Episode 28: Praying Powerfully: How to Ignite a Life-Changing Prayer Life

Jacob Paul: Welcome to the Truth in Love podcast with your hosts, Kimberly Faith and John Mac. The Truth in Love podcast seeks to present God’s timeless truth through the lens of his remarkable love.

Kimberly Faith: Welcome back to the Truth in Love podcast, and I’m here with two of my faves. I mean, mom and dad.

John McLarty: It’s great to be here.

Lynn McLarty:  You’re one of our faves.

Kimberly Faith: Good to know. That’ll be some intel we don’t share with the other sibs. Well,  I’m glad that mom that you could join us because in our family, you are known as the prayer warrior, and this podcast is about praying powerfully. And, some of you who are listening to this podcast know that this has been for me the year that God has laid on my heart to learn to pray powerfully. And, mom has always been a good example of that. And I think, dad, this is kind of something you’ve been doing this year too.

John McLarty: I have. I have a new energy in my prayer life.

Kimberly Faith: Yeah. Well, I am ashamed to say that I have never had my prayer life, like my  prayer life has never been energized like it is now. And it’s coming alive in a way that I just think it’s so important to share with people because that’s why we were actually talking about before the podcast what we should call this, the title. And the reason that I really wanted to do praying powerfully is because it’s something that I’m experiencing, and, dad, you’re experiencing. 

At least for me, it’s for the first time. And that’s very hard for me to even admit as having been a Christian for many years.

John McLarty: No.  I would agree that that’s happening in my life.

Kimberly Faith: Okay.

John McLarty: And it’s so, I’ll just start off with this. The Christian life is so amazing. Lynn and I have been saved for around forty nine years. In fact, this summer will be fifty years of salvation and  we just had our fiftieth anniversary of marriage. But the Christian life is so deep. I’m just thinking of the word of God. Everything is in the word as deep as we want to get. But when we first are saved, we’re just learning maybe the Bible stories.

Kimberly Faith:  Right.

John McLarty:  But then there’s no end to the  depth to it. I mean, one of my new depths is the heart of the apostle Paul. So I won’t get into it just right now, but my prayer life from being first saved to now is just, you know, been up and down and deeper. And then, you know, through my college years, I would say it got real weak.  But it’s just experiencing this new depth, and it’s just like maybe there’s no bottom. It’s just like you can go as deep with God in his word or in prayer or in service as we want to go.

Kimberly Faith: Yeah. It kind of reminds me of, you know, if you’re born into a royal family, right, and you’re a baby, and you never learn how to converse with the power of the throne, your father. Right? Then you never take full advantage of that place that you’ve been given. And as I feel like I’m growing into that. That’s like and it’s really powerful to see God answering prayers. And so we want to talk about that, what that looks like. And, mom, I know you have a lot to say.

Lynn McLarty: I just want to say one thing that dad’s saying that, he’s experiencing something new and you are too. But I’ll just say from a perspective, an old prayer warrior. That I’ve experienced this close walk with the Lord in this, kind of exuberating prayer life, but there’s times still that we go back downhill to our old ways.

And I say I’d say that for me and this is why, this is kind of timely, this podcast, because I would say my prayer life has been down at the bottom of the pit lately. And this morning, I just thought I am going to grandma’s house and get with the Lord. So it took me, kind of just kind of a reset. 

Kimberly Faith: Yeah. 

Lynn McLarty: And I experienced, I’d say, a tiny reset this morning of my prayer life, and it kind of was like an appetizer. It made me want more. 

Kimberly Faith: Right. 

Lynn McLarty: So I’d say that, you know, you think you  kind of reach a pinnacle of your prayer life, but just beware. Satan wants to pull us out of that and back into the ditch where we’re not having any

Kimberly Faith: Right. It’s like anything else in life, a discipline. 

Lynn McLarty: It’s a discipline.

Kimberly Faith:  Yeah. Well,  my inspiration, and I think we’ve mentioned this on an earlier podcast was, I think it was also with dad is a sermon we heard. And, we’re both visiting another church, but I’ll tell you when I started getting into God’s word, the inspiration was magnified by John 14:3 and 4, where Jesus said, whatever you ask in my name, that I will do, that the father may be glorified in the son. If you ask anything in my name, I will do it. And, you know, what I kept thinking about and one of the prayers that I pray, I call God out on this. You know?

