1 00:00:00,200 --> 00:00:04,200 This morning as we continue our journey through the 5th chapter 2 00:00:04,200 --> 00:00:09,200 of First Thessalonians, we once again look at the 17th verse 3 00:00:09,440 --> 00:00:12,960 which says that we are to pray without ceasing. 4 00:00:14,360 --> 00:00:19,240 The late Leonard Ravenhill was a British evangelist. 5 00:00:20,200 --> 00:00:25,880 He died in 1994. But listen to his words as he 6 00:00:25,880 --> 00:00:30,240 talks about prayer. He says no man is greater than 7 00:00:30,240 --> 00:00:35,960 his prayer life. The pastor who is not praying is 8 00:00:35,960 --> 00:00:39,320 playing. The people who are not praying 9 00:00:40,560 --> 00:00:45,800 are straying. The pulpit can be a shop window 10 00:00:46,280 --> 00:00:52,320 to display one's talents. The prayer closet allows no 11 00:00:52,920 --> 00:00:56,920 showing off. Poverty stricken as the church 12 00:00:56,920 --> 00:01:02,720 is today and many things, she is most stricken here in the place 13 00:01:02,720 --> 00:01:08,520 of prayer. We have many organizers, but few 14 00:01:08,520 --> 00:01:18,320 agonizers, many players and payers, few prayers, many 15 00:01:18,320 --> 00:01:29,360 singers, few clingers, lots of pastors, few wrestlers, many 16 00:01:29,360 --> 00:01:39,680 fears, few tears, much fashion, little passion, many 17 00:01:39,960 --> 00:01:49,960 interferers, few intercessors, many writers, but few fighters. 18 00:01:51,400 --> 00:01:55,520 Failing here, we fail everywhere. 19 00:01:57,120 --> 00:01:59,680 The ministry of preaching is open to a few. 20 00:02:00,960 --> 00:02:05,360 The ministry of prayer, the highest ministry of all human 21 00:02:05,360 --> 00:02:13,640 offices, is open to all. He had his finger on the pulse 22 00:02:14,680 --> 00:02:19,080 of the modern church. He recognized that there were 23 00:02:19,200 --> 00:02:23,040 very few people committed to prayer. 24 00:02:25,280 --> 00:02:30,160 I don't know about you, but as you spend each day, there are 25 00:02:30,360 --> 00:02:34,800 times throughout the day that you waste. 26 00:02:35,520 --> 00:02:39,400 I think we'd all be have to be honest and say, yeah, there this 27 00:02:39,400 --> 00:02:43,040 was a wasted hour, or this was a wasted few minutes, or this was 28 00:02:43,040 --> 00:02:47,400 a wasted part of my day. I can guarantee you that there's 29 00:02:47,400 --> 00:02:52,320 one part of your day that you could honestly say is never 30 00:02:52,320 --> 00:02:57,200 wasted, and that's the time you spend in prayer. 31 00:02:58,960 --> 00:03:04,520 That time is never wasted. That time was always used to the 32 00:03:04,520 --> 00:03:08,920 highest degree. Yet the Bible says that we are 33 00:03:08,920 --> 00:03:13,960 to have an unceasing kind of prayer life and uninterrupted 34 00:03:13,960 --> 00:03:17,440 kind of prayer life. A life that's completely 35 00:03:17,440 --> 00:03:20,280 conscious of God all throughout the day. 36 00:03:21,520 --> 00:03:25,160 A life that's always in tune with the Spirit of God. 37 00:03:27,200 --> 00:03:30,680 A prayer that or life of prayer that that never ends, that never 38 00:03:30,680 --> 00:03:33,160 quits, that never gives up, that never gives in. 39 00:03:34,160 --> 00:03:39,960 Pray without ceasing. Peter would say it this way 40 00:03:40,560 --> 00:03:44,880 first. Peter 5 verse #7 Cast all your 41 00:03:44,880 --> 00:03:52,200 anxiety upon him, for he cares for you. 42 00:03:53,840 --> 00:03:58,280 Taken from Psalm 55 where the psalmist said cast your burdens 43 00:03:58,280 --> 00:04:01,720 upon the Lord and he will sustain you. 44 00:04:04,880 --> 00:04:09,920 I've come to realize that as I go through life, as it says in 45 00:04:09,920 --> 00:04:13,440 Luke 18 verse #1 we talked about last week, men, not always to 46 00:04:13,440 --> 00:04:17,120 pray and not to faint. You either pray or you faint. 47 00:04:17,279 --> 00:04:19,040 If you're fainting, you're not praying. 48 00:04:20,079 --> 00:04:24,880 Well, Peter says it this way. If you're not casting your 49 00:04:24,880 --> 00:04:30,320 burdens upon the Lord, you're crashing under the burdens that 50 00:04:30,320 --> 00:04:36,320 you bear you to cast all your anxiety, all your burdens upon 51 00:04:36,320 --> 00:04:39,160 the Lord. But so many times, when those 52 00:04:39,160 --> 00:04:45,000 fears arise, when those anxious thoughts come, when the 53 00:04:45,000 --> 00:04:51,040 nervousness begins to envelope us, very rarely do we cast it 54 00:04:51,040 --> 00:04:54,600 upon the Lord. Yet those who pray without 55 00:04:54,600 --> 00:04:59,880 ceasing understand the the importance of living a God 56 00:04:59,880 --> 00:05:05,800 conscious kind of life that they might be able to offer up a 57 00:05:05,800 --> 00:05:12,200 prayer to their God knowing that he is the one who hears. 58 00:05:13,120 --> 00:05:18,880 In fact, the psalmist said in Psalm 65 these words, You who 59 00:05:19,240 --> 00:05:29,680 hear prayer to you, all men come to you who hears prayer to you 60 00:05:30,520 --> 00:05:36,560 all men come. Psalm 65, verse #2 verse #4 He 61 00:05:36,560 --> 00:05:43,960 says, how blessed is the one whom you choose to bring near to 62 00:05:43,960 --> 00:05:50,480 you, to dwell in Your courts. We will be satisfied with the 63 00:05:50,480 --> 00:05:55,560 goodness of Your house, Your holy temple. 64 00:05:57,160 --> 00:06:01,520 The blessed man is the one who who God chooses to bring near to 65 00:06:01,520 --> 00:06:04,960 him. And the Bible says that that God 66 00:06:04,960 --> 00:06:08,880 is near to all those who call upon him. 67 00:06:09,080 --> 00:06:14,720 Psalm 145 But there's a qualifier to that. 68 00:06:15,960 --> 00:06:18,120 The Lord is near to all those who call upon him. 69 00:06:18,120 --> 00:06:25,760 And then it says to all who call upon him in truth, He's not near 70 00:06:25,760 --> 00:06:30,120 to those who don't call upon him in truth, only to those who call 71 00:06:30,120 --> 00:06:33,720 upon him according to his truth, because he is the God of truth. 72 00:06:35,320 --> 00:06:43,320 And yet God who hears prayer brings men near to him. 73 00:06:45,080 --> 00:06:48,760 And if we are near to God, then we ought to be able to commune 74 00:06:48,760 --> 00:06:52,800 with him because the privilege of prayer is that we have access 75 00:06:52,800 --> 00:06:58,400 to the throne room of God. When the veil was was torn in 76 00:06:58,400 --> 00:07:04,160 two at count, when Christ was on the tree at Calvary in the 77 00:07:04,160 --> 00:07:06,800 temple, the veil of the temple was torn in two. 78 00:07:07,360 --> 00:07:11,240 Access to the presence of God. The holiest of holies was 79 00:07:11,240 --> 00:07:15,120 granted to all men. That's why I love what it says 80 00:07:15,120 --> 00:07:19,680 in the, in the book of Ephesians, Ephesians chapter 2 81 00:07:19,680 --> 00:07:24,040 verse #18 For through him that is Christ, we both have our 82 00:07:24,040 --> 00:07:27,640 access in one spirit to the Father. 