# A Partner in Prayer

Key Passage: John 14
Date: June 7, 2024

John chapter 14 of the Word of God this morning. I failed to mention Ms. Marie Kent. She is in the hospital; I talked with her and prayed with her yesterday. They think it’s just diureticitis and maybe her pancreas. So it seems like she’s going to be okay. Keep praying for her, though. Some of you asked about that. John chapter 14.

Of God’s word. I want to talk to you about this subject: You have a prayer partner. They are working to get the ring out; they are working at all those things. But you have, if you’re a born-again Christian, if you are saved, you have a prayer partner. Someone wants to assist you in your prayer life. It is so important that you understand that because it can be the difference between you really struggling in your prayer life or having a vibrant prayer life where you get things from God and God changes you through your prayer life. Your prayer partner is so very, very important.

We are going to start over here in John 14. Let’s just for a second glance at one verse before we get to our main verse.

Would you stand? Would you stand as the Word of God is read together? Just show it respect. We try to do that. In John 14, look very quickly at verse number 17. We just sang that song, “The Comforter Has Come.” I thought maybe we’d share this verse very quickly here. Verse number 17. We’ll start in 16. Jesus, of course, said, “I will pray the Father, and He shall give you another Comforter.”

So, not just Jesus, but another—this is the Holy Spirit—that He may abide with you forever. By the way, in heaven, if you’re a born-again Christian, you’ll have a spiritual body. I personally think it will be empowered by the Spirit of God. That’s why you have just an incredible body in heaven, because he says right there that he may abide with you forever. That’s why I think that.

Look at verse number 17: “Even the Spirit of truth.” I like that. In our day and time, there is so much deceiving manipulation. Everybody likes to tell a story from their angle. The Spirit of God, the Comforter, is the Spirit of truth. He is not going to change for anybody, and he doesn’t try to angle certain things certain ways. He’s a Spirit of truth.

You can trust everything he leads in. “Even the Spirit of truth whom the world cannot receive; because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.”

Now, what are we talking about? At this point, he was dwelling with them. The Spirit of God was working. But when Jesus breathed on them and said, “Receive ye the Holy Ghost,” it was a change there. Old Testament, God the Father a lot; the gospel is Jesus a lot. Now we’re in what many call the age of the Holy Spirit, the Holy Ghost. At that moment, the Spirit of God moved inside of believers.

Before salvation, he’ll knock at your heart’s door, but when you get saved, he moves inside. “He shall be in you.” We mention Ephesians 4 over there; he seals you the day of redemption, and he’s God’s earnest on your account. All that happens the moment you’re saved, you’re born again. That is so key because really the rest of the message will not fully apply to you unless you are saved.

If you’re not saved, today is the best day. We love it. It’s what we pray and work for: people get saved. So if you’re not, it would be a wonderful day for you to get saved today. We’d be thrilled to just see God work and do that. When you get saved, he moves inside of you. That’s what it’s talking about: “He shall be in you.”

All right. Now, let’s skip down here, and we want to emphasize a truth. He says here some of the things that the Holy Spirit does once he moves inside. We look down in verse number 26, John 14:26: “But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name,” in Jesus’ name. By the way, he’s the Spirit of Christ. That’s why we say you have Jesus living inside you. That’s why sometimes people ask Jesus into their heart, because the Spirit of Christ moves inside of you.

You have Jesus living in you through the Holy Spirit of God. As we were talking about here, whom the Father will send in my name. Watch this: “He shall teach you.” What are the next two words? All. Help me out. What does “all” mean?

All. A-L-L. All, everything. We’ll take that. He shall teach you all things and bring all things to your remembrance. Isn’t it wonderful in your prayer time? Maybe you’re praying for a child or finances, and the Holy Spirit brings a verse to your mind. God should just apply all your need according to your Lord.

Lord, I’ve been giving like God, even to missions. There’s a promise in Philippians 4:19. The Holy Spirit will do that, whatever may be. As we’re speaking of here, “bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.” Look over in chapter 16, John 16. Look in verse number 13, John 16, verse number 13.

