within ourselves as he is one within himself. That means love yourself. No. And I'm not talking about being humanistic about it and saying, you know, I deserve it and this is for me and it's only me me.

No. I'm talking about what the Bible says. The greatest act of self-love is doing the work it takes to heal and clear the heart, the mind, the soul, and the strength so you can love him fully. From there, it trickles out into loving others well. But it starts with thinking, how do I function?

What's in there that shouldn't be? Let the Holy Spirit do the work and guide me to what I need. Let me find help. Yeah. And let me love Jesus first. Yeah, it's awesome. You you talk about also the importance of community and how community plays a critical role in us walking in health.

Yeah. Talk about that a little bit. I think it's very profound. So needed. So in my journey, I read a book by an atheist reporter who was on a journey in his reporter fashion to find the culprit of depression. Dude had been on anti-depressants for more than 20 years.

And he felt like he needed more and more meds. So he realized, well, people say depression is a chemical imbalance. And yes, there's a part of that to it. But one of the main reasons why we get depressed, which is nothing other than our bodies asking for deep rest, is because we rely too much on ourselves.

We overload and we don't share the burden with community. So feeling detached from a place you can belong is the first culprit to feeling like you can't. You lose your vital energy when you can't plug in. That is why Jesus in his details sent his disciples to learn and do church two by two because when one is weak the other one is strong and can lift them up and vice versa.

We need confession and that cannot happen with without the family of the brethren. The Bible says, "Confess your shortcomings one to another and pray together that there be healing because the effective prayers of the righteous avails much. Effective prayer is informed prayer. You cannot have informed prayer if you don't have somebody to talk to."

It's all good. Amazing. Now, what if someone today is walking through a desert um or they feel isolated, you know, or they feel some of these symptoms that you've just described a little bit this morning. What would you want to encourage them with? And uh when you when you're finished encouraging, go ahead and pray.

Um I think it'll be really important. The desert is not ever the place God calls you into to die. It's the place he calls you into to strip you from the things that are taking away your life. He will walk with you. He will talk with you. He will hand feed you.

He will give you to drink. He will show you that those burdens you have been holding on to are not yours to take. And sometimes he has to shove you face first into the sand so you realize the dirt that you come from and that your source is him.

Now the grace that our creator has for us and the love that he expresses for us every day is shown in mercy when he strips us away in the desert. Why? Because we don't develop character in the good times. We don't draw near to him when everything is satisfied.

We need him to be our source. And when we forget, he beckons us out into the desert so we can be reminded that he is sufficient for us. And now hear me. The byproduct of your desert, the side benefit of your desert is your healing. But you go into the desert to get equipped with mantles and weapons that are going to help you and enable you with the authority to pull other people out of the desert and give hope to the body of Christ.

This is not just for us. Personally, it's for the all of us. It's for the body because in the end, we overcome the enemy by the blood of the lamb and the word of our story. So wherever you're at, I pray right now in the name of Jesus, whether you be entering the desert, whether you be in it and paralyzed by fear, by shame, by wounds that are not yours to carry, whether you be taking your first steps and learning how to incorporate your strength, but you still have a ways to go, or whether you are one of the mighty ones that has made it out of the desert stronger in his name.

I pray in the name of Jesus for a resilience and a wisdom and a sensitivity in your spiritual senses to hear what he says and see what he's doing. I silence the voice of the enemy towards you that says you are forsaken, you are alone. I break the power and the curse of the enemy that lies to you making you believe that God will not do what he said he will do.

I silence the tongue of the serpent from Eden that questions what God has spoken over your life. And I pray healing in your desert. I pray wholeness in your struggle. I play I pray for clarity to see the path and follow the path the Lord has set before you.

And in the name of Jesus, your freedom multiplies into the freedom of many others that you interact with from here until eternity. In Jesus' name, I pray. Amen. Amen. If you receive it, come on, give the Lord a hand clap and some praise. He's good. Thank you so much.