83 00:07:28,680 --> 00:07:33,760 And then in chapter 3 verse #12 Paul says, because of Christ, in 84 00:07:33,760 --> 00:07:39,040 whom we have boldness and confident access through faith 85 00:07:39,640 --> 00:07:47,360 in him, we have this access. We had this opportunity to 86 00:07:47,360 --> 00:07:53,160 always enter God's throne room and to call upon him. 87 00:07:54,520 --> 00:07:57,200 I, I love what the the songwriter said. 88 00:07:57,800 --> 00:08:01,400 Oh, oh, what peace we often forfeit. 89 00:08:01,880 --> 00:08:05,480 Oh, what needless pain we bear, all because we do not carry 90 00:08:05,480 --> 00:08:09,200 everything to God in prayer. Everything. 91 00:08:10,560 --> 00:08:12,600 Cast all your burdens upon the Lord. 92 00:08:13,080 --> 00:08:15,720 Not just some of them, all of them. 93 00:08:16,960 --> 00:08:19,600 Prayer is the great privilege of the believer. 94 00:08:21,440 --> 00:08:26,360 That is we, We can enter the throne room of God and we can 95 00:08:26,880 --> 00:08:30,720 call upon our God to do great and mighty things. 96 00:08:32,640 --> 00:08:35,360 So last week we, we began to talk to you about some of the, 97 00:08:35,880 --> 00:08:40,919 the principles surrounding prayer, telling you that it that 98 00:08:40,919 --> 00:08:44,600 it, that certifies my dependency upon God. 99 00:08:46,080 --> 00:08:49,600 Nothing certifies your dependency more than your prayer 100 00:08:49,600 --> 00:08:51,960 life. That's why Paul says pray 101 00:08:51,960 --> 00:08:54,280 without ceasing. He gives these commands. 102 00:08:54,480 --> 00:08:57,040 Be joyful, be prayerful, be thankful. 103 00:08:57,040 --> 00:08:59,040 Why? Because this is the will of God 104 00:08:59,040 --> 00:09:01,960 in Christ Jesus concerning you. These three commands are the 105 00:09:01,960 --> 00:09:05,680 will of God for your life. You need to be joyful, prayerful 106 00:09:05,680 --> 00:09:11,520 and thankful in all things. And as believers in Christ, we 107 00:09:11,520 --> 00:09:14,000 we we hasten to obey the commands of God. 108 00:09:14,640 --> 00:09:19,480 Listen to what the psalmist said in in Psalm 119, verse #60 I 109 00:09:19,480 --> 00:09:23,800 hastened and did not delay to keep your commandments. 110 00:09:24,600 --> 00:09:27,000 That's the, that's the heartbeat of the believer. 111 00:09:27,880 --> 00:09:31,480 I hastened and did not delay to be joyful. 112 00:09:32,600 --> 00:09:36,960 I hastened and did not delay to be prayerful. 113 00:09:38,120 --> 00:09:41,560 I hasten and did not delay to be thankful. 114 00:09:42,840 --> 00:09:46,520 In fact, he goes over and says this in verse #112 of Psalm 119. 115 00:09:46,720 --> 00:09:51,160 I have inclined my heart to perform Your statutes forever 116 00:09:52,320 --> 00:09:56,480 until the very end. I've determined in my heart that 117 00:09:56,480 --> 00:09:59,960 I perform Your commandments, Your statutes forever. 118 00:10:00,440 --> 00:10:06,000 So I will be joyful forever. I will be prayerful forever. 119 00:10:06,080 --> 00:10:09,720 I will be thankful forever, even until the very end. 120 00:10:11,120 --> 00:10:12,560 That's the heartbeat of the believer. 121 00:10:14,320 --> 00:10:16,520 So Paul rattles off his commands. 122 00:10:19,240 --> 00:10:21,560 Be joyful, prayerful, and thankful. 123 00:10:23,280 --> 00:10:28,200 I love what Leon Moore said in his book Heart Cry for Revival. 124 00:10:28,880 --> 00:10:32,280 He said it is not possible for us to spend all our time with 125 00:10:32,280 --> 00:10:36,280 the words of prayer on our lips, but it is possible for us to be 126 00:10:36,280 --> 00:10:41,160 all our days in the spirit of prayer, realizing our dependence 127 00:10:41,160 --> 00:10:44,960 upon God for all that we have in our, realizing something of His 128 00:10:44,960 --> 00:10:49,240 presence with us wherever we may be, and yielding ourselves 129 00:10:49,440 --> 00:10:51,920 continually for the doing of His will. 130 00:10:52,400 --> 00:10:56,960 Where there is such an inward state, it will find outward 131 00:10:56,960 --> 00:11:01,720 expression in verbal prayer. And in this connection we should 132 00:11:01,720 --> 00:11:06,560 notice the frequent ejaculatory prayers throughout Paul's 133 00:11:06,560 --> 00:11:10,000 letters. Prayer was so natural and so 134 00:11:10,000 --> 00:11:15,080 continual with the great apostle that it found its way inevitably 135 00:11:15,160 --> 00:11:19,600 into his correspondence. That's the way it should be for 136 00:11:19,600 --> 00:11:23,920 us. Praying without ceasing it 137 00:11:23,920 --> 00:11:26,280 certifies our dependency upon God. 138 00:11:27,440 --> 00:11:32,400 Turn turn back with me, if you would, to to the book of Second 139 00:11:32,400 --> 00:11:36,920 Chronicles, a book that you probably read every day in your 140 00:11:36,920 --> 00:11:41,520 devotions. But Second Chronicles chapter 20 141 00:11:44,160 --> 00:11:47,720 and I want to show you how how prayer certifies our dependency 142 00:11:47,720 --> 00:11:50,280 upon the Lord. This is so important. 143 00:11:52,000 --> 00:11:55,760 Now it came about verse one after this that the sons of Moab 144 00:11:55,760 --> 00:11:59,880 and the sons of Ammon, together with some of the Edomites came 145 00:11:59,880 --> 00:12:04,800 to make war against Jehoshaphat. Then some came and reported to 146 00:12:04,800 --> 00:12:07,880 Jehoshaphat saying, a great multitude is coming against you 147 00:12:08,600 --> 00:12:15,720 from beyond the sea out of Iran. And behold therein in Getty. 148 00:12:16,520 --> 00:12:18,360 For those of you who've been to Israel, you know where in Getty 149 00:12:18,360 --> 00:12:20,960 is. It's in the, the, the wilderness 150 00:12:20,960 --> 00:12:23,440 of, of the Judean, the Judean wilderness. 151 00:12:23,440 --> 00:12:25,200 It's there. And that's where David will hide 152 00:12:25,200 --> 00:12:28,760 from the apostle, not from the apostle, but from Saul himself. 