Oh how the gospel is needed

I came across this story today and it broke my heart. Brother and Sisters the Gospel is so needed in peoples lives. Remember to let your light shine in this dark hour.

http://www.bradenton.com/847/story/989508.html (for complete article)

Sheriff: Boy, 2, dies after 4-hour beating
21-year-old caregiver charged with murder; caregiver’s girlfriend faces abuse charge too

MANATEE — A 21-year-old man faces a murder charge for the beating death of a 2-year-old boy he and his girlfriend were caring for, according to the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office.
Tez’arrion Armour died Tuesday afternoon at All Children’s Hospital in St. Petersburg, where he had been taken for treatment of a “massive head injury,” the sheriff’s office said. The toddler had his second birthday two weeks ago.

Sheriff’s deputies said Dwight Baldwin admitted to beating the child after the toddler soiled himself. Baldwin had originally been charged with aggravated child abuse, but sheriff’s officials said the charge was upgraded to murder since the child died.

Controlled Surrender

One of the greatest needs of the Church today is surrender to God and His perfect will. Here are some selected scripture that deals directly with it. As taught by Pastor Tillis the seed of it is unbelief.

What...

"Yield yourselves unto God." Romans 6: 13
"Present your bodies...unto God." Romans 12: 1
"They first gave their own selves unto the Lord." 2 Corinthians 8: 5
"That he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh to the lusts of men, but to the will of God." I Peter 4: 2

Why...

"I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice." Romans 12: 1.
"The Lord hath need of him." Luke 19: 34

Why should we recognize Christ's right: why hear His call: why answer His beseeching for the yielding of our lives? Because surrender is the answer to His love. the supply of His need.

How...

"Be ye steadfast, unmoveable." I. Corinthians 15: 58
"No man having put his hand to the plow and looking back is fit for the kingdom of God." Luke 9: 62.
"Be not afraid; only believe." Mark 5:36.

Then...

"Behold, all things are become new." 2 Cor. 5: 17.
"Lord, what wilt Thou have me to do?" Acts 9: 6

AFTER the Lord's tender plea for the presentation of our bodies has been heeded: after His mastership has been acknowledged: after conviction and struggle have given place to decision--what then?

These exerpts were taken from an article on the surrendered life and can be found here:

http://www.victoryoversin.com/slife.htm

Prevailing Prayer IV Outline

It may be good to look as a reminder the new covenant versus the old covenant:

Mat 3:11 "As for me, I baptize you with water for repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, and I am not fit to remove His sandals; He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.
Eze 36:25 Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you.
Eze 36:26 A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh.
Eze 36:27 And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them.

2. A Short Recap on prevailing prayer

a. What is prevailing prayer? Simply put prevailing prayer is answered prayer and is prayed by God’s leading, direction and will.

b. Why does God want us to pray – “prevailing prayer”
i. It reveals a part of God’s nature, character or will in a specific situation that He wants to reveal
ii. He gets the glory alone in prevailing prayer when He is lifted up.
1. Joh 3:14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up:
2. Joh 12:32 And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me.
iii. It strengthens our Faith and the Faith of other believers (remember the story of Helen the Missionary from Zaire)

c. Where and when should we pray prevailing prayers…wherever and whenever the Spirit leads you to pray and we should be looking to God for the wisdom to pray in this manner (see James 1:5-6)

d. How do you pray prevailing prayer
i. You must first want and desire God’s character to be revealed in a situation no matter the personal cost. If you are walking in the flesh this is will not happen.

1. So many of us could care less what God wants but we go to him with a list of ours…it is like a fly on the wall saying turn down the lights.
ii. You must learn how to wall according to the Spirit.

1. Too many of us are satisfied with the flesh and use Christ as an add on in their life instead of the center of their very being.

