Bother It

Summary

Podcast Summary: Change Church Podcast with Pastor Dharius Daniels

Episode Title: Bother It
Air Date: March 15, 2026

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Main Theme

This episode centers on the theme of persistence in prayer, drawn from Luke 18. Pastor Dharius Daniels explores the principle that spiritual success is anchored not only in spiritual desire or initial enthusiasm, but in spiritual stamina and resilience, especially when it comes to prevailing in prayer during difficult and discouraging seasons.

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Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Spiritual Success Requires Stamina

• Pastor Daniels opens with the assertion that, "Spiritual success requires spiritual stamina. There is some development, some achievement that cannot be acquired just because we have desire...only when we have durability." (01:53)
• He distinguishes between the enthusiasm to start and the endurance to finish, urging listeners to examine whether they have the persistence needed for long-term spiritual victory (02:55).

Memorable Quotes

• "The question we must ask is, do I have the endurance to finish it?" (03:01, Pastor)
• "The question isn't, do I have the faith to launch it? The question is, do I have the force, fortitude to last?" (03:01, Bishop)

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2. The Five Seasons: Introducing 'Due Season'

• Pastor references Galatians 6:9 about persistence and introduces the concept of a "fifth season" in the kingdom: due season.
• "In the kingdom we got five: winter, spring, summer, fall, and due season. Due season describes the season of life where you reap the reward of resilience." (04:25, Bishop)
• Persistence in all life areas is valuable, but Jesus targets spiritual persistence, particularly in prayer (05:20).

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3. From Practice to Persistence in Prayer

• Jesus’s teaching on prayer in Luke 18 comes after His earlier teaching in Luke 11.
• Pastor highlights the disciples' humility: though religious and familiar with prayer, they ask, "Lord, teach us to pray" after seeing Jesus's effectiveness (06:46-08:15).
• Key insight: Don’t get stuck in spiritual practices you like; embrace those you need for growth (09:04).

Memorable Quotes

• "Some people stay spiritually stuck because they will stick with spiritual practices they like and not embrace spiritual practices they need." (09:04, Bishop)

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4. The Power and Pattern of the Lord's Prayer

• Jesus reframes prayer from a creature-to-creator transaction to a child-to-father relationship (10:31).
• Understanding the deeper pattern behind the Lord’s Prayer transforms one's approach to prayer (10:31-12:57).

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5. Persistence as Spiritual Warfare

• Spiritual development evolves: as disciples mature, they become "kingdom assets," attracting increased spiritual opposition.
• "The devil [is] about to turn up the heat. I’m trying to teach you to match the energy." (17:14, Pastor)
• “When the enemy is getting aggressive, you can’t be passive.” (17:27, Bishop)

Memorable Quotes

• “Spiritual passivity is an indication that the devil has a revelation of your assignment that you don’t.” (18:52, Pastor)

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6. The Parable of the Persistent Widow (Luke 18)

• Jesus illustrates prevailing prayer using the story of a widow persistently seeking justice from an unjust judge (22:54).
• The widow, lacking social standing, nonetheless pushes through, modeling prevailing faith and persistence.
• The moment of feeling like your prayer is being met with silence ("your verse four feels like a no") is when many give up. The message: don’t interpret silence as a denial (27:25-27:41).
• The judge eventually responds, not just because he’s annoyed, but because of her unwavering persistence—"she keeps bothering me." (29:12)

Memorable Quotes

• "She keeps making these requests of me. She keeps bothering me. She won’t stop." (29:16, Pastor)
• "What kind of energy was she bringing that...he even thought she was capable? This not one to play with." (30:01-30:39, Pastor & Bishop)

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7. How to 'Pray Through' Practically

• Avoid ‘vain babbling’: Don’t just fill prayer time with empty words to satisfy guilt or expectations (40:50-42:45).
• Practical methods for persistent and deep prayer:
  1. Pray the Promises of God
     • E.g., James 1:5—ask for wisdom with the authority of God’s promise (45:05-46:18)
  2. Pray the Principles of God
     • Apply scriptural principles to situations lacking direct promises (46:18-47:41)
  3. Pray the Names and Nature of God
     • When words run out, anchor prayers in the attributes of God (Jireh, Nissi, Shalom) (49:39)

Memorable Quotes

• "Once you run out of your words, the only way to have prayer stamina is you got to pray scripture or pray in the Spirit." (44:38, Bishop)

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8. Encouragement for Those Struggling with Persistence

• Growth is a process; don’t compare your prayer journey to others’ or let intimidation hinder you (52:10).
• "Some of you are more developed in this journey, and you don’t realize your own development is intimidation for people." (53:44, Bishop)
• Sanctification is progressive—God times your learning for the season you’ll need it (53:56).
• The example of Peter: Once unable to stay awake and pray an hour with Jesus, later able to pray all night in Acts 10—proof that persistence and capacity grow with time and perseverance (55:53).

