Powering Up Your Prayer Life
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Teach Me How to Pray | Powering Up Your Prayer Life
Pastor Dean Deguara
Luke 11:1-3 NKJV
Now it came to pass, as He was praying in a certain place, when He ceased, that one of His disciples said to Him, “Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples.” 2 So He said to them, “When you pray, say: Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come.Your will be done On earth as it is in heaven.3 Give us day by day our daily bread.
5 Ways to Power Up Your Prayer Life
1. Find Your Frequency
Certainty about God begins with certainty about the place of prayer in your life.
2. Stay Teachable
Being teachable is one of the greatest traits in the Christian life.
Romans 8:26 NKJV
Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us…
3. Know Who You're Talking To
Don’t let a broken past rob you of a whole relationship with God.
4. Clear the Interference
Luke 10:41-42 NKJV
And Jesus answered and said to her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things. 42 But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her.
Real power doesn’t start with your gift. It starts in your secret place.
5. Keep the Line Open
When was the last time prayer actually moved you?
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watch us online.
Can we welcome them as well?
We're so thankful that you're here.
And then I just wanna share a testimony.
I came to you in November and just said, hey, we are in this process of raising funds for our new building at 1900 Del Paso, which is ours.
We're raising money for the renovation.
I have asked us to step up to the challenge of raising 2.5 million over two years.
We're over one year in.
And so I don't want us to get discouraged.
So I said, you know what?
Let's meet the 1.25 mark at the time that I told you that.
to let's go after this 1.25 first, and then we'll get to the other 1.25.
We were at about 500,000.
And so since November, here is where we're at.
Come on. $673,044.58.
So come on.
God is moving.
He is providing.
And I just want to encourage you.
Listen, we have to partner with God in this.
And I'm stepping out in faith.
I actually mailed about 50 of these.
I got 50 more to mail out.
50 of these to friends and pastors.
It's a gift box.
And I'm asking them to participate in helping us help renovate the facility and give to it.
And so I sent these out.
We prayed over them as a staff and sent them out.
And we're hearing so many things from pastors, haven't got any checks yet, but did get some commitments.
And so I'm thankful for that.
What I want to say to you is maybe a lot of you've been asking me, how can I get involved?
Listen, one of the ways you could get involved, listen, if you know somebody, come on, a pastor, a philanthropist, someone that is just generous, and you'd like to get one of these boxes in their hands because you know that they would sow into it.
Let us know.
You can email info at RLCSAC.
Put your name, your number, and then their name and address, and we'll put a note in the box from you.
We'll send them one.
Check this out.
I sent one to an unbeliever.
Amen.
That's right.
I said I sent one to an unbeliever.
As soon as he got it, he texted me.
He said, count me for $2,500.
Come on, somebody.
Come on.
And so God will use the saved and the unsaved.
Amen?
And so, Pastor Isaiah mentioned we're in this fast.
We're in day seven of the 21-day fast.
We're going through that devotional.
Get that devotional.
Just want to encourage you.
There is a book that I went through the last quarter of the year called A Praying Life, Connecting with God in a Distracting World.
Helped really just take my prayer life to a new level.
Just encourage you to grab that if you want something to read as another resource to read to your fasting.
Are you guys ready to get in the Word today?
Amen.
Say, I'm ready.
I'm ready.
The notes are in YouVersion.
You can go to the YouVersion app, Real Life Church, go to Events, Real Life Church Sacramento.
All the notes are there.
If you follow us on the YouVersion app, you'll get a five-day devotional that Pastor Taylor Ramsey has prepared, and it'll bless you and encourage you as well.
But I don't know about you.
but I'm already exhausted from all the social media ads, especially at the beginning of the year.
How to lose weight?
Come on, how many need to lose some weight?
Come on, how to make more money, right?
My algorithm, because I'm a pastor, how to double the size of your church.
Listen, everything, how many guys know what I'm talking about?
Everything this time of year is monetized and glamorized to get you to buy a product or get that membership or sign on to the app that it's impossible to find out.
Come on, how to get off that app, right?
but it promises you to improve your health, your business, or even your ministry.
But I've realized in the kingdom, the best things are not bought, they're cultivated.
Especially when it comes to prayer.
You see, prayer costs us nothing.
But for believers, many times, it's not our first response, it's our last resort.
You see, here's the good news for us this morning.