2. Watchman Nee said “To be able to pray with the spirit a Christian must learn first to walk according to the Spirit. No one can pray with his spirit if during the whole day he walks after the flesh.
a. The trichotomy of man

3. The goal is God
a. Are you seeking God as He says to seek Him
i. Mat 6:33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.
ii. God truly knows the heart and will not be mocked
iii. TV time versus time with the Maker of the Universe
1. World Series or Bucs Games, Working out
2. Time with family and friends, work

Example 1 of prevailing prayer, Elijah
1Kings 18:1
i. After many days (yet we are so impatient in our immediate gratification mindset)
ii. The Word of the Lord came to Elijah (God revealing His instructions and prevailing prayer)

1Kings 18:36-37
i. Elijah prays what God has revealed to him
1. For the Glory of God and to reveal His supremacy over all other gods
2. To bring the people back to Him, which is His will
a. 2Pe 3:9 The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.

1Kings 19:11-14
i. How does God come to speak to Elijah?
1. In that still small voice, that which Elijah’s ear had been trained to hear
a. Isn’t that what happened to Samuel as a boy
i. 1Sa 3:9 And Eli said to Samuel, "Go lie down, and it shall be if He calls you, that you shall say, 'Speak, LORD, for Your servant is listening.'" So Samuel went and lay down in his place.
2. This story also give me great confidence in the mercy of God for His patience with Elijah

ii. How do you know it’s Gods will and not your own ways or thoughts?
1. Training yourself in Godliness – 1Cor 9:24-27

Watchman Nee - easiest error Christians can commit at this moment is to follow some irrational feeling or experience rather than the leading in their inner man. Once baptised in the Holy Spirit, they have entered the supernatural realm. Unless believers appreciate their own weakness, that is, know how incompetent they are in themselves to encounter the supernatural, they shall be deceived.

2. Use the resources God gives us: The Word, fellowship, prayer (especially for wisdom) and His Holy Spirit

3. Believe that God is who He says He is (Heb 11:6)

There is no situation where you cannot look up to God and what He want to reveal, unless we are not willing
God respects our free wills and will not make us into robots
i. God can be graceful, merciful, and gentle but still our response can be self-centered or God centered
1. We see both kinds of examples throughout the Bible
a. Saul and David - Goliath
b. Judas versus the other disciples
c. Ananias/Saphira versus Stephen

Stephen is an excellent example
Acts 7:54-60Prevailing prayer is finding out what Gods wants and then moving forward in full obedience, even unto death

Information on prayer

I wanted to give you some additional information on some of the things that I have either mentioned or that were great help to me in putting the lessons together on prayer.

The link below is to the article that Charles Finney wrote on prevailing prayer

http://www.gospeltruth.net/1868_75Independent/740305_prev_pray.htm


This next link is in response to a question...Well then what should we pray for?

http://www.desiringgod.org/ResourceLibrary/TasteAndSee/ByDate/2006/1880_What_to_Pray_For/


And the last link is to a chapter out of Watchman Nee's book called "The Spiritual Man - Volume II" the chapter is on prayer and warfare...

http://www.worldinvisible.com/library/nee/sprtmnv2/1969c4p4.htm

The Goal Is God

This 4 word phrase has been upon my heart and mind for some time. In all the things that we do, whether it be prayer, bible study, ministering to others, giving, or anything else we do our goal is the same.

Our goal is God and we shouldn't be satisfied with nothing less. I think of those that pursued God in the flesh even to touch just the hem of His garment and how they were healed. And how the woman at the well ran back to town to bring the people to Jesus. And how Peter said to the lame man in Acts 3 that silver or gold he did not have but just by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth the lame man walked.

As I was watching the earth slowly turn this morning and reveal the most wonderful piece of art, the morning sunrise, it reminded me of how faithful and longsuffering God has been with humanity and even more so with me. Today, this week, this month and for your entire life don't settle for anything less then God Himself. I love how Moses put it in the Law and how David so poetically puts it in Psalm 17

Deu 10:20 "You shall fear the LORD your God; you shall serve Him and cling to Him..."
Psa 17:15 But I will see Your face in righteousness; when I awake, I will be satisfied with Your presence

The Atheist/Evolutionist POV & The Chrisian POV

Who am I: I evolved from rocks, billions and billions of years ago (used to be million and million of years but they needed a little more time)

Why am I here: No purpose to life because we came from dirt which came from nothing.

