Dharius Daniels - 4 Things Prayer Does in Your Life

Somebody in here, somebody online, give God a hedge praise! The devil tried to get through; praise Him for the stuff He blocked that you don’t even know about. Technically, watch this: a circle brings prevention. See, another word for a circle is one we see used in the Book of Job, and it’s the word «hedge.» Don’t you mess with me; I said it was a hedge! Remember, the Bible says the enemy has an audience with God, and God asks the enemy, «What have you been doing?» He said, «I’ve been going to and fro to see whose life I can destroy and devour.» And God said, «Have you considered my servant Job?» And Satan said, «Yeah, but you’ve got a hedge around him, his household, and everything he has.» God didn’t say to the devil there’s a hedge around Job; the devil said to God there’s a hedge around Job! So my question is: how did the devil know there’s a hedge around Job unless he tried to get to Job, and the hedge blocked it? You didn’t hear what I just said! The hedge blocked it! I need somebody in here, somebody online, to give God a hedge praise! The devil tried to get through; praise Him for the stuff He blocked that you don’t even know about. Y’all thought that hedge just got there automatically? You didn’t read Job! The Bible says that Job would daily go and pray and offer sacrifices for his children. Every day he got up and drew a circle around him, drew a circle around his household, and drew a circle around his business. See, this is why you have to be careful making statements about whether or not prayer works, because you don’t always see the results of your prayer. Did you hear what I just said? Sometimes we’re so busy looking at the things that gain through the hedge that you don’t know how much more is outside the hedge. Prayer is working even when you don’t see it work! «Prayer’s not working!» He’s like, and God’s like, «You have no idea how you got here and there safely.» Hedge! Okay, here’s number two, so prevention. Y’all ready for number two? Say yes! Okay, prevention. Here’s the second one: preservation. So let’s get real honest here with our theology. Sometimes a watchman would see something, but the enemy forces were so strong that they still got through the gate. If you keep reading Job’s story, there were some things that didn’t get in the hedge at first; they got through the hedge later. And because we mostly talk about prevention, most people fail to see in Christian spaces the blessing of preservation. We think if something gets through the hedge, we win; we lose. And God’s like, «If I don’t protect you from it, I’m gonna preserve you in it.» He said, «Ask the Hebrew boys.» «What did you do?» «I didn’t prevent it, but when they got in that fire, I got in there with them and preserved them in what I didn’t prevent from happening.» Ask Daniel. «What did you do?» «I didn’t prevent him from going in the lion’s den, but when he went in the lion’s den, I preserved him.» Is there anybody here that’s honest enough to say, «I’m in the fiery furnace right now, but somehow I’m preserved! I’m not falling apart. I’m not having a breakdown. It’s because prayer is preserving you in it.» You ready for number three? Say yes! Okay, see, only people who really understand their assignment to influence the seven sectors of the earth are going to get excited about this. Some people who have been impacted with a gnostic version of spirituality are going to have trouble with this one. People who believe what the Gnostics believe—that everything visible is inferior to that which is invisible, and if it’s visible, a matter of matter, then it is evil—if a person leans there, they’re gonna miss this one. But let me give this to the few that I believe are really ready for this. Here’s number three: prayer not only draws circles, not only gives you prevention, not only gives you preservation; it gives you possession. See, watch this, because there are some people like, «I don’t want anything, Pastor. I’m just fine.» There’s nothing wrong with not wanting anything, but there’s nothing wrong with wanting something either! Let me find somebody online to say yes! Yeah, I said if you want nothing, there’s nothing wrong with wanting nothing, but there’s nothing wrong with me wanting something. And I want somebody that’s not ashamed to say, «There’s some stuff I want!» Yeah, that’s Him! I thank God for life, health, and strength, but there’s some stuff I want! I’m gonna have to talk about this later in the series, but there’s some stuff that you want that’s behind a strong man, is that not in the book? See, now we use that word in charismatic circles, but we never explain what the strong man is. I don’t have time today, but I’ll get to you later this month. I said, «Jesus said if you want what the strong man has…» Boy, if I had time! He said, «You must first bind the strong man, and once you bind the strong man, you can possess what belongs to you.» Lord, this is later! I’m gonna get to this later, I promise you! I’m gonna get to this later. But I’ll give you the keys to the kingdom, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven. Whatever you loose on earth… Some things aren’t possessed because there isn’t prayer. You have not because you ask not. There are some things because we’re pursuing but not praying, and God’s like, «Do y’all believe all that stuff?»