Because it’s like, wait a minute. Anything? And as God has changed the desires of my heart to be more like his desires, meaning that none would perish.

Lynn McLarty: Right.

Kimberly Faith: Right? That people will be discipled.

Lynn McLarty: That’s it.

Kimberly Faith: Then I’m calling him out on this. You said, God, that the effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much. So create in me a clean heart. You know, show me what I need to change. I’m willing to change whatever I need to change, and then you need to just take the power of heaven and earth into all these people that I’m mentioning and send your spirit, plant your word, send a person, and bring them to you because you said ask anything in my name, and I’ll do it. You know?

Lynn McLarty: And it’s according to his will because his desire is that none should perish.

Kimberly Faith: That’s right.

Lynn McLarty: That all should come to repentance. So when we’re praying for not only lost souls, but praying for those that we know have served the Lord and maybe they’ve kind of wandered away.

Kimberly Faith: Or people we don’t know if they’re saved.

Lynn McLarty: That’s right. 

Kimberly Faith: They have a profession, and they, you know, don’t know.

Lynn McLarty: We want them to be fruitful. 

Kimberly Faith: Yes. 

Lynn McLarty: I’m praying that all of our brothers and sisters that know the Lord would be fruitful in their life.

Kimberly Faith: That is one of my prayers as well.

Lynn McLarty: And those that don’t know the Lord would come to know the Lord.

Kimberly Faith:  Right. 

Lynn McLarty: So they can be fruitful.

Kimberly Faith:  Right.

John McLarty: And that’s from the word. The Lord tells us to pray for souls

Lynn McLarty: Yeah.

John McLarty: That he’s not willing that any should perish, but he’s also he says pray for laborers. And that’s what we’re talking about. 

Lynn McLarty: Yeah. 

John McLarty: It’s praying for those that are saved to be laborers. So anything from the word.

I mean, that’s kind of a guaranteed way to be whatsoever you ask in my name. 

Kimberly Faith: Right. 

John McLarty: Is if you’re praying from the word, and that’s something I’ve been experiencing lately. Some of my best prayers lately have been outside with my Bible open and just where I can talk out loud. And sometimes I’m talking out loud, and sometimes I’m not. Sometimes I’m reading the word. Sometimes I just go into prayer. There’s kind of that, to me, the combination of the word and prayer. And maybe even adding in more, more talking prayer. Because, I mean, just for me, if I’m praying silently, then also, I’m thinking about my to-do list.

Kimberly Faith: Right.

John McLarty: And whether, you know, oh, I need to make that phone call today.

Kimberly Faith: Right. Yeah.

John McLarty: But praying out loud adds that, a factor to my prayer life.

Lynn McLarty: But the Lord does direct our way. So not that, you know, to do list like what you’re buying at the grocery store necessarily, but that phone call that you can make to encourage a brother or sister in Christ. I’ve experienced that a lot in my prayer.

John McLarty: Right. No. I’m talking about 

Lynn McLarty: Yeah. I know. 

John McLarty: Praying silently. 

Lynn McLarty: Yeah. 

John McLarty: And the next thing, I’m just thinking about paying the utility bill. 

Lynn McLarty: Yeah.

Kimberly Faith:  Right. Right.

John McLarty: When I say my to do list, that’s usually a very secular to do list.

Kimberly Faith: Well, I’m thinking about and I agree, mom, with what you’re saying. There have been times I’ve been praying for a particular person, and God says, send them this text.

Lynn McLarty:  Yeah.

Kimberly Faith:  Right? In the middle of the prayer. And I just stop and do that. But I also agree with what dad’s saying. I have a hard time because my mind goes a million miles an hour with the crazy stuff that he, God’s got me doing. And there’s also the practical stuff like paying utility bill that just pops into your brain.

But I can’t get off this idea that when he says the effectual fervent prayer, that  when you’re fervent, you’re passionate, and you’re focused. If I want to run a race and win, I’m not just lackadaisically doing that. I am intense. And I think there’s when we understand and ask the Lord just to give us a a a great burden for souls. In other words, to see hell for what it is, to see the anxiety of people for what it really is, to remember our own anxiety that we experienced because we get comfortable. The fact is that God’s presence is good, and we get comfortable. We forget what the rest of the world is experiencing. So sometimes when I’m praying, like, just to get that effectual thing going, that fervent thing going, I’ll say, Lord, make me see the world like you do. 

