What if you could tap into an unseen power that provides comfort, guidance, and wisdom at any given moment? What would happen if you began to understand prayer not just as a passive act, but as a life-altering resource?
Today, we pull back the curtain on the power and importance of prayer, sharing insights from our own spiritual journeys. We discuss how prayer, when approached with the right mindset, can be a game-changer in your life, whether you're a seasoned believer or new to faith. We also illustrate how aligning our desires with God's will can profoundly impact our existence.
Prayer isn't just a once-in-a-while activity; it's a constant conversation with our Creator. Today, we'll be sharing practical tips on how to incorporate prayer into your daily routine, from brief moments of connection with God before sending emails or stepping into meetings to praying for others on the spot. Moreover, we explore the significance of a supportive community that stands with us in prayer during challenging seasons. We firmly believe that making prayer a daily habit can revolutionize your life.
Finally, we delve into the concept of a prayer group, explaining how such a space can offer solace and support. We're thrilled to announce our plans for a free Patreon prayer group where you can submit prayer requests and find encouragement from a nurturing community. In this group, we'll be writing out weekly prayers for various aspects of our lives, and we'll be discussing how you can participate. We also discuss other potential Patreon tiers that will be available in the future.
So, join us today as we uncover the transformative power of prayer.
Episode Highlights:
Prayer is significant.
Everybody’s story is different.
Pray without ceasing.
We get to engage with the Creator of the universe.
Prayer is participating in God’s Will.
Prayer is the most powerful thing we can do.
Trusting His will over our wants.
Coming to the end of yourself.
Waiting on the Lord.
Links Mentioned in Episode/Find More on A Force to Be Reckoned With:
What if you could tap into an unseen power that provides comfort, guidance, and wisdom at any given moment? What would happen if you began to understand prayer not just as a passive act, but as a life-altering resource?
Today, we pull back the curtain on the power and importance of prayer, sharing insights from our own spiritual journeys. We discuss how prayer, when approached with the right mindset, can be a game-changer in your life, whether you're a seasoned believer or new to faith. We also illustrate how aligning our desires with God's will can profoundly impact our existence.
Prayer isn't just a once-in-a-while activity; it's a constant conversation with our Creator. Today, we'll be sharing practical tips on how to incorporate prayer into your daily routine, from brief moments of connection with God before sending emails or stepping into meetings to praying for others on the spot. Moreover, we explore the significance of a supportive community that stands with us in prayer during challenging seasons. We firmly believe that making prayer a daily habit can revolutionize your life.
Finally, we delve into the concept of a prayer group, explaining how such a space can offer solace and support. We're thrilled to announce our plans for a free Patreon prayer group where you can submit prayer requests and find encouragement from a nurturing community. In this group, we'll be writing out weekly prayers for various aspects of our lives, and we'll be discussing how you can participate. We also discuss other potential Patreon tiers that will be available in the future.
So, join us today as we uncover the transformative power of prayer.
Episode Highlights:
Prayer is significant.
Everybody’s story is different.
Pray without ceasing.
We get to engage with the Creator of the universe.
Prayer is participating in God’s Will.
Prayer is the most powerful thing we can do.
Trusting His will over our wants.
Coming to the end of yourself.
Waiting on the Lord.
Links Mentioned in Episode/Find More on A Force to Be Reckoned With:
We are at war and it's not against our neighbors, spouses, children, politicians or whatever else we feel like we're battling against.
Speaker 2:
So the questions are who's the fight against, and are we winning or losing? We're the Adkins, and we are a force to be reckoned with.
Speaker 1:
Are you ready to?
Speaker 2:
join the force. Good morning.
Speaker 1:
How do you know it's morning for them?
Speaker 2:
Well, actually I didn't even mean to say that, because it's not even morning here, it's not morning here.
Speaker 1:
How do you know somebody's listening in the morning?
Speaker 2:
I don't, and if I'm willing to bet, a lot of people probably aren't because do you listen to podcasts in the morning?
Speaker 1:
Yes.
Speaker 2:
Okay.
Speaker 1:
Well, for any of you video watchers out there, we just happen to be wearing the same exact clothes as Mild yeah, oh yeah. Last week.