Prayer doesn't cost us, it costs us nothing, but how many know it requires everything?
Everything.
Have you ever noticed how your Wi-Fi signal determines what you can actually do?
Now, back in the day, when I first started working, if the lights went out, come on, you kept on working in the dark.
Anybody knows what I'm talking about?
Today, because we're so connected to Wi-Fi and our computers, when the power goes off, what are we doing?
Can we go home?
Everything stops, right?
And it's the same way with our prayer lives.
All of us in this room are in one of three categories.
If you put that up, the Wi-Fi.
Some of us, we have no connection.
Have you seen that symbol before?
Some of us, we have weak connection.
A verse a day, Lord, help me there, here, there.
Just enough to survive.
You have a weak connection.
Then there's a strong connection, consistent.
Time spent with the Lord, a quiet place.
You have full access.
How many know God wants to give us full access in 2026?
Amen.
Listen, he's not waiting for you to go through something for you to get close to him or him to get close to you.
He wants your, come on, signal to be strong at the beginning of the year.
And guess what?
As we kicked off this fast, people have been asking me, Pastor Dean, what are you praying for?
What are you praying for?
And you know what this first week was all about?
God dealing with my heart.
Yeah.
Imagine that.
Amen.
In fact, on Wednesday night, out of my mouth, I said, have your way.
Everybody say, have your way.
Have your way.
And then came the words, whatever's in the way.
How many know we've got some stuff in the way?
Uh-huh.
Whatever is in the way, get it out of the way.
See, we're used to saying, God, have your way, have your way, have your way.
But how many know during this first seven days of the fast, as we consecrate ourselves, God, listen, wants to deal with us.
He wants to deal with the things in our heart that is keeping us from a strong connection in 2026.
Every one of us is in one of these zones.
And so over the next six weeks, we're gonna assess our prayer lives, improve our prayer lives, track our prayers, and experience how powerful and wonderful God is when we give prayer the attention it deserves.
Listen, I'm not knocking about the diet that you're on.
Listen, I'm not knocking about the app you signed up for or how you're going to make more money this year in 2026.
But can I just tell you, if you make prayer a priority, the Bible says if you seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, his righteous ways, he will add all things unto you.
And so quite simply, prayer has to do with your connection with God.
Prayer is a conversation with God.
It's consistently spending time with him.
And it is a catalyst to an adventurous life with God.
Everybody say, with God.
With God.
And so we're gonna look at Luke 11, verses one and two today, not very far, and a little bit, we're gonna go back to chapter 10 later in the message, but it says this, Luke chapter 11, verse one.
Now it came to pass, as he was praying, talking about Jesus, in a certain place, everybody say a certain place.
When he ceased or stopped praying, that one of his disciples, not 12 of the disciples, just one of the 12 disciples.
How many know it only takes one person to change the temperature in the room?
Said to him, Lord, teach us to pray.
As John also taught his disciples.
Father, I thank you that this first week of fasting and prayer, God, when most of us is setting goals, and God, that's a good thing.
God, I pray, God, that real life church family, God, would set their eyes upon you.
God, that you would start with us first.
Father, we don't seek your hand, we seek your face today in the mighty name of Jesus.
And everybody said it.
I wanna talk to you about how to strengthen your signal in 2026, five ways to power up your prayer life.
And the first thing is this, you have to find your frequency.
You have to find your frequency.
You have to set a consistent place to connect.
The scripture says that Jesus was praying in a certain place.
How many know certain isn't random?
It's intentional.
In other words, Jesus had a spot.
Yeah, he was on the go, but when he was on the go, he always had a spot or a place or a rhythm to make sure that he was connecting with his father.
That word certain means established beyond doubt or question.
Definitely known.
Can people say that about your prayer life?
that it is established beyond doubt, definitely known.
You see, Jesus had an established and definitely known place for prayer wherever he went.
And this disciple doesn't just stumble into Jesus praying.
Listen, his disciples found him praying often, like clockwork.
His prayer life had a rhythm his friends could track.
The disciples noticed they didn't say, Lord, teach us how to preach.
They didn't say teach us how to do miracles.
The disciples said what?
Lord, teach us how to pray.
Can we just say that together?
Lord.
Why?
Because they saw something different in how he connected with the Father.
You see, certainty about God begins with certainty about the place of prayer in your life.
It's the one thing that as we go into 2026 that you can't be uncertain about.