“Howbeit when He, the Spirit of truth, is come? He will guide you into…” What are the next two words? All. It’s amazing. All truth. “For he shall not speak of himself: but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak.” That’s interesting. The Holy Spirit is not about himself; he’s promoting Jesus.

The things he hears, he speaks to you. He intercedes for us in many ways. We have Jesus in heaven interceding for us. We have the Holy Spirit in your temple interceding for you. And part of that, “whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak,” and he will show you things to come. We just did an end-time study here a couple months ago—two, three months we took on that.

That’s part of it. He can guide you. He can navigate you through troublesome times, pitfalls, all of you. He can guide you. He can navigate you through that, the Spirit of God. He speaks of that. Specifically, we’re going to teach you and guide you into all things. We’re going to narrow that down into your prayer life. He wants to be your prayer partner. We’re going to try to narrow it down just for a little bit on that subject right there.

Would you pray with me that God would speak to your heart—our hearts, my heart too, but all of our hearts—about the ministry of the Holy Spirit in your prayer life? It could be the difference between a great, thriving prayer life or just a ritualistic, dull prayer life. Would you pray that God would speak to your hearts about that? Lord, I thank you how you have grown me even from the study of this. It’s been good for me already. Thank you for that, Lord. Lord, I pray you would do that in many individuals all across. Lord, would you speak to every individual here that’s listening this morning? Father, grow us, Lord. Let our prayer lives be vibrant, where we are truly walking and talking with you. Use today to that end, Father, please, so we have a growing, vibrant prayer life because we use a prayer partner. Lord, we’ll brag on you and praise you for what you do with it. We ask for these things. Lord, guide me in it, please, every word and the way I’ve said. We’ll thank you for what you do. In Jesus’ name we ask. Amen.

A little over 31 years ago, I was at a little metal fabrication machine shop where I worked. It was about ten minutes to midnight. I was using a certain machine, and there was a machine accident. I lost my right index finger and my right thumb. The machine just cut them off instantaneously.

It’s funny how you react. I lifted my arm to try to stop the bleeding. I put my other hand on top of it, and I didn’t want to take my hand off of it because I knew they were there—fingers were missing. I saw my fingers down there. We started walking to the car, and I yelled back, “Mike, grab my fingers!” That’s all right. I don’t have that index finger; I can still pick my nose. I can still get those little ones up in there. I’m good.

In fact, praise the Lord, Mike is a missionary today in Mexico, a good guy. Mike said he grabbed the fingers and put them in a paper towel. Of course, we took off to the hospital, and he was following us in his car. He said those fingers rolled out of the paper towel onto his seat beside him. He said, “Man, here’s a weird thing: Paul’s fingers are right there beside me.” We got to a little hospital in northwest Indiana.

When we got in there, it was after midnight, the middle of the night. They said, “Would you like for us to call family?” Of course, I was in northwest Indiana; the vast majority of my family was in Florida. My sister was over in Michigan, and it was maybe 1 a.m. or something along that line. I said, “Well, let them sleep. There’s nothing they can do, hundreds of miles away.”

They said, “Okay.” A little while later, they said, “We’ve called a doctor, and he’s going to come in. He thinks maybe he can reattach the fingers. We don’t know for sure, but there’s a chance they can reattach them.” I said, “Call everybody! Call them to pray right now! Amen? Forget what I said earlier.” And they began to call.

…and family. They finally got a hold of this doctor, and he found out about multiple fingers; he said, “It’s bigger than me.” So they sent me via ambulance up to Chicago, just a little bit south of Chicago, to Northwestern University Hospital. It was about 3 a.m. A world-renowned doctor came in who deals with fingers.

He was actually one of the first ones to take big toes off and put them on the thumbs. He wanted to do that to me. Wouldn’t that be weird to have a pastor that wears his big toe for a thumb? Wouldn’t that be odd? I mean, I like to thumb wrestle; I had that thumb on there.

Now, my sister was over in the area—not in Detroit, but several hundred miles away—and she began to pray. She said, “Pray, Lord, let them be able to reattach Paul’s fingers.” She’s a good prayer warrior, by the way; praise the Lord for that. I’m so thankful for that.

