Deeper Wk 5- Prayer

Oh, OK, let's let's rewind it real quick. I'm a little Baptist and Wesleyan and Pentecostal and Methodist. I got a little Catholic in me, so I'm a little bit of everything. So typically when we say Praise the Lord, the response is, all right, it's kind of weak one more time. Praise the Lord Saints, a man, a man. God is good and all the time. Yes. This crowd over here gets it. I need y'all. Come on. I need you to work with me now. It's all good. It's all going to call our youth, our young adult pastor, Pastor Christian Tobar, up. He has a word from God. We don't do testimonial life, but I believe in scripture tells us that Mike, number eight scripture tells us that we overcome by the blood of the lamb and the power of our testimony, right? It's because of our testimony. We'll be able to pull people into the neighborhood to get to receive that testimony. And because what we hear and what we receive, it may be something that we're been praying about or been asking God to change.

And I said, What a testimonial someone to give it to Pastor Christian Rick Wicker. He's going to tell us what God is doing today. So the verse that he just quoted that we overcame by the word of the board of his testimony in the blood of the lamb? It's something that we actually talked about this past Wednesday at Nexis. And so this might be timely for some. This might be. And so that's the reason that I wanted to share this is that it might be timely. It's not my personal testimony, but it's something that's going on in next is something that I think as a church, as a whole, we're progressing forward. And really, I don't want to steal some assessment or share some with testimony without permission, but I'm going to take out a small excerpt of her testimony. She knows who she is, but I just wanted to share this with the church because, like I said, this could be timely. But this specific lady, young lady, she said that she in her she had a vision that in her dream or in her vision, she had seen the walls of this church and that it was going to be a hospital. OK, but hold on, hold on. That's great, right? Yeah, cool. Hear, hear, hear me out, hear me out. On Tuesday, we had a staff meeting while we had a leadership meeting and we were kind of just talking, talking about, you know, what does God have for us?

Like, what would he have for us to do whatever he would have for? We just want him to do it. And we were just talking about how sometimes we would have people here that were that came broken that would be here broken and they would come here and they would know they'd be like, Yeah, might not be in the best shape, but I'm here or people that we're just going from, whether they were church hurt or hurt somewhere else. And they would come here and we were like, yeah, kind of like a hospital. And we said that Tuesday and Wednesday, we had that young lady confirmed that with her testimony saying that way beforehand, months beforehand, she had seen the walls of this church had said that it was going to be like a hospital. Well, that's good, that's for the edification of our body, of our church body. So if you've come here and you've been feeling like you haven't been good enough or like you can't be here because you have to get yourself right or you have to be right before you come here, before you enter here, before you can lift your hands and worship, before you can close your eyes, before you can sing. Yes, that's wrong. And this is God's way of saying church, if you've been thinking that I've proved to you by speaking through my people through visions, through meetings, that that's not how it works. That if this is a hospital, then you come here to be healed, then receive that healing in Jesus name. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Thank you, Pastor Christian. And all of the time churches we miss are calling sometimes because we believe that just building the Chemo's is part of our job. But also restoration is what God really wants the church to do because we know that he sent his only begotten son to restore us back to our Heavenly Father. And so, guys, we been in a sermon series called Deeper.

That has been the word that God has given our church for 2022. We've been called to go deeper. And just to give a brief recap of what God's been doing for the past couple of weeks, just for our first ten guests. Just to give you just an awareness where we've been for the past two weeks, we talked about the Holy Spirit and the Holy Spirit, the agent that was sent here on Earth, which is a person. It's not a thing, and we'll make sure that's clear. It's the original sin here on Earth to accomplish the work of the New Testament and the New Testament Church. And then last week, we began to really talk about how the Holy Spirit really, really gives us gifts, and we identified nine gifts spiritual gifts that the Holy Spirit gives us as believers. Everyone that's here today. If you are a believer, you're walking faithfully with God. You have a gift that God wants you to tap into. And in that what we talked about last week that spiritual gifts are are received, what talents are inherited? There's a difference. There's a difference between gifts and talents. The gifting is like prophecy. Words of wisdom. Words of knowledge. Talents may be your crossover TV break breaking was right. OK. You know about the life. It's OK. Tell are left them cowboys sitting on a bench at home watching the Super Bowl next Sunday.

