The 4 C's of Prayer Pt. 1

0:00 I am so excited about this. I want to welcome you to the Purpose Project podcast. During our time together, I will teach you how to pray, how to intentionally develop intimacy with your creator, and challenge you to discover and embrace your God-ordained purposes. I am your host, Margie Flarrant. My prayer for you today is that you will be empowered and strengthened in the Word of God to move forward into your destiny. I'm going to ask you to turn in your Bibles to Genesis chapter 3. I've never started at Genesis chapter 3 ever. I don't think ever. But this is, we have, do the best that I can to get the exact message for the body that I go to. And this is the path that we're going to take. I actually have four C's concerning prayer that I'm going to get into.

1:03 Genesis chapter 3. Why don't you, we go ahead and open up at verse 16. I want to talk to you first about confidence and prayer. I believe there's somebody in here that needs this word. I believe we're living in a time in a season where God, from what I hear from other people, but God is restoring to the church our identity, who we are, what we have, what we have been given. We live in a time, we live in a season, and I'm not being rude or disrespectful, but we are living in a time, we are living in a season where some of our services and some of our teachings are the Word of God, and that's absolutely needed, but sometimes it's just a lot of self-help psychology in our meetings.

2:03 And what I believe God wants to restore to the body of Christ is who we are in Christ. The Word of God, what does the Bible say about who I am in Christ? What is my standing before God? What does the Bible say about my authority as a believer? I mean, we can have all the self-help meetings we could possibly get, but that's not going to help us if we've got demon spirits that have come our way and are trying to sift us as we can take us out through our thought life. Some people don't even know that there is a devil, that not all their thoughts are their thoughts. Are you listening? It's called warfare. So we're living in a time, we're living in a season where God is, I believe, is going to restore the counsel of his Word and take the church out of a psychology self-help mentality and more in a dominion and ruling and reigning with Christ mentality. Are you listening to what I'm saying right now? I believe that the other ministries and the other churches that God has a plan for them, that they are the ones that open up the door to get people saved, open up the door to get people into church, open up the door to get people started, but you know that our relationship with God and our walk with God doesn't stop at salvation and self-help and how I can be a better person and how I can have favor and I can have all these things.

3:29 My friends, we're living in a time and we're living in a season where God is looking at his body and he's saying, can these bones live? You know, and I can sense that the Holy Ghost is seeing that the church, it's time for us to arise, it's time for us to stand up on our feet, and it's time for us to put on the full armor of God, and it's time for us to know who we are in Christ, it's time for us to speak the Word of God, and it's time for us to advance. We've been camping for a long time and camping is good, it's part of how it is in any natural army, it's okay to camp, camping is just important, that's that time and that season of resting and preparation, but I can see the body of Christ, it's time for us to stand up and it's time for us, as God told Joshua, it's time for us to take possession of the land, it's a season of advancement for the body of Christ, and what I can sense in my heart that the Spirit of God has been saying to many of us, he's saying, you know, I want to speak to the remnant, I want to speak to the remnant of my people that have lay aside every weight and every sin and have decided to follow me fully. Wasn't Caleb the guy that went down in Bible history as a man who followed God fully? Well, I don't know about you,

5:01 but every day when I get up, I want to follow God fully. I want to make my life count, I want to do something for God, everything else to me is sheer boredom, and that may sound like I'm a little out there, a little fanatical, she's a little too much, she's too heavenly minded that she's too earthly good, you know, she's no earthly good, you know, I don't really care anymore about any of that. For me to live the apostle Paul said is Christ. To die is gain. What we need to do is the remnant, which you are, you wouldn't be here. What we need to do is the remnant, we need to get equipped, we need to know who we are, and it's a time for us to advance, and God is speaking to his church, and he's calling the church to advance. Now, you're the remnant. Are you listening? Say, I'm the remnant. You're definitely the remnant. Who in their right mind on a Saturday morning would be in a church? Are you listening for a prayer meeting? Are you listening? You're the remnant.