You must be certain about the place of prayer
In your life, the priority of prayer.
You see, when you don't have a regular location, usually prayer won't have a regular priority.
Now, I'm sure I could go around this room and you could all tell me, come on, most of us could say, this is where I go in the morning or this is where I go at night.
Some of you are early risers.
Some of you are late birds.
I know.
But listen, my place of prayer is downstairs early in the morning, way before Amy gets up.
Now, when it gets warmer, it's the trail across the street.
If I walk the whole thing, it gives me about 40 minutes to talk with God.
But maybe you're here today and you're thinking, Pastor, I don't have a prayer closet.
I barely have a clean closet.
Listen, I've got toddlers climbing over me.
I've got meetings back to back.
I've got group texts that are nonstop.
How many know what I'm talking about?
Amen.
But here's the truth.
Life is loud.
Time can feel scarce.
But listen, if there's no space for prayer in your life, there's no space for power in your life.
And what happens is we fill every corner of our schedules with noise, and then we wonder why our souls feel so numb.
Can I encourage you today?
Can I encourage anybody today?
Listen, the Lord just told me, there's some things that over time, I've been in ministry for 30 years, that you can assume people know.
Prayer is one of those things.
I got introduced how to pray when I was 18 years old.
Didn't know anything about prayer, but I was taught when I was 18 years old.
You may be new to the faith.
You may be many years in the faith, but here's the thing.
We all can improve where we're at in our prayer life.
Amen?
Listen, you don't need a monastery.
Hello?
You need a regular meeting place.
A survey of more than 1,700 Americans was released by the Radiant Foundation found that more people report that they pray in their car.
61% of us pray in our cars.
Come on, how many of your car is your holy place?
Come on, somebody.
All right.
Listen, and it says verses 46% that pray in a place of worship.
In other words, your Tesla can be your tabernacle.
Come on, your Honda can be your holy ground.
Your Prius can carry the presence of the Lord.
Your Subaru can be your secret place.
Please, please, please.
Listen, just don't close your eyes, amen?
Come on.
What I'm trying to say is don't wait for perfect.
Just start.
Find your frequency.
Find a space, any space, until that space becomes sacred time with God.
I remember hearing one of our friends, she had five kids, and she said, I had no space in my life.
She said, the only space that I had was when I was doing dishes.
She said, my husband would be playing with the kids and I'd be at the sink.
And the Lord said, I can connect with you right here, right now.
Come on.
Wherever you're at, whatever space you have, make the most of it.
Everybody say, it doesn't have to be perfect.
You just have to start.
The second thing is you got to stay teachable.
The disciples didn't act like they had it all together, or at least this one disciple.
He said, Lord, teach us how to pray.
How many of you are thankful for those people that sign you up for things that you never signed up for?
This is that disciple.
He sees Jesus praying and he says, look, Jesus, you have something that I don't have, that we don't have.
Lord, teach us.
We all need this.
Teach us how to pray.
Listen, one of the things that we can take away from this disciple whose name we do not know who he is, being teachable is one of the greatest traits in the Christian life.
In other words, understanding that we don't know it all is one of the greatest traits in the Christian life.
Not having an answer for everything, being hungry for the Lord to teach us more in this area.
I can be honest with you.
It's probably been about 15 years ago, at least 15 years ago, but I was pretty proud of my prayer life.
Having no pride is not a good thing.
I prayed at least 30 minutes.
I had it down.
I didn't have a notebook.
I had it all here.
I had the pattern here.
And then something happened, listen, and disrupted my life.
And guess what it did?
It shook my confidence in God where, listen, for two years, all I would do is get before the Lord, and I would just listen.
And I would just say, God, I prayed prayers.
I prayed prayers, but I haven't given room for you to speak to me.
God, I want to listen to you.
Teach me to listen.
How many know sometimes we can talk too much?
Huh?
You ever been in a prayer meeting when it's just one person praying?
And you're like, can I get in?
Anybody?
Just me.
All right.
You see, being teachable means you admit you don't have all the answers.
You admit you don't always know what to pray.
You admit your weakness and you ask for help.
Here is the good news for Christians, and I'm going to get into this in a later message in this series, that we have the Holy Spirit who helps us pray when we don't know how to pray.
Amen.
Come on, in other words, we have an intercessor on board.
We have an intercessor on the inside of us.
