Hello, I'm Shelley Quinn.
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Did you know
that spiritual apathy
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is a dangerous heart condition
and one that grieves God?
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Please join us today on
pressing into His presence.
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And we will learn how
to correct our backsliding.
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Welcome to
Pressing into His Presence.
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If you tuned in last time
you know that this series,
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we are focusing on prayer.
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And we are excited that
because prayer is the handle
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that opens the
faucet for God's blessings
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when we tap into His
grace pipeline by faith.
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I started sharing last
time a personal testimony
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to establish the
circumstances of my life
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that caused me to seek the
Lord for a deeper prayer life.
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Today we're going to
finish that back story.
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And our companion
book for this series is
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Pressing in to His Presence.
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It is a book that I'm very--
was very privileged to write.
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And today we're
beginning on Chapter 2.
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As we continue to
lay the ground work
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for the upcoming
teaching on prayer.
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Does this sounded all familiar?
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Your priorities
are out of order.
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You know you're sliding God
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and a fog of
frustration has settled in.
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Finally remorse lead
you down one of two pass.
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Either burdened with your
guilt you begin avoiding God
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spending even less
time seeking His presence
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or in your
turmoil you cry out to Him
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for an explanation of why
you are so prone to wander
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from the one you love.
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Perhaps, like I have
experienced in my past
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instead of standing
firm as a spiritual warrior
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you have become a
weak-kneed spiritual vainer.
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It seems our condition
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is not all that
uncommon among mankind.
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There's uncomfort in
knowing this but very little.
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It's rather like
being diagnosed with cancer
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but told not to worry because
many are likewise afflicted.
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Here is the good news
God will provide a way out
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when we get
serious about seeking Him.
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I want you to consider
with me the words of this hymn
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"Come Thou Fount
of Every Blessing."
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Now I'm going to
have to speak this fast
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or I'll break into song
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because this is one
of my favorite hymns.
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Here's the words.
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" Come, Thou
Fount of every blessing
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tune my heart to sing Thy grace,
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streams of mercy, never ceasing,
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call for songs
of loudest praise.
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Teach me some melodious sonnet,
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sung by flaming tongues above.
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Praise the mount
I'm fixed upon it
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mount of thy redeeming love.
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Here I raise my Ebenezer
hither by thy help I come,
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and I hope, by
thy good pleasure,
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safely to arrive at home.
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Jesus sought me when a stranger,
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wandering from the fold of God,
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He, to rescue me from danger,
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interposed His precious blood.
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Oh, to grace how great a debtor
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daily I'm constrained to be!
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Let thy goodness, like a fetter,
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bind my wandering heart to thee,
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Now here's the refrain
that captures my attention.
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Prone to
wander, Lord, I feel it,
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prone to leave the God I love,
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here's my heart,
Lord, take and seal it,
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seal it for thy courts above.
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Doesn't that sentiment
kind of calm your heart?
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We're not the
only ones in the boat
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riding a sea of troubled waters.
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There is hope for us
after all. There is God.
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After singing this
hymn in church one day,
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a sweet little lady
sitting next to me whispered,
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what's an Ebenezer?
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And I explained it
meant stone of help
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and refers back
to the Prophet Samuel
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when he was erecting a monument
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for God's divine
assistance in battle.
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In fact, that's for
Samuel 7:12 which reads,
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"Then Samuel took a stone
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and set it
between Mizpah and Shen,
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and he called the
name of it Ebenezer,
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stone of help, saying,
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'Heretofore the
Lord has helped us.'"
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In my personal spiritual battle,
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God intervened in
an interesting way.
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And a teaching
we're sharing this season
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is how the Lord brought me
out of a backsliding condition
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and gave me
victory over the enemy.
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This teaching has been
my Ebenezer since 1999.
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I have shared
it around the world
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and by experience I can tell you
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it contains the power of
God to prevent backsliding.
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Let me share a personal story
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of how God grabbed my
attention in September of 1999.
