Prayers of the Righteous | Ep. 141

This episode promises to enrich your understanding of prayer and faith through the inspiring stories of biblical figures. As illustrated by the Syrophoenician woman's encounter with Jesus in Matthew 15, her unwavering faith and relentless pursuit of Jesus' help serve as a powerful testament to the answered prayer of Solomon's heartfelt plea in 1 Kings 8.

Moving further, we dissect the themes of faith and authority, highlighting the centurion's story and the wisdom found in James 4:1-4. We confront the harsh truth about selfish prayers and the conflicts they breed, urging listeners to align their desires with God's will. Through Job's story, we delve into the importance of silence and discernment, reminding us to seek God’s heart over our own requests. This episode challenges us to reflect deeply on our prayer life and the significance of spiritual maturity, drawing on profound scriptural insights to encourage a more aligned and faithful prayer practice.

In our final segments, we delve into the essential practices of fasting, prayer, and Bible study as the bedrock of spiritual growth. Highlighting the patience and endurance required for true spiritual maturity, we recount the trials faced by biblical figures like Joseph, Gideon, and Abraham, emphasizing the transformative power of waiting on the Lord. Personal anecdotes and scriptural wisdom create a rich tapestry of encouragement for anyone seeking deeper faith and spiritual renewal. Join us for an episode brimming with insights that promise to elevate your spiritual journey and challenge us to deepen our relationship with God.

Chapters

• 0:03 Principles of Prayer and Faith
• 10:25 Understanding Faith and Praying Wisely
• 21:31 Renewing the Mind
• 36:03 Importance of Fasting, Prayer, Study
• 49:05 Developing Maturity Through Waiting
• 58:30 Importance of Waiting on the Lord

Transcript

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 0:03

The vision received was that of blood cells traveling throughout the body, supplying the much needed oxygen and other nutrients to the differing members of the body to fulfill their purpose. Once the blood cells are spent, they must return back to the heart to be refilled before being sent out again and fulfill their purpose.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 0:25

Amen. I'd like to start off with making an obvious disclaimer.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 0:30

today, I am not God, I am not here to answer every what-if question you might have for me concerning the subject that I'm going to cover today. Rather, I feel more like a person who is laying a foundation, laying some principle beams, some principles that need to be laid down as a groundwork so that you can then figure these answers out with the Lord himself, these answers out with the Lord himself. Last Tuesday I brought up the subject of a woman who was a Gentile, who came unto Jesus, practically groveled at his feet, from Matthew 15. And this woman was a Syrophoenician woman, she was a Greek, she was not of the household of God, and she came out crying to Jesus, thou son of David, referring to his calling, his prophetic identity as the Messiah. And she kept crying out after him and he ignored her and the disciples were what do you want me to do? What do you want us to do with her? He wants to get rid of her and he still kind of ignored her, but just spoke to the disciples that I've been sent to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 1:57

But she didn't take that as an answer from him, his neglect or his ignoring her. But he continued to follow after him and she went so far as to bow down and worship him, saying it is not meat. Well, she said Lord, help me, lord, help me. And she worshiped him. And he answered to her it is not meat to take to children's bread and to cast it to the dogs. And she said truth, lord. Yet the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from the master's table. And in all of her responses she is responding to him as one who is in authority above her, not taking any offense and anything he might say that might be construed or misconstrued as being an insult or an offense to her. And she answered oh woman, great is thy faith, all of these actions that put her underneath him, that put her to the point where other men would might describe her as what You're groveling at his feet, he saw it as an act of faith on her part because he said oh woman, great is thy faith, be it unto thee even as thou wilt. Let it be done unto you just exactly as you want it.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 3:22

And then I brought that back to a prayer that Solomon prayed in 1 Corinthians, chapter 6 or 7, or actually it's 8. And Solomon, when he dedicated the temple, said these three, or said these three verses that we've numbered 41 through 43 in 1 Kings 8. He said, moreover, concerning a stranger which is exactly what the Syrophoenician woman was a woman or a person who is not of thy people, Israel, but who comes out of a far country. For thy name's sake, we have to slow down, we have to analyze his prayer, because this is not just some open-ended prayer that Solomon is saying. I want you to answer every prayer that comes from any man, but no, I want you to answer the prayer of a man who comes and seeks after you, who turns toward this temple that I've built for you, that I know that you don't dwell in, for you dwell in the heaven of heavens, and that even that cannot contain thee. But if a person will come to you for your great name's sake, I want you to hear him. He says, for they shall hear thy great name. There are people in this earth that are gonna hear of your great name. They're gonna know of your strong power, of your strong hand, of your outstretched arm, and when they come and pray toward this house, hear thou in heaven, which is your dwelling place. And he says and do according to all that the stranger calleth for thee. And that's exactly what Jesus answered that Syrophoenician woman. Woman, how great is thy faith? Whatever it is that you want, let it be done according to whatever you wanted, whatever you will. And he answered in that very same manner.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 5:24

