Interview with Minister Hattie Way - Part III

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:00

Welcome back to Encouraging Prayer for today's Christian pastors, where I believe every pastor needs an intercessor. My goal is to lift up the shepherds who are on the front line, those who guide or lead a flock of a group of people, those who battle burn out and sometimes walk through valleys alone. During each episode, we pray, share the word, and kill the hope for leaders who pour out so much. I'm Elder Audrey Dowley, and I invite you to join this circle of intercession. Because when we cover our pastures, we strengthen the whole body of Christ. Stay tuned. Breathe deep. And let's go before the Lord right now. And so, Sister Way, I wanted to talk about, you know, some of the scriptures that, you know, are go-to scriptures for you. What are some of the go-to scriptures when you think about praying for pastors? What are some of the go-to scriptures you have?

SPEAKER_00 1:06

And I got this on this table and I got them listed here. I had listed them. First of all, I I love I I love the one that first of all, what God had God had told Moses when he was, he was, he was had led the people out of Egypt, and they were in the desert, and he was beginning to take, you know, the people got issues. So he was getting to counsel them. One of the scriptures that I love to read is the one that's in Exodus, the 18th chapter, what Jethro told Moses, Moses, you're gonna surely wear out. Simply because he was trying to do all of that by himself. And and Jethro told him to put choose men and put them over thousands and put them over hundreds. And let the men, let them be accountable to these people. That's one of the things that our church needs. We need men, these people that are calling themselves who got a title in the church and are doing nothing, these ministers in the church who are not being productive, they need to be over people that they they can come to. And then he said, and then the difficult things that they can't handle, then you bring it to the pastor. And see, because the pastor does have direct connection to God, you do too. But he has a special position, he has a special anointing. The pastors have a special anointing, so the things that you cannot handle, bring them to bring that to the pastor. But usually you're gonna be able to solve the problems. And I said that's one of the scriptures I love. That's in Exodus, the 18th chapter, and the 17th verse. And uh it's interesting to me that people who grumble and complain all the time. The scripture talked about these people, and and if you read the story, it's gonna keep you from complaining about everything that's going on in the church and go, what's going on wrong? They didn't pay the bill, they didn't have the money, they didn't approve my they didn't approve my earthshabode. We'd asked them for some money to get some food, they didn't approve. You start grumbling. Well, God has uh showed us in the scriptures what happened to people who grumble in the church over in the book of Exodus, the 16th chapter. These men were grumbling against Moses, you know, about and God and I'm just gonna make it brief. You need to read it simply because the ground opened up and swallowed these men up. Is your finances being swallowed up because you're complaining in the church all the time? Is your health being swallowed up? What's being swallowed up for you because you have the wrong attitude about the church? Surely churches are not perfect, people are not perfect, and but so what do you do? You begin to pray rather than to grumble. You begin to say, Lord, help them send the people. I've had look, I had to repent a couple of times myself because said for some things that came out of my mouth. Yeah, I had to repent too. I'm not all there, I'm just like you. But I thank God for the spirit of repentance. I thank God that He said, If I confess my sins, that He's faithful and just to forgive me. So when I utter them words that are negative because somebody didn't do something I thought they should have done in the church, I said, Lord, forgive me. You see, because that's what it's going to take for my prayers to be answered. And I love the one about in in Exodus 17th chapter where Aaron and Hersh began to uh lift up Moses' arm on the mountain because he could not, because his arms got heavy. Just like our pastor's arms are so heavy, people heavy, but you need somebody to get on each side of him to hold him up. Now, this was a this was a physical battle, and the scripture wrote that all of our Moses' arms were lifted up, the Israelites were winning. What battles are we fighting today that we're losing because we're not holding the pastor's arms up? Think about this this spirit of pedophilia in the land, the assault on our children, and they got to have it all in the news all the time. Think about the child trafficking, think about the spirit of homosexuality, which they're telling you you can't say nothing about. You got to include the LBG community. You think about these things that are trying to overrule in this, yes, this is me, sister Hattie, saying this. Yes, but they're gonna lock you up. That's okay. Go on down to the jail because one thing I know about going down to the jail, we can pray in the jail, we'll have the doors coming open. This is the kind of attitude the church of Christ has to take. Uh, Paul and Silas was in there and they were praying, and the gods let them out, and they the gate started so you know the and not only that they prayed such prayers at the ground, that an earthquake came. These are the kind of prayers that we need here. We sitting around talking about it and complaining about oh, how bad it is when we got power, saints, to stop it. The church has the power to call to heart all of these issues that are in our land. But you know what our issue is? You say, Well, what about where you because we won't get together, we worried about who's gonna be in charge, we worried about who's gonna get the credit when it's all God and it's God's work, and we need to step aside and get the work done. So that's what those are two of my go-to script, but I love Second Timothy 2 that tells me that we should pray for all of those that are in authority that we may lead a quiet and a peaceful life. I also love the one that in Hebrews that says uh the brief Hebrews 13 and 7 says that they what the pastors are watching out for my soul, and I appreciate that. And I thank God I know my pastor. I also like the one is that that's in uh Jeremiah, the 15th chapter says that uh uh that these pastors are called by his name. These oh Lord of hosts, he said, For I am called by thy name, our pastors are called by the name of God, and of course, Moses has already told you that that the pastor is in God's dead, he's in God's place in the earth. He told Aaron to Aaron, now you in Moses' place, and Moses now you in God's place. In other words, the pastors are standing in God's place, and you need to look at that. You would never say some of the things to God that you say to your pastor, but you better think about it. When you're saying it to that pastor, you're saying it to God because he's the man that God has put in his place when you're talking about him and not cooperating and got to pray about everything he asked you to do. You know what the saints do, everything the pastor them do, I pray about it. What you praying about? I always ask the what are you gonna pray? Are you gonna ask God, did the pastor actually tell me to do that? Or Lord, do I want what are you gonna say when you pray? When you tell me this little, this little line that you use, I'm gonna pray about it. What you gonna pray? I want to know what you're gonna and sister had to ask you, what you gonna ask? I I look you right in the eye, so what you what kind of prayer are you gonna pray when the pastor has asked you to do something? And many times he'll ask you to do something, you can't do it. You got some friends, do you know somebody that can do it? I that's what I do. I don't know how to do that. I said, but I ain't finna bury my I'm finna help my pastor. I can't do it, but I take with come on, sister Sunset. Don't you know how to and like I told one of the sisters about church? And look, I live this life, I couldn't do something that I was asked to do. I called on one of the sisters, we were going out of town to do something that we were asked to do, and she came right alongside me and did. I said, I don't have no expertise in that area. I said, You come in. We went to I took her, we went together to do it. These are the things that we can do to help in our church. Now we sitting alone in the seat by ourselves and we go home by ourselves and we don't know nobody. That's not God. You don't need to know all your neighbors and all your church members, you need to know them because that's the business of the church. We people in the people business, say, sanctify, hypocrite, backslider. We in the people business. You hear what I'm saying? But you can be alone by yourself if you want to, but that is not God.