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I was making my monthly grocery
shopping trek of 60 miles
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from my country home
to the nearest Sam's Club.
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And, if you live
outside the United States
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Sam's Club is
simply a retail outlet
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that sells bulk quantities.
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Anyway, the
breakthrough came to me
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in the prayer closet of my car.
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Shutting out the distractions
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of our new
business in the world,
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I began praying to
understand my backsliding.
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Saying, Lord, I don't understand
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how I-- how I
can love You so much
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and how I can walk so
closely with You at times
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that I sense Your heartbeat
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and then plunge to such
a backsliding condition.
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Please, Lord, I prayed
explained what happens to me
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and my pleadings were
earnest for that hour long drive
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going to Sam's but when
I reached my destination
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there was still no
answer to my dilemma.
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I made an
agreement with the Lord
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to continue the prayer
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after my shopping was completed.
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And this was one day I
didn't doddle all in Sam's Club
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because I was a
woman on a mission.
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I went in there and I
wanted to get back to God.
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I checked out with the register
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tossed my purchased items
into the back of the vehicle,
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I jumped in
buckled up for the ride
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and by the time
the car was in gear
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I was again
pleading with the Lord
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for a solution to my problem.
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Praying out loud for the next,
few, well, 30 miles I guess.
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My tongue became less
winey and more insistent
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on understanding
what I should do.
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I prayed, please Lord,
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show me the way out of this pit.
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Teach me how I can prevent
this from happening again.
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And suddenly--
the still small voice
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of the Lord
whispered to my heart.
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This is the voice
spoken of in 1 Kings 19:12,
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when Elijah was
running from Jezebel
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and had come to Mount
Horeb, the mountain of God.
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Let's look at that passage.
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We're going to
begin with 1 Kings 19:9.
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"And there he
Elijah went into a cave,
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and spent the
night in that place,
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and behold, the word
of the Lord come to him,
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and He said to him,
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'What are you
doing here, Elijah?'
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So he said,
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'I have been very zealous
for the Lord God of hosts,
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for the children of Israel
have forsaken Your covenant,
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torn down Your altars,
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and killed Your
prophets with the sword.
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I alone am left, and
they seek to take my life.'
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Then He God said,
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'Go out, and stand on the
mountain before the Lord.'
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And behold, the Lord passed by,
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and a great and strong
wind tore into the mountains,
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and broke the rocks in
pieces before the Lord,
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but the Lord
was not in the wind,
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and after the
wind an earthquake,
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but the Lord was
not in the earthquake,
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and after the earthquake a fire,
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but the Lord
was not in the fire,
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and after the fire
a still small voice.
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So it was, when Elijah heard it,
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that he wrapped
his face in his mantle
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and went out and stood
in the entrance of the cave.
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Suddenly a voice
came to him, and said,
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What are you
doing here, Elijah?'"
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I have come to believe
that the still small voice
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spoken of here in verse 12,
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represent times
when the Holy Spirit
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impresses God's
thoughts in our minds
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with inaudible words.
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So there I was praying in my car
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when suddenly the
still small voice of the Lord
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whispered to my heart saying,
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"Child, if you will come to Me
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and spend an hour
in prayer each morning
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I promise you will
never backslide again.
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What? I was so flabbergasted.
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I did not respond to
Him. My mind was churning.
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An hour a day in
prayer, who could keep that up?
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Well, of course,
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that would keep
anyone from backsliding
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because even if we
lost ground during the day
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we'd be starting over
again the next morning.
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You know, one of my
favorite promises of God
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is found in
Lamentations 3:22, 23.
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And it says,
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Though the Lord's mercies
or "Through the Lord's mercies
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"we are not consumed,
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because His
compassions fail not.
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They are new every morning,
Great is Your faithfulness.
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Isn't that a wonderful promise?
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God has such empathy for us.
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He loves us so much
and His mercies are new
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toward us each
and every morning.