John McLarty: Right.

Kimberly Faith:  Let me perceive people. These people that I’m praying for are not just a list. Like, the people that are on my prayer list that are lost. I know they’re lost. They are self professed atheists. You know? I’ll say, man, show them their desperate need. Show them the end of their life. Make them see that they’re not promised another minute. You know? These are the things that and, of course, the other big thing I’m  kind of doing is before I start praying at all.

Because I kind of have my prayer list in three categories. People who are my fellow laborers, people who I don’t know if they’re saved or, you know, they just or they need to just be coming back to Christ, and then people who are lost. And so I’m always asking the Lord before I approach each group, holy spirit, guide my prayer. And there are some days he wants me to pray for one person more than another person. Do you know what I’m saying? And he guides those prayers based on things I don’t even know about. So that’s what, do you guys experience that same kind of thing? 

John McLarty: I’ve just learned lately. I had the same experience as you did at the beginning of the year. Started a prayer list, a written prayer list, and that just helped me a lot

Kimberly Faith:  Right. 

John McLarty: Because it focuses my prayer so my mind doesn’t just wander off. But, this recently occurred to me. Instead of just launching into the prayer list, I need to kind of get my mind right with God. And it’s like, Lord, create in me a, you know, a clean heart, a right spirit. And then just the verse you read, the fervent prayer of a righteous man. And I just think, you know, not that we are to be self righteous or that we’re ever perfect, but that to express to the Lord that that’s our heart.

Kimberly Faith:  Yes. 

John McLarty: Be, you know, living a life focused on him and for him.

Kimberly Faith: Right.

John McLarty:  Because, you know, that’s contrary to our flesh.

Kimberly Faith: Right.

John McLarty: So, yeah, I’ve added that to my prayer just you might say a preamble to every prayer session.  Just, Lord, forgive me. I’m a sinner.  You know, you’re God. 

Kimberly Faith: Right.

John McLarty: I’m, you know, human.

Kimberly Faith: Well, and that’s when Jesus taught us to pray, it was our father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. And I think the prayer of Psalms 51, create in me a clean heart, oh Lord, and renew right spirit within me. I do the same thing. It’s like I’m coming before a holy God. And if I really want to be in his presence so that I am experiencing his presence,  I need to clean the slate. I need to clean the bugs off the window. Right? And that way, I’m going to get his view and his perspective on the prayer. So I love that, dad, that you, you know isn’t it crazy how if we will just ask God to teach us to pray, he shows us, okay. First thing you need to do is clean the bugs off the window. Right?

John McLarty: That’s a good example.

Lynn McLarty: That is a great example. Yeah. So you can see clearly.

Kimberly Faith: That’s right. Because if you’re like, the other day,  I was really tired. I only had, like, three hours of sleep, and I was trying to pray, and there, and I was just, like, in a clog. My brain was just, you know, ugh. And I was like, Lord, I want to connect with you.

Now if there’s something I did yesterday that I just am forgetting, besides the fact that I’m tired, I need you to just show me. He did just that. He’s so faithful. And I’m just like, oh my goodness. I am so sorry, Lord. You know what? That was just so wrong. I am so sorry. It was like my brain lit up. It was like you’re saying, well, I could see that window, and I could see God. And I was like, okay. I’m before the throne. I’m in the throne room, and let’s get to it. You know? It was just, like, so amazing. And then another thing God’s been showing me is to praise him and thank him before I start asking for things. You know?

Lynn McLarty: Yeah. 

Kimberly Faith: That just seems

Lynn McLarty: Come  with a thankful  heart.

Kimberly Faith: That’s right. 

Lynn McLarty: I liked what you said about seeing clearly because seeing people go into hell. I mean, hell is a reality.

Kimberly Faith: Right. 

Lynn McLarty: And to kind of visualize that if they’re not guaranteed another minute and you’re not guaranteed another minute, the person that’s praying. 

Kimberly Faith: Right.

Lynn McLarty:  Well, we need to be serious.

