“Preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching.” (2 Tim. 4.2 ESV)

The above passage is a command, not a suggestion! 

You must preach the Word, and do so “in season and out of season”. That means you must be ready (prepared) to do it any time, whether it’s convenient or not. 

But what if you cannot preach?

You may say that this command doesn’t apply to you because you cannot “preach”. But, preaching comes in many different forms, methods, styles and formats. The dictionary defines preach this way: “to make a speech about religion in a church or other public place; to deliver a sermon; to write or speak about (something) in an approving way; to say that (something) is good or necessary.” Preaching can be verbal, written, acted out, illustrated, taught, explained with visual art or music. It can be personally demonstrated and explained in many different ways. St Francis of Assisi, the Italian Catholic friar, church deacon and preacher, said, “Preach the gospel at all times and if necessary, use words.” The obvious point he was making is that you don’t have to actually speak out the message verbally to share the gospel. You can simply go about living your life in the best way possible so as to shine your light before others so they will see Christ. Jesus said it this way, “let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.” (Matt. 5:16 NIV)

Effective ways to “preach the Word”

Over the next few days I’m going to share a number of effective ways you can “preach the Word”, Beginning with how to share your testimony. 

“But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.” (Titus 3:4-7 ESV)

The above passage is loaded with many exciting and wonderful promises that we can claim personally and rejoice about! Just look at 12 of them! 

In this passage we learn…

1)     God is loving and kind to us.

2)     God has appeared to us as our savior. 

3)     God has saved us. 

4)     God saves us by His mercy and not by any works we have done. 

5)     God saves us by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit. 

6)     God has poured out His Holy Spirit on us richly. 

7)     Jesus Christ is our Savior.

8)     He has justified us (the word justified means “just as if I’d never sinned”). 

9)     He has saved us by His grace (that’s unmerited favor). 

10)  We have hope.

11)  We are heirs with Jesus. 

12)  We have eternal life. 

Therefore…

“Oh, how abundant is your goodness, which you have stored up for those who fear you and worked for those who take refuge in you, in the sight of the children of mankind!” (Psalm 31:19 ESV)

“Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.” (Psalm 23:6 ESV)

“And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.” (Eph. 6:18 ESV)

What to do: 

 Don’t give up, keep thanking God for providing answers, and thank Him in all circumstances! “Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving.” (Col. 4:2 ESV) 

“Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” (1 Thess 5:16-18

Therefore…

Rely on the Spirit of God in prayer. This is a tremendous truth: “We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God’s will” (Rom. 8:26-27). We have the Spirit’s help in praying. At the times of our deepest depression or sorrow, those times when we feel that we “just cannot pray,” we have the comfort of knowing that the Holy Spirit is actually praying for us! What an amazing God we serve!

Quote:

“I think Christians fail so often to get answers to their prayers because they do not wait long enough on God. They just drop down and say a few words, and then jump up and forget it and expect God to answer them. Such praying always reminds me of the small boy ringing his neighbor's door-bell, and then running away as fast as he can go.” - E.M. Bounds

“Likewise, husbands, live with your wives in an understanding way, showing honor to the woman as the weaker vessel, since they are heirs with you of the grace of life, so that your prayers may not be hindered.” (1 Peter 3:7 ESV) 

What to do:

“Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord.  For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior. Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit in everything to their husbands.

Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish.  In the same way husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ does the church, because we are members of his body. “Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.” This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church. However, let each one of you love his wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband.” (Eph. 5:22-33 ESV)

How to love your spouse

“Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.” (1 Cor. 13:4-7 ESV)

“Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee, standing by himself, prayed thus: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get.’ But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’ I tell you, this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.” (Luke 18:10-14 ESV)

“For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride in possessions—is not from the Father but is from the world. (1 John 2:16 ESV)

 What to do:

“And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward.” (Matt. 6:5 ESV)

“But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.” (Matt. 6:6 ESV)

“You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions.” (James 4:3 ESV)

“Whoever closes his ear to the cry of the poor will himself call out and not be answered.” (Prov. 21:13 ESV)

What to do:

“And whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father also who is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.” (Mark 11:25 ESV)

Quote:

“God shapes the world by prayer. Prayers are deathless. The lips that uttered them may be closed to death, the heart that felt them may have ceased to beat, but the prayers live before God, and God's heart is set on them and prayers outlive the lives of those who uttered them; they outlive a generation, outlive an age, outlive a world.” - E.M. Bounds

“Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” (Matt. 6:10 ESV) 

And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever. (1 John 2:16 ESV)

 What to do:

“If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him” (James 1:5)

 Understanding God’s will 

“Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” (Rom. 12:2 ESV)

 Quote:

“In prayer we can approach God with complete assurance of His ability to answer us. There is no limit to what we can ask, if it is according to His will.” - John F. Walvoord

“If God doesn't want something for me, I shouldn't want it either. Spending time in meditative prayer, getting to know God, helps align my desires with God's.” - Philip Yancey

But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways. (James 1:6-7 ESV)

 What to do:

“And Jesus answered them, “Truly, I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what has been done to the fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and thrown into the sea,’ it will happen. And whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith.” (Matt. 21:21-22 ESV)

“And whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith.” (Matt. 21:22 ESV)

 Quotes:

“When the devil sees a man or woman who really believes in prayer, who knows how to pray, and who really does pray, and, above all, when he sees a whole church on its face before God in prayer, he trembles as much as he ever did, for he knows that his day in that church or community is at an end.” - R.A. Torrey

“Do not strive in your own strength; cast yourself at the feet of the Lord Jesus, and wait upon Him in the sure confidence that He is with you, and works in you. Strive in prayer; let faith fill your heart-so will you be strong in the Lord, and in the power of His might.” - Andrew Murray

“If I had cherished iniquity in my heart, the Lord would not have listened.” (Psalm 66:18 ESV)

There could be many reasons why prayers are delayed or hindered

Daniel 10:11:13 tells how God had answered Daniel’s prayer right away but the answer was delayed by satanic forces for 21 days. In the New Testament we read that the believer's battle is not against flesh and blood; but rather, “against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places” (Eph. 6:12). The world has always been a wicked place (1st John 5:19). Therefore, we do what old time followers have learned to do, continue to faithfully “pray through”. And we must learn what it is that  hinders prayer and do everything you can to fix things. Over the next few days we will look at things that can hinder or delay prayer and what to do.

Sin, iniquity, doing evil, will hinder prayer

“But your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden his face from you so that he does not hear.” (Isa. 59:2 ESV)

“For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and his ears are open to their prayer. But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.” (1 Peter 3:12 ESV)

What to do:

 “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9 ESV)

“If my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.” (2 Chron. 7:14 ESV)

Quotes:

“The greatest tragedy of life is not unanswered prayer, but unoffered prayer.” - F.B. Meyer

“Jesus hears us, and in His own good time will give an answer... He may sometimes keep us long waiting...but He will never send us empty away.” - J. C. Ryle