I want to talk to you today about Dare to Pray Boldly. One reason we don’t see God do great things is we’re only asking for small things. We pray over our food, we pray for protection, we pray for wisdom. And that’s all good, but when was the last time you asked God to do something that seems impossible, out of the ordinary, you couldn’t accomplish on your own? If God answered everything you’re praying about now, would it be big enough, would you be satisfied? Are you asking for your dreams? Are you asking for something that’s over your head, those secret petitions he’s put in your heart? You know it’s from him, but you haven’t told anyone, seems too far out, unthinkable. Christian apparel Many prayers are not being answered simply because they’re not being asked. If you only pray small prayers, you’re not going to see the greatness of our God. If you only ask for little things, you’re not going to reach the fullness of your destiny. There are dreams that God has put in your heart that you can’t accomplish on your own. There are obstacles that you’ll face that are too big for you to overcome by yourselves. If you don’t learn to pray bold prayers, if you don’t learn to ask God big, ask for your dreams, for things that are over your head, then you’ll get stuck where you are. “Well, Joel, I don’t want to be selfish. I know God has other things to deal with”. You are not inconveniencing God by praying bold. Bold prayers get God’s attention. Bold prayers cause angels to go to work. Bold prayers open doors you could never open. Bold prayers turn impossible situations around. When you pray boldly, you’re releasing your faith. You’re saying, “God, I know there’s nothing too hard for you. I know you’re the all-powerful Creator of the universe, that you can take me where I can’t go on my own”. God said in Psalm 2:8, “You’re my child, what do you want? Ask me and I’ll give you nations as a present, I’ll give you continence as a prize”. We’re asking for small things, “God, help me to make ends meet, help me to live with this sickness, help me to endure this job”. God is saying, “I have nations for you. I have something awesome in your future, something bigger than you’ve imagined, but there’s a condition: you have to ask”. You’re not going to see the nations, you won’t see the continents as a prize, if you’re praying small, weak, limited prayers. “God, help me to make my house payment this month. I mean with gas prices, inflation, the recession”, that’s an ordinary prayer. A bold prayer is, “God, help me to pay my house off. Help me to have overflow, so I can pay someone else’s house off”. A normal prayer, “God, my child’s off course. Help him to not get in trouble. Keep him out of harm’s way”. That’s okay, but ordinary prayer gets ordinary results. If you only pray small, then you’ll only receive small. A bold prayer is, “God, I’m asking you to not just protect my child, but help him fulfill his destiny, use him in great ways to make a difference with his life”. Or maybe you’ve been through disappointments, life has thrown you curves. Normal prayers, “God, just help me to survive, help me to endure”. A bold prayer is, “Father, you said you’d give me double for the unfair things that have happened. You said you have beauty for these ashes, so Lord, thank you that something awesome is coming my way”. James 4:3 says, “You ask and do not receive because you ask amiss”. The word amiss in the original language means sick, weak, miserable. This is saying, “You won’t receive when you pray sick prayers, when you pray weak prayers”. When we pray to survive, endure, make it through, that’s a sick prayer. “Oh, God, I’m so defeated, I’m under so much pressure, God, you’ve got to do something”. That prayer needs to go to urgent care, that prayer is on his last leg. Try a different approach: how about a bold prayer? “God, I have a lot coming against me, but I know you being for me is greater than what’s trying to stop me. Lord, I thank you the tithe of the battle is beginning to turn right now”. That’s a healthy prayer. That gets God’s attention. He responds to faith-filled prayers. Christian apparel And sometimes what we call prayer is really a complaining session, “God, you know these people at work are getting on my nerves. And my children don’t appreciate me. My back’s been hurting. My husband’s been rude. The dog doesn’t like me. The goldfish is depressed. God, you’ve got to do something”, that’s a sick prayer. You need to pray from a place of faith. You don’t have to tell God all your problems, he already knows everything that’s going on. Ask him for what you want him to do, ask him for what you’re believing for. “God, I’m up against all this trouble, but Lord I thank you that you are turning it around, that you are fighting my battles for me, that you’ll bring me out better than I was before”. John chapter 4, Jesus had traveled to the city of Samaria. His disciples went into town to get food. He was sitting at a well waiting. This woman came to get water, Jesus asked her for a drink. She said, “Sir, you’re a Jew, I’m a Samaritan, why are you asking me for water”? Jews and Samaritans didn’t have anything to do with each other back then. Jesus said to her, “If you only knew who I am, and how generous our God is, you would ask me and I would give you living water”. She said, “But you don’t even have a bucket, where would you get this water”….