By the way, they’ll be here next Sunday. Don’t ask her any stories about her preacher. Let’s begin to fervently pray, “Lord, help them be able to reattach Paul’s fingers.” She was several hundred miles away, about 3 a.m., praying that. Her prayer partner came along and said, “Helene, they’re not going to be able to reattach them.”

She was listening and letting her prayer partner have input in her prayer life and have a say so. She wasn’t so stuck on getting her way or me getting my way. She valued her and listened enough to her prayer partner that when her prayer partner said they couldn’t reattach them…

…she changed her prayer. Several hundred miles away, 3 a.m., I had not spoken with her, but her prayer partner spoke with her, and she changed her prayer. She began to pray, “Lord, would you give Paul grace? Would you help Paul? They’re going to tell him that he’s going to be stuck without a finger and a thumb for the rest of his life, and he’s there alone in this big old hospital.” Would you give him grace? Would you just do something for him when they tell him that? The part I hate—and sometimes I’ll do it with men—they go to shake my hand, and you catch that little nub right there. When I shake with three fingers, I feel like I’m shaking like a girl.

Some of you men, I do. I’m like, “Let me get my whole hand in there.” They’re like, “I’m sorry, it’s not your fault; it’s that hand.” But when they were going to tell me that I would be like that… Can I say, 31 years later, I’m glad someone was praying around 3 a.m., “Give him help”? Friend, you have that same prayer partner that was with my sister at 3 a.m. in Michigan.

That same prayer partner that was with her, that knew what was going to happen and told her what to pray—that’s the same. If you’re a born-again Christian, that’s the same person living inside of you that wants to guide you in your prayer life. He will guide you into all truth. You see, God says this thing of prayer is so big. It is God’s way that he has given to his children for you to get something from your Father. He gives good things to them that ask. So it’s huge.

Not only is prayer God’s mechanism for getting things from God, but it’s God’s way. If you let him, he changes you through prayer. You see these signs: “Prayer changes things.” And it does. It changes the things you’re praying about. Sometimes I think maybe the biggest thing it changes, if you let it, is you.

It’ll change a bitter, mad, angry Christian into a sweet Christian because they have let the Spirit of God speak to them. Probably the best time for Him to speak to you is in your prayer time, preaching, and reading your Bible. Those are key times where the Spirit of God will speak to you, specifically in your prayer closet when you’re alone. He can change.

I think when I was getting a little bitter, if you will, regarding my dad. My dad had moved up here, and those seven years—no doubt about it, the seven years of me and my dad were the closest. He had moved up here after we started the church, and God really used that. We were never at odds with each other, but maybe we weren’t super close. Those last seven years were just wonderful. My dad and I got really close, and I enjoyed that. My dad got cancer; as cancer came back, he kept going downhill.

He came to church, and coming to church, fellowship encourages you; it really does something to you. Everybody would come and say, “Hey, Dad,” and we called him Brother Dad. “Brother Dad, how are you doing?” “Man, if I’m feeling any better, I’d be in heaven.” It was true; he wasn’t lying, but Mom and I knew he was going downhill. In my prayer closet, I never forget opening my heart up to the Lord about the situation: “Lord, seven wonderful years, and now you’re going to take him.”

God spoke to me, but not an audible voice. I’m not talking about audible voices today. If I heard an audible voice, I’d still be running today. He spoke to me in the garage of our house. I remember that time; God changed me. I viewed that thing differently, and it’s because of my prayer partner. I was listening, and I was talking with him. We were fellows. We sing that song, “He walks with me and he talks with me.” Is that real, or is that just a song?

That’s your prayer partner. He wants to be a part of your prayer life, and he can change you. He can steer you around the pitfalls. He can give you insight about yourself, about others, and about the situation. It’s not really from you; it’s a partner with you that’s assisting you in your prayer life. He wants to do that; he can do that for you. Would you look over in Jeremiah? Let’s look at an example of it in the Bible.

Jeremiah chapter 7. Sometimes we’re praying for something, as Jeremiah was, and we want it so bad. Sometimes the Spirit of God says, “No, no, no, I’m not going to give that to you.” If we’re not listening, we’ll spend the next 10 or 30 years praying about something God has already told you he’s not going to give you. Is that biblical? Let’s look and see. Jeremiah chapter 7. Jeremiah is praying for Israel, specifically Judah. They had sinned for years and years and years. God had pronounced his judgment on them, but Jeremiah pleaded, “Lord, have mercy on them.”