I had to throw a little shade in my cowboys. She's up front. You're the only one. Laurie, it's OK. It's OK. Oh, we got to know them. Keep your hands down. No more cowboys fans. They may. Oh, gosh. Y'all, come to the altar right now, I'm about to lay hands and pray. I need some oil. James never. We talked about gifts are given for service and now status after time. Churches and we know churches embrace your gift things in such a way that you have a certain gift.

You are elevated to a certain position. But that's not the case. All nine gifts are given for service. And that status. Then we begin to talk about the gifting of tongues. You know, the ones that are so misunderstood in the scriptures and really nice we talked about last year ago. Well, the gifting of there, really, it's not taught well in churches today. They're edify and they glorify, but it's not really taught in churches. And we talked about the getting attorn tongues. We have to lead to interpretation and not translation, there's a difference in it that we have to begin to interpret the gifting of tongues and not translate. If you miss the matches, go back next week or last week, you begin to see it. So really today? What I really want to kind of talk about how we begin to mis understand the beginning of God work, which is salvation and redemption, but we don't fully understand what God is doing now. And we got his doing now that he sent his Holy Spirit to really work through us and in us to accomplish the work here on Earth. And for me, as a believer, I want every amount of help that's given through the Holy Spirit for me to walk this walk out here on Earth has long or how short that may be because I know that I can't do it by myself. And we don't want to. And today, I believe that churches today. Churches and even Christianity has become a spectator sport. Christianity has become more of a spectator sport where people watch.

It's more about entertainment than in a counter. Come on, church, I'm coming for you today. I want you guys to get ready. Christianity is not about entertainment, it's about an encounter. It's about an experience that you have with the Heavenly Father, Holy Spirit, God, the father, Jesus Christ, the son and the Holy Spirit. See, we have higher attendance in business meetings than we do at prayer meetings. Some wrong with it. If we were to call a business meeting today, I promise you, we will have more twice as much attendance. Then we're rid of call for prayer meeting. Now, why is it? Is business more important in prayer? We've become too busy with more gadgets and tech, we spend more time in texting, tweeting, Facebook and Instagram and Snapchat and take talk. Tick tock. I know what it is, right? We spend more time with our electronics. And our social status than we do with God in prayer. We're so connected to this war through technology. But many of us are not even connected to God through prayer. Many of us do church one day a week. But we are called to be the church every single day. We have lost the passion. For prayer. So if you're wondering where we're going deeper today, you probably have already guessed it. We're going deeper with prayer. We're going deeper in prayer.

Yeah, I remember growing up as a former justice market leader in the hotel industry, doing sales and marketing. Oftentimes, I have to go through and evaluate my staff. And there are those evaluations, I'm sure that many of you guys who are a mainstream marketplace, America, you guys, you know, you go to that valuation, right? And your supervisor or the manager will actually sit you down and begin to walk you through certain certain processes of what your job performance and work may look like, right? And oftentimes what they would do, they would give you an exceeds expectation. Me expectation. Satisfactory and also what the last one needs improvement. And for our kids, since this family Sunday, today, you know, we want to really embrace our families, our promise, and we try not to be before you too long today, but oftentimes what we see is this even for elementary students right now, remember your report cards growing up? You should get it. You didn't get letter grades them, you didn't get no grades, you get letter grades, right? What was it? You get a E for excellent. Oh, for somebody has been too far right. It's too long ago. I need you guys to kind of dial it back a little bit. Your age is showing, just let me just remind you, you just get an extra satisfactory right? And then another grave for elementary students was that one letter with letter in which means you needs improvement.