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He is the God of new beginnings.
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And if we begin each day
by spending an hour with God,
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how could we stay backsliding?
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As I was driving
alone, I thought,
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if only I could
practice this advice,
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if it would be--
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it just seemed that it
would be impossible though
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if I did to lose touch with Him.
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But who am I
kidding? I couldn't do that.
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Suddenly I protested loudly.
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But, Lord, you know
I'm not that disciplined.
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My life so... I don't know.
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My life is just so fractured.
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There's just too
many demands on my time.
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I can't promise You I'll spend
an hour in prayer each morning.
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Father God, I'm
not disciplined enough
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to make that commitment to you.
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Lord, it would have to be
You empowering me to do this.
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And then my voice trailed
off because the clear truth
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of that last
statement arrested my attention.
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Of course it would
have to be God's prompting
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and God's
enabling to help me keep
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such an overwhelming commitment.
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I had voiced
what God knew already.
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He was just
waiting for me to recognize
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how much I needed His help.
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In first--
excuse me, in John 15.
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Jesus declared that He is vine
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and that we must abide in Him
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for without Him,
we can do nothing.
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He also promised the
apostle Paul something
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that still applies
to you and me today.
00:12:01.35\00:12:03.99
Let's look at that
promise in 2 Corinthians 12:9.
00:12:04.02\00:12:09.36
Here's what Jesus
said, or Paul saying,
00:12:09.39\00:12:12.43
"And He Jesus said to me,
00:12:12.46\00:12:14.83
'My grace is sufficient for you,
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for My strength is
made perfect in weakness.'"
00:12:18.37\00:12:23.41
Hallelujah.
00:12:23.44\00:12:24.74
And then Paul concludes,
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"Therefore most gladly I will
rather boast in my infirmities,
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that the power of
Christ may rest upon me."
00:12:31.85\00:12:36.45
The reminder of my time
00:12:36.48\00:12:39.15
while I was driving home
was spent in astonished silence.
00:12:39.19\00:12:44.06
I was wrestling not with God,
but with my own days thoughts.
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There had been so
many occasions in my life
00:12:48.33\00:12:51.40
when I prayed for
an hour but everyday,
00:12:51.43\00:12:55.10
how could I
consistently practice that?
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I'm always on the run,
too busy for my own good.
00:12:57.71\00:13:01.11
What would I say to
Him everyday for an hour?
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Wouldn't my
prayers become repetitious?
00:13:04.98\00:13:09.05
Deuteronomy 30:19,
20 string on my mind.
00:13:09.08\00:13:14.12
God said there.
00:13:14.16\00:13:17.69
"I have set before
you life and death,
00:13:17.73\00:13:20.96
blessing and cursing,
therefore choose life,
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that you may live,
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that you may love
the Lord your God,
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that you may obey His voice,
and that you may cling to Him,
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for He is your life and
the length of your days."
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This was the familiar
voice speaking familiar words.
00:13:37.51\00:13:40.98
I knew it was from God.
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In 1995, he had set another
spiritual life and death choice
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when He called me
00:13:49.29\00:13:50.53
into a more intimate
relationship with His word.
00:13:50.56\00:13:53.86
God explained how
His word was life to me.
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And that if I choose
to cling to His promises
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I was choosing life.
00:13:58.97\00:14:00.57
I made the right choice then,
00:14:00.60\00:14:02.77
now it was time to make another.
00:14:02.80\00:14:05.27
Let me make this clear,
00:14:05.31\00:14:07.74
God did not command me to
pray an hour each morning.
00:14:07.78\00:14:12.75
That isn't one of the
requirements for salvation.
00:14:12.78\00:14:16.02
May be I was just in greater
00:14:16.05\00:14:17.49
spiritual
jeopardy when I realized.
00:14:17.52\00:14:20.39
If I had fallen overboard again,
00:14:20.42\00:14:25.13
and He was throwing a
new lifeline to his child
00:14:25.16\00:14:27.66
who is in danger of
going down for the third time.
