Transformation Church Podcast: "I Want To Pray More… Like Jesus"

Reset Sunday // Pastor Charles Metcalf
Date: January 4, 2026

Episode Overview

In this Reset Sunday message, Pastor Charles Metcalf challenges the congregation to a refreshed, deeper approach to prayer—one inspired directly by Jesus’ example. Using Matthew 6 and the Lord’s Prayer as a foundation, Pastor Charles explores how prayer shifts from a mere “resolution” or religious routine to a real, honest dialogue with God. He dissects common misconceptions about prayer, the pitfalls of goal-setting, and offers practical — and sometimes humorous — insights on how to pray more authentically, specifically, and relationally like Jesus in the year ahead.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Why Prayer as a Resolution? (04:25)

• Pastor Charles opens with reflections on New Year’s resolutions and why “I want to pray more” often appears on people’s lists.

• He reviews statistics showing most people abandon resolutions quickly—drawing a parallel to shallow spiritual habits.

  "Only 8 to 9% of people will actually make it the whole year doing their New Year's resolutions." ([06:42])

• Surprising insight from ChatGPT: Most fail, not from lack of motivation, but because they focus on outcomes, not systems; overestimate motivation; and never tie behaviors to identity ([08:23]).

2. The Unique Nature of Christian Prayer (13:10)

• Pastor Charles emphasizes that prayer isn’t unique—many religions pray—but who Christians pray to, and what happens in prayer, IS unique.

  "What's unique to believers is who we pray to, what we believe happens when we pray, and the fact that He hears us when we pray." ([13:47])

• He warns against reducing prayer to religious performance or manipulation—God hears us not because of method or eloquence, but relationship.

3. Getting Real with God: Don’t Roleplay (16:58)

• Many are too vague, ashamed, or performative in prayer.

• Anecdote: Asks people what to pray for, gets “just some stuff” as an answer. He urges specificity and honesty.

  "Why do I feel the need to role play before God? What is it about what I learned from prayer, what I observed from other people?" ([19:32])

• Misconceptions about needing to “pray right” can actually block intimacy with God.

4. Danger of Reducing God to a Slot Machine (21:50)

• Critiques formulaic, transactional prayers intended to “get what you want” from God.

  "If you can control your God, I don't want to serve that God." ([23:00])

5. The Maturity of Relationship with God (27:52)

• Like in marriage, intimacy deepens to where presence, not words, become enough.

  "There is a place you can get to in your relationship with God where your prayer doesn't feel like awkward silence anymore ... He knows everything that's going on." ([27:55])

6. Three Ways to Pray Like Jesus (28:43)

1. Prayer Starts With God, Not Us ([28:43])

• Jesus starts with “Our Father in heaven”—prayer is reorienting ourselves to who God is, not what we want.

• Practical: Open prayers with gratitude and praise before presenting requests.

  "When you go to pray, the first position you're trying to get into is realizing God is bigger than you are." ([29:14])

2. Prayer Changes Us, Not God (and Not Others) ([32:00])

• Prayer is meant to transform our hearts, align our will with his—NOT control God or fix other people.

  "I'm going into prayer to change me ... What it's saying is, God, change my will to your will. Change what I want to what you want." ([32:40])

• Shares how people’s way of praying often reflects their distorted views of God—if you pray as if God is angry or distant, that's how you see Him.

3. Prayer is Daily Dependence ([41:50])

• “Give us this day our daily bread” teaches us to focus on present needs, not anxieties about the future.

  "Prayer is daily dependence. Every day I come before God ... I need you to give me wisdom for today." ([43:10])

• Relates this to parenting: the need to show up and rely on God for patience and presence each day.

7. Bonus: You Already Have God's Attention (47:10)

• Reminds listeners: Prayer isn’t about “getting God’s attention”—He’s already waiting and ready to hear.
• Encourages the start of the church’s annual 21 days of prayer and fasting, emphasizing this is less about performance, more about pursuit.

Notable Quotes & Moments

• “ChatGPT can either make you dumber or smarter. It just depends on you.”
  ([07:03])

• “Don’t let anybody downplay your prayer… Please do not downplay talking to the person who created the galaxies...”
  ([14:32])

• “No matter what you've done ... you can talk to God in that place: with frustration, with tears in your eyes, with cuss words in your mouth, whatever it is—you can talk to God, because where else you gonna go?”
  ([36:30])

• “If you think the way you are praying is changing God ... you have canceled out the cross and brought back religion. And you are peddling religion to people saying, do these certain rituals and you get this.”
  ([23:20])

• “There is a place you can get to in your relationship with God where your prayer doesn't feel like awkward silence anymore. You know, you're just sitting there with God and He knows everything that's going on.”
  ([27:55])

Timestamps for Important Segments

• 01:01 — Introduction, Matthew 6 context
• 03:00 – 08:00 — New Year’s resolutions & statistics; ChatGPT wisdom
• 13:10 — The unique nature & misconceptions of prayer
• 17:00 — Honesty in prayer vs. roleplaying
• 21:50 — Religion, performance, and treating God like a vending machine
• 27:52 — Spiritual maturity: prayer beyond words
• 28:43 — Three practical approaches: pray like Jesus
• 32:00 — Prayer changes us, not God or others
• 41:50 — Prayer as daily dependence (“daily bread”)
• 47:10 — You already have God’s attention; prayer & fasting explained
• 52:00 — End — Invitation to salvation and call to 21 days of prayer and fasting

Tone & Delivery

Pastor Charles delivers with humor, energy, and deep authenticity. He weaves in relatable stories, pop culture references, and a willingness to poke fun at himself (“No, you hang up.”), making weighty spiritual truths accessible and actionable.

Final Encouragement

Pastor Charles closes by inviting everyone to pray simple and honest prayers in 2026— that prayer and fasting are not about earning God’s favor, but openly relating to a Father who already loves and listens:

"My hope and prayer for everybody is that 2026 will be a year where you could pray simple and honest prayers. Simple and honest prayers. You don't have to be complicated. You ain't got to impress God. You ain't got to say nothing fancy. Simple and honest prayers." ([52:30])

Action Steps

• Pray honestly—no performance, just presence.
• Join 21 Days of Fasting and Prayer beginning tomorrow, both online and in-person.
• Reflect: What behaviors in prayer are about “outcome”, and what is about “identity”?
• Remember: Prayer starts with God, changes YOU, and is about daily trust, not distant control or religious routine.

For more resources and to connect, visit Transformation Church’s website or join their daily prayer streams during 21 Days of Prayer and Fasting.