Speaker 2:
That's what I was gonna say. So the sweatshirt it's not as funny on week two, but the reality is we're doing it.
Speaker 1:
It's funny on week one.
Speaker 2:
The reality is, my hair is drying in this episode, but we're only about an hour away from last week's episode in real life. Does that make sense? Because we did a two for same? It's still September 4th. Anywho, what I wanted to say was that this week I'm really excited about this topic. I have thought about it for a while and feel very unequipped to talk on it, and because we are, I was really excited about the idea. And then I talked to my pap about it and I got very overwhelmed, because he's super smart and I was like, oh, I don't want to lead anybody astray. But ultimately, after telling him that I was discouraged, he re-encouraged me and said you don't have to have it all, know it all, you just have to preach from. No, not preach, not preach that thing I don't want to preach. You just have to speak from truth, and so that's what I'm gonna do my best to do today.
Speaker 1:
So I'm gonna do the opposite of what I'm gonna speak from a place of lies.
Speaker 2:
So we're talking about prayer today and I'm really excited and don't go anywhere. Don't go anywhere just because we're talking about prayer.
Speaker 1:
Who are you talking to me?
Speaker 2:
Here's the thing prayer is something that I did not take seriously for a really long time, right.
Speaker 1:
I don't know. Okay, well, no, I didn't.
Speaker 2:
I will say I took it for granted. It was something that I took for granted and over, you know, over a long time, I have grown and I'm still growing and I'm still learning every day, but prayer has become something that's very important to me and it's like a very significant piece. So, just backing up a little bit, as I was talking to you as we were preparing for this episode, I was explaining kind of my wife behind this and, like I said, prayer, something I feel like I took for granted for a long time. And I don't know, everybody's story is a little bit different, but you know, growing up I had a pretty normal life, pretty good childhood, everything was pretty easy street. And I feel like then, you know, we had a lot of kind of major trials and the like in our married adult life over the last like five to seven years and During those times, I feel like that is when my prayer life grew significantly.
Speaker 2:
And even when people would be like, will you pray for me? A lot of times I know I did this and I'm sure a lot of you out there are guilty of this as well You'd be like, oh yeah, I'll pray for you, and then not like you're maliciously not praying for them, but you forget, you don't write it down, you say it too much. You just don't take it seriously.
Speaker 1:
And I will say too like for me, this is something I've gotten a lot better at too. I feel like and I remember I was except that Jesus at a young age and you guys can go back and hear our stories in different podcasts or you already have but fell away for a time and I remember not wanting to pray because I didn't want to have to. I felt like praying and having a conversation with God was like me facing him and I was doing a lot of bad things and didn't want to face him because I felt guilty praying to him. But the crazy thing is, even in the midst of doing not good things, not following God closely at all, in times of real desperation, I would cry out and call out to him and prayer just out of desperation to help me in those times.
Speaker 2:
Yeah, yeah, I agree. And so, like going through those trials, you go through everyday life and you just will pray about things and pray over dinner and pray over your meals and tell people you're praying for them, and then sometimes trials for me at least when trials would come like really, really hard things and you just feel like everything is stripped away from you and you're still out of control. In those moments it would be like all I can do is pray, Like literally all I can do is pray. I'm so powerless in this, and even that thinking really was pretty weak and immature in those moments for me, which sometimes you're just down, stripped down or nothing, and all you feel like all I can do is pray. But going through more things and learning and growing, my mindset has even shifted from all I can do is pray to like the most powerful thing that.
Speaker 2:
I can do is pray, and so when that perspective finally clicked for me, it was like I gotta pray that everything, especially because I'm a dummy. Like I am such a dummy, there's so many things that I want that don't even make sense in my life, and I'm gonna talk about that and a little bit more. Just about, like, the power of prayer.
Speaker 1:
Yeah, but even just the thought of prayer for anybody that is either maybe not a Christian or is new in faith or has never really caught on to praying, like it used to feel too, like the stigma, I guess, of it, of that you have to be like on your knees with your hands folded at your bed or something and you're saying dear heavenly father, and you're just like. It's this very like traditional, not even traditional, like it just feels like a behavior.
Speaker 2:
Yeah, it's like formal.
