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Called to Pray in Reality, Not the World
Episode #620
10-21-2018
With Martha Kilpatrick and hosted by John Enslow
Special Guest: Jennifer Wentzel and Joan Wentzel
This is the continuation of a series of Podcasts started in Episode #618.
We are called to pray in the reality of God’s promises and provision, NOT what is happening in the world. Jesus has overcome the world and we hold to that!
Jennifer:
You’re talking about a disproportionate power to an insignificant entity and this booklet that I just finished Overcoming Fear (Soldier Without Fear is the one being turned into a booklet), you say in there when you get rid of your fear then you will see what is real. And you close on the fantastical, outlandish promises and provision of God, and that that is the reality whether we see it or not. And in that you said you have no desire – by talking about consequences of fear and who’s going to try and instill fear in you, you know, you hit on a lot of that – but you say very clearly, “This is not to evoke fear in you. I want to be the Elisha who sees what is real, who sees the armies of heaven where everyone else just sees the enemy encamped around us.”
And somehow what you’re talking about is just intersecting with that because I have been mulling that. John, do you remember that phone call I got from that guy who had the ministry to Christian metal heads?
John:
Yeah.
Jennifer:
He was in a heavy metal Christian rock band, which John and I are very well versed in. Your kids were exposed to these rock bands. But they’re pretty awesome! But he’s grown up now, had kids, all the rest of it. And he called because he just wanted to see if we were functional, if we were a ministry. He never called before. But they have a ministry to former bikers, to people that move in that kind of heavily tattooed, very hard-core crowd. And he said that for every person they bring in, and he said it’s a requirement for anyone who wants to be in any sort of leadership or missionary or discipling-someone-else situation – Adoration! Adoration is the book that they hold. That is their book outside of the Bible. That is the heart of their ministry, of their approach to God, everything.
But here’s my thing. The other thing is that Altogether Forgiven wasn’t, Amazon wasn’t ordering a lot of them for a long, long time. And I know John was praying about it. I know I was praying about it. It has all of a sudden started going. And this guy, we’ve never heard of him. I looked up online. I can’t find anything with the city where he said he was. I don’t know where he’s getting his copies of Adoration.
And it just occurred to me with you talking about this, that it doesn’t matter what we see or don’t see. You’re talking about a disproportionate power to an insignificant entity and what has just been phoom-phoom-phoom since you said that was…and we have no idea how much of that has already come to fruition.
There’s this ministry out there that we know nothing about, that could not be more alien from most of the groups that this ministry deals with. Ok, we mostly deal with church groups, traditional church groups, maybe some evangelicals, things like that. But it’s within the realm of norm. This is very much outside. This is a, what I’ll call a fringe ministry, because they are a very small group of people in, amongst, you know, the whole country. I mean, there can’t be more than a couple hundred thousand hard-core metal heads, all right. This is not your average thing.
We don’t know. We, we do not know what the reality is of what He’s already done. And so in addition to thanking Him for it, you know, if anything I think my prayer is not going to be “Do it,” but I’d like to have Elisha-eyes. I’d like to see it, because I think it is real. It is the reality. I just don’t have eyes it see it yet.
Joan:
I was just going to say when you were talking about the circling and the standing, Watchman Nee said somewhere that you, you wait for the promise and then you stand on the promise. And John explained to me what the standing looks like. It’s thanking, it’s praising. But I have… I remember when Julia was sick and you had sent me that, the prayers you had for Julia, one thing I prayed and I feel like it’s something that God answers because Elisha opened Gahazi – who was not a good person, he was not really with him, he was greedy – but he opened Gahazi’s eyes to see that, you know, all the armies that were, you know, surrounding. And one thing I have asked Lord was manifest Julia’s healing. “You promised, it manifest it.” I don’t know if that’s valid to ask for but if the promise is given, aren’t we just waiting for the manifestation of something?