SPEAKER_01 8:29

Amen. And I'm thinking about you know, all of those scriptures that you talked about, they are scriptures that I I I love as well. Just you know, thinking about the one that had to do, and and you and I have talked about this a lot, the one where in where Moses is is up on the mountain, and Joshua's down there fighting the battle, and we've talked about how important it is, and that that illustration that the Lord had given us, just showing us that right there, that you know, Moses, who's standing as the pastor, and he is the one that's speaking the word over the people, and so Joshua's down there uh in his war gear, he got every uh every weapon that he's supposed to have, got his war gear, he can fight, and he knows how to fight, he knows how to win a battle. Yes, but the Lord didn't let the battle be won that way, no matter how it skilled Joshua was, that's not how the battle was won. The battle was won when whether the man of God had his hands up or down, if he had his hands up, they were winning the battle. If they went down, they were losing. And so that's why Aaron and her came alongside and they held his hands up until the battle was won. Yes. Now, Sister Way, I don't know if there's any more you want to say about that before I talk about this other scripture that's important to me. But it do you have anything else you want to share about that?

SPEAKER_00 10:08

That is just so plain, and that's it. I thought any Christian on this line, you need to read that so that you can get the truly the anointing is behind this scripture here. It is so plain to see that what Aaron and her did that it because otherwise, God is not gonna put somebody else in your pastor's place. You hear what he could have told, like he said, let Jesuit just fight the battle. No, he had told Moses to go up and hold that rod up, and as long as he held it up, he was gonna win. They, these are the battles that we're fighting. Those of us out there who got problems with our children's and challenges with our children and our health and our jobs and the people working and they the government telling you you better work and ain't gonna give you no money, all of these issues in our land. We need to understand that if we get behind the pastor, the man of God, and we're not talking about personalities, we're talking about the position of the pastor, what God has put in place for his house. If we get behind that person and support him, do the things that you can do to take the weight off of him so that I we're gonna talk about what his job description is here, what God told the pastor to do. I got his job, I put it on a card. That the job, the pastor's job description, that is one scripture that I want to we before we leave here, we need to write that one down also so that we'll know when you see your pastor up there trying to get all of these different meetings stuff. You need probably need to ask him if you can go to some of them for him and bring him a report. That's what you need to do. So, Pastor, can I go to that meeting for you and I'll get the information and bring it back to you? You see, we probably need simple things like that so that the pastor can go either home or go take a nap or something. You know, he's a person. We need to think about us individually, what we can do to help.