Speaker 1:
It felt like it has to be so formal and I think you're gonna talk about this verse in another context. But I actually pulled this up too in preparation. But when I would hear the verse, it's first Thessalonians 5, 16 through 18, that says rejoice always, pray without ceasing. And I'm just gonna stop at verse 17,. That pray without ceasing part was like how do you do that?
Speaker 1:
I can't close my eyes while I'm driving, I can't get on my knees when I'm in the middle at work or something. You know what I mean. Like it just didn't seem. I was like I can't do those things.
Speaker 1:
But what I've learned myself over the years is that this pray without ceasing thing. You don't have to be on your knees or have your eyes closed or your hands folded. And is there a time for that? Absolutely. There is a time to get down on your knees and to bow your head and fold your hands and close your eyes. There is a time for that. But it doesn't have to be that. You could be on the way to work, you could be about to walk into a meeting, you could be in the middle of something, and it can be a quick little thank you to God. It can be a help me with this Lord, or I pray for your will in this situation, or open their hearts and open my heart, lord, and just these little quick things. And that's the thing, as God is always with you, he's omnipresent, he's always around, and it's just having an open dialogue.
Speaker 2:
Yeah, and Prayer is also like we get to engage with the creator of the universe, with the creator of us, and something I was just looking up stuff about prayer and Matthew 6, 9 and 10 is the Lord's prayer, but there was like a little commentary to go with it. Is it more than 6, 9 through 10? I'm not really sure, sorry, but the commentary said God uses our prayers to accomplish His will. Through prayer, god allows us to be involved in His work. That will go on forever. When we pray, we participate in God's will being accomplished on earth as it is in heaven, and I just think that's so cool, like we get to take an active part in God's will and His story and His plan through our prayers. And when you think about that, it really just like it's like man, I should be praying more and asking for more.
Speaker 2:
And something you know also that I struggled with. I mean we could do a whole series on struggles with prayer, but something else I struggled with is like, oh, that's like too small or that's too petty or that's, you know, silly for me to talk about. You know, ask God about my finances or maybe superficial, but the thing is like you should take everything to God, like not. There's no thing that's too big and no thing that's too small. There's nothing that he doesn't care about in our lives, and he wants us to be engaged in relationship and in communication with Him, and we do that through prayer and through reading the Bible.
Speaker 1:
Right, it's like having a relationship with God. That's what that is.
Speaker 1:
It's like, think about when you're with your spouse. You talk, you have conversations, you hash things out. You know God, you get to have this perfect parent. You know, and not everybody's had the perfect father or the perfect mother and it's hard for them and they might not fully understand what that is. But God is perfect and God can be that perfect parent for you to go to, to talk to Him about things, to thank Him, to ask Him for things, and that's part of that relationship.
Speaker 1:
One other quick thing on this verse for the first time, when I was reading this in preparation, this part stood out to me. But how often do we like sit here and wonder, like man, what is the will of God? You know, what does God want? Right? And if you go to this verse, we actually get something here that is the will of God, that we know what the will of God is. It says rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances, for this is the will of God and Christ Jesus for you. So you know, we might not get to see all of the big picture stuff, all of the things of the will of God. Sometimes we do, sometimes we don't, but this is one of those things that we do. It's rejoicing always, it's praying without ceasing, it's giving thanks in all circumstances. That's the will of God. That's one of the things that we can do to be in the will of God.
Speaker 2:
Yeah, and also, speaking of the will of God, you can ask Him what is your will for my life? And that's what I'm going to talk about next. But before I do, I'm going to tie all of this to one of our most recent hurdles, and that has been this whirlwind of a year that we have called our foster care journey, and nothing has made me feel more powerless than this journey of foster care. I would agree with that, and it has, like everybody warned us, but it has been really hard from day one. And so I remember when we this time last year it was probably like two or three weeks from now, so like mid to late September, and I, the kiddos, had just come and it was like are they going to stay? Are they going to go? Are they going to be going to this situation? That doesn't seem that great, like it was like from the beginning. It felt like things were. We were like are their brothers going to come live with us? Like what is going to happen?