And also I pray, I have a huge promise for the kids, all of them. And I say, “Lord, hasten Your word, hasten it, hasten it and manifest it. I want to see it.” It’s a promise and for me, what I’m, I’ve been praying to know how to praise. I’m so excited about this because I want to pray. I just don’t know what I’m doing. That’s what I said to them: “I don’t know what I’m doing but I want to do this,” while y’all were gone. So I have such a heart to pray. But to see answers is encouraging and prayer without answers just says to me, makes you, “Why are we doing this”? So answered prayer! It’s what you said in the teaching at the Methodist Church that you wanted, you wanted to talk about answered prayer, not another kind of prayer. And if it’s not answered prayer, to me, what is the point?
John:
I go back with what Jennifer was saying and praying what is real. You see what is real. You have the vision and you pray for what is real. Not for what is…
Martha:
Possible.
John:
Possible.
Martha:
You can’t pray for what’s possible. You have to pray… He, and you’ll see this in the book, he prayed for the impossible. There was no way but they kept praying anyway.
John:
So I’m kind of, you know, to pray, to pray what is real, to have the vision, and to praise for it being done in heaven. If you show me, God, something that’s in heaven, it doesn’t really matter what’s here.
Martha:
Exactly, it doesn’t matter how insignificant the entity is!
John:
No, it doesn’t matter at all. And it, it… Where’s my reality? There’s the truth. Where’s my reality? Is my reality in what He says and what He is doing and what is in heaven, or is this my reality? And this place is a place of chaos. This place is a place of confusion. This is a place of darkness.
Martha:
Speaking of the world.
John:
The world is, is all of that. This plane is that. But there, there’s something that’s so far beyond that, that supersedes it.
Martha:
I’m on this verse, “In the world you will have tribulation but be of good cheer I have overcome the world” (John 16:33 NKJV). And I want to know what that means. I want to see that. He has overcome the world. It doesn’t matter that there’s tribulation in the world. It not the… It’s what is seen. What was the phrase that you got while we were traveling? You said don’t look at what…
John:
Oh, I got that during Julia’s sickness. “Don’t look at what’s happening. Look at what I’m doing.” And they are two totally different things.
Martha:
There’s another one close to that that you got, too. It’s written in my notes, but that’ll do.
John:
Well, that was, that was that one but, you know, I… My world is not dictated by what’s happening in this world. And my world is dictated by what God says and what God is doing. And that is ever being tested and tried but where do I live? Where’s my reality? Am I going to make my reality here on this earth or am I going to make my reality… Is my reality what is in heaven? It’s not make it! Is it? I’m born again. I’m in the heavens.
Joan:
This is Colossians 3 out of the Passion translation, starting in verse 2, “Yes, feast on all the treasures of the heavenly realm and fill your thoughts with heavenly realities, and not with the distractions of the natural realm. Your crucifixion with Christ has severed the tie to this life, and now your true life is hidden away in God in Christ. And as Christ Himself is seen for who He really is, who you really are will also be revealed, for you are now one with Him in His glory!” That’s Colossians 3:2-4 in the Passion translation.
Martha:
This is a scripture that Jacquelyn got for John during our travel and I’m, I’m just, just drinking it. Psalm 45:1 in the Passion translation. “My heart is on fire, boiling over with passion. Bubbling up within me are these beautiful lyrics as a lovely poem to be sung for the King. Like a river bursting its banks, I’m overflowing with words, spilling out into this sacred story.” Isn’t that exquisite? And that’s, we… Our calling is to publish the deeds of the Lord to the next generation.
Called to Pray in Reality, Not the World – Episode #620 – Shulamite Podcast
We are called to pray in the reality of God’s promises and provision, NOT what we see happening in the world. Jesus has overcome the world and we hold to that! Elisha had eyes to see what was actually real. He had Heaven’s view, and that’s the view we need.
Some time ago Martha wrote “you worship what you focus on”……..so if we focus on the promise we worship the promise Giver……. those 6 words have guided my prayers for years now…… some promises I have seen fulfilled… some I am still expectantly waiting to see fulfilled but the eyes of my prayers remain focused on the not yet seen..
Oh Andrea, this is so true. Worship and focus is huge! Focusing on the problem or even the hoped for solution is a sure way to lose our worship. As we focus on the Promise, He not only shows us what is in heaven, but He shows us what He wants to do on earth. Bringing Heaven to earth. It’s really all about focus isn’t it? He so loves our worship and focus to be Him first and foremost! The Giver more than even the promised gift. Love you Big Andrea!