Thank you. Amazing. Good morning, Lakewood. We are so excited that next Sunday we're celebrating the 67th anniversary of Lakewood Church. It's amazing when we think of the work that God has allowed us to do since our beloved Pastor John and Dodie Osteen started this church in 1959. It's truly been a privilege to be an extension of the hands and feet of Jesus.

In Matthew chapter 25, Jesus reminds us, "I was hungry and you gave me something to eat. I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink. I was a stranger and you invited me in. I needed clothes and you clothed me. I was sick and you looked after me.

I was in prison and you came to visit me." As we prepare to celebrate all that God has done over these years, we also want to celebrate you for being such an important part of a 67-year legacy. A legacy of hope, helping people in need, and tangibly demonstrating the love of Jesus in our city, across this country, and around the world.

Your generosity is feeding the hungry, helping underresourced children and families, and it allows us to work together with churches and pastors all over the world to make an impact for the kingdom. Thank you, Lakewood Church. Your giving is bringing hope to the world. Thanks so much, Lakewood, for your generosity and making such a difference.

All this happens because of you. And I know we tell you week after week, but we want you to feel good about the seeds that you're sewing, knowing that God is seeing the sacrifices you make and really it's touching people all over the world. So, thanks for that.

And we take a moment in every service to worship the Lord with our tithes and our offerings. So, we'll do that right now. We just want to tell you how much we appreciate your donations, keeping everything going. And I was thinking about Proverbs 3. It says, "Honor the Lord with your wealth and the first fruits of all that your crops produce, and then God will fill your barns to overflowing, and you'll have all that you need."

And I think it's an important part about you. You guys are honoring God with your wealth, with your time, with your energy, being good stewards. And there's a promise connected to that, that God will cause you to overflow, that he'll open up doors that you can't open. And even it says there in Malachi, the open windows of heaven because of your generosity.

So we just speak that over each one of you. Thanks for uh being so faithful and so consistent and together we're able to impact people all over the world. I I love that, Joel. You know, the scripture says we're blessed to be a blessing. And so God blesses us so that we can bless others.

That's that continual flow of being blessed and blessing, you know, and together we are building the kingdom of God. We are helping families all over. We are helping people uh reunite with families just because they are knowing Jesus and knowing the forgiveness that they've been given. So, we're so excited about being a part of something so big.

And we are glad that you are joining in with us and that you're a part with us. We're linking arms. So, thank you for all that you do. It means so much to us and I know it pleases the heart of God. Amen. I know that. I want to pray.

Lord, thank you for our generous givers today here in the building and watching and listening. Lord, we give to honor you to put your first place what you said there in Proverbs. Lord, the first fruits, our tithes, our offerings even. And Lord, as we do, I thank you that you're opening the windows of heaven, Lord.

That you will cause our barns, our savings accounts to overflow, Lord, so that we can fulfill your purpose, so that we can build your kingdom. So that we can be a bigger blessing. Lord, I just speak your increase upon the people today. Let their gifts and talents come out.

Lord, I thank you for ideas and creativity, good decisions. And Lord, bring in contracts, business, opportunity, things that cause them to to just increase, to prosper, to flourish, to live that bountiful, abundant life. Lord, we love you. We honor you today in our giving in Jesus' name. God bless you today as you give.

Here are some ways you can give. Using your smartphone, scan the QR code located on the screen. Then select the online giving option that's most convenient for you. Go to lakewoodurch.com/give. Text give hope to 77977. Mail a check to P. Box 27450, Houston, Texas 777227 or call us toll-free at 888-567 Joel.

Oh Lord, I've got stories of your faithfulness and how you've sustained me with your promises. Oh Lord, you have given so much love and grace when I've been abandoned. You have always stayed. And I've got 10,000 stories of your faithfulness. And not one where you fail me and not one where you fall.

And not one where your arms couldn't reach me and carry the weight of it all. Oh, and not one where you left me. And not one where you change. And not one where your love doesn't win. When I'm fighting the wind and the waves. I've got stories and stories of goodness worth singing about.

