hot line to heaven

8/14/2019 Hot Line to Heaven

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Contents

Internet Edition


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ContentsChapter One Pray in Faith Believing 3

Chapter Two Pray Big 11

Chapter Three Ask to Pray 21

Chapter Four Pray for Wisdo 32

Chapter Five Pray with Flee!es 3"

Chapter #i$ Pray Constantly %&

Chapter #even Pray for 'verything ("

Chapter 'ight Pray )*ight +ow) ,1

Chapter +ine Pray at the Beginning of *ope ,,

Chapter Ten -earn To A.ide /3

Chapter 'leven #urrender All 100

Formerly Publishedby Hunter Books


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Contact Information for their daughterhttp://www.oanhunter.org/Fo


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Chapter One

Pray in Faith

Believing

"And all things, whatever you ask in prayer,believing, you will receive." atthew 21224

)5od answers the du.est prayers for you6.e!ause you pray the du.est prayers in faith.elieving7) This is e$a!tly what y pastor said toe one day as 8 was e$!itedly telling hi how 5odhad answered another prayer9 And do you knowwhat: ;e was right9 8 was telling hi how 8 hadasked 5od to deliver a gooey6 whipped !rea!herry pie for e fro iai to Colu.us6 Ohio6to strengthen the .onds of Christian love9 8ust siply !hartered a .ig 'astern Airlines >etto transport the pie for e even .efore it had a!han!e to get war9

8 happen to .e a real nut where prayer is!on!erned6 .e!ause soewhere along the line 8dis!overed that 5od really answers prayer if we will

only .elieve7 There are literally hundreds ofproises in the Bi.le !on!erning prayer and yetwhy we fail to !lai these proises 8


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things will .e ours9 And how do we get what 5odhas to offer us: By asking 5od9 And how do we go

a.out asking 5od: By prayer98 have heard any people say6 )5od never an?

swers y prayers so 8 =uit praying9) 8 wonder howu!h faith they really have9 8 often ask a #undays!hool !lass on #unday orning to share their

prayer answers during the week9 And do you knowwhat: 8f 8 eet a solid .ri!k wall and no one hashad a prayer answered6 then 8 tell the flat out thatthey >ust haven


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8f you de!ided to >up in the .athtu.6 8 hopeyou took the .ook with you so you !an follow the

ne$t instru!tions9

19 Put your hand sy.oli!ally out toward 5od9

29 #traighten out your ar and rea!h out as far asyou possi.ly !an9 This will ake sure that your

hand is as far fro yourself as you !anphysi!ally ake it9

39Turn your pal so that it is right side up9

&9 +ow in your hand with the pal turned up6 give5od the prayer re=uest on your heart9 8f it


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ou !an


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@onust love the .eautiful?languageprayer who prays to ipress individuals6 .ut who

8


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the door and knock. If anyone hears y voice and opens

the door, I will come in to him," then 8 ust .elieve as

8 write6 as 8 speak6 as 8 a!tually live y life6 thatChrist is living ;is life through e9 8 know this to .ea fa!t6 .e!ause the Word of 5od says so9 8 alsostand on 5alatians 2206 using the words of thegreat apostle Paul 1 have been crucified with !hristit is no longer I who live, but !hrist lives in me and the

life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the #onof God, who loved me and gave $imself for me. "

Therefore6 if 8 was really sin!ere in askingChrist into y life6 then 86 too6 have .een !ru!ifiedwith Christ it is no longer 8 who lives6 .ut Christwho lives in e9 Therefore6 .e!ause 8 .elieve thiswith y heart and soul6 8 do not feel that a genuine

Christian !an pray outside of 5od


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;ow u!h tie do you honestly spend in prayerea!h day: 8a6 8ust words that 8 pray allthe tie6 or are they honest .urdens on y heart:A 8 genuinely !on!erned a.out y fellow an:

Or a 8 >ust saying words 8


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the tie 8 leave 8 !an say their prayers the sae asthey !an6 .e!ause they never vary the9 8


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Chapter Two

Pray Big

If you say to this mountain, 'Be removed and be

cast into the sea,' it will be done".

(atthew )*+)*

y life is so full of answers to prayer6 it


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As a result6 8 resolved to spend the tie6when neither eye would .e fun!tioning and 8

would .e .ed?.ound6 .y listening to tapes ofserons6 or Bi.le lessons or even the +ewTestaent9 8 even fan!ied eoriing theentire +ew Testaent while 8 was waitingfor y eyes to return to a point where

!onta!t lens !ould .e used along with yglasses to allow e to see again9;ow the -ord took !are of this pro.le

in y life is what 8 wanted to write for this!hapter6 and as 8 started6 8 ree.ered aletter 8 had written to y pastor !on!erning

what a!tually happened9 'ven though thedate of the letter is ore than three years oldas of this writing6 it pro.a.ly tells the story

.etter than 8 !ould retell it today9 #o if you


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8 >ust finished !utting the sten!ils foryour seron6 )8t 8s -eaven6) whi!h will .e

in!luded with the !hur!h news toorrow9While 8 was typing it6 8 had to write youe$a!tly what happened the night 8 heard thisseron ay 1%6 1/((49

ou ree.er in Fe.ruary 8 went to the

ophthalologist .e!ause 8 realied 8 washaving a pro.le with y right eye6 and 8heard hi say what alost sounded to elike a death senten!e ? that 8 was going tolose the sight of y other eye9 'ven though 8!ae through the first operation

su!!essfully6 as you well know6 it was ane$treely diffi!ult tie for e6 and 8!ertainly didn


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hinder y work in the )5O) progra46 and 8asked you to get soe tapes for e to listen

to while 8 was in the hospital and !onfined athoe6 sin!e 8 !ouldn


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eye9 +o longer did 8 want to >ust !oit itto ;i6 8 wanted to ask ;i to please tou!h

y eye9And then !ae your altar !all6 and as 8

took the first step to go6 Eani!e @oe steppedout to a!!ept Christ as her personal -ord and#avior9 8 stepped .a!k6 .e!ause 8 !ould not

detra!t fro her #hining ;our9 8 would waitfor the se!ond altar !all9ou ade the se!ond altar !all6 and as 8

stepped out that first step6 8 heard the rustlethat eans soeone has answered a !all9 8stepped .a!k again .e!ause 8 saw that 'sther

F9 had ade her de!ision6 and 8 !ould notdetra!t fro her #hining ;our9 8 would waitfor the third altar !all9

But you didn


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proper order of things in prayer6 likeworship6 adoration6 suppli!ation6 et!9 8 told

;i 8 was sure ;e knows what a !oplete.lank 8 draw at ties like this6 .ut 8 told;i 8 hoped ;e knew what was in y heart6even though y head was .lank9


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8


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what it says6 you !an guess9 8t says )Pray allthe tie9 Ask 5od for anything in line with the

;oly #pirit


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parlor ;e


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5od has not lessened one iota ? it


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Chapter Three

Ask to Pray

"$e was praying in a certain place, when $e

ceased, that one of $is disciples said to $im,

'ord, teach us to pray'" (uke 11:1).

8 shall .e eternally grateful to *osalind *inkerfor her inspiring .ook6/rayer ? !onversing with God0

.e!ause this .ook really revolutionied y prayerlife9 8n fa!t itstarted y prayer life9

8 had always thought of prayer as soe

foralied !olle!tion of words whi!h 8 didn


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person who is their spiritual DparentG as soeonethey ask for help in their Christian life9 #o .efore 8

knew it6 8 was involved in all sorts of re=uests forprayer6 therefore 8 was really Dfor!edG to learn howto pray9

8f you have read or heard the story of how 8.e!ae a Christian6 you know 8 spent any hoursin the .athtu. learning to pray9 And 8 still think itHsan e$!ellent pla!e to get !lean inside and out74Be!ause the -ord has pla!ed e in so anye$!iting situations sin!e 8 have .e!oe a Christian 8have really had to learn how to pray for anydifferent reasons9 8Hd like to share with you how 8often tea!h people to pray9

First of all6 there are any different kinds of

prayer9 There are prayers said fro the pulpit6whi!h6 of ne!essity involve an entire !hur!h9 Thenthere are prayers whi!h involve prayer groupswhi!h pray for spe!ifi! needs in a !hur!h or in thelives of individuals9 But 8 think the easiest way tolearn to pray is >ust plain talking to 5od9 8Hd like torelate to you how 8 used this little plan to startsoeone on an e$!iting prayer life9

8n West Iirginia 8 et a !ouple whose Christianstatus was =uite different fro ost 8 have et9 Thean had .een a Christian for any years6 while hiswife had .een a Christian for >ust a few onths9The great .ond of Christian love was there

iediately and .efore 8 had .een with this !oupleten inutes6 the wife said6 )8 want to learn how to

pray7) And then 5od laid upon e the .urden oftea!hing her how to pray9


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#he had offered to drive e to y speakingengageents while 1 was in West Iirginia6 so 8 had

the opportunity of sharing with her how 1 felt a.outprayer6 the need for prayer6 the privilege of prayer6the power of prayer6 and the !onstant urge 8 havefor prayer at all ties9 8t


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you


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The e$!iting thing is when youHre dealing withsoeone who is really desirous of growing in

Christ6 they will do anything .e!ause of the ;oly#pirit working in their life9 And even though shealost eotionally fell apart6 'loise said6 DThankyou6 -ord6 for this !ake7G 8 knew the angels inheaven ust have .een re>oi!ing with the -ord tosee su!h eagerness and e$!iteent fro soeone sowilling to learn how to pray9

The ne$t day as 8 was getting ready to godowntown to .e on a radio progra6 'loise !alled tosay she would like to drive e down9 #he said soeother woen who wanted to learn how to praywould .e there too and would like to take e tolun!h9 Of !ourse 8 said6 D5reat7G

At lun!h 8 said6 DThereHs no tie like thepresent to learn to pray9 WeHll let everyone sayeither one little word or phrase6 or one littlesenten!e as a .lessing for the food9G

And do you know what happened: 'loise.lurted out6 D8Hll pray first6 .e!ause 8Hve learnedhow7G y heart really alost .anged out of its wallas 8 realied what an e$!ellent student 8 had9 And6

.y the way6 everyone there got into the prayer a!t98tHs wonderful when several persons a!!ept Christ atthe sae tie .e!ause then they !an have the fun ofgrowing in gra!e together9 any individuals havelearned to pray around y dinner ta.le .e!ause

ea!h one was allowed or for!ed4 to say onesenten!e6 and itHs aaing how easy it is to get intothe swing of praying6 if you will >ust pra!ti!e

praying6 .e!ause in prayer6 like anything else6pra!ti!e akes perfe!t9 True6 8 still havenHt


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dis!overed what the perfe!t prayer is like9 8 donHtknow what 5od !alls a perfe!t prayer 8 only know