Change them, and let’s see what God says about it. Jeremiah chapter 7, look in verse number 16. Jeremiah 7, verse number 16. Once you’re there, would you say amen? Jeremiah 7, look at verse number 16 right there. Jeremiah 7 and verse number 16, the Bible says, “Therefore pray not thou for this people.” Wow.

Did you see that? Jeremiah: “Lord, save Judah, do something about Judah.” “Therefore pray not thou for this people, neither lift up cry, nor pray for them, neither make intercession to me: for I will not hear thee.” There are times in your prayer life, if you’re listening to your partner that wants to assist you in your prayer, where you say, “Lord, do this, do this, do this,” and the Lord says, “No.”

I prayed that we would have our non-perking situation resolved. We have 12 acres here, and it doesn’t perk. For about a year and a half, we were trying to build another building here on this location. We had men of our church helping, and we had hired a soil scientist. I had prayed and prayed and prayed and prayed, “Lord, work this thing out.” Finally, after a year and a half or so—maybe a year, year and a half…

My prayer partner said, “Hey, dummy, you’re hitting your head against the wall. I’m not going to hear that prayer. I have a better plan. I want to give you a much better location, and it’s going to be on the main road. It’s the same property from 16 years ago. You agreed with that wealthy man to buy that property, and he never got back with you. You forgot about it, Paul, but I didn’t forget about that.”

It took me, my knucklehead self, about a year, year and a half, to hear. I’m saying, friend, you have someone, God Almighty, that wants to assist you. He wants to come alongside when you pray. God still speaks to people. Yes, through his Word, yes, oh yes. The Spirit of God will never go against His Word; he’s the author of the Word.

He leads and he guides. We just read it: “Howbeit when He, the Spirit of truth, is come, He will guide you into all truth.” Romans 8:16: “The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God.” He’s speaking. If you’re questioning, “Am I saved or not?” ask the Spirit of God. If you’re saved, he’ll bear witness with your spirit that you are a child of God. He’ll let you know. He speaks.

2 Corinthians 13:14: “The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Ghost be with you all. Amen.” The communion of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit still leads and guides. Like he was assisting my sister at 3 a.m., he wants to be with you in your prayer time. He wants to guide you in your prayer time. I mentioned it yesterday; I looked it up last night. I had read an old story about a man who had five children and decided to pray for each one of his children for five minutes a day.

You think, “Five minutes a day? That’s no big deal.” Well, that’s 25 minutes. That’s pretty good, just for the children. He was praying for one of his daughters. You can pray for five minutes. Time it sometimes to see how you do. He prayed for his daughter and ran out of things to pray for. He didn’t want to stop praying, so he said, “Lord, show me what to pray for my daughter.”

He prayed and finished out the five minutes. When his daughter left for school that morning, he said, “Hey, I prayed for you this morning.” He said, “I prayed for you to have confidence. I prayed for you to have self-esteem. I prayed for you to see how valuable you are to the Lord.” His daughter started crying and said, “Dad, how did you know that’s what I need? That’s exactly what I needed today.”

Because of the Spirit of God. He’s your prayer partner. He can assist you in your prayer time. Prayer time isn’t you trying to twist God’s arm behind his back and trying to make him do something for you—good luck with that. It’s when your Father says, “Come over here, let’s talk for a bit.” As I am pliable and delight in him, he gives me the very desires that I begin to pray for. That’s when things begin to happen.

Number one: You have someone that wants to help you. There is such a huge aspect to prayer. You don’t have to go to prayer all the time saying, “I’m going to get this in prayer.” There is a little bit of pride typically in that. You go to your prayer list and say, “Hey, God, would you help me even to pray about this?” I need your assistance here. I want to hear you. Can we spend some time together, Lord? By the way, I’m not against prayer lists. I like prayer lists. I think so often they can remind me to pray for something that the Lord has told me to pray about, and I forgot. When you make your prayer list, you must be in tune with your prayer partner during that time.

