♪
Today’s world stresses many of us.
We worry about Russia’s ongoing war with
Ukraine, the pressures of inflation, pandemic death
and disease, natural and manmade disasters, crime
and violence, relation conflicts, and even
traffic congestion.
With all these pressures of life, how can we live
peaceably?
How can you deal with these stresses and these
challenges?
My friends, there is one way that can help solve
your problems.
Your Bible shows the way to peace and prosperity.
You can have amazing help from the divine promises
in your Bible.
Listen to this promise in Matthew the seventh chapter.
Matthew 7:7...
“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will
find; knock, and it will be opened to you.”
Our Father in heaven gives us the promise of answered prayer.
Do you get answers to your prayers?
Your Bible gives keys to effective prayer.
Our free study guide, Twelve Keys to Answered Prayer,
will help you in your loving relationship with God.
Be sure to write down the contact information to
order your free copy.
My friends, you can solve many of the problems of
life if you know the proven keys to powerful prayer.
Stay tuned.
♪
Warm greetings to all our friends around the world.
Jesus’ disciples observed His praying and wanted to
know how to pray.
If you have your Bible turn to Luke the eleventh
chapter.
Luke 11:1...
“Now it came to pass, as He was praying in a
certain place, when He ceased, that one of His
disciples said to Him, ‘Lord, teach us to pray,
as John also taught his disciples.’”
Jesus then gave them and us the model prayer, or an outline of
topics to pray about.
But He also warned them,
“And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen
do. For they think that they will be heard for their
many words." Matthew 6:7.
On today’s program, we’ll discuss
seven proven keys to answered prayer, and we’ll
be offering you an inspiring free study guide,
Twelve Keys To Answered Prayer.
My friends, you can learn to pray in a way that will
bring results from your Father in heaven.
In spite of the daily stresses we all face, you
can have peace of mind through daily prayer.
The Bible gives us key principles for effective
prayer.
Our inspiring free study guide, Twelve Keys To Answered Prayer,
will give you the biblical
principles for effective prayer.
Be sure to write down the phone number or address to
request your free copy.
You can also order this free booklet on our Web
site at TWTV.ORG/Prayer.
My friends, if you have your Bible, turn to Isaiah 55.
God gives us classic and proven principles for
effective prayer. Isaiah 55:6,
“Seek the LORD while He may be
found, call upon Him while He is near.”
My friends, how do you call upon God?
My friends, you simply get down on your knees, if you
physically can, and tell God your worries, your
thoughts, and your concerns.
You also let God know your sins and your need for
forgiveness.
We’ll talk more about that later in the program.
God tells us through Isaiah in verse 7,
“Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous
man his thoughts; Let him return to the LORD, and He
will have mercy on him; and to our God, for He
will abundantly pardon.”
God promises us mercy and
pardon from our sins, if we’re determined to change
our way of living with His help.
When I first began to make major changes in my life,
I began to seek God more by reading the Bible and
praying daily.
At first it seemed to be awkward, but I persisted
in talking with God, and God kept His promise, and
I began to have peace of mind.
You also can have peace of mind, if you seek God with
your whole heart and mind.
Notice this encouraging promise in Jeremiah 29:10,
“For thus says the LORD...
For I know the thoughts that I think toward you,
says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to
give you a future and a hope.
Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and
I will listen to you.
And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search
for Me with all your heart.
I will be found by you, says the LORD...”
That’s God’s promise to you, my friends.
You need God’s love, protection, and guidance
in the days, months, and years ahead.
We are nearing the end of the age.
We will soon be facing world cataclysm and turmoil.
You’ve probably seen some of the dozens of disaster
movies depicting various forms of cosmocide,
including world war, tsunamis, earthquakes,
volcanoes, and asteroids.
Jesus Himself stated in Luke 21:25,
“And there will be signs in the sun, in the moon, and in the
stars; and on the earth distress of nations, with
perplexity, the sea and the waves roaring; [listen
to this] men’s hearts failing them from fear and
the expectation of those things which are coming on
the earth, for the powers of heaven will be shaken.”
My friends, we need to be motivated now to seek God.
