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Dr. Robert Jeffress

Robert Jeffress - Developing A Praying Heart (Part 2)

July 14, 2025 | 29:0

Robert Jeffress - Developing A Praying Heart (Part 2)
Pathway to Victory offers a practical application of God’s Word to everyday life through the clear, biblical teaching of Pastor Jeffress.
#WordofGod #Prayer #Transformation #Success #Praise #Hope #RelationshipwithGod #Faithfulness #Blessing

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Dr. Robert Jeffress | Robert Jeffress - Developing A Praying Heart (Part 2) | July 14, 2025
  • ...
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  • ♪♪♪
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  • Male announcer: from the pulpit of the first baptist church of
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  • Dallas, texas, this is "pathway to victory" with doctor
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  • Robert jeffress.
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  • Dr. robert jeffress: hi, i'm robert jeffress, and welcome
  • 00:00:14.771 --> 00:00:16.773
  • Again to "pathway to victory."
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  • If we're honest, most of us would admit that we struggle
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  • With prayer.
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  • We find it difficult to carve out time to talk with our
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  • Heavenly father, and when we do pray, our minds tend to wander.
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  • Deep down we sometimes even wonder if our prayers make any
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  • Difference at all.
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  • But when we look at the example of jesus christ, all of our
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  • Questions about the value of prayer should evaporate.
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  • Today, i want to share four practical ways you can transform
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  • Your relationship with god through prayer.
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  • My message is titled "developing a praying heart" on today's
  • 00:00:49.539 --> 00:00:54.110
  • Edition of "pathway to victory."
  • 00:00:54.110 --> 00:00:57.914
  • ♪♪♪
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  • ♪ you took my place, laid inside my tomb of sin, ♪
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  • ♪ you were buried for three days, ♪
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  • ♪ and then you walked right out again, ♪
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  • ♪ and now death has no sting and life has no end, ♪
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  • ♪ i have been transformed by the blood of the lamb, ♪
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  • ♪ thank you jesus for the blood of life, ♪
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  • ♪ thank you jesus it has washed me white, ♪
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  • ♪ thank you jesus you have saved my life, ♪
  • 00:01:59.175 --> 00:02:07.116
  • ♪ brought me from the darkness into glorious light, ♪
  • 00:02:07.116 --> 00:02:16.025
  • ♪ glory to his name, ♪
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  • ♪ and to my heart was the blood of god, ♪
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  • ♪ glory to his name, ♪
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  • ♪ thank you jesus for the blood of god, ♪
  • 00:02:50.560 --> 00:02:58.401
  • ♪ thank you jesus it has washed me white, ♪
  • 00:02:58.401 --> 00:03:07.076
  • ♪ thank you jesus you have saved my life, ♪
  • 00:03:07.076 --> 00:03:15.418
  • ♪ brought me from the darkness into glorious light, ♪
  • 00:03:15.418 --> 00:03:25.528
  • ♪ thank you jesus you have saved my life, ♪
  • 00:03:25.595 --> 00:03:33.903
  • ♪ brought me from the darkness, ♪
  • 00:03:33.903 --> 00:03:38.074
  • ♪ brought me from the darkness, ♪
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  • ♪ brought me from the darkness ♪
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  • ♪ into glorious light, ♪
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  • ♪ glorious light, ♪
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  • ♪ we thank you, god. ♪
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  • ♪ his glorious light. ♪♪
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  • [congregation applauding]
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  • Male announcer: give your heart the encouragement it needs.
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  • Start and end each day meditating on god's word with
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  • Encouragement for the heart of a disciple.
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  • This brand new beautiful full color padded hardcover book by
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  • Dr. robert jeffress features 80 breathtaking images of creation
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  • Paired with scripture, prayers, and insights you can read in
  • 00:04:37.133 --> 00:04:40.103
  • Under two minutes, perfect for your coffee table or as
  • 00:04:40.103 --> 00:04:43.473
  • A thoughtful gift for a loved one.
  • 00:04:43.473 --> 00:04:45.141
  • Request "encouragement for the heart of a disciple" when you
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  • Give a generous gift to "pathway to victory."
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  • Jeffress: turn over to philippians chapter 6, verses 6
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  • To 7 because 10 years after that event in philippi, paul wrote
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  • A letter to the philippian christians.
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  • And you know where he wrote that letter from?
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  • It wasn't the comfort of a pastor study.
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  • He was, once again, arrested in prison facing what could have
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  • Been the execution of his own life.
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  • He was waiting for the verdict to come down, whether he was
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  • Going to live or die.
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  • Verse 6, he said, "be anxious for nothing, but in everything
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  • By prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your request be
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  • Made known to god.
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  • And the peace of god which surpasses all comprehension,
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  • Shall guard your hearts and your minds in christ jesus."
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  • It's hard enough waiting 48 or 72 hours to know whether you're
  • 00:05:47.537 --> 00:05:51.207
  • Gonna live or die, but think about paul.
