Peter Tan-Chi - Develop The Habit of Prayer
Our title for this coming series is Why do we connect habits with life transformation? I'm reminded of this quotation from Craig Groeschel. This is what he said: Do you notice the keyword: successful people do consistently, habitually, regularly, what normal people do occasionally. What are the four important principles? The acronym is PATH, P-A-T-H.
P stands for priority. You must know what are the important habits you want to develop. Priority. A stands for you must admit that you cannot do it on your own. There's a limit our willpower. We cannot succeed in developing habits based on our willpower; admit our inadequacy. T, you've got to turn to God because only God can give us the power through Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit. So turn to Him for help. And lastly, H. H stands for habit. You need to practice and practice, until it becomes second nature. Most of us underestimate the influence of habit. We overestimate the power of our will and underestimate the influence of habit.
So the first habit I'd like you to develop for this coming year is the habit of prayer. I am reminded of successful athletes. Why are they successful? These successful athletes have one thing in common: it's called discipline. It's called habit. Example, Steph Curry. He will practice at least 2,000 shots a week. 250 to 300 shots a day. It's discipline. Tiger Woods. This guy would spend 13 hours a day. He will be hitting over 1000 balls a day on average. Michael Phelps. He will swim 80 kilometers a week. Five to six hours daily on top of going to the gym. This is what they have in common. There's a system, it's discipline, it's habit.
Jesus Christ has a similar system. Jesus Christ is known for his prayer life. If you read Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, you will notice something about Jesus. The Bible tells us He would rise up early in the morning. He will withdraw, the Bible tells us, while it was still dark. The Bible tells us Jesus spent the whole night in prayer. So the life of Jesus was characterized by prayer. The same thing with the apostle Paul. Paul tells us, "I do not cease to pray for you," in Colossians 1:9. Ephesians 1:16, "pray without ceasing". 1 Thessalonians 5:17, he says always pray.
In other words, men of God have habits and they practice it daily. What about you? Be honest with me. How's your prayer life? Have you developed the habit of prayer? It's one thing to pray, it's another thing to learn to pray habitually. Let us see what Jesus taught His disciples. In Luke chapter 11, I'd like the focus on verses five down. Jesus taught them by giving them a parable. Remember, Jesus is a master teacher. In order to teach them how to pray, He gives them a story. He said, Now you must understand the context of the story. In the time of Jesus, it is only polite that if somebody visits you, you give them food. Except there's a problem: the guy had a visitor who arrived at midnight, therefore he needed food.
So what did he do? He went to his friend. He asked his friend, "Lend me three loaves". Except there's a problem: in the time of Jesus, people usually live in one big room. They only stay in one big room, everybody sleeps together. Therefore, the neighbor said "I cannot, because if I were to wake up, I'll wake up all the children. So do not bother me. The door has already been shut, and my children are in bed. I cannot get up". Now here's the twist of the story: Notice the twist of the story. Jesus is saying the friend will help him, not because he is his friend. Don't misunderstand the verse. He will not get up because he is his friend. No, no. He is going to get up because of his persistence.
The emphasis is the persistence of the neighbor. What is the meaning of the word "persistence"? Jesus explained in the next verse. In the next verses, Jesus tells the disciples, Now you have to understand the grammar. The grammar in the original language is simply this: ask (present imperative). If you keep asking (present tense), if you keep seeking (present tense), if you keep knocking (present tense), do you notice the intensity? You first ask, and then you seek, and then you knock. Now, how do you knock? You don't knock once, you keep knocking. And then He gives a promise. Jesus tells us how to pray: "everyone who asks (who keep asking), receives; everyone who seeks (if you keep seeking), you will find; and to him, who knocks (if you keep knocking), it will be opened".
Here's an amazing promise. Now what in the world can we learn from the story of Jesus? You will not understand the full implication of what Jesus is saying about prayer until you begin to realize prayer is about a relationship with God. The relationship is not between a master and a servant, because you won't approach a master persistently, you'll be afraid. It is also not about the relationship between a king and his subjects, because you don't go to a king and be so bold to keep asking. Prayer is also not about God being a genie, like he's our servant; we command him to do what we want to do. That is not what Jesus would like to teach. Jesus is saying Prayer is about a relationship between God the Father and his children. The focus is on the relationship between father and son. Why do I say that? He now says, (Notice the comparison now).
