if you would, to Luke chapter number 18 this morning. Luke chapter number 18. Find your place in the pages of God's Word. If you don't have a Bible today, the text verses will be on the screen. Luke chapter number 18. We've been looking at the greatest stories ever told, the parables of the Lord Jesus. We have narrowed that to the gospel of Luke. Luke records more parables of the Lord Jesus than any other gospel writer. Luke chapter number 18. Now as you're turning there, I want you to tune in for just a moment. Charles Spurgeon, a great preacher of the past several centuries ago, made this statement. He said, all of our failures are prayer I wrote that when I first read it. I wrote that in the flyleaf of my Bible. I never wanted to forget it that all of our failures are prayer failures. Every failure in our spiritual life can be directly traced to a failure to pray. Prayer is the most needed, yet often the most neglected area of our spiritual lives. And I believe sometimes the reason we fail to pray is that we feel like failures at pray. We just don't feel like that we connect. It sort of reminds me of a young lawyer. He had come to a small town, opened up a new office, put his name on the door, and he's getting everything set up. He's polishing his desk, putting everything in order. Suddenly, there was a knock at the door like that. And I tell you what, he got excited. Here's my first client. He said, I tell you what, I sort of wanted to impress him, so he run over to his desk real quick while the guy was knocking at the door and picked up the receiver of his telephone and began having a loud conversation acting like there was a client listening on the other end. He goes on and on, and finally he hangs up the telephone. He goes to the door where the guy's been knocking. He invites him in. He says, listen, I want you to come right over here. Listen, I've been busy. I just got off the phone. Come right over here and sit down here and tell me what's going on and let me know how I can help you. He said, well, I'm just so glad you're here. That's what he tells the fellow. Invites him in. The fellow looks at him for a moment, sort of puzzled, and then in a sarcastic tone he says, well, Mr. Lawyer, I'm from the telephone company, and I've come to connect your telephone. There's times that we're sort of like that lawyer. We're talking, but we feel like there's no one on the other end listening. God hears other people's prayers, but He doesn't hear my prayers. He answers other Christians' prayers, but He doesn't answer my prayers, so why should I pray? That's the question. So often that people would ask, or we get in our minds, or we get discouraged in this area. And so the Lord Jesus is going to tell a story that's going to answer the question. Look if you would, verse number 1 of Luke chapter 18. And He spake a parable unto them to this end, or for this purpose, that men ought always to pray and not to faint. saying there was in a city a judge, which feared not God, neither regarded man." He's a godless man. And he has no respect for anybody. Look at verse 3, "...and there was a widow." These are on the opposite ends of the spectrum. The judge, a place of power, a place of prestige, a place of possession in that day. He would be one of the most revered men in any town or city in Israel. Then a widow, she's on the farthest, she's poor, she's destitute, she's needy. And this widow especially, because you're going to find that someone has taken advantage of her. And that's what you're going to find. And they've actually robbed her of what little she has left. And there was a widow in that city and she came to him saying, Avenge me of mine adversary. and he would not for a while. He wanted nothing to do with that, didn't care about this widow woman, didn't care about her needs, didn't care about what was going on in her life, didn't care that she had been robbed and she was poor. But notice what the Bible, what Jesus says in His story, But afterward he said within himself, he's talking to himself, Though I fear not God, nor regard man, yet because this widow troubleth me, I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming She weary me. And the Lord said, here, He's talking to His disciples, listen, understand what the unjust judge saith. She keeps coming, and so I'm going to answer. Look at verse 7. And shall not God avenge His own elect, those who stand in special relation to Him, which cry day and night unto Him, though He bear long with them? that there is a time interval between the crying, the praying, and the answering. Did you see that? Look at verse 8. I tell you that He will avenge them speedily. That word speedily, we get our English word tachometer from that word. It has the idea of something that picks up in intensity and speed. When you rev up that engine, you see the revolutions, you see that thing tacking or whatever. And I'm not a car guy, I just do understand that when I sit in somebody else's car that has one of those things. I don't need one. I don't drive fast, alright? So anyway, on the other end of that equation, thinking of that, what he's saying is it doesn't mean that Jesus answers our prayers immediately, but when he does answer, when God does break in, when God does come onto the scene, when God begins to answer, everything quickly falls into place. That's what he says. Alright? And notice, let's go on. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man cometh... So this is a prayer linked to the Second Coming, to the return of Jesus. Shall he find faith on the earth? What a question. I want to preach to you this morning this thought. Why? Pray. Let's pray together. Lord, we love You. We thank You for being our God today. I'm glad that You're a God that answers prayer. I'm glad that You're a God who hears prayer. I'm glad that I'm not praying to a stick or a stone or an image of gold or silver that has eyes but it can't see, and a mouth but it can't talk, and ears but it can't hear, that we come to the living God, the God who can. And Lord, You want to work in every person's life. in this room today. You care about every situation, the minutest detail of what's going on in their lives right now. Lord, there's times that we don't feel that way. There's times, Lord, that we feel differently than what we know to be true. And I pray that we would learn lessons from the Lord Jesus today as He teaches us on this matter of prayer and persistent prayer and the God who answers prayer. And Lord, You teach us why we should pray. And I thank You for that. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen. Well, why pray? Why should you and I take the time out of a schedule many times that's going at breakneck speed to spend time with God, a God that we cannot see in prayer? Number one, I want to share this with you. Here's why Jesus said you ought to pray. Because it puts us in touch with our Heavenly Father. I ought to pray, I should pray, because it puts me in touch with my Heavenly Father. Christian, in this world, a world that's opposed to God, that's opposed to everything that you believe and that you hold dear at this time in your life as a Christian, it is your spiritual lifeline. Do you realize it is the blessing and the privilege of prayer that links us, that connects us to heaven? Friend, listen, there's nothing like, you know, in the old days, you had to have a wire that connected you. Well, today, it's through the airways. We carry phones and we talk on our wrists and all of that, and we get upset when we don't have a connection. We just expect to be connected to those that are important, those we love, the things we need to take care of in life. And Frank, can I help you understand something? That God has given you a connection, a lifeline, a way that you can personally come into His presence and talk to your heavenly Father. And it's this thing called prayer. But here's the danger. If we're not careful, instead of seeing prayer as a lifeline, we see it as a zipline. We just sort of connect ourselves to it and zip and we're done. We've done our duty. We've talked to God. We've said our prayers. But let me ask you a question. Have you really prayed? Prayer is not a zip line that gets us from one place real quickly to another. It is a lifeline that connects us with our Heavenly Father. Prayer is not a ritual. It's not what I'm supposed to do. It is a relationship by which I commune with my God. It deepens our relationship with Him. I'm going to be married 34 years here in just a few days, coming up on Saturday of this week. 34 years with my wonderful wife. And listen, I can't know my wife if I don't talk with her. It demands communication. Many times marriages break down because of a lack of communication. That lifeline that brings that couple together in a busy world, that deepens that relationship, that builds intimacy within that marriage. Listen, there's no marital counseling and discipleship that I do that somewhere along the line we don't talk about this matter of communication. And dear child of God, listen to me. You can't know your Father if you don't talk with Him. Now when you come to the story of the unjust judge or the persistent widow that Jesus tells, it's not a story of comparison. It's a story of contrasts. You have to understand that at the very beginning. And He talks about an unjust judge. He tells us that man ought always to pray and not to faint. And then, after he tells us the reason why we should pray, he begins to come down and give us a story to illustrate that. And here's a calloused, cold-hearted, powerful judge that has no reverence for the God of heaven, doesn't believe in God, doesn't care about God, doesn't care about the things of God, cares nothing for the law of God, and he has absolutely, by the way, if you don't care anything about God, you don't care anything about people. You say, preacher, why is our nation so violent today? Why is the womb of a woman one of the most dangerous places in America? Why are our cities war zones? When you have no regard for God, you don't have regard for anybody else. It's just a fact. And here's a man who has absolutely no regard for God and no regard for anybody else. And then here's this poor widow woman that Jesus teaches about. And God had included within His law for the nation of Israel special care for widows, especially those that were being taken advantage of. Matter of fact, one of the reasons why God would bring judgment upon the nation of Israel was their treatment of widows. He said, of the Pharisees, you devour widows' houses. And what that meant is, you're robbing them blind. And here's a man, by the way, things haven't changed much, has it? Isn't it amazing there's people, their entire job is to figure out how to get your money? through a telephone call or something through the mail or an internet scam or whatever. There were scammers in the Lord's day. There are scammers in our day. And here's this scammer that's taken this poor destitute widow and unjustly taken advantage of her. She's alone. She doesn't have anybody to plead for her. And so she comes to the only one who can help her, this unjust Judge. This widow needed the judge. Let me just tell you something. I