What do I do while I am here: Whatever the hell I want because I answer to nobody

What happens when I die: I become worm food and rot in the grave.

The Christians point of view

Who am I: A creation of God, His workmanship created in His image.

Why am I here: To love and fellowship with God and His creation

What do I do while I am here: Walk in the Spirit of God: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control

What happens when I die: Spend eternity in heaven with God and His people.

Prevailing Prayer III Outline - Oct 17, 2008

1. Charles Finney (3/5/1874) writes of his experience with church and prayer when he was yet unconverted.

“I do not recollect to have ever attended a prayer-meeting until after I began the study of law. Then, for the first time, I lived in a neighborhood where there was a prayer-meeting weekly. I had neither known, heard, nor seen much of religion; hence I had no settled opinions about it. Partly from curiosity and partly from an uneasiness of mind upon the subject, which I could not well define, I began to attend that prayer-meeting. About the same time I bought the first Bible that I ever owned, and began to read it. I listened to the prayers which I heard offered in those prayer-meetings, with all the attention that I could give to prayers so cold and formal. In every prayer they prayed for the gift and outpouring of the Holy Spirit. Both in their prayers and in their remarks, which were occasionally interspersed, they acknowledged that they did not prevail with God. This was most evident, and had almost made me a skeptic.

Seeing me so frequently in their prayer-meeting, the leader, on one occasion, asked me if I did not wish them to pray for me. I replied: "No." I said: "I suppose that I need to be prayed for, but your prayers are not answered. You confess it yourselves." I then expressed my astonishment at this fact, in view of what the Bible said about the prevalence of prayer. Indeed, for some time my mind was much perplexed and in doubt in view of Christ's teaching on the subject of prayer and the manifest facts before me, from week to week, in this prayer-meeting. Was Christ a divine teacher? Did he actually teach what the Gospels attributed to him? Did he mean what he said? Did prayer really avail to secure blessings from God? If so, what was I to make of what I witnessed from week to week and month to month in that prayer-meeting? Were they real Christians? Was that which I heard real prayer, in the Bible sense? Was it such prayer as Christ had promised to answer? Here I found the solution.

I became convinced that they were under a delusion; that they did not prevail because they had no right to prevail. They did not comply with the conditions upon which God had promised to hear prayer. Their prayers were just such as God had promised not to answer. That they were overlooking the fact that they were in danger of praying themselves into skepticism in regard to the value of prayer, was evident”

What scriptures speak of this Prevailing Prayer?

Joh 15:7 "If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.

1Jo 5:14 This is the confidence which we have before Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.
1Jo 5:15 And if we know that He hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests which we have asked from Him.

Jam 1:6 But he must ask in faith without any doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind.


It may be good to look as a reminder the new covenant:

Eze 36:25 Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you.
Eze 36:26 A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh.
Eze 36:27 And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them.


Dr. Helen Roseveare, missionary to Zaire, told the following story. "A mother at our mission station died after giving birth to a premature baby. We tried to improvise an incubator to keep the infant alive, but the only hot water bottle we had was beyond repair. So we asked the children to pray for the baby and for her sister. One of the girls responded. 'Dear God, please send a hot water bottle today. Tomorrow will be too late because by then the baby will be dead. And dear Lord, send a doll for the sister so she won't feel so lonely.' That afternoon a large package arrived from England. The children watched eagerly as we opened it. Much to their surprise, under some clothing was a hot water bottle! Immediately the girl who had prayed so earnestly started to dig deeper, exclaiming, 'If God sent that, I'm sure He also sent a doll!' And she was right! The heavenly Father knew in advance of that child's sincere requests, and 5 months earlier He had led a ladies' group to include both of those specific articles."

How did the ladies group know it was God’s will to put the doll & the hot water bottle in the care package? How did the little girl know exactly how to pray?

FIRST point – God already has a plan (answer) of deliverance. He fully understands the situation and knows what He wants to do.

The modern church, and I am guilty of this also, has tapped an ending on to most of their prayers which is “if it be your will”
A misunderstanding of Mat 6:10 Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.
i. This is clearly shown in Psalm 67:2-7
ii. Speaking of God’s will being done perfectly…
Doesn’t line up with James 1:6 – doubting
Doesn’t line up with 1Cor 2:15-16 – the spiritual having the mind of Christ


Prevailing prayer is answered prayer and is the kind of prayer that God wants us to pray.

