Does God Really Hear Me?

The Word at the Table

I'm Neal Reyes, The Entrepreneurs' Pastor, and I'm glad you're at the table. This week I'm bringing you two distinct words again. One for your faith and one for your leadership. Both are going to require something from you. Not perfection. Just honesty. Let's get into it.

This Week's Word

The Opening: Does God Really Hear Me?

I want to start this week by asking a question that I know a lot of people have had but not everyone has felt safe enough to say out loud.

Does God really hear me?

If you have ever been in a season where you were praying and it felt like nothing was happening, nothing was changing, and you started to wonder whether your prayers were even reaching heaven, I want you to know something right now. You are not alone. And more importantly, you are not wrong for asking the question. God is not offended by your honesty. He actually invites it.

That is what we are going to talk about in Part One today. And in Part Two, I am going to show you how the same principle of showing up and speaking up applies to how you lead your own life.

Part One: He Hears You. Every Single Word.

We are starting a brand new three part series on Champion's Walk called When Prayer Feels Hard: Honest Conversations With God. And I want to start right here, with the question a lot of people are too afraid to ask.

Does God hear my prayers?

I want to take you straight to the Word, because this is not a question that deserves an opinion. It deserves the Truth. And God already gave it to us.

First John 5:14-15 NKJV says, Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him.

The header over that passage in my Bible reads Confidence and Compassion in Prayer. And I love that. Because confidence and compassion in prayer is exactly what this teaching is about. Confidence that He hears us. And the compassion that allows us to be honest with Him about what you are carrying.

Now I want to make sure you understand what that first verse is actually saying. It says if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. Some people read that and think it means they have to figure out the perfect prayer formula before God will respond. But that is not what it means. To pray according to His will is not about saying the magic words. It is about knowing Him well enough to know what He desires for you and for others. And the way you know His will is by spending time in His Word, and in fellowship with Him.

Faith Anchor #1: The more you know His will, the more confident you are when you pray.

I know this from my own life. The more time I spend with God, not just reading about Him but actually talking with Him, the more I understand how He thinks. He knows my favorite coffee order better than some people in my life do. Not because I told Him once. Because I have been in conversation with Him consistently. He knows what I need before I ask. And the more I know Him, the more I trust that what I am asking for is aligned with what He already has for me.

Isaiah 65:24 NKJV takes this even deeper. It says, It shall come to pass that before they call, I will answer. And while they are still speaking, I will hear.

Before you call, He already answered. And while you are still speaking, He is already hearing. I want you to sit with the second part of that. While you are still speaking. Not after you finish. Not when you get the words exactly right. While you are still speaking, He is already hearing you.

That means He is not sitting at a distance waiting for you to finish your prayer before He tunes in. He is present with you in the middle of it. He heard you before you even started. And He has been hearing every single word.

Faith Anchor #2: God does not just hear your prayer. He already has your answer. But you must speak it out.

That is one of the most important things I want you to take with you today. You have a responsibility to speak. To open your mouth and bring what is on your heart before Him with honesty. Because the act of speaking is how you engage with the relationship. It is how you participate in the partnership. Speaking is how you activate your faith.

Jeremiah 29:12 NKJV confirms it. Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you.

Call on Him, then pray to Him, and He will listen. Every time.

And then Psalms 34:17 NKJV closes it with this. The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears, and delivers them out of all their troubles.

Not some of their troubles. All of them.

I want to speak directly to someone who has been in a quiet season. A season where it feels like God is not answering. I have been in that place. I understand what it feels like. And I want you to hear this.

His silence is not His absence. He is always working behind the scenes. And He tells us not to be led by our emotions but to be led by our spirit. When your emotions say He is not hearing you, your spirit, filled with His Word, should say otherwise.

Faith Anchor #3: Your prayer does not have to be perfect. It just has to be sincere.

Stop trying to find the right words. Stop waiting until you feel spiritual enough or put together enough to pray. Just talk to Him. From where you are. With what you have. He is not grading your eloquence. He is giving you a safe space to be honest, and He hears every word.

Part Two: You Cannot Lead Your Life If You Do Not Believe You Are in Charge of It

Now let me bring you the second word for today. And I want you to be honest with yourself as you read this one, because it is going to ask you a question that only you can answer.

We are in Part 2 of our personal agency series on The Executive Perspective this week. And the question at the center of today's teaching is this. Why does agency change everything?

Here is the short answer. Because without it, you are just a passenger in your own life.

Agency is your ability to make deliberate and effective choices, to take action, and to influence your own outcomes. And it changes everything because when you own it, when you genuinely believe you are in charge of your responses and your direction, it unlocks five things that nothing else can unlock.