Memorable Quotes

• "This next season of your life, chapter 11 prayer practices will not sustain you. You got to go to chapter 18. You got to learn how to pray through." (53:56, Pastor)
• "You might be in a season where you’re inconsistent. You might be in a season where you’re not persistent. But I pray that God gets you to Acts chapter 10." (56:37, Bishop)

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• 01:53 Spiritual Success Requires Spiritual Stamina
• 04:25 The "Due Season" Principle
• 06:46 - 08:15 The Disciples Seek a New Prayer Paradigm
• 09:04 Stuck in the Practices We Like vs. the Practices We Need
• 10:31 - 12:57 Fatherhood in Prayer
• 13:59 The Missing Ingredient: Persistence
• 17:14 - 18:52 Spiritual Warfare and “Matching the Energy”
• 22:54 - 27:34 The Parable of the Persistent Widow
• 40:50 - 44:40 Avoiding “Vain Babbling” and Practical Prayer Endurance
• 45:05 - 49:39 Praying Promises, Principles, and Names
• 53:44 - 56:37 Encouragement for Growing in Persistent Prayer
• 56:37 - End Blessings and Benediction

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Overall Tone and Style

Pastor Daniels combines scriptural exegesis, practical instruction, relatable analogies, and impassioned exhortation, keeping the tone lively, empathetic, and empowering. There is a balance between theological depth and accessible, actionable wisdom.

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Final Memorable Closing

• "This next season of your life, chapter 11 prayer practices will not sustain you. You got to go to chapter 18. You got to learn how to pray through." (53:56, Pastor)
• "You might be in a season where you’re inconsistent... But I pray that God gets you to Acts chapter 10. And all of a sudden you don’t have to fight to pray. You gotta fight to stop praying." (56:37, Bishop).

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Key Takeaway

Persistence—in prayer and in faith—unlocks breakthrough. When results don’t come immediately, don’t mistake God’s silence for a “no.” Instead, keep “bothering it” in prayer, with substance, scripture, and spiritual stamina, until due season breaks through.

Transcript

[Darius Daniels]

You are about to hear the incredible teaching ministry of Darius Daniels. To inquire about more of these great resources, just simply log on and visit us [e-mail].

[Bishop]

Amen.

[Pastor]

Some of y' all like, how we gonna do that? I'm like, I don't know. The Lord's gonna make a way. Let's go to the book.

[Bishop]

The Gospel According to St. Luke.

[Pastor]

Chapter number 18. The Gospel According to St. Luke. Give it up for change. Worship everybody. What a great time we had in the presence of the lord. Luke, chapter 18, verse 1 says. Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up. He said, in a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God or cared what people thought. And there was a widow in that town who kept coming to him with the plea, grant me justice against my adversary. For some time he refused, but finally he said to himself, even though I don't fear God or care what people think, yet because this widow keeps the bothering me, I will see that she gets justice so that she won't eventually come and attack me. I'm going to stop the reading of scripture there. I want to tag this title to this text in our time together. Two words based on verse five. Bother it. Clap your hands if you're ready for God's word.

[Bishop]

Bother it.

[Pastor]

I want to start this sermon with a statement that's simple, but it's significant for those of us that are really serious about our spiritual journey. That statement can be captured in the following phrase. Spiritual success requires spiritual stamina. Spiritual success requires spiritual stamina. In other words, there is some development, there's some achievement, there's some accomplishment that cannot be acquired just because we have desire. There is some development, there's some accomplishment, and there's some achievement that is only acquired when we have durability. In other words, family. I am simply suggesting that the question that many of us must ask and answer is not, do I have the

[Bishop]

enthusiasm to start a thing?

[Pastor]

The question we must ask is, do I have the endurance to finish it?

[Bishop]

The question isn't, do I have the faith to launch it? The question is, do I have the force, fortitude to last? The question isn't, do I have the passion to step in it? The question is, do I have the

[Pastor]

patience to stick with it?

[Bishop]

Consequently, then, I'm arguing that every individual

[Pastor]

who is serious about their spiritual journey, that is serious about their development as

[Bishop]

a disciple, must understand and embrace the principle of persistence. And this principle simply suggests that There

[Pastor]

are some things that we only get

[Bishop]

when we refuse to give up. And there are some things that are only released when we refuse to let go. And there are some things that we will never get ahold of if we don't learn to hold on. This is the essence of what Paul is articulating in Galatians 6.

[Pastor]

9.

[Bishop]

When he says these words. He says, don't be weary of doing good fall, for in due season we will reap, comma, not period. The comma is communicating the condition. In due season we will reap. If we faint not. See, in culture we have four seasons.

[Pastor]

Summer, fall, winter, spring.

[Bishop]

In the kingdom we got five. Winter, spring, summer, fall, and due season. And due season describes the season of life where you reap the reward of resilience. So Paul says there is a due season, but he doesn't say when there's a due season, which means you don't know when you do so, you can be closer to due season than you know. So Paul says, don't be weary in well doing, because there's a fifth season coming and it can show up in the winter, in the spring, in the summer, and the fall, where the work starts working. And this, this principle, this principle can be applied and should be appropriated to,

[Pastor]

to every area of our life. We need resilience or persistence professionally. We need persistence relationally. We'll need persistence emotionally. But in Luke Chapter number 18, Jesus has a conversation about persistence in the most consequential catalytic area of our life. Not just financially, not just relationally, not just emotionally, not just professionally. He's talking about persistence spiritually, particularly persistence in the practice of prayer. It's right in the text. In Luke 18, the text says Jesus tells his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up. Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up. See, I don't think we should just look at what Jesus says before we explore when Jesus said it. Because this isn't the only conversation that

[Bishop]

Luke records Jesus talking to his disciples about regarding prayer. This is Luke 18.