Not one where you let me down. Oh Lord, I've seen wonders that can't be denied. So I'll tell the story and I will testify. There's not one where you ((music playing)) ((music playing)) ((music playing)) ((music playing)) ((music playing)) I've got stories on stories of goodness worth singing about. And I got 10,000 stories of your faithfulness. And God, I know there will be more hard days ahead.

And not one where you fail me. Not one where you fall. Not one where your arms couldn't reach me and carry the weight of it all. ((music playing)) ((music playing)) Stories of faithfulness too much to count. And not one where you let me down. Oh, you're faithful Lord. Hallelujah. ((applause)) Thank you, Christine.

Wasn't that beautiful? Anointed and the the interview was so good. Christine's going to be signing her new book in the lobbies after the services. So, be sure and stop by and get to and see her. Say hi to her. It's so great to see all of you here.

You look beautiful. your week is going to go better because you're here today. I believe God is going to speak to you. He's going to encourage you. And I just welcome you here. We're always glad to to see you. Welcome the first time visitors. Can I see your hands if this is your first time?

Welcome. God bless you so much. And for those online, we're so glad to to have you here. And I I think it's exciting. When I heard Serena talk, we're going to be celebrating 67 years of Lakewood, which is just amazing. Our parents who founded the church are now in heaven, but they're looking down on us.

And the all the prayers they prayed for you and for the church and for us, they're still in effect. And God is answering those prayers. And he's so good, isn't he? This afternoon, we have our Spanish service. And then Wednesday night is our night of worship. It's going to be good.

We have We have so much here. I hope I hope you get involved for your children, the youth, the young adults. I just hope you get plugged in because we have so much. We just want to help you any way we can. Hey, you want to hold up your Bibles?

Let's hold up our Bibles and make our declaration. Let's Let's say it strong. This is my Bible. I am what it says I am. I have what it says I have. I can do what it says I can do. Today I will be taught the word of God.

I boldly confess. My mind is alert. My heart is receptive. I will never be the same. I'm about to receive the incorruptible, indestructible, everliving seed of the word of God. And I'll never be the same. Never. Never. Never. I'll never be the same in Jesus' name. Amen. You may be seated and turn in your Bible if you'd like to to Luke 18.

Luke 18. We're going to read the words of Jesus in just a moment. I love the word of God. Don't you? It's lifegiving. It's lifech changing. It transforms your life. It renews your mind. When you come to know Jesus and you start putting the word of God in you, you're not going to be the same way you used to be.

So powerful. Today, I want to talk to you about the power of persistent prayer. Prayer that refuses to give up. Prayer that refuse that that presses through until you see a breakthrough. Because this is what Jesus taught us uh to do in Luke 18. And let's look at Luke 18:1.

It says, "One day Jesus told his disciples a story to show that they should always pray and never give up. And there was a judge in a certain city who uh neither feared God nor cared about people." And a widow of that city came to him repeatedly, saying, "Give me justice in this dispute with my enemy."

At first, the judge ignored her. But finally, he said to himself, "I don't fear God. I don't care about people. But this woman is driving me crazy. I'm going to see that she gets justice because she's wearing me out with her constant request. That sounds so much like a woman, doesn't it?

When we want something, we want it. And when we want it, we will get it. But the point here, the message here is that we should all be relentless when it comes to prayer. Let's let's keep reading in in verse six. Then the Lord said, "Learn a lesson from this unjust judge.

Even he rendered a just decision in the end." So don't you think that God will surely give justice to his chosen people who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? I tell you, he will grant justice to them quickly. But when the Son of Man returns, how many will he find on earth who have faith?

Do you know that Jesus is looking for people with faith? Faith to believe that when you pray, he hears you. Faith to believe. Faith to trust his timing and to believe that he has and he knows what is best for you. That he will vindicate you like this woman.

Faith that refuses to give up like this widow woman. Because Jesus is teaching us in this story. He's giving us a picture of what persistent prayer looks like. You know, widows in the Bible had very few rights. They were not allowed to inherit their husband's uh uh uh estate.

Instead, it would pass to their children if they had children. And next in line would be the h uh husband's male relatives. So, this lady is already living on this small meager amount of money. And we learn from this story that someone was trying to cheat her out of the little that she had.