Kimberly Faith: Yes. 

Lynn McLarty: Sincere in our prayers because, I mean, if we visualize our neighbor is going to hell and they could die today 

Kimberly Faith: Right. 

Lynn McLarty: We’d be over there talking to them. 

Kimberly Faith: Right. 

Lynn McLarty: You know, reaching out to them.

Kimberly Faith: It was like, yesterday, dad and I went to walk Claire in the neighborhood, and, and we met this lady who was just visiting from Little Rock. And I just was kicking myself because I didn’t have a tract. They’re super sweet. You could tell she was kind of lonely. Didn’t you think she was a little bit?

John McLarty: Yes.

Kimberly Faith: And she just wanted to visit. Real sweet lady. And, we got back to the house, and all the way back, I kept thinking, I need to give her a tract. You know? And at the house, and I said, dad, I need to go back, walk back to her house, and give her a tract. He’s like, go ahead. He volunteered to watch Claire by himself. And, you know, I went back to her door. They were already inside and rang the doorbell.

John McLarty: I was wondering how that worked out.

Kimberly Faith: Yeah. And I just said and I don’t know. She may be saved. I don’t know. But this is what the holy spirit was doing, and it’s this urgency. Right? I kept thinking, what if this is the only time we meet her because she lives in Little Rock. Right? And I just said, hey. I said, I just had to come back, and I needed to share my story with you and give this to you. And she’s like, thank you so much. I mean, she’s just so

Lynn McLarty: Wow.

Kimberly Faith: Grateful. And I don’t know what the Lord is going to do with that. I don’t have to worry about that, though. That’s and you know what? The other thing is when I hand out tracts, those people go on my prayer list. I have a

Lynn McLarty: That is a  great idea.

Kimberly Faith: A section of my prayer list, people I’ve given tracts to. And some of them are in there, some of them I don’t know.

John McLarty: Right. 

Kimberly Faith: But you know what? How is that seed going to be watered and 

Lynn McLarty: Yeah. 

Kimberly Faith: And everything? If we aren’t praying.

John McLarty: Well, that kind of brings up a good question, maybe to explore  in a different podcast, but prayer being a two way street. Because Lynn and I were talking earlier about Jesus went off to a mountain to pray, and then there’s one reference where he spent all night in prayer. And you just, a lot of times when we’re praying, it’s we pray, and then the Lord speaks to us. And then we pray, and he speaks to us. So just this example yesterday, you felt that you needed to go back.

Kimberly Faith:  Right. 

John McLarty: So I think prayer is that two way conversation.

Lynn McLarty: Listening.

John McLarty: When Lynn and I are talking, it’s just, one of us isn’t doing all the talking.

Kimberly Faith: Right.

John McLarty: So it’s kind of talking to the Lord and then listening to the Lord. And then he directs us. He directs our steps.

Kimberly Faith: He does direct us.

John McLarty:  If we let him.

Kimberly Faith: This brings up a really good point, dad, because a lot of younger Christians that I disciple, they’ll say, how do you hear God speak? And how do you know it’s him? You know? And, I don’t know, I have some thoughts about that, but I’d be very interested to know what your thoughts are about that question.

John McLarty: I can tell you how the mechanism works in me.

Kimberly Faith: Okay. 

John McLarty: Just using that example, if the Lord’s speaking to me, like, go back to that person. Lynn and I had an experience where we were driving away from a guy at a little rest area in a truck, and the Lord was telling me to go give him a tract.

Kimberly Faith: This was where mom was hiding in the truck because she was scared to see what’s going on.

John McLarty: Right. And I was resisting. And then I got this feeling as I was driving away that if I did not turn around and go back and give him a  tract, that I would have this awful feeling of kind of grieving the Holy Spirit  And that it would not go away. And that was the Lord speaking to me.

Kimberly Faith : Right.

John McLarty: But it was like this grieving of the Holy Spirit, and it wasn’t relieved until I turned around. And I said, I need to go give him a tract.  And I won’t get into the whole story, but we shared it with you. It’s this person that we knew forty nine years ago, this kid, this child of the people we were close to that you  used to play with. And he was down in a little rest area on the White River. There’s this amazing connection that God wanted to happen.  I guess I’m kind of stubborn. Instead of just like this positive leading all the time.