[Pastor]

But in Luke 11, verse 1, you will see the text says, when Jesus was at a certain place and he

[Bishop]

finished praying, the disciples said to him,

[Pastor]

lord, teach us to pray. Do you see this? I said, do you see this? Okay, here's what makes this question interesting. These were not non praying men.

[Bishop]

These were not non religious men. They were already followers of Yahweh. They were already followers of Jehovah. They were already sons of the commandment they had gone through, Bar Mitzvah. They were sons of the commandment.

[Pastor]

They were.

[Bishop]

They were used to praying, hear, O Israel, the Lord our God is one twice a day. They were used to fixed hours of prayer. They were used to praying over every meal. Yet in all of their religious experience, they had never been exposed to anything that they got like. They like what they got exposed to when they saw Jesus praying here in Luke 11. And so the disciples question here reveals a lesson that I think all of

[Pastor]

us need to learn. They are willing to let him reteach them something they think they already know. Did you hear what I just said? They had already been praying, but they're

[Bishop]

looking at Jesus's prayer practices, and they're

[Pastor]

seeing that when you pray, something different happen when you do it than when we do it.

[Bishop]

So I know what I've been doing,

[Pastor]

but I need you to teach me how to do that.

[Bishop]

Because when you start doing it, dead people named Lazarus start getting out of the grave. When you start doing it, blind eyes start being open. When you start doing it, sick people start being well. Now, I know I've been doing it a way, but I need you to teach me how to do it your way. Because when I do it your way, I get your results. And it doesn't matter how long I've been doing it my way.

[Pastor]

Watch this.

[Bishop]

Nor does it matter how much I like doing it my way. Here it is. Here it is.

[Pastor]

Because many individuals.

[Bishop]

Are y' all okay?

[Pastor]

I said, are y' all okay?

[Bishop]

All the other services got quiet at

[Pastor]

this point right here, but I know

[Bishop]

I'm at the 12:30, y' all got the bishop back.

[Pastor]

Are y' all ready? Here it is.

[Bishop]

Some people stay spiritually stuck because they will stick with spiritual practices they like and not embrace spiritual practices they need. Y' all told me you were going to help me. Did you hear what I just said?

[Pastor]

So.

[Bishop]

So there. There are ways people like to receive the Word and the way people like

[Pastor]

to engage in worship.

[Bishop]

In a way, people like to engage in prayer. And sometimes the thing that we like is not always the thing that we need. And we are using the practicing of disciplines in a way that's consistent with what we like. And you know what we get? We get what we like, but we don't get what he promised.

[Pastor]

It's quiet. Are y' all here? I said, are y' all here? He said, they said, teach us how to pray. And you know what? He gave them the Lord's Prayer. He answers their question by Saying pray in this manner, not pray this particular prayer. Our Father, I don't have time.

[Bishop]

But if we could get that revelation that changes prayer. It changes prayer. When you go from a creature creator approach to a father son approach, we have a relationship.

[Worship Leader]

Abba.

[Bishop]

Our Father. Who art in heaven, transcendent, Hallowed be

[Pastor]

Jireh shalom nisi to sit canoe El Elyon.

[Bishop]

Hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, rule, reign and government of God. Your will be done on earth

[Worship Leader]

as

[Pastor]

it is in heaven.

[Bishop]

Which means I don't have to wait until I get to heaven to experience some of what heaven provides. Give us.

[Pastor]

This day. He gives him a pattern for prayer. Are you following me? So that, that is. It is probably one of the most popular pieces on prayer in scripture. It's profound. And that's Luke 11. And here Jesus comes seven chapters later in Luke 18, and he's talking to him about prayer again. You just finished talking to me about prayer. You just gave me one of the most profound pieces of literature on prayer in human history. And here you are seven chapters later talking to me about prayer. Here's what I want you to see. In Luke chapter number 11, verse 1, the disciples initiate the conversation in prayer. Is that right? They recognize the deficit. They said they recognize I have to take this to the next level. In Luke 18, the disciples don't initiate the conversation. In Luke 18, Jesus does. He notices the deficit. He realized, okay, chapter 11, chapter 11. Prayer practices have taken you as far as they're going to take you.

[Bishop]

What life is getting ready to throw you into.

[Pastor]

We need to have another conversation.

[Bishop]

Are you hearing what I'm saying? It's not that what you're doing is wrong, but it is that what you're doing.

[Pastor]

Watch this.

[Bishop]

What you're what, what you're getting ready to experience is going to require an evolution. So now, so now we need to have another conversation about something that I just talked to you about because I didn't tell you everything there was to tell you when we first had started

[Pastor]

having a conversation about this. So he says, I need to, I need to initiate a conversation because your chapter 19 is going to require a spiritual stamina that chapter 11 practices aren't going to give you. So he says, I know you got the practices of prayer, cuz I taught you that. I know you know the priority of prayer. I taught you that. I even gave you a pattern of prayer. I gave you the Lord's prayer. But none of that will be as

[Bishop]

effective as it could and should be

[Pastor]

if I don't teach you something else, and that is persistence in prayer. Because if you have the practices and

[Bishop]

the pattern and the priority, and you

[Pastor]

don't know how to persist, then you

[Bishop]

will not see the effectiveness as it relates to the fruit of prayer in your own life and in the circumstances and situations that you are facing.