Look at Romans 8, 26.
Likewise, the Spirit also helps us in our what?
In our weak connection.
In our disconnection.
The Spirit helps us.
For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought.
But what?
The Spirit himself makes intercession for us.
So when I can't put words around it, come on, how many know the Holy Spirit is praying for me anyway?
He's our teacher.
My experience as well has been prayer can be both caught and taught.
I've told people this.
We've been praying for three years on a Zoom call.
We call it the Upper Zoom.
Every morning from 7 to 7.30.
It's not a lot of time, but there's about 30 of us that get on the call.
For the last three years, I can tell you, it's the number one thing.
fuel supply of this church is that that group that meets on Monday morning in that upper Zoom.
And I've had people jump in that group and say, Pastor Dean, I don't know how to pray.
And I said, just jump in the group and listen to how people pray.
I had one gentleman, he said, Pastor Dean, I don't know how to pray.
I've never prayed in front of anybody.
I said, just get on the call.
Now, every week, he's the first one to pray.
Come on, he's the second.
He
He always wants to pray.
Sometimes I gotta say, you can't pray today.
Give somebody else a chance to pray because sometimes prayer is caught, just not taught.
This is why community is so important that you jump in a small group that are coming in February because listen, you can begin listening to hear how people pray for you and you can pray for other people.
Thank you.
And you'll begin to be encouraged.
You'll begin to step out.
In September, I joined a cohort of pastors actually around this book from across the country.
who wanted to enhance their prayer life.
Because I had this strong conviction, and I just want to be very transparent here today.
I had this conviction that the Holy Spirit was convicting me of that I didn't want church life to be greater than my prayer life.
That's right.
God, God, how many know we can be so busy for God that we forget, listen, to do business with God and seek his face?
Amen.
And so many pastors, listen, so many pastors, we see the tragedies that are happening around the nation in some of America's greatest churches because church life became the priority and their prayer life got put on the shelf and now their life is in shambles and they're picking up the pieces.
God, I don't want that to be said of me.
God, I wanna be, I wanna be more like you.
God, I want prayer to be a priority in my life.
You see, it's easy to get addicted to the work of God.
All of us.
Come on, it's easy.
Come on, it's easy to get addicted to God.
And I want you to serve.
We have some of the best visionaries around in this church.
I'm telling you, there is enthusiasm.
I love the people and how they serve.
But listen, if all you do is serve and you don't seek...
If all you do is serve and you don't seek, you're going to run out of gas.
You're going to get burned out.
You're going to get exhausted.
And God says, seek me first.
And so I joined this cohort and all the pastors were there.
They were Presbyterian, Baptist, non-denominational.
I was the only Pentecostal.
And when I tell you that this was one of the best things that I ever did as a pastor and leader, I say it with all sincerity.
That 10 weeks from October to November in 2025 in this group reorganized and revitalized my prayer life.
And it's helping me to pray more directly and effectively because I'm drawing on God.
My prayer, I want to be known for my prayer life, not just the church life.
Listen, I'm thankful that the church has grown.
I'm thankful that the church has blown up.
But I can guarantee you this.
If my life isn't right with God, I'll blow up my life.
You received a prayer card on your way in today.
And one of the things that I learned in this group, and you know what was interesting around this group?
When we filled out this prayer card and we started praying for one another, the facilitator of the group says, God's not impressed with your wordy prayers.
He said, and we'd all get in the hot seat on the Zoom call.
We'd pray for one at a time.
He said, I just want you to pray one sentence prayers over your brothers.
And you know what God did?
He answered those one-sentence prayers.
So many times I think we've got to come before God and impress him and speak in King James.
Thou art thy Jesus.
How many know what I'm talking about?
And God would tell us today, he's not impressed.
And so...
I want to encourage you.
One of the things we learned was keeping track of what you're praying for.
And one of the things that happened is I was praying for big things and big things, but I wasn't recognizing God in the details.
And so I was discouraged.
How many ever felt like God wasn't answering prayer?
Anybody?
Just Pastor Andre, anybody else?
And the reason is, is because we're not keeping track of what God is doing in our lives.
This is what I was amazed by, at how interested God was in the details of the prayers I prayed.
You see, so many times we're believing for the big things, we miss him answering the little things that get us to the big things.
So this is what I want you to do with this card.
You'll see there.
I want you to be specific.