Kimberly Faith:  Right. 

John McLarty: The Lord’s telling me and I’m just struggling with it like I’m leaving the situation, and the Lord’s like, you need to give him a tract. You better, you better if you don’t want this unpleasant, you know, this non path of peace all day long.

Kimberly Faith:  Right.

John McLarty: You just go settle this. Just go settle this right now.

Kimberly Faith: Yeah. 

Lynn McLarty: Well, I was thinking how my husband and I have been married for fifty years. We can almost read each other’s thoughts. 

Kimberly Faith: Right.

Lynn McLarty: So I would say the more that you learn to spend time with the Lord. And hearing the Lord and being in his word being in his word, you’re learning how he thinks. 

Kimberly Faith: Right. 

Lynn McLarty: Because that’s his letter to us. And then the more you experience that, like, if dad were unhappy with me. I don’t know how to tell you how I know that. I just know it.

Kimberly Faith:  Right. 

Lynn McLarty: So it’s just, just if it’s like what, my husband just explained is that he could tell that the Lord was grieved.

Kimberly Faith:  Right.

Lynn McLarty: So I would say the more you engage the Lord, and go before the throne, the more you hear his voice because you 

John McLarty: That’s a  perfect example.

Kimberly Faith:  Yeah.

John McLarty: You know? 

Kimberly Faith: Yeah.

John McLarty: Spending time with anybody develops the relationship. 

Kimberly Faith: Right.

Lynn McLarty: And then you kind of know their mind, how they think. 

John McLarty: Yeah.

Kimberly Faith: It’s almost a nonverbal language sometimes. Right. It’s so interesting, because both of what you’ve just said are also ways that I hear the Lord. With new Christians, a lot of times, I’ll tell them, you don’t need to look for the precise special revelation. You need to be in God’s word and spending time with him, learning how he thinks.

Lynn McLarty: Right.

Kimberly Faith: Because 95% of what we’re supposed to do and what he wants to tell us is in his word. He made it real easy for us to know this.

Lynn McLarty: Right.

Kimberly Faith:  And then the other 5% is when we learn to pick up that nonverbal signal across the room to someone we know really well. I think the big problem, at least for my life, was the reason I didn’t hear God for so many years, like I do now, is because I was praying to the wrong god. And when I say that, when we hang on to any sin and think we’re better, our way is better than God’s way, whether it’s just an independence from God too. Then who are we really praying to? For example, let’s just use a real exaggerated example. If I say, you know, I am going to shack up with my boyfriend. Okay? And that the, you know, that I think that that rule of the Bible about fornication is a bad rule, and I don’t agree with that. Right? So I’m just going to  disregard that part of God’s word. Well, then I’m praying to the God who thinks it’s okay to shack up. And who is that God, and what can he do for me?

John McLarty: That’s a good example.

Kimberly Faith: I mean, isn’t that what we’re really

John McLarty: That’s not the God of the Bible or the God of reality.

Kimberly Faith: No.

John McLarty: It’s a manufactured god that

Kimberly Faith: That’s right.

John McLarty: Lets you do what you want to do. 

Kimberly Faith: And that applies to and even the small things. I mean, if I know that, you know, gluttony is a sin. And I continue to imbibe and just, you know, overeating constantly. I’m disobeying God. I’m disobeying his word, and I’m praying to the God who thinks that’s okay. And in Christian circles, you know, there are these white sins. I hate to say it that way, but you know what I mean? The sins that we give each other pass on because we’re not drinking, we’re not, you know, we’re not whatever. Whatever the big sins that any church would think is, you know, sleeping around, whatever. But God doesn’t see it that way, and we have got to get his perspective if we are going to hear him.

Lynn McLarty: Yeah.

Kimberly Faith: The God of the universe, the God that thought we were worth dying for. Then we’re going to have to do things his way if we want him to answer our prayers his way.

Lynn McLarty: I just thought of something, Kim, that is kind of so connected to all of this, is to God be glory in the church. So if we’re having a ministry that we’re not connecting back to the church, We’re not giving God glory in the church. In other words, if we’re Christian outside of the unit. And we’re, you know, you see all these radio ministries and these that you know, it all goes back to doing things God’s way.  So we can’t be disconnected from the place he’s set up to give glory.