In the book of Matthew, the same story talks about. When I became a father, I have five wonderful children, and I began to understand the heart of God. I began to realize if I love my children, and I will only do what's best for them, and I will not allow anything bad to happen to them, I began to understand such is my Father in heaven. He loves me. He wants what's best for me. You see, this parable has to do with childlike faith. Do you have a childlike faith with God? Carefree, complete trust, complete freedom. You can approach God anytime, anywhere. And that my friend is why prayer is important.
In Hebrews 4:16, the Bible tells us, Do you see what God is saying, what the Bible is saying? Enter His presence boldly with confidence. That is what prayer should be. What's your attitude toward God? How's your prayer life? Are you afraid to keep coming to God? God is saying, "it's Okay, I'm your Father". Are you thinking it's embarrassing to keep asking the same thing? God is saying, "That's fine, I'm your Father".
I do not know your current situation. I do not know your problem. If you are struggling, if you are thinking God does not care for you, well I have good news for you. God is telling you today, develop the habit of prayer. Why? Because God is our Father. He longs to hear your prayer, and He wants to answer your prayer. Notice what Jesus said: He's now comparing the quality of the earthly father and the quality of the greatest father of all, Heavenly Father. So how do we develop the habit of prayer?
Remember the acronym. Prioritize: what habit do you want to develop? Prayer is very important. Prioritize prayer. Prayer is the great privilege that God has given us to enter His presence. A, you must admit that you cannot develop this habit on your own. This truth is so liberating. Why? I realize God knows my limitation. I cannot do what I feel I need to do based on my own power, because my willpower is inadequate.
Look at the experience of the apostle Paul. In Romans 7:15. Let's read. Notice verse 19: If I were to expand this in today's language, Paul is saying, "I want to have good quiet time, but I cannot seem to do it. I want a good Bible study, I want to be prayerful. I want to be kind. I don't want to lose my temper. I cannot do it. What I don't like, I do. I don't want to waste my time with pornography. I don't want to waste my time just watching TV. I don't want to waste my time doing drugs, but what I don't like to do, I do". Do you understand his problem? So you see, God understands the limitation of our willpower. We must admit we cannot do it. What is the solution?
T stands for: you turn to Jesus. You see the Christian life is not hard, it is impossible. It is not difficult, it is supernatural. After admitting our inadequacy, we must turn to God, turn to Jesus for help. And that's exactly what Paul is saying. In Romans 7:24,25, Paul said, "I am so miserable"! The word "wretched" has the idea of "I'm carrying this burden. I feel broken". "Wretched man, that I am"! Praise God, there's an answer. What is the answer? He did not say, "Thanks be to God through my willpower, through my self-discipline". No, no, no. He said through Jesus Christ our Lord. You see, there is something about the power of Christ that can transform our lives.
That's why 2 Corinthians 5:17 is so important. Do you notice: if anyone is in Christ. If you are in Christ, you are a new creature. The new things have come; the old things pass away, new things have come. This new year, I'd like you to begin my making sure that you have a relationship with Christ, because that is where it all begins. I'm reminded of a friend who was into drugs. He has been attending Bible study, but secretly behind people's backs, he was into alcohol, he was into sex, he was into drugs. One day, the wife caught him. He was so miserable. He didn't know what to do. And this is where prayer comes in. In his desperation in his wretched condition, when he felt like killing himself, when he felt like giving up, he turned to the Lord.
You see, if you want to be transformed, you remember the principle of the PATH: P, you must know your priority. What habit do you want to develop? A, I admit that you are not able. T, you turn to the Lord. This man turned to the Lord. And the good news I want you to know, today he has been free from drugs, from alcohol, from sexual immorality for over 20 years. That's the power of God who transforms lives. H. I invented a new word for H. From habit, I changed it to a verb, habitualize. What do you mean by habitualize? You make it into a practice. The Bible describes it as follows.
