dealing with prayer out of Ephesians 618, dealing with our defense against the attacks of the enemy. The last one, no doubt, covers them all, supports them all. The rest of them won't stand without prayer and so He says in verse 18, pray and always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit. The Spirit of God helps us to pray. He helps us to pray the way we can bear our heart to God the best way. He certainly makes it clear what we're saying. It's not something that nobody will understand or something you don't understand. Wouldn't be no sense you praying if you didn't know what you're saying. And God ain't gonna listen to it if you don't know what you're talking about. And so God gives us the Spirit of God to help us in our prayer. You don't get your prayers through just because you say something. It takes the Holy Ghost of God to guide you into the will of God. The only way you get your prayer's answers is if God agrees with what you're saying. It's not because you say it. It's because what God agrees with. And so prayer is something that we are led. We have the infirmities. I dealt with it, I think, last week in Romans chapter 8, that we got these infirmities. that we know not what to say and that doesn't mean that you're ignorant and foolish, that means we don't know His will without getting help. Do you know the will of God for everything? You've got no idea! You need help with the will of God and so the Holy Ghost of God helps you to know what God wants you to ask for, how to ask for, what you should say in asking and so it's important that We learn not only to pray, and that's really what it starts out with, praying, let's say, praying once in a while. Why not praying for food? No. God wants us to do just this. If you're gonna be Could I say a vibrant, faithful person that has the victory in your soul? You love God and you're walking upright and the grace of God's with you. The peace of God is on you. You've got your heart right with God and It's just bubbling over at times. There ought to be times. There ought to be times. If they're not, you need to seek for them. There ought to be times when you pray that God visits with you. Evening and morning new will I pray and cry aloud and He shall hear my voice. He'll answer me. What does that verse say? What did Jesus say about it? Ask and you shall receive. Knock and it shall be opened unto you. He's telling us he is going to answer. Prayer looks for an answer and gets answers. If it's true prayer, if it's really getting a hold of God and God's answer, you're going to, I mean, God hears you and God accepts you. God agrees with you, He'll answer you. And so, prayer is, in many ways, asking and receiving. I think I said a couple of weeks ago, that's how John R. Rice titled his prayer book. It was a thick book on prayer. I remember John R. Rice wrote it. And in that title of it was, Ask and Receiving. I remember John R. Rice I remember hearing him say one time. He said there was a lady in the hospital. If I told you this story, I'll tell you again. Lady in the hospital was close to death. And he said he was going to a meeting and they asked him to pray for her. This is what he said he did. He said on his way to the meeting he was heading for, he went around the block of the hospital praying all the way around the block. of the hospital, but on. He said he didn't get out, go in the thing, but he said the Lord answered his prayer and that lady was touched, healed. Asking and receiving. He's got a pretty good thought there, it was right. Amen, amen, amen. But prayer is something that ought to be continually done, not once in a while, not just for so you can eat, not just for revivals, We ought to be in that spirit of prayer at all times, praying always, all the time praying. You don't have to say a lot of words. You can just have a spirit of prayer about you and breathe a little prayer in your mind. Lord, help me to talk to this person. Oh Lord, I have been talking to people different times and they'll ask a question or something that, I just don't have it on my mind. And while I'm talking to them or while I'm listening to them, I'm praying. Give me an answer for this. Help me know how to deal with this. And if you believe, if you believe, you'll receive. That's the way prayer works. If you believe, you'll receive. And I, I honestly, I've just had Lord, really? I'm a dumb, dumb. I was a lot of things. I just can't. Get back real quick. And I have had God help me and help me and help me giving me answers. I didn't know what the, where, where the answer come from. I didn't even know what the answer, how to figure it out just about until God just give me the answer for the person. Oh, the joy of knowing, of knowing God's helping you. God's given you grace. God's walking with you. I'm saying these