Speaker 2:
There were just so many things up in the air and I was texting my aunt about it and, just like I had, I just felt so completely overwhelmed and so completely out of control and I was like all I can do is pray. You know, just like I was saying, just like I know. And she sent me this text that I have saved in my notes because it was just so powerful to me and I actually didn't even wanna say my aunt, but I didn't say a name because I didn't ask her. I know she wouldn't care if I shared this, but so I just had said to her, like I was talking to her about the case, and I was just like, yeah, all we can do is pray. And she texted me this text and she said view this through the lens of truth.
Speaker 2:
Praying is the most important and powerful thing that we can do. Sometimes we see praying as all we can do and, while that's true, it's the attitude of that mindset that's incorrect, the attitude of I can't do anything, so I'll pray. It's almost a giving instead of a grasping what prayer is. Prayer is actually the very best thing, the most important thing, the most powerful thing. God invites us to his throne and wants us to ask him. He is allowing us the opportunity to bend his will with our petitions. If we don't ask, he won't give us the good gifts he has waiting for us. Prayer is a powerful, because the one we pray to holds all of the power. Like, okay, when did you become a philosopher? Like that is so good.
Speaker 2:
And it was everything I needed to hear and I referenced that text message a lot because it's everything that I was saying in the beginning and more Like what a privilege it is for us to be able to pray. And I mean, man, that has been a constant reminder for me over the last year and even more specifically in the last month and a half with baby J leaving, and we haven't gone into a lot of details because there's just so much that we can't share and we wouldn't share because of family privacy and things like that. But there are some things that we can elaborate on a little bit. And, as you guys know, he left and he went to be with family and I'm not gonna share the details of the receiving end of things other than whether it was a great situation, a mediocre situation or a terrible situation. We, it was a very, very hard goodbye because we loved J like no different than our own children and there was a period where we thought I mean, obviously we're very pro-reunification and we have very pro-biological families and we want that. We know that's the end goal. But there's just something still heart wrenching about loving a child like your own and saying goodbye, like it's just heartbreaking and so selfishly.
Speaker 2:
During that time I did pray for him to stay, because I wanted him to stay and I was his mom, you know, for 11 months and part of you feels like, is that wrong? And it's. I don't think it is, because you know I did pray, like for him to stay and I wanted him to be here and we loved him and we would have given the best life we possibly could, and so I brought that to God and I made that known to God. Like Lord, please, I'm begging him to stay.
Speaker 2:
But even if he doesn't and we talked about this in the even if episode ultimately you know I want your will and so if he doesn't stay, I'm trusting that you love him more than I ever could and you know what's best for him and I'm trusting in your will over my wants and so, like when you can do that, it's not easier, but you do get a piece about it, like when you make it known to God like Lord, this is what I really really, really, really want. Please give it to me. But more than what I want, I do want your will, and I know regardless that's gonna happen. So just know that this is what I want, and if you can do that that'd be great, but if not, also like I will understand that it wasn't in your plan, right?
Speaker 1:
and God says I forget what the Bible versus, you guys can Google it but that we are to pray for what we want and if it's in line with his will, he will give it to us. So and that's where that all comes in.
Speaker 2:
It's like I think it's okay to pray for what we want, right, and if it's not in line with God's will, then he's not gonna grant what we asked for Right, and this is where kind of like things can get weird and people talk about the prosperity gospel, which I'm just gonna say it, that's, we don't believe in the prosperity gospel because you just don't pray for a million dollars and then God grants it like a genie, Like God's, not a genie he's a God.
Speaker 1:
And so, yeah, we can bring what we want, but ultimately his will takes place and if it's in line you just like, you said so that and even Jesus prayed that, right, you know, when Jesus was heading to the cross, he prayed to God and said and he said, remove this cup from me, if it's, you know, if it's possible, remove this cup from me. And he said but not my will be done, his will in the flesh, but your will be done.
Speaker 2:
Yeah.
Speaker 1:
And it's actually the screensaver on my phone. It's not my will be done, but yours.
