Are Those God's Instructions? (Pt.4) (310) - August 9 2025

As we learn more about God's instructions, it's important to not lean on our own understanding. We also learn that our prayers are more effective when we know God's will through the Word. When we know God's Word we can pray more effectively.

This program covers the following Scriptures from the Amplified Classic version (AMPC): John 1:1-3, Psalms 19:14, Hebrews 11:6, Hebrews 11:1-3, Colossians 1:13, Luke 6:43-46, Romans 12:2, Isaiah 55:6-11, Matthew 25:20-26, Matthew 7:7-8.      

Pastor Catrice teaches on this topic this week.

Transcript

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(Transcribed by TurboScribe.ai. Go Unlimited to remove this message.) Hey and welcome back to yet another episode of Touch of God. My name is Catrice and I'll be giving the message. We will be doing Are Those Gods Instructions Part 4. For those of you who are following along with us for this series, we do use the Amplified Classic in case you want to look up scripture or you're taking notes. That way you can get the full understanding of what we're reading from and be able to adequately follow along. Alright, so last time in Part 3 of Are These Gods Instructions, we talked about the gaining of wisdom in order to be able to know, follow, and carry out God's instructions. We also went into a little bit of activity that when you're trying to find God's instructions, you want to make sure that it is indeed God's instructions that you're following. You want to look up the topic that you are trying to understand in the Bible. And number three, apply what the Bible says to your life by praying over yourself the benefits and instructions of the scripture. And you're inserting your name where you see blessings being declared or pertinent information that can pertain to you, just to keep that in mind for your blessing. And this week for Part 4 of Are Those Gods Instructions that you're following, we will be looking at your prayers and gaining wisdom and understanding in what we pray. What does this mean? Well, I have a story to better explain what this means. There was a family who went to an African restaurant. The father says to his daughter, you can have whatever you want. The girl looks around with a smile and says, I want, I want a bagel. A bagel is traditionally an American breakfast food. It wouldn't be in an African restaurant. In this African restaurant, she would need to order a goosy soup or fufu or even cassava, things like that. The child does not know how to ask her father for the right thing because she lacks wisdom and understanding. Sometimes we all have been like this. The things we ask and pray are not things that God's nature and character would do. So that's just an example. So let's look at some other examples of things that people would ask the Lord for that perhaps they're asking without full understanding of who God is. One of them would be, Lord, I am cheating on my wife. Can you bless the affair that I am having? Another, Lord, force this man to love me because he hates me. And that's as far as like a relationship of romantically wanting someone to love you. Another, Lord, these people won't give me money. Can you strike them down? And lastly, Lord, I have gone to a witch doctor to get pregnant. Please make their spells work. So we must set ourselves up to pray effectively using the wisdom, knowledge, and understanding in the Bible. This is why the scripture from Romans 12 verse 2 about renewing your mind to know what is the good and perfect will of God is so important. Here are some other things that we must do. Setting ourselves up to pray with faith effectively to get results. Understanding the source of your prayers and heart posture behind your prayers. Praying God's will and pursuing Jesus. When we are setting ourselves up to pray with faith effectively to get results, we are asking ourselves, are those God's instructions? We need to understand that when trying to follow his instructions in order to get results, we need to follow the Lord's instruction manual he left us. That instruction manual is the Bible. When we follow the Word, we are following God. Let's go to John 1 verse 1 to 3. In the beginning, before all time was the Word, Christ. And the Word was with God, and the Word was God himself. Verse 2. He was present originally with God. Verse 3. All things were made and came into existence through him, and without him was not even one thing made that has come into being. So we can understand that if we are praying, we have to pray by faith because faith formed the things that are in this world. So we definitely want to use faith. Let's go to Psalms 19 verse 14. Let the word of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, my firm impenetrable rock and my Redeemer. So if we are praying to the Lord, we learn that we want to pray in faith. We want to use his Bible, the instruction manual that he left, and in order to be pleasing to God, we have to desire to want to do what he's telling us to do. Let's go to Hebrews 11 verse 6. But without faith it is impossible to please and be satisfactory to him. For whoever would come near to God must necessarily believe that God exists and that he is the rewarder of those who earnestly and diligently seek him. So if we're coming near to God, we want to be pleasing to him and we want to be earnestly seeking him, right? Because it's impossible to please him without