Leadership Truth Bomb #1: You cannot lead your life if you do not believe you are in charge of it.

The first thing agency unlocks is empowerment. It puts you in the driver's seat. Agency means you stop waiting to be rescued and you start choosing your response. That shift from victim to owner is not just a mindset change. It is a life change. Because when you stop waiting for someone to show up and fix things, you start using the resources, the abilities, and the gifts you already have to move forward.

The second thing agency unlocks is goal achievement. It gives you a map and a motor. The map tells you where you are going. The motor gives you the power to move. But here is what I have seen hold more people back than almost anything else. They want the full map before they take the first step. And that is not how this works.

Leadership Truth Bomb #2: Dreams drift without direction. Agency gives them legs.

Clarity does not come before movement. It comes through it. You take the first step, and the second step becomes clearer. You take the second step and the third step appears. But if you never take step one, you will never see step two. That is true in business, in leadership, and in your walk with God. He rarely shows you the whole staircase. He shows you the next step. Your job is to take it.

The third thing agency unlocks is resilience, which is bounce back strength. Because agency says something important when life knocks you down. It says, I might have gotten knocked down, but I still get to choose my next move.

Leadership Truth Bomb #3: Setbacks do not define you. How you respond to them does.

If something has knocked the wind out of you, I want you to hear this. You have not lost. You have not been disqualified. You have an opportunity to make a new choice, adjust your approach, and get back in the game. That is what people with agency do. They get back up. They make adjustments. And they keep moving.

The fourth thing agency unlocks is psychological stability, which anchors your confidence. When you believe you have a choice, you feel less anxious and more grounded. Because even if the last decision did not go the way you hoped, you know you can make a new one.

Leadership Truth Bomb #4: Agency is mental armor. It protects your peace and reinforces your purpose.

And the fifth thing agency unlocks is positive influence, which makes you a leader by example. People notice when you take initiative and ownership without being told to. That is how you grow in leadership. Not by waiting for a title, but by taking responsibility. Because influence, personal influence, is far more powerful than title or authority. And when you couple influence with authority, those become a force that can move mountains.

You do not need a title to lead. You just need the courage to own your own choices.

Where you are today is the result of the decisions you made yesterday. And where you will be tomorrow is the result of the decisions you make today. Compound decisions, made day after day, change everything over time.

Agency is how you stop drifting and start building. And it starts with one decision, made right now, to own your life and move forward.

Take This With You

This week I want you to do two things, one for each word we covered today.

On the faith side, find a quiet moment this week and have an honest conversation with God. Not a polished prayer. Not an elaborate petition. Just you and Him, talking. Tell Him exactly what is on your heart. Then pause and listen. He hears you. He already has your answer. But you have to show up and speak.

On the leadership side, identify one area of your life where you have been waiting for something or someone to rescue you. Write it down. Then write down one specific choice you can make this week to start taking ownership of it. That single decision is the beginning of everything.

From the Table Last Week

On Champion's Walk, my faith show that teaches Real Help For Real Hope, I brought you Does God Really Hear My Prayers? Here Is What His Word Says. This is Part 1 of our brand new series When Prayer Feels Hard: Honest Conversations With God. I opened with one of the most honest questions a believer can ask, took you through 1 John 5:14-15, Isaiah 65:24, Jeremiah 29:12, and Psalms 34:17, and showed you why God not only hears your prayers but already had your answer before you ever started speaking. If prayer has felt hard lately, this series is going to change that. Watch it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sHTjcxY65_Q&list=PLMPDSgKkGZNvHLzeBuhqHvZhuCSMEQEgV

On The Executive Perspective, my leadership and business show that delivers Real Help For Real Success, I brought you Why Agency Changes Everything: The Secret to Taking Back Control. This is Part 2 of our personal agency series, and I took you through five reasons why agency changes everything, empowerment, goal achievement, resilience, psychological stability, and positive influence, along with four leadership truth bombs that will challenge how you show up in your own life. Watch it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZsElWOqBVUw&list=PLMPDSgKkGZNuJ-dNFVFCWc3lb7BmJ07mM

Until Next Time

He hears you. Every single word. And you already have what it takes to take ownership of your next step. Both of those things are true right now. The only question is whether you are going to speak and whether you are going to move. I believe you are ready. Go.

This Wednesday on Champion's Walk, we are continuing our series When Prayer Feels Hard: Honest Conversations With God with Part 2. Do not miss it.

Then Saturday on The Executive Perspective, we are wrapping up our personal agency series with Part 3. If you have not caught Parts 1 and 2 yet, go back and watch them before Saturday. Be there.

I'll see you at the table next Tuesday.

Neal Reyes, The Entrepreneurs' Pastor