There was a you unsatisfactory. OK. OK. OK. She says she got a few. That's my wife. I just reach your hands out to run the father name of Jesus got. Yeah, I tell you. If you were to grade ourselves today. If you were to grade yourself today about your prayer life. Where would you be? What would you get? Let's keep it real, let's keep it 100. Some days. I'll probably get it in or you. And these improvement. Or in satisfactory. Now, if I'm going through with Wolf Warfare Warfare. I'll probably get an excellent because I know I'm I'm cognizant now what I'm going through needs these need to be praying minute by minute, hour by hour. But that's only when I'm dealing with stuff. Right. Come on, let's let's keep it real. What will be your grade level right now, I've got to say. How are you doing in the area of prayer? Last night, you know, there's this little thing. I'm an Apple iPhone user, right? Any Android users in here? All right, all my Apple folks, let's say loud Apple folks who was in the house, good thing. Alpha, we need his paycheck, Sinta 17 one Westchester. But there's this thing that Apple sends out weekly and it called a and Apple screen time report. And for you, Apple News, you guys understand what I'm where I'm going. They'll give you a report based on your screen usage every single week. And yesterday I got my. It said I spent an average of 36 minutes on my phone.

And he even said that it was 87% down from the week before. Now, that's a lot. Thank you, Lenny. They said that I was 36 minutes average using my phone. That was 87% less users from the week before. So the week before, if you do the math, there's probably a two or three hours of usage every single day. My question is this. Am I am I spending more time on my phone than I am in God's word? Am I spending more time on my phone than I am on my knees? Are you spending more time on your phone than you're spending with God? Because I believe this, there will be a season in our lives with life will have his way. The sickness will come. A financial crisis may hit you at your doorstep. Your bears may not be working out right now, your children's get on your every last begotten nerve, right? OK, parents, don't this. I've got two teenagers. They don't get on my nerves, though. Your job is stressing you out. You're having health issues. Your family? Have some issues. There's going to be some things in our lives where life will have its way, we think. What do you do?

You tried everything else, you maxed out your resources, you're all out of options, all you can do is cry out to the Lord and cry. Don't stress. Pray. Don't worry about it. Pray about it. Don't fret. Pray, don't fear. Pray, don't quit. Pray. All I can do. It's beginning to get on my knees. And by my head. It's a God to have your way. That God is not my will. That your will be done. I was talking to a friend yesterday, he said, Pastor Ryan. My carpet is being worn out by my niece. And what he was telling me that he's been praying so much is so long. That there is a pattern beside his bed I can see right now, and it's just worn out by his knees because he's been there for so long, for too often. Every single day, praying. For a situation to change. And sometimes, you know, I'm the same person. Sometimes our prayers are selfish, right, we pray selfish prayers. God, if you fixed that person, then you know, my situation would be OK if you fix that boss, that's just nagging me at my job, the things would be OK if you would just make this OK? Got everything else? We'll be all right. And maybe just maybe got to say, no, I'm not going to fix that situation, but my fix you. Maybe our prayers now for that individual forgot to say, I'm not going to fix your situation, I'm going to fix you.

So the things that you're looking at, you begin to look at differently. Sea prayer defined as simple. Is simply just talking with God. That's where Premiere is, you know, I'm not going to give you this whole exegetical or precept upon precept about what prayer is, I'm just gonna let you know. Prayer simple. Now you can go deeper in your prayer life. Yes, that's what we want to do in this upcoming year, that we want to be deeper in our prayer life. And so even like all this, so this entire sermon series is about me. Some preaching to myself. So I don't know what you think, I'm preaching to the choir. Got to say right. Everything that that you're dealing with. I want our church to deal with because nine times out of ten, they're dealing with it to. He said, Ryan. Take the pastor off your title, take take the elders and the deacons and all the, you know, the staff name off your titles, take the title, put it to the sign You are my child. And as my child, I need you to communicate with me daily. I need you to communicate me to every hour. Push that to the side. And I have a seat for you at my table. Because prayer simple. Now, I wanted to make it really, really easy today for our kids, got new, our kids will be here today.