00:14:27.73\00:14:31.57
It was up to me to choose
00:14:31.60\00:14:33.94
whether I grabbed
and hold of it or not.
00:14:33.97\00:14:36.37
He had set before me
another life and death decision
00:14:36.40\00:14:39.87
so to speak.
00:14:39.91\00:14:41.48
And I really wanted to
choose His abundant life.
00:14:41.51\00:14:46.65
I was weary of
my spiritual stupor
00:14:46.68\00:14:50.05
and my spirit was willing,
00:14:50.09\00:14:52.52
but the weakness
in my flesh trembled.
00:14:52.55\00:14:54.86
I didn't want to disappoint Him
00:14:54.89\00:14:56.69
as the disciples
had in the garden.
00:14:56.73\00:14:59.13
When, at Gethsemane
when Christ innercircle
00:14:59.16\00:15:02.83
Peter, James and John
00:15:02.86\00:15:04.70
demonstrated so
little commitment
00:15:04.73\00:15:08.04
in watching and
praying with Him for an hour.
00:15:08.07\00:15:11.37
Christ reaction is
recorded in Matthew 26.
00:15:11.41\00:15:16.21
Let's look at
that. Matthew 26:40, 41.
00:15:16.24\00:15:20.95
"Then He came to the
disciples and found them asleep,
00:15:20.98\00:15:24.82
and said to Peter, 'What?
00:15:24.85\00:15:27.69
Could you not
watch with Me one hour?
00:15:27.72\00:15:31.23
Watch and pray, lest
you enter into temptation.
00:15:31.26\00:15:36.30
The spirit indeed is willing,
but the flesh is weak.'"
00:15:36.33\00:15:42.67
Reaching home, I parked the car
00:15:42.70\00:15:45.47
and I sat in stun
silence for a few minutes.
00:15:45.51\00:15:49.44
Finally, a
whisper escaped my lips
00:15:49.48\00:15:53.08
then I said, okay, Father,
00:15:53.11\00:15:54.92
I will make a commitment
to pray one hour each day.
00:15:54.95\00:15:58.49
It's not a promise, but I'll
commit to cooperate with You.
00:15:58.52\00:16:02.86
Of course, Lord, I'm
relying on Your help.
00:16:02.89\00:16:05.79
You will have to motivate me
and You will have to teach me
00:16:05.83\00:16:10.43
how to pray
everyday for an hour.
00:16:10.47\00:16:13.20
We will start first
thing tomorrow morning.
00:16:13.23\00:16:16.20
Well, the next morning,
00:16:16.24\00:16:17.84
I rouse at my
usual hour at 5 A.M..
00:16:17.87\00:16:20.88
And it seemed wise
to eat breakfast first,
00:16:20.91\00:16:23.91
that would surely
increase my concentration power
00:16:23.95\00:16:26.82
for the upcoming hour.
00:16:26.85\00:16:28.52
And naturally I
watched the morning news
00:16:28.55\00:16:31.19
during breakfast
as that was my habit.
00:16:31.22\00:16:33.62
And being an
obsessive housekeeper,
00:16:33.66\00:16:36.02
I washed the
dishes, tidy the kitchen,
00:16:36.06\00:16:38.46
took out the trash and
made the bed before praying.
00:16:38.49\00:16:42.43
That would purge
those pesky distractions.
00:16:42.46\00:16:45.80
And soon I opted
to shower and dress
00:16:45.83\00:16:48.30
before meeting with the
Lord reasoning it would make me
00:16:48.34\00:16:51.47
a more bright eyed
and bushy tail disciple
00:16:51.51\00:16:54.28
unlike, Peter, James and John.
00:16:54.31\00:16:56.58
In the shower the fact of
the matter washed over me.
