April 6, 2025 – The Bread for the Week – Blueprints of Heaven: Building Through Prayer & Petition
Good afternoon, MKBA family!
I’m coming to you once again from the beautiful campus here at MorningStar Fellowship Ministries in Fort Mill, South Carolina. It’s an honor and a pleasure to be with you again today.
You know how sometimes you just wake up, and the Holy Spirit puts a deep sense of gratitude in your heart for everything that you’re able to do and experience? Well, I’m having one of those mornings, and it’s awesome to be here.
You know how sometimes you just wake up, and the Holy Spirit puts a deep sense of gratitude in your heart for everything that you’re able to do and experience? Well, I’m having one of those mornings, and it’s awesome to be here.
I want to correct myself from last time. When I finished speaking, the Lord said, “Now, there’s a third part to this, Mark.” I had to learn again to stop placing any kind of restrictions. So, the third part I want to talk about—which aligns with navigating the times we’re in and the promises through prayer and prophecy—is going back to Scripture to look at what Paul wrote in Ephesians 6, after he goes through the list of the armor of God.
He makes a powerful statement here, and this is what I want us to delve into today. He says: “Always with prayer and petition, with specific requests, at all times, on every occasion, and in every season, in the Spirit, keeping alert with perseverance in petition, interceding for all of God’s people.”
He makes a powerful statement here, and this is what I want us to delve into today. He says: “Always with prayer and petition, with specific requests, at all times, on every occasion, and in every season, in the Spirit, keeping alert with perseverance in petition, interceding for all of God’s people.”
Now, that’s a mouthful! That’s probably five sermons in itself, with the depth that’s in this one verse. But the essence of this is “love your neighbor as yourself.” It’s about the works we do for humanity. Our gifts, anointings, and callings are meant for the body of Christ and for each individual. That’s why I share mine with you, and I hope you are sharing among yourselves. I love hearing about the morning encounters you are having, and we’d love to post them on our website.
We are about to launch our MKBA Months. These are times when we produce content—videos, webinars, and Zoom calls. It’s like having family dinners four or five times a month. We’re really looking forward to these, and Tim Porter has been integral to this effort. God really had him step up in service to you and to MKBA, and I am very grateful.
Breaking Down the Verse
Now, let’s look at the first part: “Always with prayer and petition.” We know that prayer and petition cover all things. We know that Jesus is the way, and in all things, we are to pray and petition the Lord in the name of our Lord Christ Jesus. With specific requests, we are told to pray at all times, on every occasion, and in every season. No matter what’s going on—good, bad, indifferent, or whatever the temperature of the world is—it doesn’t matter. There’s a steadiness, a rock, a place to stand, fully guarded by the blood and the armor of Christ.
What Is the Difference Between Prayer and Petition?
Specific requests—how many of you know the difference between a prayer and a petition? I encourage you to gain understanding on this because they are very similar, but there’s a reason Paul mentions two different words. In Philippians 4:6-8, some translations say: “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything, through petition and supplication, let your specific requests be known to the Lord.” Why does he say this? Because the leading of the Holy Spirit can be so subtle, it might blow our minds. The more specific you can be when you talk to the Lord in prayer and when you petition Him, the clearer things will become.
It’s like I said before—first, you see the forest, but then you need to ask specifically. For example, I would say: “Lord, I need these four things in the spirit of Matthew 6:33. I need You to add these things unto me so I can do what it is I need to do.” That’s when He adds to me what I need.
Protecting Your Mind & Heart
This puts His pathway in your mind. It’s interesting that this comes after the armor, right? This needs to be pure and guarded. You have to cut down every vain imagination with the sword of the Spirit. You need to protect your mind from all the external mess that’s coming in. You also need to protect your heart with His righteousness. You need to hold up that shield because the enemy is coming after your anointing—after any revelation God gives you.
The Parable of the Sower
We know the parable of the sower, right? This is what keeps us in pure soil: “Always with prayer and petition, at all times, in every season, in the Spirit.” What does that mean? In the ecclesiastical world, some might wonder: “Does that mean in your prayer language?” I can’t say I know the answer for sure, but I do know this: It can never hurt to pray in your prayer language because it knows things to pray that you don’t even know. That’s the Holy Spirit interceding for you. Bat the same time, you do know the specific requests you need.
Blueprints & Strategy
If you’ve been Spirit-led, you have strategy and blueprints. If God gives you a blueprint, you know where your walls are. I’m a builder, and no matter what the blueprint is, that’s like your Bible. God says: “Build this as I tell you to build it, and I will dwell in it.” Aren’t we all after that for our businesses, our lives, and our families? So, when it says “in the Spirit,” it means in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. We believe in the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—each one pointing to the other, and they all manifest God to us.