Kimberly Faith: His bride.

Lynn McLarty: His bride.

Kimberly Faith:  Right. 

Lynn McLarty: And out here listening to all these other voices. It’s kind of like listening to things outside of God’s word.

Kimberly Faith: Right.

Lynn McLarty:  You know? Anyway, that’s just a thought.

John McLarty: That’s a good example because it’s, you know, the Bible says forsake not the assembly of yourselves together.

Lynn McLarty:  Right. 

John McLarty: So it’s a lot of, you know, Christendom today. I just hear this. So I’m going to go have church on the lake today.

Lynn McLarty: Right.

John McLarty: Let’s just go and then they’re going to have prayer and

Kimberly Faith: And there’s nothing wrong with having gatherings with people and doing things like that. It’s not that at all. We are commanded to do certain things, to be baptized, which is to identify with the body of Christ. Right? And to be, in a true New Testament local church where we are serving the Lord in community, which is so important. 

Lynn McLarty: Right. 

Kimberly Faith: You know, how are we going to  learn how to lead a prayer with somebody else if we’ve never prayed with somebody or been taught by somebody how to pray? 

Lynn McLarty: Right. 

Kimberly Faith: It’s discipleship that happens in the church.

Lynn McLarty: Right.

Kimberly Faith:  And, you know, I mean, and that doesn’t mean it all looks the same. You know, my ministry, I go to church and my church is in Fayetteville, Arkansas, and I have a complete discipleship ministry 200 miles away in Yeah. Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri. You know? And then all over the world through this website. 

Lynn McLarty: Right. 

Kimberly Faith: But it’s like, it’s that’s a unique and wonderful thing about God. He has a plan that’s so far above our plan.

Lynn McLarty: Yes. I agree.

John McLarty: It goes back to the effective, fervent prayers of a righteous man. I just want to be so careful. We’re not you know, it’s not self righteousness or holier than thou, but we can’t just be blatantly, knowingly violating

Kimberly Faith: : Right.

John McLarty: God’s obvious, you know, the word. 

Kimberly Faith: Right. 

John McLarty: And then, like, expect our prayers to be answered. 

Lynn McLarty: Right.

Kimberly Faith: Well, it’s like, you know, if I came in to your house and violated all your house rules

Lynn McLarty: Yeah.

Kimberly Faith: And then said, hey. Could you fix me a nice meal?  Man, it’s just dumb. Who does that? Nobody wants that. Nobody wants that, you know? And God’s got his rules. And his rules are for our benefit

Lynn McLarty:  Right. 

Kimberly Faith: And for his glory. I think about First Peter. It says, the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and his ears are open to their prayers. But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil. Man, you wonder why God isn’t answering your prayers? You know, which God are you praying to?

Lynn McLarty: Yeah.

Kimberly Faith: You know, because the God that created everything is righteous, and you bring up this thing about righteousness, and it’s not self righteousness. Its self righteousness is sin, and Jesus made that very clear. The way he talked to the Pharisees and the scribes. I mean, he was downright rude to them, you know, because he hated their hypocrisy, and they were trying to make themselves gods. Right? And that’s what we do when we become self righteous.

Lynn McLarty:  Yeah. 

Kimberly Faith: You know? It has to be God’s righteousness. Like, you know, this lady came to me today, and she goes, how do you practice law? I know about this podcast and those other things and blah blah blah. And I’m like, I don’t. I totally don’t. This is all God.  I just am the tool. 

Lynn McLarty: Yeah. 

Kimberly Faith: You know? And that is true. And when we, even in prayer, so often when Jesus said, our father who art heaven, that means we’re coming to him like a child. You know? And if we don’t come to him like a child, we’re coming to him within our own self righteousness to hear ourselves talk.

Lynn McLarty: Yeah. 

Kimberly Faith: You know?

John McLarty: I love something you told us the other day once you started this prayer list. And it’s just so helpful, but you see prayers answered. And you see them on your list. 

Kimberly Faith: Yes. 

John McLarty: And you get to, oh, cross that one out. 

Kimberly Faith: So exciting. 

John McLarty: And that’s such a blessing. It feeds, kind of feeds itself to be

Kimberly Faith: It’s such a great cycle.