00:16:56.61\00:17:00.45
My old familiar pattern of
procrastinating had surfaced
00:17:00.48\00:17:04.75
and ashamed, I determined
to quickly ready myself
00:17:04.79\00:17:08.59
and to keep my appointment
with God without further delay.
00:17:08.62\00:17:12.59
So grabbing my Bible,
00:17:12.63\00:17:14.36
I descended the
stairs to the family room
00:17:14.36\00:17:17.20
and I choose a comfy
chair for our meeting spot.
00:17:17.23\00:17:20.47
I've had back surgery and I'm
fused from the waist down side.
00:17:20.50\00:17:23.41
I knew my back could not
endure an hour on my knees.
00:17:23.44\00:17:26.78
But clasping my
hands and bowing my head
00:17:26.81\00:17:30.78
I enquired of the
Lord, how to begin.
00:17:30.81\00:17:34.58
Suddenly I was
strongly impressed
00:17:34.62\00:17:37.25
to journal my prayers,
00:17:37.29\00:17:39.09
to write it out as
a love letter to God.
00:17:39.12\00:17:42.09
Now I had never
written a prayer before
00:17:42.12\00:17:45.19
but thought about the Psalms.
00:17:45.23\00:17:47.13
Isn't that what they are really?
00:17:47.13\00:17:49.60
The written prayers of David,
which were later set to music.
00:17:49.63\00:17:55.10
Was it God
impressing me to do this
00:17:55.14\00:17:57.97
or did the
thought originate from me?
00:17:58.01\00:18:00.28
Glancing at the
open Bible on my lap
00:18:00.31\00:18:03.48
my eyes fell on Habakkuk 2:2, 3.
00:18:03.51\00:18:08.92
"Then the Lord
answered me and said,
00:18:08.95\00:18:11.15
'Write the vision and
make it plain on tablets,
00:18:11.19\00:18:13.99
that he may run who reads it.
00:18:14.02\00:18:16.83
For the vision is yet
for an appointment time,
00:18:16.86\00:18:20.10
but at the end it will
speak, and it will not lie.
00:18:20.13\00:18:24.43
Though it tarries, wait for it,
00:18:24.47\00:18:27.27
because it will surely
come, it will not tarry.'"
00:18:27.30\00:18:32.67
Well, that was a
sufficient answer for me.
00:18:32.71\00:18:35.84
But handwritten
prayer presented a problem.
00:18:35.88\00:18:39.88
You know, we think so much
faster than we write, don't we?
00:18:39.91\00:18:42.98
And when I'm writing hurriedly,
00:18:43.02\00:18:45.22
my penmanship
could rival any physician
00:18:45.25\00:18:48.76
whose noted for
chicken scratch handwriting.
00:18:48.79\00:18:52.43
I've often tried to
decide from my own notes
00:18:52.46\00:18:55.13
scribbled in
haste and it's much like
00:18:55.16\00:18:57.70
trying to decode
ancient hieroglyphics.
00:18:57.73\00:19:01.34
But I thought truly impressed
by God to try journaling.
00:19:01.37\00:19:05.24
And before we continue,
00:19:05.27\00:19:06.57
I need to make
a disclaimer here.
00:19:06.61\00:19:09.24
Journaling is not for everyone.
00:19:09.28\00:19:12.88
It isn't required
to journal your prayers
00:19:12.91\00:19:16.42
by writing them as a letter.
00:19:16.45\00:19:18.09
In fact, my husband J.D.
is a mighty man of prayer.
00:19:18.12\00:19:22.06
And if someone told J.D.
that he must write his prayer
00:19:22.09\00:19:26.19
to press into God's presence,
00:19:26.23\00:19:28.46
I doubt he would
ever give it a try.
00:19:28.50\00:19:32.07
And there was a precious saint
00:19:32.10\00:19:34.67
who experimented with journaling
00:19:34.70\00:19:38.21
and she reported back
to me and she said that,
00:19:38.24\00:19:41.38
it was actually diminishing
the intimacy of her prayers.