won't let you in on it. Friend, you and I need God. We need God more than we ever realize. And she needed Him. And I believe the Lord's impressing upon us, you need Me. And the Bible said she came unto him, verse number 3. This widow woman, now watch this, is unwanted and unwelcomed by that judge. He doesn't want anything to do with her. He doesn't care about her case. He doesn't care about anything going on in her life. Christian, let me tell you what's different about this widow woman coming to the judge and you going to your heavenly Father. She was unwanted and unwelcomed, but you're always wanted and you're always welcomed by your heavenly Father. He invites us. He welcomes us into His presence. He desires to hear our prayers. Let me give you a verse. Psalm 34 verse 15. The eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous. You know God's eyes on you? You know a lot of times us preachers are like, okay now young people, God's watching you as if that's a terrible thing. Now you know what? Whether that threatens or thrills us depends on how we live. Isn't that right? But the good news is God's eye is not on me to judge me. God's eye is on me to help me and care for me and love me and work in my life. And His ears, listen to this, His ears are open under their cry. God said, listen, my ears are open. Come to me. As a matter of fact, he says that in Jeremiah 33. Call unto me. Oh friend, listen. God is inviting you into His presence and we need to pray faithfully. Look what Jesus said in verse 1. Men ought always to pray. I love that word ought. It means it's a necessity. Do you realize that very same word is true of being born again? The same word is used there. It's the word must. It's a necessity. John 3, 3. Jesus looked at a religious man and said, listen, your religion, it may be wonderful, but it's not going to get you to heaven. Friend, religion doesn't get anybody to heaven. He said you must be born again. Friend, listen. If you want to go to heaven today, you have to be born again. You have to be saved. There needs to be a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Receiving Him into your heart by faith. Trusting Him to save you from your sins. Jesus said you must be born again. It's a necessity. There's a time in Jesus' life that He's traveling from Judea to Galilee. And the Bible says this in John 4 that He must needs go through Samaria. There was an appointment there. It was a necessity. He ought to. It's something He not only needed to do, it was necessary. There was a divine appointment. There was a woman, an adulterous woman that would come to a well in the middle of the day and she needed the Lord and He was there to meet her. Hey, by the way, Jesus is always there to meet us in our point of need, isn't He? I must need God. Fellas, it's a necessity. How important that is. Listen to me. Prayer is one of the musts of the Christian life. It is a necessity. Listen, if you're going to thrive in this world, if you're going to thrive in your spiritual life, you must pray. Men ought always to pray. And then not only do we pray faithfully, we ought to pray frequently. He said always. Did you see that? At all times, in every season, about any situation. This widow came to this judge in a time of crisis. The Word came. It means she came over and over and over again. The widow came in that crisis. You know, I'm thankful during the crisis moments of life, we have a loving Heavenly Father to whom we can go. We can bring our burdens, our needs, our petitions, our struggles, our hurt, our pain. God cares about what you feel. God cares about what you're experiencing. God cares about what you're going through. Listen, He said, if I care about a sparrow, I care about you. He said, I want you to bring it to me. No matter the circumstance or the situation, we can tell it to Jesus, can't we? Isn't that good? But I want to tell you something. Listen to me. Prayer is not just for the sad times. It's also for the glad times. Prayer isn't just for the rough patches of life. Prayer is for the mountaintops of life. Men ought always to pray. We ought to have an atmosphere of prayer. We ought to be a person who's in tune with our Heavenly Father, that at any moment, at any time, we have an audience with the King of Heaven. Do you know when I lived in my dad's home? Alright? And he was there, and I didn't have to wait until certain times if I had a need or a crisis, or even if I just wanted to share something in my life. I'd say, hey dad. And he was there to listen. There's moms. You know what you hear all day long? Mom! Mom! You ever said this? If I hear mom one more time, I'm going to scream. God never screams. No, I'm not beating up moms. I understand. But can I help you to understand that He is your Father. Jesus said we call Him Abba Father. It's a term of endearment. It's a word that means Papa. Now I'm not going to go, hey Papa, to God. God's holy. But that's the relationship. And He's ready for you to come to Him. Not just when you need Him, but anytime. And friend, can I help you understand something? When you develop a prayer life on the mountaintop and the good times of life, you'll be in tune when the crisis moments come. I don't want to have to wait to pray till I need to pray. The Bible says in Philippians 4, 6 and everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known unto God. 1 Thessalonians 5, 17, pray without ceasing. Christian, listen to me. You ought to jot this down. There is never a wrong time. to pray. Did you get that? There's never a wrong time to pray. Number one, why should I pray? Because it puts me in touch