You can avoid future heart attacks from the fearful
prophesied events.
But you must learn to trust God to save you
through the trying times ahead.
Notice verse 27, Luke 21.
God again gives us the good news of Christ’s return:
“Then they will see the Son of Man coming
in a cloud with power and great glory.”
Yes, my friends, in spite of world crises, we can have hope
and confidence in the future, in tomorrow’s world.
Verse 28 gives us this encouragement:
“Now when these things begin to happen, look up and lift
up your heads, because your redemption draws near."
Regular viewers of Tomorrow’s World are
familiar with the sequence of prophetic events.
They realize that God has revealed His truth, His
plan, and His promises in this book, the Holy Bible.
God is love, as it tells us in 1 John 4:8 and 16.
We need to respond to that love by praying to Him daily.
Prayer is simply talking with God.
You need to get answers to your prayers.
Your Bible reveals the keys to powerful prayer.
We’ll share those with you in the next part of our
program, but first I’d like to offer you this inspiring
free study guide: Twelve Keys To Answered Prayer.
Roderick Meredith asks, “Why does God not answer
most people’s prayers?
Do you know how to pray in a way that will get real
results?”
These twelve keys will help you and your family
to grow in a more personal relationship with God, and
with your Savior, Jesus Christ.
And you can look forward to more of your prayers
being answered.
This inspiring free booklet will also help you
in your study of the Bible.
So, pick up the telephone right now and request your
free copy, Twelve Keys To Answered Prayer.
Just ask for the booklet on prayer.
You can also order this booklet on our Web site at
TWTV.ORG/Prayer --- or you can write to us at one of
our regional addresses.
For today’s free offer call...
Or go to...
This clear and straight-forward resource
will help you understand this vital truth--
straight from the pages of the Bible.
If you’re calling for the first time, you will also
receive a free annual subscription to Tomorrow's
World magazine.
Ten inspiring issues discussing news, science,
and modern culture will help you make sense of
your world from a biblical perspective.
Call today and join millions around the world
who are turning to Tomorrow’s World for
truth, prophecy, and hope in these confusing times.
Call now!
Or go to...
In the first part of our program, we saw the
importance of prayer.
In the remainder of the program, I want to share
with you seven proven keys to answered prayer.
Key number one: Claim God’s Promises.
If you have your Bible, turn to Matthew 6:28.
The Bible is a goldmine of guaranteed promises.
But there’s a requirement.
You must believe that God will give them to us if we
pray according to His will.
Jesus chided His audience in Matthew 6:28,
“So why do you worry about clothing?
Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they
neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you that even
Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one
of these.
Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which
today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will
He not much more clothe you, O you of little
faith?”
God has all power in the universe.
He owns everything that exists.
So, we should trust God to provide for us.
Jesus continues in verse 31,
“Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’
or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’
For after all these things the Gentiles seek.
For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things."
My friends, you have a
heavenly Father who knows your needs, but you need
to seek Him and His Kingdom first of all.
Read Verse 33.
Jesus instructs us to get our priorities straight.
What do you consider the most important goal in
your life?
Here it is in Matthew 6:33,
“But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness,
and all these things shall be added to you.
Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for
tomorrow will worry about its own things.
Sufficient for the day is its own trouble."
My friends, we must seek the greatest goal of all, the
Kingdom of God and His righteousness.
If we do that, then we can claim God’s awesome
promises He has for you.
We’ve listed some of them in our previous programs.
But consider these promises in your own Bible:
God has promised to answer our prayers (Matthew 7:7-8);
He has promised to fulfill all our needs (Philippians 4:19);
He has promised to guide our lives (Proverbs 3:5-6);
He has promised us long life, if we honor
our father and mother (Ephesians 6:2-3);
He has promised us to give us the desires of our heart,
if we delight in Him (Psalm 37:4-5);
He has promised us peace of mind (Philippians 4:6-7);
He has promised us the ability to endure trials
(1 Corinthians 10:13);
He has promised the gift of the Holy Spirit
(Acts 2:38; Luke 11:13);
He has promised the gift of His love (Romans 5:5);
and He has promised us eternal life (1 John 2:25).