But what is the reason that Solomon prayed this particular prayer? That all the people of the earth may know thy name and fear thee. It wasn't just so you can just answer everybody's prayer. The purpose behind answered prayer is not to answer the prayer of the person praying it. It's so that he would be glorified in the earth, so that he would be lifted up, that he would be magnified, that his name would echo, so that other people may know of this great God and Savior, whose name is Jesus, that does these mighty miracles, that does these great healings in the earth. So that the earth may know and fear thee, just as thy people fear thy name. That they may know this house, which I have built, that is called by night. Now, that's what I spoke about on Tuesday and I challenged.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 6:24

My challenge was to think about when you go in prayer, that, if God is going to answer even the rest of 1 Kings 8, when Solomon prays about when thy people, Israel, are smitten down before thine enemy because they've sinned against thee, he doesn't just say blankly please answer their prayers. He says specifically when they shall turn again to thee and confess thy name and pray and make supplication unto thee, then then answer their prayer. You see, it's their people that were out of underneath. I called it the umbrella of grace. You don't want to be wet by the rain, but what you did was you got out from under the umbrella and you wanted God to stop letting the rain pelt you. But the problem is that you left the umbrella of grace. You need to get right back underneath.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 7:32

The umbrella of grace, which I described to you was his will, his ways, his word. And when you do that, yes, you shall have whatsoever you say, because you got yourself back in line with his will and his ways. His umbrella of grace, that's when He answers your prayers. If you are of the house of God, you've got to get right with him first. It says again when the heavens are shut up and there is no rain, because they have sinned against thee, if they pray toward this place, if they confess your name, if they turn from their sin which they were afflicted by, then go ahead and answer them.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 8:11

He says it again just for a different reason. The first reason if you were smitten by your enemies. The second reason oh my gosh, you're not getting any rain, which means you can't get your crops, which means you're probably suffering from some lack of food. But he also says again if there be famine, if there be pestilence and blasting and mildew and locusts and the caterpillar, whatever prayer and supplication is made by any man which shall know every man, the plague of his own heart and shall spread forth his hands toward his house, then hear thou in heaven, that man has to know what was the plague in his own heart. That gives him the right to say oh God, I've made a mistake, I've made a blunder, I've done wrong, and I'm right now back before your face crying out your name because I got to make this right, because I'm dying here. The famine, the pestilence, the locusts, the catapults, they're all killing.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 9:09

These are all metaphors of what happens in our life when we come out from that umbrella of grace, then everything starts nitpicking away at us and we start dying, we start getting depressed, we start losing hope. But the only way to get back from underneath the pelting of the rain of life is to get back under the umbrella of grace. But you have to recognize where you faltered. You have to recognize the plague of your own heart and get back in line with His word, His will, His ways. And so the reason I'm going back over this is because I don't want you to leave that one teaching which really just focused on challenging you to make sure that, when you come before God, that you're right with Him, because you'll leave blaming God for him not answering your prayer when he was waiting for you to fix something with him. And so that was my challenge to you. But, like I said before, my disclaimer was I'm not God to answer your what if this, what if that? I can't answer all of those things God can, but I know that there are some principles that need to be laid down in your faith walk so that you know how you can get your prayers answered, and so I want to extend the teaching here today.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 10:25

Not only did he do that with the Syrophoenician woman, who was a Gentile, he also did with the centurion man who had a servant that was on his deathbed, dying. He was a Gentile too. Yet Jesus said oh my Lord, I have not seen so great a faith in all of Israel. And straight with that his servant was healed. He said don't even come into my house, just speak the word. Just speak the word. I understand authority, because when my authority speaks a word, I immediately do it. When I speak a word to my servant, it's immediately done. They just go and do it, there's no question about it. See, he was coming back in line. He was recognizing who the authority is in this life and is God himself, and so he came to him. So we need to consider those things.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 11:14

Number two when we are in the household of God, we are sometimes guilty of what James spoke about in chapter four, one through four. So if you turn there with me, James 4, 1 through 4. Where do wars and fights come from among you? Do they not come from your desires for pleasure, that war in your members? You lust and do not have. You murder and covet and cannot obtain. You fight and war, yet you do not have because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive. You have to listen to why's. Whenever there's a rhetorical question being answered, you ask and you do not receive. Because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures. See, the reason was not so much that they didn't ask, they were asking and not receiving because they were asking amiss. Why were they asking amiss? It says because they were asking based upon their own desires, their own pleasures.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 12:29