Prayer simple. Simply talking with God. Is communion with God, is it similarly knowing that he loves you, that you love him, that you're worshiping with God? It's understanding that we begin to conform our lives to who he is and what his will says that we should do is having access in advancement to his kingdom, his power and his glory. That's what prayer would do. Actually, you know what, prayer is the most important conversation that you will have. Prayer is the most important conversation that you should have. first, Peter, 57 says this. This has cast all your anxiety. On him. Because he cares for you. Cast everything that you have on him. Because he is so mindful of you that he's thinking about you. He's think about your rising up and you're right, you're sitting down, he's thinking about everything that you're doing. Flipping Chapter four verses six and seven says this is his be anxious for nothing. But in every situation, pray. In every city, in every circumstance, pray. He said and petition with Thanksgiving, presenting your request to God and the peace of God. Does anybody any peace today? Do you need to tap into that? The thing that where you'll be able to have peace in such a way is a peace that this world does not know is a peace that this world does not give.

In the piece of God, which transcends all understanding. Well, guard your hearts and your minds. And Jesus Christ. And I know many of you like, well, you know, pass run, what were you going to go today, you know? Are you going to talk about the Lord's Prayer? Our father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name thy kingdom. Come, thy will be done. You know, that's the motto of prayer, because that's everything else that we see in scripture. That was the only thing that the disciples asked our lord and savior to teach them how to do. The disciples didn't ask Jesus to teach him how to cast out demons, or the disciples would ask him how to walk and water the disciples and anything else the Lord teach us. How to pray. Why is that? Because he knew how important prayer is. And we know that prayer is so important that is a part of every religion. Think about it. Buddhists, they meditate on the relationship with Buddha. The Hindu. They chant specific words while meditating. The Islamic faith nearly six times a day facing east towards Mecca. This is the Islamic religion towards Mecca as their prey, starting with Allah Akbar, which is God is great. This is the Israel Islamic faith.

What about our Jewish faith? Our Jewish brothers and sisters pray three times a day morning, afternoon and evening. Religiously. But Christianity. We recite the Lord's Prayer, Matthew, Chapter six versus nine, three, nine, 13. For many of our theologians, media, as they may be asking, is this where are we going to land the plane today? Are we going? And what are we going to teach you about Matthew chapter six versus nine through 13? No, I'm not. Because I think we get the Lord's Prayer. I know our kids, we we teach our kids that. But what I want to do today is this. I want to make sure this. I want us to understand that prayer. Is your greatest weapon? You're pro-life, is your greatest weapon. Big Dave Premiere, the guy Dave Powers. I'm also going to need words about the big guy. Rob, was Rob. Is he out security? Where is our big day? Mark, come on, big guy here, buddy. Paybacks have come in. We said the other day, we said last week, past couple of weeks that. The Holy Spirit is an individual right.

The Holy Spirit is an individual that God sent here on Earth to Jesus, pray for and say that I'm sending another, he's sending another, which is our loss, which is a like the same. He sends another. To help give us comfort, right, he says, and send us another to give us guidance to give us a path. And so. These are my holy spheres, right? Also, scripture tells that that God has given each and every one of us angels has been assigned to us specifically. But how do you take charge of those angels? How do you take charge of the Holy Spirit? So. If God is in another and I'm praying. Who operated, I pray, of course, God, the father, Jesus Christ, the son, the Holy Spirit. But if I don't communicate what I desire through the Holy Spirit, my helper. Does not know what to do. Some guy, I'm praying. OK, thank you, guy, for whatever, you know, close the doors, open the doors, and if I'm praying, Holy Spirit. I need you to open the doors it has for me and begin to close the doors that are not for me. And so with the Holy Spirit does as I'm walking through the Holy Spirit, my agents who has been called to help me, God closed the doors that you don't need me to walk in. The Holy Spirit comes in and they create a barricade.