Now, in my mind's eye, I can imagine her going home after the first no because I'm a woman. And she was a feisty woman and she decided, I'm not taking no for an answer. So, she went back to the judge and she got a no. But she didn't stay home.

She went back again and again until her persistence paid off. And it shifted the judge's attitude and completely changed the outcome. Listen, this woman's persistence is an illustration of how we approach prayer. We must be persistent and we must be feisty when it comes to prayer. We don't pray one time and say, "Well, I didn't get my answer.

I I guess prayer doesn't work for me." No, that's that's immature and shallow. Uh an immature and shallow way to look at prayer. Persistent prayer doesn't have the mindset, well, God is just holding out on me. Jesus made this very clear in this story. He said, "If the unjust judge will give into the widow's request, how much more will God answer you, his chosen one, he will not put you off."

Do you hear that today? God is not putting you off. He is not withholding any thing from you. If there is a closed door in your path, know that God will open up the right door because persistent prayer keeps trusting God when the doors close. Amen. This judge may have closed his ears to this widow at first, but let me tell you something.

God's ears are always open to you. And you don't have to wear God out because he is there for you. He's giving you the in uh the invitation. Instead, I'm sorry, instead wear the enemy out. You know, sometimes the best thing you can do is outlast the enemy.

Outlast his schemes, outlast his lies, outlast the circumstances, and keep on praying. Ephes uh Ephesians 6 says, "Having done, I'll stand." You know, this is what my friend Brandon did. He may be in the service tonight. I know his mother is. Irene, his mother told me this. She and uh her husband Polo were praying for their son Brandon to find a new home for he and his family.

He'd been a single dad. He got remarried and and so they had a deadline to move out May uh May 1st, which is on Friday. And they looked at many houses and liked many of them, but they just kept falling through every one of them. And they were tempted to get discouraged, but they kept praying.

And during this time, they had been admiring this home on Irene Street because their neighbor was renovating it and improving it and updating it. And day after day, they would notice the changes and and and how beautiful it was as the door seemed to close every day for Brandon.

But about a week ago, Irene got a call from one of her neighbors and she said, "Irene, my son lives in a house uh on your street and he's going to sell it." And I told him he needs to sell it to Brandon because he's such a great person.

And so they soon learned that the man was the owner of the home that was being renovated, the one they had been admiring during all the closed doors. And he ended up selling the house to Brandon and his family. And not only that, he personally loaned the money to Brandon with no interest.

He didn't have a down payment. He didn't have to pay any fees. And they were able to live uh move in Thursday, one day before their deadline. Won't God do it? He had a better plan. He had a better house for them. An updated house that saved them money.

See, this is why we need to be persistent in prayer and not give up. I believe Jesus is calling us higher in in our prayer life. We need more passion to pray, to be persistent. If Jesus taught us to be persistent in prayer, he knows things that we don't.

And so in this story, Jesus shows us that we must always pray and never give up. The emphasis is on the two words, always and never. Always pray and never give up on praying. Never give up on God. Never give up on his promises. Never give up on what he put in your spirit.

Never give up on your children. Never give up on your finances. Always pray and never give up. You know, pray always. It doesn't mean that you pray on your knees all the time or that you pray every minute of the day, but we pray as the need arises or we set a time uh we set aside time to pray and seek God to intercede on someone's behalf.

When you start to worry, stop and pray instead. There's so many aspects of prayer. It may mean that you get down on your knees and worship God for who he is and what he's done in your life. You bring him the sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving. Part of prayer is coming into his presence with a grateful heart, not always asking him for something.

Prayer should just become a way of life for the believer. I learned this from my mother. She would pray for anyone at any time, whether she was at a restaurant, a mall, no matter what. And you know what? I do the same thing now. But our our daughter Caroline and uh her husband Jonathan had been married six years and they were praying to have children, but it just didn't seem to be happening.