That one verse in verse three is surrounded by the fact that they were warring and fighting among each other because there was lust in their members wanting something, coveting things that were not of the Lord. That is what praying amiss is about. When you're praying for something and it's not even God's will, it's what you want, it's what you desire. And yes, it does say and this is where it gets perverted and twisted yes, it does say that he gives you the desires of your heart. Now you can think about it as well.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 13:03

I have a desire for a car. Did he give me that desire, that car? Is that what it means, that I'm supposed to have a car because I desire it in the heart, or are there desires in your heart that were planted from the gardener of heaven in you so that you would desire things that are spiritual, that are heavenly, that are above. And then does he give you those desires? Is it the fulfillment of the desire or is it the very desire that is in your heart to do? I want to bless this person, I want to help him out. I want to give him some food, I want to give him some clothing. I'm making it up as I go along. Do you understand? It's not the natural lustful desires of the flesh that he gives you, the desires of your heart. It's the spiritual desires. It's His heart, planted in your heart and bringing into fruition so that he can what His kingdom be done on earth as it is done in heaven. That's when he gives you the desires of your heart, says, but you ask, amiss, that you may spend it on your own pleasures. Adulterers, adulteresses, do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. You are lusting after things that are really in line with the world, not with God, and that's what praying amiss is about. Now you in the house of God, need to discern whether the desires in your heart that you're praying for are his desires. Let me ask you a question.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 14:56

Anybody remember Job? He was smitten with boils. That was like the second thing that Satan was allowed to do to him to touch his body, but not his life. He was smitten with these horrible boils, so much so that he had to have a pottery clay pot so that he could like, when they pop, he would be able to sort of scrape his skin and get it off of him. He had three friends come over. Does anybody know how long those three friends were there with him before they even spoke to him? Seven days. Why do I bring this up? Most of the time when the people of the house of God come to God in prayer, they're yip-yapping, yip-yapping, yip-yapping and they don't stop talking. All they want is for God to know what they want. Nobody wants to know what God wants.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 15:56

Nobody wants to know the heart of God.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 16:01

Now they did not speak to this man for seven days. Some of us find it hard to spend seven seconds in prayer without saying a word. It's uncomfortable. Some of you are probably wondering why did I put that silence there? It got uncomfortable. I did that on purpose. What is he waiting for? You're almost on the edge of your seat. Why did he stop talking? Some of us get into prayer and we're just talking, talking. Or some of us can't spend three seconds and then we're just on our way.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 16:48

Silence is like a bygone word. It's like we're afraid to be silent in the presence of God. Now, why is that? We always have to have something going on. Are we that busy? Are we that on a motor that we can't get off this wheel, that we put our gerbils on? We need to get off the wheel and just relax. It says in Ecclesiastes 3.7,. There's a time to tear a rent, a time to sow, there is a time to keep silence and there is a time to speak. But we don't understand that because we haven't matured yet, which I'll get into later. Maturity brings us to the understanding that there is a time and a place for everything and sometimes there is a time to just be quiet, be silent. It says in Habakkuk 2:20, But the Lord is in his holy temple. Let all the earth keep silence before him. In God's eyes, that's not an unnatural response for you to be silent in his presence.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 18:10

If I go back to Ecclesiastes 5: 1 and 2, it says walk prudently when you go to the house of God. Y'all know what prudent is? Conservatively wisely. It says walk wisely when you go into the house of God and draw near to hear rather than to give the sacrifice of fools. Talk and talk and talk about what you want, what you want, what you want. It's always talking about you. You're the one talking and it's a monologue. But when do you give her into prayer? And you're just completely silent in his presence waiting on him. Because the scriptures say walk prudently when you go into the house of God and draw near to Him to hear. Doesn't say draw near to Him so you could speak. Draw near to hear rather than to give the sacrifice of fools, for they do not know that they do evil. It says, furthermore, in verse two do not be rash with thy mouth.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 19:17

Let not your heart utter anything hastily before God, because you need what I said on Tuesday to check yourself when you get into the presence of God, before you start asking about everything that you think you need. Is that desire in your heart, your lust, or is it something that is his desire, that he's planted from his heart to yours? If you don't figure that out, you may be praying amiss. You may be praying in vain, and so sometimes, before you start uttering anything, you need to be quiet. You need to come with an attitude of listening rather than speaking, hearing rather than saying. Whatever you think it is is on your heart, for God is in heaven and you are on earth. Let your words be few. The word of God commands us in the house of God that this is the way we should be when we come into his presence. Consider that Praying amiss.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 20:33

Another aspect that I think needs to be laid down as a groundwork is this issue of time, not timing Time, because there is a prerequisite that needs to be met for individuals in the house of God, and that prerequisite is the transformation of that individual. That individual needs to be transformed. Let me give you a few scriptures Romans 12, 1 through 3. I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service, and do not be conformed to this world. Remember the praying amiss. You're praying according to your own desires, you're praying according to the things and the lusts of this world. Well, here it says don't be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing Key word renewing of your mind. And as your mind is renewed, then you will be proving what is the good and perfect and acceptable will of God as you walk out your life.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 21:52