I want you to name your prayer request.
It could be a person.
It could be something going on in your life.
It could be whatever the breakthrough is, whatever specific area.
I want you to be specific.
Everybody say specific.
I want you to be as specific as you can be.
And I want you to put that.
Now, this is what happens.
We just put that big thing.
Say you're believing for healing.
And you say, God didn't heal me.
He hasn't healed me yet, right?
We live in the tension of the now and not yet, remember?
The now and not yet.
It might be healing.
God hasn't healed me what?
Is he hearing your prayers?
Most would say, I'm not sure.
But if you begin to break down that prayer of,
God gave me favor with my insurance company.
This actually medical appointment is absolutely free.
God gave me the doctor that everybody said I couldn't get into.
The door opened for me to get into that.
My treatments, they said I should have these after effects.
I'm not feeling any after effects.
How many know God is in the details of your healing?
You might not be totally well, you might not be totally cured, but God is moving in your life.
So I want you to go on this journey.
Look, I've actually retired about half of a stack since October.
This is how many prayer cards I have right now.
Every time you put these, put name it and then put some details behind it, every time you see God answer a prayer, highlight it.
Amen.
If you run out of the room, flip it over and put it on the back, and you'll see God moving in their lives.
Can I just tell you a personal testimony?
All year long, I've been praying, God, resurrect Josiah's career.
Resurrect Josiah's career.
He's been going up and down on the practice squad.
The second half of the season, they promoted Josiah, and he made the 53, and he was on the 53 to the end of the season.
But check this out.
I said, everybody say, resurrect his career.
Resurrect.
I said, Lord, that's not good enough.
Yeah, he's on the 53rd.
I said, resurrected, Lord.
Amen.
Come on.
I went to Cincinnati a couple of weeks ago.
They named him the honorary captain for what he did on the special teams.
Josiah just told me yesterday that the Miami coach, I didn't know all these details, the Miami coach called his coach and said, will you let Josiah go?
If you guys are not going to use him, we want him.
And the Cardinals...
This is why he's on the 53.
The Cardinal said, no, you can't get him.
We're signing him to the 53.
God resurrecting in the details that we know nothing about.
And then many of you saw, and I'm, yeah, this is a little dad brag, but that's all right.
All right.
Many of you saw his catch.
He caught his first touchdown in four years.
I promise you.
I promise you, you can go look it up on Google.
There was a news article on Google the next day.
Ex-packer Josiah DeGuarra does a big favor for his career.
Come on, somebody.
Only God can do that.
Now, we still got to wait and see, of course, but I'm going to keep praying.
The third thing that we have to do is we got to know who we're talking to.
We gotta understand God is Abba.
Everybody say Abba.
Abba.
In the Greek, this word is pater.
It's a formal word for dad, the way we would think about it.
But in daily speech, Jesus would have likely been speaking Aramaic, and he actually said, well, it would be father figure.
Pater would mean father figure, very more formal.
But in Aramaic, it actually means dad or papa, right?
Jesus was showing us something powerful.
Listen, that we, in other words, that's verse two, by the way.
When you say, when you pray, say, our Father in heaven.
And Jesus was showing us something powerful.
We don't enter the throne room with fear.
Come on, Jesus taught us to walk into the living room and ask for dad.
You see, it's not about what you want God to do for you.
It's about being with him and acknowledging that he is with you.
Now, here's the reality.
And this was for me.
I had to work through some things with my earthly dad.
For some of us, the word father doesn't stir affection.
It stirs anxiety.
We don't picture protection.
We picture absence or pain.
You see, if your earthly father failed you, here's the reality.
It can block your intimacy with your heavenly father.
And this is what I want to just say when we're going into a fast like this.
God wants to heal the father wounds.
He wants to heal the daddy's shoes.
And so some of us, listen, in order to have that intimate relationship that we all desire, that longing in your heart that nothing else can fill, listen, you may need to grieve.
Hello.
You may need to heal.
You may need to confront some deep wounds.
But can I just tell you this?
Don't let a broken past rob you of a whole relationship with God.
Everybody say our Father.
I remember hearing a lady in my early or late 20s, early 30s.
Her name was Kathy DeMario.
And every time she prayed, she'd say, Papa God.
And I was like, really?
She said, oh, Daddy God.
I said, you serious?
And the thing was,
I didn't know the story.
