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Bibleline Bibleline, here God’s Word on Bibleline, everywhere, every time. Here God’s truth on Bibleline. Welcome to Bibleline with Dr. Ralph Yankee Arnold, pastor of Calvary Community Church in Tampa, Florida. Clearly declaring the Gospel of Jesus Christ through the radio and the Internet. Your regular prayers and monthly support make it possible for Bibleline to continue on the air. You can reach us toll-free at 1-800-576-3771. Online donations may be made by clicking on the donations link on the BibleLineMinistries.org homepage. We pray that you will enjoy our commitment to the clear gospel of Jesus Christ and that today’s first part of this two-part message will be a blessing to you and your family.

I have just a few scriptures that we’ll be looking at tonight. But one of them is found there in the book of 2 Timothy. If you will take your Bible and turn to 2 Timothy. There is a lot of things we could say about prayer. And it’s easy to get the notes from one person into the notes of another person without getting into the minds of either one. Second Timothy chapter two is some mighty interesting scriptures. But if you look on your notes there, the very top pages, Lord help me in my studying.

I know the college kids pray this every night. Lord help me in my studying. Well, would it be good if they studied? Lord help me in my studying. And then they, oh, well, I’ll think I’ll just go to bed. go to bed and then end up no study. But the Bible says study to show thyself approved, a workman that need if not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. So God does want us to study. And more we study the, more your heart, heart warms toward the Lord.

I used to tell people that sometimes, the best time to pray is not before you study God’s work. If you start reading the word of God, and you start reading anywhere, you’d be surprised how many things you’ll think of to pray. But if you just start off sometimes praying, your mind is not as clear. It’s not Godward. Let God talk to you first. And then you can talk to the Lord, and it will help you a little bit better.

At least that’s what I found. But you won’t do it the other way, do it, just do it. What if you do it? Pray. Talk to the Lord all the time. And so I wrote on this thing here, number one, Sunday night. If I was to get up and say, Lord, give me souls tonight and then, you know, if it be, I will. Well, I believe it’s God’s will for us to reach people to win souls, but then sometimes we have to ask a question.

What did I do to make it happen? Did I try to get people to hear the word of God. And so sometimes as we go through our daily life and we want to be used to pass the track out here and pass out one here. But even if you’d never get a chance to talk to somebody or even a track maybe, still do good. Everywhere Jesus went the Bible says he did good. And just do right. Because you never know what just doing right could mean to somebody that’s happen a hard day and just being kind and so forth can really help.

But the question appears my prayer demanded that I give the gospel clearly. If I was to say look we’re gonna have some lost people here this come in Sunday and Lord we’re gonna pray that the gospel will be clear. If I pray that the gospel will be clear so if anybody comes out we’ll hear the clarity of the gospel. But then Sunday comes and I don’t even give it. Well, shouldn’t I have given the gospel clearly if that’s how I prayed?

And if I wanted the loss to hear the gospel, shouldn’t I have done something about it? Especially when I could have. So sometimes you are supposed to pray that I will do and open my mouth boldly as I ought to so that we can get the results that we want. So the question here is, are you afraid to pray because you’re afraid of what it might do to you? Question. And I have this wrote out to the side of your notes here.

Now look at this. Need money? I’m not asking for a raise of hands. Need money? I wrote down. Get a better job. And don’t waste what you have. Wouldn’t that be good two places to start? Don’t waste what you have. Get a job. Pray that God will help you find a job. Now I wrote these notes 35 years ago. And I was delivering this to the students for the Bible college in 77, I think, something like that. But I appreciated that our church before that.

So you want people to realize that when you pray, you ask the Lord to help you to fulfill the prayer. God wants to use you. So the thing to keep in mind is like letter A. Look at letter A. Are you truthfully say, or can you truthfully say, Lord, use me. If you want the Lord to use you, you won’t have to ask Him to use you. Make yourself usable. Now here in 2 Timothy and chapter 1, you notice there in verse 19 where he says, nevertheless, the foundation of God stand if sure, having this seal, the Lord know of them that are his.

That’s the greatest security we can ever have. God knows me. And let everyone that nameeth the name of Christ depart from iniquity. So this is the will of God for his children. So if you want something from God and you’re talking about praying to the Lord, do you think that there might be something that God wants from you? Are you giving to God what God wants? Or do you just ask God for what you want? You see there’s thing God needs to have done in our lives.

And And so God created us, saved us, gave us eternal life, and He left us here because God evidently needs us. I was told years ago, God doesn’t need you. God doesn’t need you. Well, that’s not what the book says. God says He does. God does need me. He needs His children to preach the gospel. We had been entrusted with the gospel, evidently. He needs me to do something. And that must be important. That’s why he left me here.