;e hears ine and answers the in ;is perfe!tway9

#oe young people 8 know6 who give u!h oftheir tie to prayer and are soe of the oste$!iting Christians 8 know6 learned to pray aroundy dinner ta.le in a ost unorthodo$ way9 Whileyoung people really have an adventuresoe spiritfor the ost part6 the idea of praying out loud is ahard thing for a new Christian to do9 #o .efore wewould a!tually start the prayer !ir!le around theta.le6 8 would ask ea!h one to sele!t the one thinghe or she wanted to pray a.out9 sually a.out fiveof the spoke up at one tie and the !onversation

sounded like this [email protected] on praying for thepastor9G [email protected] on praying for tonightHs [email protected] on praying for the youth eeting ne$tweekend7G

And it was interesting to see how the ;oly#pirit guided the into asking for the thing theywanted ost to pray for9 When youHre .eginning tolearn to pray aloud6 it will ake your prayer road sou!h easier and =ui!ker to travel if you will sele!tthe things you sin!erely want to pray a.out9 @onHtthink 8H !onfining anyone to >ust praying siplelittle things he wants to pray6 .ut ree.er the newChristian needs ilk and not steak to !hew on in the

.eginning98 pro.a.ly will .e !onsidered a re.el .y any

.e!ause 8 also donHt feel itHs essential to .e on yourphysi!al knees when praying9 ouHd .etter .elieve8H on y spiritual knees6 .ut the .ulk of y


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praying is not on y physi!al knees9 Please donHtisunderstand e J 8 have knelt at the altars in

any !hur!hes6 and had su!h e$!iting talks with5od6 and thereHs soething a.out an altar thatreally does soething for e9 But 5od hasanswered as any of y prayers when 8Hve .eenstanding6 or lying in .ed6 or driving y !ar6 as anyother tie9 The 5od who loves e hears y prayersso long as they !oe fro y heart9

Wherever you are right now6 >ust lay down this.ook for a inute6 will you6 and say out loud6KThank you6 -ord9G 8f youHd prefer to .e where noone !an hear you the first tie and thatHs the way 8wanted it46 go take a ride in your !ar6 take a walk6

>up in the .ath tu.6 or go anypla!e where you will

have priva!y6 .ut say out loud those three littlewords9

Are you .a!k now: @id it alost !hoke you thefirst tie: But .elieve e6 if you really ean

.usiness6 the ne$t tie wonHt .e nearly as .ad9 And.efore you know it6 it will .e!oe one of the oste$!iting things in your life9 +ow youHre ready forthe se!ond step9

ouHve said6 KThank you6 -ord6G .ut you didnHtreally say what for6 did you: Okay6 >ust think of onelittle thing the -ord has done for you9 8f you !anHtthink of anything6 let e help you a little .it9 @id;e die on a !ross for you and e: Could you thank

;i for that: 8 ean out loud.2 All right6 letHs tryit9 ou think thatHs too hard: Well6 letHs see6 howHsthe weather where you are: Could you thank ;ifor the kind of day it is: And you know6 we shouldreally thank ;i whatever the day is .e!ause soe


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e$!iting thing will !oe of it6 regardless of what theweather is like9 Or !ould you thank ;i for a good

nightHs rest: Or !ould you thank ;i for theprivilege of .eing alive: Or !ould you thank ;ifor the privilege ;eHs given you of knowing how toread a .ook:

Well6 if you donHt have a !ase of eotional>itters .y now6 youHre ready for the ne$t step9 8f 8were your .est friend and you were having a

pro.le6 say6 with your hus.and6 you wouldpro.a.ly !onfide in e and tell e what yourhus.and had .een doing to ake your arriageunhappy or what your wife had .een doing to akeyour arriage unhappy if youHre the hus.and49 #oyouHd pro.a.ly say soething like this Dou know6

Eoe drives e out of y ind9 8 work so hard tryingto keep this house !lean and every night when he!oes hoe6 itHs the sae thing9

D;e leaves his shoes for e to fall over or pi!kup9 And every orning 8 find heHs left the top offthe toothpaste9 ;e knows how irritated this akese6 .ut he does it all the tie9 Then when 8 ask hito take out the gar.age6 or wash the dishes6 he says6KWhat do you think 8 a: ThatHs a woanHs work6not a anHs work7H ou know 8 >ust go through thisday after day until 8H a.solutely a nervous wre!k9G

+ow the funny thing is we !an tell all these littlefaults a.out our hus.ands to our friends6 and it gets

us nowhere6 .ut would you really like to know au!h .etter solution: ou would: Well6 youHve

pro.a.ly guessed it .y now J >ust get on that $otine to $eaven and use it9


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our !onversation with 5od ight soundsoething like this D5ood orning6 5od6 here 8 a

again9 ou know6 8Hve got a real pro.le and 8Hdlike you to show e how to handle it9 ou know 8!anHt get y #unday s!hool lesson studied .e!auseevery day itHs the sae old thing9 8 !lean this houseover and over and then when Eoe !oes hoe6 heleaves his shoes in the living roo6 and 8 have tokeep pi!king the up9 And -ord6 you know how itaggravates e when he leaves the top off thetoothpaste6 and when 8 fight with hi over thegar.age 8 get so upset 8 !ould >ust die9 -ord6 pleaseeither straighten Eoe out6 or tea!h e to have ore

patien!e6 love6 and understanding9Gou know6 if you really prayed like that6 youHd

have pea!e flood your soul6 .e!ause instead of >usti.edding a situation into your ind6 you wouldhave really done soething !onstru!tive a.out itou would have asked for 5odHs guidan!e9 +owdonHt laugh6 if 5od knows how any hairs are onyour head6 donHt you think ;e !ares a.outeverything where youHre !on!erned:

And donHt you think ;eHs glad you give ;i theopportunity of helping you: ou know Christ willnever for!e ;iself upon you6 .ut ;e patientlywaits for you to ask9 ou see6 whether we daily takeadvantage of the power of prayer or not6 Christ

patiently waits for the first word fro us6 so itHs

never a =uestion of no one answering when we usethat $ot ine to $eaven. ou never get the .usysignal6 .e!ause 5od is never too .usy9 ;e waits tohear what you have to say and wants to answer your

prayers9


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8f youHre a hus.and with a isera.le wife andyou know no woan is a isera.le wife6 donHt

you:4 you !an ake up your own iaginary!onversation a.out her sloppy ha.its6 and thenvisualie and ver.alie what you would say to 5oda.out the sae situation9 And then6 ost iportantof all6 listen to what 5od has to say to you9

That last senten!e has a lot in it9 @o you realiethat one of the ost iportant things in prayer iswaiting to hear what 5od has to say to you: #oany ties we ipatiently pray and then6 .e!ausewe donHt feel that 5od at that oent is going todo anything a.out it6 we take our little pro.le .a!kand try to solve it all .y ourselves9 As a atter offa!t6 so any ties we are so .usy asking

everyoneHs advi!e a.out our pro.les6 that wearenHt still long enough to dis!over what 5od has tosay to us9 *ee.er what 8 said at the .eginning ofthe .ook a.out giving your prayer re=uest to 5od6and then turning your hand over and dropping yourar down to your side9 #o part of the se!ret of

prayer6 then6 is to take tie to listen to 5odHsanswers9

As a noral rule 8 donHt tell people to ask 5odto DtellG the soething6 .e!ause soe e$pe!t aloud .ooing voi!e to !oe out of the woodworkor soe other pla!e6 giving the e$pli!itinstru!tions9 5od will give you e$pli!it instru!tions6

.ut you ust know how to re!ognie ;is answers9 8would suggest that you ask 5od to reveal to youwhat ;e wants you to do in a !ertain situation9any ties the answer will !oe to us throughanother person9 5od soeties uses others to


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!onvey to us what ;e wants fro our life9 5odHsWord is so helpful for answers to prayer6 and often

the -ord of y life will lead e to a s!ripture whi!hanswers y prayer >ust as though ;e had written a

personal letter to e9 any ties through a seriesof situations6 5od will reveal ;is plan for you6 orthe answer to your prayer9

8 do hope youHll ree.er one thing6 though95od doesnHt always answer our prayers as we thinkthey ought to .e answered9 Why: 5od is a lotsarter than any of us6 and 8Hve learned to a!!ept;is answers6 knowing that whatever ;e has plannedfor e is far .etter than anything 8 !ould ever hopeto plan yself9 #o even if you get an answer thatsees not =uite what you want6 trust 5od for the

needs of your life6 and youHll .e aaed how u!h.etter your life turns out to .e9


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Chapter Four

Pray for Wisdom

3If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of

God, who gives to all liberally and without

reproach, and it will be given to him. But lethim ask in faith, with no doubting, for he

who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven

and tossed by the wind.4 (-ames 1:5-6)

The a.ove s!ripture is one whi!h ore peopleought to ree.er and use9 8n y own life6 it

.e!ae real when 5od laid the .urden on e towrite the story of how 8 .e!ae a Christian9

8 was not fortunate enough to attend !ollege6and so 8 have only a high s!hool edu!ation6 and hadnever written a single arti!le in y life6 not even a!olun for the high s!hool paper9 At the age of fifty

8 realied itHs hard to Dtea!h an old dog new tri!ks9GBut new tri!ks 8 did learn J to .e ore spe!ifi!6 8asked for wisdo6 in faith .elieving6 and hereHs theway it happened9

8 .elieve one of the strongest .urdens the -ordhas ever laid upon e was to write the story of ylife9 8 !ouldnHt understand it at all6 .e!ause 8 felt

how 8 .e!ae a Christian was pro.a.ly a lot likeeveryone else6 .ut 8 !onstantly had the nagging6gnawing feeling that 8 had to write the story of how8 .e!ae a Christian9 Be!ause 8H always eager too.ey 5od and do whatever ;e !alls e to do6 8 sat


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down at y typewriter after work one night andstarted to write the story of how 8 found Christ9

+ight after night 8 would do the sae thing9 8would wait until everyone left the offi!e6 then 8would roll a sheet of paper into the typewriter andstart out6 D8 .e!ae a Christian at the ripe old age offorty?nine9G And then y inspiration would!opletely stop9 8 would .egin another senten!ewith DAt the age of forty?nine 8 .e!ae aChristian9G Then 8 would de!ide that wasnHt su!h agood start6 insert another sheet and type6 DForty?nine was y age when 8 .e!ae a Christian9G Then8 would .e stu!k again9 8 would ake another sta.at it9 8 would write a few senten!es and then say toyself6 DThat really stinks7G And then 8Hd reind

5od that 8 wasnHt a writer6 and that 8 never would .ea writer9 But 5odHs ;oly #pirit was !opletelyrelentless with e as ;e always is6 PT-49 8 knewthat 8 would never rest until 8 had done what 5odwanted e to do6 and yet 8 felt so !opletelyinade=uate for the task9

8 was talking on the phone to a pastor one night6and told hi that 5od had really laid on e su!h a

.urden to write the story of y life6 and yet 8 >ust!ouldnHt see to do it9 ;e gave e soe of thegreatest words of advi!e anyone has ever given toe9 ;e said6 DFran!es6 go .a!k to your typewriterand pray6 and give 5od your fingers and your .rains

and ask ;i to use the to write the story ;e wantswritten9G

8 hung up and went over to y typewriter andprayed6 >ust a very siple6 short prayer9 8 held outy hands and said6 D-ord6 these are y fingers9G