And so we were all praying, but almost every time my mother would see them, she would lay hands on them. She would pray for them. And two times before she went to heaven last July, she looked at them and said, "You're going to conceive before Christmas." Well, when when she passed away, Caroline and Jonathan, they just hung on to those words and they even de delayed their fertility treatments until January.

Well, on January on on December 6, my mother's prayers were answered and they announced Kevin and me that we're going to be first time grandparents in August. It's a little boy. Won't he do it? I can't get away from that today. Learn to pray about the big things and the little things.

Pray when it looks like nothing is changing. Pray when you're happy and pray when you're discouraged. We can pray anytime, anywhere about anything. That's what it means to pray always. There is nothing like a praying believer who refuses to give up. A praying person is a dangerous person.

Your prayers are setting miracles in motion. You are taking authority over the schemes of the enemy. You are dangerous to the forces of darkness when you pray in the name of Jesus. Your prayers are breaking strongholds. And they're shifting generations to come. Prayer moves mountains. It brings heaven down to earth.

Jesus said, "Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven." Your prayers are dangerous. You may be thinking, "Well, if God knows my needs, why do I need to pray?" because he wants us to depend on him as our source knowing that he is in control and he's well able to take care of us.

We pray because James 4:2 says we have not because we ask not. So many times we are overthinking instead of praying. We are ringing our hands trying to figure out a solution that only God has. We forget to pray. God is calling us to be men and women of prayer.

Romans 12:12 says this, "Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer." FB Meyer said this, "The greatest tragedy of life is not unanswered prayer, but unoffered prayer." Jesus said, "Will I find faith on this earth?" He's looking for someone who has an unwavering unwavering trust in his goodness and faithfulness.

Someone who believes what first John 5:14 and 15 says, this is the confidence that we have in him that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us, we know that we have the things that we ask of him.

Amen. This is why we must be persistent in praying for our family, our children, and the challenges that we are facing. It's not in a begging way, but we continue to go to God in prayer again and again because we are totally dependent on him. Thomas Watson said this, "Prayer delights God's ear, melts his heart, it opens his hand.

God cannot deny a praying soul. Just as this unjust judge could not deny this persistent woman, my title tonight is the power today is the power of persistent prayer. And it is because that's what James 5:16 says. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective and it produces wonderful results.

Results, I'm sorry, results. I like what the message Bible says. The prayer of a righteous person living right with God is something powerful to be reckoned with. A praying person is someone to be uh reckoned with. We see this throughout the Bible. I think about how James 5 continues to go on and say uh Elijah for instance, human just like us prayed hard that it would not rain and it didn't.

Not a drop for three and a half years. Then he prayed that it would rain and it did. God intervenes when we pray. I mean, who does that? Pray for rain to stop and then rain to come. That's a powerful prayer. When Lazarus died, his sister Mary approached Jesus and said, "Jesus, if you had been here, my brother would have uh not died, but even now you can raise him from the dead."

That's what Joel calls the even now faith. See, that was the faith that Jesus was looking for. And all Jesus had to do was say, "Lazarus, come forth." And he did. I love that song we've been singing lately. God makes dead things come alive. And it is so true because he is the resurrection in the life.

And he can resurrect your dreams and your life and your marriage and your health and and your children and your family. Keep praying and never give up. Abraham's servant was sent to find a wife for Isaac. And he prayed, "God, give me success on my mission." And God answered him by sending Rebecca to meet him at the well.

Hey, that's a good way for us to pray every day. God, give me success today. Give me success in my family. Give me success on this project, on this presentation. God answers prayers. When the believers in the book of Acts were facing persecution, they lifted up their voices in prayer and they said, 'Lord, hear their threats and stretch out your hand to heal and perform miracles.

They prayed bold prayers. And when they prayed, the room was shaken and they preached the word of God freely. Let me tell you something. When I read that, I thought when you pray, there is a lot of shaking going on in the spirit world. You have to know that you may not see it with your eyes, but angels are at work.

God is fighting your battles for you. Forces of darkness are being pushed back. Another time, Peter did land in prison. And again, the Bible says that the believers earnestly prayed for him and God sent an angel, woke him up, and took him out of the prison. The Bible says that the door just opened on its own accord.