153 00:12:28,760 --> 00:12:31,400 Excuse me. And and it's a good place to to 154 00:12:31,440 --> 00:12:33,880 enter into Jerusalem because of all the mountain ranges that 155 00:12:33,880 --> 00:12:38,600 hide you. And they say, King Jehoshaphat, 156 00:12:39,360 --> 00:12:43,440 they've come against us. Verse 3 Jehoshaphat was afraid 157 00:12:44,160 --> 00:12:48,760 and turned his attention to seek the Lord. 158 00:12:49,400 --> 00:12:52,480 That's good. When you're afraid, what do you 159 00:12:52,480 --> 00:12:55,120 do? What do you turn your attention 160 00:12:55,120 --> 00:12:58,080 to? Jehoshaphat turned his attention 161 00:12:58,080 --> 00:13:02,280 to to seek the Lord and proclaimed a fast sweat all 162 00:13:02,280 --> 00:13:04,320 Judah. So Judah gathered together to 163 00:13:04,320 --> 00:13:08,120 seek help from the Lord. They even came from all the 164 00:13:08,120 --> 00:13:11,880 cities of Judah to seek the Lord. 165 00:13:12,880 --> 00:13:16,680 Then Jehoshaphat stood in the assembly of Judah and Jerusalem 166 00:13:17,000 --> 00:13:20,000 in the House of the Lord before the new court. 167 00:13:20,640 --> 00:13:25,280 And this is what he said. Oh Lord, the God of our fathers, 168 00:13:25,800 --> 00:13:32,560 are you not God in the heavens? He appeals to the preeminency of 169 00:13:32,560 --> 00:13:38,400 God, does he not? Our Father, who art in heaven, 170 00:13:39,280 --> 00:13:42,800 hallowed be thy name. Here is Jehoshaphat appealing to 171 00:13:42,800 --> 00:13:49,120 the God of the heavens, and he says, are you not ruler over all 172 00:13:49,120 --> 00:13:54,560 the kingdoms of the nations? Don't you rule over everyone? 173 00:13:55,880 --> 00:13:58,120 It speaks not only of his preeminence, but it speaks of 174 00:13:58,120 --> 00:14:01,400 his Providence that he is in complete control of everything. 175 00:14:01,520 --> 00:14:05,880 It says power and might are in your hand so that no one can 176 00:14:05,880 --> 00:14:09,880 stand against you. So he appeals to God based on 177 00:14:09,880 --> 00:14:13,280 his preeminence, based on his Providence, and based on his 178 00:14:13,280 --> 00:14:21,400 power as the Lord God of Israel. And then it says, did you not, 179 00:14:21,800 --> 00:14:25,280 oh our God, drive out the inhabitants of this land before 180 00:14:25,280 --> 00:14:30,280 your people Israel, and give it to the descendants of Abraham, 181 00:14:30,280 --> 00:14:34,760 your friend forever? They have lived in it and have 182 00:14:34,760 --> 00:14:41,680 built you a sanctuary there for your name. 183 00:14:42,840 --> 00:14:46,280 Now he appeals to the promises of God, got me to promise to 184 00:14:46,280 --> 00:14:49,800 Israel, got me to promise to Abraham, and God has fulfilled 185 00:14:49,800 --> 00:14:52,880 that promise. So he's appealing to God based 186 00:14:52,880 --> 00:14:54,640 on his character and based on his nature. 187 00:14:55,760 --> 00:15:02,080 You are preeminent, you are providential, you're powerful, 188 00:15:03,640 --> 00:15:05,400 and you're God who keeps his promises. 189 00:15:06,600 --> 00:15:11,600 So he says, verse 9, should evil come upon us, the sword or 190 00:15:11,600 --> 00:15:14,680 judgment or pestilence or famine, we will stand before 191 00:15:14,680 --> 00:15:18,960 this house and before you, for your name is in this house, and 192 00:15:18,960 --> 00:15:24,040 cry to you in our distress, and you will hear, and you will 193 00:15:24,120 --> 00:15:28,120 deliver us. They appeal to the presence of 194 00:15:28,120 --> 00:15:32,840 God, that we will come to you. We will come to Your temple, 195 00:15:32,880 --> 00:15:36,480 where Your glory dwells, where You are, and we will appeal to 196 00:15:36,480 --> 00:15:41,840 You and You will deliver us. Now behold the sons of Ammon and 197 00:15:41,840 --> 00:15:45,840 Moab and Mount Seir, whom You did not let Israel invade. 198 00:15:45,840 --> 00:15:49,400 When they came out of the land of Egypt, they turned aside from 199 00:15:49,400 --> 00:15:53,880 them and did not destroy them. See how they are rewarding us by 200 00:15:53,880 --> 00:15:58,520 coming to drive us out from Your possession, which You have given 201 00:15:58,640 --> 00:16:02,880 us as an inheritance. Oh our God, You will not judge 202 00:16:02,880 --> 00:16:10,080 them, for we are powerless before this great multitude who 203 00:16:10,080 --> 00:16:14,160 are coming against us. Nor do we know what to do. 204 00:16:14,960 --> 00:16:21,000 But our eyes are upon you. That that's, that's, that's a 205 00:16:21,000 --> 00:16:26,560 dependent king. We don't know what to do, but 206 00:16:26,560 --> 00:16:32,280 our eyes are upon you. That was the the verse that that 207 00:16:32,760 --> 00:16:36,480 that Sandy, my first wife and I decided to put on a gravestone 208 00:16:36,480 --> 00:16:40,120 before she died. Many of you know that she had 209 00:16:40,120 --> 00:16:43,440 cancer and she suffered for 15 months and then she went home to 210 00:16:43,440 --> 00:16:46,000 be with the Lord. But we didn't know what to do. 211 00:16:46,000 --> 00:16:50,880 They had no idea. And so we cry out the Lord Lord, 212 00:16:50,880 --> 00:16:54,160 we don't know what to do, but our eyes are upon you. 213 00:16:56,000 --> 00:17:01,800 And when you live in fear or anxiety or uncertainty, what do 214 00:17:01,800 --> 00:17:05,119 you do? Do as Jehoshaphat did. 215 00:17:06,560 --> 00:17:10,400 He lived in dependency upon God and sought the Lord of the 216 00:17:10,400 --> 00:17:15,160 universe, whose presence was with Him, whose preeminence was 217 00:17:15,160 --> 00:17:18,839 seen, because He's the God of the heavens, who providentially 218 00:17:18,839 --> 00:17:22,640 works in the hearts of man, who's the all powerful God of 219 00:17:22,640 --> 00:17:28,200 the universe, who keeps His promises. 220 00:17:30,840 --> 00:17:37,680 Prayer certifies our dependency. Prayer challenges our 221 00:17:37,680 --> 00:17:41,000 spirituality. It challenges our spirituality. 222 00:17:41,000 --> 00:17:43,880 You know that nothing will challenge your spiritual walk 223 00:17:43,880 --> 00:17:46,280 with the Lord than your prayer life or lack thereof. 224 00:17:46,760 --> 00:17:49,680 Just ask yourself, how much time did you spend in prayer this 225 00:17:49,680 --> 00:17:52,880 morning before you came to church, or yesterday, or the day 226 00:17:52,880 --> 00:17:56,400 before that? Your spirituality will always be 227 00:17:56,400 --> 00:17:58,520 challenged. Remember, on the eve of the 228 00:17:58,520 --> 00:18:01,880 crucifixion, Christ took Peter, James and John into the into the 229 00:18:02,040 --> 00:18:03,640 depths of the Garden of Gethsemane. 230 00:18:04,360 --> 00:18:08,200 Keep watch, pray. I'm going to go over here for a 231 00:18:08,200 --> 00:18:10,560 while. And he went over to pray. 232 00:18:11,560 --> 00:18:14,640 He came back and Peter, James and John were asleep. 