Chapter 6: Ep1: Ignite Your Prayer Life: Boldness at the Throne of Grace

0:00 Hey there, beautiful souls. Welcome to Diary of a Black Woman podcast, to our devotional series, where faith gets real, raw, and oh so powerful. I'm your host, Connie Morris, and let me tell you, I'm absolutely thrilled that you're joining me here today. And if you're ready to see God move in your life like never before. So stick with me because this episode is about to ignite your prayer life like wildfire. So let me ask you something. Have you ever hesitated when approaching God?

0:40 Maybe you've wondered, is he even listening? Today we're blowing those doubts out of the water. We're diving deep into how to approach God with boldness and confidence, knowing he is ready to pour out his grace and mercy. It's time to ask God like never before and see him show up in ways you didn't think were possible. This episode is inspired by chapter 6 of my devotional book, Just Ask, Boldness at the Throne of Grace.

1:21 And we're going to unlock the power of bold prayers. So if you're seeking a breakthrough or just tired of wondering where God is, grab your Bible, settle in, and let's unleash some serious faith together. We're going to be taking the story from the book of Acts, Acts 9-6. And so let's just set the scene here. Okay, I want you to picture this. It was a man named Saul. He was later known as Paul. He's charging full speed ahead, hunting down Christians.

2:03 And then, bam, Jesus knocks him flat, quite literally, on the road to Damascus. Acts 9-6 tells us Saul's next move. So he runs right, bam, into God's hand, into the hand of Jesus. God stops him right in his tracks. And what would be his next words to him? He asked, Lord, what would you have me to do? Now let us pause here for a second. This guy went from persecutor to seeker in one divine encounter.

2:47 His question is our question. So let's dig in and learn how to ask God with the same raw faith. Now, Paul could have said anything else when he ran smack into the hand of Jesus on that road to Damascus, but it seemed to me to be a wake-up call to say, Lord, what would you have me to do? Because it seems to me that, What he thought was what God would have him to do wasn't what God was having him to do. Otherwise, he wouldn't have got smacked down right there in the road of Damascus.

3:27 And that could be us today, too. Are we on the right path to what God would have us to do? Have we ever stopped and asked, Lord, is this our, am I, have we ever just checked in to say, Lord, am I doing what you want me to do? Because a lot of times we'll get going and maybe it's been five years, 10 years, three years, one year, three days, three hours. Have we ever just checked in to say, Lord, is this what you want me to do? What would you have me to do? So let's just kind of go over how Paul, go over Paul's encounter here. So let's talk about Paul's encounter with Jesus. So here's Paul on a mission to destroy the church, but when God gets involved, your plans don't stand a chance.

4:15 So Saul's transformation started with one powerful question. Lord, what do you want me to do? He's blinded, confused, vulnerable, but he's ready to hear from God. When was the last time you asked God for direction without knowing where it would lead. Maybe it's time we all got a little more daring in our prayers. So when was the last time you just, like I just said, double-checked with God to make sure you're on that right roll? What would you have me to do? Because remember, Paul thought he was doing the right thing.

4:56 He was zealous for Jesus until he wasn't. He was stopped, and then God, Jesus led him in the right direction. The question is, what would you have me to do? Let me tell you, this isn't a casual ask. It's not, hey, God, can you fix this for me? It's, Lord, my life is in your hands. Lead me. This question is a declaration of faith. It's not about getting all the details. It's about saying, God, I trust you enough to follow. Imagine the impact if we all prayed like that. Where would God take us?

5:38 The possibilities are endless. So when we pray a prayer, Lord, what would you have me to do? Where will we end up? Would our life change? Because, you know, a lot of times we're like kids with training wheels on our bikes, right? We want to know where we're going, how we're going to get there. And as long as it's safe, we stay within the parameters that God has us to do. But when God takes off the training wheels and he just pushes you down the hill and says, I got you, can you handle that? Can you handle that? So here's a kicker. It's not enough to ask.

6:20 We've got to be ready to follow. Sometimes God's directions feels uncomfortable, but that's where growth happens. Paul didn't know what was coming next. He didn't. but he trusted God anyway. Are you ready to surrender your plans? This kind of faith leads to adventure. I like to put an S on that, adventures with God, one that you don't want to miss out on. So are you ready to take off your training wheels with the Lord and to follow him and an adventure with him by simply just having this, asking this question, Lord, what would you have me to do?

7:06 Maybe you've been in your career for, you know, we finished our career, you're close to retirement. And the question is, Lord, what's next? What would you have me to do? And so I want to just take this moment before we get into our reflection is ask yourself this week, You know, write down this question and just challenge him with two things here. Challenge him with a bold question. I'm not going to give you the question. Just ask God for, ask a bold question to the Lord and dare to ask him in faith and just wait for the answer. It could be, Lord, what would you have me to do? Or it could be whatever bold question that you're going to have for the Lord today. So you can just start to take off those training wheels.