My friends, study these promises in your Bible.
Remind God that He has given you these promises.
Ask God in faith to fulfill these promises in
your life, and you’ll begin to have a greater
peace of mind.
And you’ll be fulfilling one of the keys to
answered prayer.
There are many, many more promises in the Bible for
you and your family, and for all human beings on
earth.
Be sure to make out your own list.
Key number one to answered prayer: Claim God’S Promises.
Key number two for powerful answered prayer is:
Persevere In Prayer.
If you have your Bible, turn to one of my favorite
promises, of many favorite promises: Psalm 37:3.
God instructs us to trust Him and to rely on His
guidance, grace, and truth. Psalm 37:3,
“Trust in the LORD, and do good; Dwell
in the land, and feed on His faithfulness.
Delight yourself also in the LORD, and He shall
give you the desires of your heart.
Commit your way to the LORD, trust also in Him,
and He shall bring it to pass."
Years ago, one of the desires of my heart was to visit the
city of Jerusalem in modern day Israel.
In 1967, in the Six-Day War, Israel was attacked,
won the war, and as a result gained territory
that was anciently occupied by the Kings of
Israel and Judah.
The divided city of Jerusalem was unified
under the government of Israel.
Israelis now had access to one of their holy places,
the Western wall of the Temple Mount.
It was indeed an emotional time for the Jewish
people.
At that point in time, I started praying according
to God’s promise in Psalm 37:4.
And I continued over the years praying for my
heart’s desire to go to Jerusalem.
I had begun asking God for that privilege in 1967.
Do you know when He granted me my heart’s desire?
Seventeen years later in 1984.
Yes, we must persevere in prayer.
As a professor at Ambassador College, I was
asked to join a college group of students
volunteering to work in the “Dig” or
archaeological project in the City of David, just
south of the Temple Mount in Jerusalem.
I literally jumped for joy.
My wife and I were able to travel with this college
group throughout Israel and work at the Dig.
I have since visited Israel in doing
on-location filming as well as spending time with
our Church group there during the fall Feast of
Tabernacles.
Yes, my friends, God gives us awesome promises.
We need to Claim God’s Promises, and we need to
Persevere in Prayer.
We’ll discuss more keys in the next part of our
program, but first I’d like to offer you this inspiring
free study guide, Twelve Keys To Answered Prayer.
These twelve keys will help you to pray more effectively.
This inspiring free booklet will also help you
in your study of the Bible, and help you to
have a closer relationship with your Father in
Heaven, and with our Savior Jesus Christ.
These practical principles can make a dramatic
difference in your life, and in the life of your
family and friends.
Let me share with you some of these twelve keys:
#4: Forgive Others;
Key #5: God Often Hears the Unconverted;
Key #6: Seek God’s Will.
This free study guide covers more vital
information than we have time for on this program.
So, pick up the telephone right now and request your
free copy, Twelve Keys To Answered Prayer.
Just ask for the booklet on Answered Prayer.
This clear and straight-forward resource
will help you understand this vital truth--
straight from the pages of the Bible.
Call now!
Or go to...
We’ve discussed two proven keys to answered prayer.
Key number one: Claim God’s Promises.
Key number two for obtaining answered prayer
is Persevere in Prayer.
A third proven key you need to know about is:
Pray About Everything That Worries You.
Are you worried? Are you anxious?
Turn in your Bible to Philippians 4:6,
“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer
and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your
requests be made known to God.”
When you face up to your concerns, you need to
pray and talk in detail with God about your problems.
Ancient King David was very open with God in his prayers.
Turn to Psalm 6 for example.
David was suffering and prayed to God from his heart.
Psalm 6:1,
“O LORD, do not rebuke me in Your
anger, nor chasten me in Your hot displeasure.
Have mercy on me, O LORD, for I am weak; O LORD,
heal me, for my bones are troubled.
My soul also is greatly troubled; But You, O
LORD--how long?
Return, O LORD, deliver me!
Oh, save me for Your mercies’ sake!
For in death there is no remembrance of You; In the
grave who will give You thanks?”
Read the Psalms and see how David prayed from the heart.