Prevailing prayer is not this name it/ claim it garbage that you see some modern day preachers espousing.
Prevailing prayer is knowing the will of God, which is perfect and right, and praying specifically for such.

i. For many we become God’s counselor instead of the other way around…we like to tell him what we want, need and what to do in situations instead of knowing His will and praying for that.
ii. Eze 36:37 ---Here is an example of the will of God waiting upon our asking.
iii. In any situation God desires us to come to Him for the answer to any and all situations

A young man was getting ready to graduate from college. For many months he had admired a beautiful sports car in a dealer’s showroom, and knowing his father could well afford it, he told him that was all he wanted.As Graduation Day approached, the young man awaited signs that his father had purchased the car. Finally, on the morning of his graduation, his father called him into his private study. His father told him how proud he was to have such a fine son, and told him how much he loved him. He handed his son a beautifully wrapped gift box.Curious, and somewhat disappointed, the young man opened the box and found a lovely, leather-bound Bible, with the young man’s name embossed in gold. Angry, he rose his voice to his father and said “with all your money, you give me a Bible?” and stormed out of the house.Many years passed and the young man was very successful in business. He had a beautiful home and wonderful family, but realized his father was very old, and thought perhaps he should go to him. He hadn’t seen him since that graduation day.Before he could make arrangements, he received a telegram telling him his father had passed away and willed all of his possessions to his son. He needed to come home immediately and take care of things.When he arrived at his father’s house, sudden sadness and regret filled his heart. He began to search through his father’s important papers and saw the still gift-wrapped Bible, just as he had left it years ago. With tears, he opened the Bible and began to turn the pages. His father had carefully underlined a verse, Mat 7:11 “And if ye, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more shall your Heavenly Father which is in Heaven, give to those who ask Him?”As he read those words, a car key dropped from the back of the Bible. It had a tag with the dealer’s name, the same dealer who had the sports car he had desired. On the tag was the date of his graduation, and the words PAID IN FULL

* How many times do we miss God’s blessing because we can’t see past our own desires?

SECOND point is that we must desire God’s character to be revealed in this situation…NO matter what the cost.

9. The fight of faith is the battle that must be waged

We will either look at God’s fullness and character OR
We will look at the scope of the problem or situation

Why did God part the red sea and drown Pharaoh and the Egyptian army?

Exodus 14:10 – Israel cries out to God

Exo 14:15-18

1Kings 18:36-37

A sweet story of answered prayer

Dr. Helen Roseveare, missionary to Zaire, told the following story. "A mother at our mission station died after giving birth to a premature baby. We tried to improvise an incubator to keep the infant alive, but the only hot water bottle we had was beyond repair. So we asked the children to pray for the baby and for her sister. One of the girls responded. 'Dear God, please send a hot water bottle today. Tomorrow will be too late because by then the baby will be dead. And dear Lord, send a doll for the sister so she won't feel so lonely.' That afternoon a large package arrived from England. The children watched eagerly as we opened it. Much to their surprise, under some clothing was a hot water bottle! Immediately the girl who had prayed so earnestly started to dig deeper, exclaiming, 'If God sent that, I'm sure He also sent a doll!' And she was right! The heavenly Father knew in advance of that child's sincere requests, and 5 months earlier He had led a ladies' group to include both of those specific articles."


1Jo 5:14 And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us:
1Jo 5:15 And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him.