Because if I didn’t think God needed me, then I could say, he doesn’t need me. God doesn’t need me. So if he doesn’t need me, then why should I do anything? He doesn’t need me. But what if God says, I need you? Hey, he needs me. And I do what I do because I believe God does need me. God wants me and if I have a pulse I have a purpose. Yep I got one so I must have a reason for living.

So you look back here and notice there in verse 20 but in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and of silver but also of wood and of earth and some to honor and some to dishonor. So there’s vessels of honor and and vessels of dishonor. You and I are the ones that determines what kind of a vessel we will be. And he says in the next verse, he says there in verse 21, if a man therefore purge himself, from these he shall be a vessel unto honor.

That means that God will get honor out of your life. And God wants that. God will get glory from your life. God will get praise from your life. That God wants that. So that means God wants something from you. So don’t always look at prayer as what you can get from God, but communication, talking to the Lord, is finding out what does God want. Talk to the Lord, what do you want from me, Lord? And be willing to give to the Lord whatever it is He wants.

Don’t you think that would help you when you ask God for something and when He knows that you’re thankful for what He gave and what He wants. And so I believe it’s important. And then notice what He says in verse 21, the last part of it, the vessel unto honor sanctified and meet or fit for the master’s use and prepared under every good word. Make yourself usable. yourself, God is looking for vessels of honor. Now when you read the book of Romans in chapter 9 the Bible talks about two kinds of vessels, vessels of wrath, vessels of mercy.

And he says, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy and I will have wrath upon whom I will have wrath. So somebody says, well, who can find fault with God? He’s the potter and we’re the clay and he can make the vessel anyway he wants. Some eat hardens and some eat doesn’t. Whatever will be, will be, no, no, no. The Bible says in Exodus, Pharaoh hardened his heart by his rebellion against God. And so the Bible says in Romans that God hardened his heart, but he hardened Pharaoh’s heart by forcing Pharaoh to make decisions he didn’t want to make.

And so God will give you time and God is already determined before the foundations of the world. Everyone who will become a vessel of honor and mercy, he is going to bless. And everyone who becomes a vessel of wrath by his rebellion and hardheadedness, dipneck, then God’s going to use that individual to bestow his wrath upon. So God has vessels of mercy, honor, and vessels of wrath. But you and I are the one that decides what kind of a vessel we’re going to be.

Are we going to be one that brings honor to the Lord and God is pleased? Or are we going to become a vessel of wrath that God has to chase in and discipline? See that’s our choice. And so he says, if a child of God will purge himself, means clean up his life, depart from iniquity, seek to live as holy of a life that you can live, then God is obligated to use you. You see, I don’t have to get on my hands and knees and beg God to use me.

God already wants to use me. He already wants to use you. is that so many of God’s children will not make themselves usable. And there is the problem. Look at the next statement here in your notes. The boy says, Lord, give me the girl you want for my life. That’s a good prayer, isn’t it? Lord, give me the girl you want me to have for my life. And the Bible does say, a man that finds it, the woman finds it, the good thing.

So that means a woman has lost until the man finds her. Well, new man. But God says that a man should not be alone, so he made a woman. And so there’s maybe six, seven billion people on planet Earth. Well, if you’re a guy, you can eliminate half, not anymore. All of them are available. But 50% of them pose to be the women. Well, that cut to down in half. That’s pretty good. So how are you going to find the right woman out of about 3 billion women?

Well, it’s a sense you don’t have to worry about somebody you never meet. You’re going to have to choose from somebody you do meet. Now they’ve got it all online. You can just find anybody you want all over the world. But now get what I say of you. Because you know he won’t. Can you truthfully say this? Lord, give me the girl you want from my life. If the boy dates girls, he knows God does not approve of. Is his prayer sincere?

Why should God give you the best if you will settle for second best? I used to tell guys, never date a girl you would not consider for marriage. If you can’t consider that girl for marriage, you shouldn’t date her. And you ought to watch and observe because if you don’t, you get too emotionally involved. too late to lay down your standards. Determine what you want in advance because if you don’t, emotion from high. But look at the next note, does your friend encourage you to serve the Lord?

If you have a friend that doesn’t encourage you to serve the Lord, you don’t have the right friend. Are you strong enough in the Lord that you can determine some of these things? Some people, Well, I don’t want to hurt their feelings, okay? But it’s hard to rise above the pressures of your friends. And how can two walk together and let’s say be agreed? For a long time, I didn’t have any other close friends. It was just me and the Lord.