I didn't know the relationship, or I should say the relationship she didn't have with her earthly father.
And God had so redeemed her.
She had so expensed the mercy and the grace and the love of God that when she prayed, all she could pray was, oh, Papa, oh, Daddy God.
And can I be honest?
At that place, at that time in my life, I just wasn't there.
I was like, serious?
How do we know God had to do a work in my heart?
Don't let a broken past rob you of a whole relationship with God.
We're gonna get into this more next week, but you are a child of God and your father longs to spend time with you and hear your voice.
And that's why we have to do the fourth thing for a stronger signal.
We've gotta clear the interference in our lives, right?
We've got to ask God to heal us from the wounds and remove the distraction.
You see, prayer is getting to know the nature and the character of God.
And with that understanding, realizing that what he's already done, what he's doing and desires to do, it's from that place of being in God's presence that we understand the doings of God in our life.
You see, the one disciple saw something Jesus had done
that they didn't have and they wanted it.
More than power, more than what it produces, prayer allows us to have an intimate relationship with Father God.
And that's why the enemy will always attack your intimacy.
Let me say that again.
That's why the enemy will always attack your intimacy.
And as I was preparing this message, I found something in Luke 10 that was interesting as it relates to
the disciples asking Jesus to teach them how to pray.
In chapter 10, the disciples actually have been given all authority to be used by God.
But by the time you get to chapter 11, at least one disciple observed that he was missing something in his life.
And that was intimacy that it would take to continue to walk in the authority that they were walking in.
You see, authority from God without intimacy with God will result in a train wreck in your life.
Can I just say that again?
Authority from God without intimacy with God will result in a train wreck in your life.
You guys hear my heart today?
Authority is what everybody sees and is amazed by, but intimacy is what no one sees but is necessary if you're going to sustain the work of God in your life.
You see, your walk with God is the sustainer of the work of God in your life.
You see, you could read chapter 10.
The disciples were preaching, casting out demons, walking in authority.
They were doing the work of God.
And then at the end of the chapter, we all know this story.
Jesus walks into the home of two sisters, Martha and Mary.
And we see there, and what we see in that home is what we see in us.
Martha is busy in his presence, distracted, frustrated, doing all the things.
How many know we're good at doing all the things?
But Mary is still in his presence, surrendered and doing the one thing that would not be taken away from her.
Let me ask you this this morning.
What's the interference in your life?
What's keeping you from the one thing?
Maybe it's hurry, maybe it's shame, maybe it's screens, maybe it's schedules, maybe it's secret struggles.
That's between you and the Lord.
Can I tell you something?
You don't fix your life by trying harder.
You fix your life by fixing your eyes on Jesus and choosing presence over pressure.
That's chapter 10.
The next time you see Jesus in chapter 11, his disciple is asking him, Lord,
Teach us to pray, not teach us to cast out demons, not teach us to build something big.
Teach us to connect with God the way you do.
You see, real power doesn't start with your gift.
It starts in your secret place, or should I say your certain place.
It leads me to my last and final point.
It's this, keep the line open.
Carry the conversation on with the Lord throughout the day like a text message thread, back and forth.
And let me ask you this question as we close.
When was the last time prayer actually moved you?
Moved you to action?
Moved you to obedience?
moved you to tears, moved you to minister to someone else?
When was the last time prayer changed something in your heart, in your house, and in your spirit?
If you don't have an answer to that question, maybe it's time to come back to the certain place of prayer.
Maybe it's time to come back to Jesus this morning.
Maybe it's time to come back to the presence of God.
Because how do we know we can do all these things
but only one thing can not be taken away from us.
Maybe you're here today and you've never really known God as father, papa, or daddy.
Maybe you've only known religion and not relationship.
Maybe you've heard about God, but you've never been able to even say, God, you're my father.
Today can be the day that everything changes.
You see, the invitation today isn't to behave better.
It's not to belong to a father who, it's actually to belong to a father who already loves you.
You see, Jesus didn't die to make you religious.
He died to bring you home.
So if that's you, with every head bowed and every eye, you have no connection.
You don't know Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior.
First service, we had four people lift their hands and say, I have no connection.
I want a connection with Jesus.
If that's you today, with every head bowed, every eye closed, you say, I need a connection with Jesus.
Will you just lift your hand all around the room?
Anybody?
Yes.
Thank you so much over here.
Anybody else?