  • 00:05:51.207 --> 00:05:53.409
  • He was there in prison waiting not just days, but weeks and
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  • Months for the verdict to come down.
  • 00:05:57.413 --> 00:05:59.415
  • And what was his attitude?
  • 00:05:59.415 --> 00:06:01.617
  • He said, "i'll write a letter to the philippian christians."
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  • You know what he said in that letter?
  • 00:06:04.620 --> 00:06:06.589
  • "rejoice in the lord.
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  • Again i say rejoice."
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  • 19 times he talks about his joy, his rejoicing in the lord.
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  • What allowed him to praise god like that?
  • 00:06:15.298 --> 00:06:17.967
  • Well, he tells us right here.
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  • Verse 6, "be anxious for nothing," or as the living bible
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  • Says, "don't worry about anything but pray
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  • About everything."
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  • I love the way that reads.
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  • "be anxious for nothing but in everything with prayer and
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  • Thanksgiving with supplication let your request be made known
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  • To god."
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  • Verse 7, "and then the peace of god which surpasses all
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  • Comprehension shall guard your hearts and minds in
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  • Christ jesus."
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  • Paul was saying, "just as i am chained to this roman guard who
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  • Is watching over me, when you pray and talk to god instead of
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  • Worrying, when you pray, the peace of god will guard."
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  • That word there, the greek word refers to a roman sentry that
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  • Marches around something to protect it.
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  • When you pray, god's peace will march around your minds and
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  • Guard your minds against worry and those what ifs.
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  • You see it here?
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  • Prayer is not the cause--prayer is not the result of our peace.
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  • Prayer is the cause of our peace in difficult circumstances.
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  • Fourthly, why do we pray?
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  • Because prayer aligns our will with god's will.
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  • Prayer aligns our will with god's will.
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  • Prayer is the primary means by which god transforms our heart,
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  • Specifically our will.
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  • You know, the greatest battle you and i face in our life
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  • Is this.
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  • Is it gonna be god's will or my will that gets done on earth?
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  • That's the big battle, isn't it?
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  • Am i gonna follow god or am i gonna follow my own inclination?
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  • A.w. tozer said,
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  • "the hard work of prayer is getting yourself into
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  • A state of mind in which you prefer the will of god over
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  • Your own."
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  • You see, prayer is not about getting my will done in heaven.
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  • It's about getting god's will done on earth and specifically
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  • In my life, and that's a battle.
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  • It's a battle to get to that place where we say, "i'd rather
  • 00:08:23.426 --> 00:08:27.530
  • Go god's way than my way."
  • 00:08:27.530 --> 00:08:30.733
  • Unless you think you're the only one who struggles with that,
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  • Even jesus, the perfect son of god, struggled with that.
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  • Now, i don't understand it.
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  • God the father, the holy spirit, jesus are one, the triune god,
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  • But i also know what luke 22 tells us.
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  • That the place jesus sweat great drops of blood, it was not when
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  • He was doing battle against the pharisees.
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  • It wasn't even on the cross.
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  • It was in that garden of gethsemane the night before
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  • His crucifixion.
  • 00:08:59.862 --> 00:09:01.464
  • When in luke 22:42, he poured out his heart and said, "father,
  • 00:09:01.464 --> 00:09:05.368
  • If thou art willing, allow this experience to pass from me."
  • 00:09:05.368 --> 00:09:09.805
  • At that moment, jesus will--he didn't want to go to the cross,
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  • Not just for the physical horror, but the spiritual horror
  • 00:09:13.609 --> 00:09:17.179
  • Of burying the sins of the world and being alienated from
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  • His father.
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  • That's why he said, "lord, if there is any other way, take
  • 00:09:21.817 --> 00:09:24.787
  • This experience from me."
  • 00:09:24.787 --> 00:09:26.922
  • But then quickly, after one comma, he adds, "yet not my will
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  • But your will be done."
  • 00:09:32.395 --> 00:09:35.998
  • When we pray, the more we pray, the shorter that lapse of time
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  • Between our will and god's will.
  • 00:09:40.970 --> 00:09:44.807
  • One mark of a disciple is developing this praying heart,
  • 00:09:44.807 --> 00:09:50.212
  • A heart in which prayer is our first response, not the last
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  • Resort when we face a difficult situation.
  • 00:09:54.884 --> 00:09:59.388
  • We've talked about jesus's example of prayer.
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  • We've talked about why we should pray.
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  • In these final moments that we have together, i want to talk
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  • About some practical ways, four ways you can develop to
  • 00:10:07.730 --> 00:10:13.269
  • Transform your heart into a praying heart so you can
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  • Experience that changed life you want to experience.
  • 00:10:17.873 --> 00:10:21.210
  • Would you jot these down?
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  • These are very simple principles, but they really
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  • Could revolutionize your prayer life.
  • 00:10:24.980 --> 00:10:27.149
  • Principle number one, don't complicate prayer.
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  • Don't complicate prayer.
