72 - Listening Prayer

Rebroadcast of Episode 22
 
 One form of prayer that has the ability to completely transform your life and deepen your intimacy with the Lord is listening prayer. Being able to receive instruction and healing from God will completely transform your life!  Listen in as Debora interviews Reverend Lettie Carr as she shares how God has blessed her when she has prayed for herself and others.

Stay tuned for our next episode where we will explore – the Power of Sharing Your Testimony.

Links

Listening and Inner Healing Prayer by Rusty Rustenbach - https://www.navpress.com/p/a-guide-for-listening-and-inner-healing-prayer/5189/e-book 

Whosoever Believes Ministries - https://www.whosoeverbelieves.org/

Engage with Debora Barr at: https://tbtwpodcast.com/

Transcript

Announcer

Welcome to transformed by the word, a podcast about discovering how to live your life with gratifying purpose. God created you for a reason and the Bible contains the keys to unlock your transformed life. Now, here's your host, Debora Barr

Debora 0:26  

Thanks for joining me for Episode 22 of transformed by the word. 

Prayer is how we communicate with God. And one of the most powerful ways that he communicates with us. One form of prayer that has the ability to completely transform your life and deepen your intimacy with the Lord is listening, and inner healing prayer. Jesus came into the world to set us free from sin, and the effects of sin in our lives. 

We can read in Luke chapter four, that Jesus went into the synagogue in Nazareth, and he read from the scroll of Isaiah chapter 61, beginning at verse one. And when he had finished reading the passage, he said, the scripture you've just heard, has been fulfilled this very day. 

What scripture did he read? What does it say? 

Isaiah 61:1 - the Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me to preach good tidings to the poor. He has sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound. 

Jesus was essentially saying that God sent him to heal our broken hearts, to give liberty to those captive and in bondage to sin, and to open the prisons in our minds that are constructed by Satan, to keep us in bondage. 

Listening prayer is the discipline of sitting quietly before God and allowing him to speak to you. There's nothing more important for our spiritual growth than being able to discern the voice of God, and to allow him to speak into our lives. I learned about listening prayer, through a wonderful book, written by Rusty Rustenbach, titled Listening and Inner Healing Prayer, Meeting God in the Broken Places. This book will teach you step by step how to hear from God and receive His healing power in your inner person. 

Today, I've invited a special guest to the show who was serving as a prison chaplain when I first met her. She is a prayer warrior, and intercessor, who has learned how to hear God for herself and for others. Her name is Reverend Lettie Carr. 

She left her job as a lawyer in her law firm’s partnership, in response to the call of God to serve as the administrative chaplain of the Maryland Correctional Institution for Women, where she has ministered full time for nearly 22 years. Her innovative ministry they're led to a full-fledged church developed inside the prison walls. They had banner, dance, drama, mime, music, and youth ministries that were highly celebrated by many who visited the worship services. 

While there she touched 1000s of lives and led many people to receive Christ and to understand their purpose in the kingdom of God. Many of those women's have gone on to become ministers in their own right. God continues to use Reverend Lettie Carr, where she now serves on the staff of First Baptist Church of Glenarden as the director of ministry and administrative support services. She is also part of the prison outreach and women's ministries at our church. In addition, God has called her to reach the lost and encourage the saints of God throughout the world through her daily 3:16 pm prayer line. And her WhosoeverBelieves.org social media platform she has experienced being a conduit of the miraculous grace of God, manifested in healings and deliverance. 

Stay tuned, we'll be back in just a moment. 

MUSIC INTERLUDE

Debora 5:42

Reverend Carr, I'm so honored to have you here with me today on the show.

Lettie Carr 5:47  

Grace. Thank you for having me.

Debora 5:50  

Yeah, it's always a joy to connect with you. Could you please share with us a bit about your background? I read part of your bio, but I want to hear from you a little bit about your background, both spiritually and vocational.

