What does it really mean to pray boldly?

Bold prayer isn’t necessarily loud prayer. It isn’t trying to force God’s hand, and it certainly doesn’t mean that every request will immediately be answered exactly the way we want. Biblical boldness is something deeper: it is the courage to come into God’s presence, the faith to ask, and the persistence to keep praying when the answer doesn’t seem to come.

In this episode of the Bold as a Lion Prayer Podcast, Tom Henry and Pastor Danny Pankey explore the power of bold, persistent prayer.

Through the story of the Canaanite woman who came to Jesus on behalf of her daughter, we see a woman who refused to allow obstacles, silence, culture, or discouragement to stop her. She kept coming. She kept asking. She kept believing. And Jesus ultimately commended her great faith and answered her request.

The conversation also turns to Jesus’ teaching in Luke 18 about the persistent widow—a woman who simply refused to quit seeking justice. Her persistence becomes a picture of one of the great principles of prayer: we ought always to pray and not lose heart.

Pastor Danny also shares the deeply personal story of his grandmother, a woman who lived with physical struggles but maintained sheets of names and prayer needs tucked inside her Bible as a daily prayer list. Some requests remained there for years. Once someone made her prayer list, she kept praying for them - and Pastor Danny explains how his own ministry today is part of the continuing fruit of those persistent prayers.

But persistence is only part of bold prayer.

Through Jesus Christ, believers have been given something extraordinary: access to God.

Hebrews 4:16 tells us to come boldly before the throne of grace. We don't have to wonder whether we're permitted to approach Him. Jesus has opened the way. God isn't merely the distant Creator - we have been invited to know Him as Father.

Prayer, therefore, isn't simply about getting answers. Prayer is about relationship.

You don't have to be a pastor, theologian, prayer expert, or "special" Christian to talk with God. You don't have to be perfect before you come. You have been invited into His presence.

So what have you stopped praying about? Your children? Your family? A marriage? Someone who needs salvation? A situation that hasn't changed? A burden you've carried for years?

Maybe it's time to put it back on the prayer list.

Keep asking.
Keep seeking.
Keep knocking.
Keep coming boldly before the throne of grace.

There may be seasons for many things in life, but there is never a season to give up.

“The wicked flee when no man pursues: but the righteous are bold as a lion,” Proverbs 28:1

Connect With Us

We would love to hear from you, pray with you, and hear what God is doing in your life.

Pastor Danny Pankey
Email: revdpankey@sbcglobal.net

Tom Henry
Email: tom@sharpeningmen.org

Listen, share this episode with someone who needs encouragement to keep praying, and join us as we continue learning what it means to become bold as a lion in prayer.

Be bold. Be persistent. And keep praying.

What does it really mean to pray boldly? And what happens when prayer becomes more than a routine and begins to look like a genuine conversation and partnership with God?

In this special bonus episode of the Bold as a Lion Prayer Podcast, Pastor Danny Pankey sits down with Cassie Dunn and Lorrie Merritt for an honest and encouraging conversation about bold prayer, creative prayer, persistence, friendship, and learning to seek the heart of God.

Cassie shares part of her personal journey through a breast cancer diagnosis, chemotherapy, and the powerful role prayer has played throughout that season. Rather than searching for the perfect prayer formula, she describes learning to approach God from a place of victory, trusting Him even when circumstances and emotions tell a different story.

The conversation also explores what it means to pray with “shameless audacity”—asking God for things that seem impossible, continuing to pray when the answer doesn't come immediately, and refusing to give up simply because circumstances haven't changed yet.

Lorrie shares the importance of standing on God's Word, remaining consistent in His promises, and being willing to ask a different question in prayer: instead of only asking God to address what's on our hearts, what if we stopped and asked, “God, what's on Your heart today?”

You'll also hear practical ideas for breaking out of routine and praying creatively - changing locations, walking while praying, singing prayers, praying Scripture, and finding ways to refocus your attention completely on God.

And throughout the conversation is an important reminder: we were never meant to walk the life of prayer alone. God places people around us who can pray with us, encourage us, strengthen us, and sometimes remind us of what we believe when we're struggling to remember it ourselves.