with my Heavenly Father. Number two, prayer prevents us from losing heart. Look what Jesus said again in verse number one, would you please? He said, and He spake a parable unto them to this end for this purpose, that men, this men, women, boys, girls, ought, that's a must, it's a necessity, it puts me in touch with God, always to pray and not to Faint. That word faint means to be without courage. It has the idea of losing heart. It's the idea of being faint-hearted. Giving up. Now, I'm not going to ask for a show of hands about how many of us have fainted. I mean, you're just out. Do you realize that there are people that used to sit in these chairs and they have fainted spiritually? They fainted. They lost heart. You know what they did? They gave up and they quit on God. Isn't that something? Lack of prayer leads to spiritual failure. All our failures are prayer failures. This widow had an adversary. She had an enemy. She had someone fighting against her. She said in verse number 3, last phrase, "...avenge me of mine adversary." Did you see that? The Bible said, "...she came unto him, saying, But over and over again she came unto Him. The tense of that word spoke of persistence. And here's the thing, she had no audience. You know what she was doing here? Usually a court would be set up and it was a big tent in that day. Judge would come to town, big tent would set up, there'd be an entourage. Don't think of an army tent, or a pup tent, or something that somebody's camping out in. We're talking about something that's large and grand, like the size of a house, and they've got chairs in it, sets up a courtroom. They've got all kinds of dignitaries there. And the judge walks in, and he sits there, and he presides in that town. Well, okay, here's this widow woman. She doesn't have anybody to plead for her. She doesn't have anybody to intercede for her. So the picture is this. She's walking around outside the tent. Yelleth, Judge, avenge me of mine adversary, Judge! Avenge me of mine adversary, Judge! And she's going around that tent, and she's all the time coming again and again. Whether he's ever laid eyes on her or not, he knows she's there, because he hears her. And she's saying, listen, I've got an enemy. There's somebody robbing me, and I need your help. It went on and on every day. He'd be trying to hold court. Here comes this widow. And she'd start crying outside that tent, walking around every day, day after day after day after day. He puts up with it for a little while. Look down if you would, verse number 4. And he would not for a while. He had nothing to do with that widow woman. He didn't care about justice. He didn't care about somebody taking advantage of her. He had nothing to do with her. She didn't benefit him one iota. She couldn't give him a bribe. She wasn't going to help his campaign to get him elected. Notice, he would not for a while. Christian, you have an adversary. You have an enemy, the enemy of your soul. This widow knew the judge was greater than her enemy. She didn't have anywhere else to go. She couldn't fight the enemy. She couldn't overcome the enemy. She couldn't get back from the enemy what he had taken. She knew the judge was great. He was her only hope. Friend, can I help you understand, Christian? God, and she knew that the judge was greater than her enemy. And Christian, I want you to understand something, making your way through this world. Your God is greater. I wrote that in my Bible. God's greater than anything that I'm going to face in my life. God is greater than anything you're going to face in your life. Hey, I just want to go on record and say He's greater than death. Because He's the victor over death. And so Jesus is going to tell this story, and I've got to move quickly, against the backdrop of His teaching on the second coming. I want you to look over at chapter 7. Would you do that real quickly? And I want you to look at verse number 22. Now there's a whole context about this prayer that goes all the way. Chapter 18 verse 1 is actually a continuation of a conversation that began with the Pharisees back in verse number 20. And it had to do with the kingdom of God. And look at verse 22. And He said unto the disciples, The days will come, fellas, let me just tell you something. The days are going to come when ye shall desire to see one of the days of the Son of Man, like what we're experiencing right now, and you shall not see it. And He talks about going to the cross, and then He gives a little mini Olivet Discourse about His second coming. You say, Preacher, why is that so important? Because here's what Jesus understood. He understood that in that intervening period between His first coming and His second coming, that for His followers, the journey would get long. And there would be times that it would be hard. And there would be times the opposition would be fierce, and there would be the danger of losing heart and giving up. And Church, listen to me. Listen to me. Listen. Cultural Christianity in America is gone. We're no longer a nation where when you go to our government that they value what you believe. Now there are some, but by and large many, when they look at us as an adversary, something in the way of an agenda. rather than good citizens of our nation that care about what happens to our nation and the people in it. And the further our nation goes away from God, the more hostile they're going to be toward God and the people of God. And there's going to come some times, church, I'm going to tell you, and you don't know from one election to the next, but I'm going to tell you something. If we