Lettie Carr 6:05  

Wow. Well, I don't know if you have enough time. So let me try to get the Reader's Digest version. Well, in essence, I grew up in what would be called poverty and the projects, not New York, or Chicago projects, but still projects in Alexandria, Virginia. So my humble beginnings certainly impacts my worldview. 

Went through college at Smith college and law school at the University of Maryland law and the University of Michigan law school. We relocated to this area.  After law school and the practice of law, I felt the call of God on my life. I went through ministry training at my former church, as well as the evangelical training Association, platform, but primarily, I hope to be able to say to the Lord, I use all of that you put in me all of the gifts and the abilities you put in me to help somebody.

I left the practice of law to become a full time chaplain at the women's prison in Jessup, Maryland, where I was there for 22 years, I used to joke with the ladies I'm doing day for day, I can't get home. And it was quite a life changing experience. Not only did it impact many women's lives, who, you know, literally hundreds of women that still stay in touch with me through social media, many of whom some have gone on to, you know, get Doctorates and buy homes, and it's such a joy, you know, some of pastoring you know, it's just a joy to see what God has done. 

You know, some are still struggling. But it's just a blessing to see how your life can impact somebody. So now, as I serve, First Baptist Church, I am one of the associate pastors as well as contract administrator as well as a director of a department. One of my greatest challenges has been quietness. Working in the prison that was so noisy. I went in the First Baptist the first day, and I looked around like, what's wrong? There was no noise. But now that I've kind of gotten used to it, I'm good. But that was one of my, my transitional issues. It was too quiet.

Debora 8:46  

That kind of segues into what we're talking today about being quiet before the Lord and listening to him. So maybe God was training you there. 

Today, we're, like I said, we're discussing listening prayer for inner healing. And a little bit earlier in the show, I read from Isaiah 61:1, and I want to read it again. It says, The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me to preach good tidings to the poor. He has sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound. 

Now as a prison chaplain for many years, you have met women who were incarcerated physically, but there's another aspect of life where people whether they're in prison or not, live in captivity and bondage. Can you help us to understand a little bit about what causes this? And how listening prayer can bring freedom?

Lettie Carr 9:47  

Certainly, life you know, comes at you fast. I like to say things come at us, and pain and rejection and disappointments and all kinds of things. So, especially I observed with the ladies that I shared that time with pain that goes back deeply into my psyche, because it starts so early in your life. You know, I often say those formative years are the time when you know your life is getting a foundation. And oftentimes, people have so many tragedies during that time that it creates in them a certain insecurity is creates in them a withdrawn, isolation kind of mindset. But even as adults, and even you know, later in life, we can experience a lot of pain and trauma, and it'll cause us to just simply withdraw and deal with life more from the standpoint of defense and protection and fear, instead of being open and able to, you know, interact with others freely. And so we kind of create prisons for ourselves, and we can do it even being very, what may appear to be an extroverted type of lifestyle, you know, people who are out and involve, and yet can be very long, we look at a classic example, Robin Williams, you know, he was doing all that comedy, producing all these great movies, and yet he was in a prison within himself. All of the pain he was experiencing.

Debora 11:26  

Yeah, you can't always tell from looking at a person on the outside or the way that they're behaving? Is that what they're experiencing internally? So how, how do you believe that listening prayer could actually help a person like that for people that do have a relationship with the Lord?

Lettie Carr 11:43  

Well, it is, as you said, time to get quiet before the Lord. My definition, just so we're on the same page, you're listening prayers, a time where I sit still before God to hear his heart, I sit to hear and for me, oftentimes, what is a blessing is when he speaks to me, he gives me a scripture for me to meditate on during that time. And so as I meditate on that scripture, and I try to take in what God has said, it will quiet just so it will quiet my soul to the place where I can then hear him more clearly. And I can become more hopeful, because he restores my peace. 