things. I think in Luke eight, one. In Luke 8, 1, I'm not gonna turn to these passages. Luke 8, 1, it says, men ought always to pray. Of course, that means women, too. Always, not just once in a while, not always. Well, we're gonna have a prayer meeting, good. No, you ought to be praying all the way to the prayer meeting. You ought to be praying about the prayer meeting. Oh, God, let us meet with you. Help us, God, help us to pray. Disciples ask Him to teach them to pray, they also need to teach us how to pray. Not only TO pray, be FAITHFUL in prayer, CONTINUE in prayer. You read that over in Colossians 4, continue in prayers, continue in prayers, just keep on praying, and praying, and praying, and praying. As I said, the old preachers used to say, until you punch a hole through to heaven. That's the way they kind of said that no doubt were those songs that I just heard from heaven. What a difference that makes when you're praying and you just sense the Spirit of God's presence. Sense He's not only listening, but He's receiving and speaking to you in return. He blessed your life and you know, you know, you know, he's going to answer that prayer. We know we have the petition we asked for. It's what John said in first John chapter five. We know you can know without a doubt that God's answered that prayer. I'm saying God wants us to pray and look at the next verse. I won't be able to cover all these, but the next, I mean the next word, Praying and he says notice lit with all Prayer you see that with all prayer praying always with all Prayer and I said now that's strange and he did that and he said praying with all prayer and That prayer is the how-to it really is. It's amazing that word right there deals with being gentle and humble Gentle and humble is that that word prayer means there? I thought it was a different kind of prayer. You know, you know just some type of prayer But it's that's what it means to be gentle and humble with your prayer humbling before the Lord Enter into his presence with a gentle spirit The last thing we need to do is try to force God, demand of God, tell God what to do. Be disrespectful, not honor and revere Him. I'm saying when we come in prayer, that's why the Israelites head down, face to the ground, maybe even their head or face, and that's what it's talking about in that 2 Chronicles, face to the ground, hands up. The hands up like this. They're not looking up there for it. The hands were expecting an answer. That's their receiving. That's their receiving. And they're expecting an answer. They got their hands up to receive. They got their heads down, humble before the Lord, praying before the Lord. One of the best things in your life, in this Christian life, the best thing you'll ever learn is how to pray. I don't care how much you know the Bible. I don't care much about feelings. I don't believe we run on feelings whatsoever. The just shall live by faith. Sure, there's times when you experience the blessings of God. That's why these people were shouting at times and glorifying God and glorifying God. God had answered. God kept answering them. And they was glorifying God, I'm saying. But they had that gentle, humble spirit that they looked to the Lord, I'm saying, where we need to pray, There's a word in the Bible that says, acceptably, to where God can accept it. And so it's acceptably. What does it say in Romans 12 when, I beseech you, therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, you present your bodies, a living sacrifice, holy and what, you know, everybody knows the next word, acceptable. It just, Everything isn't acceptable. If it isn't given with the right spirit, with an agreement with God, it's not acceptable. Your prayer is no good if it's not accepted by God. I give you the verses, Romans 12, 1 and 2. That's what I just quoted. Romans 14, 7 and 18. Ephesians 5, 1 through 10. It deals with being acceptable, being acceptable. He's got to be willing to accept it. He doesn't have to accept it. He doesn't have to accept everybody's prayer. If you don't come in the right spirit, come in agreement with Him, coming humbly before him and gentle with faith, building up your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost. Jude verse 20. God wants you to I sent you the help. I didn't leave it up to you to figure out what to do and what to say. I sent you somebody that represents me that'll help you do all things right. He's the one that you have to look to, listen to, and get along with, not a grieving. He's your guide. He's the one that turns the light on. He's the one that enlightens your mind, opens your mind up to the right way of reasoning and seeing and understanding spiritual things. It's not you and not your mind. Man by wisdom knew not God. It takes God's wisdom, that hidden wisdom of God, through