keep going down the road we're going, it's going to get hard at times for children of God. Who would have dreamed that their entire business would be destroyed because they took a stand against something that God is against in our nation. Who would have dreamed that you would have a speaker of the house who is an open Christian, carries his Bible to preside over the house of Congress, and he would be mocked and ridiculed to the point of derision? by the media, like it's almost a game and a sport. It used to be that a pastor would be one of the most respected people in any town. That a church would be a revered location. That's no longer the case. And while you may be saying, preacher, you know what, I'm on the other side, I'm on the sunset of this thing, I understand it, but your grandchildren aren't. And if Jesus chooses that the time's not yet ready to come, because I believe there's a set time that He will come, but if that time is not ready yet, then they're going to face some things that you didn't face. And they're going to inherit a nation that's far different than what you inherited. And you need to teach them how to come into the presence of a God because we desperately need Him. And He knew that it would be prayer that would be the means by which that they would stay faithful, that they would not lose heart, that would not cause them to faint. Have you ever noticed when you and I begin to drift from God, the first thing that goes is our devotional life? You get discouraged, you quit reading the Bible and quit praying. You get depressed, you quit reading the Bible, you quit praying. You get burdened, you quit reading the Bible, you quit praying. Listen, if we're not careful, trials and heartache will distance us from God. And that's when we need Him most. Times the burden gets heavy, doesn't it? We feel like we're in a cave under the load. There's times that people serve in different areas of ministry and there's times we see little results and you feel like that, boy, I teach those fourth grade boys or these third grade girls or these teenagers and I feel like sometimes it's a zoo and nobody's listening. Am I really accomplishing anything? You go knock on doors or you invite people to church, and you invite, and you invite, and you invite, and it seems like nobody comes. You see little results and we wonder, is it really worth it? Take a stand for what's right and you get ridiculed or passed over for a promotion or lose a friend. Is it worth it? Listen, Andrew Murray made this statement, the enemy uses all his power to lead the Christian and above all the preacher to neglect prayer. Christian, listen, there's times your spiritual tank's going to run low. We're going to be running on empty. The burden will get heavy. Listen, we don't think we can take another step. There's times that the trouble hits us in waves and we feel like we're going to be overwhelmed and the trouble is going to swallow us up. Listen, I'm glad that we can pray as the psalmist did. When my heart is overwhelmed within me, lead me to the rock that's higher than I. I'm glad that there's someone bigger and greater and higher that can help me and see me through in times of need. I'm glad for Jeremiah and what he went through. You say, Preacher, why? It was awful what Jeremiah went through. I know it was, but if he hadn't of went through it, he wouldn't be able to say with his heart as the Holy Spirit gave him these words, it's of the Lord's mercies that we're not consumed. Because his compassions fell not. His mercies. Oh, thank God. He went on to say, because His compassions fell not, they're new every morning. Great is Thy faithfulness. Christian, I'm here to tell you, we have a faithful God. And He said, I want you to come to Him. You ought always to pray. I'm your lifeline. I will see you through this world and safe to glory. Friend, listen, prayer enables us to reach into the well of God's mercy every morning and get another drink that you and I might get through that day. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need. No wonder Jesus said men ought always to pray and not to faint. Christian, all of heaven's resources at your disposal. All you need to do is ask. Let us not be weary in well-doing. Do you all believe prayer is a well-doing? Be not weary in well-doing, for in due season we shall reap if we think not. There's a mama, no doubt. There's a dad. There's a grandparent that's in this room. You're praying for a wayward son or daughter, a wayward grandson or a wayward granddaughter. And listen, at times you wonder if God's even listening. Is God doing anything? Hey, be not weary in well-doing. Maybe you're praying for an unsaved family member. Be not weary in well-doing. Hey, we shall reap. if we think not. God sees it. We don't understand how God works, but I'm glad He does work. How many want to say Amen right there? Number three, prayer prepares us to receive God's answers. Let me just quickly look at it. Verse number three, she's coming over and over again, avenging me of mine adversary. Verse four, he would not for a while, but afterward. He said within himself, though I fear not God, nor regard man. Verse five, yet because this would have troubled me. She's about to drive me nuts. That would be today's vernacular. She's driving me nuts. I will avenge her. I'm going to give her what she wants because blessed by her continual coming, she weary me. She's going to drive me insane. Look at verses 6 and 7. And the Lord said, Hear what the unjust judge saith. Listen to the point of the parable. And shall not God avenge his own elect? You know what