Speaker 2:
Yeah. So, just wrapping up, I wanna share a few scriptures, and we probably we will turn these into scripture cards for you guys, if you want them as printables, like we've done in the past. And then, yeah, let me share a couple of scriptures. So Corey shared first Thessalonians 5, 16 through 18. Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances, for this is the will of God and Christ Jesus for you. And then Philippians 4, 6 is another really good one, especially if you struggle with anxiety or you just anxious moments, do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and supplications, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. So, rather than sitting there and a big ball of anger, we are invited to take those requests straight to God, with also thanksgiving too. So we need to be sure that we're thankful too. I mean, there's so much Mark 11, 24,. Therefore, whatever I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it and it will be yours. And that is where the prosperity gospel thing, that scripture, kind of gets twisted. But anyway, we could go on and on.
Speaker 2:
I think that it would be good to do an episode on the prosperity gospel and other elements of prayer. So a book that I haven't read yet, that my grandfather he said it's an older book, but I'm excited to read it. It's called the Kneeling Christian, and I also know that there's some good newer books about prayer I've read a friend of ours actually just sent one and I'm really excited to dive into it. But I haven't read any of them myself. So I always hesitate to recommend anything unless we've read it. So we'll keep you posted on that. This is something that we'll talk more about. But just tying it into a force to be reckoned with in spiritual warfare talk about weapons Like this is the most powerful weapon that we have. We get to be directly connected with the creator of the universe, who's more powerful than any other spiritual force out there, who is ultimately one day the enemy will be completely defeated so and we get to be in connection with him.
Speaker 1:
So a couple of things I just want to add here, one kind of tying back into last week's episode where we were talking about like this order, this natural order that God created to this chaos, and following the Bible. It's funny I had heard this before and I'd seen some studies on it, but I was watching, you were with I think you were with one of your friends and I was home by myself. So I started watching a documentary, but the documentary is on the blue zones, which are people that live to be a hundred and over, and they were trying to find all the commonalities of these different blue zones across the world. And there was all kinds of things, but one of the things was prayer, and there's studies out there that show that people that pray tend to have longer life spans. And I think that goes back to that not being anxious about giving things up to God, about letting God take your portion of the yoke.
Speaker 2:
You know God, and and whatever relief that is when you actually truly decide to surrender that.
Speaker 2:
Because we're still right there, like we're still having things go on with the county still, things that we feel so completely out of control. And I truly believe that without the prayer life that I now have, like I would be half dead on the floor, because I mean there are things that will just eat you alive until you hand them over and you do everything that you can in your power, that you can, to make change and make difference and make an impact and live your purpose. And then once you reach to the point, like it's kind of cool to reach that point where there's nothing more that you can do, because then, when you believe in the power of prayer and you believe in the power of God's will, you can then put your hands up and be like, okay, I've been faithful and now I get to let God show up and I'm going to let God show up. And that's kind of where we're at in our story right now Like there's literally nothing.
Speaker 2:
I wish there was more we could share with you guys Maybe one day we will but like we're at a point right now with foster care where it's like we've literally done everything that we could possibly do, and Now we are just expectantly waiting on God to show up. And it might not be how we want it to look, but Even if it's not, regardless, he will be glorified through that, because his will will be the one Taking place.
Speaker 1:
So yeah, and just one last thing from for me before I think we wrap things up. But when you're talking earlier about some of this prayer without ceasing, I would say one thing I'm really not good at that like prayer warrior, like you've ever seen the movie war room or this. Red fervent yeah it's like this elderly lady that has turned a whole like closet into a room of prayer.
Speaker 1:
Yeah and I'm not good at that. I'm not good at it regularly Just isolating myself and connecting and praying with God for a long period of time. But I think one thing I have gotten better at that is a few practical tips on is I'm more of like the busy man's prayer, like I feel like I've really grown in Like staying in contact with God throughout the day. So a few things one like when you will tell somebody that you'll pray for them.
Speaker 2:
Mm-hmm.
Speaker 1:
If you pray for them, like right then, and you don't have to like do it with them and, you know, put your hand on them or anything like that, and that's fine too If you want to do that. But for people that aren't, maybe aren't comfortable with doing that, you can just say the prayer in your head while you're standing right there or right when you walk away you know, or you see a car accident on the side of the road, you can pray for them.
Speaker 1:
You know, it doesn't have to be some big giant, grandiose prayer.
Speaker 2:
Right, and it doesn't have to be a production right, like at all.