Peter thought he was dreaming, but God was answering their prayers. We see miracle after miracle. One more in the in the Old Testament, King Hezekiah became ill. And the prophet Isaiah went to him and said, God said, "Put your house in order because you will die." Good news.

Put your house in order for you for you will die. It's like God had made up his mind. He was telling him what was going to happen. But immediately Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and began to pray. And before Isaiah got out of the king's court, God said, "Hey, turn around.

I changed my mind." He said, "Go tell Hezekiah, I've heard your prayer. I've seen your tears, and I am going to heal you and extend your life 15 more years." And not only that, he said, "And I will deliver you from the hand of your enemy." Can I tell you something?

That miracle didn't just happen. It's because a man of God knew how to pray. He took the time to pray. What would have happened if Hezekiah didn't pray? If the believers in Acts didn't pray. What would happen if you don't pray? Miracle go prayer sets miracles in motion.

You have to understand that thoughts and wishes are not prayers. I wish I knew what to do. I wish God would help me. That's not prayer. Prayer is asking God to help you. You may be thinking, "I wish I could do something about my situation, about my child, about my finances."

You can. You can pray. We have to be intentional with our prayers. Listen to how Hezekiah prayed. He said, "Remember, Lord, how I've walked before you faithfully and with wholehearted devotion, and I have done what is good in your sight." That was a bold prayer. But you see, it wasn't the first time that he prayed.

He was a man of prayer. He was acquainted with God. He was a friend of God. And he made his case before the Lord. God said in Isaiah 23:6, "Put me in remembrance. Let us argue together. Set forth your case that you may pro be proved to be right."

That is exactly what Hezekiah did. and God reversed the situation. When you start praying instead of wishing, you will see divine reversals in your life just like we see in the Bible. You know, there are a handful of times in my life I've had to pray. I have prayed, I should say.

God, this is what your word says, but in reality, this is what's happening, and it's not right. I know this is not your will for my life. I know what your word says. I have been faithful to you and I know you will not stand for it. I was pleading my case with God and every time God has been faithful to reverse the situation.

God has been so so good. Uh I want to mention this. God is not afraid of your bold conversations. He's not afraid of your bold prayers. I heard someone say, I think it was brother Andrew, he said, he said, "It's okay to argue with God as long as you give in in the end."

But God's not afraid when we have bold conversations with him, ex especially when we're his children. So Jesus invites us to pray. Always pray and never give up. Now there's another aspect of prayer that we need to understand and it's this. Victory comes in the presence of God.

See, like this persistent widow, we keep going back into God's presence to pray. Our fight is not against flesh and blood, but against the principalities and forces of the evil darkness of this world. Our our battle is not one in the flesh. It it's not won in trying to control everything and everyone.

It is one in the spirit realm as we pray. And the sooner we learn that, the more peaceful our lives will become. 2 Corinthians 10:4 says this, "For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does." The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world.

On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. You can fight and argue with people all you want, but it's prayer that changes things. When we pray, Amen. When we pray, we are demolishing strongholds in the spirit. We are thwarting the plans of the enemy. Some of us are ruining ruining our our relationships with our children, our family because we're fighting with them instead of praying for them and praying about the situation.

So we we war in the spirit. And not only that, victory comes in your own personal life in the presence of God. Prayer brings you in to God's presence where chains are broken and hurts are healed. And when when you pray, you're able to release your burdens to God to give him your discouragement to cast your cares upon him.

God will give you wisdom and direction. When you seek him, he will pour into you. Prayer is not only asking, it is releasing. It is receiving and it is resting. See, in his presence is fullness of joy. And as you go back to in prayer to God again and again, he will fill you with his joy and peace.

And you will be encouraged and refreshed because like Hezekiah, what are you doing? You're turning your face to the wall. You're turning yourself away from the circumstances and all the nose of the enemy and you're praying to God who is well able to open every door that needs to be opened.

Amen. This is what David did. King David in Psalms 55, he was distraught because his son and a friend betrayed him. The Bible says he lifted up his voice to God and he said, "I'm overwhelmed by my troubles, but I will call on God and he will rescue me."

