God loves me. He just can’t help Himself.
Sometimes people think I’m arrogant when I say that, but I know it’s true. God told me! He just loves me and He loves to tell me so. He speaks my language, and sometimes that’s Cajun slang!
Sometimes He talks sternly to me and sometimes He talks softly. Most all of the time He talks to me straight out, real and to the point. Why do you think He talks that way to me? Because that’s how I can understand it.
He Will Speak Your Language
I used to think He talked to everybody that way, but I’ve come to know that He doesn’t. He talks to each individual in the way that he or she can understand Him plainly. He doesn’t want to make it hard for you!
Imagine if I started talking to God and I said, “Hey, Jesus!” and He responded in Japanese. Would I be able to understand Him? No, I’m a Cajun!
God speaks Japanese to a Japanese person. To me, it’s Cajun!
But then what if I woke up in the morning and said “Hey, Jesus!” and He responded in this flowery speech that went something like, “Greetings to thee also, My son. How art thou this fine morn?”
I would understand what He said, but if He started really trying to explain a situation to me and continued to speak flowery words to me, it wouldn’t be as easy to understand as a simple, “Hey, Jesse! Let me tell you what I want you to do today.”
The Lord makes every effort to speak your language. He’s holy and pure, so His words will only be holy and pure. But He will come across in a way that you can easily understand Him.
How Do You Speak To Him?
What about you? Do you make every effort to be real when you’re talking to Jesus? Or do you go digging in the back of your brain for the last good-sounding prayer somebody else said? How do you talk to Jesus?
How you pray when you are alone is probably a reflection of how your relationship with Jesus is. Do you talk to Him from your heart? Are you expecting to hear His voice? Do you pray like He is way up in the sky, almost out of reach? Or do you pray like He is right there in front of you, listening to what you’re saying and waiting to respond?
Jesus is real! He is inside you and that is as close as He can get! So if He planted Himself right there on the inside of you, isn’t it obvious that He wants to talk?
Let me tell you something. God isn’t interested in how holy and flowery you can sound. Unless you already speak eloquently and it’s in your nature, forget about trying to sound good. Just be yourself. God already knows who you are. He made you.
Remember, prayer isn’t for Him to get to know you. Prayer is for you to get to know Him!
Excerpt permission granted by Harrison House Publishers
Jesse Duplantis, minister of the Gospel, motivational speaker, television personality, and best-selling author, has been in full-time ministry since 1976 and is the founder of Jesse Duplantis Ministries, located in the Greater New Orleans area of south Louisiana in the United States of America. With over four decades of sharing his unique blend of humor and faith around the world, generations of believers have been inspired by his messages and countless numbers have come to know Jesus Christ as Savior through his ministry.
Known for his unflinching, status-quo-breaking messages and humorous take on experiences in the life of the believer, Jesse continues to draw large audiences of believers through social media, television, and meetings held around the world. With speaking engagements booked years in advance, Jesse Duplantis continues to keep an intense traveling schedule, flying throughout the United States and the world preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ. With no booking agents pursuing meetings for him and no set fees imposed upon churches for speaking engagements, Jesse chooses his outreach meetings based on the same two criteria he always has: invitations that come in and prayer over each one. This uncommon way of scheduling in today’s world means Jesse’s many followers may find him speaking in some of the largest churches and venues in America and the world, as well as a great many small and growing congregations, too. No church is too big or small for the Holy Spirit, as he says.
Side by side with his wife Cathy Duplantis, the co-founder and chief of staff of Jesse Duplantis Ministries and the senior pastor of Covenant Church in Destrehan, Louisiana, Jesse continues to fulfill his life’s calling by daily taking up the Great Commission of Jesus Christ: “Go ye into all the world, and preach the Gospel to every creature” (Mark 16:15). Through social media, television broadcasts, books, and other ministry products, as well as through many evangelistic meetings, the JDM website, the JDM app, and Voice of the Covenant magazine, Jesse Duplantis continues to see growth in his ministry and expand each year while maintaining his roots. Jesus is the center of his life. The salvation of lost people and the growth of believers is the purpose of his ministry. And for both he and his wife, every day is another day to “Reach People and Change Lives, One Soul at a Time.”