00:19:41.41\00:19:44.31
So I quickly
exclaimed then don't do it.
00:19:44.35\00:19:48.08
Still I want to encourage
everyone to try at least once.
00:19:48.12\00:19:52.72
For many people
journaling increases focus
00:19:52.75\00:19:57.29
and the results are
increased intimacy with God.
00:19:57.33\00:20:02.80
What do I mean?
00:20:02.83\00:20:03.93
Well, have you
ever experienced this?
00:20:03.97\00:20:06.17
You're on your knees
praying to the God you love
00:20:06.20\00:20:10.37
and midstream of a
sentence your mind wanders.
00:20:10.41\00:20:14.58
Oh, I must remember
to pick up the dry clean.
00:20:14.61\00:20:18.11
So ashamed, you apologize to God
00:20:18.15\00:20:21.22
only to find that your
mind is wandering again.
00:20:21.25\00:20:24.89
Oh, I forgot to return
David's phone call last night.
00:20:24.92\00:20:27.59
I hope it wasn't important.
00:20:27.62\00:20:29.69
And then you think
oh, Lord, forgive me.
00:20:29.72\00:20:32.76
I don't mean to get off track.
00:20:32.79\00:20:36.13
So with added
urgency you purpose to focus
00:20:36.16\00:20:39.47
on what you're
praying and then abruptly
00:20:39.50\00:20:41.97
another wayward
thought interrupts.
00:20:42.00\00:20:44.54
Is my doctor's
appointment this afternoon?
00:20:44.57\00:20:48.11
Who will pick up the
children from school?
00:20:48.14\00:20:51.08
You sigh and throw a
leash around that thought
00:20:51.11\00:20:54.25
and direct your
mind to God once again.
00:20:54.28\00:20:57.99
It would surprise me,
if you had never suffered
00:20:58.02\00:21:01.06
this common prayer time trend.
00:21:01.09\00:21:03.96
Our minds are prone to wander.
00:21:03.99\00:21:07.03
Keeping our thoughts contained
00:21:07.10\00:21:09.23
is like trying to
keep puppies in a box.
00:21:09.26\00:21:13.57
Journaling is a more deliberate
activity than merely thinking
00:21:13.60\00:21:19.57
and it engages
more of your senses.
00:21:19.61\00:21:22.31
It involves
writing and consequently
00:21:22.34\00:21:24.75
seeing your
meditations on paper.
00:21:24.78\00:21:27.32
The more of your senses engaged,
00:21:27.35\00:21:29.42
the greater your focus
and the greater your focus,
00:21:29.45\00:21:32.59
the greater the
intimacy of prayer.
00:21:32.62\00:21:35.16
You know at 3ABN's
2009 Spring Camp Meeting,
00:21:35.19\00:21:39.63
I presented an abbreviated
version of this teaching.
00:21:39.66\00:21:43.23
And my pastor John Lomacang
00:21:43.26\00:21:44.97
drop by my office
several days later
00:21:45.00\00:21:47.64
to say that he had tried
journaling for the first time
00:21:47.67\00:21:50.81
and he was delighted
00:21:50.84\00:21:52.44
by the increased prayer
dynamics, that he shared
00:21:52.47\00:21:56.38
and he said that
he was going to--
00:21:56.41\00:21:59.88
he intended to
continue writing his prayers.
00:21:59.91\00:22:03.05
Now, I don't
know if he did or not
00:22:03.08\00:22:05.25
but that's what he said.
00:22:05.29\00:22:06.82
So on with my
story, I'm a fast typist,
00:22:06.86\00:22:12.69
so I asked the
Lord if typing my prayer
00:22:12.73\00:22:15.93
to computer was acceptable.
00:22:15.96\00:22:18.03
How do you think He responded?
00:22:18.07\00:22:20.14
Does it seem like
something God would frond up on
00:22:20.17\00:22:22.97
spending an hour at the computer
00:22:23.00\00:22:25.17
writing Him a love letter?