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  • You know, we get this idea if we could just come up with the
  • 00:10:33.856 --> 00:10:36.826
  • Right words, the right vocabulary, and use those words
  • 00:10:36.826 --> 00:10:41.063
  • In the right sequence that somehow it's kind of
  • 00:10:41.063 --> 00:10:43.899
  • Abracadabra, we're gonna make god do something he wouldn't
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  • Otherwise do.
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  • The right words in the right order, in the right amount
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  • Of time.
  • 00:10:52.041 --> 00:10:53.509
  • Jesus said, "forget all of that."
  • 00:10:53.509 --> 00:10:55.678
  • Matthew 6:7, "when you are praying, don't use meaningless
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  • Repetition as the gentiles do, for they suppose that they will
  • 00:10:59.682 --> 00:11:03.519
  • Be heard for their many words."
  • 00:11:03.519 --> 00:11:06.055
  • Verse 8, "don't be like them; for your father knows what you
  • 00:11:06.055 --> 00:11:10.826
  • Need before you ask him."
  • 00:11:10.826 --> 00:11:13.395
  • We ought to keep it simple to tell god
  • 00:11:13.395 --> 00:11:15.865
  • Not what we think should be in our heart, but is actually in
  • 00:11:15.865 --> 00:11:19.802
  • Our heart.
  • 00:11:19.802 --> 00:11:21.403
  • Doesn't mean that god always answers the way we ask him to,
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  • Or at the time we think he should.
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  • But if god delays his answer, or if even god says no, it's not
  • 00:11:28.177 --> 00:11:32.114
  • Because he hates us or doesn't care about us, it's because he
  • 00:11:32.114 --> 00:11:35.718
  • Loves us.
  • 00:11:35.718 --> 00:11:37.052
  • Keep your prayers simple.
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  • Number two, use a pen and pad to enhance your prayer life.
  • 00:11:39.588 --> 00:11:45.194
  • Use a pen and prayer to enhance your prayer life.
  • 00:11:45.194 --> 00:11:49.265
  • You know, i'm--i'll admit to you, i have difficulty
  • 00:11:49.265 --> 00:11:51.567
  • Concentrating when i pray, you know, i'm a poster child for
  • 00:11:51.567 --> 00:11:54.470
  • Add, somebody said, and it's hard for me to concentrate when
  • 00:11:54.470 --> 00:11:58.674
  • I pray, but i have found that using a pen and pad and praying
  • 00:11:58.674 --> 00:12:03.279
  • Is really helpful.
  • 00:12:03.279 --> 00:12:05.014
  • Now, what do i mean by that?
  • 00:12:05.014 --> 00:12:07.583
  • I mean, sometimes writing out your prayer is a way to stay
  • 00:12:07.583 --> 00:12:11.053
  • Focused in your prayers.
  • 00:12:11.053 --> 00:12:13.289
  • You know, we come from a religious tradition, our
  • 00:12:13.289 --> 00:12:15.424
  • Denomination, evangelicalism, especially southern baptists, we
  • 00:12:15.424 --> 00:12:19.528
  • Have about as much respect for written prayers as we do
  • 00:12:19.528 --> 00:12:22.832
  • Snake handling.
  • 00:12:22.832 --> 00:12:24.166
  • I mean, it just doesn't go with what we do.
  • 00:12:24.166 --> 00:12:26.902
  • We think, you know, people shouldn't write out
  • 00:12:26.902 --> 00:12:29.839
  • Their prayers.
  • 00:12:29.839 --> 00:12:31.173
  • You know, we used to, in our church, we used to have laymen
  • 00:12:31.173 --> 00:12:34.710
  • Come up and offer prayers, you know, during a service
  • 00:12:34.710 --> 00:12:37.513
  • And, yeah.
  • 00:12:37.513 --> 00:12:39.548
  • Every now and then, you know, there'd be a poor deacon.
  • 00:12:39.548 --> 00:12:42.084
  • He'd be so terrified about praying that he would write out
  • 00:12:42.084 --> 00:12:44.954
  • His prayers and tuck it in his pocket there.
  • 00:12:44.954 --> 00:12:48.157
  • And once every head was bowed and every eye was closed, when
  • 00:12:48.157 --> 00:12:51.193
  • Nobody was looking, he'd pull out the piece of paper and read
  • 00:12:51.193 --> 00:12:54.163
  • His prayer.
  • 00:12:54.163 --> 00:12:55.497
  • There are always some in the church who felt like their duty
  • 00:12:55.497 --> 00:12:57.700
  • Was to keep their eyes open so they could see what was
  • 00:12:57.700 --> 00:13:00.269
  • Going on.
  • 00:13:00.269 --> 00:13:01.604
  • And so, they would watch this deacon read his prayer and they
  • 00:13:01.604 --> 00:13:04.106
  • Would say, "can you believe that?
  • 00:13:04.106 --> 00:13:06.976
  • He read his prayer.