In verse 22, he he instructs us to do what he did. He said, "Cast your cares on the Lord and he will sustain you. He will never let the righteous be forsaken. You see, David went into the presence of God discouraged, but he released it and he was greatly encouraged.

He came out of the presence of God saying, "God, I know you will never let me be uh shaken." God will never forsake you. Victory comes in the presence of God when you go back again and again to be refreshed and to refuel your faith. And you know, you need to understand this.

Took me a while to remember to know this. Weakness and discouragement do not indicate a lack of faith. You see, we can go to God in our weakness and he will breathe new life into us. He gives us the grace we need. He arms us with strength for the battle.

Jesus is not looking for perfection but for those who will depend on him. Those who will have faith in him and those will who will constantly come to him in prayer. Amen. Always pray and never give up. Another part of prayer is trusting God's timing. Persistent prayer. Trust God's timing.

You know, years ago when our daughter Katherine was maybe a tween or maybe a young teen, she was praying about a situation and after she didn't see any changes, she came to me and and told me that and I said, "Well, sweetie, I'm going to be praying with you and I'm going to be praying for you."

And she said, "Oh, no, Mom. Don't don't waste your time praying. Don't spend any more time praying." She said, "I prayed. I've rebuked the devil. I've declared the word so much I even anointed my room and I don't know what else to do and I I we laughed about it.

She was serious, but I laughed because that's real life right there. That's just reality. And I said to her, "This is what I've learned, sweetie. What you're doing is working whether you see it or not. So keep doing the right things. Keep doing what God's word tells you to do.

Keep doing what you know to do and God will do what you cannot do because the timing always belongs to God. That's a part of persistent prayer. We trust God's timing. Ephesians 6:13 says, "Therefore, put on God's complete armor that you may be able to re resist and stand your ground on the evil day of danger.

And having done all, what do you do?" Having done all the crisis demands, you stand firmly in your place and you refuse to be shaken. You refuse to move be moved to the left or to the right to give up to let go of the promise because as you pray, things are changing in the spirit realm.

God is working. He is fighting your battles for you. Things are changing in the circumstances. Although you may not see it, things are changing in that child that you're praying for. Although you may not see it, you are thwarting the plans of the enemy. Waring angels are fighting for you in the spirit realm.

That's why we cannot give up. We cannot give up. Galatians 6:9, it reminds us, let us not become weary and doing good, for at the proper time, we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Hey, we all get weary of waiting, but the harvest is surely coming.

You cannot plant all those seeds of prayer without reaping a harvest. You're going to see your harvest. Don't give up before the harvest comes. Amen. There's another dimension of prayer that I want to mention, and it's this. Persistent prayer requires the leading of the Holy Spirit. You know, we can pray what we know to pray for healing, for the will of God.

God. We can pray the word of God because it is the will of God and it reveals to us how we can pray. And we can also ask the Holy Spirit to show us how to pray because the spirit of God in us knows things that we do not know.

For instance, one time I was praying and God showed me something specific to pray and it it just came up out of my spirit and I knew I needed to pray for it, but in my mind it didn't make sense. But I prayed that over and over until I received an answer prayer and I realized that when something came to light how accurate the Holy Spirit was.

He will show you how to pray. This has happened to many to me many times over the year years. The Holy Spirit the Bible says he is your helper. He will show you he will help you in your prayer life. This is another aspect. We can also pray in the spirit.

We can pray in tongues as the Bible teaches us. When we do, the Bible says that the spirit of God is praying through us according to God's perfect will. When we pray in tongues, we are speaking spirittospirit with God. The Bible says we are praying divine secrets that only God knows.

There's a scripture in Deuteronomy 29:29 that says this, "The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the revealed things belong to us and to our children." There are some things that God reveals to us. And when we pray in the spirit, even as we pray in tongues, there are times the Holy Spirit will bring things up out of your spirit and show you what to pray.