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Pointing to y head 8 said6 DAnd this is y .rain9TheyHre yours9 -et your ;oly #pirit use the to

write the story you want written9G8 put a pie!e of paper into y typewriter6 and

y fingers flew9 The words >ust !ae out so fast 8!ould hardly keep up with the and 8 happen to .ean unusually fast typist49 Thirty hours after 8 started6the .ook6 y first6 God Is Fabulous, was!opleted9 8 never rewrote it 8 never edited it andy pu.lisher !hanged only a few words in it9 And8Hve never .een a.le to take any !redit for it6 either9With y heart and soul 8 .elieve that 5odHs ;oly#pirit dire!ted the writing of it6 and when theinspiration ended6 it ended9 There was no ore tothat parti!ular .ook9 Prayer had done it again7 8 had

asked for wisdo and knowledge to write a .ook6and 5od6 hearing y siple prayer6 hadiediately answered9

Before long6 another urge welled up in e6 andthat was to write a .ook in whi!h 8 would share howeasy it is to tell the siple story of Eesus Christ toevery.ody9 Again 8 prayed for wisdo6 and againy fingers and y .rain were given to the -ord as 8

prayed to .e nothing .ut an open !hannel throughwhi!h ;is ;oly #pirit !ould work9 Again another

.ook flew out of y finger tips9 8 never rewrote thisone6 or edited it6 and the !opleted anus!ript wassoon pu.lished9 But6 again6 8 feel the !redit .elongs

to soeone else6 not to e9And then y pastorHs wife was talking one day

to soeone who ade the !oent6 DFran!es usthave a hot line to heaven .e!ause 5od answers soany of her prayers9G And with this little tid.it


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!ae the inspiration for this third .ook9 Again6 as 8prayed for wisdo and guidan!e6 giving y fingers

and .rains to the -ord6 the story you are readingwelled up within e and 8 felt it would >ust run allover the pla!e if 8 didnHt put it on paper9 8 have .eenuna.le to !ontain yself as the !hapters of this

.ook unfold9The things that 8H sharing with you are

intiate things whi!h personally !on!ern e6 andyet as 8 write the 8H fas!inated with how they are

.rought to y ind9 One !oent 8 would like toake a.out this .ook6 though6 is the fa!t that thedevil tre.les where prayer is !on!erned .e!ausehe knows the power of prayer9 And .e!ause this

.ook deals with prayer6 he has thrown every

road.lo!k in the way you !ould possi.ly iagine tokeep e fro !opleting it on s!hedule9 y offi!ehas .een too .usy6 personnel pro.les have .oggedus down6 !ausing e to work night after night untilearly orning >ust to keep the offi!e going6 withoutany =uiet tie to put on paper the thoughts 8 have!on!erning prayer9

+ever have 8 ever seen the devil so deterinedto stop anything as he has .een to stop this .ook9

+ever have 8 prayed so u!h over any .ook6 andnever have 8 ever realied the strength and power ofthe devil as 8 have where this .ook is !on!erned9Finally6 in !oplete helplessness6 8 !ried out to 5od

through the power of ;is ;oly #pirit to .ind thehands of #atan and allow e to finish the .ook ons!hedule9 5od heard y !ry and even though thedevil fought every in!h of the way he went down todefeat9


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As 8 think of the title of this .ook6$ot ine to$eaven, 8 !anHt help .ut think how true that

stateent really is9 8 have often said6 D5od is as!lose as your telephone9G We all have a private orDhot lineG to heaven6 .ut the only pro.le we haveis that we donHt all use it the sae9 *ight now 8Hlooking at y telephone on y desk9 What aarvelous little instruent it is9 8 have only to pi!kit up6 push soe little .uttons !orre!tly6 and withina atter of se!onds 8 !an .e talking to soeone inCalifornia6 or ;onolulu6 or any pla!e in the wholeworld9 But as long as that little instruent sits thereand 8 donHt pi!k it up6 it isnHt going to .e worth veryu!h in y life6 is it:

The sae thing is true of prayer6 our hot line to

heaven9 There it is6 a dire!t line6 no other parties onthe sae line youHre on6 so you never get the .usysignal when you dial 5O@9 But how often do youreally dial ;i: ;ow often do you !all upon ;i toanswer even your sallest needs9

8 have learned fro personal e$perien!e that 8!an stand upon the proises of the Bi.le and let yentire life .e guided .y a hot line to heaven9 8 usedto wonder if 5od got tired of y saying6 D;ere 8 aagain6 -ord6G .ut ;e !ontinued to answer y

prayers to su!h a fa.ulous degree that 8 finally =uitasking ;i that and >ust prayed !onstantly for everysingle little area in y life9


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Chapter Five

Pray with Fleeces8 a a great Dflee!eG thrower9 And if you donHt

know what 8H talking a.out6 8Hd like to =uote fivelong6 .ut very interesting6 verses fro the Old

Testaent9 Eudges (3(?&09 8f you donHt know thestory6 let e share with you y understanding ofthis Bi.le story9

5od had !alled 5ideon to deliver 8srael6 .ut5ideon was afraid6 so he asked 5od to give hi ananswer so there !ould .e no dou.t in his ind9 *eadthese verses right now with this in ind 35hen

Gideon said to God, 6If 7ou will save Israel by myhand, as 7ou have saidL look, I shall put a fleeceof wool on the threshing floor if there is dew on the

fleece only, and it is dry on all the ground, then I

shall know that 7ou will save Israel by my hand, as

7ou have said.2 And it was so. 8hen he rose early

the ne1t morning and s9uee:ed the fleece together,he wrung the dew out of the fleece, a bowl full of

water 5hen Gideon said to God, 6%o not be angry

with me, and let me speak ;ust once more+ et me

test, I pray, ;ust once more with the fleece let it

now be dry only on the fleece, but on all the ground

let there be dew. 6And God did so that night. It was

dry on the fleece only, but there was dew on all theground.4

ou see6 5ideon so dou.ted what 5od had toldhi6 that he asked for visi.le proof of 5odHs willfor his life9 Was it really dou.ting6 or did 5ideon


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want a.solute and positive dire!tion: 8 honestly feelhe wanted positive dire!tion6 .e!ause in y own

life there have .een ties when 8 !ould not !learlyunderstand what 5od wanted for y life6 and sothat there !ould .e no dou.t6 8 have thrown out aflee!e9 8f you !arefully read 5ideonHs prayers6 youwill note that 5od answered .oth ties6 eventhough the se!ond re=uest was e$a!tly the oppositeof the first9

8 ree.er the first flee!e 8 ever threw out9After y first .ook was pu.lished6 8 re!eived anyinvitations to speak in !hur!hes9 8 felt that 5od had

pla!ed a spe!ial !all on y life6 and 8 !ouldnHte$a!tly figure out what it was9 8 knew it would .ee$!iting6 whatever it was6 .ut 8 !ouldnHt see how 8

!ould still run a .usiness and a!!ept speaking dates9et 8 knew 8 had to do what 5od had !alled e todo9 y =uestion how !ould 8 .e sure what thatwas: Then6 ree.ering the story of 5ideon6 8de!ided to throw out a flee!e9

;ere is what 8 prayed D-ord6 8 donHt !are whatyou want fro y life6 all 8 want to know isdefinitely and positively what it is you want e todo9 8f you want e to share the e$!iteent 8 feela.out your son Eesus Christ with all these !hur!hesinviting e to visit the6 will you (I was going tomake the fleece a really difficult one for $im, or so

I thought.4

Continuing y prayer6 8 said6 DWill you get ean invitation to speak in the MMMMMMMMMM Chur!hGand 8 sele!ted a very large6 well?known !hur!h9 8knew 8 didnHt have a !han!e in a illion to ever .e


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asked to speak there6 so 8 knew that 8 would .e safeand se!ure in y little printing .usiness9

Well6 it was on onday that 8 prayed6 andTuesday 8 ooed through y work Wednesdaynothing happened6 Thursday6 nothing happened Jy ail wasnHt flooded with invitations to speak inthis parti!ular !hur!h6 and then came Friday. As 8was sitting at y desk in the offi!e6 the dooropened6 and in walked the pastor of this parti!ular!hur!h9 ;e said6 DFran!es6 we were va!ationing inWest Pal Bea!h6 and 8 wanted to !all you6 .ut 8was afraid you ight say no6 so we de!ided insteadto drive down so you !ouldnHt tell us no6 .e!ause8e want to e1tend an invitation to you to speak

in...4 and he naed the parti!ular !hur!h9

8 was a!tually froen to y !hair .e!ause 8 feltas if a .olt of lightning had gone down y soggyspaghetti spine6 and youHd .etter .elieve that 8 said6DesG9 5od had so powerfully answered y prayerand had pi!ked up the flee!e that it left no dou.t iny ind what ;e wanted for e9

One of the ost interesting things a.out thisparti!ular invitation is that it has not .een!onsuated to date9 But noti!e how 8 worded y

prayer re=uest9 8 asked only to re!eive an invitationto speak9 8 did not ask to speak6 and 5od pi!ked upthe flee!e e1actly as I had asked ;e saw to it that 8re!eived an invitation to speak9 This is another

reason we should .e !areful how we pray6 .e!ause5od answers prayer7

8n !on>un!tion with y .usiness 8 have thrownout any flee!es9 When 5od first put the !all on ylife6 8 thought ;e wanted e to sell y .usiness


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and devote yself to full?tie Christian servi!e9But 8Hve dis!overed you !an .e in full?tie

Christian servi!e and still .e in .usiness as well98 was so positive ;e wanted e to sell y

.usiness 8 alost put it up for sale9 Then 8ree.ered 5ideon6 so 8 threw out the flee!e again9But this tie it lay right there. 8 !ouldnHt understandit6 .e!ause 8 had felt so positive this was the -ordHswill or was it really ine:4 and yet as 8 look .a!kon it now6 8 realie the reason .ehind it9 Over theyears6 8 have re!eived any e$!ellent offers for y

.usiness6 and yet when 8 threw out the flee!e6 alloffers stopped !oing6 so 8 said6 DWell6 -ord6 ifthatHs the way you want it6 you ust have a reason6so thatHs all right with e9G

#in!e that tie ;e has revealed to e that ygreatest leverage in talking to en is .e!ause 8H a

.usinesswoan and !an talk to the on their ownlevel9 8 a not talking to the as soeone whodoesnHt know anything a.out the .usiness world6

.ut 8 deal with en every day in a anHs!opetitive world9 #o 8 !an understand L andshoot holes in L their reasons for not .e!oing aChristian9 And .y the way6 en6 in !ase youHrewondering6 8 own a printing !opany6 and while we

sellprinting6 wegive Eesus Christ with every order9And 8 have not yet lost the first !ustoer .e!ause ofsharing Eesus Christ9 A stiulus is y otto6 whi!h

is DWherever 8 go6 5od goes with e6 and thatakes e a a>ority9G And as 8 naturally shareChrist6 itHs aaing what 5odHs power will do evenin a .usiness offi!e7