[Pastor]

Are we okay?

[Bishop]

So the text says he told them

[Pastor]

a parable to teach them how to pray and not give up. Now, I know what service I'm at, but I do. I do know I got a remnant. They might be in the balcony. I'm just looking for my remnant. I think the balcony got the bishop back today. All right, here it is. Here it is. Here it is. Here it is. Now, here's the language the old church would use to describe what Jesus is articulating here. He's teaching them Christian the importance of praying through.

[Bishop]

Did you hear what I.

[Pastor]

He says, I know you got the practices of prayer, and I know you've got the principle of prayer, and I

[Bishop]

know you got the priority of prayer

[Pastor]

and the pattern of prayer, but you

[Bishop]

got to marry all of that with persistence in prayer. Because when you are attempting to practice this, you're going to deal with the degree and a dimension of resistance. And so what happens is, if you're

[Pastor]

dealing with resistance and you don't have

[Bishop]

perseverance, persistence, you won't engage in prevailing prayer. Prevailing prayer is persistent prayer because it prevails over the things that try to stop you from praying. Are y' all here? He's saying there is a degree. I wish y' all would help me here. There is a degree of warfare you are about to experience. He's trying to get them to see. See, in chapter 11, they're early on. They're only early on in their discipleship journey. So they're evolving, and they're not quite.

[Pastor]

They don't have a revelation of the

[Bishop]

asset that they are. Because when you are an asset, you become a. You see, in chapter 11, they're just kind of changing.

[Pastor]

They like. I mean, they just got their life

[Bishop]

changing, chapter five, right, with the fish and the boats and all that.

[Pastor]

So. So there's a season of your spiritual journey where you're just trying to, you

[Bishop]

know, get you together.

[Pastor]

Then all of a sudden, God starts pulling you into purpose.

[Bishop]

Now you go from an evolving disciple to a kingdom asset. Now you become a target to the kingdom of darkness. And so Jesus knows that is coming for the disciples. So he says, okay, the devil about

[Pastor]

to turn up the heat.

[Bishop]

I'm trying to teach you to match the energy. Did you hear what I just said?

[Pastor]

He is.

[Bishop]

He is. He is laying before us an attitudinal adjustment that many of us need to have if we're going to properly navigate the vicissitudes that come with attempting to grow as a disciple of Jesus. When the enemy is getting aggressive, you can't be passive. You match all other kinds of energy. You gotta learn how to match the devil. Oh, it's up. Then that's how we coming. I'm getting ready to draw a circle around you and you and you. Oh, I need to pray longer. It's up. I need to pray harder. It's up. I need to get in the word more. It's up.

[Worship Leader]

Okay.

[Bishop]

This what we are. That's what we own. You trying to take my whole mind. That's what we are. You're trying to destroy my whole family. That's what we are. I built this business and you're trying to destroy it. That's what it's up. I'm fasting. I'm praying. I'm worshiping. I'm matching the energy. Spiritual passivity is an indication that the

[Pastor]

devil has a revelation of your assignment that you don't.

[Bishop]

So your warfare don't make sense to you because you don't see you the way he see you. But he believe in your assignment more than you. That's why he fighting you. And I came today to tell you it's time for you to fight back. Lace up your boots. Put on your backpack.

[Worship Leader]

It's time to ride. We don't get back.

[Bishop]

We don't get back. Put on your backpack. Put on your backpack.

[Worship Leader]

Time to rise. Time to rise. Time to rise. Time to rise. Time to rise. Time to rise. Time to rise.

[Bishop]

It's time to rise It.

[Pastor]

Somewhere to go.

[Worship Leader]

I got somewhere to go

[Bishop]

Yes, I

[Worship Leader]

got somewhere to go Said I got somewhere to go.

[Pastor]

I got somewhere to go. He says, I'm almost done. He says, he says, I need to teach you how to pray and not give up. He's teaching them prevailing prayer. Prayer that prevails over the opposition, that sends a signal that my work not working. You be seated. You can be seated. I'm a teacher. I'm a teacher now. Huh? Here it is. So the text says, this is the purpose of the parable, not to teach them to pray. Not to teach them how to pray because they know that already. So chapter 18 in the text can represent a chapter in your life where God revisits a previous conversation. And so he says, in order to make sure you clear on what I mean when I say pray and don't give up? He gives them a picture of what persistence in prayer looks like. He gives them an example of prevailing prayer, and he uses a widow woman. Now, we don't know exactly what happened, but she was.

[Bishop]

She.