Paul says, Do you notice: I discipline. I practice my body. That's exactly what he's saying. I make it a habit. I discipline my body, make it my slave. In fact, in Philippians 4:9, he tells his disciples, Notice the grammar: "the things that you have learned, received and heard, and seen"; Paul is modeling for them what are the good habits they must develop. Look at his command: practice these things. Practice. What's the grammar? Imperative. It's a command. What tense? Present tense. He's saying you keep practicing. You keep on doing it. Habitualize it until it becomes a habit. Habit means what? You keep doing something again and again until it becomes second nature. And that is what I want us to learn.
If you want your life to have a new beginning, it is so important that you practice until it becomes a habit. The Bible tells us, Our problem is we have a tendency to give up. We give up easily. Now let me share with you why this is so important. Just because we don't see immediate results, like losing weight, like when you exercise for 15 minutes a day, after one week, after two weeks, after one month, you don't see big changes, you wrongly conclude that these small decisions don't matter. You are completely wrong. Don’t conclude that whatever good things you are doing, it's useless. Let me give you an example of how small choices you make today can lead to dramatic changes in the future. It impacts your future.
Person A versus person B. Person A decided exercise is useless, so he no longer has regular exercise. He decided not to have any more diet. He's no longer intentional with his time. Instead of using his time wisely, he will binge on Netflix. Person B: he wakes up early. He will exercise regularly. He reads the Bible regularly. He watches his diet. At night, instead of watching Netflix, he will probably spend 30 minutes a day reading the Bible. On weekdays, he will probably meet in small group.
Now let me ask you a question: will there be a difference in the life of person A and person B? I will guarantee you, there will be a big difference. You may not see that immediately, but as time goes by, you will see the changes. You will see the difference. You see, your decisions, determine your eventual destiny. Darren Hardy said the following: Can I add? My wife and I, by the grace of God, have developed many habits. For the last 50 years, God has taught us various habits.
I want you to think about developing small habits one at a time. For example, if you develop the habit of prayer, can you imagine? You develop that habit. After so many months, you develop another habit. Your life will never be the same. My wife and I have this habit. We have developed this system. The first thing we do, the first thing I do when I wake up, I make sure I do not open the TV. I make sure I don't open my cellphone. I make sure I don't conduct business. The first thing I do, if possible, after brushing my teeth, is to meditate. I kneel down or I listen to the audio Bible. My wife and I developed a habit, a simple habit of walking together. We walk together, we pray together.
On Monday, for example, we pray for our immediate family, for our five children and my sons-in-law, my daughters-in-law. I pray for our 21 grandchildren on Monday. On Tuesday, I pray for the relatives of my wife, I pray for my own relatives. On Wednesday, I pray for the pastors. I pray for my D12 pastors. On Thursday, I pray for the businessman's D12 I have. In other words, I have developed a certain pattern. It has become a habit. I encourage you to try something. If you don't have a regular prayer life, why don't you start five minutes a day? You start with five minutes. Pray with your wife, even just one minute. Do it daily.
As we close, I want to remind you, Philippians 4 tells us, How do you develop the habit of prayer? Every time you're worried, it's a reminder: pray. The Bible says God is our Father. Prayer is a reminder that we have a loving God. He's not just the King of kings. He is your Father, He is my Father. Come before Him with open arms. Come before Him with your worries, with your anxiety. He tells us be anxious for nothing. Think of God, really, as your Father. He loves you. Imagine now God telling you, "My child, what worries you? What's your problem"? Come to Him.
Remember what he said? Prayer becomes dynamic, it becomes intimate, when you are assured that your prayers are being heard. And I want to assure you today, God hears your prayer, but the way He answers your prayer is based on His divine wisdom, based on His goodness, and He will only answer your prayer based on what is best for you. Will you trust Him? Will you keep coming to Him? Start the year with prayer. If you start the year with prayer, turn over your fear, turn over your anxiety, because God is our Father, and He promised to answer our prayers. Rest upon His love. Rest upon His power. Rest upon His wisdom. He knows what is best.