The episode concludes with Cassie, Lorrie, and Pastor Danny praying specifically for everyone who will hear this conversation - that you would know God's presence, pursue His heart, and discover both the simplicity and power of talking with your Father.

If your prayer life has become routine, if you're waiting on an answer that hasn't come yet, or if you simply want to go deeper in prayer, this episode will encourage you to keep asking, keep believing, keep seeking God's heart, and keep praying boldly.

“The wicked flee when no man pursues: but the righteous are bold as a lion,” Proverbs 28:1

Pastor Danny – revdpankey@sbcglobal.net

Tom – tom@sharpeningmen.org

Four Bold Words: “Your Will Be Done”

What happens when you pray boldly, believe completely—and the answer still isn’t what you prayed for?

In this deeply personal episode of the Bold as a Lion Prayer Podcast, Tom Henry and Pastor Danny Pankey talk about four of the boldest words a believer can ever pray: “Your will be done.”

Bold prayer isn’t about forcing God to give us the answer we want. Prayer is about coming into the presence of our Father, trusting Him completely, and allowing Him to change us - even when we don’t understand what He is doing.

Pastor Danny shares the powerful lesson he learned from a friend who endured the loss of two wives to cancer, yet came away with a deeper trust in God. Tom also shares how careless words about faith affected his family after the death of his four-year-old brother from leukemia. Together, they confront the harmful idea that every unanswered prayer, sickness, loss, or tragedy must somehow mean someone “didn’t have enough faith.”

Then the conversation becomes even more personal as Pastor Danny shares his family’s experience of praying through his daughter and son-in-law’s miscarriage - and how God met them in their grief. He shares portions of the prayer journal he kept for that unborn grandchild and the remarkable story that continued afterward.

Sometimes God moves the mountain. Sometimes He takes us through it. Either way, He does not leave us.

This episode is for anyone who has ever prayed for healing that didn’t come, experienced a devastating loss, wondered why God allowed something to happen, or struggled to reconcile bold faith with painful circumstances.

You can believe God for the impossible while still surrendering everything to Him.

Your will be done.

And whatever you are facing today: don’t quit. When life gets hard, run to God - not away from Him.

Listen, subscribe, and share this episode with someone who may be walking through a difficult season and needs to hear that unanswered prayer does not mean God has abandoned them.

Connect with us:
Tom Henry at tom@sharpeningmen.org

Pastor Danny Pankey at revdpankey@sbcglobal.net

Prayer isn’t passive. Prayer produces.

In Episode 13 of the Bold as a Lion Prayer Podcast, we look at what happens when believers move beyond simply talking about prayer and begin praying with boldness, faith, surrender, and expectation.

This episode is filled with encouragement and real-life testimony of God at work. We discuss trusting God when life feels like it has hit bottom, recognizing that we already have faith to use, and believing that God can work through ordinary people who are willing to pray and obey.

Whatever you’re facing, remember these three powerful truths: Jesus is with you, and because He is with you, you are never facing life alone. God is beneath you—even when you feel like you’ve hit rock bottom, His everlasting arms are underneath you, ready to hold you. And you have all the faith you need—God has given each believer a measure of faith, and even faith as small as a mustard seed can move mountains.

The conversation also explores ministry beyond the walls of the church—from reaching men in jail and helping them find a new direction after release, to the launch of Sharpening Men, a free weekly men's breakfast built around biblical discipleship, accountability, brotherhood, and helping men become who God created them to be. We also share updates about prayer meetings, prayer flights, ministry opportunities, and testimonies of doors opening as prayer is put into action.

One of the most important themes of this episode is surrender: bold prayer isn't demanding that God do things our way. Sometimes four of the boldest words we can pray are, "Your will be done." Trusting God's will doesn't mean abandoning faith—it means placing our faith completely in Him.

Whether you're facing a difficult season, looking for a fresh start, believing God for something that seems impossible, or simply wanting to grow deeper in prayer, we hope this episode encourages you to pray boldly, trust completely, and look for opportunities to plant seeds in the lives of others.