But you don't do that if you don't get your mind renewed. We've walked too long in the grips and the chains of this world for us to know, as soon as we're born again bam, this is the will of God. I know it and I know how to walk it. You need time, time to grow up. You need time. Time to grow up, time to mature, time to get your mind renewed.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 22:20

We're going to talk about how do we get our mind renewed, for it says in verse 3, for I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one. Everyone has been given a measure of faith, there's no question about that. But he's describing a prideful heart here. Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought to. That's a prideful heart. That's an issue that has to be dealt with. That comes through the renewing of your mind. Because when your mind is renewed and you begin to understand what it is to come into the presence of the Lord, you don't start talking, but you rather come to him, as the scriptures have said, quietly, wisely, prudently, listening rather than wanting to talk, wanting to know God's heart rather than to tell him your own. See, if you had not read those scriptures, you might not have known that that's the way you're supposed to act when you come into the presence of God. So consider that.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 23:30

It says in 2 Corinthians 4.16,. Therefore, we do not lose heart, even though our outward man is perishing. Doesn't that happen over time? The key word is time. Right now, doesn't our outward man perish? Aren't we growing older and older day by day? But it also says in that same verse that yet the inward man is renewed day by day. But it also says in that same verse that yet the inward man is renewed day by day. So just as much as our outward man is growing older and older and more, decrepit our inward man, our spirit, which we spoke about earlier today.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 24:07

Where does God dwell? He dwells in the hearts of his people. They are his dwelling place. That is being renewed day after day, but that takes time. It takes time for that to take place. So when you get frustrated with why are my prayers answered, or why hasn't this happened yet, or why Relax, understand that time needs to take passage, because things have got to take place first.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 24:41

It didn't happen all at once. Time is of the essence In Ephesians 4, 20 through 24. But you didn't learn Christ in this way. You have not so learned Christ, if indeed you have heard him and have been taught by him, as the truth is in Jesus. How many years were the disciples taught of the Lord? Three and a half. And when he ascended into heaven, did they get it? Still, they did not get it. They needed more time. That more time brought with them, within 40 days, the baptism of the Holy Spirit. And even when they got the baptism of the Holy Spirit did they understand all things? They were renewed day by day. Revelation kept coming forth as they were able to handle it, as they grew, as they matured. They needed time in order to grow into this newer, more profound, more deeper revelations of God, the deeper recesses of his heart.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 25:53

You didn't immediately just come into it, but you had to sort of kind of work your way in there, putting off what it says here, your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, and be again renewed in the spirit of your mind, and that you put on the new man which was created according to God in true righteousness and holiness. This happens slowly. As time passes by, as you continue to seek his heart and seek his face, you begin to understand what that even means, because we always talk about what they said in Peter put on the full armor of God. And what does that mean? In time you'll learn it. In time you'll understand. It's not some physical shield you have to pick up every morning with the sword of the. He's talking about something spiritual here. That's happening in your inner man, it's happening within your spirit, it's an attitude that's being developed in you that, when you wake up, you're putting on the armor of God, the sword of the spirit, the helmet of salvation, the belt of truth, feet shodden with the gospel of God, the sword of the spirit, the helmet of salvation, the belt of truth, feet shodden with the gospel of peace. It's these things that you start, because these things are spiritual. You keep your mind on things above, and that's something that takes time.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 27:28

It doesn't happen overnight, didn't happen for Moses, called to go back to Egypt and to do great and mighty things, and he hesitated and he kind of quibbled, and even when he was in the midst of it, oh my God, what are you doing? What are you doing to these people? They're complaining, they're about to stone me. He had to walk it out. He didn't understand that, but day by day he was growing more and more till he said show me thy ways, o Lord, that I may know thee. Then he began to understand, and that in of itself is a revelation. Show me thy ways, because in knowing God's ways you begin to know him more. But you don't get a download of revelation of all of these mysteries all at once it doesn't happen that way. Give yourself some time and remember that when you're ministering to others, give them some time, because they may have struggled differently than you did and they may take longer than you did. Give them time.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 28:37

It says in Philippians 2, 5, let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus. I skipped to verse 12. Therefore, my beloved, beloved as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to do for his good pleasure. It takes time for you to understand what day four was about in the days of creation. You all don't know what I'm talking about. I'm talking about to my kids and there's a couple kids here. We talked about day four in creation. Day four in creation talked about the lights were made in the firmament and the stars and the sun, and one greater light was to rule the day and the other greater light was to rule the night.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 29:30