00:22:25.21\00:22:27.51
Of course not.
00:22:27.54\00:22:29.58
I bolted upstairs to my office,
00:22:29.61\00:22:32.01
I opened a new word
file on my computer,
00:22:32.05\00:22:35.18
I typed the date
at the top of the page
00:22:35.22\00:22:38.19
and I glanced to the
clock to confirm the time,
00:22:38.22\00:22:41.36
it was already 8 A.M.
00:22:41.39\00:22:43.49
and I had a lot to
accomplish that day.
00:22:43.53\00:22:46.46
I didn't want the
temptation of checking the clock
00:22:46.49\00:22:50.57
for every 10
minutes for the next hour.
00:22:50.60\00:22:53.37
So what I did is, I
took a little sticky note
00:22:53.40\00:22:56.27
and I covered the
face of the clock,
00:22:56.30\00:22:59.64
then I said, Father,
please teach me how to pray.
00:22:59.67\00:23:05.01
How do You want me
to pray the next hour?
00:23:05.05\00:23:08.15
I need Your help.
00:23:08.18\00:23:10.12
So in the following
programs in this series
00:23:10.15\00:23:14.26
I'm going to take you
through what I learned
00:23:14.29\00:23:17.23
from the Lord that day
and in the weeks ahead.
00:23:17.26\00:23:22.10
God taught me how to press
in to His presence in such a way
00:23:22.13\00:23:27.64
that the practice could
be sustained daily with joy.
00:23:27.67\00:23:32.91
I've never been a
fan of prayer formalist.
00:23:32.94\00:23:36.71
There's always the
possibility of developing
00:23:36.75\00:23:39.78
a mechanical and
meaningless practice,
00:23:39.81\00:23:43.79
but I don't think of this
teaching as a prayer formula
00:23:43.82\00:23:47.86
but rather as a prayer pattern.
00:23:47.89\00:23:51.03
Over the many years
00:23:51.06\00:23:52.26
that I've been
practicing this type of prayer,
00:23:52.29\00:23:54.66
it has never
become mechanical for me.
00:23:54.73\00:23:58.27
Now I want to share
a couple of thoughts.
00:23:58.30\00:24:02.04
First, right now
don't worry like I said,
00:24:02.07\00:24:06.61
praying for an hour
is not a requirement.
00:24:06.64\00:24:10.45
But, boy, is it a
solution to backsliding?
00:24:10.48\00:24:13.88
And you're going to see
how God totally changed my life
00:24:13.92\00:24:17.99
by teaching me how to do this.
00:24:18.02\00:24:20.49
And secondly, if
you're not all that familiar
00:24:20.52\00:24:23.53
with the process of journaling,
00:24:23.56\00:24:25.43
don't worry we'll learn it
as we go through this series.
00:24:25.46\00:24:29.33
And remember, you
don't have to journal.
00:24:29.36\00:24:32.47
And one thing that I
will tell you is that
00:24:32.50\00:24:35.27
praying this way,
00:24:35.30\00:24:37.31
at the time that God
was teaching me this,
00:24:37.34\00:24:39.94
I was pretty much
an average Christian,
00:24:39.97\00:24:42.88
a pew warmer if you will
with average Bible study habits.
00:24:42.91\00:24:48.48
But when God really taught me
how to press into His presence,
00:24:48.52\00:24:52.75
He taught me how to
make prayer or the word
00:24:52.79\00:24:58.03
I should say as part of prayer
00:24:58.06\00:25:02.13
so that there was a
two-way communication going on
00:25:02.16\00:25:06.53
and really that's
what it's all about.
00:25:06.57\00:25:10.14
When we are praying to God,
we're communicating with Him.
00:25:10.17\00:25:14.98
And sometimes we're so
busy doing all the talking
00:25:15.01\00:25:17.55
that we don't do any listening.
