"Make The Call"
Pastor Albert Almore
“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against THE DEVIL’S SCHEMES.”
Ephesians 6:10-11
“For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.”
Ephesians 6:12
“Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.”
Ephesians 6:13
“Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace;”
Ephesians 6:14-15
“above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God;”
Ephesians 6:16-17
“AND PRAY in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and ALWAYS KEEP ON PRAYING for all the Lord’s people.”
Ephesians 6:18
“PRAY ALSO FOR ME, that whenever I speak, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel,”
Ephesians 6:19
“for which I am an ambassador in chains. PRAY that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should.”
Ephesians 6:20
In 3 short verses, 4 times, Paul says, pray, pray, pray, pray.
It’s almost as if he’s saying, since we’re living under an open heaven—now is the perfect time to MAKE THE CALL.
MAKE THE CALL
Often we hear the word prayer, and our minds are often bombarded with thoughts from all directions. But after a deeper analysis, I’ve realized that those thoughts aren’t coming from all directions—but rather one. Those deceptive thoughts are all coming from the enemy. But the question is why. I’ll tell you why…
📝 The enemy desires to LIMIT YOUR PRAYER LIFE, because YOUR PRAYER LIFE LIMITS the enemy.
If I were the enemy, I would do all that I could to keep you from communicating with God, and to keep God from communicating with you.
If I were the enemy, I would do all that I could to keep you from communicating with Heaven, and to keep heaven from communicating with you. Because at the core of it all, in its simplest form that’s what prayer is.
📝 Prayer is a TWO WAY CONVERSATION between God and you. Prayer consists of you TALKING to God, as well as LISTENING.
If I were the enemy I would never tell you that. Instead, I would whisper all types of lies into your mind about prayer. I would tell you that prayer is too hard. I would tell you that prayer is too complicated. I would tell you that you sound silly when you pray, and that you don’t know how to pray like sister Betsy up the street. I would tell you that you’re doing it wrong, and that God isn’t listening to you. COME ON…YOU???
The enemy desires to LIMIT YOUR PRAYER LIFE, because YOUR PRAYER LIFE LIMITS the enemy.
If all else would fail, I would do all that I could in my power to keep you too busy to pray. If that didn’t work I would make you too successful to pray, in hopes to get you to trust in your own abilities. I would do all that I could to stop you from making the call. To this, Jesus teaches us a powerful principle that I want to teach us this morning. Luke 5:12 says,
“While Jesus was in one of the towns, a man came along who was covered with leprosy. When he saw Jesus, he fell with his face to the ground and begged him, “Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean.””
Luke 5:12
“Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. “I am willing,” he said. “Be clean!” And immediately the leprosy left him.”
Luke 5:13
“Then Jesus ordered him, “Don’t tell anyone, but go, show yourself to the priest and offer the sacrifices that Moses commanded for your cleansing, as a testimony to them.””
Luke 5:14
“Yet the news about him spread all the more, so that crowds of people came to hear him and to be healed of their sicknesses.”
Luke 5:15
“But JESUS OFTEN WITHDREW to lonely places and prayed.”
Luke 5:16
📝 In order to make the call, you must WITHDRAW.
📝 You can’t WITHDRAW if you’re always INSERTED.
“Yet the news about him spread ALL THE MORE, so that CROWDS OF PEOPLE came to hear him and to be healed of their sicknesses.”
Luke 5:15
Jesus’s response to all of this was prayer.
We can’t allow our "ALL THE MORE’S” to dictate our time with God. We can’t allow, "THE CROWDS” all the things that are crowding our lives to hinder us from making the call.
All of our "ALL THE MORE’S" should be our cue to call on God ALL THE MORE.
📝 When you think about all that YOU HAVE TO DO, don’t forget about all that HE CAN DO. Make the call.
Jesus gave the disciples their life’s mission in Luke 10:1-12. In the very next chapter in very first verse, as the disciples thought about their to do list, and the magnitude of their calling, they only had one request…LORD TEACH US HOW TO PRAY.