And basically, day four represents authority, it represents rulership, and this is the hardest part that a Christian has, because when you go through day one, which was the revelation of repentance. You go through day two, which is faith toward God. You go through day three, which was baptism in water and baptism in the spirit. You get to day four, and this is the part where most Christians falter. They don't understand, they don't get to the point where they submit to his authority and rulership in their daily lives. Some people do get born again, they do come in a covenant, they do repent, they do get baptized in the water and they do get baptized in the spirit, but then they falter because they do not continue submitting to his authority.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 30:19

Because his authority is not only in regards to your salvation and forgiveness of sins. His authority is in every aspect of your life and he is to be ruler over every aspect of your life. And if you are like a house, he is to rule over every room in your house, and the more rooms that you hide from him, the less he is an authority in your life. We've talked about that before. Other people have brought up the metaphor you have this pet sin hidden in this closet. You let him go everywhere in your house, but don't go to that closet. No, no, no, no, no. That's my closet. There's nothing there for you, Jesus? No, yes, there is. He is to rule in every room, in every nook and cranny of your life, whether you like it or not, and the more you don't like it, the less likely you'll make it to the end.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 31:14

So I'm talking about prayer here. I'm talking about when is it answered? And a lot has to do with where are you in regards to your alignment with him, alignment with His ways, His word. But if I would have left that teaching on Tuesday, some people might say, oh yeah, well, God answers all my prayers because I'm a child of God and there's a deception out there. It has been for years Through the charismatic movement, and they usually will quote Matthew 21, 21 and 22, where Jesus said assuredly I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what was done to this fig tree which he just cursed, but also if you say to this mountain be removed and be cast into the sea, it will be done.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 32:00

And whatever things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive. And that's all they talk about. And we call it the name. It claim it. Oh, you name it. Oh, you name it. Whatever came out of your mouth, you declared it. The word the Lord of the Lord has got to come to pass. And they pervert God's word and they try to tie his hands and say well, lord, you said this, so you've got to do it.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 32:24

Well, let's look at another scripture Mark 11: 22 through 26. Again, I like parallel passages. I like to get as full a picture as possible, because you leave Matthew like that and you might come out with that name acclaimant idea. But we come to Mark, which also talks about the same event. That's why I call it a parallel passage. It says that Jesus said have faith in God, for assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain be removed and be cast into the sea and does not doubt in his heart but believes in those things he says will be done, he will have. Whatever he says Sounds the same, okay.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 33:00

Therefore, I say to you whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them and you will have them. And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him. Wait a second, matthew didn't say anything about that, but see, that's why you have to get a fuller picture, because he's saying if you have ought with someone, you need to take care of that first, before you come to me and start asking me for something, forgive him that your father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses. But if you do not forgive, neither will your father in heaven forgive you your trespasses. And he said that in a parable, if you remember Parable of the master and the servant. And he got forgiven of the master and the servant, that he got forgiven of the much money that he had to pay the servant, but then he didn't forgive the person. That was a few talents, I mean. It was worthless compared to what he owed, and we saw what happened to him.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 34:05

So you can't have issues with someone and then come to God in prayer and think that you're gonna get whatever. So, whatever you ask Context, they always pull out things, pervert the word, take it out of context so that they can make God do something that he supposedly said he was supposed to do. If I go back to Matthew 5, 23 and 24, he says it in this way Jesus said if you bring a gift to the altar of prayer, the altar of sacrifice, and you remember that your brother has something against you, if you know that somebody has something against you and you bring him something in prayer to the altar leave. Get up and go. Just leave your gift before the altar, go your way and first be reconciled to your brother and then come and offer your gift. You see, these requirements are necessary in order for you to get your prayer answered.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 35:03

You can't have this issue of unforgiveness. The number one sin prevalent in the church today, as we've said many times before, is unforgiveness. Can't seem to get over this issue with somebody. They offended you, they slighted you, whether they knew it or not, and we want to come to God, asking him for whatever we want and thinking we're just going to get it.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 35:31

So, in this midst of time, I think what I'm trying to, what I'm trying to convey, is there needs to be growth, there needs to be maturity. I'm not talking about physical, I'm talking about spiritual maturity, and the only thing that that comes by is through fasting, prayer and study. You become mature through fasting, prayer and study. You become mature through fasting, prayer and study the underlying current. You gotta do. You gotta do when you're studying, you gotta do okay.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 36:03

So fasting, it says but you, when you fast, it didn't say if Just simply because when Jesus fast, it didn't say if Just simply because when Jesus said but when you fast, anoint your head, wash your face so that you do not appear to men as the fasting, but your father, who is in a secret place, your father who sees in secret, will reward you openly. You should be fasting and it's sort of like the Lord's communion. It doesn't say how often, but as often as you get together and you break bread and drink wine, do this in remembrance of me. What he says about fasting, he doesn't tell you how many times to do it, how long to do it, it's just expected. When you fast, don't let anybody know it. And I, who sees in secret what you do in secret from my name, I will then reward you openly.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 36:59