You need to share your problems with God in prayer.
And what will be the result?
Listen to the comforting promise in Philippians 4:7.
“...And the peace of God, which surpasses all
understanding, will guard your hearts and minds
through Christ Jesus.”
Yes, you can have peace of mind through prayer.
Key number three to Answered Prayer:
Pray About Everything That Worries You.
Key number four to Answered Prayer:
Thank God Continually.
Did you notice, as we just read, in Philippians 4:6,
how we should make our requests?
“With thanksgiving”. When was the last time you
thanked God for your blessings?
When we think of the billions living in poverty
around the world, do you thank God for providing
your every need?
Remember, that is one of God’s promises He gives us
in Philippians 4:19.
The Apostle Paul predicted perilous times in the last days.
You can read those characteristics in
2 Timothy 3:1-5.
One of the greatest sins of our day is
in-gratitude.
Yes, the Apostle Paul stated that our generation
in the last days would be un-thankful.
Are you unthankful?
When you share your worries with God, thank
Him for the privilege of asking for His
intervention and deliverance.
Thank Him for all your blessings.
Some of you may be familiar with the old
nineteenth century hymn, “Count Your Blessings.”
Here are some of the words: “When upon life’s
billows you are tempest tossed, When you are
discouraged, thinking all is lost, Count your many
blessings, name them one by one, And it will
surprise you what the Lord hath done.”
When you count your blessings, when you thank God for all your
blessings you have experienced and will
experience in this life, there is that result.
My friends, count your blessings and express
heartfelt gratitude to God.
King David even thanked God in the middle of the night.
Psalm 119:62,
“At midnight I will rise to give thanks to You,
because of Your righteous judgments.”
Key number four to Answered Prayer: Thank God Continually.
Key number five to Answered Prayer:
Seek God’S Will.
How would you characterize human nature?
Not only is it un-thankful, but it is
also vanity, lust, and greed.
Just a simple review of world history demonstrates
humanity’s selfishness.
Humanity generally seeks its own will and not God’s.
Often, even professing Christians pray selfishly.
They want to get, more than to give.
Remember Jesus’ statement in
Acts 20:35, “It is more blessed to give than to receive.”
Or as the Moffatt translation has it:
“To give is happier than to get.”
Yes, we should pray and claim God’s promise that He will
provide our every need (Philippians 4:19).
Yes, we can rejoice in faith in claiming God’s
promise to give us the desires of our heart
(Psalm 37:4), but our attitude must always be,
“Your will be done”.
What did Jesus teach us to pray?
Matthew 6:10,
“Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.”
My friends, this is an extremely important key to answered
prayer. Human beings are by nature extremely selfish.
The world’s way of life is one of greed.
But Jesus desired to do His Father’s will.
When Jesus prayed in agony the night before His
crucifixion, He asked that the cup of suffering be
passed from Him if it were God’s will.
Notice that in Luke 22:42, Jesus prayed saying,
“‘Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away
from Me; nevertheless not My will, but Yours, be
done.’ Then an angel appeared to Him from
heaven, strengthening Him.
And being in agony, He prayed more earnestly.
Then His sweat became like great drops of blood
falling down to the ground.”
Jesus was willing to suffer for you and me.
He surrendered His will to His Father’s Will.
When you’re struggling over some problem or
trial, ask for God’s deliverance, but also pray
that His will be done.
Key number five is: Seek God’s Will.
The Bible also gives us an outline for praying as well.
We’ll discuss that outline in the final part of our program,
but first I’d like to offer you our
inspiring free study guide,
Twelve Keys To Answered Prayer.
These twelve keys will help you to pray more
effectively.
Share these keys with your children, with your
parents, and with your family and friends.
This inspiring study guide will also help you
in your study of the Bible, and help you to
have a closer relationship with your Father in
Heaven, and with our Savior Jesus Christ.
Let me share with you some of these twelve keys:
Key #4, Forgive Others; Key #5, God Often Hears the
Unconverted; Key #6, Seek God’s Will.
This free booklet covers more vital information
than we have time for on this program.
So, pick up the telephone right now and request your
free copy, Twelve Keys To Answered Prayer.