233 00:18:15,920 --> 00:18:19,400 He says, could you not keep watch with me for one hour, just 234 00:18:19,400 --> 00:18:22,680 one hour? The Bible says that he was in 235 00:18:22,680 --> 00:18:27,280 great torment, our Lord was. And all he did was ask them to 236 00:18:27,280 --> 00:18:31,680 keep watching, pray lest they enter into temptation. 237 00:18:32,760 --> 00:18:37,800 So he went away, came back again, and they were asleep 238 00:18:37,800 --> 00:18:41,280 again. You see, they were being 239 00:18:41,280 --> 00:18:45,800 challenged spiritually and the Lord knew that the the challenge 240 00:18:45,800 --> 00:18:48,440 before them was going to be so great that if they didn't spend 241 00:18:48,440 --> 00:18:50,800 time in prayer, they would not be able to handle the 242 00:18:50,800 --> 00:18:51,840 temptation. And guess what? 243 00:18:52,640 --> 00:18:56,560 They failed miserably when they were tempted, especially Peter 244 00:18:57,320 --> 00:19:01,000 when he denied the Christ. Nothing would challenge your 245 00:19:01,000 --> 00:19:02,800 spirituality more than your prayer life. 246 00:19:04,320 --> 00:19:05,920 And then #3 we left off this last week. 247 00:19:06,160 --> 00:19:12,200 It will confirm your loyalty. It confirms your loyalty, that 248 00:19:12,200 --> 00:19:16,560 is, to the Lord God Himself, that you are loyal to keep the 249 00:19:16,560 --> 00:19:22,840 commands of God. The Bible says in First Timothy 250 00:19:22,840 --> 00:19:27,960 2 verse #1 that first of all, I urge that entreaties and prayers 251 00:19:28,120 --> 00:19:32,760 and petitions and Thanksgiving be made on behalf of all men. 252 00:19:34,080 --> 00:19:36,600 Paul is writing to Timothy. It's a pastoral epistle telling 253 00:19:36,600 --> 00:19:38,760 him how to set things in order in the church. 254 00:19:39,120 --> 00:19:43,920 He says in chapter 2 verse #1 First things first, that you 255 00:19:43,920 --> 00:19:49,520 should be in prayer for all men. You should be petitioning all 256 00:19:49,520 --> 00:19:54,560 men because the the ministry of the church is the ministry of 257 00:19:54,560 --> 00:19:58,280 prayer and that needs to be offered first. 258 00:19:58,280 --> 00:20:02,960 That's why over in Colossians 19 it says we have not ceased to 259 00:20:02,960 --> 00:20:06,480 pray for you. In Colossians 4/2 devote 260 00:20:06,480 --> 00:20:10,800 yourselves unto prayer, says in Second Timothy 13. 261 00:20:11,000 --> 00:20:13,360 Paul's prayers were night and day. 262 00:20:13,600 --> 00:20:16,240 Romans 1212 be devoted to prayer. 263 00:20:17,280 --> 00:20:23,040 Listen, when you pray it confirms one thing, that you are 264 00:20:23,040 --> 00:20:25,800 loyal to your God, to obey the commands of God. 265 00:20:27,760 --> 00:20:32,760 So it certifies your dependency, it challenges your spirituality, 266 00:20:33,120 --> 00:20:41,120 it confirms your loyalty. And then note this, it catapults 267 00:20:41,400 --> 00:20:48,240 your productivity. It catapults your productivity. 268 00:20:48,720 --> 00:20:53,440 In other words, without prayer, nothing is accomplished, but 269 00:20:53,440 --> 00:20:57,160 with prayer, everything can be accomplished. 270 00:20:58,000 --> 00:21:01,520 Turn back to me, if you would, to the book of Exodus, Exodus 271 00:21:01,920 --> 00:21:06,160 chapter 17, another book that you read every day in your 272 00:21:06,160 --> 00:21:09,320 devotions. Second Chronicles, the book of 273 00:21:09,320 --> 00:21:12,360 Exodus. In the book of Exodus, you have 274 00:21:12,360 --> 00:21:17,200 Israel's first conflict, first war. 275 00:21:18,160 --> 00:21:20,160 It's the first mention of Joshua. 276 00:21:20,720 --> 00:21:25,640 Joshua will be mentioned some 200 more times in the Bible, but 277 00:21:25,640 --> 00:21:30,280 the first mention is in Exodus chapter 17 because Joshua is 278 00:21:30,280 --> 00:21:34,000 being prepared to take on Moses's responsibility. 279 00:21:34,600 --> 00:21:37,760 Doesn't know that yet, but but that's what God's doing in the 280 00:21:37,760 --> 00:21:41,760 life of Joshua. And so they come to fight 281 00:21:42,280 --> 00:21:47,000 against the Amalekites, and this is their first conflict as a 282 00:21:47,000 --> 00:21:52,240 nation where they go to war. It says this in verse #8 Then 283 00:21:52,240 --> 00:21:56,000 Amalek came and fought against Israel at Rafidum. 284 00:21:56,800 --> 00:22:01,840 So Moses said to Joshua, choose men for us and go out fight 285 00:22:01,840 --> 00:22:05,520 against Amalek. Tomorrow I will station myself 286 00:22:05,760 --> 00:22:09,720 on the top of the hill with the staff of God in my hand. 287 00:22:10,600 --> 00:22:14,520 Joshua did as Moses told him and fought against Amalek. 288 00:22:14,840 --> 00:22:18,760 And Moses, Aaron and her went up to the top of the hill. 289 00:22:19,240 --> 00:22:22,800 So it came about when Moses held his hand up, that Israel 290 00:22:22,800 --> 00:22:28,080 prevailed, and when he let his hand down, Amalek prevailed. 291 00:22:29,000 --> 00:22:34,040 But Moses's hands were heavy. Then they took a stone and put 292 00:22:34,040 --> 00:22:38,320 it under him, and he sat on it. And Aaron and her supported his 293 00:22:38,320 --> 00:22:43,640 hands on one side, one-on-one side, and 1:00 on the other. 294 00:22:44,520 --> 00:22:46,680 Thus his hands were steady until the sunset. 295 00:22:47,760 --> 00:22:54,120 So Joshua overwhelmed Amalek and his people with the edge of the 296 00:22:54,120 --> 00:22:57,000 sword. Now you read that and you're 297 00:22:57,000 --> 00:22:59,400 thinking, OK, what does all that mean? 298 00:23:00,760 --> 00:23:03,240 Well, all throughout the Old Testament, you realize that when 299 00:23:03,280 --> 00:23:06,640 when Israel prayed, they would always pray, lifting their hands 300 00:23:06,640 --> 00:23:09,240 to God. The staff was a symbol of the 301 00:23:09,240 --> 00:23:13,600 power and presence of God. So Moses went up into a hill 302 00:23:13,640 --> 00:23:18,000 with Aaron and her, and he was going to beseech the Lord. 303 00:23:18,080 --> 00:23:19,800 He was going to pray to the Lord. 304 00:23:19,960 --> 00:23:24,120 He was going to intercede on behalf of Israel as they went to 305 00:23:24,120 --> 00:23:28,200 war. Joshua would carry the sword, 306 00:23:28,360 --> 00:23:32,960 Moses would carry the staff, and he would begin to communicate 307 00:23:32,960 --> 00:23:36,360 with his God by holding his hands up and appealing to God 308 00:23:37,320 --> 00:23:43,240 for his strength, for the power. But when his hands began to 309 00:23:43,440 --> 00:23:47,560 fall, Amalek prevailed. But when his hands went up 310 00:23:47,560 --> 00:23:51,880 again, Israel prevailed. And it went through this over 311 00:23:51,880 --> 00:23:54,960 and over again and lost. The text says, it says that 312 00:23:54,960 --> 00:24:02,200 Moses hands were heavy. Moses was becoming weary. 