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Episode 2 - Prayer Changes Them
55 Plays5 months ago
Prayer is good for us and our spiritual growth, but how does it affect other people? Can I talk to God about someone else and He does something with it? Connect your care for the people you know to God's power through prayer, and learn how prayer changes them.
Listen to the Pray and See podcast each week for a short point from the Bible, real-life stories, and a doable challenge in your life. If you would like to learn more, or send us your thoughts on the podcast, email: pray@coyfc.org.
This podcast is from Central Ohio Youth for Christ is a local chapter of Youth for Christ.
Central Ohio Youth for Christ: www.coyfc.org
WellSpring Counseling: www.wellspringcolumbus.org
Youth for Christ, USA: www.yfc.net
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Transcript
Introduction: Encouraging Prayer and Spiritual Breakthroughs
00:00:11
Speaker
I'm Brian Brooks, Ministry Director at Central Ohio Youth for Christ. I love praying and seeing answers to prayer. This podcast exists to invite followers of Jesus to pray together, expecting God to positively change the world around them. And this podcast is a great place for you if you find you're busy with life, but yet you want to see a spiritual breakthrough, or if you need encouragement to ask God and expect that he's listening.
00:00:37
Speaker
I hope that this will help you pray more, pray with focus, and pray with joy, because you're learning who God is, what he cares about, and how he fulfills his mission through prayer and his people. And if you want to go deeper to pray with followers of Jesus locally in person, I want to facilitate a movement of groups praying together in person for young people in our communities. Stay tuned for more on that later.
Recognizing God's Answers to Prayers
00:01:01
Speaker
The reality of seeing answers to prayer is really important.
00:01:05
Speaker
Recognizing how God is moving can be like noticing a type of car on the road. If you've ever had the experience of buying a car within the first few days of driving it around where you live, you start seeing everyone else on the road who has the same car. They were always there, but you just didn't see them. It's the same with answers to prayer. When we experience God answering our prayers, it makes it easier to see what He is doing and easier to recognize answers the next day.
00:01:33
Speaker
So let's pray and see what God does. Pray along with me. God, thank you that you're good, that you are unchanging. You keep your promises. One of the things you promised, Jesus, is that if you were lifted up from the earth, you will draw all people to yourself. Thank you that you want to show your kindness to people that I know who don't yet know you. Please bring to my mind today while listening to this,
00:02:02
Speaker
one person you want me to pray for.
The Transformative Power of Prayer
00:02:06
Speaker
Today, we're looking at the effect that prayer has on other people. Prayer changes them. God works through your prayers for other people, and he works in you, but prayer changes them. This past week, I met a young leader named Chris who's come to our City Life Urban Ministry and Youth for Christ several years ago.
00:02:30
Speaker
Since then, he's put his trust in Jesus. He's learned some about the Bible. He's also become an adult navigating real world responsibilities, like a job. Chris and I have been meeting together for a couple months, going through material to equip him for leading in YFC as a young adult and former student. Well, weeks ago, I shared with him a simple prayer calendar that I've been using to pray for people in my life each day. Chris and I have been praying together during our time too,
00:02:58
Speaker
that God would give him opportunities to represent Christ at work and to see how God is answering those prayers. Well, he wanted to adopt the same simple prayer calendar strategy. So he's been using it. Well, this week, Chris told me about a coworker named Stacy, who he was praying for. She made it onto to his prayer calendar. Stacy in the past had expressed interest in hearing about Jesus, but then one day she quit her job where they worked.
00:03:26
Speaker
Chris was committed to texting Stacy to be a positive presence for her, to invite her to come to church, to hear about Jesus. But over time, he just forgot. Out of sight, out of mind. It's easy to do. Well, since he and I had started talking about the prayer calendar weeks ago, he put her on his calendar and has been praying for her. Earlier this week, he ran into her. Coincidence? Probably not.
Seeing God's Work Through Prayer
00:03:50
Speaker
While they were catching up, Stacy told Chris she's still been interested in investigating Jesus and she's checked out a local church here in the Columbus area. She wished she would have made choices to learn more about Jesus sooner. While this is great to hear about Stacy, one lesson was apparent for Chris. When we pray for other people, God does something. Prayer changes them. If you have the chance to run into the person, like Chris did,
00:04:21
Speaker
You physically get to bump in and see out in public the person who you have prayed for, who you have set before God, asking him to show his love, his grace to them, to bless them, to show them that he is real. When you talk to the person, you can ask God silently in the moment to show you, God, what have you been up to in their life? He will do that. A story brings to mind two passages in the Bible, one from Colossians and the other from 2 Corinthians.
Understanding Prayer's Role in Spiritual Enlightenment
00:04:50
Speaker
And on the podcast, we're going to the Bible for guiding truth from God. Examples, stories, commands, encouragement, on what prayer is and how to pray in a way that lines up with God and his truth. Today, we're looking at the letters of Colossians and 2 Corinthians. In 2 Corinthians 4, verse 4, Paul talks about how the God of this age, referring to Satan, God's adversary, has blinded the minds of people who do not yet believe in Jesus, to the point where they can't even see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ who's the image of God. Why does the truth and reality of Jesus being God, God who wants a personal relationship with people to freely offer forgiveness at high cost to himself, why does that dawn on some people but not others? It's because the God of this age has blinded their minds. But we can pray the truth of this verse asking that God would make it so people like Stacy and other people that we are around
00:05:47
Speaker
can see and understand the truth about Jesus. God moves when we pray for other people who do not yet know Him. Prayer changes them. In Colossians 4, verse 12, Paul writes, Apaphras, who's one of you, a servant of Christ Jesus, greets you, always struggling on your behalf in his prayers.
00:06:08
Speaker
that you may stand mature and fully assured in all the will of God. Apaphras prayed regularly for these believers in Jesus who were new in their faith, for their ongoing growth and maturity. We can pray that too, because God moves when we pray for believers' spiritual growth. Prayer changes them.
Prayer in Spiritual Service and Growth
00:06:31
Speaker
If you read a letter,
00:06:32
Speaker
Like Colossians or Ephesians in the New Testament, you see how much the Apostle Paul cares about prayer. It's not some extra activity on the side, but it's equal in power to the teaching and preaching of God's truth. It is a vital part of real spiritual service and love of other people. You can love other people by praying for them. You can serve them by praying for them.
00:06:56
Speaker
God works through your prayers for other people because prayer changes them. Sometimes the biggest ongoing proof that Jesus did actually rise from the dead, that our faith is not in vain, that God is active, is seeing God change people's lives. It can be hard to see how God is working to change my life to be more like Jesus.
00:07:18
Speaker
But I can see it more clearly in someone else's life. And I'll tell you what, if you pray about specific people, things that God brings to mind, and you see answers to prayer in their lives, it is very faith building and motivating for you. And it's a great adventure to set them before God and see how he blesses them.
Challenge and Preview: Gratitude and Future Topics
00:07:42
Speaker
Here's my challenge for you today.
00:07:44
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In a minute from now, ask God, who is one person that you want me to pray for today? What should I pray for them? And then listen. You may not be used to listening to God, but you can ask God questions like this and listen to what he brings to your mind. God works through your prayers for other people because prayer changes them. Next episode, we're going to look at gratitude and how gratitude is an endurance fuel for the adventure of praying and praying for other people. I hope you'll join me then.