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Another very thrilling prayer e$perien!e!on!erns 5ene Cotton6 re!ipient of the gooey6

whipped !rea6 !herry pie the -ord delivered via ahuge >et9 5ene and 8 .e!ae a!=uainted throughAlphaNOega6 a Christian youth oveent 8founded6 and it was e$!iting how our paths!ontinued to !ross9 5ene is a ost outstandingChristian young an6 a very eaningful folk singer98t seeed every tie 8 turned around there was anopportunity for 5ene to sing in the iai areainstead of around his hoe town of Colu.us6Ohio9 #o 8 would !all 5ene and he would fly down9While he was in iai for his singingengageents6 we spent any hours around ydining roo ta.le having the ost e$!iting prayer

!ir!les9 The Christian love whi!h a.ounded aroundthat ta.le was >ust fa.ulous7 any ties therewould .e fifteen or twenty of us around the ta.le6listening to the guidan!e of the ;oly #pirit as welearned to pray ore and ore all the tie9

After 5ene had ade several trips to the iaiarea6 he was going to +ew ork where 8 adearrangeents for hi to audition with one of thelarger re!ord !opanies9 As he was leaving hishoe in Colu.us6 Ohio6 to drive to +ew ork6 he!alled e and after a .rief !onversation said6DFran!es6 8 wish youHd .e y anager9G

8 said6 DWhat did you say:G

;e repeated very siply6 D8 wish youHd .e yanager9G

8 said6 D;ow !ould 8 ever .e your anager: 8donHt know the first thing a.out singing 8 donHtknow the first thing a.out usi! 8 donHt know the


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first thing a.out show .usiness 8 donHt know thefirst thing a.out .ooking6 or anything else9G

5eneHs answer was very siple6 .ut veryprofound9 ;e said6 D8 donHt !are a.out that6 8 onlyknow that when you pray with e6 it gives espiritual strength9G

8 really didnHt know what to say6 so 8 said6DWell6 you pray a.out it6 and 8Hll pray a.out it6 andyou !all e toorrow when you get to +ew orkand weHll see9G

8 hung up the telephone that #unday afternoonand said6 D-ord6 what would you have e do:G 8really .egan praying earnestly6 .e!ause had 8 usedD!oon senseG y answer would have .een D5ofind yourself a anager who knows soething

a.out show .usiness9G But 5od was dealing in thesituation6 so 8 >ust !ouldnHt say no9

8 e$ained yself6 asking yself any=uestions that #unday afternoon9 8 said6 DA 8getting so old and senile that 8 think it would .e funto run around the !ountry after a young folksinger:G Then 8 thought6 DOr a 8 afraid of gettingold so 8 want to run after youth:G 8 talked to y

pastor6 and to another pastor who knew .oth of us6and they seeed in agreeent that 5od had spoken6

.ut 8 was still not !onvin!ed98 prayed and prayed6 and when 8 fervently pray

for an answer6 8 a a!tually in anguish until 5odHs

answer !oes9 8 never stop praying until 8 knowwhat 5od wants e to do9 8 was still praying fivehours later when it was tie to go to eveningworship9


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Arriving a little early6 8 was sitting alone6holding y .eloved Bi.le9 All of a sudden6 8 threw

a flee!e9 8 said6 D-ord6 you know how du. 8 a6.e!ause 8 >ust donHt see to .e a.le to get youranswer6 and you know it doesnHt ake anydifferen!e to e what you answer6 whether youwant e to go to +ew ork6 or stay here6 orwhether you want e to .e his anager or not9 8only want to ake sure that your will is done in thisatter9 #o6 -ord6 8 know there is an answer in yourWord9 Whatever the answer is6 reveal it to e in the

pages of y Bi.le9 Whatever your answer is6 8Hll .ehappy9G

With that 8 opened the Bi.le6 and it was upsidedown9 8 turned the Bi.le up the right way6 and two

verses !ae into sharp fo!us9 Before 8 =uote you*oans 111?126 8 want you to stop and re!all theonly reason 5ene gave for wanting e to .e hisanager6 then listen to what 5od gave e as ananswer 3For I long to see you, that I may impart to

you some spiritual gift6 so that you may beestablished L that is, that I may be encouragedtogether with you by the mutual faith both of you

and me.4 5odHs love so !opletely enveloped eafter 8 had tortuously sear!hed for ;is will6 that 8felt a pea!e and !al that was indes!ri.a.le9 ouight .e interested in knowing that 8 took the ne$t

plane to +ew ork9

The prayer angle of this story ight have endedright here .ut it didnHt6 .e!ause one of the ostoutstanding prayer nights 8 have ever spent was aresult of this whole day of prayer9


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8 flew to +ew ork with a !ontra!t to sign as5eneHs anager and 5ene and a friend of his et

e at the plane9 They had ade reservations for eat the sae hotel where they were staying6 and thiswas an e$perien!e fro the word D5o9G +estled inthe heart of 5reenwi!h Iillage was thisun.elieva.le hotel9 8 alost pani!ked at the thoughtof staying in a pla!e like this6 .ut sin!e we were!lose to where the auditions were held6 it was theost feasi.le pla!e to stay9 +ot only that6 5ene andhis friend were really short on oney6 and 8 didnHtwant to stay uptown .y yself so de!ided to Droughit9G

With u!h prayer6 in the dingiest hotel roo8Hve ever .een in y entire life6 we signed the

!ontra!t with #tar !Clendon wat!hing9 +o!ontra!t was really ne!essary6 .e!ause we ade anagreeent with 5od !on!erning the kind of !areer5ene was to have6 and one of the !ovenants wasthat 5ene would never give any kind of

perforan!e without at least one Christian song to.ear witness to the fa!t that he was a Christian9

The .ig audition was the following night6 andthe three of us prayed all day long a.out whi!h foursongs 5ene should sing9 After all6 an audition witha .ig re!ord !opany6 and only four songs to showa variety of talent6 left us in a =uandary9 #hould it

.e a fast one6 then a slow one: #hould 5ene play

the .an>o or not: We finally de!ided on the foursongs6 .ut forgot our !ovenant with 5od9 On thefirst opportunity the -ord had provided for us6 wesele!ted four se!ular songs9


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We left the hotel early to arrive in plenty of tieat the !offee house where the auditions were held9 8

had never .efore .een in a !offee house and wasintrigued .e!ause it was so dark9 The !onta!t 8 wearto give e sight in the one eye had gotten a roughedge and irritated y eye9 8 reoved the lens6whi!h resulted in y not seeing too well9

5ene and #tar went to where the perforerswere lining up6 and 8 went to the ladies roo to

powder y nose9 8t was so dark J the only light.eing the gas flae under the huge !offee pot J that8 didnHt see a .ig step?down6 and 8 fell flat as a

pan!ake7 8 fell so hard 8 really saw stars andree.er thinking6 D;ow !oe 8 thought it was sodark in here J >ust look at all those .eautiful lights7G

And then .efore 8 knew it6 a whole ary of peoplehad !oe to pi!k e up off the floor9 8 very !allysaid6 Dy foot is .roken7G

What a!tually happened was y heel had!aught on the edge of the step and violently throwny foot over the edge7 The waiters or soe one4finally got e up and sat e down at a ta.le9 8didnHt want the to !all a do!tor6 .e!ause 8 felt5ene would get upset if he knew 8 had fallen6 so 8sat there until he had finished singing his four songswithout a religious one4 and we stayed for a littlewhile longer6 then 8 finally told the guys what hadhappened and we de!ided 8Hd .etter get to a do!tor

or soething .e!ause .y this tie 8 was .eginningto .e in a lot of pain9

The rest of the night was a horri.le !oedy9 Wetook the !a. .a!k to the hotel and 8 tried soakingy foot6 first in !old water and then hot9 The pain


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kept getting worse until finally we de!ided 8 had.etter get to a hospital9 We were on a.out the fifth

floor in this old run?down hotel6 a.out a .lo!k frothe elevator9 8t sees to e there ust have .eentwo .uildings whi!h were separate at one tie6 andthey >oined the .y going through the fire wall onea!h floor6 and the part we were in was on the farside fro the elevators9 To go fro one .uilding tothe ne$t it was ne!essary to go single file up twostairs through the opening and then you were in theother .uilding9 While soe of the DguestsG of thishotel were siply Dout of this world6G 8 have oftenwondered sin!e then if we didnHt look DOut of thisworld6G too9

By this tie the pain was so great 8 !ouldnHt put

any pressure on y foot9 #o 5ene and #tar ade aseat .y gra..ing ea!h otherHs wrists so they !ould!arry e .e!ause 8H too u!h of a load for anyone person to !arry49 We started down the longhotel !orridor6 around the .end6 up the stairs6 thenthey had to let e go and >ust let e hang onto thewall6 .e!ause the narrow opening .etween the two

.uildings wasnHt .ig enough for the to !arry ethrough9 'ven though 8 !ould have !ried fro the

pain6 we had to laugh at the ridi!ulous situation9They finally got e down to the lo..y if it !ould

.e !alled that4 of the hotel and the night !lerk saidweHd have to stand on the street and he would !all

an a.ulan!e98t sees there had .een a su.way a!!ident and

all the a.ulan!es were at the s!ene of the a!!ident6so the hospital said they !ouldnHt send one6 .utsuggested we !all a ta$i9 8 donHt know e$a!tly what


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tie it was6 .ut it was pro.a.ly around idnight6and we !ouldnHt see a !a. anywhere9 #tar and 5ene

!ouldnHt go looking for a !a. .e!ause 8 !ouldnHtstand on y foot at all9 ;owever6 finally de!idingthey would have to go looking for a !a.6 theydraped e around a lap post on the !orner andwent in sear!h of a !a.9 All 8 !ould think of waswhat a pi!ture we ust have presented two youngen6 one white6 one .la!k6 and a woan older thantheir others6 and 8 was draped around a lap poston a street !orner in +ew ork with no shoe on yone foot9 8H sure 8 ust have looked like a drunkto anyone who passed .y9

A poli!e !ar stopped6 .ut .e!ause 8 was froout of state6 they wouldnHt take e in a poli!e !ar9

But they did get a !a.9 #o with the poli!e !arleading and the light flashing6 we went to a hospitalin downtown +ew ork9 The poli!e radioed aheadso 8 was et with a wheel!hair6 wheeled into theeergen!y roo6 and left waiting9 5ene and #tarwere left out in the waiting roo9 y foot was ?rayed6 and while 8 was waiting for the verdi!t6 8 satthere several hours wat!hing the dregs of huanity!oe through the eergen!y roo door9 8 saw awoan who had .een !arved into ri..ons .y herlover9 8 saw a dope addi!t s!reaing for help9 8 sawalost every kind of huan isery as 8 sat therethrough the long night9