faith. So we have to understand what is faith if we're going to be praying in faith. And that takes us to Hebrews 11 verse 1. Noun faith is the assurance, the confirmation, the title deed of things we hope for. Being the proof of things we do not see and the conviction of their reality. Faith perceiving as real fact what is not revealed to the senses. For by faith, trust, and holy fervor born of faith, the men of old divine testimony born to them and obtained a good report. By faith we understand that the world's during the successive ages were framed, fashioned, put in order, and equipped for their intended purposes by the Word of God so that what we see was not made out of things which are visible. So faith is believing in something that is not there. We're having faith in something that's not there and we're believing until it does exist. This is just part of what we are wanting to do, what we need to do in order to have successful prayers that get answered. Another thing that we need to do in order to understand if these are God's instructions is understanding the source of your prayers and heart posture behind your prayers. The things we say and pray need to be within the character and nature of God. We would learn this from renewing our minds. Why? Because who you see God as can affect how you pray. If you have unforgiveness towards God, if you don't see him as anything, if you're trying to maybe just get money from God, if the true intent of your heart is to do evil, all of these things can affect your prayer life because it's a hidden agenda that's hidden in your heart and it's the true thing that you are praying. Not the words of your mouth, but it's the true thing that you are praying because it's in your heart. Let's go to Colossians 1 verse 13. The Father has delivered and drawn us to himself out of the control and the dominion of darkness and has transformed us into the kingdom of the Son of his love. Once saved, we no longer belong to the kingdom of darkness. This means we should no longer speak like that kingdom, look like that kingdom, or think like the kingdom of darkness. We no longer hold on to the characteristics of darkness. From the point Jesus is Lord over your life, you want to begin to change areas in your life that resemble the darkness you were in. For example, your thoughts, your heart towards God, as we had previously discussed. If Jesus is not your Lord and Savior, you're just serving whoever gives you what you want. These are just some examples of intentions and thoughts of the heart. As you seek God, God's help for a breakthrough in your life through prayer. It all affects how you see God and your heart. According to the Bible, out of the abundance of your heart your mouth speaks. Luke 6 verse 45. For there is no good healthy tree that bears decayed worthless stale fruit, nor on the other hand does a decayed worthless sickly tree bear good fruit. For each tree is known and identified by its own fruit. For figs are not gathered from thorn bushes, nor is a cluster of grapes picked from a bramble bush. Verse 45. The upright, honorable, intrinsically good man, out of the good treasure stored in his heart, produces what is upright, honorable, and intrinsically good. And the evil man out of the evil storehouse brings forth that which is depraved, wicked, and intrinsically evil. For out of the abundance overflow of the heart his mouth speaks. So Jesus is saying, why do you call me Lord and do not practice what I tell you? So Jesus is saying that basically those who are trying to be good, they're producing good fruit, but those who maybe have hidden agendas in their heart, their fruit is coming out evil and they're saying, Lord, Lord, but really what's in their heart is causing them not to practice what the Lord has told them to do. Believe that Jesus is your Lord and Savior by conforming to his will and his ways so you can be blessed. Romans 12 verse 2. Do not be conformed to this world, this age, fashioned after and adapted to its external superficial customs, but be transformed, changed by the entire renewal of your mind, by its new ideals and its new attitude so that you may prove for yourselves what is the good and acceptable and perfect will of God. Even the thing which is good and acceptable and perfect in his sight for you. So we want to leave the world of darkness, which we were just saved from, and we were translated to the kingdom of light. And that's where we now want to grow, where there's the kingdom of light and we want all of our nature and characteristics to be from that kingdom. So we're nothing but doing everything from that source. And when we pray from that source, it's more effective. Let's go to Isaiah 55 verse 6 to 11. Seek, inquire for and require the Lord while he may be found, claiming him by necessity and by right. Call upon him while he is near. Let the wicked forsake his way and the unrighteous man his thoughts and let him return to the Lord and he will have love, pity and mercy for him and to our God, for he will multiply to him his abundant pardon. For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, says the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. For as the rain and snow come down from the heavens and return not there again, but water the earth and make it bring forth the sprout that it may give seed to the sower and bread to the eater. So shall my word be that goes forth out of my mouth. It shall