[Pastor]

She. She in some way is dealing with some legal issue for which she desires justice. Here's what making Jesus. Here's what makes Jesus picking a widow woman so significant. During that period, they did not have social or legal standing. So if there's a legal issue, they could not represent themselves. Their husband had to. But Jesus says she's a widow. Okay, don't miss it. Don't miss the metaphor, okay? Because you may not be a literal widower or widow, but don't miss the metaphor. Her husband represented her safety, her support, and her security. So no matter what your gender is or marital status is, I want you to think about a season or a chapter in your life where you lose support, you lose safety, and you lose security. You got me? That's what she's dealing with. So there is no husband to do for her what needs to be done. But she doesn't sit passively and have a pity party. She actually disrupts social order. She goes around social sensibilities. She goes in her room, she gets her purse.

[Bishop]

She call her Uber. She pull up

[Pastor]

to the judge's quarters by herself. Y' all missed it. So something that historically or normally could have only been done with assistance, something

[Bishop]

she does not have, experiencing. It's her first time navigating this herself,

[Pastor]

but she does not allow her inexperience

[Bishop]

to keep her incarcerated in a season of injustice. This woman looks up to heaven and say, you with me? Then we got it. And I don't know who this is for.

[Pastor]

Maybe you.

[Bishop]

In a season where you're having to navigate without the support you used to have, without the security you used to have, without the safety you used to have, you need to look up to heaven and say, are you with me? Well, we got it. I'm nervous, but we got it. I'm scared, but we got it. I'm inexperienced, but we got it. I don't know how it's gonna turn out, but we got it.

[Pastor]

I'm almost done. And the text says

[Bishop]

she goes to the judge.

[Pastor]

And Jesus says this about the judge. He doesn't fear God, so he has no moral compass. So he doesn't really care about her condition. And the text says he doesn't care what people think. So he feels no social pressure, public scrutiny is not going to impact his judicial decision. And the text says, she goes up and says, I need you to get me justice against my adversary. And verse four says, for some time, he refused. For some time, he refused. So this feels like a no. Your verse four feels like a no. All this praying. And I know, watch this. This Uber fare, this ride, don't miss it. This investment I've made in a result, I invested financially because that's the fee.

[Bishop]

I invested my time because it took me time.

[Pastor]

And there's no way, Jesus, I know you're not going to let me invest all this time and invest all of

[Bishop]

these resources and not be able to get a result that would be discouraging,

[Pastor]

that would be disheartening, that would put some people in a place of despair. And that is when some people. Where some people stop praying, You stop. You stop not because you heard no, you stopped because you heard nothing. And you are interpreting nothing as no. But she prayed through discouragement, through disappointment, through it, confusion, through it. She prayed through. She prevailed in prayer over the emotions that come with a verse four experience. Are y' all hearing me? But listen, listen. Verse 5 says that the judge said,

[Bishop]

because this widow

[Pastor]

keeps bothering me.

[Bishop]

So he uses the word bothering to describe the action of prayer. She keeps making these requests of me. She keeps bothering me. She won't stop. Every time I pull in the parking lot, she's in my face again. And every time I leave for lunch break, she's in my face again. And every time I leave at the end of the day, she's in my face again. And when I come back to work the next day, she's in my face. So watch what the text says.

[Pastor]

Text says I must see to it that she gets justice. Watch this. Not just because I'm annoyed. That's not what. So that she won't eventually come and attack me. What kind of energy was she bringing that even. That he even thought she was capable?

[Bishop]

Y' all aren't hearing what I'm saying. What kind of vibe was he getting? He was like, oh, this not one to play with right here.

[Pastor]

And somebody shout me.

[Bishop]

You didn't say it like you meant it. Yeah, see, the parable is about prayer. The parable is about prayer. So he's not advocating for violence in life. He is speaking to the importance. Importance of a degree of spiritual assertiveness when it comes to prayer.

[Pastor]

The Kingdom of Heaven

[Bishop]

suffered violence and the violence. Did you hear what I just said?

[Pastor]

It is.

[Bishop]

It is speaking of a warfare mentality that we must Possess. When it comes to storming the gates of Hades, y' all aren't talking to me. That are attempting to adversely impact what God wants to do in my life. And here is what I've been thinking

[Pastor]

through and praying through.

[Bishop]

I've been praying, lord, give this contemporary church old school oil. Come on, Lord, give us some ancient oil that our grandmothers and great grandmothers had. Who would get an attitude over a fever. Did you hear what I said? Who would get an attitude over lack. And they would pray with authority and pray with a spirit assertiveness. And pray like Jacob and say, I will not let you go until you bless me, Lord, give us some old oil. You can't be passive now. You can't be fragile now. You can't be weak now. You out here now. You already told God, yes, you out here now. You better square up now.

[Pastor]

We can't survive verse four. So I'm almost done. Here it is. Here it is. Here it is. Here it is. Here it is. The text says, this man said, I gotta see to it that she gets justice. I'm gonna make whatever arrangements I have to make to make sure she gets handled. Imma talk to y' all missing this. I' ma talk to whoever I need to talk to. Did you hear what I just said? And God's communication has no communication barriers. There's no language barrier that can stop him. There's no species barrier that can stop him. The Bible says in Jonah that God spoke to a whale and the whale

[Bishop]

had to spit Jonah out because God speak, well, I don't know what is, what is consume you, but God knows how to get through to it. And when God gets through to it, whatever's consuming you has to let you go.

[Pastor]

He says, I'm a. I'm a see to it. I'm a call whoever I need to call. I'm gonna move whoever I need to move. I'm a replace whoever I need to replace.