00:25:17.58\00:25:20.02
But if you will make the
word part of your prayer time
00:25:20.05\00:25:24.22
then actually that's how you
hear the echo of God's voice,
00:25:24.25\00:25:29.22
you're hearing His council.
00:25:29.26\00:25:31.19
He is there speaking
with you if you will.
00:25:31.23\00:25:35.63
So all of this is coming
up in our upcoming programs
00:25:35.66\00:25:40.07
and we're just so
glad that you joined us
00:25:40.10\00:25:41.90
and I really believe you're
gonna enjoy this teaching.
00:25:41.94\00:25:44.67
Right now I feel led
to have a prayer for you,
00:25:44.71\00:25:47.34
so let's pray.
00:25:47.38\00:25:49.74
Heavenly Father, we come
in the name of Jesus Christ
00:25:49.78\00:25:54.62
and we praise You
holy and righteous, Father.
00:25:54.65\00:25:58.55
Lord, we're so thankful to you.
00:25:58.59\00:26:01.42
Oh, You have blessed us
with every spiritual blessing
00:26:01.46\00:26:04.73
in the heavenly
realms through Christ Jesus.
00:26:04.76\00:26:07.66
Father, we are so
thankful to you for everything
00:26:07.73\00:26:13.54
that you are doing in
our life even those things
00:26:13.57\00:26:16.44
for which we are unaware
and we praise Your power.
00:26:16.47\00:26:21.38
Lord, yours is the
glory and the majesty.
00:26:21.41\00:26:25.21
You're an awesome God.
00:26:25.25\00:26:27.32
You are not only the creator God
00:26:27.35\00:26:29.45
but the one who recreates
us in the image of Jesus.
00:26:29.48\00:26:34.22
And Father, we come this
day asking in the name of Jesus.
00:26:34.26\00:26:38.66
Oh, Lord, please forgive us.
00:26:38.69\00:26:41.30
Forgive us, Father,
for spiritual apathy.
00:26:41.33\00:26:45.57
Forgive us, Father, for
being Laodicean for being lazy.
00:26:45.60\00:26:51.71
And I pray in the name of Jesus,
00:26:51.74\00:26:53.51
change us oh God,
00:26:53.54\00:26:55.08
we give You permission
to do a work in our heart.
00:26:55.11\00:26:58.35
Lord, as Sister White once said,
00:26:58.38\00:27:02.38
"Take my heart, take our hearts,
00:27:02.42\00:27:05.92
for we can't give them."
00:27:05.95\00:27:08.02
Oh, Lord, we're prone to wander,
00:27:08.06\00:27:10.29
but I thank you
Father, for teaching me
00:27:10.33\00:27:13.33
and for allowing
me this time to share
00:27:13.36\00:27:16.46
how we might draw closer to You
00:27:16.50\00:27:19.57
that we might draw near to You
that You can draw near to us.
00:27:19.60\00:27:23.64
And I pray for my brothers
and sisters at home, Father,
00:27:23.67\00:27:26.94
that and for myself that
You will increase our desire
00:27:26.98\00:27:31.35
to press into Your
presence, to seek Your face.
00:27:31.38\00:27:35.05
Thank you, Father,
in Jesus' name, amen.
00:27:35.08\00:27:39.52
Well, our time is gone.
00:27:39.55\00:27:41.82
Remember, next time
00:27:41.86\00:27:43.09
we're going to be talking about
00:27:43.12\00:27:44.93
how we can make prayer
a two-way communication
00:27:44.96\00:27:49.16
And our prayer right now is
that you will be joining us.
00:27:49.20\00:27:54.60
May the fellowship
of the Holy Spirit,
00:27:54.64\00:27:58.34
the grace of our
Lord Jesus Christ
00:27:58.37\00:28:01.18
and the love of the
Father be with you always.
00:28:01.21\00:28:04.91
And remember,
00:28:04.95\00:28:06.08
God is calling you to
press into His presence.
00:28:06.11\00:28:09.78