  • 00:13:06.976 --> 00:13:08.878
  • If he can't do any better than that, then why should he even
  • 00:13:08.878 --> 00:13:11.313
  • Bother to pray if you have to read a prayer?"
  • 00:13:11.313 --> 00:13:13.816
  • Well, think about it.
  • 00:13:13.816 --> 00:13:15.184
  • Some of the most effective prayers in the bible were
  • 00:13:15.184 --> 00:13:17.553
  • Written prayers.
  • 00:13:17.553 --> 00:13:19.121
  • I mean, the psalms are full of prayers that david wrote out.
  • 00:13:19.121 --> 00:13:23.592
  • I found myself--i don't use so much a pad and pen any longer,
  • 00:13:23.592 --> 00:13:27.029
  • But sometimes i type out my prayers on my computer so i can
  • 00:13:27.029 --> 00:13:31.133
  • Really focus on what it is i want to say to god.
  • 00:13:31.133 --> 00:13:34.603
  • Be accurate in what i wanna say, you know, otherwise we fall into
  • 00:13:34.603 --> 00:13:38.240
  • These banalities of prayer, lead, guide and direct.
  • 00:13:38.240 --> 00:13:43.979
  • Le--how many times have you heard that?
  • 00:13:43.979 --> 00:13:45.347
  • Lead--what is the difference between lead, guide, and direct?
  • 00:13:45.347 --> 00:13:48.517
  • It's just something we fall into.
  • 00:13:48.517 --> 00:13:50.486
  • Or bless this, bless this, bless it.
  • 00:13:50.486 --> 00:13:52.922
  • What does that mean?
  • 00:13:52.922 --> 00:13:54.256
  • Bless this, bless this.
  • 00:13:54.256 --> 00:13:55.724
  • Sometimes writing out your prayers are a great way to
  • 00:13:55.724 --> 00:13:58.994
  • Concentrate your prayers.
  • 00:13:58.994 --> 00:14:00.763
  • And even if you don't feel comfortable doing that, at least
  • 00:14:00.763 --> 00:14:03.632
  • Keep a list of things that you're praying for.
  • 00:14:03.632 --> 00:14:06.201
  • I've told you before, i keep a prayer journal in which i record
  • 00:14:06.201 --> 00:14:09.571
  • The things that i'm praying for and allows me when i'm praying
  • 00:14:09.571 --> 00:14:13.309
  • And i am praying, i actually keep my eyes open and i go down
  • 00:14:13.309 --> 00:14:16.578
  • That list the things i wanna talk to god about.
  • 00:14:16.578 --> 00:14:20.215
  • You know, if you're gonna go see the president of the united
  • 00:14:20.215 --> 00:14:22.718
  • States, you're not gonna have a lot of time to talk to him.
  • 00:14:22.718 --> 00:14:26.855
  • You better have in your mind the things you wanna say.
  • 00:14:26.855 --> 00:14:30.025
  • Well, god's got all the time in the world, but we don't have all
  • 00:14:30.025 --> 00:14:32.561
  • The attention in the world.
  • 00:14:32.561 --> 00:14:33.963
  • We ought to make a list of the things that we want to talk to
  • 00:14:33.963 --> 00:14:37.299
  • God about.
  • 00:14:37.299 --> 00:14:38.667
  • And you know what keeping a list does for you?
  • 00:14:38.667 --> 00:14:41.236
  • It also not only allows you to focus, but it also allows you to
  • 00:14:41.236 --> 00:14:45.274
  • Record god's answers to those prayers.
  • 00:14:45.274 --> 00:14:48.644
  • And some of the most encouraging moments of my life have come
  • 00:14:48.644 --> 00:14:51.380
  • When i've looked back and i've seen not only what i've asked
  • 00:14:51.380 --> 00:14:54.950
  • God for, but how he has answered those requests.
  • 00:14:54.950 --> 00:14:59.788
  • By the way, yes, i know we're supposed to do more than ask god
  • 00:14:59.788 --> 00:15:03.659
  • For things.
  • 00:15:03.659 --> 00:15:05.027
  • We're to praise god, we're to ask for his forgiveness.
  • 00:15:05.027 --> 00:15:08.564
  • But you know, i've done a study on prayer.
  • 00:15:08.564 --> 00:15:11.266
  • I've not found one prayer recorded in the bible that
  • 00:15:11.266 --> 00:15:14.903
  • Wasn't a request for something.
  • 00:15:14.903 --> 00:15:17.806
  • Yes, there's praise to god.
  • 00:15:17.806 --> 00:15:19.274
  • There's an ask for forgiveness, but at the heart of every prayer
  • 00:15:19.274 --> 00:15:23.178
  • In the bible is asking god to do something.
  • 00:15:23.178 --> 00:15:26.548
  • So use that pen and pad to focus your prayers.
  • 00:15:26.548 --> 00:15:29.885
  • Number three, begin and end your day in prayer.