Fasting is of necessity for your spiritual maturity. Number two is prayer. First, corinthians 14, verse 15. What is the conclusion then? I will pray with the spirit and I will also pray with the Spirit and I will also pray with the understanding. I will sing with the Spirit and I will also sing with the understanding. It's a given. Yes, there does need to be prayer. Yes, there does need to be your praying in the, that's praying in the language that God has given you, in the spirit, but it's also praying with understanding in the language that you already know. Yes, he does expect you to speak. Don't take one of the things I say and go to extreme and say you should never speak. I'm not saying that. I'm saying we should come to him with the attitude of wanting to hear first what he has to say, because when we start receiving from him what it is that we need to be praying, then what do we do?

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 37:54

We pray according to His will, but we go to Him all wanting to talk and we never hear what he has to say about anything Because we're so overwhelmed with what's going on in our heart. Let's hear from him first. It says always in 1 Thessalonians 5, 16 through 18, rejoice always, pray without ceasing. But you think that a newborn baby in the Lord is going to do that? What does it take? Time? I can't expect my young kids to do stuff like that. Please Think about how you're raising your family. There are certain expectations you don't have of your kids. Why? Because they're just not there yet. It's understandable. Pray for an hour. Sometimes it's hard for us adults. You expect your child to do that and what I'm saying is that when we come into the family of God, we are his children. He knows, above all else, what we're ready for, what level we're at. I can't tell you that I don't even know how large the level is To really begin Pray without ceasing. It's getting to that point where you're praying without ceasing and you're probably thinking, okay, I slap my hands, I get in the corner, I pray. No, pray without ceasing is that you're talking to God throughout the day. That's maturity. That's when you realize, oh, oh. When I'm walking, when I'm driving, you know, in the midst of a conversation I just had with this person, we walk away and I'm just praying about what I just had a conversation with this person about, because you know that person really needs some help or a prayer or whatever. You're praying all the time, you're basically communing with him all the time. Why? Because you're in covenant with God. And being in covenant with God is saying, is that I have the spirit dwelling within me. I don't have to wait till I get home to talk to him and get in my little closet. He's with me all the time and so I get to talk to him all the time. But that doesn't happen until you start maturing in that understanding of it. Granted, there are some few that start out that way. They're rare, they're rare, they're rare.

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And then the last one fasting prayer study. We all know this verse 2, timothy 2.15,. Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needed not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. There is nothing in this natural world that is going to help you develop a discerning ear to the voice of the Lord better than the written word of God. Nothing. Can you hear God without the word of God? Yes, but to help you discern and recognize His voice, His ways, His testimonies of the past. Nothing better than the written word of God.

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So it is absolutely essential that you are getting in this word regularly. I'm not telling you how many times a day, how long in a day. I'm saying you need to do it regularly, like when Jesus said when you fast, I'm not telling you when, I'm not telling you how long, I'm not telling you how many different times when you fast means you're going to do it. You need to get in this word regularly. This word is the best way to understand what is His heart, what is His will. If I know what he's done in the past with his people and his people that were not his people, then I'm going to understand His ways. And if I understand His ways, I'm going to know Him more. I'm going to know Him better.

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But that doesn't happen overnight. It takes time. Give yourself time, but don't waste the time. Redeem the time, because you've been away from him for so long in your life that as soon as you come into covenant, you better stop wasting time and get to what you should have been long in your life, that as soon as you come into covenant, you better stop wasting time and get to what you should have been doing all your life. And it's when you get to this point where there's some maturity in your life spiritually, that then 1 John 5, verse 14 and 15 becomes all the more effectual.

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It says now this is the confidence that we have in him that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. Not only does he hear us, if we know that he hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of him. That comes through maturity. It's not simply whatever I ask. I'm going to get you read that Matthew account and that's what you might leave with. You read the Mark account. That might not be what you leave with, but according to the apostle of Jesus Christ, john said if we pray and ask anything according to his will, well, if you're not in the word, if you're not in prayer, if you're not fasting, how do you know his will? If you just came into the kingdom, I don't know how you know his will without doing those things. I don't know how you know his will without doing those things. Those things are not optional, they're essential. They were expected of the Lord, when you fast, when you pray, study to show thyself approved.

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Another issue that we need to consider is timing. Timing needs to be considered. Ecclesiastes 3.11 says he has made everything what Beautiful when, in his time. So there is something that is completely out of our hands His timing. There is no doubt that he will make everything beautiful in his time. There is no doubt that he is going to restore this fallen, decrepit old world and he's going to make a new earth, isn't he? He's going to make a new heaven, isn't he? When? I don't know, but I am fully assured and persuaded that it will happen in his time, in my future, yes, when exactly, I don't know.