6:06 You have decided to follow Jesus, no turning back. It's a be a lot easier for many of us to just lay in our beds and do nothing, but we are not of them that draw back. We are going to press in, and we're going to press on, and we're going to be everything that God has called us to do. I am, I am so ready for what God has. That's the beauty of those of you that have decided to be a house of prayer. You know, you're a house of prayer, so you've made prayer your ministry, so you wake up in the morning, and your life is purpose. Your purpose is not your job. Obviously, we need to make money to live, but your purpose is not your job. Your purpose is Christ. Your purpose is to be found in him. Your purpose is to be a house of prayer. You see beyond the natural, and you see into the spirit, and you see that God wants to do some great and mighty things with your generation, and you're just not satisfied. There is something stirring on the inside of the body of Christ, the remnant, and it's what I call a holy dissatisfaction. I am bored with everything else, except the things of God and the things that will advance his kingdom. Are you listening? That doesn't mean you don't go to school. That doesn't mean you don't have a career, but you'll move into your career. What will happen is you'll move into your career, and you'll do that thing for a while, but there'll come a time

7:39 when God will say, well done, you're good and faithful servant, separate unto me, so and so and so and so, for the work whereon to I have called them. And you'll say to yourself, it's time for me to go into that thing which God has called me from before the foundation of the earth, before I was ever formed in my mother's womb. God, you knew me, you ordained a plan for me. Yes, I did this thing for a while, but now it's time for me to fulfill the five-fold ministry that is on my life. There's nothing more miserable than a person who's got the five-fold ministry called on his life and is not walking in the light of it. The Bible talks about people like that even in revelations. You know, they've got money, they've got all kinds of goods, they have all kinds of houses, but then God looks at them and he says, but you're wretched and you're miserable because you've left your first love and you're not doing the thing that I've called you to do in the earth. I actually, it's interesting because you know how when you grow in God, you don't really realize how you're changing? Because you know prayer changes you first. And the Word of God will change you. We're not conformed to this world, but we're renewed by our minds. Are you listening? Isn't that true? So you don't realize that gradually you're being changed. You know now, you know, I'm 58. I don't know how old Angel is.

8:58 She's looking like she's all that. She's like about 30 something. I don't know what's going on with this girl. She's just going backwards. But you know what happens is, is that you know, you don't realize that you're changing, that God is changing you, that you were born in one way. You had some life circumstances that changed you in not a positive way. But you know, life is hard. Let's just face it. And if you get into like an abusive relationship or with Mr. or Mrs. Wackadoo who's verbally abusive to you, that will change you. Or if you are ever raised in an environment as a child and you were verbally abused or the parents didn't know how to speak life to you and spoke death and called you stupid and called you all kinds of names and they were mean to you, that changed you. Are you listening? Or if you were ever a child and you were abused sexually or physically, that changed you. So then as you grow up, what do we need? We need the word of God to change us back to how we were originally created in the beginning. Are you listening? Babies are born into this world with confidence. They're ready to take the world, but something changes them and it's called life. And sometimes relationships and all kinds of different things. You understand what I'm saying? So when I was growing up, I grew up with five brothers in an Italian home.

10:25 And you know, my brothers, their way of loving me was teasing me. They'd call me all kinds of names. I think some of you can relate. They'd say all kinds of things. I was never like sexually abused or anything like that. But verbal abuse is just as bad as getting hit by somebody. Are you listening? So I mean, just called me names. I was the sister and they play all kinds of tricks. And I was born into this world with a melancholy temperament. Do you know what your temperament is? If you're a young person, it'd be a good idea to find out what your temperament is because it helps you in life to understand your strengths and your weaknesses. And what happens is the devil knows what kind of temperament you are because he, you know, people make fun of the devil, but he's actually kind of smart. He's kind of smart. He's so smart that he deceived Adam and Eve in the garden.

11:25 Are you listening? So he's very subtle and he's very smart and the enemy is very patient. So the devil knows like your strengths and your weaknesses. So he says, okay, a melancholy temperament. I'm a double melancholy sanguae and the sanguae is actually my saving grace that manifests usually when I'm preaching the funny outward talkative person that normally I'm not in real life. But it's there. Thank God. But anyway, so you're born with that temperament. I was born with that temperament. And so I was a quiet person by nature ish. All the environment caused me to be even more quiet. And you know, Facebook opens up a lot of stuff. And you reconnect with a lot of people, correct? Well, maybe not the young people, they get connected, they stay connected. Yeah, those of us who are a little, you know, older, we connect with high school friends and people from, you know, way back. And one of my friends from high school said, she said, I couldn't even believe I can't even believe that you're the same person. She said, you were as quiet as a mouse in school.

