Keep On Stretching Your Hand In Prayer

I. EXORDIUM:

Are you giving up in your prayer time? No, because as I continue to pray the LORD delivers me from troubles.

II. AUDIENCE PROFILE:

Believers

III. OBJECTIVES:

To show that we need to be encouraged in our prayer times, spend at least 30 minutes to an hour in prayer.

IV. TEXT:

Joshua 8:26 (Amplified Bible)

8:26 For Joshua drew not back his hand with which he stretched out the javelin until he had utterly destroyed all the inhabitants of Ai.

Encouragement from the WORD to keep on praying:

Luke 11:9-10 (Amplified Bible)

11:9 So I say to you, Ask and keep on asking and it shall be given you; seek and keep on seeking and you shall find; knock and keep on knocking and the door shall be opened to you.

11:10 For everyone who asks and keeps on asking receives; and he who seeks and keeps on seeking finds; and to him who knocks and keeps on knocking, the door shall be opened.

V. THESIS:

Praise, worship and thank You very much LORD JESUS for You have encouraged me to not give up in my prayers until it is answered.

VI. TITLE:

Keep on stretching your hand in prayer

VII. EXPLICATION:

A. Author: Joshua (uncertain)

B. Key Thought: How to be successful in the battle of life? (Joshua 1:8-9)

Joshua 1:8-9 (NLT)

8 Study this Book of Instruction continually. Meditate on it day and night so you will be sure to obey everything written in it. Only then will you prosper and succeed in all you do.

9 This is my command—be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”

C. Leading Topic: Conquest and Division of the land of Canaan

VIII. MAIN BODY:

A. Keep on stretching the hand in prayer

"For Joshua drew not back his hand with which he stretched out the javelin"

P - Pray

U - Until

S - Something

H - Happens

Drew or "shub" in Hebrew which means:

1. to turn back

2. to retreat

3. idea of return to the starting point

4. break, build, circumcise, dig, do anything, do evil, feed, lay down, lie down, lodge, make, rejoice

Hand or "yad" in Hebrew which means: a hand: open hand indicates power, means, direction, etc.

The Hebrew word used here is an open hand not the closed hand, meaning when we raised our hands toward GOD, it is open not closed.

Stretched out or "natah" in Hebrew which means:

1. to stretch or spread out

2. to bend away

3. outstretched, overthrown, spread out

Isaiah 35:3 (Amplified Bible)

35:3 Strengthen the weak hands and make firm the feeble and tottering knees.

Hebrews 12:12 (Amplified Bible)

12:12 So then, brace up and reinvigorate and set right your slackened and weakened and drooping hands and strengthen your feeble and palsied and tottering knees,

We stretched out our hand everyday to GOD, we don't know what is happening in the spiritual world, but something's happening and GOD's changing events and happenings to fit our prayers.

B. Until it is answered

"until he had utterly destroyed all the inhabitants of Ai."

Ai symbolizes the prayer item we're praying for.

Destroyed or "charam" in Hebrew which means:

1. to seclude - to separate, as from company or society, and usually to keep apart for some length of time, or to confine in a separate state

2. to devote to religious uses especially destruction

3. make accursed, consecrate, (utterly) destroy, devote, forfeit, have a flat nose, utterly (slay, make away)

The word "Aleph-Tav" who is the LORD JESUS CHRIST, the Alpha and the Omega, was located after the word "destroyed" meaning, before GOD can use something it needs to be destroyed or broken into pieces. That's why a proud person (unbroken person) can't be used by GOD. Because Ai was marked out for destruction.

1 Corinthians 1:28 (Amplified Bible)

1:28 And God also selected (deliberately chose) what in the world is lowborn and insignificant and branded and treated with contempt, even the things that are nothing, that He might depose and bring to nothing the things that are,

2 Corinthians 12:9 (Amplified Bible)

12:9 But He said to me, My grace (My favor and loving-kindness and mercy) is enough for you [sufficient against any danger and enables you to bear the trouble manfully]; for My strength and power are made perfect (fulfilled and completed) and show themselves most effective in [your] weakness. Therefore, I will all the more gladly glory in my weaknesses and infirmities, that the strength and power of Christ (the Messiah) may rest (yes, may pitch a tent over and dwell) upon me!

Illustration: A humanist or an aetheist can't be used by GOD, because they believe that men have inherent goodness in their hearts and need to be respected while the bible declares the opposite, we all have sinned and fall short of the Glory of GOD. (Romans 3:23) unless these aetheist or humanist believes and admit to themselves that they are sinners, they can't receive forgiveness from GOD.