And you know, the promises of God will encourage me to go on, so to speak, as the office will say, to run on and see what the ends gonna be. But give me that boost that I can make it I can get through this, whatever this might happen to be. And as I learned the promises of that, I also gain confidence in him and not put my confidence and people because that's usually where we end up with a lot of pain, we rely on people instead of God. So the more I build my arsenal of his wisdom, and of His promises in my heart, that gives me the boldness and the strength to go on, and to not be imprisoned, if you will. But yes, that time of just listening and being still before the Lord gives him a time that sort of breathe into me and strengthen me through his work.

Debora 13:19  

I also know that you have been on the mission field, how have you seen this kind of prayer, working in the lives of people that you've interacted with on mission trips.

Lettie Carr 13:32  

It's like any other experience going on a missions trip, you're going to encounter people in every facet of, you know, faith, we would invite people to revivals, oftentimes, depending on the location, for example, we were in some locations like Jamaica, we will put up tips, you know, and my people and others, we would just have open fields, and other would be in buildings, but we encounter everybody from the loss to those who you know, a season in the Lord. And so I say all that to say it's not a one size fit all per se, but certainly people who learn to listen, learn to be still. We saw life changes, we saw people go from broken and even demon possessed, quite honestly, to be filled with the Spirit as they learn to hear the voice of God and be still before him. 

I can't think of a particular example as I'm sitting here, per se, when I think of listening prayer in the mission context, but I just think in general, you know, people that I saw who came to us who were clearly outside of the world, God clearly, one of my fondest memories is a gentleman who I was preaching in the evening. And I couldn't even see was so dark outside they had lights in front of a liquor store to make. But we it was out in the woods, you know, like kind of a new kind of feeling. And we're out there, they got the light on me, I'm preaching my little heart out I can’t hardly see the people three feet in front of me. That's dark!. And so I finally give the altar call, kind of like Zacchaeus he came down out of a tree literally. He was drunk. But, but I lay hands on him and I prayed and God filled him with the Holy Spirit. He had to be up there and pondering and listening, you know, to what? God was speaking through me. And I was shocked. I mean, we laughed about it later. But at that moment, I was literally shocked because man comes down out of a tree, I couldn't even see him. And I'm like, Where did he come from? But yeah, that moment for him was a change. Change point he heard the voice of God, he listened to a minister. And he came forward and gave his life to Christ, and his life turned around.

Debora 16:07  

Wow. As you served as a chaplain for many years in the prison, I know that people from all walks of life are in there and dealing with different things. How did you experience your being able to discern what's happening in a person's life by you listening to God on behalf of them? 

Lettie Carr 16:31  

That has happened a lot

Debora 16:33  

Can you share some stories with us?

Lettie Carr 16:35  

For example? First of all, let me just say, in addition, when I talked about listening prayer, I'm talking about for myself being still before, as well as others. In this particular instance, it was me praying for someone else and listening to God. Yes. 

So as this young lady was preparing to go home, she needed a home plan. And one of the critical parts about recidivism, you know, returning after you've been incarcerated, our goal, of course, is to keep people from returning Unfortunately, it is a very high rate of recidivism. In our nation, we actually enjoyed a lower rate than the average, but still critical to that process is changing people places and things, they like to tell them, you know, change the people that you hung out with the places that you want, the things that you were engaged in, so that you won't repeat the same file.

 So this young lady had to go and give her case manager and address as to where she would go. And she was planning to go live with her daughter. And I was praying with her and I said, I'm not sensing that. That's what God, God kept speaking to me a Christian woman's house, literally, while I'm praying to God for her. He's dropping that in my spirit, I'm hearing No, a Christian woman's house. So finally I said to her, there's a Christian woman in your life, you need to go to her house. And she said, there's no Christian women in my life that have that. I'm going to my daughter's house, it will be fine. 

Well, she went home, she went to her daughter's house, and she came back. Her daughter's boyfriend was dealing drugs. She got locked back up. But God was gracious to her because she could have gotten a new charge, you know, as a as an ex-offender who is still on parole, you're not allowed to be around criminal activity, but by the grace of God, she didn't get caught up in it, but they snatched her back in. 

