Podcast Summary: Red Rocks Church Weekend Messages

Episode: How to Pray with Confidence
Date: August 9, 2025
Host: Red Rocks Church

Overview

This episode launches a new teaching series at Red Rocks Church entitled Can We Talk?, focusing on prayer—specifically, how to approach God with genuine confidence. Through humor, personal stories, scriptural insight, and practical advice, the speaker (likely Pastor Shawn Johnson) invites listeners to dismantle insecurity and mind games around prayer, and instead embrace prayer as intimate conversation with a loving Father.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Prayer Can Feel Awkward—and That’s Normal

• The episode opens with a comedic TikTok dance attempt by church leaders, connecting the discomfort of messy, uncoordinated dancing to the awkwardness many feel about prayer.
  • “That’s kind of how a bunch of us feel about our prayer life, isn’t it?...I try real hard, but I see other people do it and go, I can never do it like that.” (06:45)
• Most people feel insecure about the quality or frequency of their prayers; nobody seeks counseling for being “too good” at prayer (08:00).

2. God Invites Us to Pray with Confidence

• God gives a “VIP all-access pass” in prayer (09:40).
• Scripture calls believers to bring everything to God, continually, with gratitude and confidence:
  • “Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence…” (Hebrews 4:16)
• Often our prayers are hesitant, filled with “justs,” reflecting intimidation or guilt rather than trusting relationship.
  • “God’s like, step into my throne room of grace with confidence. You’re my kid…you got an all-access pass.” (12:40)

3. Jesus’ Example: Prayer Starts with Who God Is

• The Lord’s Prayer (Matthew 6) begins not with our needs but with recognizing God as Father.
  • “Prayer doesn’t start with what I need. It starts with who God is. Because when we understand who we’re actually talking to…everything changes.” (17:11)
• Jesus teaches us to approach God not as a distant "big man upstairs", but intimately, as "our Father".
  • “He said, throw that door open, slam that thing shut, and go, hey, Dad. You’re just talking to your Father.” (19:10)

4. Addressing Father Wounds & God’s Perfect Love

• The host shares their personal story of never meeting their biological father and growing up with abandonment issues.
  • “The best earthly parent on this planet pales in comparison to our Heavenly Father.” (21:45)
• For those with complicated or painful father experiences, God goes out of His way to differentiate Himself, promising unconditional love and care.
• Foundational truths:
  • God loves you deeply and unconditionally.
  • God will never harm or abandon you.
  • God gave everything for your sake (John 3:16).

5. God Wants to Talk to You—About Everything

• We’re often tempted to “give God time to cool off” after we mess up, but that’s not God’s posture.
  • “God’s like, uh, throw that door open. You put your faith in Jesus. I forgave your sins. You’re perfectly righteous in my sight. Step into my throne room. I want to talk to you.” (26:49)
• God’s invitation is open and always positive:
  • “My heart has heard you say, ‘Come and talk with me.’ And my heart responds, ‘Lord, I am coming.’” (Psalm 27:8)

6. God is With You, Listens to You, and Can Handle Anything

• God’s “nearness” is literal and relational—not just “I’m thinking of you,” but with you wherever you are (32:20).
• “God’s promise trumps our feelings every time.” (34:40)
• There’s nothing beyond God’s ability to handle.
  • “With God…all things are possible.” (36:09)
  • “He’s bigger than anxiety, depression, suicidal thoughts, financial issues, broken hearts. Your God is bigger. There’s nothing you go through that he can’t handle.” (37:29)

7. Practical Prayer Strategy (“Game-Changer” Exercise)

• Before praying, the speaker now reviews daily truths:
  • My Father loves me.
  • He wants to talk to me.
  • He’s with me.
  • He’s listening.
  • There’s nothing He can’t handle.
• Encourage listeners to screenshot or write down these affirmations to keep them front-of-mind when they pray, changing their mindset and reinforcing confidence (38:40).

8. The Bonus Challenge: Try Praying Out Loud

• Praying out loud, as opposed to silently in your mind, brings several benefits:
  • Aids focus and reduces distractions.
  • Builds and audibly reinforces your faith.
  • Puts Satan “on notice”—he can’t read your mind, but hears your declarations.
  • Provides accountability—out-loud prayers are memorable and concrete.
• “For me, it just hits different. And I think it will for you too.” (31:08)
• The host emphasizes: silent prayers are good, out-loud prayers are good—just pray, often, and honestly, in any style that connects you to God (44:22).

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Prayer Insecurity:
  “I never hear anybody go, ‘Hey, man, I need help. I’m too good at prayer…I have too much faith, too much confidence in my prayers.’” – Host (07:25)

• On Approaching with Confidence:
  “Throw that door open, slam that thing shut, and go, ‘Hey, Dad.’ …He’s your heavenly Father.” – Host (19:30)

• On God’s Love:
  “You couldn’t lose my love if you tried…You are a son or a daughter of the King of kings and the Lord of Lords.” – Host (23:32)

• On Father Wounds:
  “If you’ve been through some stuff and you’ve got some father wounds...I’m really sorry...God goes way out of his way to say...I’m different.” – Host (21:52)

• On God’s Nearness:
  “The Lord is near to all who call on him… I close the distance relationally and physically; I come to exactly where you are.” – Host (32:30, 32:50)

• On Mindsets in Prayer:
  “Feelings can be very real and very wrong at the same time. We feel like he’s not there, but God himself says, ‘I promise you.’” – Host (34:18)

• On Praying Out Loud:
  “When you pray out loud, you put Satan on notice. ‘Oh, listen in, bro. ‘Cause I’m talking to my dad and my dad’s bigger.” – Host (41:00)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 00:00–03:30: Humorous opening; TikTok dance analogy about feeling awkward and imperfect
• 06:45: Comparing awkwardness in dancing to prayer insecurity
• 09:40: God’s “VIP all-access pass” to prayer; scripture references to confidence in approaching God
• 12:40: Confession of how most prayers sound lacking in confidence
• 17:11: The Lord’s Prayer teaches to start with who God is, not just our needs
• 19:10: Approaching God as Father, not distant “big man upstairs”
• 21:45: Story of growing up without a dad, framing God as the perfect, loving Father
• 23:32: Affirmations of God’s unconditional love and care
• 26:49: Dismantling the “give God time to cool off” myth
• 32:20: God’s nearness, with scriptural support
• 34:40: God’s promise overrides our feelings
• 36:09–37:29: God’s power—nothing is impossible with Him
• 38:40: Practical prayer affirmation challenge (the “game-changer” exercise)
• 41:00: Bonus challenge: try praying out loud—its benefits and reasons
• 44:22: “Pray silently, pray out loud, pray long, pray short, pray often. Just pray.”
• 45:40–end: Call to prayer—personal response, salvation invitation, praying out loud as a church

Action Points & Challenge for the Week

• Before Prayer:
  Reflect on foundational truths—God is your loving Father, He wants to talk to you, He is with you, He is listening, and He can handle anything.
• Try Praying Out Loud:
  Experience increased focus, faith, and accountability. Enlist a friend or group for encouragement.
• Remember:
  Praying honestly, whether silent or spoken, is always welcomed and powerful.

Final Encouragement

“Here’s what God says: When you come looking for me, you’re gonna find me. When you get serious about finding me and want it more than anything else, I’ll make sure you won’t be disappointed.” – Host (44:55)

For Newcomers:
If you’ve struggled with feeling unworthy, awkward, or insecure in prayer—you are not alone. God’s invitation is not for the put-together, but for anyone ready to talk honestly with their Heavenly Father, confident in His love, presence, and readiness to listen.

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