Finally 8 was told that y foot was .roken inthree pla!es and they were trying to get anorthopedi! surgeon to set it6 an espe!ially iportant

pro!edure .e!ause of y age9 8 had alost prayedyself out and then 8 got to the point where 8 was in


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su!h agony 8 !ouldnHt even pray any ore9 8 had.een given nothing for pain6 and even though 8 have

a very high pain toleran!e6 8 felt 8 had taken a.outall 8 !ould stand9 8 was figuratively !li.ing thewalls9

Finally6 at % A the nurse told e they wereuna.le to get the orthopedi! an6 so they put a

pressure dressing on y foot6 and gave e a pair of!rut!hes9 8 was advised to go to the City ;ospitalthe ne$t day to have the !ast put on y foot9 8n theeantie 8 !ould go .a!k to the hotel9 8 finallyasked if they !ould give e soething for the pain6so they gave e soe kind of pill to take6 wheelede down the hall6 and deposited e with 5ene and#tar9

8 !ould take pages telling you how the fellowshad to !arry e up the stairs to the lo..y of thehotel6 around to the elevator6 and then down the

.lo!k long !orridor .efore they finally got e .a!kto y roo9 By this tie there were soe goodarguents going on in the hotel and 8 de!ided it wasa.out the last pla!e in the world 8 wanted to .e9

When they finally deposited e in the roo6 8looked at 5ene and said6 DThe very first night wehad a !ontra!t and ade the !ovenant with 5od6what did we do: We .lew it7 ou didnHt sing areligious song9G 8 never felt so !onvi!ted of sin iny entire life as 8 did that night9 8 said6 D5od6 8H

sorry6 .ut 8 proise you this6 as long as 8 haveanything to do with 5eneHs !areer6 he will never failto sing a Christian song6 regardless of where he is9GA verse in ;e.rews !ae to e DFor the ord


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disciplines him whom $e loves, and chastises every

son whom $e receives.4

8 took y Bi.le to .ed9 The ne$t day #tar and5ene ade the rounds of agen!ies6 .ut 8 spent theentire tie in .ed6 >ust talking to 5od9 ;e knew y!ontrite heart ;e knew the depth of y sorrow athaving .roken a proise9 And 5od !ertainly knew 8would never do it again9 Be!ause 8 knew what 8 haddone6 and .e!ause 8 had D5odly sorrowG 8 prayedand prayed and prayed6 and .egged 5od for ;isgreat er!y and love and asked ;i to heal the

.reaks in y foot6 .e!ause 8 knew what this woulddo to hinder the work 8 had to do for ;i9

+othing has ever done so u!h for y spirituallife as this 5ethseane9 8 did nothing .ut pray until

it was tie to go to the hospital in the lateafternoon6 and yet soehow 8 knew that 5odHsighty power had worked in a selly6 dirty hotelroo whi!h was a.out as DunspiritualG a pla!e as8Hve ever seen9

8 anaged to get dressed6 and as we left to go tothe hospital6 8 said to 5ene D8 know 5od has healedy foot7G We went to the hospital6 and after goingthrough all kinds of red tape 8 finally got to ado!tor9 Then 8 ade the siple stateent6 D8Hgoing hoe6 .e!ause 8 want y foot set .y a do!torwho will .e !lose to e if 8 run into trou.le9G #o 8signed yself out6 went .a!k to the hotel6 and ade

a reservation to go hoe9We took a !a. to the airport6 !rut!hes6 pressure

dressing and all6 and it looked for a oent as if wewould iss the plane9 But 5ene finally ran ahead6and 8 threw !aution to the winds6 and with y


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!rut!hes flying6 8 ran down the ramp to theairplane, liping as 8 went9 As 8 got to the stairs

they were holding the plane for e46 8 leaned overto kiss 5ene and #tar good.ye6 and 5ene very slylysaid to e6 DouHre liping on the wrong foot7G

8 said6 D8 know it9 8 told you that the rightphysi!ianhad treated y foot9G

y faily in iai had .een alerted to the.roken foot6 so they were at the airport6 and 'asternfurnished a wheel!hair to take e off the plane andinto the !ar9 All the while inside of e 8 knew thaty foot had .een healed9 8tHs a pe!uliar thing6 .utwhen youHre new in Christ6 you feel like an idiot

telling people things like this9 8 knew everyonewould think 8 was a real oron .e!ause in thetwentieth !entury 5od >ust does not heal any ore9Oh6 no:

Well6 8 played real invalid that night6 and thene$t day 8 went to work on !rut!hes6 .ut when noone was looking6 8 walked without the6 and then

that afternoon 8 went to y own do!tor for ?rays9 8didnHt have to go6 .e!ause 8 already knew theanswer9 5he breaks were no longer there.

And to .e real honest6 8 said6 D-ord6 8 donHt !areif people think 8H !ray or not6 youHve done itagain6 and 8Hve got to tell the 8H on!e again

whole9G 8 threw the !rut!hes away6 .ut you knowwhat: +o one laughed at y story9 There 8 stoodwith visi.le proof9 8 !ouldnHt even have sprained yankle and two days later thrown away the !rut!hes6let alone have three .reaks and not even have one


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sall pain two days later9 +ot in the noral !ourseof events9

The power of prayer had again .een revealed toe7 5odHs love6 ;is gra!e and ;is er!y had again

.een shown to e9 There are any people whoight wonder why 8 spend every availa.le oentrunning around for 5od9 ;ow !ould 8 do anythingelse: ;ow !ould 8 ever hope to repay ;i for all;eHs done for e: 8 !ouldnHt9

;ow !ould 8 ever dou.t the power of prayer: 8!ouldnHt9

On a re!ent tour 8 had .een on a radio prograin a sall id?western town6 and as 8 was leavingthe station6 the pastor asked e if 8 would indseeing a woan of .ad reputation9 ;er nae had

.een given to hi .y a parole offi!er9 ;er !riinalre!ord was long9 All of her five !hildren had .eentaken away fro her9 One of the6 a fifteen?year?old girl6 was in a hoe for unwed others6e$pe!ting her first .a.y9 Two .oys were in >ail6 andthe two youngest !hildren were in a hoe fordelin=uents9 #oe !hur!h people had de!ided itwould .e wonderful if 8 !ould D!onvertG her9 8 oftenwonder why people fail to realie that only 5od !anake the in!rease6 !ertainly none of us9

As always .efore speaking on radio6 8 hadprayed6 asking 5od to prepare soe spe!ial personto hear the essage ;e wanted e to share that

orning9 And then 8 prayed that ;e would give ethe right words to say9 8 shared for a.out thirtyinutes of the things of 5od that 8 find soagnifi!ent9 -eaving the station6 8 prayed again6this tie for the woan 8 had .een asked to see9


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#oeties people e$pe!t so u!h6 .ut this is one ofthe things that akes e so totally dependent upon

5od6 .e!ause 8 realieI can2t do it. 8 really sent up astor of prayer asking 5od to use e in dealingwith this woanHs eternal destiny9

We kno!ked on her door6 8 introdu!ed yself6and she looked at e a.solutely stunned9 #hestaered6 DAre L are you the one who was >uston the radio:G and pointed to a radio high on akit!hen shelf9 8 nodded yes and then she said anaaing thing D8 started to turn that progra off

.e!ause 8 donHt listen to that religious stuff9 Butwhen 8 put y hand up to turn the dial6 y handfroe right in id?air9 8 had to listen to what youwere saying6 and when you finished6 8 said to that

radio K8 wish 8 !ould eet soeone like that7H Andhere you are9 8 >ust donHt .elieve it9G ;ow =ui!kly5od had .egun to work in her life7

#he asked us to sit down9 8 had to ove ashtraysfull of !igarette and !igar .utts and push awayseveral glasses whi!h !ontained the renants ofdrinks9

8 pla!ed y pre!ious Bi.le down on the ta.le9 8prayed that 5od would really under gird e6 and 8.elieve that for every word 8 said to her 8 ust haveprayed a.out twenty to 5od6 for 8 really needed helpin this situation9

5odHs ;oly #pirit really enveloped that dirty6

filthy roo and after 8 had read the four spirituallaws to the woan6 8 asked her if there was anyreason she wouldnHt like to re!eive Christ rightnow. #he said6 D+o6 there isnHt any reason at all9GThe three of us prayed right there with heads


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.owed9 When 8 looked up at the end of the prayer65od had transfored soeone right in front of y

eyes9The woan who had .owed her head as a sinner

was not the sae woan 8 saw >ust a few inuteslater9 'verything a.out her seeed different and shesiled a .eautiful sile and said6 Dou know what:8 like you folks7G What she was really saying wasthat she had seen 5odHs love through two huan

.eings9 And then she said6 D8 .elieve 5odHs going togive e .a!k y !hildren7G 8 was thrilled to seesu!h a radi!al !hange in her so =ui!kly9 'ven herfeatures looked so u!h softer than they had

previously9Prayer had .een the forerunner L and prayer

had done the work even .efore 8 knew who was thetarget of 5odHs essage that day9


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Chapter Six

Pray Constantly

3?*@ -

;ow l pray that 8 ay !ouni!ate to everysingle reader the iportan!e of praying constantly. 8wish 8 knew e$a!tly how 8 learned to pray all the

tie9 'ven when 8H working in the offi!e6 ortalking to a person6 or talking on the telephone6 ordoing any of the tasks 8 have to perfor during aday6 8 a in !onstant !onversation with 5od9Perhaps thereHs the a.ility to divide yourself in half6and do what 5od says work andpray9

When 8 first learned to pray6 8 felt that prayerhad to .e at !ertain ties only9 But as 8 grew andChrist .e!ae ore real in y life6 8 learned todepend ore and ore on ;i9 Perhaps the reason5od has given e this faith is the fa!t that 8

pro.a.ly tested ;i >ust a tiny little .it in the.eginning9 And ;e answered y prayer9 And then 8

asked for a little .igger re=uest And ;e answeredthat prayer9 And then 8 asked for a little .iggerre=uest9 And ;e again answered y prayer9 -ike!li.ing a ladder a step at a tie6 8 learned how to

pray !onstantly9 8 pray !onstantly when 8H driving


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the !ar6 or wherever 8 a9 5od gives us the a.ilityto stay in !onstant fellowship with ;i9

Pro.a.ly the reason 8 see so any e$!itingprayer answers is .e!ause 8 pray !onstantly6knowing and .elieving that 5od will answer in ane$!iting way7

On one of y speaking trips6 8 had to fly on avery sall airplane over ountainous !ountry9 8thad .een years sin!e 8 had .een in su!h a sall!raft6 so when 8 got on 8 said to the attendant6 D@oyou pass out goggles and helets:G ThatHs what 8felt 8 needed6 although6 honestly6 itwasnHt an open!o!kpit plane9

;owever6 when these saller planes fly lowover the ountains and get !aught in the tur.ulen!e6

they are really rough to ride9 8 got greener andgreener L and here 8 was on y way to a speakingengageent9 The greener 8 got6 the si!ker 8 felt9