10 Quotes on Prayer

"The little estimate we put on prayer is evidence from the little time we give to it." E.M. Bounds

"Prayer will make a man cease from sin, or sin will entice a man to cease from prayer." John Bunyon

"We have to pray with our eyes on God, not on the difficulties." Oswald Chambers

"Faith in a prayer-hearing God will make a prayer-loving Christian." Andrew Murray

"As is the business of tailors to make clothes and cobblers to make shoes, so it is the business of Christians to pray." Martin Luther

"The secret of all failure is our failure in secret prayer." The Kneeling Christian

When prayer has become secondary, or incidental, it has lost its power. Those who are conspicuously men of prayer are those who use prayer as they use food, or air, or light, or money." M.E. Andross

“The Bible is not an end in itself, but a means to bring men to an intimate and satisfying knowledge of God, that they may enter into Him, that they may delight in His Presence, may taste and know the inner sweetness of the very God Himself in the core and center of their hearts.” A.W. Tozer

"There has never been a spiritual awakening in any country or locality that did not begin in united prayer." A.T. Pierson

"Satan does not care how many people read about prayer if only he can keep them from praying." Paul E. Billheimer

Prayer II Outline for Oct 12, 2008 class

Prayer is essential to a Spirit-controlled life and we are to be devoted to prayer, according to God’s will and bring everything before the Lord in prayer (Psalm 145:18-19, Eph 5:18-20, I John 3:22)

How should we come to God: Heb 11:6
How to seek God. (Prov 8:17, Mat 6:33, Luke 13:24, Son 3:1-4)

Faith demands an object…I have faith in _________. You cannot have faith in faith as the statement contradicts itself:

***. Faith – in its practice not essence (I only say that to be accurate because the essence of Faith is a spiritual gift of God given through the operation of regeneration.) So in “practice” observed to be:

Action – based upon Belief in God’s Word – sustained by Confidence that what God said He would do he will regardless of circumstances or time.

· Action (acting upon the premise or frame of reference that God’s word is final truth/reality) Mat 14:29-31 - For Example – Peter walked on water (action). Faith would not have been faith in the boat.
· Belief in God’s Word – belief in God’s word is not consent. Belief has in its etymology the essence of “hanging one’s self upon.” That is one reason why in some biblical portions is says to “believe in” while in others it says to “believe on.” Belief accepts God’s Word as the Final Reality. For Example – When Peter stepped outside the boat he was, in a sense, believing (literally) “on” Christ to hold him up above the water. Therein Christ became the ultimate reality and not what he knew about the his previous experiences with water.
· Confidence – much of what God requires is not just faith but faithfulness. It is Confidence in God’s ability and willingness to do what He said He would that sustains our “Action.” Here Peter fell short and most of us do likewise. Peter’s confidence in Christ was challenged by the environment surrounding him.

Our works MUST be done in faith
i. Rom 8:8 – Good but meaningless works, “humanism”
ii. Acts 5:1-2 – ½ measure of faith
iii. James 1:6-7 – the double minded man
The promise of God, trust and obey – John 14:23-24

Trust and Obey Hymn (John H. Sammis)
Illustration of feed cattle versus bull riding

Application

Prayer is looking out to God
If you mind wanders, confess it and persist
For me a little walk is where I do my best praying
Warning against rolling out of bed prayer

Get a verse in Psalms as a focal point to come back to and say to God in prayer

Psalm 73:25-26 – Whom do I have in heaven but you? And there is none upon the earth I desire besides You. My flesh and my heart may fail but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever

Psalm 19:14 – Let the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart, be acceptable in your sight – O’ Lord – my strength and my redeemer

Psalm 46:10 – Be still and know that I am God - - - I will be exalted among the nations - - - I will be exalted in the earth

Psalm 119: 73-74 - Your hands have made me and fashioned me; Give me understanding, that I may learn Your commandments. Those who fear You will be glad when they see me, Because I have hoped in Your word.

Entire Psalm 103

Some unprofitable practices in prayer (based on 1Peter 4:7)

You do not need to plead hopelessly for the Lord to be with you or with any other believer, because He is with you already and has promised never to leave nor forsake you (Mat 28:20b; Heb 13:5). Instead, thank the Lord for His continual presence with you (Heb 13:6)

You do not need to pray that God will grant you love for another person, because He has already poured out His love within you (Rom 5:5) and has commanded and enabled you to love (I John 4:7-12). Pray instead for His wisdom (James 1:5) and leading (Rom 8:4, Gal 5:16) to show you how to increase and abound in your love to others (1Thes 3:12)