[Bishop]

I'm gonna raise up whoever I need to raise up. I'm gonna pull down. Whoever I need to pull down.

[Pastor]

I'm going to see to it that she gets justice. Now, I'm almost done before y' all walk out on me. I'm almost done. But listen to this. Give me verse 8. Give me verse 1 again. Give me verse 1. Jesus told his disciples, somebody say disciples? He didn't say just mentees. He said, what this word here. Because a lot of people, this is. I love church. I love church, but in church, we be doing some stuff. And church is the only place we can use a bunch of words and nobody ever make you tell them what that mean? I mean, I first got saved. They'd be like, you need to get in the spirit. I'm like, okay, somebody tell me. I don't know what that meant, right? Come on, now. Am I making sense? Okay, now, so this is one of those words. This word is traditionally interpreted as a student. That's not incorrect, but it's incomplete. It's like, that's not even. This is not a matter of interpretation. That's not what the word means. It's like saying green means orange. It's not what the word means. It means student, learner, apprentice. Apprentice. So I don't. I don't want you to think classroom teacher. I want you to think basketball trainer. I'm not just teaching you concepts. I'm teaching you how to do something.

[Bishop]

Are y' all here. This isn't just, like, classroom instruction.

[Pastor]

He's like, I'm teaching you how to do it. So you remember the scripture, Matthew, where Jesus, come unto me, all you who weary heavily. I'll give you rest, right? Take my yoke up on you and learn to me. And y' all know yoke was like this apparatus they would put, like, on animals to, like, guide and control animals. Does it make sense? Y' all know that's what unequally yoked come from is don't have a. Don't put a donkey on this side and then an ox on the other side, right? Okay, So a yoke for a rabbi represented a set of teachings. So just like that apparatus would guide animals. Jesus said, my yoke is a set of teachings, and just like it guides the direction of other animals, my set of teachings gonna guide your life. So he says, come to me. Take my set of teachings up on you, and learn from me, and my teachings will guide you throughout life. Y' all follow me. So he's trying to teach us to do something. I'm trying to teach you that discipling discipleship isn't just about learning, it's about doing. So I'm not a disciple. If I can quote it, that just

[Bishop]

means I have a good memory. Can I do it?

[Pastor]

And so Jesus here is not just teaching them. He's talking to disciples. So he's not just teaching them that they should pray and not give up. He's also teaching them how to pray and not give up. It's in the text. Because the woman kept going back, and the woman kept going back, and the woman kept going back. Now, when we get to heaven. I'm going to ask her what she said, But I can't stop. And I'm almost done. But I can't stop. Just by telling us we should be persistent because that's teaching, but it is not apprenticeship. Yes, boy, if I don't. And I think the app, it's not the education depth, like some of our spiritual challenges are not education deficits, it's application deficits. But some of the application deficits are because those that are educating us are teachers but not practitioners.

[Worship Leader]

So.

[Pastor]

Because I don't, I can't teach you how. If I don't, I can teach you what, and never do it. But to teach you how, I have to be a practitioner. I have to become a practicing theologian. Not just a person that's theologizing, but a person who is practicing what I'm theologizing and then presenting out of what's been practiced. Okay, so it's one thing for me to say be persistent. Here's what will happen in normal religious setting. What we always do when we're told to do something in church and not how, not how to do it. We try to use human effort now to get a spiritual result. So if I said, hey, you got to have prayer stamina and know how to pray through a chapter four, verse number four, what we're going to do, generally speaking, if I leave you with no further instruction, you're going to go home and you're going to try to pray harder. And you, and you, I mean you, you, you real enthusiastic about it till about three days. Because then we're unintentionally doing what Paul told believers in Galatians not to do. He said, are you trying to perfect in the flesh what was begun in the spirit? You're trying to use human effort to get a spiritual result. And he's like, you don't just need me to start it, you need me to finish that. I got you dependent on me, not just on my instruction, so you can't even do my instruction without me. So I got to tell you what to do. Then you got to realize you can't do it without me. Then you got to invite me into

[Bishop]

the process to help you do what

[Pastor]

I instruct you to do. So here's what happens. And I know it's not every this, not this, not a lot of you, but for some of us, this was my story. You hear a message like praying through. You hear people say, man, I was in prayer four hours. Then you kind of get confused cuz you like I, I, I had a good four minutes. I mean, I said everything I needed to say. But then you feel guilty. So in an attempt, and I'm not even going to bother this, but the degree to which Titus 1:16 said to the pure, all things are pure, for even their conscience has been defiled. So we got to differentiate between the conscious and the spirit because they're not, they're not the same thing. Cuz you can feel okay about something that's wrong if your conscience isn't under the influence of the spirit. This is why there's stuff that checks you now and didn't check you before. You know more now. So you can have guilt that's not actually anchored in truth. It can be guilt based on what you think is true. So now because you're in prayer and you said all you got to say now you like, okay, but they prayed three hours. So let me now use faith filibusters and church colloquialisms to fill up time because somehow I feel like the length is the strength. Now here's what we do. This means we unintentionally slide into what Jesus calls in Matthew 6. Vain babbling. Vain babbling isn't just saying vain things. Vain babbling is spiritual and religious rambling. It is when there's a disconnect between what's coming out of my mouth and what I'm connected with in my heart. They draw none of me with their lips, but their heart is far from me. In vain do they worship me?