The stewardess kept asking if 8 felt all right6 and8 kept insisting 8 was fine9 But 8 really knew thatthings were happening that shouldnHt .e happening9

8 was so !on!erned with the sudden way theplane dipped and .o..ed6 8 prayed that the -ordwould see to it we got safely to our destination9 Wedid6 .ut when 8 got off6 8H sure 8 was the greenestspeaker that pastor had ever et9 @id you ever tryto feel dignified and DspiritualG when you knew youwere going to throw up: @onHt try L itHs

ipossi.le9As 8 staggered off the plane and was et .y the

pastor of y host !hur!h6 y first words were6DouHd .etter pray that 8 donHt get si!k6 right now04And .e!ause he was the kind of inister who saw


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that 8 really eant it6 he didnHt !ross e off as a realnut9 ;e held y hands and we prayed standing there

at the airport that 5odHs healing tou!h would .e ony si!k stoa!h and grant e pea!e9 -ike a streaof !ool water6 the power of 5od .e!ae evident6and the power of prayer .e!ae known6 .e!ause as8 was .athed in answered prayer6 all signs ofstoa!h si!kness left e9

@o 8 .elieve this was !oin!iden!e: +o6 8 do not98 know .eyond a shadow of dou.t it was aniediate answer to prayer9 Before 8 .e!ae aChristian6 8 had gotten airsi!k any ties6 and ingreat deterination 8 would ake up y ind 8wasnHt going to get si!k9 But in spite of all ydeterination 8Hve .een in .ed for two days

afterward trying to get over otion si!kness so 8know this was not a !oin!iden!e in any way9 5odloves for us to put our re=uests .efore ;i6 .e!ause;e loves us so u!h ;e wants to answer the9

A little while later6 as 8 left this town to !oeout of the ountains6 8 had to fly the sae line9 Thistie .efore 8 got on 8 prayed that the -ord wouldkeep y stoa!h fro feeling so =ueasy9 And sureenough 8 aintained y e=uili.riu and didnHt getsi!k at all6 but..9 y ears plugged up9 And as anyonewho has ear pro.les in the air knows6 this !anreally hurt and .e un!oforta.le9 8 wouldnHt haveinded at all6 e$!ept 8 knew 8 was s!heduled to .e

on a TI progra6 and when y ears are pluggedup6 it definitely affe!ts y voi!e9

Well6 8 held y ears 8 .lew y nose 8 !heweda.out ten pie!es of gu L 8 sat on a !hair andhung y head over the side9 8 tried all the suggested


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reedies as 8 was getting dressed to go to the TIstation6 and then 8 suddenly realied what a nut 8

was9 All 5od wanted e to do was to ask ;i toalleviate the pro.le6 so 8 >ust =ui!kly prayed andsaid D-ord 8H really a nut .e!ause 8 know all 8have to do is to ask and 8 will re!eive9 8 donHt reallyunderstand how you do it6 -ord6 8 only know and

.elieve that you !an and will6 so please6 -ord6would you unplug y ears:G 8H sure 8 donHt haveto tell you what happened6 do 8: Be!ause you knowthe answer9 Again L !oin!iden!e: Co, onlyanswered prayer9

8n y house we pray !onstantly for all kinds ofe$!iting things L and also dull things6 dependingon how you want to look at it9 8f there isnHt an

urgent need at the oent6 we >ust thank 5od forsoe of the fa.ulous things ;eHs done for us9 Andsoeties6 >ust .e!ause itHs like a dip in a !oolountain strea on a hot day6 we >ust say6 DPraisethe -ord9G 'ven as 8 tea!h y #unday s!hool !lass8H led to have soeone say DPraise the -ord6G

.e!ause no one !an s!owl and say DPraise the-ord9G #oeties our prayers should .e >ust to

praise the -ord for ;is goodness to us9One night while we were eating dinner6 y

daughter said6 Dother6 8 really need soe oneyin a hurry6 .e!ause 8 havenHt had any .a.ysitting

>o.s re!ently9 8 wonHt have any oney to give to

5od #unday if 8 donHt get a >o. .efore this week isout9G

8 said6 KWell6 honey6 letHs >ust pray right nowand ask 5od to see that you get a .a.ysitting >o.

.efore the weekend so you !an have your oney for


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!hur!h9G We stopped right in the iddle of ourdinner we pray >ust any old tie4 and asked 5od to

nudge soeone needing a .a.ysitter and reindthe of EoanHs !apa.ility We thanked 5od foranswering prayer and !ouldnHt wait to see whowould !all9 Before the eal was finished6 thetelephone rang6 and ? youHre right ? it was a faily!alling for Eoan to .a.y sit over the weekend9

As 8 stated previously in this .ook6 our!oent any ties is6 D#o soon6 -ord:G But yousee6 5od knows when a need is desperate and whenthe prayer needs to .e answered right now.

8 hope6 in the re=uests listed in this !hapter onthe Dpraying !onstantlyG kind of prayer6 you willnoti!e the underlying reason in ea!h !ase9 8n ea!h

!ase the re=uest is ade in order that we ightserve 5od in a pleasing anner9

8H reinded of a hoe 8 had .een invited to inone of the !ities 8 visited6 and 8 didnHt know why 8had .een invited until after 8 arrived9 A group of

people present6 o.viously sear!hing6 had .een.rought there .y the hostess for e to share whatChrist had done in y life9 y own personaltestiony is a story 8 see repeated over and overagain in every !ity 8 visit9 People have sat in !hur!hall their life and are virtual prisoners of religion6 .utany donHt know Christ6 or the freedo ;e .rings9

8t wasnHt long .efore 8 realied whi!h one the

-ord had !alled e to inister to a very lovelywoan6 talented6 faithful in her !hur!hgoing6 .utwithout a personal relationship to Christ9 8iediately .egan praying .e!ause 8 knew this wasgoing to .e a diffi!ult situation9 #he was very


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haughty and was deterined to knife e into littleri..ons so she thought49 But she didnHt know that

5od with e akes a a>ority#he very nastily said to e6 DAre you saying

you donHt think 8H a Christian:G *ealiing howne!essary it is to pray for 5odHs gra!e while talkingto an individual like this6 8 was .o.arding thegates of heaven6 asking that 5odHs ;oly #piritreveal to e the !orre!t answers9 8 asked Christ tolet ;is love shine through e to rea!h this woanwho so needed to know Christ in a personal way9

#he asked e all kinds of =uestions and 8 had to!ontinue to ask for guidan!e and knowledge in thisinstan!e9 8 !ould sense her hostility and6 oh6 how 8

prayed that 5odHs love would .reak through her

.arriers6 and 8 prayed !onstantly that y naturalinstin!ts6 or self6 or ego6 or whatever you want to!all it6 would not !oe through with a desire tover.ally Dlay her outG for .eing so !utting and !ruel9

5odHs ;oly #pirit so enveloped e that no evil!ould har e6 and y !onstant storing heavenHsgates for alost three hours .rought a ost aaingending to the evening9 As we stood to leave6 8suggested we for a prayer !ir!le and pray9 +ow .ya prayer !ir!le 8 ean a holding of hands6 .e!ause 8firly .elieve 5odHs power !an ele!trify a roo9Fro one strong Christian warrior this power !an

pass through and strengthen soe weak ones in the

!ir!le9 There is soething a.out !onta!t in prayerthat does soething to a group9

8 always pray as 8 feel led .y the ;oly #pirit6and while it ight upon o!!asion go right aroundthe roo in a !ir!le6 ost of the tie it will go fro


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one to another without any parti!ular order orse=uen!e9 We started praying6 and all of a sudden

we heard the voi!e of the woan with the re.ellion6and she said6 D8f false pride is keeping e fro

.e!oing a Christian6 forgive e9 8 donHt know if8H a Christian or not9 Christ6 8 want to invite youinto y life right now9 8 ask you to forgive y sins6

.ut ost of all to forgive the sins 8 have !oittedthis night to soeone who was trying to show eyour love9G

8 donHt .elieve there was a dry eye in the house9+aturally6 8 didnHt have to forgive her6 .e!auseChrist had already done that for e9 But 8 wonderwhat ight have happened had 8 not .een praying!onstantly9 #ee what !an happen as you ask for the

guidan!e of the ;oly #pirit as you talk to anindividual:

One Friday 8 prepared to leave y offi!e for aweekend speaking date in a near.y Florida !ity9 Theheavens opened up and we really had a !loud.urst9As a atter of fa!t6 there were tornado warnings forthe southern part of the state and 8 .egan to dou.tthe airlines would .e flying9 This parti!ularweekend 8 was s!heduled on a sall independentairline9 any ties they have the odd?hour flightsthat are ne!essary for e9 But the ore 8 listened tothe thunder and wat!hed the lightning flash throughy offi!e window6 the ore 8 wondered if the -ord

wanted e up there in one of those little planes9#o 8 prayed and said6 DPraise the -ord6 give

thanks for all things6 .e!ause all things worktogether for good for those that love the -ord9 But6-ord6 are you sure you want e in one of those little


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planes: 8f you do6 thatHs all right with e6 .e!ause 8trust you to get e there safely and 8 know you

want e in Bradenton this weekend9GThe rain !ontinued to pour down and we heard

that the highway to the airport was under eight totwelve in!hes of water9 8 !alled the airline todis!over that 8 had .een .uped off the sall planefor soe reason or other and there was no other wayto get where 8 was going e$!ept to !at!h an earlierflight on 'astern9 8 said6 3/raise the ord, givethanks for all things, because 6all things work

together for good to those who love God4 *oans,2,49 8 really .elieve this s!ripture9

5lan!ing at the !lo!k6 8 asked y son6 To6 todrive e to the airport9 8t was raining so hard 8

knew 8Hd never .e a.le to ake it9 8 had to runa.out ten feet fro the offi!e door to get into his !arand in those few se!onds 8 was soaked to the skin9#in!e 8 was trying to !at!h an earlier flight than 8had anti!ipated6 8 knew 8 wouldnHt have tie to!hange y !lothes9 y son drove to y hoe a few

.lo!ks away where 8 >uped out to pi!k up y suit!ase9 Between the first soaking and the few feet ofdownpour 8 endured to get into y house6 8 was!opletely dren!hed9 y hair6 whi!h had >ut .eenfi$ed for the trip6 was hanging down in a guyess9 y suit was !opletely soaked L did youever have on a .ou!le suit when you were really

soaked to the skin: What a ess74And did you ever start out on a speaking

engageent with ink on your hands if youHre in theprinting .usiness as 8 a4 .e!ause you hadnHt hadtie to wash the sin!e you dis!overed the only


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way you !ould ake a speaking engageent was to!at!h an earlier plane than you had planned to take:

@id you ever go sailing off on a speaking tour withrunners in your sto!kings and your work shoes on

.e!ause you didnHt have tie to !hange: Well6 8did6 and 8 kept saying6 KThank you6 -ord9 8 donHtunderstand all this6 .ut 8 know that all things worktogether for good for those who love the -ord andwho are !alled a!!ording to your purpose9G