John McLarty: Praying and seeing God answer prayers and then 

Kimberly Faith: Yeah. 

John McLarty: Like, Lynn’s first prayer was that I get saved.

Kimberly Faith: Right. 

Lynn McLarty: That was my first prayer.

John McLarty: And we were saved the same day.

Kimberly Faith: And, you know, you went to God, I’m sure, like a like, in a very childlike way. Because you didn’t know anything.

Lynn McLarty:  I didn’t even know how to pray.

Kimberly Faith:  Right. 

Lynn McLarty: And she said, well, just pray like you’re talking to me. 

Kimberly Faith: Right. 

Lynn McLarty: And so I did. And I thought, well,

Kimberly Faith: It’s funny.

Lynn McLarty:  My heart was that my husband needed to get saved. I mean, I wanted him to experience what I just experienced. 

Kimberly Faith: Right.

Lynn McLarty:  So it was like, oh, Lord. You know? And it was trusting him.

Kimberly Faith: Yes.

Lynn McLarty: When I was praying, I was trusting that he would hear me.

Kimberly Faith: And it was so easy because it was like, oh, yeah. You know, I believe this because I just did. 

Lynn McLarty: Yeah. 

Kimberly Faith: I just was born again. 

Lynn McLarty: Yeah.

Kimberly Faith: You know, and you were set free from the crust bucketness of not believing. 

Lynn McLarty: Right.

John McLarty: So this was so interesting. So there’s the prayer of a new believer and it’s like a child. 

Kimberly Faith: Right. 

John McLarty: And you’re just believing. But then there’s that whole discipline and struggle and Satan knocks us off our game. And here we are, you know, forty nine years later, still exploring the depths of prayer.

Lynn McLarty:  Right. 

John McLarty: And just seeing, like, maybe chaotic circumstances or some bad you know, we get an unexpected bill or car, you know, car repair and knocks us off our game. And there’s just so much to stay and

Kimberly Faith: Right.

John McLarty:  You know, like Paul said, I fought the good fight.

Kimberly Faith: Yeah. You know, you said it knocks us off our game. You know, one of the prayers that I really have been just drilling home is I give God every day 100% of my law practice, 100% of my resources, 100% of my love. I have this list. I  want to give all this to you, Lord. It’s yours. And, oh, when the problems come up today, those are yours too.

John McLarty: That’s good.

Kimberly Faith: And so  and then  there’s a discipline though when the problem actually does come up. Okay. Wait. Wait. I’m not going to no. Stop, Kim. Stop trying to solve this problem. Lord, this is your problem, and you tell me what I need to do next. And you know what? He gives us that huge space of grace where we can just go out and do whatever else he’s got for us without letting that problem derail us.

John McLarty: And I think that’s kind of tied in,  a powerful prayer life is a surrendered life. Not that they’re whoever once we say we’re there, we’re done, we’re totally surrendered, we’re lying to ourselves.

Kimberly Faith: Right.

John McLarty:  And that’s, you know, a sin of pride. But if that’s our heart, then God wants to direct our prayer life. If our heart is in, oh, so you’re telling me to do this, I’ll go do it.

Kimberly Faith: Right. Yeah. It’s just it’s so you know, this podcast about praying powerfully, I’m sure this isn’t the only podcast we’re going to  do on this because I’m excited. I’m excited to see that the list of answered prayers are growing, and there’s nothing like success to fuel more success and especially when it’s God producing the success and not you. 

Lynn McLarty: Yeah.

Kimberly Faith: I had a prayer request. I’ve been praying for a particular person in my life. Well, actually, this person’s on our team and very specific prayer, very specific. And this week, it was answered. And I didn’t know. I didn’t hear from this person that it was answered. I heard from somebody else what had happened. And I mean, my spirit was just rejoicing. I knew and so I called the team member. I said, hey. I heard this happened. She goes,  oh, yeah. She goes I said, when did that happen? And, she told me, and I was like, did you know that day I had been praying specifically for this? And she goes, oh my goodness. I didn’t know that. I was like, I’m writing this one down. This is a big answered prayer. Man, you know, that makes me want to do, just put God to the test some more. Look. This is because what I was praying for was something that was really hurting her ability to minister, that it would be removed. And it wasn’t anything she was doing. It was just something kind of a  circumstance in her life. And I was just like, wow. God. That was big. What else you got?