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It says in Galatians 4.4, He prophesied many times of how he was going to bring forth the son. Right Government's going to be upon his shoulder, going to be born of a virgin, and he spoke that hundreds, almost thousands of years earlier, but it hadn't happened yet. Well, it says in Galatians 4.4, but when the fullness of time had come, god sent forth his son, born of a woman, born under the law. Now, who on God's green earth, before Jesus was born, was going to know exactly when he was going to be born. It was just in the fullness of God's time, and some wise men from the east seemed to see some sign in the stars that said, oh, it's about this time. You know what? They didn't get there till when, two years later. So God's got a timing that I am completely unaware of, and so are you.

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But what we do know is that he is going to fulfill his word, and that's what we have to rely on. His word, and that's what we have to rely on. He says in Ephesians 1.10, in the dispensation of the fullness of times he is going to do something. He is going to gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on earth. In him he's going to do that. I cannot tell you when I have no idea, but it'll be in his time. God always answers the prayers of his saints in his time.

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It says in 1 John, 3, 2, beloved, now we are the children of God. He's talking to his people. He's not talking to the world. 1 John was written to the saints. He's telling the saints now we are the children of God, but what? It has not yet been real, what we shall be, but it doesn't look like it. It's basically what he's saying. We are now the children of God. But you know what? It doesn't look like it. Everybody sees my flesh, everybody sees this outward man growing older and older day by day. I don't look like a child of God. I'm not handsome or I'm not beautiful if I was a woman. But you know what? Now we are a child of God, even though it doesn't appear what we shall be. It says. But we know. Here's the confidence. We know that when he is revealed, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. We know that there is a time in God's timing where he is going to bring that to pass. He is going to reveal and manifest who we truly are children of God.

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You guys know Hebrews 11, right, the hall of faith, and it begins to recount all of the patriarchs, all of the Old Testament saints, all of the great and mighty wonderful things that God did through them and the faith that they exhibited with him as he spoke things. And they had faith in him and he would bring things to pass. If we start in verse 32, what more shall I say For the time would fail me to tell of Gideon and Barak and Samson and Jephthah, also of David and Samuel and the prophets, and who, through faith, subdued kingdoms, worked righteousness, obtained, promises stopped, the mouths of lions quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword. Out of weakness were made strong, became valiant in battle, turned to flight the armies of the aliens. Women received their dead raised to life again. Others were tortured, not accepting deliverance that they might obtain a better resurrection. Still others had trial of mockings and scourgings, yes, and of chains and imprisonment. They were stoned, they were sawn in two, were tempted, were slain with the sword. They wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, tormented, of whom the world was not worthy. They wandered in deserts and mountains and dens and caves of the earth.

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This doesn't sound very inviting, does it? But this is what the saints of God went through, does it? But this is what the saints of God went through. This is what the Old Testament saints of God went through, and particularly the New Testament saints of God went through this as well. He said all of these, having obtained a good testimony through their faith, did not receive the promise, did not receive the promise. God had provided something better for us, that they should not be made perfect apart from us, in the timing of God.

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Sometimes we have to endure things that we would not wish to endure for the sake of obtaining a good testimony of faith. There is no other way around that. As a parent, you should know that the things that you have dealt with in your life are testimonies, first and foremost, to your own children, whether they believe it and accept it or not. That should be the first testimony unto them. When you're ministering out to some stranger out there, your first testimony should be your testimony of what God did for you to that person. It should be what you've experienced. Right, and in order for you to have a testimony with God, you've got to experience some things that you may not wish to. And if God told you beforehand, you would say no, I don't want no part of that. But he didn't tell us. He doesn't tell us because he wants you to know that my grace is sufficient for thee. My grace will carry you on through when you don't believe, you can. Like.

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Gideon didn't believe he could do whatever it is he was called to do, Moses didn't believe he could do whatever he was called to do. So many saints in the faith Abraham did not believe, and so he had his. It wasn't even his wife, it was his wife's servant. Sometimes God has got to put us through experience so that we develop a testimony of faith that honors him, that glorifies him. And we need to go through experiences. So my fifth thing to consider with prayers of the righteous being answered, are you ready, are you in a place where you're mature and you're ready as a person to receive that answer? Prayer Testimony Joseph.

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Psalm 105: 17 to 22 says he sent a man before them, Joseph, who was sold as a slave. They hurt his feet with fetters. He was laid in irons until the time that his word came to pass. The word of the Lord did what Tested him. Sometimes you're not ready. You guys know Joseph's plight, you know his account. Could God have done what he needed to do as soon as he was sold into slavery, right in that moment? He was 17 years old at that time. You think, after his brothers did that to him, that he was in the right frame of mind that he would be able to put in a position right next to the Pharaoh? He probably would have slaughtered his brothers at that time, but it didn't happen until 20 years later or more, after he had went through what he did at Potiphar's house, after he had went through what he did in jail, then he was risen into a place of prominence.