the Holy Ghost of God to guide you into all truth. That includes all praying. There's a little verse I've heard a lot of you quote. And in prayer it's so essential, it's so important for you to do exactly what you're quoting. In all thy ways Acknowledge Him and what will He do? He'll direct your path. Now listen to me. You're not going to do much praying worthwhile. It won't go above the ceiling. Unless you let God into it. Unless you let the Holy Ghost of God in on it. Unless you invite Him in. Unless you recognize you need Him. You don't have the right words. You don't know God's will in that particular situation. And if you're praying for the wrong thing and God has another thing in his mind that he's gonna do, yes, some people are sick that God may be glorified. I can't explain all that. I can't explain it. I know it works. I know many people, and I've seen it over the years, how that some people suffer it, and through it other people have, you know what they've seen? They've seen God in that person's life suffering. And it's brought them to the Lord Jesus Christ. Happens at times. Happens that way. God has a purpose and a plan. God has a way of dealing with people that helps His work of reaching the lost, not just making it easy for us and good for us. I think we forgot that this world is... We need to sing some of them old songs. The new songs don't have that ministry of the Word and the will of God. It needs to be pounded back in our head again. This world is not my home. I'm just passing through. Lay your treasures up in heaven. I ain't sayin' this just to scare you. It makes me wonder. But if some of the things they predictin' that's gonna happen in the future, if the wrong party gets in, means that all the money you got saved back, you're gonna lose. It's gonna turn into junk. If you don't believe that, check every one of the socialist countries and see how much money the people got. They don't have any. Some of them, you can wheelbarrow all the money they got into the store and hardly get nothing. Money loses its value overnight. Lay your treasures up in heaven where moth and rust doth not corrupt, where bad, no, I ain't, where thieves break in, not bad politicians break in and steal. Prayer. Prayer is the most wonderful thing for you to ever learn and practice every day. Just the wonder of it that you can get into the presence of God and you can sense His presence. You can sense Him Helping you and you're praying and he's he's guiding your prayer. You begin to get answers about some of the problems you're coming with Lord, I don't know how to deal with this tonight and yet you're praying and you're weeping before the Lord and asking God and He's promised. He's promised. He said ask and you'll Receive Is that what he said? I? Don't think you believe he lies. Do you I think you believe he lives up to his word. I If you ask right, he'll answer right. He's done it to me, he's done it to me, he's done it to me. I mean, there's times, there's times, I'm kidding you, I'd be working, and I'm more careless than I used to be. I'm just not watchful now and careless in some of the things I do. And I've had God warn me, no, stop. And I could see where I was gonna fall, I could just see things that I, you know, I was gonna make a mistake. Honestly, I know you think I'm crazy and I've lost it, wacko. He's got Demetria. You'd be surprised the times you'd find me today and I'd say, thank you, Lord. Thanks. Thanks for showing me that. Thanks for helping me. Thanks. Enter his presence with Thanksgiving. I'm saying you come to the Lord, you come to the Lord and you pray about these things and you desire for the Lord to hear you and help you. And here's the thing, He wants to. Ask me. Ask me. I want to show you. I want to help you. I want to meet your need. I want to show you through this. I want to show you why we're doing this. I want to show you why this has happened to you. I don't want to leave you all puzzled and confused and not know what you're doing. I want you to know how to walk, how to live, how to enjoy the presence of God. Nothing better, nothing better. You wonder why the first word of that song is? Sweet. Is that the way that song goes? Sweet hour of prayer. Why did he say sweet? It's so precious. It's so wondrous to get in the presence of God and sense him helping you, answering you, guiding you, correcting you, instructing you, opening ways for you, answering your questions. Sweet hour of prayer, sweet hour of prayer. It should be that way for you. It should be that way for us all the time. I hear, and I've experienced myself, but I've heard old preachers, the janitor told one of the people, He said he'd seen the pastor come through the door. He was working in the church, and the pastor come in and walked down beside the aisle, and he said he looks