Because I'm praying to the Holy Spirit in such a way. That they are empowering themselves to stop me from walking into areas that God has, does not desire for me to walk into. That's if I'm listening to the Holy Spirit because at the end of the day, I stick and do what I want to do. We have to realize that the Holy Spirit is a gentleman, that he will not force you to do anything. But if I am a toot in a tune to the Holy Spirit and I pray God, you begin to close the doors, that is not for me to begin to open the doors that I begin to walk through. That is for me. I'll open up and squeeze through. Thank you guys to the Holy Spirit. I want you guys to get there. We have to begin to pray. With the power and the authority of the Holy Spirit, because these guys. The Holy Spirit is here to guide us and protect us. And buffet us to create a barrier in such a way that as we walk with the Holy Spirit guys, they're protecting you. They're you're speaking to your began to talk with the man. Are you guys lost if you lost, have you lost? All right, thank you, guys. You put it like this. The Holy Spirit is the car is the vehicle. Dodge 50 hunting, four by four RAM truck, whatever your if it's a Tesla, whatever it may be.

Your prayers is the gas. OK. The Holy Spirit is your vehicle. Your prayers is a fuel. If you don't put gas in the car, you can't go anywhere. I'm a pick of my son, my son, who has a jeep, and I do, he's been he's been working in a truck and a jeep and he's lifted, they put tires on it. I mean, he's been putting money into his jeep. And I'm like Ashton. Do don't worry so much about the next year, the way that it looks, because if your engine is messed up, if it's not taking care of that, you will have a pretty car sitting on a side. Right. So what we have to do, we have to take care of the inner, the inner soul. The very thing that runs. The vehicle. What's used to having a pretty car if you can't drive it? So let's get into our Scripture Today Act Chapter 16. This is where our past is going to come from. And I'm now I'm pushing and we try to make sure we get our kids out here short shortly, actually after 60 versus 25 to 34, says this. About midnight, Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them.

Suddenly, there was such a violent earthquake that the foundation of the prison were shaken. At once, all the prison doors flew open and everyone's chains came loose. The jailer woke up. And when he saw the prison doors open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself because he thought the prisoners had escaped. I mean, you have a culture standpoint if you are a guard in this timeframe and if any of your prisoners escaped, that cost you your life. So if you were guarding a jail cell and one of your prisoners was to get away, that meant that you were only had to take your life or they would take your life. Verse 20, ACESS Papa shouted, Don't harm yourself. We are all here. The jailer call for lights, rushed in and fell trembling before Paul and Silas. He then brought them out and asked him, Sirs, what must I do to be safe? They reply, I believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved you and your household. Verse 32, then they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all of the others in his house. At that hour of the night, the jailer took them and washed their wounds. Then immediately he and all of his household were baptized. The jailer brought them into his house and set a meal before them. He was filled with joy because he had become. He had come to believe in God in his whole household. Most theologians were asked. Why would you be teaching on prayer in the scripture? Because of this. I begin to think about what time for a prayer, Dear Paul and Silas pray that will begin to shake the very foundation of the Earth.

What type of prayer is that? The Paul of Solace pray now begin to open up the doors that were locked. What type of prayer there? The Paul and Silas pray that begin to free men that was bound and enslaved. What type of prayer did Paula overspray that begin to take the sense that they were doomed to death? That set means free? What type of prayer did Paul and Silas pray that led people to salvation? I get Matthew, Chapter six, Matthew, six, and I get that this is the Lord's Prayer, but I'll begin to think about what's appropriate, what type of authority did they have in their prayer? That set people free. People that came to church today that were broken. That was displayed, that is bondage. That will leave out these doors as free men and free women. A prayer that was set people free. A prayer. That will open doors that's been locked before you. That's the type of prayer we should desire. That's the type of prayer life that we should desire, that we should begin to walk into. I believe this. Your prayer life can get you in, it can get you out, and it can get you through. It can get you indoors that may be closed. It can get you out of situations that that you put yourself in and it can get you through.