SPEAKER_01 11:56

Amen. And so another scripture that's very important to the ministry that I do, which is focused on praying for the pastor, it's found in Romans, the 15th chapter and the 30th verse. And it says, it's the apostle Paul, and he is talking to the Roman church, and he's saying, I beseech you, therefore, brethren, for the Lord Jesus Christ's sake, and for the love of the Spirit, that ye strive together with me in your prayers to God for me. And I like this scripture because I like to explain what this stride means. That strive means to struggle or fight vigorously, and it's like entering into a duel. Remember the duel back in the in the medieval time, entering into a duel, and you don't stop fighting until it's done. That's what the apostle Paul was saying, and he's asking them, he he says, I'm begging of you if you know the Lord, if you love the Lord, if you love his spirit, I want you to strive together with me in your prayers to God for me. And then after that scripture, he has a few things that he said. He said, When you do this, he said, so that the word would be received where where I'm getting ready to go and preach, that it would be received, that I wouldn't have to fight against evil men so hard, that I would be able to easily get the word out that somebody would hear and come to know that Jesus is alive, that that Jesus can heal, that Jesus can deliver, that he can set them free. And so that's what the apostle Paul said, and that that scripture is so important, and he was telling them to get, and it's not as Sister Wade was talking earlier, it's not just a Lord bless the pastor type of prayer, it's a warfare prayer, it's actually getting in down to the specific issue that is happening and getting in that battle with that pastor, with that man or that woman of God. And and it says you should know the scripture tells us that we should know them that labor among us. So we we need to get more familiar with, and I know, so it's a two-sided thing. It it's like you know, the pastors have to also get in that culture of of releasing and and and expecting people to pray for them. So it is it's both of them. It it's the people praying and feeling that they are able to pray. And just like Sister Ways Ways said, all you need it to is to be a willing vessel, and and God will grow you in whatever he needs to grow you in if you are willing. And and I I do believe that the pastors need to set the tone, though. Yes, they need to set the tone for you know how they want the church to pray for them. You know, that the pastor need, I I this is the way I feel. I feel the pastor should have a list of things that so that the people would always have something that they can pray for. I don't know if it's an updated list, I don't know if it's a yearly list. They need to have something that the people can pray for, give them something to do in order that the will of God, that they can help them in getting the will of God done. Sister Way, is there anything else you want to?

SPEAKER_00 15:34

No, I that and that's what I say I appreciate, but our pastor, because we pray with him, we've developed so that we pray with him and his wife uh once a month on, and we get a list of issues that that need to be prayed for, besides all of the other things that we have. We also have, like I was telling you, you we've got this uh bookmark and you need to put it in your Bible. It's got 24 things that you need to lift your pastor up for, you know, to keep the devil off his back, to pray for his family, pray for his preaching. Yes, you are so right, uh uh Pastor Darling. You are so right. We need to get an attitude, we need to change this culture, we need to understand, need to look at these men that God have called differently. We need to look at them differently. That's all I have to say about that.

SPEAKER_01 16:21

Okay, and and so as as we begin to close, sister way, what message would you like to share directly to pastors? I you know, I want you to share a message to pastors, and then I want you to also share a message to those who are going to pray for pastors. But what message would you like to share with pastors who may feel weary or unseen under attack or anything like that? And then if you would share also for those who are going to pray for the pastor.