12:36 And you've got to be kidding me. Yes, I was quiet. Afraid. You'd look at me and that you know, ever hear that saying she shrinks like a violent, I would shrink like a violent. Well, how is that possible that you could be what you are now when back then you were that it's called prayer changes things. Prayer changes you first. And the word of God will do the changing as well. God wants to wants you to fulfill the totality of the destiny that he has called you to fulfill. You've been created in his image and his likeness. You were formed in your mother's womb. You have the right personality. You have everything you need. You may have to go through some transformation because of some trials and tribulations in your life. But eventually, you're going to get to where you need to be. I don't know why I said all that. But I said all that because I said it. That was most off the cuff rabbit trail I have been on. Well, I can't say in a long time because you know, we just go with the flow. God's called you to be what you've called to be and just be who you are. But I just want you to know one thing. You're going to go on that path for a while and you're going to do what you need to do. But eventually, yeah, your gift will make room for itself and it's going to rise to the surface and you're going to start having a sense of destiny is calling me. I have got to change the path that I'm on, not because the other path was wrong. It's because all of that was for preparation

14:09 and then you're going to step into what I have called you to be and called you to do. And I am going to use you as my mouthpiece to your generation. So it's quite interesting in my mind how God can really change somebody and turn them into another person. As a matter of fact, the very first time that I spoke, I spoke, I was just, I just graduated from REMA. I think it was the 77 year or the 79 year. Not exactly sure, but the very first time I spoke, I was so scared I could hardly stand it. I would just get into prayer and I'd go, go God, please, anoint me, please, oh God, help Jesus, I can't do this. I would not have a three day seminar. Oh my God, help me, Jesus. You know, this is little Margie who's the shy, introvert, melancholy temperament. God, you've got to help me, God, Jesus, please, please. You know, it's back then before we knew who we were. We had the favor and all that and you know, blah, blah, blah. You know, I didn't know, I mean, I knew what I knew from REMA, but I didn't know everything, but you never know. I'll tell you what, I'll tell you, there's so much that is deposited in you when you go to school like that. That word doesn't return void, but anyway, I'm still begging because it wasn't had renewed my mind yet. Oh God, please, please, please, please, please, anoint me. And the very first time I got up, Holy Ghost fell on Acts 10, 44 and all of them that heard the word. God will confirm your calling. He will bring you before great men and it's the anointing that confirms that the call of God is on your life.

15:40 It's not about personality. Do you know that there's people in the ministry and they're in the ministry because they're good looking, number one, number two, they have a good personality and they know how to give a good speech. We're living in a time and we're living in a season where people want their ears tickled and they want their eyes to feel good and to like what they see and I'm telling you and I'm saying it, I say it because I don't really care because I got a husband. Him and God provide all my needs according to his riches and glory and I don't need anything from anybody except to obey God. I'm not a politically correct person at all. But do you know that we're living in a society now that you can't be over 35 and be a pastor? People don't want the over, anybody that's over 35 and you got to be good looking, you got to have the right clothes, you got to have the right look. You think I'm kidding? Am I kidding?

16:45 But there are genuine Elijah's and Joshua's and Rahab's and Debra's that are in this generation and they're going to arise and they're going to shine and it's going to be said of them like it was said of the early church. They that have turned the world have come upside down also. But you still need your mothers, you still need your fathers, you still need us to train you and equip you. And those young people that are the remnant young people that honor their father and mothers, not just their natural fathers but their spiritual fathers and mothers, they're the ones God said I'm going to bring before great men. It'll go well with them because they've honored their father and their mothers and they've allowed the fathers and the mothers to deposit into them. Glory be to God, thank you Jesus, amen. All right. Confidence and prayer, let's look at Genesis chapter 3. You know the story. God told Adam and Eve straight up, listen, this is the deal. Don't eat the tree that's in the midst of the garden. Now God is not a mean God, he didn't tell them not to eat the tree because he's a mean God. You know, obviously he loved his creation. He's not a mean God. God is not mean. And what happened is the enemy came in,

18:19 he was subtle. And God, the reason God told him, he said, listen, basically, and I'm not going to get into all of it, but he said, he said, God knew that Adam and Eve had an enemy. Lucifer had fell from heaven, right? You know the story. And now all these demon fallen spirits were roaming about and God knew that man had an enemy. So to protect his man, he said, listen, you could eat of anything you want here, but don't eat from that tree. And you know the story that they ate. So verse 6, so when the woman saw that the tree was good for food and that it was pleasant to the eyes and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and she ate it. Doesn't that sound like temptation in any kind of temptation in general? Those are the three gates. She also gave it to her husband with her and he ate. Then what happened? Something happened. The apostle Paul said, in dying, the apostles Paul said, I was once alive unto God, but when sin came, sin revived, and I died. So here we see the eyes of both of them were open. They knew that they were naked and they sewed fig leaves together and they made themselves coverings. And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of God among the trees of the garden. And so therefore they had all this confidence, didn't

19:55 they? And then now they sin, separation comes, and here we see them. They're hiding from God. They're covering themselves up. They hear the voice of God calling them and instead of responding in faith and in love, what does the Bible say? They hid themselves. Then verse 9, and the Lord called to Abraham, Adam, and said to him, where are you? Oh my God, where are you? How many of you ever had that happen with your kids? You know, my daughter, we were in New York this week and, you know, thank God for phones, but she was out with her friend. We went somewhere else for dinner and, you know, I tried calling her when we got back to the apartment and her phone wasn't picking up and then her best friend, who's my God daughter, hers wasn't picking up. And so I'm like this, where are they?