So once again, we're back praying again. And once again, the Holy Spirit is whispering Christian woman's home. And she said, I don't know any Christian initially.  Stop - Wait a minute. I have a niece who is a Christian. And it was so funny because she said, and she has two teenagers, and her kids love me. They don't listen to her, but they listen to me. And she does have a room in her basement. She did tell me stay with her. She called her up. The niece was elated because she was so good with her kids. 

So here God had worked out to one, as he usually does, does way more than we asked us but or even imagine. She went home and this time. She was in a Christian home. She was helping somebody who needed help with their kids. She got a job, eventually moved out and eventually got married and started running her own business. She is doing excellent. But because I heard that voice and I headed and kept speaking that to her. By the grace of God, she got another chance. 

Sometimes we don't get that second chance because unfortunately some people go home and we get a word that they died, they went back to what God had delivered them from. So, yes, when we are when we are being still before God, He will not only speak to us about us, He will speak to us about others. And I know in that particular instance, I heard so clear Christian woman's house. 

So I had that happen numerous times, I mean, too many to even think about. It happens to me in church, and like, quite honestly, when I'm praying after preaching, people come up to ask me for prayer. I'm usually listening while I'm praying. And I will speak a word of wisdom to somebody a word of knowledge, and even prophetic prayer some time and they go, how did you know I was sick? or How did you know because they don't tell me and I begin to speak to things in their lives. And I know it's not me, it's the Holy Spirit, as I've learned to listen to him, even while I'm praying for others.

Debora 20:56  

Yeah, that is so powerful, that that is a wonderful gift to the body of Christ. Because we as Christians who are already saved and walking with the Lord, we have the ability to be like Christ to other people, and to be able to speak life to them. And it's the Holy Spirit that gives us that understanding and that knowledge, because we are His ambassadors.

Lettie Carr 21:18  

Yeah, his arms his legs and his feet. So who else should he get that word through, you know, to me, if he can't give it to us, the world is in trouble. And oftentimes, we are, in my opinion, derelict, because, you know, I think of 1 Corinthians 12:7, the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one of us to profit with all it wasn't given so that I could be glamorized or I could be worshipped, it was given to profit the body and the world. And so he put it in us as a conduit to get it out, so to speak. And sometimes we make it about us. So we don't make it our business to look for opportunities to release what God has put in us freely into the lives of others we're looking at as a means of a hustle sometimes, or, you know, means that make us more, you know, valuable and all that. 

But the point is, God put it in us to be a blessing to others. And so if we're looking for those opportunities, I believe we'd have even more instances where God can use us in the lives of unbelievers and believers alike, to be a blessing in other's lives, and to speak life into others lives. If we make it less about us, and more about him. Amen. 

Debora 22:37

That's so true, so true. Can you share with us a little bit about your ministry with your whosoever believes and your your prayer calls every day? I'd love for our listeners to know more about that, and to know how they can connect with you there.

Lettie Carr 22:51  

Certainly, we have a website, whosoeverbelieves.org and we welcome people to join us. It's much like a social media platform, you can join, and you can post and you can share and you can, you know, post pictures or share scripture, a lot of people especially that come to know Christ, through my ministry join and they use it as an opportunity to ask questions and to be literally discipled there as well. And they often come to know Christ through those whosoever believes prayer, the prayer line is at 3:16 pm each day, and you can actually call in and physically join us in prayer on our prayer line, dialing 425-436-6385. You need access code, 170607# 

And all that information is on the website. Whosoeverbelieves.org  events, but we have a 3:16 pm prayer line, because last year, during the pandemic, actually even pre pandemic, just as the world was about to shut in and God had talked to me about starting a prayer line, talk about listening prayer, one of those times when he was just speaking to me about it. And that thought of me in prayer lives really well. So, of course, he won the argument. I started it literally with a class I was teaching on spiritual warfare. I said, we're gonna do a three-day prayer fast. And we'll start with this prayer line and we use lasted, we would call and then others joined us. And it was supposed to be three days since you know, have that time period. And of course, at the end of the three days, people say well, no, we need to keep going and then we extend a week then we extend two weeks instead of months. Then next thing you know we're here a year and somebody but it's a time when people come together many posts their prayers. On our prayer wall on whosoeverbelieves.org prayer wall, people from all over the world post prayer requests, and they come and pray over one another's prayers, which is such a blessing. 

