Bible, Prayer, Faith, Church, Jesus, Spiritual Growth, Following Jesus, Life Change, Spiritual Transformation, Real Faith, Living for God, Let Go, Dangerous Prayers, Change Me, Surrender, Refining

The Prayer You’re Afraid God Will Answer

There’s a difference between asking God to help your life… and asking Him to change you. We’re okay with growth when it feels manageable or lines up with what we already want. But the moment growth starts requiring surrender, releasing control, or letting go of things we’ve grown comfortable holding onto… we hesitate. Because the prayers that change you most are usually the ones you’re afraid God will answer. In this message, Ken Knott explores what it means to pray, “God, change me,” and trust God through the process of becoming who He created you to be.

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MESSAGE NOTES

I DARE YOU  ·  Week 1

The Prayer You’re Afraid God Will Answer

Job 23:10  ·  Hebrews 12:1

BIG IDEA

Safe prayers keep you comfortable. But daring prayers change you. If you’re willing to pray “God, refine me” and “Take away anything that hinders me,” you’re not just asking God to help your life — you’re handing Him your life.

KEY VERSES

“He knows where I am going. And when he tests me, I will come out as pure as gold.”  — Job 23:10 NLT

“Let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us.”  — Hebrews 12:1 NLT

MAIN POINTS

There are TWO daring prayers God invites you to pray:

1.  God, Refine Me

“I go east, but he is not there. I go west, but I cannot find him… But he knows where I am going. And when he tests me, I will come out as pure as gold.”  — Job 23:8–10 NLT

Job said this in the middle of suffering, when he couldn’t find God. Yet his declaration was one of trust: I may not know where God is — but God knows where I am.

Refining Isn’t Punishment — It’s Purposeful 

“These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold…”  — 1 Peter 1:6–7 NLT

“He will sit like a refiner of silver, burning away the dross. He will purify the Levites, refining them like gold and silver, so that they may once again offer acceptable sacrifices to the Lord.”  — Malachi 3:3 NLT

In the ancient world, the refiner knew the gold was ready not when the fire was hottest — but when he could see his own reflection in the liquid metal. The furnace isn’t where God abandons you — it’s where He forms you.

Refining Reveals What Comfort Conceals 

“A good person produces good things from the treasury of a good heart… What you say flows from what is in your heart.”  — Luke 6:45 NLT

Whatever comes out under pressure was already inside. God allows the squeeze not to shame you — but to reveal and transform you. You can’t be transformed if you won’t be revealed.

Refining Requires Trust When Nothing Makes Sense 

“I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.”  — Philippians 1:6 NLT

“The Lord—who is the Spirit—makes us more and more like him as we are changed into his glorious image.”  — 2 Corinthians 3:18 NLT

God is more committed to your character than your comfort. He finishes what He starts.

Reflection: What keeps surfacing under pressure — fear, anger, control, anxiety? The goal isn’t to hide it. It’s to surrender it.

2.  God, Take Away Anything That Hinders Me

“Throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life… let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes. Put on your new nature, created to be like God — truly righteous and holy.”  — Ephesians 4:22–24 NLT

Not everything holding you back is sin. Some things are simply weights that slow you down. Following Jesus always involves letting go of something old so God can form something new.

What You Refuse to Release Will Eventually Restrict You 

You’re not stuck because God won’t move — you’re stuck because you won’t release. What are you holding onto?

  • Control
  • Your past
  • Your plans
  • A relationship or habit
  • Pursuit of comfort or security

Freedom Comes Through Surrender, Not Control 

We think growth means control. But often, growth comes from letting go. You can’t climb higher until you release the rung you’re gripping.

Reflection: What are you carrying that’s slowing you down? You already know what it is. God is saying: lay it down.

BOTH PRAYERS TOGETHER

“Refine me” says: God, do whatever you need to do in me.

“Take away anything that hinders me” says: God, remove whatever stands between me and You.

Together they are a partnership of grace and effort — leading you steadily toward the image of Jesus.

TAKE IT HOME

This week, dare to pray:

“God, refine me.”

“God, take away anything that hinders me.”

Some of you are in the fire right now. You’ve been praying: “God, get me out.” God loves you too much to do that. He’s saying: trust me in it.

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Application Questions

  1. What stood out to you from this message and why?
  2. What is one thing God is telling you to START doing because of this message?
  3. What is one thing God is telling you to STOP doing because of this message?
  4. How will this message change how you act at home, at work, and in your relationships?

There’s a difference between asking God to help your life… and asking Him to change you. We’re okay with growth when it feels manageable or lines up with what we already want. But the moment growth starts requiring surrender, releasing control, or letting go of things we’ve grown comfortable holding onto… we hesitate. Because the prayers that change you most are usually the ones you’re afraid God will answer. In this message, Ken Knott explores what it means to pray, “God, change me,” and trust God through the process of becoming who He created you to be.

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