As we near the conclusion of Paul's magnificent letter to the Romans, the Apostle reveals something stunning.

Most of us have never learned to truly pray.

We may have mastered religious vocabulary and polite requests, but we've missed the raw,

urgent, faith-filled prayer that moves mountains and breaks spiritual strongholds. Today, on Insight

for Living, Chuck Swindall exposes the gap between what the Bible teaches about prayer and what

most believers actually practice. In Romans chapter 15, we learn how to

transition from casual conversations with God to praying with our whole heart.

We turn to the city of Corinth, where Paul is sitting with Tertius, his scribe.

Paul pauses at this moment of toward the end of the letter

and he decides to be very vulnerable.

Very honest.

Now, he begins, I urge you.

Same word used here as Romans 12-1,

I urge you by the mercies of God that you present your bodies,

except this isn't presenting your bodies.

I urge you.

Same word.

It's like the term summons. It's a military term.

I draft you. If he could take them by the shoulders, I would like to shake you awake.

I'd like to get you engaged. I urge you, brothers and sisters. There's a need here.

As I read through the verses we're going to be looking at, four things stand out to me,

and all four make prayer come to life. First is an awareness of the need. What's the need? Well, he's mentioned it,

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