There are times I’ll say, “Lord, I just feel like I’m getting in a routine or rut,” and I’ll just ditch that prayer list. “Lord, just guide me in my prayer time today.” It’s a relationship; it’s not always going to be the same. But your partner… Number one, you have someone that wants to help in your prayer time. Number two, it is vital that you are listening for his voice during your prayer time.

Over in 1 Kings 19, there is this man Elijah. He’s a great prophet of God, one of those rambunctious, ready-to-go guys. God really answered his prayer; he pulled down, brought down fire on Mount Carmel—a great victory. Yet it didn’t bring revival. Even the king’s wife, Jezebel, was after him still. I think that’s what discouraged him: it just didn’t bring revival, and this woman was still having her way.

The people saw what God did, and they didn’t do anything for him. He was discouraged. He was out in the wilderness for 40 days. God had been good to him, but he still needed a meeting with God. He was in this cave, and God showed up there, if you will. It’s interesting how the Bible words it. Let me just tell you this story: He’s in this cave, and God is coming there to speak with him.

First of all, there’s this great wind that breaks the rocks on the mountain. I tend to think it’s like a tornado. What do they say a tornado sounds like if you’re in your house? A freight train. You’re talking about something loud. He’s inside this cave, discouraged and needing direction from God. This noise like a freight train, this wind is there, breaking the rocks apart. Then the Bible says this: “But the Lord was not in the wind.”

Sometimes we look for the spectacular. Then after the wind, there was this earthquake. That’s interesting. I actually listened on the internet; they have sounds of earthquakes. There are YouTube videos and whatnot out there. People have recorded it. Earthquakes sound different ways, but a lot of times you can hear the earth just quaking or squeaking, if you will.

Sometimes it’s kind of methodical. Boy, can you imagine the fear he might have had being inside a cave during an earthquake? That is not a good place to be. But then the Bible says this: “But the Lord was not in the earthquake.”

After the earthquake, there was this fire. I don’t know exactly what the fire sounded like—maybe you could hear it bringing the oxygen in there and flaming up. I’m sure you’ve heard sirens; someone called 911. They didn’t have all that back then. Fire is a big deal; everybody comes to watch a fire burn. Then it says the Lord wasn’t in the fire. After that, it says, “Then there was a still, small voice.” I always think this statement is so interesting. It’s in 1 Kings 19, but it says this: “And it came to pass, as soon as Elijah heard it…”

I always wonder how long that still, small voice had been speaking. But it says, “When Elijah heard it,” that’s when God gave him specific instructions on what to do, which really changed the course of his ministry. That still, small voice—here’s what I’m getting at, telling my old story—we’re like, “All right, there’s a wind, that’s it.”

Your partner that wants to assist you, typically, is a still, small voice. Often you’re going to have to get away from the hustle and bustle of life—the earthquakes, the wind, the fire—and just get alone where you can hear that.

In our day and time, there are so many voices everywhere you go: voices, voices, voices, voice, voice. I’m not crazy, okay? I’m not talking about hearing voices in my head all the time, though I do hear one every once in a while. One of them is called this crazy cell phone you don’t talk about.

Then there’s the media, people all around you, stress, issues, finances, and bills—voices all around you, the media, the world, the left side, and all that junk. You must somehow turn those voices down or off and listen for the still, small voice.

Can I tell you another aspect of it that I think is very important? We have a voice. I’m going to call our voice our “wanter.” I want this, I want that, I want them. It may be good things you want, but our “wanter,” if we’re not careful, will be so loud: “I want, I want, I want, I want, I want.” James 4:3 addresses that. He says you ask and you don’t receive because you ask amiss.

…that you may consume it upon your own lust; it’s just all about you getting this thing. You guys say, “No, I don’t deal like that.” But when I turn my “wanter” down… We have an individual in church, a very godly individual, and I appreciate them sharing. They had a relative who was very sick not too long ago, and it just took control of them. I said, “You know what?”

When that happened, months later, they said, “I knew this: God was telling me, ‘Leave that alone. I’ve got that thing,’ but I couldn’t let it go. I wanted my relative to get healed.” They said that’s when I lost the peace; I just lost the joy. By the way, the relative got better, and now the relative is back sick again. They said, “I don’t want to mess up like I did last time,” because your “wanter” can be so loud, the volume turned up, that you won’t hear the still, small voice. He wants to assist you.