  • 00:15:29.885 --> 00:15:34.356
  • If you're new to this praying thing or it's really not a part
  • 00:15:34.356 --> 00:15:37.426
  • Of your life, begin and end every day in prayer.
  • 00:15:37.426 --> 00:15:43.532
  • I used to have a cigar chomping, very irreverent accordion
  • 00:15:43.532 --> 00:15:47.936
  • Teacher named al trick.
  • 00:15:47.936 --> 00:15:50.406
  • He taught me the accordion for 15 years, if you can imagine
  • 00:15:50.406 --> 00:15:54.043
  • Such a thing.
  • 00:15:54.043 --> 00:15:55.377
  • He came out of vaudeville and he was a master at performance, and
  • 00:15:55.377 --> 00:15:58.814
  • I'll never forget a piece of advice he gave me when i was six
  • 00:15:58.814 --> 00:16:02.051
  • Years old about performing before an audience.
  • 00:16:02.051 --> 00:16:05.654
  • He said, "robert, remember this.
  • 00:16:05.654 --> 00:16:08.157
  • As long as you get the first note right and the last note
  • 00:16:08.157 --> 00:16:12.628
  • Right, everything in between is just fluff."
  • 00:16:12.628 --> 00:16:17.666
  • I thought, you know, there's an application there for life.
  • 00:16:17.666 --> 00:16:21.904
  • You know, how you begin a day and how you end the day really
  • 00:16:21.904 --> 00:16:27.342
  • Determines the success or failure of that day.
  • 00:16:27.342 --> 00:16:30.612
  • Everything else is gonna fluff in between.
  • 00:16:30.612 --> 00:16:33.615
  • If you want to have a successful day, begin the day.
  • 00:16:33.615 --> 00:16:36.919
  • Your first note in the morning is one of prayer.
  • 00:16:36.919 --> 00:16:40.789
  • David understood that in psalm 5, verses 3 and 4, he said, "in
  • 00:16:40.789 --> 00:16:44.393
  • The morning o lord, thou will hear my voice; in the morning
  • 00:16:44.393 --> 00:16:48.797
  • I will order my prayer to thee and eagerly watch."
  • 00:16:48.797 --> 00:16:53.035
  • There's no record that david spent hours in the morning
  • 00:16:53.035 --> 00:16:56.238
  • Praying, but he began his day in prayer.
  • 00:16:56.238 --> 00:17:00.375
  • C.s. lewis once observed,
  • 00:17:00.375 --> 00:17:01.743
  • "the moment you wake up each morning, all of
  • 00:17:01.743 --> 00:17:04.847
  • Your wishes and hopes for the day rush at you like wild
  • 00:17:04.847 --> 00:17:08.350
  • Animals, and the first job of each morning consists in shoving
  • 00:17:08.350 --> 00:17:13.288
  • Them all back and listening to that other voice, taking that
  • 00:17:13.288 --> 00:17:17.426
  • Other point of view, letting that other larger, stronger,
  • 00:17:17.426 --> 00:17:22.030
  • Quieter life come flowing in.
  • 00:17:22.030 --> 00:17:25.834
  • Before your feet get out of bed and hit the floor, take a moment
  • 00:17:25.834 --> 00:17:30.205
  • To talk to god to ask him to bless your day, to pray for your
  • 00:17:30.205 --> 00:17:35.110
  • Family, for your church, to ask for wisdom in the decisions
  • 00:17:35.110 --> 00:17:38.714
  • You're confronting that day.
  • 00:17:38.714 --> 00:17:41.016
  • Begin the day in prayer.
  • 00:17:41.016 --> 00:17:44.319
  • Secondly, end the day in prayer as well.
  • 00:17:44.319 --> 00:17:48.590
  • Make prayer the final thing you do before you drift off
  • 00:17:48.590 --> 00:17:51.260
  • To sleep.
  • 00:17:51.260 --> 00:17:52.594
  • You know, david contrasted how the ungodly in their days with
  • 00:17:52.594 --> 00:17:56.899
  • How the godly in their days.
  • 00:17:56.899 --> 00:17:58.534
  • In psalm 36:4, it says that, "the ungodly person plans
  • 00:17:58.534 --> 00:18:03.739
  • Wickedness upon his bed."
  • 00:18:03.739 --> 00:18:07.943
  • You know what that means?
  • 00:18:07.943 --> 00:18:10.145
  • It means for an ungodly person, his last thought before he
  • 00:18:10.145 --> 00:18:13.215
  • Drifts off to sleep is, "how can i be more wicked tomorrow than
  • 00:18:13.215 --> 00:18:17.352
  • I was today?"
  • 00:18:17.352 --> 00:18:19.588
  • He's constantly thinking of wicked things he can do.
  • 00:18:19.588 --> 00:18:23.792
  • That's how the wicked in their day.
  • 00:18:23.792 --> 00:18:26.728
  • Contrast that to king david, psalm 4, verses 4 to 5,
  • 00:18:26.728 --> 00:18:30.766
  • "tremble, and do not sin; meditate in your heart upon your
  • 00:18:30.766 --> 00:18:36.672
  • Bed, and be still.