not return to me void without producing any effect useless, but it shall accomplish that which I please and purpose and it shall prosper in the things for which I sent it. So as we're reading this, we're understanding only God's Word goes forth and accomplishes, not our opinion, not our thoughts, not our insight, but his Word. For this reason, pray the Word of God every chance that you can until your mind is completely renewed in Christ and you have the mind of Christ, then his ways are your ways. Let's move on to praying God's will and pursuing Jesus. Our goal here is to always be using God's instructions. And we've just learned that when we pray what the Bible says and we pray God's Word, it doesn't return void. This is why it's so important to follow this path and to pray God's Word when you're praying, because his Word is not going to return void. And in this process, this is why when something comes up in your life, remember there's nothing new under the sun. So you can go to the Word, you can look up that topic and then pray God's Word because praying his Word doesn't return void, right? And this way we're having more effective prayers as we're going forth. So we're going to look at a story in Matthew 25, verse 20 to 25. And he who had received the five talents came and brought him five more saying, Master, you entrusted to me five talents. See here, I have gained five talents more. His master said to him, well done, you upright, honorable, admirable and faithful servant. You have been faithful and trustworthy over a little. I will put you in charge of much. Enter into and share the joy, the delight, the blessedness, which your master enjoys. Verse 22. And he also who had the two talents came forward saying, Master, you entrusted two talents to me. Here I have gained two talents more. His master said to him, well done, you upright, honorable, admirable and faithful servant. You have been faithful and trustworthy over a little. I will put you in charge of much. Enter in and share the joy, the delight, the blessedness, which your master enjoys. Verse 24. He who had received one talent also came forward saying, Master, I knew you to be a harsh and hard man reaping where you did not sow and gathering where you had not winnowed the grain. So I was afraid and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here you have what is yours. But his master answered him, you wicked and lazy and idle servant. You did indeed know that I reap where I have not sowed and gathered grain where I have not winnowed. So you can see the heart posture of this servant and that he knew him as a hard task master. So how you see God is what you'll receive. If you see him as a hard task master, then that is what you receive. Why? Because what you ask in the name of Jesus, you receive. What are you asking? What are you looking for? Let's go to Matthew 7 verse 7 to 8. Keep on asking and it will be given you. Keep on seeking and you will find. Keep on knocking reverently and the door will be open to you. Verse 8. For everyone who keeps on asking receives and he who keeps on seeking finds. And to him who keeps on knocking the door will be opened. So we can see in the story that I had just told you that the servant who saw Jesus as a hard task master, because his mind thought like that and he was still from the kingdom of darkness with this thinking in this manner, then that thinking affected how he worked and he didn't produce anything because he was thinking that the Lord was hard. But remember what you reap you will sow. So he reaped a hard punishment because he produced hardness towards the Lord. And so we want to watch our heart posture, what we're thinking towards the Lord, what's really in our heart. Is there unforgiveness towards someone? Is there unforgiveness towards God? Because remember what you're reaping you will sow, which is what you're sowing into other people. That's what's going to come back to you. So we want to just make sure that when we're praying or when our heart posture is pointed towards someone else or it's pointed towards God, we want to be praying God's Word. If you don't know what to say, it's better to not say anything or not take action towards someone until you know what God's Word says and you pray about it. That way you won't be reaping bad things by going and doing something on the spur of the moment or praying a certain way towards someone. You don't want to reap things that come from the spur of the moment in anger and frustration and offense. You want to pray and be slow to speak, slow to anger and return evil with love and pray for your enemies who use you. And so we're talking about how we see God can affect what we're saying and what we're doing. All of these things are important because we want to see God in a good light so we can produce good fruit as we just finished reading about in the scripture. We want to produce the good fruit. We don't want to produce the bad fruit and we want to multiply what God has given us by using the principles of prayer, by following his instruction manual so that we can do what God is wanting us to do. So let's just go over some quick applications as we are coming to a close. Whenever you're coming towards issues in life, always look up the Bible verse. Read the verse slowly. Look up any words you don't understand. Look in the Greek and Hebrew translations as well because they were the dialect of the original text. Ask the Lord