I remember praying for my father. I prayed for my father for 20 years. You must understand, my father did not grow up in any Christian environment. You can say he's like a practical atheist. He's not against God, he's not for God, He's neutral. I remember my wife and I, especially my wife, if my wife will talk about God, my father would put his hand up and say, "Change the topic". When I would introduce Jesus, many times, my father would change the topic. But I kept praying and praying. Day and night, I claimed the promise of God like a child. I said, "Father, you promised". I claimed God's promise. I said, "You promised if we ask anything in accordance to Your will, You'll hear our prayers". I said, "God, I know it is Your will to save people. I want You to save my father. My father needs You. So, Lord, I'm claiming Your promise".
Day and night, no miss for 20 years. Do you know what happened? That's why the habit of prayer is crucial. In these 20 years, God helped me in my life. I made sure my conduct, my behavior, will not turn my father against Christianity. I made sure I will make Jesus attractive, in his life, in my life. I'm so careful to bring honor to God. I made sure my word, my tongue, my action will not contradict our testimony. But you know, most of all, I kept praying and praying. I was tempted to give up at times. I was tempted to say perhaps it is useless, but God kept reminding me: keep on asking, keep on seeking, keep on knocking. On the 20th year, the most amazing thing happened.
Dr. Bill Bright, the founder of Campus Crusade, came to visit the Philippines. Since he's a friend, we communicated with each other and I requested him, if he will have time, to talk to my father. Now, the way I talked to my father is simply this: I told my father, "Dr. Bill Bright is a businessman. He was in the candy business. He was in the oil exploration business. And now he is the leader of Campus Crusade for Christ. Would you like to meet him"? You know, my father got interested in business. My father said, "Of course, I'd like to meet this man". And when Dr. Bright met him, believe it or not, the most amazing thing happened.
My wife was seated in front of me, we were together in front, and Dr. Bill Bright was seated behind the car with my father. And we had the whole morning, I was touring them around. And Dr. Bright asked my father, "How is your relationship with God"? And my father being a nice man, very political, he said, "Ninety percent". And Dr. Bright said, "Why don't we make it a hundred percent today"? And that's what he did, he began to share the Gospel. And believe it or not, at the end of the day, my father committed his life to Jesus. And he told us, he told me and my wife what he did. He said, "I prayed to receive Christ".
I didn't realize that Dr. Bright told him to tell me that he prayed to receive Christ. And then when my father went to China with Paul, with my son, you know what my father told Paul? My father told my son, "You tell my Chinese friend about Jesus, okay? You tell them about Jesus". In other words, my father was so affected by him praying to receive Christ that there was a spark of this desire to talk about Jesus. What's my point? My point is develop the habit of prayer.
Don't give up, because every action you do will have tremendous consequences in the future. How are you doing in your prayer life? I realized to pray the way Jesus taught His disciples to pray, you've got to have a relationship with God as your Father, because you will not be able to come to His presence boldly, persistently, if you don't have a relationship with God. And that is why prayer is about relationship with God, and the key to effective prayer is to make sure that God is your Father. Is God your Heavenly Father? Perhaps you know about God. Perhaps you know God as a creator. But do you know Him as your Heavenly Father?
The Bible tells us in John 1:12, "as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name". Do you notice: the promise of God, the promise of the word of God, "as many as received Jesus, He gave them the right to become children of God". If you want to become a child of God today, you can. Wherever you are right now, as you are listening to me, you humble yourself and you say, "Lord, I'm not sure if you're my Father. Today, I want to become your child. I want to accept You. I want You to become my Father". If that's your desire, you want a relationship with God, why don't you pray this prayer with me? The prayer of receiving Christ. Let's pray:
Lord God, today I realize I want you to become my Father. Lord Jesus, I receive you today in humility. I accept You as my Lord and my Savior. Come in to my life. I receive You as my Savior and Master. I thank You for Your promise that if I receive you, I will become Your child. I thank You that You died on the cross for my sins. I know ask You to change my heart, to make me the kind of person You want me to be. I accept Your gift of forgiveness. I accept Your gift of eternal life. In your name, I pray. Amen.