  • 00:18:36.672 --> 00:18:39.274
  • From there offer the sacrifices of righteousness and trust in
  • 00:18:39.274 --> 00:18:44.346
  • The lord."
  • 00:18:44.346 --> 00:18:46.315
  • Now, without being too graphic here, let me remind you that
  • 00:18:46.315 --> 00:18:51.687
  • David's bed was the place of his greatest failure in life.
  • 00:18:51.687 --> 00:18:58.093
  • His sin with bathsheba that occurred in his bed, but david
  • 00:18:58.093 --> 00:19:03.265
  • Transfer--transformed his bed from an altar of sin to an altar
  • 00:19:03.265 --> 00:19:10.405
  • Of righteousness.
  • 00:19:10.405 --> 00:19:12.407
  • It was from his bed that arose his prayers to god, and that's
  • 00:19:12.407 --> 00:19:16.278
  • Why he says in verse 5, "don't sin on your bed, meditate in
  • 00:19:16.278 --> 00:19:20.849
  • Your heart upon your bed, offer the sacrifices
  • 00:19:20.849 --> 00:19:24.720
  • Of righteousness."
  • 00:19:24.720 --> 00:19:27.756
  • I think it's a great word for all of us.
  • 00:19:27.756 --> 00:19:30.425
  • Our last thought before we drift off to sleep ought to be
  • 00:19:30.425 --> 00:19:34.830
  • A prayer to god.
  • 00:19:34.830 --> 00:19:36.198
  • "god, thank you for the day you gave me.
  • 00:19:36.198 --> 00:19:38.233
  • Lord, i acknowledge that i failed here.
  • 00:19:38.233 --> 00:19:40.969
  • I'm sorry for this.
  • 00:19:40.969 --> 00:19:42.471
  • I messed up here.
  • 00:19:42.471 --> 00:19:44.206
  • Forgive me.
  • 00:19:44.206 --> 00:19:45.907
  • Keep me and my family safe throughout the night.
  • 00:19:45.907 --> 00:19:49.211
  • Awaken me in the morning and give me the desire and the
  • 00:19:49.211 --> 00:19:52.614
  • Ability to do your will."
  • 00:19:52.614 --> 00:19:54.650
  • Our last thing we think about at night ought to be a prayer
  • 00:19:54.650 --> 00:19:58.186
  • To god.
  • 00:19:58.186 --> 00:19:59.921
  • Fourthly, how do you enhance your prayer life?
  • 00:19:59.921 --> 00:20:03.191
  • Redeem those random moments in your life.
  • 00:20:03.191 --> 00:20:06.928
  • Redeem those random moments with prayer.
  • 00:20:06.928 --> 00:20:10.265
  • I don't know if your life is like mine.
  • 00:20:10.265 --> 00:20:12.067
  • I imagine it is.
  • 00:20:12.067 --> 00:20:13.435
  • It seems like you're constantly going from one thing to another
  • 00:20:13.435 --> 00:20:16.038
  • Thing, one meeting to another meeting, one assignment to
  • 00:20:16.038 --> 00:20:19.908
  • Another assignment, but there's always that in between time when
  • 00:20:19.908 --> 00:20:24.646
  • You're driving, when you're waiting in line at the
  • 00:20:24.646 --> 00:20:28.216
  • Supermarket, or at the post office.
  • 00:20:28.216 --> 00:20:32.087
  • And we take those in between times and many times we just
  • 00:20:32.087 --> 00:20:35.524
  • Fritter them away.
  • 00:20:35.524 --> 00:20:36.858
  • We think, "well this isn't important time.
  • 00:20:36.858 --> 00:20:39.127
  • What's important is that next big thing i'm doing."
  • 00:20:39.127 --> 00:20:42.297
  • And yet we can use that in between time, redeem it and use
  • 00:20:42.297 --> 00:20:46.034
  • It for good, specifically for prayer.
  • 00:20:46.034 --> 00:20:50.505
  • Turn that into a habit.
  • 00:20:50.505 --> 00:20:51.840
  • You know, friday morning, i was in dc.
  • 00:20:51.840 --> 00:20:55.844
  • Got up early, went over to starbucks to get some coffee,
  • 00:20:55.844 --> 00:20:59.281
  • And i was walking back from the starbucks back to the hotel.
  • 00:20:59.281 --> 00:21:02.184
  • It was early in the morning.
  • 00:21:02.184 --> 00:21:03.518
  • I was walking down pennsylvania avenue and
  • 00:21:03.518 --> 00:21:06.555
  • I started reminiscing.
  • 00:21:06.555 --> 00:21:08.590
  • I started thinking about, you know, times i've been there
  • 00:21:08.590 --> 00:21:11.226
  • Before and the people i talked to and this--i was taking
  • 00:21:11.226 --> 00:21:14.229
  • A little stroll down memory lane in my mind and i thought to
  • 00:21:14.229 --> 00:21:17.833
  • Myself, "why am i doing this?