And I would rather have the Lord, and I don’t have to worry about Him than friends who might leave me astray. And so you’re going to have to make some decisions of yourself. Look at the little illustration that I got here. Boy says, Daddy, I lost my new book. Will you ask Jesus to find it? Daddy says, yes, I will, but he must use your feet to take you to it and your eyes to see it and your hands to pick it up.

And if you don’t find it, it’s not Christ’s fault. You’d be surprised how many people said, Lord, find me a job. And then they sit around and twirl their thumbs. So what are you waiting on? I’m waiting for the job to go. I told God to go find me one and I’m waiting for his phone call. When I was at Florida Bible College, I couldn’t go very long without a job because I had a wife and two kids, and I was taking a full load, and I had bills, bills, bills.

I thought I was going to die. And so I told the Lord, I says, Lord, I’ve got to have at least a dollar 75 cent an hour. And I found a job that paid a dollar and a quarter an hour. Should I take it? in a quarter. The dollar in a quarter was better than the zero that I had. I took what I could, did what I could, and then it wasn’t long before I was making a little bit more and a little bit more.

I thought it was going to starve the death that we managed to make it. But anyway, it’s better that you do right, have standards and go buy those things. And When something is lost, you have to completely put yourself at the task to find something. Because are your prayers sincere if you don’t put feet to your prayers? Now I’ll show you this. Look in Matthew chapter 9. Matthew and chapter 9. Matthew chapter 9, and look there in verse 36.

Matthew chapter 9 verse 36. where it says, but when he saw the multitude, he was moved with compassion on them because they fainted and were scattered abroad as sheep having no shepherd. Then saith he unto his disciples the harvest truly is cleanest, but the labors are few. Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labors into his vineyard. And then in verse 1 of chapter 12, he sends them. pray the Lord of the heart, He’ll send forth labors.

Did you know if you are asked to pray for something specific? It’s hard for you to pray. Lord, I pray that somebody out there will be able to see and meet that need. Whatever that pray request may be. Without asking yourself, why should I ask somebody else to see how they can meet that need? If I don’t ask myself, how can I meet that need? Can you actually pray for missionaries? Lord, bless the missionaries, but you never give to missionaries.

Your prayer’s not sincere. Bless those missionaries. What do you mean by that? Bless them. So now if they don’t get blessed, it’s not your fault. It’s God’s fault because you ask them to do it. See how spiritual that is? A lot of Christians are disobedient to God because they don’t put feet to their prayers. I believe that God wants to take that flashlight, turn it and look at yourself and see, now, how can I help meet that need? Is that putting feet to your prayers then?

Or is it better just, well, I hope somebody out there does something? Well, if you can’t is one thing, but if you can and you refuse to is your prayer really that’s sincere See this is what you and I have to judge for ourselves the Bible always talks about examine yourself See whether or not what God would really have you to do And I have him in the little notes to the left or I said if I need a printer and ask one to pray for this need What am I actually doing?

means what will you do? I need this printer. Okay, if I need a printer and I pray that I can find just the right printer, I’m also asking pray that I can find it but then try to help that person find that printer. Or if they say I need the funds to buy a printer, then you’re saying, figure out not not just ask God that He’ll put that burden on somebody, He might put that burden on who? On you?

Then you see what can I do? And I thought it was just interesting because these were in my notes from 35 years ago, and I was with Phil and Tina, they’re down there trying to get them a printer. And I figured I got a no junk when I… I got a no junk when around here somewhere, I’ll give them that old junk. But now look at the next statement. Where has it letter C? I believe 90% of the time you pray God wants to use you to answer it.

Girl praise, Lord, dad has lots of problems and needs you to comfort him and to give him a peace of mind. Now if you were sincere, could that be fulfilled if you said, Dad, I love you. I think you’re the greatest dad in the whole world. The Lord helped us in the past. I know he’ll help us again, Dad. Now, what you’re praying for is it something that you could help fulfill. It’s something that you could maybe say. And sometimes you pray for your kids that they’ll have good attitudes and, Lord, let those kids know that I love them.

But then you never tell them you do. Put feet to your prayers. Maybe God wants to use you because He’s revealed to you somebody has a need on something. A lot of times I believe God reveals to the person, needs to pray for, because He wants you to think about what can you actually do. You have to read James chapter 2, somebody comes to you, and they don’t have anything to eat, nothing to wear, and God bless you. But you don’t give them anything to help them.

And it says, your faith is dead. It’s not productive. this is what he’s talking about. Look back here to notes. So you have here at letter D, see what is wrong now. Lord, if it be thy will, save little Johnny. Well, isn’t that a good prayer? Lord, if it be thy will, save, is it God’s will to save little Johnny? Didn’t God already say that he so loved the world? Didn’t God already make a payment for the sins of everybody?