for wisdom and understanding for what you are reading. I often pray that before I even read that way the Lord can download understanding into me before I even go forward. Apply the scripture to your life. We must be hearers and doers of the word and we want to carry out the word because of course we learned today that the word does not return void. Declare the scripture out loud over yourself, your family, your business, your home, your land, the area around your home, your finances. You want to declare the word over everything because the word does not return void. So we are learning how to pray more effectively so then we can understand whose instructions we are following. Are these God's instructions? But now you know when you're following what the Bible says and you're doing what the Bible says, then you're following what God has put forth for you and you can produce good fruit and you can pray effectively through faith so God can bless you. So I hope that you all learned something this week. God, I just thank you for just touching everyone, every person within the sound of my voice, God, that you would lift them up, that you would strengthen them to continue to walk forward, Lord. And I thank you, God, that you have given them authority to speak a thing and it will come to pass when they're speaking your word, decreeing and declaring over their lives, Lord, that your promises are yes and amen and your word shall not come back void, but it shall indeed accomplish what you please. God, I just thank you, Lord, for just blessing the work of their hand, blessing everything that they touch, blessing everywhere that their foot treads, God, that you would lift them up as they continue on your journey, Lord, that they would not grow weary in well-doing. I just thank you, Lord, that now that they have even another piece, another piece, Lord, of how to pray and how to pursue you and how to do the things of God. Lord, I pray that they pray over the streets and over the byways, over their loved ones, over the sick, the poor, the lame, the depressed, the suicidal, the drug addict, the prostitute. I thank you, Lord, that they pray over all of these people, decreeing and declaring your word over the streets and over the land that they live in, Lord. I just thank you, Lord, that you are empowering each and every one of them. We just bind up every demonic assignment against them right now in the mighty name of Jesus Christ. Every tongue that rises up against them, we condemn right now in the mighty name of Jesus. I just thank you, Lord, that you're blessing the work of their hand. Lord, anyone who is looking for a job, Lord, that you would give them innovative ideas, Lord, to find wealth, to create wealth, Lord, because your word says you've given us the ability to create wealth. And so I thank you, Lord, that you're giving them the ability to create wealth, Lord, so that your kingdom can be expanded upon this earth. I just thank you, Lord, that we just pray over the single mom who is at home taking care of the children, Lord, that you would uplift them, that you would strengthen them, Lord, that you would bless them financially, Lord. I just thank you, Lord, that never have the righteous been forsaken or begging for bread. And so I thank you, Lord, that you are increasing your people, God, that your word is not returning void and that the wealth of the wicked is saved up for the righteous. Thank you, God, for just loving your people. Thank you, God, for sending your son here and dying for our sins and paying for our healing. If there's anyone who has not taken Jesus as their Lord and Savior, it is never too late. There is a place for you in God's kingdom. God is faithful to forgive you when you come to him and you repent of your sins, completely turning away from your sins and turning towards God. God has plans for you, no matter what you've done, no matter where you've been. God loves you. And God wants you healed. He wants you saved. He wants you delivered from the kingdom of darkness to the kingdom of light. Thank you, God, for just lifting them up today. Thank you, God, that they would hear a new song, hear your scripture. Thank you, God, for just giving your people peace, peace and joy. May they put on the garment of praise, Lord. Thank you, God, that they have a glad heart and a glad mind. Thank you, God, for bringing them rest. For those who are weary, Lord, thank you, God, for a fresh touch of your presence and your anointing in their home, Lord, as they seek your face and they desire your word, Lord, because now they're walking in wisdom and knowledge of the authority and the inheritance that you left for them. For anyone who desired to have Jesus as your Lord and Savior, and you desired the things that I said, you can just repeat after me. Dear Lord Jesus, I know that I'm a sinner and I repent out of my heart for all of my sins. I know that you died for my sins and you rose again in three days. Lord, will you come into my heart? Will you be my Lord and Savior? Will you save me? Will you help me? Will you direct me? Lord, will you show me what it is in my life, Lord, that I am missing from you, Lord, because I desperately, desperately need you and nothing else will do. Lord, thank you for being my Lord and Savior. I forgive everyone in my life that I have an offense with, that I'm angry with, and I just let it all go, Lord, and I thank you, Lord, for your hand being upon me. Amen.