313 00:24:02,840 --> 00:24:05,400 This is very important. Why? 314 00:24:06,000 --> 00:24:09,920 Because listen to the book of Deuteronomy, the 34th chapter, 315 00:24:10,120 --> 00:24:14,240 right before Moses dies in Deuteronomy 34, he's 120 years 316 00:24:14,240 --> 00:24:17,400 old. And it says although Moses was 317 00:24:17,400 --> 00:24:24,400 120 years old when he died, his eye was not dim, nor his vigor 318 00:24:24,960 --> 00:24:29,040 abated, in other words, nor was his strength gone. 319 00:24:30,400 --> 00:24:33,240 So go back now to exit 17 and say, why were his hands heavy? 320 00:24:33,480 --> 00:24:36,800 Was he, was he getting old? Was he weak? 321 00:24:36,800 --> 00:24:40,760 Oh no, his vigor never abated. He was strong even to the day he 322 00:24:40,760 --> 00:24:46,960 died, but that emphasized the fact that Moses was interceding 323 00:24:46,960 --> 00:24:52,280 on behalf of Israel as he would appeal to the power and the 324 00:24:52,280 --> 00:24:56,560 protection and the presence of God on behalf of the nation of 325 00:24:56,560 --> 00:25:02,600 Israel. And intercessory prayer is not 326 00:25:02,600 --> 00:25:08,040 light work, it's hard work. The effort is intense. 327 00:25:08,520 --> 00:25:11,600 That's why it says of Epaphras in the Colossians 4 verse #12 328 00:25:11,840 --> 00:25:14,880 that he labored fervently in prayer. 329 00:25:15,800 --> 00:25:20,080 Because prayer is hard work. Satan would do all he can to 330 00:25:20,080 --> 00:25:23,640 keep you off your knees. He'll do all he can to keep you 331 00:25:23,640 --> 00:25:27,320 from communing with your God. He wants you to do everything in 332 00:25:27,320 --> 00:25:29,920 the energy of the flesh. He doesn't want you to live in 333 00:25:29,920 --> 00:25:31,960 dependency upon God. Why? 334 00:25:32,080 --> 00:25:34,520 Because he knows that if you do, the power of God will be 335 00:25:34,520 --> 00:25:38,920 displayed, and great things will take place, and knows it. 336 00:25:38,920 --> 00:25:42,320 Says this verse 14. Then the Lord said to Moses, 337 00:25:42,480 --> 00:25:47,160 write this in a book as a memorial, and recite it to 338 00:25:47,160 --> 00:25:52,920 Joshua. Write it down, recite it #3 and 339 00:25:52,920 --> 00:25:56,840 remember it. He says that I will utterly blot 340 00:25:56,840 --> 00:25:59,560 out the memory of Amalek from under heaven. 341 00:26:00,520 --> 00:26:01,960 Remember this. Why? 342 00:26:02,920 --> 00:26:07,240 See, you have to realize that Amalek was was a nation that 343 00:26:07,240 --> 00:26:12,560 came against Israel. But Amalek also is a symbol of 344 00:26:12,560 --> 00:26:17,720 the flesh and a symbol of sin and a symbol of all those things 345 00:26:17,720 --> 00:26:21,280 that take us away from God. And that's why prayer is so 346 00:26:21,280 --> 00:26:25,200 hard, because when you're praying, you're moving away from 347 00:26:25,200 --> 00:26:27,600 those things. When you're not, you tend to 348 00:26:27,600 --> 00:26:31,000 move toward those things. And therefore we need to always 349 00:26:31,000 --> 00:26:35,640 be in the fervent spirit of prayer, beseeching the presence 350 00:26:35,640 --> 00:26:41,320 and power of Almighty God. Then it says this Moses built an 351 00:26:41,320 --> 00:26:44,680 altar, named it. The Lord is my banner, yave 352 00:26:45,000 --> 00:26:47,360 nisi. The Lord is my protector. 353 00:26:47,680 --> 00:26:49,480 The Lord is my victorious warrior. 354 00:26:49,720 --> 00:26:55,600 The Lord is my satisfier. The Lord's presence gave us 355 00:26:55,720 --> 00:26:57,240 victory. The Lord is my banner. 356 00:26:58,000 --> 00:27:00,600 And he said the Lord has sworn the Lord will have war with 357 00:27:00,680 --> 00:27:03,440 Amalek from generation to generation. 358 00:27:04,520 --> 00:27:08,080 The Lord is your inspiration. He's your banner, He's your 359 00:27:08,080 --> 00:27:12,000 flag, He's your protector. He's your inspiration. 360 00:27:12,120 --> 00:27:14,680 That's why there's so much perspiration. 361 00:27:15,360 --> 00:27:16,840 Why? Because he's the one who 362 00:27:16,840 --> 00:27:20,400 inspires us. Look at what the psalmist said 363 00:27:20,680 --> 00:27:27,480 in in Psalm 20, Psalm 20 verse #4 or let me read the whole 364 00:27:27,480 --> 00:27:29,560 thing to you. First one, may the Lord answer 365 00:27:29,560 --> 00:27:32,960 you in the day of trouble. May the name of the God of Jacob 366 00:27:33,080 --> 00:27:37,800 set you securely on high. May He send you help from the 367 00:27:37,800 --> 00:27:40,920 sanctuary and support you from Zion. 368 00:27:41,280 --> 00:27:43,920 May you remember all your meal offerings and find your burnt 369 00:27:43,920 --> 00:27:47,200 offerings acceptable. May grant you your hearts desire 370 00:27:47,320 --> 00:27:51,680 and fulfill all your counsel. We will sing for joy over your 371 00:27:51,680 --> 00:27:57,240 victory, and in the name of our God we will set up our banners. 372 00:27:58,280 --> 00:28:01,680 We will set up our inspiration because we will trust in God, 373 00:28:01,840 --> 00:28:05,840 the God who provides the power and His presence to give us the 374 00:28:05,840 --> 00:28:08,480 victory that we need. May the Lord fulfill your 375 00:28:08,480 --> 00:28:11,240 petitions. Now I know that the Lord saves 376 00:28:11,240 --> 00:28:13,680 his anointed. He will answer him from His holy 377 00:28:13,680 --> 00:28:16,720 heaven with the saving strength of his right hand. 378 00:28:17,440 --> 00:28:20,840 Some boasts and Chariots and some of horses, but we will 379 00:28:20,840 --> 00:28:22,880 boast in the name of the Lord our God. 380 00:28:23,640 --> 00:28:28,200 They have bowed down and fallen, but we have risen and stood 381 00:28:28,200 --> 00:28:31,320 upright. Save, O Lord, may the King 382 00:28:31,320 --> 00:28:36,360 answer us in the day we call. Wow. 383 00:28:36,680 --> 00:28:40,840 Talk about your dependency. Talk about, talk about your 384 00:28:40,840 --> 00:28:44,160 productivity. It happens because you live in 385 00:28:44,160 --> 00:28:47,720 dependence upon God and not in the flesh. 386 00:28:48,440 --> 00:28:51,000 You're trusting God to save your spouse. 387 00:28:51,120 --> 00:28:53,840 You're trusting God to bring the rebellious child home. 388 00:28:53,920 --> 00:28:57,320 You're trusting God for the salvation of your work mates and 389 00:28:57,320 --> 00:29:00,040 your classmates. You're trusting God for the for 390 00:29:00,040 --> 00:29:03,960 the for doing a a work in in your family with your friends. 