You can also order this free study guide on our
website at TWTV.ORG/Prayer.
For today’s free offer call...
Or go to...
This clear and straight-forward resource
will help you understand this vital truth--
straight from the pages of the Bible.
If you’re calling for the first time, you will also
receive a free annual subscription to Tomorrow's
World magazine.
Ten inspiring issues discussing news, science,
and modern culture will help you make sense of
your world from *a biblical perspective.
Call today and join millions around the world
who are turning to Tomorrow’s World for
truth, prophecy, and hope in these confusing times.
Call now!
Or go to...
Your Bible gives us many proven keys to powerful
answered prayer.
My friends, you can have your prayers answered as
you follow these proven biblical keys.
There are two more keys I’d like to share with you.
KEY #6 to answered prayer is: Follow The Outline Prayer.
Remember, one of Jesus’ disciples asked Him:
“Lord, teach us to pray”. That was Luke 11:1.
Jesus gave us the famous model prayer, often called
the Lord’s prayer.
Jesus gives us an outline of topics for prayer.
The very first topic we pray about is the office,
power, and name of our Father in Heaven.
Jesus said in Matthew 6:9,
“In this manner, therefore, pray: Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be Your name."
Jesus also gave us this warning in Matthew 6:7:
“And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the
heathen do. For they think that they will be heard for their
many words.”
Saying the same words over and over again,
becomes vanity. Jesus wants us to pray from the heart,
not to repeat the exact words of the model prayer.
The prophet Hosea gave a similar warning in Hosea 7:14,
“They never put their heart into their prayers.”
That’s from the Moffatt translation.
Human beings will often cry out to God when
they’re in trouble.
After honoring God’s name first of all in your
prayer, the second major topic to pray about is
stated in Matthew 6:10,
“Your kingdom come”.
Why do you want God’s kingdom to come? The
world is filled with wars, violence, poverty,
catastrophic natural disasters including
earthquakes, tsunamis, hurricanes, tornados,
floods, drought, and volcanoes.
God’s kingdom will produce a world of sustainable
agriculture, rain in due season, prosperity, and
peace among nations.
Pray for God’s kingdom to come and look forward to a
glorious tomorrow’s world under the King of kings
and Lord of lords, the Prince of Peace, the
Savior, Jesus Christ.
Meditate on each of these topics in the model prayer
here in Matthew 6.
As you do, you will be praying according to God’s will.
KEY #6 to answered prayer: Follow The Outline Prayer.
Our seventh proven key to powerful prayer is:
Pray In Jesus Name.
Jesus Christ is at the right hand of God in heaven.
He is our great High Priest who ever lives to
make intercession for us, as it tells us in
Hebrews 7:25.
He gives us the authority to pray to God in heaven.
We pray in Jesus’ name and authority.
Since He’s given us that authority, we can pray boldly.
Notice that in Hebrews 4:16,
“Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace,
that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help
in time of need.”
We can pray with confidence because Christ is our High
Priest and Savior. He sympathizes with our weaknesses.
He knows what it’s like to suffer.
He was tempted in all points, as we are, yet
without sin, as it tells us in verse 15.
Key number seven is: Pray In Jesus Name.
My friends, you can have your prayers answered.
You can rejoice in God’s love for you as He answers
your prayers.
On today’s program, we’ve briefly discussed seven
proven keys to answered prayer.
You need to apply these keys and others as well.
Be sure to request our inspiring free study
guide, Twelve Keys To Answered Prayer.
You need this inspiring free booklet.
We invite you to join us every week on Tomorrow’s World.
In this world of growing chaos and confusion, you
need the solid guidance that comes from your Bible.
Gerald Weston, Wallace Smith, Rod McNair and I
will continue to share with you the teachings of
Jesus Christ, the good news of the coming Kingdom
of God, and the exciting end-time prophecies and
their meaning.
So, be sure to join us again next week, right
here, at this same time.
For today’s free offer call...
Or go to...
Call today and join millions around the world
who are turning to Tomorrow’s World for
truth, prophecy, and hope in these confusing times.
The preceding program is
produced by the Living Church of God.