As a true believer, you do not need to pray to be freed from the power of sin because you already have been freed (Rom 6:1-14). However, you are to pray to be delivered from evil/ the evil one (Mat 6:13) and are to thank the Lord that He has provided you freedom from the power of sin as you keep on presenting yourself as a living sacrifice to Him (Rom 6:6-7; 12:1-2)

You do not need to pray for help in either putting off your old self-nature or in putting on the new righteous self, because that was already accomplished at salvation (Rom 6:6-11; Gal 2:20; Eph 4:22-24). Pray instead for His wisdom, grace, and help in putting off the practices of the old self and in putting on the new righteous practices (Heb 4:15-16; James 1:5)

Pray like the model prayer (Matt 6:9)
F - Faith
A – Adoration
C – Confession
T – Thanksgiving
I – Intercession
S – Supplication

Pray through the full armor of God (Eph 6:13-18)
Belt of Truth
Breastplate of Righteousness
Shoes of the Gospel
Shield of Faith
Helmet of Salvation
Sword of the SpiritPraying at all times in the Spirit

A wonderful illustration of the intellect, emotion & will

Three elements of personality are involved in making a decision to become a Christian, or in making any significant decision for that matter. They are the emotions, the intellect, and the will.
For example, a young man meets a young woman. They are immediately attracted to one another. They both say to themselves, "Now there is someone I'd like to marry." At that point, if the emotions had their way, there would be a wedding. But the intellect intervenes, questioning the impulsive emotional response. Would we be compatible? What is she really like? Can I afford to support her? Both conclude it would be better to take some more time and answer a few questions before they proceed. So the two begin spending more time with each other. He eventually concludes that she is as beautiful on the inside as she is on the outside. Now his intellect has sided with the emotions on the idea of marriage.
But the final and heaviest vote remains to be cast -- that of the will. It stops the march toward the altar with the questions, "Am I willing to give up this lifestyle for another? What about my freedom -- is it worth the trade? Am I willing to assume the added responsibility?" The marriage will occur only when the will finally agrees with the emotions and the intellect. And so it is in coming to Christ.

Jim Peterson, Living Proof, NavPress, 1989, p. 170.

Outline for Bible Study Prayer 1

The best evidence of salvation is four fold

A Hatred of Sin
A Heart for the Lost
A Hunger for God
A Holiness progressively being worked out

What is happening in Fiji Revival

False conversion says today, I said a prayer, was baptized and now I am saved…True conversion is always known by its faith with works (James 2:17-19)

How is your hunger for God? How is your prayer life?

The ordinary thing for a person to do in any relationship is to spend time with the other person.
Speak to them, get to know them, spend time with them

We have mastered the art of self-deception, separating mind belief with heart belief or belief without obedience.

Generally there are two factors that get in the way: Pride and Controlled Surrender

Pride – God actively resist you in…God resist the proud but gives grace to the humble
Controlled Surrender – Luke 9:23 (talking about the will daily following God)

God’s perspective on the red light prayer
God is not Mocked (Gal 6:7)– He knows the difference when a person wants to know Him or when a person is only professing it to others to persuade himself.

The frustration and unreality of God living and walking with you in many peoples walk, no matter how long you have been in the church comes from a matter of inaction and lack of motivation to love and know God.
How important is He? Is he worth your “first fruits principle”
Does your life show How important He is?
Are you being as regular and faithful to God as you are to your business or boss
What if you had an important appointment…is time with God not important?
i. You either don’t believe that He is who He says He is
ii. Or He isn’t worthy of your time thus making Him out to be your Genie

Prayer and spending time with God is the foundation to a relationship with God, and the fearful thing that many people, who profess Christianity, don’t take into consideration is the importance of that relationship
John 10:14-16, Romans 8:15-16, Matt 7:22-24

Are you as serious about God as He is about you

If you are change will happen immediately OR

If you are not then you will carry on with a lukewarm attitude until God persuades you otherwise.

I think it may be helpful before we go on to the application point that we might just get real with one another
James 5:16 – sins meaning faults or folly’s in this sense
a. Commitment to prayer, public and private
b. Commit to God
c. Commit to Another in this groupCommit to the Pastor