He’s there with you. He can tell you how to pray and what to pray for. He can give you promises of God to use in prayer. He can do all that for you, but you’ve got to listen, to tune in to it. Eight times the Bible says, “He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.” Eight times. If the Bible tells you that, there’s a reason for it. Seven times, “He that hath an ear to hear, let him hear.” You don’t have two ears; you just have to hear. Let him hear.

There’s a reason for it. We used to have a program in our church that met on Friday night called the RU program. Anybody here who was in our RU program years ago? We used to have some of our folks there. It was a good program. One thing I love is their whole philosophy, which is a great philosophy: You have addictions; you have things you’re trying to overcome. Get close enough to God, and he’ll help you win over those things.

That’s pretty much the premise. They worked hard on you being close to God and learning Bible verses and so on. They worked at your prayer time, and I loved it. You’d have a little prayer folder; they helped try to organize your prayer life. One thing I really liked about the program was a section of your prayer time where they would say, “Pause.” That’s all I would say: Just pause.

At one point, you are supposed to say, “Hey, Lord, who would you want me to be a blessing to today? Is there somebody you want me to—maybe go buy them some Dunkin’ Donuts coffee?” Somebody say amen right there. I see preaching, Mrs. Christopher right there. Amen. She works at Dunkin’ Donuts. Or whatever. McVillard’s has good coffee, too. Dunkin’ Donuts? Dutch Brothers? We won’t go to $10; that’s too much money. We won’t go there. But anyway…

You say, “Hey, Lord, is there somebody you want me to bless today?” And they would say, “Pause.” Can I interpret what they say with that pause? Stop and listen. “Lord, put them on my mind, my heart.” You listen. Part of your prayer time must be listening. He said over there in the Lord’s Prayer, “Our Father which art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come, thy will be done.” How are you going to know what to pray for if you don’t know his will? You know his will from the Word of God and from the Spirit of God guiding you, and you must be in tune, listening.

I like to hear. My dad had a whistle—one of our codes as kids. You ever see somebody who could put their fingers in their mouth and whistle super loud? I could never do that. I’ve tried, even when I had five fingers, I couldn’t do it. Ms. Robin, can you do that? Can you do it right now? I’m putting you on the spot, I’m sorry. My dad would whistle like that; man, you could hear it. Back in the day, you just went around the neighborhood and played wherever. You’d be a block or two over and hear Dad whistling, and you better get home.

Not a perfect illustration because it wasn’t a still, small voice. You heard that whistle; you knew Dad’s whistle. If you didn’t come home, you got home later, or Dad went to get you. This is what we had to say: “Come on now! Dad, I didn’t hear you!” My dad always had an answer for that. He said, “I have some medicine to help you hear better.”

He always called it medicine. It wasn’t flavored medicine; it was the real deal. He always called me “boy.” He used to say, “I’m not going to call my son ‘boy,’ I’ll call him ‘boy.’” But, “Boy, I got some medicine to help you hear better next time.” That’s what happened. We had to be in tune for that, and you’re going to have to work at being in tune when your prayer partner wants to assist you, pausing throughout your prayer time, asking, seeking: “Help me here, Lord. Show me here, Lord.” Sometimes I can just go through a ritual, list off all these sayings, and never stop or pause at any point. It’s like a one-sided conversation.

You must listen. Listen for his voice. We have someone who wants to assist us—it’s God. We must listen to his voice. It’s so very important. Very quickly, we’re going to skip some things here and get this last point in. Look over in 1 John chapter 5. We’re skipping a bunch, but he’ll want to assist you.

Yesterday during prayer time, Brother Donnie, who is back here fixing our air conditioning (praise the Lord), told me about a friend who died—a friend from childhood. He went to the funeral and was lined up outside. I was amazed; he was standing in line, and they sent someone outside to assist him and bring him inside. That is what the Spirit of God will do in your prayer time if you let him.