We'd love to hear from you. Send us your prayer requests, testimonies, questions, or feedback:

Pastor Danny Pankey: revdpankey@sbcglobal.net
Tom Henry: tom@sharpeningmen.org

And be sure to visit SharpeningMen.org to learn more about the Sharpening Men Breakfast & Podcast and how you can get involved.

Pray bold. Trust God. Plant the seed. Prayer produces.

What if Jesus didn’t give us the Lord’s Prayer simply to recite, but to live?

In this episode of Bold as a Lion Prayer Podcast, Tom Henry and Pastor Danny J. Pankey explore the disciples’ request, “Lord, teach us to pray,” and how Jesus modeled a life built around prayer.

They discuss developing a genuine habit of prayer, using the Lord’s Prayer as a roadmap, and the challenge to “practice what we pray.”

The episode also shares exciting new ministry opportunities, including Tom’s jail ministry and the launch of Sharpening Men, a weekly men’s breakfast focused on Bible study, accountability, fellowship, and helping men grow into disciples who disciple others.

We’d love to hear from you!
Tom Henry: tom@sharpeningmen.org
Pastor Danny J. Pankey: revdpankey@sbcglobal.net

Also be sure to visit sharpeningmen.org

What do you do when the situation in front of you looks absolutely impossible?

In Episode 11 of the Bold as a Lion Prayer Podcast, Tom Henry and Pastor Danny J. Pankey talk about facing the mountains we cannot move in our own strength—addiction, illness, broken relationships, financial struggles, prodigals, ministry challenges, and circumstances that seem beyond hope.

Drawing from Zechariah 4, they explore the powerful declaration, “Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,” and the simple but profound prayer spoken to the mountain: “Grace, grace.”

This episode also looks at the different ways God's grace works in our lives—saving grace, justifying grace, teaching grace, and enabling grace—and how His strength becomes sufficient precisely where our own strength runs out.

Sometimes we need to stop telling God how big our mountain is and start reminding our mountain how big our God is.

Whatever impossible situation you're facing today, don't give up. Bring it boldly to the throne of grace, trust God with what you cannot do yourself, and declare:

Grace, grace to this mountain.

“The wicked flee though no one pursues, but the righteous are bold as a lion.” — Proverbs 28:1

We'd love to hear from you! Send us your prayer requests, testimonies, questions about prayer, or suggestions for future episodes. We would be honored to pray with you.

Pastor Danny J. Pankey: revdpankey@sbcglobal.net
Tom Henry: tom@shekinahfire.com

Bold as a Lion Prayer Podcast with Pastor Danny J. Pankey and Tom Henry.

#BoldAsALion #Prayer #PowerOfPrayer #GraceGrace #Faith #ChristianPrayer #ImpossibleSituations #PrayerWorks #GodsGrace #BoldPrayer #ChristianPodcast #Miracles #TrustGod #PrayerPodcast

What if prayer wasn't something you simply “did” for a few minutes every morning—but an ongoing adventure with God throughout your entire day?

Prayer doesn't have to sound the same every time.

You don't have to pray in the King's English or on your knees.

And you certainly don't have to pray exactly like everyone else.

In Episode 10 of the Bold as a Lion Prayer Podcast, Pastor Danny J. Pankey and Tom Henry discuss Creative Praying—learning to break out of traditional prayer routines and discover new, personal, biblical ways of communicating with your Heavenly Father.

Pastor Danny shares how an old missionary forever changed the way he thought about prayer simply by beginning his prayers:

“Lord, this is E.J.”

It wasn't fancy or religious - it was personal.

And that's at the heart of this episode.

What You'll Discover in This Episode

Pastor Danny and Tom discuss practical ways to get outside the traditional “prayer box,” including:

Prayer Flights;

Prayer Walks;

Prayer Drives;

Prayer Circles;

Prayer Journaling; and

Praying Through Your Gifts.

Pray Without Ceasing — Learning not to “hang up the phone” with God, but to keep the conversation going throughout the day.

THE STORY BEHIND THE PRAYER FLIGHTS

Pastor Danny also tells the remarkable story of how his prayer flights began. The point isn't the airplane, it is allowing God to challenge us to pray outside the box.