Speaker 1:
Nobody has to even know right. There are times where we're driving as a family and I see a car wreck and I will pray and know. None of you guys you know.
Speaker 2:
And then there are sometimes where we're driving and my kids are driving me crazy and I out loud oh Lord, give me self-control, because if I don't get it, these kids are gonna get hurt and I will say that out loud and my kids will hear me.
Speaker 1:
So both are acceptable and just a few other things that I will do throughout my day or life is At work. There's a lot of times I'll pray right before I hit send on an email or from heading into a zoom meeting or an in-person meeting. I would just say a quick prayer to connect with God to make sure that whatever he wants on this thing is gonna happen. Yeah, right. Or I will pray for our basketball team when I'm coaching things like that, just right before we're going somewhere or Right before our kids are about to be around a bunch of other kids and family members.
Speaker 2:
Oh yeah, I mean stuff like that. You have to then like absolutely in those moments Okay, so that's all we have for prayer, very surface level conversation about it, but it's I'm excited to again dive deeper into this. On the show and what I'm really excited for, it's not even fully rolled out yet, so there's gonna be a link in the show notes. This is completely free, but I was running the other day Training from a half marathon.
Speaker 1:
Please pray that I don't die Actually pray please, persia, doesn't wear this Costco switch during the half marathon.
Speaker 2:
And I was just like we were going through this stuff with foster care. And, honestly, running has really been helpful to me because it just Utterly exhaust me and I can't obsess anymore and all I can do is pray when I'm running. So but I just got me thinking like how thankful I am for my community of friends because they say they pray, they'll pray for me, and they Actually do pray for me and I, you know, we'll get together and I have had moments where I'm a Bible study and in this scenario I, a friend in the group, said I feel like we need to pray for the adkins I don't even think I ever even told you this and they all came around and we all were. They did. They put their hands on me and they, each one, went through and prayed for our family and prayed for Baby J, and like it was incredible and I'm just so thankful.
Speaker 2:
So I know like I mean Seriously.
Speaker 2:
I Am so thankful for my friends who will go to war with me through prayer, for me, through prayer. And I just started thinking like, how many people don't have that? Because I didn't have it for a really long time. And Then I was like, alright, how do I make this happen? Because, like, people will sometimes even email us and I'll shoot back. I'm praying for you, or somebody will message us and I'm saying I'm praying for you, but like I really when I say that, like I really really mean it. But how cool would it be for there be to be like a group of people who are like Prayer partners or a place where we could submit our requests and even, like I was thinking, I'm even gonna put mine on there. It'll be a private group and we can just be engaged with each other, praying for each other and also going into this I would. So I'm starting a patreon and the link is gonna be in the show. Now, free one, free patreon. I'm not charging for this.
Speaker 2:
It's just as of right now. We're gonna rule out more things in the coming year or so, but right now it's a free group. This piece will always stay free and you can come in and we're gonna. I'm not sure exactly how it works because I just created the account a couple days ago, but there's gonna be a space for you to Write out your prayer request, specifically what it is. People can comment that they're praying for you. I don't know if we're gonna link up and have like prayer partners. You can put an unspoken prayer request, so you don't have to say specifically what it is, but we'll see your name or your family's name and we'll be able to lift your family up in prayer. And then I think I'm gonna try my best to, either every other week or every week, just write a specific prayer on a pretty little note card for a different category.
Speaker 2:
So, like right now, something that I've really been praying over is my kids friendships, because it's back to school and it's something that they're struggling with and I know that we're all back to school and there's back to school anxieties right now.
Speaker 2:
So I thought about like starting with a prayer over our kids friendships and just writing it out and it being on a prayer card and we all have access to that. But maybe the next week it'll be a prayer that I write out for praying over our members, that I write out for praying over our marriages, and this is only gonna be stuff that is available like in Patreon for this group right now. So if you want to be part of that, the link is in the show notes. Unless we have major technical difficulties, which I don't think we will, and all the details might not be there yet, but I promise you they're coming and I'm really excited about it, and I also have more ideas for Patreon, probably more free stuff, and then also we'll just add more tiers as we go. There's just really a lot of exciting stuff coming and we're really thankful for you guys and we're praying for you.