We don’t have time to develop all that, but he’ll do so much for you. Look at this: 1 John chapter 5, verse number 14. “And this is the confidence”—that’s a key word—“that we have in him, that if we ask anything according to his will, he heareth us.”

So, your prayer partner assists you in your prayer time. You ask, “Lord, is this your will? Is this what you want?” I pray it lines up with scripture. It must do that. The Spirit of God will never guide you against his own Word. If it lines up with scripture, then the Spirit of God confirms it. I’ve been praying for a school; we need more students in our school. Many a time I pray, “Lord, is this your will? Do you want this school?”

“Am I kind of on my own, doing my own thing? Is this what you want?” When the Spirit of God has confirmed, “Yes, you’re doing what I want,” that gives me confidence and faith in my prayer life. Praying by faith is key. “According to your faith be it done.” Your faith that made you whole five times.

The men who let the palsied man down—when he saw their faith, faith, asked believing it should be done for them. How can I have a prayer of faith? You get the confirmation from your prayer partner, and you are praying according to God’s will, and that brings confidence in your prayer life.

You can pray accordingly: “I know I’m doing what God wants.” There is faith in your prayer. You’re not just going through rituals, fighting off your prayer list. Now I have faith; I’m praying what God wants me to do. God’s pleased with my prayer life. Now I can truly be effectual and fervent in my prayer life; I can rise with God. I’ve got his confirmation; now I can pray in faith. You are not going to be a great prayer warrior of faith unless you let your partner assist you in your prayer life.

Thursday we had a field day at the school. I already mentioned we only have five students. We had a tug-of-war. We had to put three on one side and two on the other. We could have put Ms. Chisgar, Sarah, on one side and me on the other, but I’m afraid Sarah may have won. I’m getting old, you know. I just had knee surgery, my daughter, by the way. Anyway, we let the kids do it, watching the kids.

When they realized they had a part… One time they got too close. When you get too close, you kind of fight with one another when you’re on the same side, and they lost. When they realized, “Man, I have somebody pulling on the rope,” and they got in timing, pulling together—listen up—they were pulling together, and they had power.

When you let the Spirit of God work with you and assist you, and he gives you confidence that you are praying according to the will of God, and that happens—boy, you get faith to pull! You can pull the whole thing. You can move things in the Kingdom of God. You can pull demons over if you heal, and you can bring relationships back together. Why? Because you have confidence: “I’m praying according to the will of God,” and I have a partner here who has told me that. Now we are working together, and he is interceding for you according to Romans 8.

That’s how you have prayer. The prayer of faith shall save the sick. Isn’t that important? I’m not going to be able to pray in faith if I’m just off on my own, left to my own devices, doing what I want to do. When I let my partner—that’s living inside of me—assist me, and he guides me into all truth, and he says, “This is my will,” oh man, then I begin to pray in faith. God says, “Oh yeah, I can move mountains.” Now you have some faith—mustard seed, by the way. What is one of the fruit of the Spirit? The nine-fold fruit of the Spirit, one of those is faith.

You get just a tiny little bitty seed of mustard seed of faith, and you can move mountains. Can I say your faith is not even from you? It’s from God originally. The Spirit of God gives you that faith because you have confirmation from him. Boy, you have something going in your prayer life now.

By the way, 31 years ago, just a country boy, 21 years old, I just got out of the room… I looked down and thought, “Oh, boy, that’s my bone.” I still remember the doctor coming in, that world-renowned doctor. He came in still wearing his trench coat and said, “Paul, I’ve examined your fingers.”

He said, “If they were cut with a saw or a knife, we could put them back on. They are basically torn off. I can put them back on, but they are going to die, and I’ll have to cut and cut. You’re going to end up a whole lot worse.” There was something unusual that night. It wasn’t me—I’m not trying to brag on me—but I had unusual strength. I was all right with it; I had some peace. I was able to talk logically, just kind of, “All right, I understand.” We made a decision about some things you’re going to do, and I had peace about it. It wasn’t because I was all that, because there was somebody a couple hundred miles away who was not just praying…

…but they were letting their partner assist them in their prayer life. They were praying a prayer of faith. I’m thankful for that 31 years later.

Original File: Pastor Paul Chisgar - A Partner in Prayer - Sunday AM 05212023