20:54 They're not picking up the phone. Where are they? So, you know, what rises in you as a natural parent is a concern and a love. Where are you? So finally when she came home, I said, where were you? I know, Mom, my phone died. Well, you think about God. They had a connection with God. They're disconnected because of sin. Now, God is saying out of his fatherly creative heart, where are you, Adam and Eve? I miss you. I long for you. Where are you? You're my creation. I created you in my image and in my likeness. I want to be with you, but where are you? You know, where they were, they were lost. They were alienated from God without hope. They had fallen.

21:36 So let's see what, how Adam responds. He said, I heard your voice in the garden and I was afraid because I was naked and I hid myself. And God said, who told you you were naked? Basically, you know this is true. His whole, his whole being changed. His, his, his, his, he, he, he, something in him changed. He was once a child of the light. Now through, through this sin, he's fallen and he's become a father of the devil. His whole nature internally changed. And now he realized that he was naked. Whereas before he had no consciousness of his body, no consciousness of the things of this world, no consciousness of anything, but God and just enjoying their creation.

22:34 I believe that's what God is restoring in those of us who want to continue to follow him in the fullness of what he desires to do in these days. How about, what do you think? Obviously, we're not going to run around naked, but, but that point being, he, the point is, is he was hiding himself from God. And God says, who told you you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree from which I commanded you not to eat? Then the man said, of course, he blamed, you know, the woman you gave me, it's her fault. And the Lord said to the woman, what have you done? And the woman was honest. She said, the serpent deceived me and I ate. Now, I want to talk to you, we're going to get into this a little bit. Confidence in the presence of God. When Adam and Eve fell, did they have confidence in the presence of God? No, they had what we call sin consciousness. It's consciousness is a way of thinking and a way of behaving. And the way you think affects your behavior, as Angel said, correct?

23:41 And so if a person has sin consciousness, it will affect the way they behave. They'll be shame-based. And not only affect the way they behave and how they think, what they think of themselves, and even what they think of others, it will affect how we pray and how we go before the throne of God. When you pray, you can't pray with a sin consciousness, with sin on your conscience. Adam and Eve said, this is how they approached God after the fall. They covered themselves, they hid themselves from the presence of God. Then their confession was, or the thing they said out of their mouth, I was afraid, I was naked, and I hid myself. What are you trying to say? I have come to tell someone in here today, and I knew, and I know that I know that I was led to do this, because I know beyond any shadow of a doubt. When you approach the presence of God, approach him with a righteousness consciousness, what is that? The Bible says, when a person is born again, he is a new person inside. Old things have passed away, all things have become new. And the scripture goes on to say in 2 Corinthians 5, that because of your new relationship with Jesus Christ, you now have access to the Father, you're in right standing with him, and therefore you are

25:13 the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus. You don't have to hide from God. You don't have to fear God. You don't have to cover yourself. Well, Margie, you don't know, sometimes I mess up really bad. Well, don't we all? Are you listening? I am 58 years old. I don't even know. In the Catholic church where we were raised, we would sin, and then we'd go to a confessional, and we would confess our sins. Forgive me, Father, for I have sinned, I've spent 30 days. I'd even lie sometimes about how many days it's been. It's terrible, isn't it? I'd go into confession on that lie, and I'm like a really sensitive person with God. I was always a God lover, but even if you're a God lover, you're going to make mistakes. Are you listening? He knows that we're just human. Psalms 139, read it sometimes. He knows that we're just human, so I'd go into confession. I'd make make a nap, make it all. I've spent 30 days. How many days? I didn't feel like counting, and then I'd tell them all my sins.

