{"podcast":{"title":"Duane Sheriff Ministries - Messages","slug":"duane-sheriff-ministries-messages-799190","podcast_index_feed_id":799190,"rss_url":"http://feeds.feedburner.com/DuaneSheriffMinistries-Audio","website_url":"https://pastorduane.com/","image_url":"http://i.imgur.com/kqH8jSS.png","author":"Duane Sheriff (digital@victorylifechurch.com)","episode_count":200,"summary":"Building Healthy Churches and Helping People Grow in Christ","last_synced_at":"2026-09-08T22:22:22.810395+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/duane-sheriff-ministries-messages-799190"},"episode":{"title":"Prayer - Drawing Near To God | Part 3 | Delay Is Not Denial","slug":"prayer-drawing-near-to-god-part-3-delay-is-not-denial","published_at":"2026-08-30T10:00:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/duane-sheriff-ministries-messages-799190/prayer-drawing-near-to-god-part-3-delay-is-not-denial","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/duane-sheriff-ministries-messages-799190","url":"https://t.subsplash.com/r/aHR0cHM6Ly9jZG4uc3Vic3BsYXNoLmNvbS9hdWRpb3MvSkhIOFROLzk2YmE3ZDZiLTIxNmMtNDg3Yi1hMjViLTQzZGEyOGZmYThkMy9hdWRpby5tcDM.mp3?k=JHH8TN&s=3&sapid=sdc4z8w","audio_url":"https://t.subsplash.com/r/aHR0cHM6Ly9jZG4uc3Vic3BsYXNoLmNvbS9hdWRpb3MvSkhIOFROLzk2YmE3ZDZiLTIxNmMtNDg3Yi1hMjViLTQzZGEyOGZmYThkMy9hdWRpby5tcDM.mp3?k=JHH8TN&s=3&sapid=sdc4z8w","summary":"Delay does not mean denial. When an answer to prayer does not come as quickly as we hoped, it's easy to become discouraged, question God's willingness, or wonder if our prayers are heard. In Part 3 of \"Prayer - Drawing Near to God,\" Duane Sheriff teaches the importance of persistence in prayer. Through Jesus' parables of the persistent friend and the persistent widow, he explains that God is not reluctant or unwilling to answer His children. Instead, believers are called to keep asking, keep seeking, and keep knocking without giving up or losing heart. When the manifestation of answered prayer isn't immediate or takes longer than we expect, we can assume it's a denial. But sometimes, God needs to work in our hearts to strengthen our character, reveal areas of weakness, and deepen our relationship with Him. Persistence is not about begging God, wearing Him down, or trying to convince Him to act. It's about standing in faith, trusting in His goodness, and refusing to allow delay to bring discouragement. Pray without ceasing, stand when answers seem delayed, and remember delay does not mean denial.","meta_description":"Delay does not mean denial. When an answer to prayer does not come as quickly as we hoped, it's easy to become discouraged, question God's willingness, or…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":3412,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/duane-sheriff-ministries-messages-799190/episodes/prayer-drawing-near-to-god-part-3-delay-is-not-denial/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/duane-sheriff-ministries-messages-799190/prayer-drawing-near-to-god-part-3-delay-is-not-denial.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}