John McLarty: It’s good.

Kimberly Faith: So, I guess, you know, well this is  good. I don’t want to make this a really long podcast. I just wanted to kind of share some of the things that God is doing for us in prayers and how he’s answering our prayers and how he’s working through his word to, to really help us engage.

Lynn McLarty: This could be like an appetizer.

Kimberly Faith: It could be like an appetizer. Yeah. Because I think sharing these experiences and sharing, you know, I have a very deep desire to share with people the things that like, my prayer list even, how I’m praying, and how God’s working through these prayers. But there’s really not one way to communicate to God.

John McLarty: Right.

Kimberly Faith: It all comes back to what you said, dad. Surrender. When we’re surrendered 100% to God, then you know what? He just does it all.

Lynn McLarty: Yeah. 

Kimberly Faith: I mean, we don’t make the universe run.

Lynn McLarty: And we don’t have to worry about the results.

Kimberly Faith: That’s right.

Lynn McLarty: God’s in control.

Kimberly Faith: Right.

Lynn McLarty: You know, I even think about our children. You know, God has given them to us. They’re not ours.

Kimberly Faith:  Right. 

Lynn McLarty: They’re his. So he’s responsible for the outcomes. I mean, we’re responsible to do our part in raising them, but then if we want to take credit for the good outcome of one of our kids, we better take credit for the bad outcome of our kids too.

Kimberly Faith:  Right.

Lynn McLarty: So we can’t pat each other on the back, pat ourself on the back. We just trust God for the outcome. It’s in his hand.

Kimberly Faith: That’s right. And that goes back to, you know, the verse in First Corinthians. It’s so whether you eat or drink, whatever you do, do all for the glory of God. I cannot take credit for painting the Monet. I didn’t paint it. I cannot take credit for my own life. God gave it to me.

He gave me my life. He gave me eternal life. He’s given me breath. He’s given me resources. He’s given me time. He’s given me people. He’s given me ministry, and it’s not mine, and it’s not my responsibility. I just surrender and then watch him do it.

John McLarty: That’s a great point. I was just thinking his mercies are renewed daily. And anything any of us has said today, that sounds good

Kimberly Faith: Yeah.

John McLarty: That sounds like we’re doing something good. We’re handing somebody a tract or surrendering, it’s because of him. 

Kimberly Faith: That’s right.

John McLarty: It’s because we have his new nature.

Kimberly Faith: Right.

John McLarty: And so he gets all the glory. 

Lynn McLarty: Right.

Kimberly Faith:  And that’s what the attitudes of Christ absolutely teach us. 

John McLarty: Right. 

Kimberly Faith: You know, it starts with poor in spirit. I am nothing without you. And, to quote one of Jeanne Champagne’s song, Jesus reduced me to love. Right? I am nothing. Jesus reduced me to love. So it’s really just so incredible to pray powerfully. And you know, if you’re listening to this podcast and you are struggling with your prayer life, I hope that there’s something that we’ve said, that helps you to engage because I know for me, for years, it was because I was praying to the wrong god. I was holding on to things I knew were wrong. And so it was just a sense of omission, laziness, you know, with my prayer life. Well, just being lazy in my prayer life when the Bible says pray without ceasing. I mean, who and what kind of god am I praying to? You know? So, mom, dad, last words.

John McLarty: So a blessing doing this with you, Kim.

Kimberly Faith: Yeah. Well ,I 

John McLarty: Need to do more.

Kimberly Faith: I appreciate you, mom joining us on this podcast. And, mom, you’re the example in my life of powerful prayer, and I appreciate that.

Lynn McLarty:  Well, you’re an answer to my prayer.

Kimberly Faith: I love that. Well, it’s good to be the answer to prayer. And you’ve been listening to the Truth in Love podcast, and I hope that if you need any help with prayer, that you’ll reach out to us at gofaithstrong.com. But, we pray that your week is amazing and that God just gives you all the fruit that you were intended to bear this week as you live for Jesus.

Jacob Paul: You’ve been listening to the Truth in Love podcast with your hosts, Kimberly Faith and John Mac. To discover more answers to the big questions in life, visit us at gofaithstrong.com.