Whatever circumstances that you may find yourself in. And what I begin to see this in Chapter 16, verse 25, we see we see this. The Paul and Silas had a lifestyle of daily prayer. If we were to just to back up your chapter and verse, 15 scripture would tell you this, and I'm just going to paraphrase this for you. It says that Paul and Silas walked to the temple daily to go prayer. That every single day that Paul and Silas had a desire to go into the temple and pray to the God that they know this God of salvation. They did it day after day. Then it did it to a certain degree that where there's this lady. Who was endowed with the demon? And there were some individuals that begin to profit off this lady because she was consumed with a demon that was able to enable her to to begin to proclaim a prophesy. And we see it where this girl who follow Paul and Silas every single day, and then she began to cry out these men, Verse 17, says these men are the service of the most high god. Who proclaimed to us the way of salvation. That even this lady who was inhabited by a demonic spirit that. She recognize their prayer life, she recognized who was in them there, Paul and Silas pray daily. And then just one day, Paul got tired of this lady chasing him every single day tormenting just talk to them.

These men are from the most high god. Day one, day two. These men are the most high god. Day three. Day after day after day, this lady was chasing Paul and Silas down. The one day Paul had enough. He turns around and says, I commend you with the name of Jesus Christ. That the come out of her. And guess what happened that Spear came out and she was set free? And the owners didn't like that because the owners are making money off this young lady. And so this lady was loose from this spirit. And those who saw day after day began to look at her differently. She had a different little walk. She a little lean way swag, whatever you want to call it. She began to walk differently. She began to begin to talk differently. But most importantly, she'd look differently. Paul and Silas made it a habit to pray daily. But Verse 25 says this. Once I slowed down a begin to look at the scriptures. I always read this particular passage in this is what I thought it said at midnight, they began to pray. But that's not the case. Let's see, verse 25. Verse 25 of Acts, Chapter six says this about midnight, Paul and Silas were praying. That's active. They were already in prayer before midnight has even even came. So what that mean was this that the day before Paul and Silas is already in for it because that was their daily practice of praying the midnight came and then they went to the very next day and pray some more. They're about midnight that they were praying that she. We need a daily discipline of prayer. See, Paula Asylees did what they did every day, day to day. That they pray. Their situation or circumstances did have bother them. Melody, they pray daily.

They were deliberate in their prayer. That they have prayed with an intent. They pray with the purpose. As you begin to build your prayer life. You have to begin to pray offensively. You have to start beginning to separate defensively. Well, past run, what are you talking about? If you look at Matthew Chapter 16 versus 19, whatever you find in Earth that you should be bound in heaven where you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. Luke Tan versus 19 tails, I give you all the power to trade a serpents and scorpions. But she had to begin to utilize that power in such a way that your prayer life is offensively, that is defensively, but also it is very strategic. We have to pray God's word. And I think this this this is the best, best practice that you can ever do. I remember when Jesus was tempted. What did he use? He used God's word every time that the Serpent came after him, he came back with God's word. So your best practice is that you begin to use God's word in every circumstance and every situation. Pray. Why? Because God is listening. That's all you have to do. Pray because God is listening, God is listening to your prayers. Despite Paul is sort of circumstance, they say. They say they continue to pray despite their location in prison. Because. They cast it out, that demon. The person the people that was profiting from from this young lady begin to tell the magistrates that they take Paul and Silas and they throw him into prison. They bound and they beat them and they whipped him. Despite their circumstance, despite their situations and despite their surroundings. They still prayed. And they prayed in such a way. It began to help transform the prisoners from being prisoners. To be in worshipers. Come on now. If you look at the scripture says that they were praying and singing.

It was so good that even with the doors. Of the prison swung open. They didn't decide to run to get freedom because that was already set free. Oh, come on, church, I'm missing it. Whatever prison that you may be right now, whatever your circumstances may be right now. I encourage you. The God of Isaac, the God of Abraham and Jacob, the God of dough. He could transform you from being a prisoner to a worshiper. He could transform you being a captive to being set free. My last point before we begin to wrap up. Paul and Silas had each other. We're now called to pray by ourselves. VIDEO We now call to do this life by ourselves. This thing that we call Christianity, we wear it as a mental. But there's a brother sisterhood that comes with this.