You would say, I need a connection with Jesus in 2026.
Anybody else?
Raise your hand in the back.
Yes, anybody else?
We're gonna all pray this prayer, whether you raised your hand or didn't raise your hand.
Together it's on the screen.
Let's pray it with these couple people that raised their hands.
On the count of three, one, two, three.
Dear Lord Jesus, I know that I'm a sinner and I ask for your forgiveness.
I believe you died for my sins and rose from the dead.
Right now I turn from my sins and invite you to come into my heart and life.
I wanna trust and follow you from this day forward.
I confess you as my personal Lord and Savior.
Thank you for saving me.
In Jesus' name.
Can we give God praise for those that prayed this for the first time?
If you did, my friend Jeff in the back has a Bible that we'd like to place in your hand.
That card, or if you didn't get a card, you didn't raise your hand, stop by there.
We want to get you connected and rally around you in your newfound faith.
Will you stand with me?
Because how many know there's a second call?
Maybe for some of you, and I'm gonna ask my prayer ministers to come forward, but be prepared to just move around this morning.
Listen, you know God, you've been saved, but your rhythm is off.
Listen, your soul is dry and you've been distracted by life.
And today is the moment, listen, that you, come on, you boost your wifi, so to speak.
You return to the place, you return to the presence that revives your soul.
And I'm inviting you now, maybe you wanna come to the altar and just throw up your hands and say, God, I need a stronger signal.
If that's you, you need a stronger signal in 2026.
Will you just come forward now?
Just step out from where you're at.
This is how we're gonna close.
Just step out from where you're at and just come forward and say, I need a stronger signal in 2026.
Listen, you just need a stronger signal in 2026.
I need a stronger signal in 2026.
Just step forward.
Just step forward.
Just step forward.
Pastor Brandon, if you'd just come just for a moment.
We're going to take an extra five minutes before we get you.
Just come forward.
All the way forward.
Press forward.
People are coming behind.
Come on.
You just need a stronger signal.
You need a stronger signal in 2026.
Lift up your hands all across this building.
All across this building.
Father, we just thank you, God.
We come to you and we admit to you, God, that we, God, either have a weak connection or we desire a stronger connection than we have now.
God, I pray that you would deal with all the misconceptions and lies of the enemy.
God, I pray in Jesus' name that you would heal us from our father wounds, our dad issues.
God, that you begin to minister, touch, and heal in Jesus' mighty name.
God, we're here for a fresh start.
We don't want to go, God, into 2026 in our own power.
God, we want to be empowered by you.
So will you just lift your hands?
Pastor Brandon's going to lead us just in a chorus before we close today.
Just lift your voice to him and say, God, the eyes of my heart, Lord.
of my heart cause I wanna see you yes I wanna see you yeah say open the eyes of my heart Lord would you open my eyes
come on sing it for real
So Father, we thank you.
I pray you continue, God, to just speak to us.
Deal with us first.
Anything that's in the way, we ask you to get it out of the way in the mighty name of Jesus.
And everybody said.
Amen.
Church, I love you.
God bless you.
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Strengthening Your Signal: Five Ways to Power Up Your Prayer Life in 2026
We live in a world where everything depends on connection. When the Wi-Fi goes down, productivity stops. When the power cuts out, work ceases. Our entire lives have become dependent on having a strong, consistent signal. But what about our spiritual connection? What's the strength of your signal with God?
As we step into a new year, we're bombarded with advertisements promising transformation—lose weight, make more money, grow your business. But here's a profound truth: the best things in the kingdom aren't bought, they're cultivated. Especially when it comes to prayer.
Prayer costs us nothing financially, yet it requires everything spiritually. For many believers, prayer isn't our first response—it's our last resort. We exhaust every other option before finally turning to God. But what if 2026 could be different? What if this could be the year we prioritize presence over pressure?
Finding Your Frequency
Consider this powerful moment in Luke 11:1: Jesus was praying in "a certain place" when one of his disciples approached him with a request that would change everything. Not a request for power. Not a request to perform miracles. Instead, the disciple said, "Lord, teach us to pray."
That word "certain" is significant. It means established beyond doubt, definitely known. Jesus didn't pray randomly or sporadically. He had a rhythm, a pattern, an established place where he consistently connected with the Father. His prayer life was so regular, so noticeable, that his disciples could track it like clockwork.