SPEAKER_00 16:56

And I do this umly, the Lord had me to put together a business card that tells what the pastor's job description is, and his job is found in the book of Acts, the sixth chapter, the third and the fourth verse. That's the pastor's simple job description. So when pastors get weary and they're doing too many doing, and they only get weary because they've been overburdened by the people, that people are not coming along beside them to take the weight off of them, and then they're trying to get it done to keep the congregation going. But the stat scripture tells us that the the he the pastor is to choose out men and and look, what kind of men? Not just any men, men full of the Holy Ghost, and place them over the business, whatever that business is in the church, and that the man of God may give himself. Think of this thing, give himself to prayer and the word. Think about that. That's the pastor's job description, prayer and the word. Prayer, that's all of these things you see your pastor doing. Prayer and the word is his job description. So we need to rethink and restrategize because we are not. Is it is it no wonder that the pews in the church are empty? Is it no wonder they got to do what the pastor's preaching and they got to we are not doing it God's way? He's written it out for us in the book. We just gotta go in the book and find out, Lord. What did you tell us to do here? We need to go back, we need to do like he told the church of Soders in the third chapter of the book of Revelation. He said, Repent and remember my words, and rem and he said, and remember and restore the things that are dying. That's what he told that church of Sodom. Restore things are dying, the people are not coming to the house, and that it does and we trying to accept, we're trying to make a way for them to hear the word on the Zoom. Uh-uh. Listen, y'all, I know this might not be good, but it's okay for all those of us who can't get there, but anybody that can get there, the Lord has said that my house is not. This is how they say in this my house is the house of prayer in all nations. You cannot do on Zoom what you can do when you gather with the congregation there because that's where the gifts of this place. This is what the Lord told me when I say ain't going to church no more because doing the same thing. Look, the Lord told me you go there and you pray, and I'll tell you what to do. And he's been faithful over there. And he told me, I said, Lord, I can look at it on Zoom. I hit it. No, I cannot speak a word of knowledge into my sister's life from Zoom. I cannot speak a word of wisdom to this deacon over here who need it from Zoom. You need to go to the house. All of y'all like that and made up your mind that you're gonna get up and drink a cup of coffee and look at the TV and the sermon. That is not God. We are being drawn away, people. You better think about it. You need to get up and go to He said, My house in four places. We need to go to his house, the house of prayer, if we can get there.

SPEAKER_01 20:03

Yeah, and so amen. And so finally, you know, I wanted to ask you if our listeners wanted to get in touch with you for your ministry, or they wanted to join in some of the ministries that you are a part of. I wanted to see if you can give us information on that. And what what I'll do, I'll make sure that they can see it on the screen as as we are talking about it. So I just want people, if they wanted to get in touch with Minister Hattieway, how could they do that? And how could they get involved with the ministry of prayer that she has going on? Because you talked also about the prayer line, and I want you to talk about that, and I want you to let them know how they can get in touch with you if they need to.

SPEAKER_00 21:03

I've got an email for those of us who want to take email, and then I've got a phone number. Okay, that my name is Hattie, and the last name, W A Y Hattie Way, and this is the email, Hattieway47 at outlook.com. Hattieway47 at outlook.com. That hattie is h-a-t-t-i w a y 47 atoutlook.com. And also uh that we have a prayer line. I I manage a prayer line in the church, and all you got to do is call me, and I can I can mail you out of schedule. I can send it to you by email, but I also can mail you out of prayer line schedule. People are on this line sometime at 3 a.m. in the morning praying. Those of us who can't sleep at night, those of us who are up all times of the night, we got women and men on this line, on this prayer line praying. And for those who want to take a note right now, uh that prayer line number is five. 30881 1042. 530 881 1042. And the access code is 153-465. 153-465. And this prayer line is on, like I said, sometimes they on there three at five in the morning, three in the morning to nine thirty. We got somebody praying at 12 midnight. We got somebody reading the word at 12 midnight every night. And also, I'm just going to give the one for the pastor as well. And also for those of us for those pastors who are out there and pastor, just lift up your head and know that somebody's praying for you. And uh we've we my pastor and Pastor Derek Lockwood pray every second and fourth Tuesday. And it's called, and they pray by Zoom. And and Elder Ardri says she's gonna try to get this on the screen. And the meeting ID is 868964480025. And the passcode is A-T T H E W E L L at the well. That's the passcode at the well.

SPEAKER_01 23:26

And so so for those of you that want that information, definitely you can I'll I'll replay them on the screen so that you could see that. Minister Wei, I want to thank you so much for reminding us that pastors are people too. And I I want to I want to thank you for also being here. So when we pray for them, we help them to sustain the heart of the church itself. To all of our listeners, if you're hearing this, take a moment today and lift up your pastor's name in prayer. Your your prayer might be covering something that he needs or she needs done right now, today. And I want to say thank you again, Sister Way, for being here. I appreciate you being on this line with me. And I look forward to another setting where we can sit down and talk again about this very important topic of praying for our pastors. Until next time, what I want you all to do is to stay encouraged. I want you to keep praying. And I want you to remember that when we strengthen our pastors, when we pray for them, we and we strengthen them in prayer. And when we strengthen them, we strengthen the whole body of Christ. Before you go, remember this prayer doesn't have to be long to be powerful. You can pray while you're riding to work or doing your lunch break, even while you're in the shower. 1 Thessalonians, the fifth chapter, in the 17th verse, reminds us to pray without ceasing. That means weaving prayer into every part of life. And while you're lifting up your needs to God, take a moment to pray for your pastor too. They carry more than most will ever know. And your intercession matters. I'm Elder Audrey Dowling, and I'll meet you back here next time, ready to explore this topic of praying for and uplifting the ones who lead. Until then, keep praying and keep believing.