We were so slowed down .e!ause of the rain6 inspite of y sonHs driving6 8 realied we were nevergoing to ake the early plane9 8 >ust siply prayed6D-ord6 you know there is no other way for e to getto Bradenton9 Please hold that plane on the grounduntil we get to the airport9 And you know itHs su!h

.ad driving .e!ause of the weather we !anHtpossi.ly ake it on tie9G

Well6 8H firly !onvin!ed that 5od !ontrolsthe airlines6 too6 .e!ause when we finally got to theiai 8nternational Airport eleven inutes aftertakeoff tie6 youHd never guess what7 Or wouldyou: The plane was still on the ground6 and thetakeoff tie had .een oved to &307 8 ra!ed to the!ounter and was told there were no availa.le seats6only stand.y9 And K8 was the forty?first stand.y9

8 said6 KThank you6 -ord9 All things worktogether for good for those who love the -ord9GThen 8 !ontinued6 DBut you know the only way 8

!an get to Bradenton now is to take this plane to anear.y airport6 1 so youHd .etter figure out a way toget e around all these stand.ys9G

#oggy ess that 8 was6 8 stood there .elievingthat 5od wanted e to get to a speaking


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engageent for a !hur!h that had !alled e9 8 >ustknew L having prayed in faith .elieving6 and

!onstantly re>oi!ing and giving thanks for all thingsL that they were going to !all e9 Why6 .e!ause 8donHt really understand how 5od works6 8 >ustbelieve that ;e does9 8 was the first stand.y !alled9There were only a few of us !alled6 and 8 was thefirst of those !alled9

This really e$!ited e6 and 8 got on the plane ingreat anti!ipation6 .e!ause 8 knew that 5od wantede on this plane for a very good reason9 #urely6 8thought6 there ust .e soeone on this parti!ular

plane 5od has prepared >ust for e to talk to9 8 satdown and !ouldnHt wait to start the !onversation9 8happened to have the seat in .etween two en and 8

wondered whi!h one it was9 8 said6 D-ord6 whi!hone is it whose heart youHve prepared:G

Although 8 didnHt get an answer6 8 tried to start a!onversation with a an on y right9 Talk a.out a

.ri!k wall7 8 really ran into one and for those whothink 8 never do6 .elieve e when 8 tell you that 8do94 Well6 after a few inutes6 8 knew it wasnHt thatone6 so 8 de!ided to atta!k for the ary of EesusChrist on the left side of e9 8f 8 had run into a .ri!kwall on the right side of e6 the left side was a solidstone wall9 8 said6 DWell6 -ord6 now what:G

8 was really a wrinkled ess with guy hair.y the tie 8 got to y destination6 so 8 !alled the

pastor of the !hur!h where 8 was to speak9 ;e tolde 8 was over an hour and a half away .yliousine9 ;e told e to take one as =ui!kly as

possi.le9 8 ran outside and was told the liousinehad >ust left9 8 said6 DPraise the -ord6G and


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dis!overed 8Hd have to wait thirty inutes for thene$t liousine to leave9

Then 8 de!ided 8Hd .etter !all the pastor inBradenton to tell hi not to worry .e!ause 8 wasreally on y way9 #o 8 got out of the liousine6ade the !all and returned to find three young enin the liousine9 We left for Bradenton and .eforewe had driven five .lo!ks 8 knew why all the thingshad happened to e that afternoon to keep e fro

.eing on y s!heduled trip9 And it was not the heartof anyone on the plane that 5od had prepared6 .ut;e had put three young en fro three differentwalks of life together in a liousine with a realChristian fanati!7

The very first senten!e spoken gave e an

opportunity to share y faith with a young Eewishlawyer6 a soldier >ust returning fro Iiet +a6 anda student at a Christian s!hool who was reallyDturned offG on Christ9 8 .egan praying as 8 talked

.e!ause 8 knew that 5od had done a arvelous >o..efore 8 arrived on the s!ene6 and all ;e wanted wasan availa.le outh ;e !ould use9

8 shared what Christ had done in y life6 and itwas alost eerie how the spirit of 5od so envelopedthat liousine9 8 was praying and sharing6 andsharing and praying6 .e!ause 8 !ould see here werethree young en who really needed the -ord9 Theyasked =uestion after =uestion and the -ord provided

the ne!essary answers9#uddenly the driver of the liousine said6 Drs9

5ardner6 youHve got five inutes .efore the firstpassenger gets out7G


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8 said6 DThank you6 y brother4.e!ause 8 knewthat 5od had sent e a .rother in Christ to .a!k e

up as a prayer warrior for these souls6 and now hewas telling e if 8 was going to ask the to pray 8needed to do it soon9 8 really redou.led y hot lineto heaven6 and asked the all to .ow their heads

.e!ause 8 was going to pray a very siple6 sinnerHsprayer6 asking 5od to forgive their sins and askingChrist to !oe into their hearts and to live ;is lifethrough ea!h one of the9

8 said if this was the desire of their heart6 to praythe prayer silently after e as 8 prayed9 Theatosphere in that liousine was so 5od?filled6none of us !ould deny ;is presen!e9

Then as we finished praying6 fro the lips of the

driver !ae the entire third !hapter of Eohn in theost .eautiful and Christ like anner 8Hve everheard9 The ;oly #pirit of 5od so filled everyonethere that no one ade a sound until the driverfinished9 Then he said6 D8H a retired inister9 8 wasin the inistry for forty?seven years6 and 8 neverheard anyone get in a liousine and start talkinga.out Christ the very first senten!e and never stop7G8 alost !ra!ked up .e!ause here was an ordainedinister of 5od6 .ut you know what: 5od had sent;i to .a!k up the >o. ;e had assigned to e9

And would you .elieve that one of the youngen had .een .uped off the sae airline 8 had9 ;e

said now he understood why9 The young soldier >ustreturning fro Iiet +a said he realied now why5od had spared hi in !o.at9 The Eewish lawyerdid not pray to re!eive Christ6 .ut the ;oly #pirit


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was really dealing with hi .e!ause the tears werestreaing down his !heeks9

+eed 8 tell you what happened in the !hur!hwhere 8 was s!heduled to speak: 8n spite of all yessy !lothes6 y guy hair6 y hands full ofink6 y everything that wasnHt the way it shouldhave .een6 8 prayed6 D-ord6 donHt let the see me.-et the see only Christ living ;is life through eso they wonHt noti!e any of these little details9G

5od answered that prayer6 too9 The e$!iteentof what had happened to e .e!ause 8 had trusted5od and .elieved ;is word ru..ed off all over that!ongregation7 *ead that verse in 8 Thessaloniansagain and see if it doesnHt take on a differenteaning9 3


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Chapter Seven

Pray for Everything3Again I say to you, if two of you agree on

earth about anything that they ask, it will be

done for them by my Father in heaven.4 (atthew*@+*D

Pro.a.ly one of the ost e$!iting proofs of thisverse took pla!e on a tour 8 ade to California9 Thisentire trip was the result of prayer6 and 5od guided

every step of the way9 5od is so !opletelyinterested in every area of our lives6 8 often wonderwhy we donHt invite ;i to give us the !orre!tanswers to every pro.le we have9 As 8 told you

previously6 8 used to think we had to reserve 5odfor the B85 things9 And then 8 dis!overed that

.e!ause 5od is interested in our !oplete life6 we!an ask ;i for help with the sallest details98 didnHt know why 8 felt !alled to California6 .ut

8 never =uestion why either9 8 >ust knew that 5od!alled e to go to California6 so 8 ade plans to go9First6 8 go at a treendous pa!e all the tie9Between speaking engageents6 running a printing

!opany6 trying to anage a hoe6 plus having ana!tive part in y own !hur!h6 8 really a on the5O7 8 serve a ing6 and 8 .elieve6 as an a.assadorto a ing6 8 should look as u!h like a =ueen as

possi.le9


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8n the .a!k of y ind 8 had hidden the thoughtthat 8 would get soe new !lothes .efore 8 went

west9 8 never see to have enough tie to go!lothes shopping9 +ot only that6 8 really despiseshopping .e!ause it sees su!h a waste of tie toe9 To further !opli!ate atters6 at this writing 8happen to .e a sie eighteen and itHs not the easiestthing in the world to get sharp looking !lothes foranyone who wears that .ig a sie9 8 really thinkost !lothes anufa!turers hate the .ig woan9They either ake us look dowdy or so atronly itHsawful9

Well6 a.out a week .efore 8 was to leave forCalifornia 8 still didnHt have any new !lothes9 @id 8

pani!: +o6 8 did not9 8 >ust prayed9 And would you

honestly like to know how 8 prayed: 8 said6 D-ord6you donHt want e to go to California looking like aslo.6 do you: As your personal representative doyou want e to wear y worn out !lothes: And youknow 8 >ust donHt have tie to go shopping .efore 8go9 #o6 -ord6 would you please solve this pro.leand see that 8 get soe new !lothes:G

Would you honestly pray for new !lothes:Would you honestly .elieve that 5od would answera re=uest of this kind: 8 hope you will look .a!k atthe paragraph a.ove and see y reason for askingfor the new !lothes9 8H sure if 8 had said6 D-ord6you know how u!h 8 love !lothes and how u!h

they ean to e6G the -ord would have ignored yre=uest9 But y only desire was to look like ana.assador to a ing9 And safe and se!ure in theknowledge that ;e would answer y re=uest6 8 tore

.a!k through the ountain of work on y desk6


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night or orning49 8 was due at noon that day inFullerton6 California9

8 had never .een to the -os Angeles Airport6 sohad no idea how .ig and how !onfusing it was to areal stranger9 8 had lived .riefly in California duringthe war years y !hildren say it was the Civil War6

.ut it was really World War 8846 .ut things !hange alot in twenty?five years6 so 8 was really a stranger9

8 was to .e the guest of ;elen ooian6 authorof !ameos, 8omen Fashioned by God, that first dayat the Fullerton Christian WoanHs Clu.9 +otknowing anything a.out the !outer plane servi!ein -os Angeles 8 de!ided to go to the airport6 findout what tie the plane was leaving6 and then !all;elen and tell her when and where she !ould eet

e9After getting lost in the huge airport .e!ause the

!a. driver let e off at the wrong !outer airline68 .oarded a little >itney .us with five suit!ases6 et!9and after arriving at the !orre!t airline asked whattie the ne$t plane left for Fullerton9 The answerD8n three inutes9 8f youHll run6 weHll hold the planefor you9G

A porter gra..ed y luggage6 and we startedrunning as fast as 8 !ould and thatHs not very fast49 8said6 D-ord6 please donHt let e have a heart atta!k

.efore 8 get to share what Christ has done in ylife9G 8 proptly slowed down and ade it safely to

the little !outer plane98 had arrived in California during what 8H sure

was the onsoon season6 .e!ause 8 never saw sou!h rain in y entire life9 The !outer planesare =uite sall and when we got up in the air6 8