The question is: Can the same be said about your prayer life? Is it established beyond doubt? Definitely known?
Certainty about God begins with certainty about the place of prayer in your life. When you don't have a regular location, prayer won't have a regular priority. Life is loud. Time feels scarce. We fill every corner of our schedules with noise and then wonder why our souls feel numb.
You don't need a monastery. You need a regular meeting place. Research shows that more Americans pray in their cars (61%) than in places of worship (46%). Your vehicle can become your sanctuary. Your kitchen sink can become your sacred space. Your morning walk can become your meeting place with God.
Don't wait for perfect conditions. Just start. Find a space—any space—and let that space become sacred time with God.
Staying Teachable
The disciple who asked Jesus to teach them to pray demonstrated one of the greatest traits in the Christian life: being teachable. He admitted he didn't have all the answers. He recognized that Jesus possessed something he lacked, and he was humble enough to ask for help.
This is where many of us struggle. We assume we know how to pray because we've been Christians for years. But when was the last time you asked God to teach you something new about prayer? When did you last admit your weakness and ask for help?
Romans 8:26 offers incredible encouragement: "Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us."
Even when we can't find the words, the Holy Spirit is praying for us. He's our teacher, our intercessor, our helper. Prayer can be both caught and taught—we learn by listening to others pray, by joining in community, by stepping out in faith even when we feel inadequate.
The danger for all of us is that we can become so busy doing the work of God that we forget to do business with God. Church life can eclipse our prayer life. Service can replace seeking. And when that happens, we run on empty, heading toward burnout and exhaustion.
Tracking Your Prayers
One of the most transformative practices you can adopt is keeping track of what you're praying for. So often we pray for big breakthroughs but fail to recognize God's faithfulness in the details. Then we become discouraged, feeling like God isn't answering our prayers.
The truth is, God is deeply interested in the details of our lives. We're believing for the big things while missing Him answering the little things that lead us to the big things.
Be specific. Name your prayer requests. Write them down. Then as God moves—even in small ways—highlight those answers. When you look back over weeks and months, you'll be amazed at how God has been working all along.
Understanding Who You're Talking To
In Luke 11:2, Jesus teaches us to pray, "Our Father in heaven." The word "Father" here is significant. In Aramaic, the language Jesus spoke, this would have been "Abba"—an intimate term meaning "Dad" or "Papa."
Jesus was showing us something revolutionary: We don't enter the throne room with fear. We walk into the living room and ask for Dad.
For some, the word "father" doesn't stir affection—it stirs anxiety. Past wounds with earthly fathers can block intimacy with our Heavenly Father. If that's your story, know this: God wants to heal those father wounds. You may need to grieve, to heal, to confront deep pain. But don't let a broken past rob you of a whole relationship with God.
You are a child of God, and your Father longs to spend time with you and hear your voice.
Clearing the Interference
Prayer is about getting to know the nature and character of God. From that place of presence, we understand His work in our lives. But the enemy will always attack your intimacy with God.
In Luke 10, the disciples were given authority to preach, heal, and cast out demons. They were doing powerful ministry. But by chapter 11, at least one disciple recognized something was missing: intimacy.
Authority from God without intimacy with God will result in a train wreck.
Authority is what everyone sees and is amazed by. Intimacy is what no one sees but is absolutely necessary to sustain God's work in your life. Your walk with God is the sustainer of the work of God through you.
Consider Martha and Mary. Martha was busy in Jesus' presence—distracted, frustrated, doing all the things. Mary was still in His presence, surrendered, choosing the one thing that would not be taken away.
What's the interference in your life? Hurry? Shame? Screens? Schedules? Secret struggles? You don't fix your life by trying harder. You fix your life by fixing your eyes on Jesus and choosing presence over pressure.
The Invitation
Real power doesn't start with your gifts. It starts in your secret place—your certain place. When was the last time prayer actually moved you? Moved you to action, to obedience, to tears, to minister to someone else? When did prayer last change something in your heart, your home, your spirit?
If you don't have an answer, maybe it's time to return to the certain place of prayer. Maybe it's time to boost your spiritual Wi-Fi. Maybe 2026 is the year you strengthen your signal with God—not through a program or an app, but through consistent, intimate, transformative time in His presence.
The invitation isn't to behave better. It's to belong to a Father who already loves you. Prayer isn't about performance. It's about presence. And that changes everything.