  • 00:21:17.833 --> 00:21:19.935
  • I've got five minutes i could be talking to god."
  • 00:21:19.935 --> 00:21:23.238
  • And so, i turned that five minute walk into a time to talk
  • 00:21:23.238 --> 00:21:26.508
  • To god, praying for my family, praying for you all, the church,
  • 00:21:26.508 --> 00:21:31.646
  • Praying for god's will to be done in my life.
  • 00:21:31.646 --> 00:21:34.015
  • I was able to take five minutes and redeem that random time.
  • 00:21:34.015 --> 00:21:37.886
  • If we do that, that's the way we develop a healthy prayer life.
  • 00:21:37.886 --> 00:21:42.224
  • Thomas kelly once said, "there is a way of ordering your mental
  • 00:21:42.224 --> 00:21:45.927
  • Life on more than one level at once.
  • 00:21:45.927 --> 00:21:49.131
  • On one level, we may be thinking, discussing, seeking,
  • 00:21:49.131 --> 00:21:52.968
  • Calculating, meeting all the demands of external affairs, but
  • 00:21:52.968 --> 00:21:58.607
  • Deep within, behind the scenes at a more profound level, we may
  • 00:21:58.607 --> 00:22:04.479
  • Also be in prayer, adoration, song, and worship, and a gentle
  • 00:22:04.479 --> 00:22:09.418
  • Receptivity to divine breathings."
  • 00:22:09.418 --> 00:22:13.121
  • And therein is the secret to develop what i'm calling this
  • 00:22:13.121 --> 00:22:16.425
  • Praying heart, and here's the secret.
  • 00:22:16.425 --> 00:22:19.995
  • The more we pray, the more we want to pray.
  • 00:22:19.995 --> 00:22:26.435
  • The more we develop that prayer muscle and pray, the more we
  • 00:22:26.435 --> 00:22:30.338
  • Find ourselves praying.
  • 00:22:30.338 --> 00:22:33.508
  • You know, i read about a famous hollywood actress who was
  • 00:22:33.508 --> 00:22:36.745
  • Walking down the red carpet to a gala event and she fainted,
  • 00:22:36.745 --> 00:22:41.183
  • Collapsed right there.
  • 00:22:41.183 --> 00:22:42.517
  • All the press got around her, other people, and she quickly
  • 00:22:42.517 --> 00:22:45.987
  • Came to.
  • 00:22:45.987 --> 00:22:47.322
  • Somebody said, "what happened?"
  • 00:22:47.322 --> 00:22:49.090
  • She laughed and she said, "i forgot to breathe."
  • 00:22:49.090 --> 00:22:55.697
  • Forgot to breathe.
  • 00:22:55.697 --> 00:22:57.632
  • How stupid is that?
  • 00:22:57.632 --> 00:23:00.769
  • No more stupid than forgetting to pray.
  • 00:23:00.769 --> 00:23:06.308
  • Jeffress: just as we require air in our lungs to live, we
  • 00:23:10.412 --> 00:23:14.216
  • Desperately need prayer in our hearts to grow, and i hope you
  • 00:23:14.216 --> 00:23:18.386
  • Found these biblical principles helpful in learning how to
  • 00:23:18.386 --> 00:23:21.756
  • Cultivate a praying heart.
  • 00:23:21.756 --> 00:23:24.826
  • Well at "pathway to victory," we're committed to helping you
  • 00:23:24.826 --> 00:23:27.762
  • Grow in your walk with christ, and that includes equipping you
  • 00:23:27.762 --> 00:23:31.433
  • With practical tools for deepening your relationship with
  • 00:23:31.433 --> 00:23:35.003
  • God through prayer.
  • 00:23:35.003 --> 00:23:36.438
  • I'm grateful for how god is using this ministry to encourage
  • 00:23:36.438 --> 00:23:40.408
  • Believers like you who are serious about growing in their
  • 00:23:40.408 --> 00:23:44.212
  • Faith, and it's all made possible by those who support
  • 00:23:44.212 --> 00:23:47.616
  • This ministry, especially our pathway partners.
  • 00:23:47.616 --> 00:23:51.920
  • Your faithful generosity makes it possible for us to reach
  • 00:23:51.920 --> 00:23:55.190
  • People all across america and around the world with these life
  • 00:23:55.190 --> 00:23:59.528
  • Changing truths from god's word.
  • 00:23:59.528 --> 00:24:02.197
  • Together, we are piercing the darkness with the light of
  • 00:24:02.197 --> 00:24:05.834
  • God's word.
  • 00:24:05.834 --> 00:24:07.369
  • Now stay right there.
  • 00:24:07.369 --> 00:24:08.737
  • I'll be back with more "pathway to victory" in just a moment.
  • 00:24:08.737 --> 00:24:11.907
  • Male announcer: we all need god's strength to make it
  • 00:24:14.242 --> 00:24:16.411
  • Through the day.