[Bishop]

Is that the book?

[Pastor]

In vain do they worship me? So this religious Reddit. So now I just got to make up stuff while I'm there so I don't feel this religious guilt about not being able to pray through. So now I'm just simply repeating over and over again. When even though this text doesn't tell us how to pray through, the Bible makes it very clear how to pray through so that I've got stamina with substance. What does this look like practically? Number one, it looks like praying. It looks like praying, not just praying through, not just with a passion, but with a practice. So what is the practice? It is the spiritual practice of praying scripture. Now, we've been taught to read scripture, but there's a practice of praying Scripture. And that doesn't necessarily mean opening your Bible and just praying verses. Praying Scripture is simply taking the word of God and turning it into the words of prayer. So now I don't have to worry about trying to filibuster because I'm not just saying what I'm saying I'm talking to you about what you said. And you have. You have said so much to me that it gives me more to talk to you about. And then praying scripture now decreases and diminishes the anxiousness associated with my prayers. Because now I'm not wondering if I'm praying what you want. I know I'm praying what you want because you said it in your word. So the only way, once I've run out of my words, use your words.

[Bishop]

But once you run out of your words, the only way to have prayer

[Pastor]

stamina is you got to pray scripture or pray in the spirit. I'm not talking about praying in spirit today. But those are the only two. Once you run out of words if you don't the once you run out

[Bishop]

of words, you go into vain babbling

[Pastor]

if you don't pray scripture or pray in the spirit. So, Pastor, what does this look like? Practically three quick things. Number one, it means I pray the promises of God. There are certain situations that scripture has a direct promise. Scripture has a direct promise. Excuse me. For certain situations, very specific Scripture speaks specifically to it. If you're in a situation and you need wisdom. James 1:5 speaks specifically to this. If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask who. Who gives generously to all? He doesn't give stingy. He gives generously without finding fault. For those who feel like you're not worthy, receive wisdom. He gives generously without finding fault. Specific promise. Does that make sense? But then you and I are going to be in some situations where there is no specific promise in scripture that speaks to that situation. There's no scripture that says, this is the breakup scripture. So when there's no specific scripture, what are we praying now? We're praying the principles of God. It is a governing. It is a governing scriptural principle that does not specifically speak to that situation. But logically, without error, without exegetical stretching, logically would apply to that situation.

[Bishop]

So there is no working in a hostile environment.

[Pastor]

Scripture. But David worked in a hostile environment cuz his boss Saul was throwing spears at him.

[Bishop]

And Daniel worked in a hostile environment because his peers are the reason he

[Pastor]

got in the lion's den.

[Bishop]

Are y' all here?

[Pastor]

And Proverbs 16:7 says, When a man's ways please the Lord, he makes even his enemies to be at peace with him. So that is not a specific promise, but it is a governing principle. And I can take you to Daniel. Did Daniel's ways please the Lord? Because he kept praying. I could take you to David. When Saul threw spears at David, did David throw him back? No. His ways please the Lord. I didn't even have time to deal with that. But that be at peace doesn't even mean it that God makes them peaceable. It means he makes them be at peace. He's not even talking about their affection towards you. He's talking about the ineffectiveness of their ability to impact me. Sometimes they choose to stop, other times he make them.

[Bishop]

Okay, Tyrio, they done

[Pastor]

promises of God, principles of God. After you ran out of your words, how do you pray through? You pray the promises of God, you pray the principles of God. So if I'm in a situation where I need wisdom, I'm saying, father, you said in your word, lord, I got a decision to make. I'm scared. I don't want to make the wrong decision. I'm too tired to make the wrong decision. I'm too old to make the wrong decision. I'm tired of recovering from bad decisions. So now I'm praying in my understanding, right? I'm using my words. I'm anxious about this. I'm upset about this. I'm afraid about this. In this next series that I'm going to do after Easter, you're going to be more comfortable saying that. Cuz some of you trying to be a God and God became a man to show you how to be one. Anyway, the incarnation is God showing you how to be human, not God. Godly, not God. Made in God's image and likeness, not God. He doesn't want little gods. He wants good humans.

[Bishop]

And as a human, I get confused.

[Pastor]

As a human, I get anxious.

[Bishop]

As a human, I get unsure. As a human, I wrestle with confidence. That's not my flesh, that's my humanity.

[Pastor]

He's not gonna make me an angel. Even up on the resurrection, I'm getting another body. Human is my destiny anyway.

[Bishop]

Anyway,

[Pastor]

here's my point. Those are my words. But then when I run out of my words, now I'm going to pray the scripture. You said in your word that you would give me wisdom liberally. Now, you didn't say I would feel wisdom. You say I would. You would give it. So I don't feel any smarter. But I believe as I make this decision, you guiding it. Pray promises, pray, principles, pray, y'.

[Worship Leader]

All.