SEE YOUR COMMUNITY THROUGH GOD'S EYES

Tom also shares what happened during a recent prayer drive through the community. Instead of simply passing familiar buildings and neighborhoods, the group prayed: “Lord, show us what You see.”

Suddenly familiar streets looked different.

“Lord, what do You want me to pray for?”

You may be surprised by what He begins showing you.

DRAW THE CIRCLE

The conversation also explores the idea of prayer circles and the famous story associated with evangelist Gypsy Smith.

Before asking God to change everyone else…

“Lord, begin with me.”

WHY KEEP A PRAYER JOURNAL?

Pastor Danny admits journaling has become an important part of his prayer life because it provides:

A record of prayers.

A record of answers.

A record of miracles.

A record of struggles.

A record of lessons.

And a record of God's faithfulness.

THE CHALLENGE

This week, try something different.

You don't need an airplane, a microphone or even perfect words.

Take a prayer walk, a prayer drive, start a prayer journal or any number of creative things you think of today. But above all...

Pray boldly.

Pray creatively.

And be Bold as a Lion.

EMAIL US

We want to pray with you!

Send us your prayer requests, testimonies, questions about prayer, or even your own ideas for creative praying.

Pastor Danny J. Pankey
📧 revdpankey@sbcglobal.net

Tom Henry
📧 tom@shekinahfire.com

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What are you afraid to ask God for?

Maybe the request seems too big. Maybe it seems too small. Maybe you've prayed before and nothing happened. Or perhaps you're afraid that asking for too much makes you selfish, presumptuous, or somehow disappoints God.

In Episode 9 of the Bold as a Lion Prayer Podcast, Tom Henry and Pastor Danny J. Pankey challenge one of the most common barriers to a powerful prayer life: Don't be afraid to ask.

The God you're praying to isn't limited by your resources, your circumstances, or the impossibility of your situation. He is the Creator of Heaven and Earth—and through Jesus Christ, believers have been given incredible access to approach Him in prayer.

This conversation explores what it really means to pray boldly, ask God for impossible things, persist when the answer seems delayed, and trust Him even when His answer is no.

Pastor Danny also shares the unforgettable story behind a lesson God taught him more than 30 years ago. During one of his first revivals, people were saved, healed, and filled with the Holy Spirit—but the prayer request he remembers most came from a little girl.

Her request seemed almost insignificant.

But God used her simple, childlike faith to teach him a lesson that has shaped his prayer life ever since:

Don't be afraid to ask God about anything.

In this episode, you'll discover:

• Why Christians don't have to be afraid to ask God for big things
• How our view of God affects the size and boldness of our prayers
• Why God wants us to bring everyday concerns to Him
• The difference between biblical bold prayer and "name it and claim it"
• What to do when God doesn't answer immediately
• Why "not yet" doesn't necessarily mean "no"
• How to respond when God's answer really is no
• Why unanswered prayer doesn't automatically mean you lacked faith
• How childlike faith can transform your prayer life
• Why miracles and impossible situations ultimately point the glory back to God
• How prayer journals can help us recognize God's faithfulness
• Why believers should keep asking, seeking, knocking, and trusting

Tom also shares a deeply personal story about losing his four-year-old brother to leukemia after his family had prayed and believed for healing. It's an important reminder for anyone carrying guilt or condemnation because a prayer wasn't answered the way they desperately wanted.

A "no" from God does not automatically mean you failed.

Our responsibility isn't to perform the miracle.

Our responsibility is to ask, believe, obey, and trust God with the answer.

As Pastor Danny puts it:

If God is still on the throne, then the throne is where we need to go.

Whether you're praying for healing, financial provision, a prodigal child, revival, your family, ministry, an open door, a miracle, or something nobody else would understand, bring it to your Father.

Ask. Seek. Knock. And don't be afraid to pray Bold as a Lion.

“The wicked flee though no one pursues, but the righteous are bold as a lion.” — Proverbs 28:1

Connect With Us / Send Your Prayer Requests

Pastor Danny J. Pankey:
revdpankey@sbcglobal.net

Tom Henry:
tom@shekinahfire.com

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