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Time passed and in that time God was able to do something in him. Because it says, the word of the Lord tested him. I'm sure he was wondering but God, why did you give me that dream? You said my brothers and parents would all be bowing down before me. Why am I going through this? I'm in jail. Did you give me that dream? You said my brothers and parents would all be bowing down before me. Why am I going through this? I'm in jail. I'm not even in my home, I'm in Egypt.

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He must have gone through that. But the word of the Lord tested him. It tried him until he came of age, until he came to that spiritual place of maturity that when his brothers did come back to him, he did test them. But he broke down in front of them and, with the compassion of God, says the evil that you meant for me, god meant for good, that I might save you and my father and the rest of my family. He had that understanding Then. He probably would not have had that in the youth of 17 or 18 or 20. He needed that time to mature. Sometimes we're not ready for that answer prayer that we want. It's something for you to consider.

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Think about Samuel. When was Samuel brought to the high priest? Anybody know? After he was weaned? Good answer, great biblical answer, because I don't have the age. I think it was before two years, but it's definitely after he was weaned. He dedicated Hannah, dedicated her son, to the Lord. After he was weaned, he gave Samuel to the high priest and took her hands off of him. And we know the story of Samuel. Why didn't God talk to him then, right when he was given to the high priest? Well, he probably didn't even know how to speak yet.

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Time Maturity, just simple maturity. When he finally did speak to him, he understood language. He understood because when you see what God said to him, it wasn't like one, two words. It was like a whole paragraph, whole page full of stuff talking about Eli, talking about his sons, talking about all these things. Samuel had to get of an age where he could receive all that.

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Now I'm trying to think common sense, wise, but it really is spiritual. God must wait on you to get to the place where he needs you to be so that you can receive his word. It takes time. Now, satan would love nothing more than you to get what God promised you to get Before the time. He did that with Sarah and Abraham. God promised he was going to give her a child Through Abraham's seed, and they waited, and they waited, and they waited, and they could not wait anymore. The word of the Lord was testing them. Unfortunately, they failed and we have now the Ishmaelites, and we have now the children of promise and the children of the flesh constantly at each other. Interestingly enough, even though Abraham and Sarah faltered in that, the promise still came to pass. But if they would have waited, that would have been God's ideal purpose, god's ideal will For them to just wait for the promise to come to pass. So, in conclusion, we need to consider that sometimes you need to wait.

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It says in Psalm 37, 9,. For evildoers shall be cut off, but those who wait on the Lord, they shall inherit the earth. The promise is there. Let's not rush God. We're going to inherit the earth. Psalm 37, 34,.

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A couple of verses later it says again wait on the Lord. How, by keeping his way. You don't wait on the Lord by sitting on your couch watching television, watching all the movies that you want. You wait on the Lord by keeping his way, and when you keep his way, he shall exalt you to inherit the land. When the wicked are cut off, you shall see it. These are the promises of God. It says in Isaiah 40, verse 31,. But those who wait on the Lord shall what Renew? Remember that, renewing the mind. They shall renew it. They wait on the Lord. They shall renew their strength. They shall renew their mind. They shall mount up with wings like eagles. They're going to be in that maturing stage where they're getting stronger. They're going to be able to come out of the nest, fly and flap in their wings and off into the wind. They shall run and not be worried. They shall walk and not faint.

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And my last scripture to conclude today is Psalm 27, 14. We've sung this Wait on the Lord and be of good courage and he shall strengthen your heart. Wait, I say on the Lord. So think on these things when you're wondering how does the Lord, when does the Lord, answer the prayers of the righteous? There's a lot you got to do on your part, and then there's other stuff that you just don't have any issues with. It's just when God says so I want somebody healed right now.

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Well, maybe God doesn't say so. Maybe you want this fantastic house. Maybe God doesn't say so. Maybe you want this fantastic house. Maybe God doesn't say he wants you to have that house. Maybe you don't realize that you should not even be in this city. You need to be in that state, in that city, but you're too busy wanting this house here that you can't hear what God's telling you to go.

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Maybe that's why I stayed in Miami for two years. I just didn't know where to go. I know I was supposed to go, I just didn't know where. Maybe I was happy and comfortable in my townhouse, but life in Florida began to be very uncomfortable after a while, financially, and it made me look even more and more until we finally left. So consider these things Timing Time, praying amiss and thinking on. I will wait upon the Lord and be of good courage, and he will strengthen my heart. I will wait upon the Lord and be of good courage, and he will strengthen my heart. I will wait on the Lord for he will strengthen my heart. For he will strengthen my heart. I will wait on the Lord For he will strengthen my heart, Amen.

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