like he was dragging, looks like he's gonna never make it up the set of stairs. He's going upstairs to an office, and he said he's got his head down just going. The old janitor says, after an hour or two, heard him coming down. He's stepping down those stairs, whistling and coming. Help me with this. They that wait upon the Lord, what are they guaranteed? He'll renew your strength. I had him help me today with it. Just today. I fell down, I felt down in my soul and I felt sickly. And I got my head down, I said, Lord, I can't, I've gotta have help, I need help. I mean, he strengthened me, encouraged me, helped me. There's nothing, nothing more precious in this world that you'll experience, more than communion with God, talking to God, hearing God, Receive his comfort. Have him reassuring you that he loves you. I'll tell you one of the things that took me a while to, I guess, really accept. You figure yourself to be kind of different, sometimes strange. I tell you one of the blessings I've received is in praying, I got that sense in my mind and heart of God just revealing me, I understand you. But Lord, I know you, I understand you. I understand why you think like you do. I understand why you do what you do. I understand you. I understand why you have problems like you do. I know you. I understand you. Nothing, sweet hour of prayer, nothing like it. I'm saying God speaking to your heart, communing with you, opening your eyes of understanding, helping you through rough times, Do you really believe what he says? I'll never leave you. I'll never forsake you. I'll never depart from you. I'll go with you all the way to the end. You're my child. I got you in my hand. I'm gonna provide your needs. I promised I would. He'll supply all my needs according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus. I'm gonna provide. Amen. Praying always. Never stop. Never think that just a little bitty prayer, you might have to do that sometime, but you know, do your best. To know what a spirit of prayer is, you can carry it with you. Live in it. Live in the atmosphere of prayer. To where you're not trusting yourself, you're not trusting others for everything. In all your ways, you're acknowledging Him, that you need Him, and He will help you. And He'll direct your path. Shall we stand? There's so many incidents in the Bible of God answering prayer. I think there was a guy that had an orphanage. And believe me, he'd know how to pray and by faith. He wouldn't have anything, he'd have I don't know how many children he had at some times, hundreds I believe. He set the table, set the little children on that table and not a thing on the table, not a thing on the table as far as food. There's the plates, silverware, glasses. And old George Mueller would pray, Lord, we need some food, need some milk for these kids. You reckon those kids in George Mueller's day believed there was a God? You reckon he stopped doing all those things? You reckon he did? You reckon he don't want to answer prayers like that anymore? You reckon he just, he don't want to do that anymore? You reckon? He said, if you will, if you love me, if you'll really shine good out there, if you'll let the light of God in your life shine good all over. He said, what it'll do to me? It'll glorify my father, which is in heaven. But you got to shine. George Mueller, Can you see him shining now? Have you ever read it? Oh, my soul. The milkman, his vehicle broke down right in front of the orphanage. He came in and said, Mr. Miller, you want this milk? Oh, yes, Lord, just deliver. On and on and on, he'd feed them all without buying. And I love what George Mueller did, and it's one of the things that really affected me. George Mueller never begged. He never begged. He just prayed, and God answers his prayer. Give him the need that he asked for. God answers prayer. Wonderful, wonderful. Amen, amen. We got a lot of people we need to pray for. We got a meeting. I'd like to see God just break us down, just put our faces to the floor and brokenness before God. I've failed you. I haven't been pleasing you. Truth is, I haven't really thought of you that much. The Bible says people get to the place was God is not in all their thoughts. Father, in Jesus' name, as we go our ways, I pray the peace and the grace and the mercy of God would go with these people. I thank them for their faithfulness. And I pray your mighty hand be upon all of us. I pray with a songwriter, break us, melt us, mold us, I pray, to your perfect will. We used to sing that song and enjoy it. It meant something we really wanted to happen to us. And I pray you will. I pray watch over us. These storms going to increase, I don't know. I pray keep each one safe. Thank you for your goodness to us in Jesus name. Amen and amen. You are dismissed. Amen. Nice to meet you.