he's saying? If an unjust, wicked judge will answer the prayers of a destitute, poor widow woman, will not God who loves you and cares about you and is interested in every situation of your life, come to your aid when you come to Him. That's what He's saying. See, it's a story of contrasts. Jesus, stark contrast. God never... Listen, you don't wear God down. We don't trouble Him. God never tires of hearing you pray. God never tires of answering your prayers. D.L. Moody said, some people think that God does not like to be troubled with our constant coming and asking. He said, the way to trouble God is not to come at all. That word elect is those who stand in relation to the Lord, those who are saved, If the unjust judge would eventually give in to the persistent cries of this world, how much more should we trust the loving Heavenly Father to answer our prayers in His own perfect time? Though He bear long. It means that God doesn't work to our timetable. Just because you're not getting the answer immediately doesn't mean that God's not listening. It doesn't mean that God's not going to answer. It just means you're probably not ready yet. God prepares us to receive His answers. I don't have time to preach on it. I don't. But I'm going to share it quickly. I'm just going to say it. Preacher, why doesn't God just answer prayer immediately? Because prayer does something in you as well as something for you. Prayer draws us close to God. It enables us to know the heart of God. When I understand God's heart, it prepares me to receive His answer because His answer may be different than what I'm praying for. He grows our faith. There's times that we don't have enough faith to receive the answer. He strengthens us for the journey. His mercies are new every morning. Great is thy faithfulness. We come to God every day. And when we bring our burdens, we don't think we can go on. We don't think we can take another step. We don't think we're going to make it. God, and when we come to Him and we bring it to the Lord, He rejuvenates. He refreshes us. Though our outward man perish, our inward man is renewed day by day. As is thy day, so shall thy strength be. He brings us into alignment with His will because prayer is always in accordance with the will of God. And it cultivates within us a spirit of praise and thanksgiving. Do you know what? When you and I pray persistently for something and then the answer comes, the praise is stronger, the thankfulness is greater. Oh, how we ought to be a thankful people. Amen? Let me bring it to a close. Number four, here's why you ought to pray. Because it produces faithfulness. Prayer is a spiritual exercise. Look at verse number eight. I tell you that He will avenge them speedily. When the answer comes, it comes. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man cometh, shall He find faith on the earth? Here's what He just said. God's always faithful. But are you? See, it's not... I read this for years like this. Well, when Jesus comes back, will He find anybody that believes on Him? That's not what that verse is saying. It's not talking about some great apostasy. That's not it at all. It is a challenge in the form of a question. It's actually rhetorical. He's saying, listen, unlike the unjust judge, God is forever faithful. The question is, when I come, will I find you faithful? That's what He's saying. faithfully praying and loving His appearing, faithfully living out His Word in our everyday lives, in our marriages, our families, faithfully stewarding our resources of using the gifts and the abilities and the financial things that God's given us for His glory, faithfully fulfilling His will, doing His will for our lives, faithfully sharing His gospel with a world that desperately needs Him. You say, Preacher, they don't want to hear it. God didn't tell me to share the gospel if people wanted to hear it. He told me to share the gospel to every creature. Here's what I'm going to tell you. You share it enough, you'll find somebody that wants it. Christian, you will advance on your knees. Stephen Oldford put it this way. He said, if a Christian's not praying, he's fainting. You may be fainting and not even realize it. You won't know it till the crisis comes. And then you lose heart and you quit. We're only as spiritual strong as our prayer lives. Probably more of us are on spiritual life support than we would like to admit. I'm just going to ask you this, Christian. When Jesus comes, will He find you faithful or will He find you fainting? Because if you're not praying, men are always to pray and not to faint. If you're not praying, you're fainting. and somewhere along the line you'll lose heart and you'll give up and you'll quit on God. I don't know about you, but God challenged me to hit the reset button on my prayer life because I surely don't want to faint. I want to be faithful. Let's bow our heads in prayer. As heads are bowed and eyes are closed this morning, I'm going to ask you a question, Christian. Let me ask you a question. How is your personal prayer life? I didn't ask you if you're going through a routine or a ritual. I'm asking you, are you praying? Are you talking to God like you ought to be talking to God? Is it an integral, vital part of your life? Or is it like a zip line, you just get on it, zip through it, and you're done? Can I tell you, if you're not praying, you're fainting. Will He find you faithful when He comes? Is there someone here today who says, preacher, I'm saved, I know I'm saved, but God's spoken to my heart through the message today, and I'm lifting my hand. God's spoken to my heart today.