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realied how hard it was raining and how little theplane was9 Then 8 peeked out the window and saw

the Pa!ifi! O!ean .elow e and not very far .elowe at that4 and the lightning and the rain9 8 said6D-ord6 if you want e DsplaaaatG all over the pla!e6thatHs all right with e6 .ut if itHs all the sae toyou6 would you please get this little plane safely toFullerton:G

And then 8 rela$ed6 knowing that 5od was in!ontrol of the situation9 8t takes a.out twentyinutes to fly fro -os Angeles to Fullerton9 Anda.out halfway through the trip6 8 realied that in yhaste 8 had not !alled ;elen9 8 also knew if shedidnHt eet e 8Hd have no way of getting to theChristian WoanHs Clu. on tie9 Again 8 !alled on

the power of 5od6 and 8 prayed D-ord6 ;elenHsgotto know that 8 have arrived in California6 and that8H on this plane9 8n the way that only you !an do6will you please let y sister in Christ know that 8a on thisplane9G

+ow go with e to ;elenHs house9 #he had .eentaking !are of last inute details6 knowing 8 would

.e in soetie that day9 Then she sat down to eather .reakfast9 Being a great prayer warrior6 sheasked 5od to give e a safe trip to California9 But

.efore she !ould .egin to eat her .reakfast6 5odHs;oly #pirit !ouni!ated with her9 #he pushed

.a!k her grapefruit6 saying she was !opelled to go

to the telephone and !all Catalina Airlines to findout when their ne$t plane was due in9 They said Dine$a!tly ten inutes9G

;elen said6 DThank you6 -ord for letting eknow Fran!es is on that plane9G #he slipped on a


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rain!oat6 took an u.rella6 ran to her !ar6 and droveto the airport where we greeted ea!h other as if we

.oth had known e$a!tly all the details9After we loaded the !ar and were driving to her

hoe6 she said6 D@id you pray a.out ten inutes.efore the plane landed that 8 would eet you:G5oosepiples !overed e as 8 realied that 5odHs;oly #pirit had rendevoused as our spirits hadwitnessed with ea!h other9 Could this .e ere!oin!iden!e: 8 hope you .elieve 5od answered

prayer7And while 5od was .usy answering prayers up

and down the !oast of California6 ;e was alsotaking !are of y personal affairs in Florida9 Forany years 8 had lived in a .ig hoe eight roos6

three .aths6 swiing pool and for y first threeChristian years6 the -ord had used y hoe as ahalfway house9 8 was privileged to have anyyoung people share the hospitality and Christianlove in y hoe9 There were ties when we hadfour or five e$tra people living with us6 .ut now itseeed the -ord was indi!ating the tie for the .ighouse was past9

8 was spending ore and ore of y tie onspeaking trips6 and y real faily at hoe!onsisted of one teenage daughter who goes withe whenever possi.le6 so 8 guess the -ord de!idedwe didnHt need the e$pense or worry of a .ig house6

so ;e laid on y heart the desire to sell it9 8f anyonehad ever told e 8 would ever sell this house6 8would have said6 D+ever7G This was the hoewhere y daughter was .rought fro the hospitalthe house where the or!hids fro y wedding


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.ou=uet are e.edded in !on!rete under thewindow the hoe where 8 lived when Christ

.e!ae a reality in y life the hoe wherehundreds had .een introdu!ed to Christ where newChristians had learned to pray where lives had .eentransfored .e!ause of the way the -ord was usinge9 But 8 guess as we grow in Christ ;e advan!esus or says6 D+ow youHre ready for this6G or6 D8 wantto use you in this area9G 8 never =uestion what 5odhas for e9 8 only know that ;eHs u!h sarterthan 86 and anything ;e has planned for e is far

.etter than anything 8 !an !on!o!t9Eust as 8 left for California6 8 listed the house

with a real estate .roker6 and prayed6 D-ord6 if youwant e to sell this house6 sell it while 8H in

California so 8 wonHt .e hurt if soeone says6 K8donHt like this9 8 donHt like that7H

The se!ond day 8 was in California 8 re!eived a!all with an offer on the house9 Two days later 8 hadtwo .onafide offers for the house6 .oth of whi!hwere for the pri!e 8 had asked9 8 .elieve that 5od isalso in the real estate .usiness7 ;ow !ould 8 dou.tit:

8 signed the papers in California6 and returnedhoe at the end of three weeks to dis!over 8 hade$a!tly si$teen days in whi!h to relo!ate9 @o yourealie how u!h you !an a!!uulate after living inthe sae house for si$teen years: And to .e told

you have si$teen days to get out6 knowing howu!h you have to do6 would pani! even the ostself?suffi!ient person6 .ut 8H so glad 8H not self?suffi!ient9 When 8 heard this e$!iting news6 8 said6D-ord6 you know the housing situation in iai ?


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there >ust arenHt enough apartents to rent J and yet8 know this is what you wanted9 #o now6 -ord6 8Hll

have to lay all y needs .efore you9Gy needs were several 8 had to !onsider .eing

near the high s!hool y daughter attends9 8 have6 asa working other6 always felt y hoe had to .ewithin walking distan!e of y offi!e6 so that y!hildren !ould get to e any tie they needed e9Along with these !onsiderations6 8 had enlarged yoffi!e and was in the pro!ess of oving anesta.lished .usiness6 so the new hoe had to .e!lose to y new offi!e lo!ation9

8 hope you donHt think 8 pushed the pani!.utton6 .e!ause 8 didnHt9 When 8 put that re=uest to5od6 8 turned y hand over with the pal down6

and dropped y ar to y side9 8 went out and gotin the !ar and said6 D-ord6 you know 8H swapedwith responsi.ilities and serving you6 so pleasedire!t y !ar to where you want us to live9G With!oplete !onfiden!e that the fa.ulous 5od 8 servehad the situation !opletely under !ontrol6 8 startedout9

Again you ay say itHs !oin!iden!e6 .ut the-ord dire!ted y !ar to a street where they were

.uilding soe new duple$es9 8 had not felt led to.uy another hoe6 .ut felt the teporary answerwas an apartent9 8 got out of the !ar and asked ifthere were any availa.le and what the pri!e was9

The rent was e$a!tly what 8 had figured 8 !ouldafford6 .ut the duple$es were all rented however6there was one a.out !opleted and whi!h was notrented yet9 And do you know the !opletion date:The !opletion date on the new apartent was the


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day 8 had to va!ate y house9 5od is even in theapartent rental .usiness7

"(

Well6 .a!k to California now6 to share soeore prayer e$perien!es out there7 8t had rainedevery day 8 was in California L and 8 ean itreally poured7 Beautiful hoes were !aught in ud

slides and went into the !anyons6 disaster wasrapant9 8 !ouldnHt help .ut feel the raindrops were5odHs tears spilling .e!ause of the spiritual state of;is people9 +evertheless 5od was granting harvestafter harvest as 8 shared ;is e$!iting word9

8 had .een s!heduled to go to #an @iego .ut6

.e!ause of the flood waters6 all the freeways e$!eptone were !losed9 Travel on that one wasnHtadvisa.le .e!ause it was !overed in pla!es withwater9 But y pu.lisherHs salesan6 his wife6 and 8

prayed6 asking 5od to see that the road was safe forus to travel to #an @iego9 As we drove along thefreeway6 we sang D;eavenly #unshine6flooding y

soul with glory divine9G And then we really !ra!kedup6 .e!ause as we sang DFlooding4 all we !ould seewas water6 with >ust a ri..on of highway down theiddle9

any people had asked e if 8 had prayed thatthe rains would stop6 .ut6 strangely6 8 !ouldnHt pray

this re=uest9 8t >ust wasnHt a .urden on y heart6 so8 had truthfully answered ea!h tie D+o7G

We got to #an @iego in id?afternoon and afterspeaking that night6 8 retired sensing a great .urdento pray that the rain would stop9 8t had rained soe


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si$ty days in a row6 .ut 8 felt now was the tie topray for the sun6 and so 8 asked 5od for >ust a little

of natureHs sunshine sin!e ;e had .een so .ountifulwith ;is heavenly sunshine9 And 8 went to .ed Leager to fa!e the sunrise9

8 was s!heduled to .e on television the ne$torning6 so 8 got up early and went over to the TIstation9 8 talked for a few inutes to the perforerson the progra9 Before leaving the hotel roo 8 hadasked 5od to ake e a .lessing to soeone thatday and to really prepare a heart ;e wanted e totalk to9 The e$!iting thing is 8 never know whoseheart itHs going to .e7 And 8 !ertainly wasnHt

prepared for what the -ord did that day with yprayer re=uest9 8 talked to the star of the show6 to

the weather girl6 and to the news!aster9One thing 8Hve learned is that a Christian rarely

fares well on a se!ular progra6 espe!ially a Dsillyold Christian lady9G Christians usually !oe onwhen the pea!o!k is preening so you !an get your!olor set tuned in !orre!tly9 And .y the tie thehost asks6 DWhat is your nae:G and DWhat in theworld are you doing here:G the Christian is off the

progra6 and thatHs the end9But this parti!ular orning as 8 talked to the star

8 !ould sense 5od at work6 .e!ause the an turnedand said to the produ!tion anager6 DPut her onlast7G -ast spot is the star spot6 8 thought9 And 8

prayed6 D-ord6 you really take !are of things in agreat way6 donHt you:G

8nterestingly enough6 as 8 talked to the host ofthe show6 8 .e!ae aware that in his life there was a5od?shaped va!uu that had not yet .een filled .y


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a personal relationship with Eesus Christ9 ;e hadasked e a.out the weather6 and with !oplete

faith6 8 replied6 D8 donHt think itHs going to raintoday6 .e!ause for the first tie sin!e 8Hve .een inCalifornia 8 felt led to pray that the rain wouldstop9G

+ow noti!e what happened7 The show started6and the weather girl said the weather an predi!tedrain9 Then the C said a ost surprising thing9 ;esaid6 DWe have this orning a guest who wrote a

.ook !alled God Is Fabulous. #he has >ust told eshe asked 5od to let us have a little sunshine9 Whatdo you think a.out that:G

The weather girl said6 Dr9 Weatheran saysKrainH today and heHs never wrong9G

The C asked the news!aster what he thoughta.out y prayer6 and he said6 D8Hll reserve yopinion9G 8 thought6 5od is using people today to

.ring hoe a point9The entire show was e$!iting6 and 8 wat!hed

and en>oyed all the guests on the progra6 all thewhile entally visualiing how 8 was really goingto ha it up9 8 !ould >ust see all the produ!ers in;ollywood running after e to fil the story of ylife J .ut 5od had other plans9

When it !ae y turn to .e on the show6 8looked at the C and all 8 !ould see was a gapinghole in his life that needed to .e filled9 Fro that

oent 8 !ould not have !ared less what anyone ontelevision thought a.out e9 8 only knew a soulneeded spiritual help9 8t was pro.a.ly the ost

pe!uliar interview ever on television a sear!hing


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heart 5od had prepared talking to the one sent to .ethe harvester9

hot line to heaven

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