So I've prayed for people in India and Japan, Finland, you know, Italy, Nigeria, you know, just various places. And we lift up we especially have honed in on those who are struggling and sick with the COVID-19 virus that was a large part of you know, what our focus was for that first several months, but it just expanded to include you know, all the different prayer requests that we get many doctors, nurses, when listening.

I learned at some local hospital here, they will put it on the speaker in the nurse's station so that nurses could listen wherever they were while they were working. And then we got stories of patients who several had been in ICU and they will put the phone to their ear during the prayer time. And literally their status changed - heart rate went from out of you know, irregular beating or irrationally and sporadically and to regulated or whatever, and their level of blood pressure will level off. 

Even one guy who they weren't sure what make it went from ICU to a regular bed to home within like four days of being allowed to hear the prayer. We chose 3:16 pm because God so loved the world that He gave us…. And so we thought 3:16 was a great time, it was unique. It also dealt with, you know, a lot of people at that time of calling right on the hour, so it was too many numbers. So it just worked out. 

But we continue to pray daily, continue to have people post on a prayer wall continue to have people join in. You can also watch Facebook Live, I have under my name, Lettie Carr, or under whosoever believes dot org, on Facebook, even under my other Chaplin Lettie Carr, because I have a number of ladies that I connected with to that link to that profile, excuse me, and volunteers and others who were formerly related to the prison. That's kind of how that that particular profile was created. 

But now I post my prayer line on all three of those as well as YouTube and Twitter, under my name. So between all those platforms, we get people joining us, we then post on Instagram TV, so you can also look up, whosoever believes at 3:16 pm on Instagram, and you'll see all the older ones. 

And through that, a number of people. One example. My favorite example, is a little guy named Hiroshi - he is in Japan, he was 14 years old. Sadly, his mom and he was being abused by his dad. Hiroshi, somehow by the miraculous intervening of God obviously somehow saw my prayer line, sent me emails saying please pray. My dad is, you know, hurting me, my mom, very broken English. Of course, I had to actually he put it up, take that back when he responded was broken. But he put it into Japanese, I was able to use Google Translate. And we went back and forth that way. 

But in essence, I immediately posted a prayer specifically for him and for his family. And God blew us away that day. Now they have 14 hours ahead of us that very day, a social worker, and police showed up at his house, took his dad away, took them his mom's nose was broken, her leg was broken. And from that moment, he said, I know God hears your prayers. And he said, woman that works for God. That's what he called me. That works for God - thank you for praying. And that began a relationship. And then from there, I was able to lead him to Christ. His mom gave her heart to Christ. He told his teachers about Christ. He told us social worker about Christ he told everyone about, I said, My God Boy, I'm coming to your church one day, when you are a pastor.

Lettie Carr 29:33  

My God. When I teach my Bible study, I teach a class called Women connecting with Christ on Monday nights, which anybody could join. You can reach me at Revlettiecarr@gmail.com. And I will send you the link so you can join us.  

Hiroshi and his mom and now they have people they've started to bring in to watch. He is supposed to be in school because it's 7pm our time so it's time but his mom allows him to watch and then he has to go do his work. You know, they they're, like us they've been remotely working, remotely attended school. But he is so excited. I mean, he's asking the type of questions that you would expect from a mature Christian, as you know, very well thought out, you can tell he's studying the Word. I'm so excited to see what God's gonna do in his life. But because of that prayer line, God used it to reach him in his family. Who knows what Japan will be like in 20 years because of the seed that got sowed! Yeah, it's just been amazing to me what God has done.