391 00:29:04,120 --> 00:29:06,360 You're you're dependent upon God for everything. 392 00:29:07,360 --> 00:29:09,400 Why? Because that's the only way 393 00:29:09,400 --> 00:29:13,080 you'll ever be productive in the Kingdom of God is when you lie 394 00:29:13,080 --> 00:29:16,000 upon the King himself and trust in Him. 395 00:29:17,200 --> 00:29:20,640 Every one of us has to examine our own lives and realize there 396 00:29:20,640 --> 00:29:22,360 are so many things we want to see happen. 397 00:29:23,000 --> 00:29:25,320 We we want our family members saved. 398 00:29:25,480 --> 00:29:28,040 You can't save them. Only God does that. 399 00:29:29,520 --> 00:29:34,240 God does that. Listen to EM Bounds, if you've 400 00:29:34,240 --> 00:29:39,800 never read a work on prayer, read the multitude of volumes 401 00:29:39,800 --> 00:29:42,560 that EM Bounds has written on prayer. 402 00:29:43,000 --> 00:29:46,800 It will convict you so much that you'll want to stop reading. 403 00:29:47,000 --> 00:29:49,840 But you need not stop reading. You need to continue on. 404 00:29:50,120 --> 00:29:54,760 But this is what he says. Talking to men for God is a 405 00:29:54,760 --> 00:30:01,280 great thing, but talking to God for men is greater still. 406 00:30:02,680 --> 00:30:05,640 Think about that. Talking to men about God's a 407 00:30:05,640 --> 00:30:08,360 great thing, but what's greater than that? 408 00:30:09,520 --> 00:30:16,360 Talking to God about that man, they says this, he will never 409 00:30:16,360 --> 00:30:20,960 talk well and with real success to men. 410 00:30:21,600 --> 00:30:30,080 For God who has not learned well how to talk to God for man, that 411 00:30:30,080 --> 00:30:33,040 is just so good. That's because we think we can 412 00:30:33,040 --> 00:30:36,480 convince men. We think we can persuade men. 413 00:30:37,320 --> 00:30:39,520 We think we can. We can convince our husband or 414 00:30:39,520 --> 00:30:43,440 wife to be saved or our kids. You can't, just can't. 415 00:30:44,600 --> 00:30:46,800 So talk to God about that person. 416 00:30:48,200 --> 00:30:51,320 As you talk to God about that person, watch what God does in 417 00:30:51,320 --> 00:30:55,240 the life of that person. Because you see, your priorities 418 00:30:55,240 --> 00:31:00,560 are set in order. You're trusting God to catapult 419 00:31:01,000 --> 00:31:04,200 all productivity. So God gets all the glory. 420 00:31:05,480 --> 00:31:07,240 See, we want to want to get the glory. 421 00:31:07,240 --> 00:31:09,160 Yeah. I LED my son or daughter to the 422 00:31:09,160 --> 00:31:10,920 Lord, or I LED my friend to the Lord. 423 00:31:10,920 --> 00:31:12,360 No, you didn't. You didn't lead them anywhere, 424 00:31:14,680 --> 00:31:17,360 God sought them. God saved them. 425 00:31:18,440 --> 00:31:22,960 God just used you as a vehicle, probably 1 of many vehicles over 426 00:31:22,960 --> 00:31:27,840 their lives to show them the direction of the Kingdom of God. 427 00:31:28,960 --> 00:31:34,920 God saves trust in Him to accomplish His great work. 428 00:31:36,360 --> 00:31:41,040 Prayer is that which certifies my dependency, challenges my 429 00:31:41,040 --> 00:31:44,920 spirituality, clarifies my loyalty, catapults my 430 00:31:45,840 --> 00:31:49,800 productivity. Prayer is that which 431 00:31:49,800 --> 00:31:58,360 characterizes my ministry. Prayer is the ministry prayer. 432 00:31:59,040 --> 00:32:01,480 Without prayer, there really is no ministry. 433 00:32:02,600 --> 00:32:04,760 It's just work done in the flesh. 434 00:32:06,280 --> 00:32:09,640 The prayer is that which characterizes the ministry of of 435 00:32:09,640 --> 00:32:14,200 the pastor, of the people. It characterizes your ministry 436 00:32:14,200 --> 00:32:17,080 at home. I mean, think about it. 437 00:32:17,080 --> 00:32:18,480 It's just gathering your family around. 438 00:32:18,600 --> 00:32:21,960 Hey, let's pray. Let's bring this before the 439 00:32:21,960 --> 00:32:25,160 Lord. Let's just trust the Lord here. 440 00:32:25,760 --> 00:32:27,280 Let's see what God's going to do. 441 00:32:28,160 --> 00:32:30,920 You got conflict at school, Let's give it to the Lord. 442 00:32:31,640 --> 00:32:33,320 You got conflict with relationships? 443 00:32:33,640 --> 00:32:37,680 Let's talk to the Lord about it. Let's just cast our burden upon 444 00:32:37,680 --> 00:32:41,200 the Lord you, you have situations that you're you're in 445 00:32:41,200 --> 00:32:43,840 need of. Lord, we need you to take care 446 00:32:43,840 --> 00:32:46,960 of this. We need you, Lord, to deal with 447 00:32:46,960 --> 00:32:50,000 these things. It characterizes our ministry. 448 00:32:50,000 --> 00:32:52,440 That's why a couple of weeks ago we took you to Acts chapter 4, 449 00:32:52,440 --> 00:32:55,480 Where, when, when the city of Jerusalem or the leaders of 450 00:32:55,480 --> 00:32:57,560 Jerusalem came against the apostle said you cannot speak 451 00:32:57,560 --> 00:32:58,920 anymore in his name. What do they do? 452 00:32:58,960 --> 00:33:03,120 They went right to prayer as a community of believers and the 453 00:33:03,120 --> 00:33:05,680 whole place was shaken and they continue to speak the word 454 00:33:05,680 --> 00:33:06,880 boldness. Why? 455 00:33:06,880 --> 00:33:10,880 Because prayer catapults our productivity and characterizes 456 00:33:10,880 --> 00:33:18,320 our ministry. Prayer is the mainstay of every 457 00:33:18,320 --> 00:33:21,280 ministry. Your ministry to your wife, to 458 00:33:21,280 --> 00:33:23,240 your children, your ministry at church. 459 00:33:23,640 --> 00:33:28,400 It's all about prayer and commit committing everything to the 460 00:33:28,400 --> 00:33:32,360 Lord. Prayer is that which cultivates 461 00:33:32,360 --> 00:33:36,720 our maturity. Prayer cultivates our maturity. 462 00:33:36,800 --> 00:33:39,760 Prayer is a discipline like, like, like Bible study is a 463 00:33:39,760 --> 00:33:44,160 discipline, like meditation is a discipline. 464 00:33:45,320 --> 00:33:49,400 So prayer is, is a discipline. We discipline ourselves unto 465 00:33:49,560 --> 00:33:52,440 unto goddiness. And it's a hard work. 466 00:33:52,440 --> 00:33:55,760 It's a strenuous work because Satan will always bring 467 00:33:55,760 --> 00:33:58,480 interruptions to you, always take you away from spending time 468 00:33:58,480 --> 00:34:00,000 in prayer. So Paul knows that. 469 00:34:00,000 --> 00:34:02,680 So he says, pray without ceasing, always be prayerful, 470 00:34:03,320 --> 00:34:06,040 always be communing with the Lord as you go through the day. 471 00:34:06,400 --> 00:34:08,520 Why? Because this is what cultivates 472 00:34:08,560 --> 00:34:11,560 your maturity. This is what Paul says in 473 00:34:11,560 --> 00:34:15,400 Colossians chapter 1. For this reason also verse 9. 