  • 00:24:16.411 --> 00:24:17.746
  • "encouragement for the heart of a disciple" by dr. robert
  • 00:24:17.746 --> 00:24:20.448
  • Jeffress provides the spiritual refreshment you need.
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  • In a large print format, every page bursts with breathtaking
  • 00:24:23.618 --> 00:24:27.656
  • Imagery that draws you toward the beauty of god's creation.
  • 00:24:27.656 --> 00:24:31.426
  • Jeffress: i know how challenging it can be to stay connected with
  • 00:24:31.426 --> 00:24:34.529
  • God in our busy lives.
  • 00:24:34.529 --> 00:24:36.398
  • In my new devotional, i provide personal reflections and
  • 00:24:36.398 --> 00:24:39.868
  • Practical insights that will help you experience god's
  • 00:24:39.868 --> 00:24:43.271
  • Presence and encouragement throughout your day.
  • 00:24:43.271 --> 00:24:46.541
  • Male announcer: filled with stunning images of creation,
  • 00:24:46.541 --> 00:24:48.877
  • Scripture verses, and prayers you can read in under two
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  • Minutes, this padded hardcover book is the perfect daily
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  • Companion to help refresh your spirit morning and night.
  • 00:24:55.216 --> 00:24:58.887
  • It also makes a thoughtful gift to encourage a friend or
  • 00:24:58.887 --> 00:25:01.723
  • Loved one.
  • 00:25:01.723 --> 00:25:03.091
  • Request your copy of "encouragement for the heart of
  • 00:25:03.091 --> 00:25:05.360
  • A disciple" when you give a generous gift to support the
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  • Ministry of "pathway to victory" or when you become
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  • A pathway partner.
  • 00:25:11.399 --> 00:25:12.734
  • With your ministry gift of $100 or more, we'll send you the
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  • Encouragement resource set containing the new devotional,
  • 00:25:16.638 --> 00:25:19.975
  • Six clutter-free prayer cards, the clutter-free christianity
  • 00:25:19.975 --> 00:25:23.578
  • Book and life application guide, and the seven marks of
  • 00:25:23.578 --> 00:25:27.015
  • A disciple message series on both cd and dvd.
  • 00:25:27.015 --> 00:25:30.652
  • Thank you for supporting "pathway to victory."
  • 00:25:30.652 --> 00:25:33.188
  • Your generous partnership helps us impact you and your family
  • 00:25:33.188 --> 00:25:36.758
  • And a nation in deep spiritual need with the transforming truth
  • 00:25:36.758 --> 00:25:40.762
  • Of god's word.
  • 00:25:40.762 --> 00:25:44.032
  • Jeffress: if you're going to have a transformed heart, you
  • 00:25:44.099 --> 00:25:46.801
  • Need to have a praying heart, and i hope these four practical
  • 00:25:46.801 --> 00:25:50.872
  • Measures will help you develop the discipline of prayer in
  • 00:25:50.872 --> 00:25:54.609
  • Your life.
  • 00:25:54.609 --> 00:25:55.944
  • They've certainly helped me.
  • 00:25:55.944 --> 00:25:57.779
  • Well, i'm inviting you to join me again next time because we're
  • 00:25:57.779 --> 00:26:01.216
  • Going to examine mark number two, an obedient heart.
  • 00:26:01.216 --> 00:26:05.654
  • As a christian, obedience is not an option.
  • 00:26:05.654 --> 00:26:08.690
  • So how do we move past the barriers that hold us back from
  • 00:26:08.690 --> 00:26:12.527
  • Fully obeying god?
  • 00:26:12.527 --> 00:26:14.629
  • Stay tuned for a preview of what's coming up next in our
  • 00:26:14.629 --> 00:26:17.198
  • Series, "seven marks of a disciple."
  • 00:26:17.198 --> 00:26:21.636
  • Jeffress: somehow, belief in jesus is essential for
  • 00:26:21.636 --> 00:26:25.306
  • Salvation, but obedience to jesus is optional.
  • 00:26:25.306 --> 00:26:31.913
  • We give people the idea that you can trust in god to take care of
  • 00:26:31.913 --> 00:26:36.284
  • You in the next life without trusting him enough to obey him
  • 00:26:36.284 --> 00:26:41.856
  • In this life.
  • 00:26:41.856 --> 00:26:43.992
  • But jesus never gives us that option.
  • 00:26:43.992 --> 00:26:47.328
  • Male announcer: set your dvr and join us next time for the
  • 00:26:47.328 --> 00:26:49.764
  • Message "developing an obedient heart" here on "pathway
  • 00:26:49.764 --> 00:26:53.435
  • To victory."
  • 00:26:53.435 --> 00:26:55.170
  • Male announcer: witness god's glory on display in america's
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  • Last frontier.
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  • To victory" cruise to alaska.
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  • June 13 through 20, 2026.
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  • To book your cabin, call... or go to ptv.org.
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