26:20 Well, in Christ, Jesus is our high priest. We don't have to go to a natural priest anymore. That's Old Testament. We don't have time to get into it. It's Old Testament. Now Jesus is our high priest after the order of Him, Malchizedek. He lives and abides forever, so if we mess up, we could go directly to Him. And 1 John 1 9, it's not a very popular scripture nowadays among certain people and certain movements, but 1 John 1 9, you could go directly to the Father and say, Father, I have sinned. Forgive me. And the Bible says He is faithful and just to forgive you of your sin and cleanse you from all unrighteousness. If I didn't have a righteousness consciousness, I would never be where I am today. What does the Bible say? A righteous person falls down how many times? So many times. Well, a million, probably in a lifetime, right? But a strong Christian, a strong person, one who knows who they are in Christ, no one who understands the love of the Father, one who understands that they're just, they're just human and makes mistakes. A strong person is one who when you fall, you get back up and you keep running the race. But Margie, the Bible says that we're in a race and we should lay aside every weight and the sin that's so easily beset us and run with patience. I get it, yes, it does say that. But the Bible also says run with

27:56 patience. Be patient with the process of growing in Christ. The hand of God is on your life. Don't give up, not now, not ever, not in the future, not 40 years from now, not 50 years from now. You hear me when I talk to you today. Mama's talking. Because you have an enemy and he's going to come in, he's going to try to take advantage of your weaknesses and your personality, he's going to try to take you out. One day you're going to hear my words in your spirit and in your mind. And the Holy Ghost is going to remind you to get back up, keep running. Don't give up. You are the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus. If you fall, you get back up and you go directly to him.

28:52 This is between you and this is between God. Now, of course, there's times of restoration, you know, if you have a situation, then you got to have a year and people got to take time off and obey the elders and those that have rule over them that say, you know what, don't do this, don't do that, you need some time off and we understand that. Submit to them as long as they're submitted to God. So that sin consciousness versus righteousness consciousness. And let me tell you, I know the Bible and we produced all these CDs, all these spoken word, we've got like eight or nine of them in Christ, in whom and the whole nine yards to get it. But even for me, sometimes a situation arises and I don't know how to tell you, but it just happens. You listening. And then I'm like this, my people have heard me say, they can't even believe it, then I'm like this. I said at the women's conference last year, oh, you weren't there. But I couldn't believe it came out of my mouth, but I told everybody, I just tell everybody, sometimes it's good to show your wounds, you know, when Jesus showed his wounds to his disciples. And I think people can relate to you when you share your wounds. But you know, something happened, I'm not going to tell you what it was, but something happened. And, you know, I just was going to pray that day and I was going to get into the presence of God. And I was like this, God's over there and I'm like this. I don't even see me God.

30:29 I messed up. You know, right when you're just getting ready to pray, or right when you're getting ready sometimes just to go to church. Don't wait till half the worship service is over before you get right with God. Just confess your sin. He's faithful and just to forgive you. But even in the stage that I'm at, I still hide from God sometimes. It's the most ridiculous thing on the face of this earth. Now, if I hide from God, right, so can you imagine what our believers do that have never been taught the way we've been taught the Word of God? What is your point? My point is it's a tactic of the enemy and I'm on it because the Holy Ghost has me on it. And guess what? I've never preached this in any of our KIU events or any of our House to House events. I'm preaching it here. Are you listening? Are you excited? So we want to have a righteousness consciousness when we go before the throne of grace. Hebrews 4.16 says, let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in the time of need. You know, when Catherine Coleman, I was, I'm reading her books again because I really truly believe that we're coming into another phase of the working of miracles and gifts of healing. Telling you straight up, we are. And she, I decided to start reading her books again to see how she operated. And she said to this reporter, she said to him, she said, you see that

32:03 doorknob right there? She said, I die a thousand deaths every time I go up the three stairs and turn that doorknob because she knew she couldn't do it. She needed God's grace, God's mercy. She knew who she was. See, we are, we are by the grace of God. Are you listening? But it says here in the scripture, let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in the time of need. That word boldly means the Webster says fearlessly, let us therefore what? Come fearlessly. Where? To the throne of grace. Isn't that the opposite of what Adam and Eve did? The Webster says taking liberties. Let us therefore take our liberty and go up to the throne of grace. And the Webster's also said shameless. Let us therefore come shamelessly to the throne room of grace that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

33:05 Righteousness, consciousness. The apostle Paul said, I want you to come boldly to the throne of grace. He didn't say crawl to the throne of grace. Yes, there's times you know when I get down before God in my knees, but he wants you to come boldly. You are accepted in the beloved. As he is, so are we in this world. He loves you with a everlasting love. And his love never changes, never fails. You know that story, saw never fails, never quits, never gives up, but do we really believe it? Thank you for listening to the Purpose Project podcast.

33:46 For more content, video, and teachings like this, visit margieflurant.org.