474 00:34:15,600 --> 00:34:18,679 Since the day we heard of it, we have not ceased to pray for you, 475 00:34:18,679 --> 00:34:21,280 and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His 476 00:34:21,280 --> 00:34:24,520 will within all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so that you 477 00:34:24,520 --> 00:34:27,520 will walk in a manner worthy of the Lord to please Him in all 478 00:34:27,520 --> 00:34:31,120 respects, bearing fruit in every good work, and increasing in the 479 00:34:31,120 --> 00:34:33,600 knowledge of God. Strengthen with all power 480 00:34:33,679 --> 00:34:36,639 according to His glorious might, for the attain of all 481 00:34:36,639 --> 00:34:39,880 steadfastness and patience. Joyously give me thanks to the 482 00:34:39,880 --> 00:34:45,040 Father who has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the 483 00:34:45,040 --> 00:34:47,440 Saints. This is so beautiful. 484 00:34:48,000 --> 00:34:51,360 Paul knows that in order for them to be filled with the 485 00:34:51,360 --> 00:34:55,360 spirit of knowledge and and the spirit of his will, he's to pray 486 00:34:56,080 --> 00:34:59,520 that God does that. Over in Colossians 4 verse #12 487 00:34:59,720 --> 00:35:08,040 it says that Paul tapas labourly interceded for them earnestly so 488 00:35:08,040 --> 00:35:11,880 that they may stand perfect in the Lord. 489 00:35:12,880 --> 00:35:15,680 He prayed for his people. Paphos was the pastor in the 490 00:35:15,680 --> 00:35:17,800 Church of Colossae, so he prayed for his people. 491 00:35:17,920 --> 00:35:23,280 They would stand fast, stand perfect, stand mature in the 492 00:35:23,280 --> 00:35:26,280 Lord. Prayer is that which cultivates 493 00:35:26,600 --> 00:35:31,560 our maturity. Prayer is that which conquers 494 00:35:32,960 --> 00:35:36,720 our infirmity. You have an infirmity today. 495 00:35:37,880 --> 00:35:41,200 It might be a physical infirmity, It might be a 496 00:35:41,200 --> 00:35:47,640 spiritual infirmity, but prayer is that which conquers that 497 00:35:47,640 --> 00:35:51,800 infirmity. So we give it to the Lord, we 498 00:35:51,800 --> 00:35:55,920 bring it before the Lord. We commune with the Lord all 499 00:35:55,920 --> 00:36:00,920 throughout the day. The Bible says in in James 500 00:36:01,320 --> 00:36:07,000 chapter 5, these beautiful words, Is anyone among you 501 00:36:07,000 --> 00:36:09,200 suffering? Then they must pray. 502 00:36:10,480 --> 00:36:13,040 Let's pray. That's what you got to do. 503 00:36:13,040 --> 00:36:18,120 And then he says, is anyone cheerful? 504 00:36:19,440 --> 00:36:24,120 He's singing praises. Is anyone among you sick? 505 00:36:24,880 --> 00:36:27,560 That's not physical illness. It's a word that means weary, 506 00:36:28,760 --> 00:36:33,760 worn out, tired, that he must call for the elders of the 507 00:36:33,760 --> 00:36:36,640 church and they are to pray over him, anointing him with the oil 508 00:36:36,680 --> 00:36:39,360 in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offering in faith 509 00:36:39,360 --> 00:36:47,280 will restore the one who is weary, and the Lord will raise 510 00:36:47,280 --> 00:36:50,080 him up. If he's committed sin, they will 511 00:36:50,080 --> 00:36:52,920 be forgiven him. Therefore, confess your sins to 512 00:36:52,920 --> 00:36:55,960 one another and pray for one another so he may be healed. 513 00:36:57,160 --> 00:37:01,160 The effective prayer of a righteous man accomplishes much. 514 00:37:03,080 --> 00:37:06,120 What is your infirmity today? Paul had a physical infirmity. 515 00:37:06,640 --> 00:37:09,120 Second Corinthians chapter 12. So what did he do? 516 00:37:09,200 --> 00:37:15,840 He prayed, He prayed about this three times that the Lord would 517 00:37:15,840 --> 00:37:21,280 remove it. And God said, no, I'm not 518 00:37:21,280 --> 00:37:25,800 removing your infirmity. In fact, my grace is sufficient 519 00:37:25,800 --> 00:37:29,880 for you. In fact, you will be made 520 00:37:29,880 --> 00:37:35,360 perfect through your infirmity. Whatever that infirmity was. 521 00:37:35,360 --> 00:37:39,880 None of us knows, and it's good that we don't know because we by 522 00:37:39,880 --> 00:37:42,280 nature would compare our infirmity with Paul's infirmity. 523 00:37:43,560 --> 00:37:47,960 You can't do that. But the Lord said, my grace is 524 00:37:47,960 --> 00:37:52,320 sufficient for you. My power will be made perfect in 525 00:37:52,360 --> 00:37:56,760 your weakness. You ever notice that sometimes 526 00:37:56,960 --> 00:38:00,760 God allows an infirmity to come our way and never leaves us, so 527 00:38:00,760 --> 00:38:05,200 that we can depend upon Him for everything and learn to trust 528 00:38:05,200 --> 00:38:08,520 Him all the while? And Paul did. 529 00:38:09,400 --> 00:38:16,480 Paul was a dependent man. But but prayer certainly is that 530 00:38:16,480 --> 00:38:23,760 which conquers our infirmity. Prayer also combats our 531 00:38:23,760 --> 00:38:28,160 adversary. Prayer is the combat against 532 00:38:28,160 --> 00:38:31,000 your adversary. That's why over in Ephesians 533 00:38:31,200 --> 00:38:36,680 chapter 6, Paul says these words in verse 18 as he concludes this 534 00:38:36,720 --> 00:38:38,760 whole series on the armor of God. 535 00:38:38,840 --> 00:38:41,800 He says with all prayer and petition, pray at all times in 536 00:38:41,800 --> 00:38:43,840 the Spirit. And with this in view, be on the 537 00:38:43,840 --> 00:38:47,280 alert with all perseverance and petition for all the Saints, And 538 00:38:47,280 --> 00:38:50,560 pray on my behalf that the utterance may be given to me in 539 00:38:50,560 --> 00:38:53,640 the opening of my mouth, to make known with boldness the majesty 540 00:38:53,640 --> 00:38:57,400 of the Gospel. Prayer is is not a part of the 541 00:38:57,400 --> 00:39:00,600 armor. Prayer is woven in and around 542 00:39:00,600 --> 00:39:02,840 each and every piece of the armor. 543 00:39:04,040 --> 00:39:06,360 As you put on the helmet of salvation, as you take up the 544 00:39:06,360 --> 00:39:09,240 sword of the Spirit, as you, as you put on the the breastplate 545 00:39:09,240 --> 00:39:11,280 of righteousness, you do it in the spirit and attitude of 546 00:39:11,280 --> 00:39:13,880 prayer with all petitions. Why? 547 00:39:14,800 --> 00:39:19,400 Because prayer combats the adversary. 