Influence With God

·40 min·4 clips

Prayer gives you access to the healer when even the world's most powerful person cannot save you.

The episode is a sermon by Pastor Ed Walden from Restoration Apostolic Church in Winterville, Georgia. It opens with a reading from Psalm 116, emphasizing God's attentiveness to prayer. The central theme is that prayer grants believers 'influence with God', meaning access and intercessory power rather than control. The speaker contrasts prayer with other spiritual practices like praise and worship, noting prayer's unique role in accessing God's help. He argues that even the most powerful person on Earth cannot provide salvation or healing, but prayer connects individuals to God who can. Biblical examples are extensively used: Abraham's six-fold negotiation to spare Sodom, Esther's influence with the king as a metaphor for the church's access, Moses interceding for Israel, Hezekiah gaining 15 more years of life through prayer, and Hannah's prayer for a child resulting in Samuel. The sermon references scriptures such as Hebrews 4:14-16 on coming boldly to the throne of grace, and Luke 18 on the persistent widow. It addresses common misconceptions about prayer, urging listeners to see it as a necessity rather than an accessory. The tone is educational and exhortative, blending scriptural exposition with practical application. The episode ends with a call to abide in Christ for effective prayer, based on John 15:7.

As heard by us

A fervent sermon on prayer, divine attention, and the influence believers find in God's character.

The episode centers on Psalm 116 and its assurance that God hears those who call on him. From the opening declaration, "I love the Lord," the sermon presses toward a confident account of prayer: believers are invited to seek God humbly, trust his attention, and expect that his…

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Why you'd press play

Press play when prayer feels small and you need a sermon that treats it as real influence with God.

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