James sat five or six, says this. Therefore, confessed your sins to each other. But pray for one another. So that way, you may be healed. The prayers of a righteous man. Is powerful and effective. And going back up real quick. We need you, I need you. To do life together. If we have done life together. My apologies, I'll get them to get to you. My family are our staff. We're going to get to you. We desire to do life in such a way within one church. That we do it in community. And I know that we may have missed the mark in certain locations. So I'm asking for your forgiveness. Because you're not calling to do this, do this thing by yourself. We're called to do it together. But that needs you to be transparent. We've been called to be transparent because a lot of times we don't want people to know that that what we're dealing with is what we're dealing with. What is Pastor Chris and just say that the power of our testimony? In the blood of Jesus Christ. That we can overcome certain things. So if you begin to confess your sins, in other words, if you tell me your dirty laundry and I tell you what I'm dealing with, we can do life in such a way. Then we can pray for another. And I know that this is just a plug for mayors ministry. We have see groups on Wednesday nights and what we call secrets, we call it our connection groups because we believe in community and connection.

In other words, the other churches may call life groups or other groups or things like that are cell groups. If we're not doing life with community, you're missing out. Our mayors who met this past weekend, I know they grew it by 100% because it doubled up just one over just from the other one. I love that because it's just a blessing. Yeah, I'm I have I'm a. Max, my wife to come up here. And the worse your team can come as well. Max Dave, our vice elder, to come up front as well. And the reason why. Max and David come up front because one. Tony, he's our vice elder, but he's over our mayors ministry. You guys know that we live a life that's humble, open and transparent, I borrowed it from another pastor. I didn't clone it up myself. So James, 516, says that we have to confess our sins one to another. Now we should pray for one another. Mike, number seven. And I knew that once God has told me the word for our church to go deeper this year, it never fails. It's an all out attack. And after the enemy, you always start from the top down. Guys, it's been rough for fleece now this past several weeks. It hasn't always been like roses and. The great thing is that we can begin to walk through. So just as. A posture of transparency. As your pastors of this church. We're going to continue to hold onto our marriage if we're going to hold onto our faith. Even though that when his rough. There were called to hold together.

And their heaven has proclaimed. A covering over us in such a way. The Hill can now separate us. And so my ex, Dave, just to pray just for us, for my wife and I. And I promise you, I know that there may be some other marriages out there that may be in a season where it may be difficult for you. I just want to encourage you just a bunker to hunker down. Begin to follow your knees and pray. Because what God has brought together let no man separate you. And we're going to close with a song. Called a house of prayer. And as they begin to just pray over us. Our worship team, I wanted to make sure that we close with the song because I want our church. To be a house of prayer. And many of you may be like, why are you air your dirty laundry? Because we didn't get to 20 years embarrassed by ourselves. I'll let you know that. It 20 years has not always been perfect, but, you know, we're staying still standing and staying the course. We're standing firm. And what God has called us to do. And I just believe that our ladder. Will be greater. They even though that these past several weeks has been pretty. I think giving the enemy notice. He doesn't have the Minion, the power of our relationship. He doesn't have control over our thoughts and our desires.

Now we're giving our desires to the car racing team. You guys that we're going to lead this church as an example. The guys. That we love our church. We love marriage even when it's the ugliest. So, Dave, if you can just pray just for our marriage and just the other marriages out there, so was it nice if you're not a part of a connection group? It's the time we get connected, we believe in embrace the mayor's ministry, and I've always said this, a mayor's ministry is a tune up. So your breakdown. And so if you're not in a position where you can go, get a tune up and your bears from time to time, do it. Because this important. Hey, man. So let us stay. Dave is going to pray, adversity is going to begin to worship. Enable me, give it to you, brother. Let's pray.