But if nothing is revealed, know that the Holy Spirit will pray through you, for you, and for you as you pray in your prayer language. He will pray according to God's perfect will. Let me tell you a little secret. If God told us everything he knows, we couldn't handle it.

We're just like on a need to know basis. And that's why we can trust the Holy Spirit to pray through us. He knows all things and he will empower us in our prayer life. Praying in the spirit gives us more prayer power. I heard a minister say this recently and it's just a great thought.

When we pray, God always gives us what we would have prayed for if we knew what he knows. That's good, isn't it? I wish I knew who said it. I'd give him the credit. Let me go back and let me read that again. When we pray, God always gives us what we would have prayed for if we knew what he knows.

We can trust God with the outcomes. Let's do what Jesus did said to do. Pray always and never give up. Pray always and never give up. Do you receive that today? Amen. Amen. Let me pray for you. Father, thank you for the privilege of prayer. Father, thank you that we can come boldly into your throne of grace to find help and mercy anytime.

Teach us to pray, Father. Teach us to always pray and not give up. I pray that the spirit of prayer would rest upon us as your people. We want to be men and women of prayer. Not men and women who pray shallow prayers and give up, but men and women who hold on to you, who go back into your presence again and again to be persistent in prayer.

In Jesus name we pray. Let's keep our heads bowed, every eye closed. If you're here today and you've never asked Jesus to be your Lord and Savior, I'd like to pray with you today. Or maybe you're away from God and you need to rededicate your life to him.

God wants to have a personal relationship with you. He has a plan for your life. He can help you overcome sin and addictions. He shed his blood and sacrificed his life on the cross that you so that you could be forgiven and free. He wants to spend eternity with you in heaven.

And I want to ask you a question. When you die, do you know where you'll spend eternity? If not, I'm going to ask you to take a step of faith and stand in just a moment. And when you do, you are saying, "I turn my back on sin and my own life.

Jesus, I'm giving you my life today." Come on, take a step of faith right now. stand up over uh all over the sanctuary and let me pray for you. You want to rededicate your life, you want to accept Jesus, why don't you stand. Amen. Amen. Amen. Those of you online, stand wherever you are.

Thank you, Jesus. Anyone else? Anyone else? If God is speaking to your heart, stand up. This is the day of your salvation. This is the day your life makes a 360 degree turn. Amen. Amen. We're so proud of you. We congratulate you for making that decision. Everyone, let's pray with them.

Repeat after me. God, I admit I'm a sinner. I'm in need of a savior. I ask you to forgive all my sins. Jesus, I invite you to be my Lord and Savior. I turn my back on the world. I turn my back on the past. I turn my back on sin.

And I'm starting a fresh with you. I commit to you today on May 3rd, 2027 that I will serve you all the days of my life. take me, mold me, make me into the person you want me to be. In Jesus name I pray. Amen and amen. Congratulations for making the best decision of your life.

You can remain standing if you would. If you pray that that prayer, the Bible says that you're new on the inside. You're now a child of God. God is your heavenly father. Jesus is your Lord and Savior and he has given you a new start and we want to help you any way we can.

Come back to church. We'll pray with you. Get in a good church if you're watching online. We'll pray with you. We'll help you grow in the things of God. We after each service, we have a 20 minute uh uh service or meeting called New Beginnings. Uh it's on the second floor and it's designed for you to just come ask questions.

They'll give you some resources, help you get connected in the church if that's what you want to do. But please take advantage of those resources. So, thank you again. Give him another good hand clap. Thank you. And let's all stand. I I do want to mention that uh if you'd like to know more about praying in the spirit, I we have some of these uh understanding the baptism in the Holy Spirit at the resources center resource centers on in the nor on the north side first and second floor.

So you can pick that up or or you can download it on the website. When we post uh this message, this video we'll post it along with my outline. I always post an outline. But anyway, um, thanks so much for coming. We love you. We'll be praying for you.

And let me close with a blessing. The Lord bless you and keep you. The Lord make his sh face face shine upon you and be gracious to you. The Lord lift up his countenance on you and give you his peace in Jesus name. Amen. God bless you. We'll see you next week or on Wednesday.