But didn’t he already say, go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature? He already say that. But that’s a good spiritual way to relieve yourself of responsibility. I prayed for them. Yeah, but you put the responsibility back on God. God put the responsibility on you. Would it be better to say, Lord, help me to know how I can reach Johnny. Lord, help me to figure out a way, to seek a way that I might be able to get the gospel to Johnny.

Or maybe there’s somebody in this town or that town or somebody that can help reach this person. You see, if you can put the responsibility on you, you’ll pray a lot more sincere. When you try to put the responsibility back upon God, then you can breathe better. Oh, I feel so much better. I don’t have the burden anymore. I gave it back to God. It would be like, James, I want you to see that stuff gets fixed out there, we’re called, they’re tearing up all the yard out there, you know, and they’re supposed to be putting in some leech fields and things like that, so everything will run smoothly around here.

And James never goes back there, he says, Pastor, I want you to do that. No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, oh, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, I don’t want all the honor and glory, I want you to have it, you do it. Wait a minute, there’s responsibilities, like he’s up there doing that job, and Peter’s got a certain job. Everybody’s got certain jobs. Well, what if they turn around and say, Jackie, we’re gonna, you can do it so much better.

We’re just gonna give it all back to you, let you do it all. Isn’t that wonderful? Not really. I mean, I know how to do some of the editing for the radio broadcast, but the last thing I want is for Greg to say, Yankee, why don’t you do this? I don’t wanna do that. That’s your job. You see, there’s things that God has told us to do, but sometimes God’s people don’t want to do what God says to do.

So, the best way to do that is what it is. What can I do to help Johnny come to know the Lord? That would be better. When you become concerned, genuinely over a person, you will try to do what you can’t reach. For example, if I want to reach people in the area, then I got to create a ministry that’s designed to do just that. One of those machines is the IWANNA program. And James says that he has some now, trust the Christ is Savior just about every week.

What if we didn’t do that? Well, then there’s people that we wouldn’t have reached. But what about those on the internet? We had some people that come be joining the church that heard me on the radio, they came out, they trust Christ as Savior. We got a few that away. We get some from the soul in and on Friday night, we get some from the ranch on Thursday night. We try to figure out a way that we can do something, but we’re just getting started.

What if we would keep doing the same ministries right now for the next 10, 15, 20 years? You see what can come from it? And what if we had 50 to 100 young guys are trained in youth ranch ministry, the Induatin starter ranch ministry. What can they do? Be awesome. But you see, if I want that and pray for that, then I’ve got to commit myself to try to see that some of those things get accomplished. I can’t just sit in my office and just pray, Lord, get it done.

And then I don’t do anything. You can’t pray for something. It’s like, okay, we need somebody to get ready for the third Sunday dinner. What if instead of somebody volunteering to do it, why don’t we just all pray that somebody will do it? But nobody does it. Wouldn’t it be exciting to show up and then there’s no food because everybody trusted somebody else to do it? No, that wouldn’t be nice. Look down here where he says, how may I know his will?

Christianity is a cross and a cross is an eye crossed out. It’s not about you and it’s not about me. It’s about the Lord. Man was endowed by God with three capacities for knowing Him. We often talk about this, and that’s the knowledge, emotion, will of man. Your knowledge, take your Bible-looking Ephesians in chapter 4, the book of Ephesians in chapter 4. Ephesians chapter 4 kind of gives you an idea of the way that you thought. God says that our knowledge, what we knew was limited because we walked in the flesh.

See there verse 17? Verse 17 of Ephesians chapter 4 says, This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord that ye henceforth, that means from now on, walk not as other Gentiles walk in the vanity of their minds. So that means that that’s the way you used to be. And when we read chapter 2, it says the same thing over again. And he says here in verse 8, having the understanding darken. It means that you did not have the knowledge on how to do the will of God.

Because you were not a child of God. You were alienated from the promises of God. You didn’t know. Now, you’re a child of God and God doesn’t want you the way you used to be. God says, I want to enlighten your mind. Here He says you had a darkened mind. You’ve been listening to Bibleline, a teaching ministry of Calvary Community Church in Tapp of Florida with Dr. Ralph Arnold. We pray that you were blessed by today’s message. Part 2 of this teaching will conclude with tomorrow’s broadcast.

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Our Sunday morning services begin at 10-30 and at 6 o’clock on Sunday evening. Live broadcast of our services may be seen by clicking on the Calvary Community Church link at BibleLineMinistries.org. Thanks for joining us on Bibleline, and now a closing thought from Pastor Arnold. Friends, one day it will happen. The trumpet will sound, and we will be changed. Caught up to meet the Lord in the air. So live today and every day, believing that the Lord is coming soon, and just keep looking up.