“Now Jesus was praying in a certain place, and when he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “LORD, TEACH US TO PRAY, as John taught his disciples.””
Luke 11:1
“Truly I tell you, among those born of women THERE HAS NOT RISEN ANYONE GREATER THAN JOHN THE BAPTIST…”
Matthew 11:11
“But when you pray, go away by yourself, SHUT THE DOOR behind you, and pray to your Father in private. Then your Father, who sees everything, will reward you.”
Matthew 6:6
📝 In order to make the call, you must SHUT THE DOOR.
Jesus withdrawing was His way of shutting the door.
Shut the door to DISTRACTIONS from this world.
Shut the door to LIES from the enemy.
Shut the door to EXCUSES from yourself.
📝 God made prayer AS SIMPLE AS POSSIBLE so that you can communicate with Him AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE.
You can make the call at any time. You can make the call from any place. The line is never busy. The signal is never lost. But…
📝 In order to make the call, YOU MUST BELIEVE.
“But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God MUST BELIEVE that He is, and that HE IS A REWARDER of those who DILIGENTLY SEEK HIM.”
Hebrews 11:6
You must believe that He wants to hear from you. You must believe that He’s not hiding from you. You must believe that He’s not criticizing your time together. You must believe that He’s happy to hear from you.
📝 You must believe that approaching God by FAITH, through JESUS CHRIST, and through HIS WORD, you can’t mess this up.
“And THIS IS THE CONFIDENCE that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, HE HEARETH US:”
1 John 5:14
“‘CALL TO ME, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know.’”
Jeremiah 33:3
“But I CALL TO GOD, and the Lord will save me.”
Psalm 55:16
Eli has no concept on what’s appropriate as it relates to calling someone back to back if they don’t answer. Made me think of this story that Jesus told in Luke 11:5….
“And He said to them, “Which of you shall have a friend, and go to him at midnight and say to him, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves;”
Luke 11:5
“for a friend of mine has come to me on his journey, and I HAVE NOTHING TO SET BEFORE HIM’;”
Luke 11:6
This must be our posture in prayer. I HAVE NOTHING.
I have nothing to change them with, but you do.
I have nothing to heal them with, but you do.
I have nothing to deliver them with, but you do.
I have nothing to meet there needs every Sunday Lord, but you do.
📝 Prayer is an ACT OF WORSHIP. I have nothing, but YOU DO.
“And suppose he calls out from his bedroom, ‘Don’t bother me. The door is locked for the night, and my family and I are all in bed. I can’t help you.’”
Luke 11:7
“But I tell you this—though he won’t do it for friendship’s sake, if you KEEP KNOCKING long enough, he will get up and give you whatever you need because of your SHAMELESS PERSISTENCE.”
Luke 11:8
““And so I tell you, KEEP ON asking, and you will receive what you ask for. KEEP ON seeking, and you will find. KEEP ON knocking, and the door will be opened to you.”
Luke 11:9
Shameless Persistence
Maybe Eli’s on to something. When you get desperate enough you’ll break protocol too!
Withdraw.
Shut the door.
Believe.
Worship.
📝 TRUST GOD with the call.
After you make the call…TRUST GOD WITH IT.
Trust that He hears you.
Trust His yes.
Trust His no.
Trust His not yet.
Psalm 62:8 …
📝 TRUST IN HIM AT ALL TIMES, O people; POUR OUT YOUR HEART BEFORE HIM; God is a refuge for us. Selah”
Psalm 62:8
“Once God has spoken; twice have I heard this: that POWER BELONGS TO GOD,”
Psalm 62:11
TRUST IN HIM AT ALL TIMES…
DO YOU TRUST GOD WITH ALL OF YOUR TIMES?
David did. David trusted God and said in Psalm 34:4,
📝 I SOUGHT THE LORD, and HE HEARD ME, And DELIVERED ME from all my fears. Psalm 34:4