7:52 Sometimes, you know, when you're young, you take off one. You know how they used to lean to the right? They always lean to the one that had the training wheel on. Then when they take the other one off, then you find out they didn't really need a training wheel. One thing about riding a bike, once you learn how to ride a bike, come on now. Once you learn how to trust God, you don't never need training wheels again. That's a good word. Once you learn how to trust God, once he takes the training wheels off, once he rescues you, once he delivers you, once he heals you, once you hear his voice, you don't need those training wheels on anymore. You can trust God in any situation.

8:32 Next thing I want you to do just real quick here, and then next 30 seconds, we're not going to hold up the podcast for that, but I want you to write this down. When we finish, take 30 seconds after this podcast and ask the Lord this question. It says, what would you have me to do? And maybe you thought that you were already doing what Jesus is asking you to do, but he might have you go to another level, right? And so, Lord, what would you have for me to do? Don't just listen. Engage the Lord. What would you have for me to do?

9:13 So we know Paul encountered his encounter with Jesus on the road to Damascus was a moment of transformation. And I just pray that this time when you ask the Lord that in this year. This is a November series that in this year that God will, this will be a moment of transformation for you. Because in this split second with Paul, he went from persecutor to humble servant, just asking him, asking God the question, what would you have me to do? His question wasn't born out of fear or obligation. It was rooted in faith and a desire to follow God's plan, even though he didn't know what it would be.

10:02 That's what God wants us. He wants us without the training wheels, trusting him wholeheartedly. So when we come before God and ask him boldly, we are stepping into a place of surrender. It's not about asking for what we want, but asking what God will is for us. God might want to have us go left, go right, stop what we're doing, take a pause. You don't know. We just kind of continue thinking, well, we're going to do this job for 20 years or 30 years, whatever that number you have in your mind. But God says, just ask me. I might have another plan for you, right? Like Paul, when he asked in faith, God will lead us into a greater purpose than we could have imagined.

10:53 And we know Paul went on to write pretty much three quarters of the New Testament. So here go some points of encouragement before we close out and some additional scriptures for support. Number one, I want you to know that God hears you. We talk about God hears you. Now think about Paul, Saul on his way to persecute Christians. He thought he was getting ready to just do what he was going to do. But boom, bam, God just put his hand out and stopped him. Right. And so understand that God sees you too, but God hears you. Whenever you ask God for direction, know that your prayers are heard.

11:36 Trust that he is already working on the answer, just like he did for Paul. Number two, trust God, God's plan. Like Paul, your life may be completely redirected when you ask, Lord, what would you have for me to do? Trust that God's plan is always better than your own. I know I'm going to say that again because I think that was for me. It says, like Paul, your life may be completely redirected when you ask, Lord, what would you have for me to do?

12:17 Trust that God's plan is always better than your own. How many know that to be true? That God's plan is always better than our own. And number three, boldness opens doors. When you boldly ask God for his guidance. You're stepping into a new season of growth and faith. So don't be afraid to ask. God delights in leading you. Isn't that powerful? Boldness opens doors. Come on now, you can knock on the door, you can turn the knob on the door, or you can just be bold and just kick it in.

12:58 Boldness opens doors. And it's something that it says here that God delights in leading you. So when we step out and say, Lord, what would you have me to do? It brings delight to God. He delights in leading us. So we know our scripture for this episode is Acts 9-6. But let's look at a couple more scriptures. Matthew 7, 7, Matthew chapter 7, verses 7 through 8. It reads, ask and it will be given to you. Seek and you will find. Knock and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives.

13:40 And the one who seeks finds. And to the one who knocks, it will be opened. Boldness. This passage encourages asking God without hesitation, trusting that he will respond, asking, seeking, and knocking, Matthew 7, 7-8. And the second scripture I want to give you for support here is 1 John 5, 14, and 15. It says, this is a confidence we have in approaching God, that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us.

14:22 A boldness, assurance that when we ask in alignment with God's will, he hears us. So God hears us when we go to him with boldness. That was good, right? If you feel a stirring in your heart, don't ignore it. God is waiting for you to ask him boldly, trusting he's already got the perfect plan for your life. And trust me, he does. So next time we'll tackle the hardest part is waiting on God. But spoiler alert, it's worth the wait. So thank you for hanging out with me today.

15:06 Be sure to come back because in the next episode, we'll dive into what happens after we ask and how to stay strong in the waiting. Thank you so much. And don't forget to subscribe, share this with a friend. Until then, stay bold, stay blessed, and keep seeking God's grace. Thank you so much for tuning in to Diary of Black Woman podcast, our devotional series. And if you're loving these episodes, please subscribe, leave a review, share it with someone who needs a little extra faith in their life, little extra boldness kick, right? Remember, you can always find more resources on our website.

15:50 Diary of a Black Woman LLC.com. And until next time, keep living bold in faith and walking in grace. Amen.