Debora 30:46  

Wow. For those listeners that may not know Christ, you should know right now that God is real, and that he loves you and He wants to have a relationship with you. And he'll transform your life, completely transform your life when you surrender to Him. 

Reverend Carr, would you mind praying for our audience before I let you go?

Lettie Carr 31:10  

Certainly. And, I want everyone to know that God loves you and He wants you to have a relationship with Him that not only will your sins to be forgiven. But you will be able to hear just like I heard, you'll be able to hear him speak to you and give you wisdom and guidance. 

Father, thank You for every person that is hearing this podcast and I'm praying father that you will use it just like you reached all the way around the world to Japan to have a Hiroshi hear. Lord, let them hear get some ears to hear your voice, and draw by your Holy Spirit. Bless every ear of God that they will come to know Jesus as their personal Lord and Savior are drawn nearer to you even farther, that they will walk a closer walk with you if they do already have a relationship. And I pray that you give them strength encouraged to do what you want. I pray that whatever circumstances they may be facing, that they will learn to be still and know that you have got to be still, hear your voice to be stilled, and learn from you and follow no other God I pray the blood of Jesus over every heart of every man, I pray for Debora Barr and Lord God bless Reverend Barr, God bless the work of her hands. Let this labor produce a crop far beyond her imagination that it'd be so God that for years to come, people will remember that time that they heard the podcast or any other ones that she has produced, and how it was so life changing. That is set them on a totally new trajectory for their life. Use her God for Your glory. We consecrate all this to you. And we thank you in advance for every soul that will be saved every heart that will be encouraged. Bless them. In Jesus name. Amen.

Debora 33:09  

Amen. 

Don't go away. We'll be right back after this short break.

MUSIC INTERLUDE

Debora 33:53  

We just heard from Reverend Lettie Carr, how listening prayer is so vital to deepen our relationship with the Lord, and to give us guidance for our own lives, as well as for the lives of others. When we take the time to listen to God's voice, Jesus wants an intimate relationship with you. And he wants to heal all the areas of brokenness in your life. He wants you to learn to trust Him, and to bring all of your cares and concerns to Him in prayer and to sit quietly before him and listen to what he has to say to you. 

If you have never surrendered your life to Jesus, you can do that right now. The Bible tells us that it is by faith that we believe that Jesus died on the cross for our sins. And if you're ready to place your trust in the Lordship of Jesus Christ, and to receive that forgiveness of sins. Won’t you pray this prayer with me right now?

God, I confess that I am a sinner and I need Jesus in my life. 

I repent of my sins and I turn to you. I believe that Jesus died on the cross for my sins. He was buried and rose from the dead. I accept this by faith and invite Jesus to be Lord of my life, to reign and rule in my heart. Thank you, Lord, for forgiving me and saving me. Amen. 

If you just made that decision for Christ, we want to hear from you. 

Please visit my website at TBTW podcast.com. That stands for transformed by the word podcast. TBTWpodcast.com and click the link and let me know about your decision for Christ so that I can encourage you and support you in your next steps for your faith. 

Please also visit Reverend Lettie Carr‘s website at Whosoeverbelieves.org to get connected to her prayer ministry and Bible study. The prayer line is open every day at 3:16 pm Eastern time. 

My prayer for you today is that you will set aside time to practice listening and inner healing prayer. And I pray that God will speak healing words to you that will transform your life and ignite a passion in you to continue to make listening prayer a regular practice in your life as you grow spiritually in your relationship with Jesus Christ. 

Stay tuned for our next episode of transformed by the word where we will discuss the power of sharing your testimony.

Announcer 37:00  

Thank you for listening to transformed by the word with your host Debora Barr, be sure to subscribe to our podcast on iTunes or Google Play and connect with us at TBTWPodcast.com. Until next time, be blessed.