[Pastor]

Okay, you take it number three. You pray the names of God. Y' all look at me. Some of you, you haven't memorized Philippians 4:19 yet, but you've been in name dropping. So even when you can't connect a Specific scripture, God's names reveal his nature. So when you find yourself in a season where you need provision now, even if you're not going to him with an awareness of what he said he would do, you're going to him with an awareness of who he is now. Lord, you Jireh. When I find myself in a battle, Lord, your Niecy. When I find myself needing peace, Lord, you Shalom. This is the way we actually pray through. Not with passion, but with practices. I'mma use my words to empty my heart before the Father. As a human, this is what I'm feeling. Father, if it's possible, remove this cup from me. Those are his words. I'm gonna lay my heart before the Father. I don't want to do this. I'm gonna use my words. And then after I use my words, I'm not going to vain babbling. I'm gonna use your words and I'm gonna say back to you what you said to me. And then after I pray your promises, if there's no specific promise, I'm gonna pray your principle. And if I can't connect the principle, if my mind's not working that way, I'm gonna pray your name, I'm gonna pray your nature. I'm gonna pray through my verse four, and I'm gonna step into my verse five. Because I'm not going to take you saying nothing as meaning you said no.

[Bishop]

I submit to you no,

[Pastor]

but I'm going to pray through that nothing. I'm going to make you tell me no.

[Bishop]

I got to go. Y' all tired. I'm gonna make you tell me no. I'mma pray until you tell me. That's the not it. Okay, Jesus.

[Pastor]

But until you tell me no, I'mma bother it. We're done. I want to pray for you. Nobody moving really quick. I want to pray for you. I'm going to have my team upload a prayer liturgy I wrote. Cuz part of what I believe the Holy Spirit wants to deliver some of you from is intimidation. When it comes to some of these practices and in church, sometimes we make it difficult to admit. I'm a little intimidated by that. Some of you are more developed in this journey and you don't realize your own development is intimidation for people. And it doesn't mean they're insecure. Sometimes it just means they're uneducated, that it's okay for them to not be where you are because they've been in it a year, you've been in at 10. Which is why we have to talk more about progressive sanctification. Because some of you, you and your 20 and you're trying to pull somebody in 20 days to a place it took you 20 years to get to, all the processing and humbling and circumstantial sanctification that God had to do. They don't get to skip that process just because you give them some notes. You had to be crushed and broken and they will have to be crushed and broken. You had to learn how to wait and they're going to have to learn how to wait.

[Bishop]

God had to humble you and God's

[Pastor]

going to have to humble them.

[Bishop]

And there is no note.

[Pastor]

So as your pastor, I'm telling you you're going to be okay. You're going to get this right. And I know you feel like you're behind schedule. You on time. If you got this word six years ago, you wouldn't been ready for it. God knew the season you would be open and receptive to this word. And if you put it into practice, you're going to see the redemption of time. God's going to make it up to you. So in this church, never feel the pressure to pretend like you're already at a place we can actually get you to. If you be honest about where you are, you don't have to pretend you're there. Here we know how to get you there. And listen to your pastor. Now this next season of your life, chapter 11 prayer practices will not sustain you. You got to go to chapter 18. You got to learn how to pray through. What happens with you spiritually affects you emotionally, but what happens with you emotionally affects you spiritually. You're not even going to feel like praying sometime. And you got to pray through your guilt. See, I ain't even got time to bother that. You got to pray through your guilt when you made a mistake because the devil won't see.

[Bishop]

The Bible says you should run boldly

[Pastor]

to him cuz the grace. Cuz the. Cuz the throne is a grace throne. But the devil will have you running from. You got to pray through guilt and pray through shame and pray through disappointment. Oh man, I didn't have time.

[Bishop]

Could you not watch with me?

[Pastor]

One hour. And the same. I don't have time. But the same one that was falling asleep is the same one that was praying all night on a roof in Acts 10. But you got to go through your season where you've fallen asleep because you'll never get good at it if you don't accept I'm not good at it. The Same Peter that could not pray with Jesus for one hour is on a roof in Acts chapter 10 praying all night. I pray that over you. You might be in a season where you're inconsistent. You might be in a season where you're not persistent.

[Bishop]

But I pray that God gets you to Acts chapter 10. And all of a sudden you don't have to fight to pray. You gotta fight to stop praying.

[Pastor]

It's the name. May the Lord bless you and keep you. May he cause his face of favor to shine upon you. May he be gracious to you. May he protect you. May he provide for you and may he grant you peace. This is my prayer. In Jesus name. Amen. Amen. We getting ready. Y' all can go. Listen to me. Some of you know right now God is breaking more than what I prayed for.

[Worship Leader]

For.

[Pastor]

And if he's done, you leave. But if he is not finished, you let him finish. There is nothing special about this altar. But listen to me. But sometimes it's not that God needs us to get to the altar to do something. Sometimes we need to get to the altar for God to do something. And I sense God's spirit at work untangling you from. From some stuff. And I don't want you to cut God's work prematurely if he not done. Now don't stay with church guilt. If you feel like he done, he done. But if you know he's not, don't you rush. You let God finish His work. We not raising our voice, but it's breaking off of you. In Jesus name. Amen.

[Worship Leader]

Sa.

[Pastor]

It.

[Darius Daniels]

You have been listening to the incredible teaching ministry of Darius Daniels. To inquire about more of these great resources, just simply log on and visit us [e-mail].