548 00:39:21,080 --> 00:39:26,640 Prayer is that one Ave. we have by which we are able to overcome 549 00:39:27,360 --> 00:39:31,680 our enemy. And so Paul says, pray 550 00:39:31,680 --> 00:39:37,200 unceasingly, pray, always pray without ceasing, be in the 551 00:39:37,200 --> 00:39:41,680 spirit of prayer all day long. Never give up, never give in. 552 00:39:41,800 --> 00:39:45,880 Just keep communing with your God because you are conscious of 553 00:39:45,880 --> 00:39:49,920 His presence and His power as you walk through the every 554 00:39:49,920 --> 00:39:57,680 single day prayer to give you another one. 555 00:39:57,680 --> 00:40:03,000 I'm not sure how many I've given you calms your anxiety calms 556 00:40:03,000 --> 00:40:08,120 your anxiety. That's good because at times we 557 00:40:08,120 --> 00:40:13,720 all can become anxious, but it calms your anxiety. 558 00:40:14,960 --> 00:40:19,080 That's why Paul says over in the book of Philippians. 559 00:40:19,440 --> 00:40:23,560 The 4th chapter of those very familiar words, but I'll start 560 00:40:24,040 --> 00:40:29,560 in verse #4 because it says rejoice in the Lord always. 561 00:40:30,600 --> 00:40:35,760 So He's saying be joyful. Be joyful before you're 562 00:40:35,760 --> 00:40:38,760 prayerful. Be joyful. 563 00:40:39,600 --> 00:40:43,280 Why? He says, let your gentle spirit 564 00:40:43,280 --> 00:40:49,280 be known to all men. The Lord is at hand, the Lord is 565 00:40:49,280 --> 00:40:52,560 present. You can rejoice in the Lord 566 00:40:52,560 --> 00:40:55,960 because the Lord is near. You can rejoice in the Lord 567 00:40:55,960 --> 00:40:59,560 because the Lord is present. And then he says this. 568 00:41:00,880 --> 00:41:03,120 Be anxious for nothing. Why? 569 00:41:03,440 --> 00:41:07,400 Because the Lord is near. Do you know why we become 570 00:41:07,400 --> 00:41:10,760 anxious? It's because we don't perceive 571 00:41:10,760 --> 00:41:17,360 that the Lord is near. Listen, when I walk with my 572 00:41:17,360 --> 00:41:21,480 children when they were younger, they were never afraid why? 573 00:41:22,240 --> 00:41:26,560 Their father was with them. They had No Fear of anyone else. 574 00:41:28,240 --> 00:41:29,960 And if a dog came out and started barking, they would just 575 00:41:29,960 --> 00:41:32,600 cling to my leg because I was near. 576 00:41:33,960 --> 00:41:37,480 They weren't afraid because their father was near. 577 00:41:39,680 --> 00:41:43,640 When you're afraid, it's because you don't perceive the nearness 578 00:41:43,640 --> 00:41:47,240 of God. He is near to all those who call 579 00:41:47,240 --> 00:41:48,720 upon him, to all those who call upon him. 580 00:41:48,720 --> 00:41:55,640 In truth to you, O Lord, who hear prayer, all men come, and 581 00:41:55,640 --> 00:41:58,640 you draw them near to you the Lord is near. 582 00:41:58,760 --> 00:42:02,640 Therefore be anxious for nothing but everything by prayer and 583 00:42:02,640 --> 00:42:08,720 supplication with Thanksgiving. Be joyful, be prayerful, be 584 00:42:08,720 --> 00:42:12,640 thankful with Thanksgiving. Let your requests be made known 585 00:42:12,640 --> 00:42:21,040 to God because He's near and the peace of God where it surpasses 586 00:42:21,040 --> 00:42:27,880 all human comprehension will guard your hearts and your minds 587 00:42:28,280 --> 00:42:33,120 in Christ Jesus. So God does someone that Paul 588 00:42:33,120 --> 00:42:34,680 says you got to pray without ceasing. 589 00:42:36,360 --> 00:42:49,200 It's so important. Back in 17 71, James Montgomery 590 00:42:49,200 --> 00:42:54,080 wrote these words. Prayer is the soul's sincere 591 00:42:54,080 --> 00:43:01,800 desire, uttered or expressed, the motion of a hidden fire that 592 00:43:01,800 --> 00:43:06,920 trembles in the breast. Prayer is the simplest form of 593 00:43:06,920 --> 00:43:13,320 speech that infant lips can try. Prayer, the sublime of strains 594 00:43:13,320 --> 00:43:19,840 that reach the majesty on high. Prayer is the contrite sinner's 595 00:43:19,840 --> 00:43:26,280 voice returning from his ways, while angels in the songs, in 596 00:43:26,280 --> 00:43:32,680 their songs rejoice and cry. Behold, he prays, O thou by whom 597 00:43:32,680 --> 00:43:37,440 we come to God, the life, the truth, the way, the path of 598 00:43:37,440 --> 00:43:44,320 prayer, Thyself has trod. Lord, teach us how to pray. 599 00:43:46,360 --> 00:43:52,320 I would trust that you are learning to rejoice always and 600 00:43:52,320 --> 00:43:58,000 to pray without ceasing. And next week we'll look at what 601 00:43:58,000 --> 00:44:01,360 it means to give thanks in everything. 602 00:44:02,360 --> 00:44:03,960 Let's pray together. Lord. 603 00:44:03,960 --> 00:44:07,880 We are grateful for today, for the time that we could spend 604 00:44:07,880 --> 00:44:10,280 together as a church, as a church family. 605 00:44:11,400 --> 00:44:15,240 Pray that, Lord, the word of the Lord would seep deep into our 606 00:44:15,240 --> 00:44:21,520 hearts and that we would be men and women of unceasing prayer. 607 00:44:23,120 --> 00:44:28,040 Forgive us, Lord, for for not coming to you or communing with 608 00:44:28,040 --> 00:44:31,080 You as we should. Forgive us, Lord, for not 609 00:44:31,080 --> 00:44:35,600 recognizing that you are near, You are here, You are present 610 00:44:35,600 --> 00:44:40,320 with us. We cling to You because you are 611 00:44:40,320 --> 00:44:43,840 a banner. You are inspiration, You're our 612 00:44:43,840 --> 00:44:47,280 strength. Maybe live in the light of that. 613 00:44:48,760 --> 00:44:52,080 So many people here are going through things that Lord, they 614 00:44:52,080 --> 00:44:55,240 wish they were not involved in, they wish they didn't have to 615 00:44:55,240 --> 00:44:57,600 handle today or tomorrow, this week. 616 00:44:59,200 --> 00:45:03,240 But the pressures of of everyday life, the pressures of family, 617 00:45:03,800 --> 00:45:09,240 the difficulties that arise, they're insurmountable at times. 618 00:45:10,560 --> 00:45:14,520 Help us Lord to learn dependency upon you. 619 00:45:15,640 --> 00:45:18,600 Help us to learn as as King Jehoshaphat learned. 620 00:45:19,240 --> 00:45:24,440 Lord, we don't know what to do, but our eyes they are upon you. 621 00:45:25,760 --> 00:45:27,440 Why? Because Lord you know what to 622 00:45:27,440 --> 00:45:30,720 do. And we just leave it all in the 623 00:45:30,720 --> 00:45:35,760 hands of the all powerful God of the universe, who is the creator 624 00:45:35,760 --> 00:45:40,880 of heaven and earth and all things in it in Jesus name, 625 00:45:41,560 --> 00:45:41,840 Amen.