Seeking Revelation Through Prayer
When we don’t know specific things or we haven’t received blueprints, I believe praying in the Spirit is powerful until something comes. I believe it opens the doors of counsel and revelation to us and brings knowledge of God that we don’t even know we need. So, how do we know what to ask for if we don’t even know what we need?
Keeping His Commandments
The next part says: “Keep in your heart.” We’ve been given a loving heart, not a heart of stone. I believe keeping in your heart is about keeping His commandments and statutes. Jesus said: “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.” This means keeping in mind the commandments and statutes—even those from the Old Testament—because some things never go away. Jesus said: “I came to fulfill the law.” Believing in Christ is a full understanding of the commandments and statutes of God. And the greatest of these commandments is: “Love the Lord your God and love your neighbor as yourself.”
Persevering in Prayer
Stay alert and persevere in petition, knowing it’s an ongoing battle. This is why God said, “Revamp your prayer life because it must change.” Being led by the Spirit and understanding specific requests requires perseverance. You have to push through.
Now, let’s look at the first part: “Always with prayer and petition.” We know that prayer and petition cover all things. We know that Jesus is the way, and in all things, we are to pray and petition the Lord in the name of our Lord Christ Jesus. With specific requests, we are told to pray at all times, on every occasion, and in every season. No matter what’s going on—good, bad, indifferent, or whatever the temperature of the world is—it doesn’t matter. There’s a steadiness, a rock, a place to stand, fully guarded by the blood and the armor of Christ.
What Is the Difference Between Prayer and Petition?
Specific requests—how many of you know the difference between a prayer and a petition? I encourage you to gain understanding on this because they are very similar, but there’s a reason Paul mentions two different words. In Philippians 4:6-8, some translations say: “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything, through petition and supplication, let your specific requests be known to the Lord.” Why does he say this? Because the leading of the Holy Spirit can be so subtle, it might blow our minds. The more specific you can be when you talk to the Lord in prayer and when you petition Him, the clearer things will become.
It’s like I said before—first, you see the forest, but then you need to ask specifically. For example, I would say: “Lord, I need these four things in the spirit of Matthew 6:33. I need You to add these things unto me so I can do what it is I need to do.” That’s when He adds to me what I need.
Protecting Your Mind & Heart
This puts His pathway in your mind. It’s interesting that this comes after the armor, right? This needs to be pure and guarded. You have to cut down every vain imagination with the sword of the Spirit. You need to protect your mind from all the external mess that’s coming in. You also need to protect your heart with His righteousness. You need to hold up that shield because the enemy is coming after your anointing—after any revelation God gives you.
The Parable of the Sower
We know the parable of the sower, right? This is what keeps us in pure soil: “Always with prayer and petition, at all times, in every season, in the Spirit.” What does that mean? In the ecclesiastical world, some might wonder: “Does that mean in your prayer language?” I can’t say I know the answer for sure, but I do know this: It can never hurt to pray in your prayer language because it knows things to pray that you don’t even know. That’s the Holy Spirit interceding for you. Bat the same time, you do know the specific requests you need.
Blueprints & Strategy
If you’ve been Spirit-led, you have strategy and blueprints. If God gives you a blueprint, you know where your walls are. I’m a builder, and no matter what the blueprint is, that’s like your Bible. God says: “Build this as I tell you to build it, and I will dwell in it.” Aren’t we all after that for our businesses, our lives, and our families? So, when it says “in the Spirit,” it means in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. We believe in the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—each one pointing to the other, and they all manifest God to us.
Seeking Revelation Through Prayer
When we don’t know specific things or we haven’t received blueprints, I believe praying in the Spirit is powerful until something comes. I believe it opens the doors of counsel and revelation to us and brings knowledge of God that we don’t even know we need. So, how do we know what to ask for if we don’t even know what we need?
Keeping His Commandments
The next part says: “Keep in your heart.” We’ve been given a loving heart, not a heart of stone. I believe keeping in your heart is about keeping His commandments and statutes. Jesus said: “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.” This means keeping in mind the commandments and statutes—even those from the Old Testament—because some things never go away. Jesus said: “I came to fulfill the law.” Believing in Christ is a full understanding of the commandments and statutes of God. And the greatest of these commandments is: “Love the Lord your God and love your neighbor as yourself.”
Persevering in Prayer
Stay alert and persevere in petition, knowing it’s an ongoing battle. This is why God said, “Revamp your prayer life because it must change.” Being led by the Spirit and understanding specific requests requires perseverance. You have to push through.
