Wednesday Bible Study-Spiritual Habits (Prayer 2) Associate Pastor Matt Passmore

Ministering to the heart of Western Arkansas's River Valley for over 165 years, welcome to Chapter and First, the Bible Teaching Ministry of Fort Smith's First Baptist Church.

You'll find sermons and teachings from Pastor Greg, our ministry staff, and guest speakers.

Thank you for listening.

Okay, we're gonna start 6 o'clock.

If you did not get a paper, and do me a favor, if you did get a paper, there's a date up there and uh July 12th.

Okay, if you do not have July 12th, what we have done, Charlene printed some that we brought the extras and set out.

If you've missed them, you're more than welcome to get one.

But on top of that round table, we got them all confused.

So go back there and find the 12th.

I went around and tried to help as many as I can, but make sure it says July 12th.

There's you a July 12th right there.

Okay.

Now, we're gonna go ahead and pray.

And kind of uh grateful that you're here.

Pastor's in a uh in a personnel meeting, just talking through all the things that are happening.

He'll he he could slip in at the end.

But um, so I'm gonna give you a heads up.

I'm gonna pray.

I'll pray for a while.

You will not hurt my feelings if you grab your Bible and your books and slip out of here.

But but uh we are prepared and we're going to get after it, and I'm grateful for the ones that stay.

Let's pray together.

Dear God, it is so good to be with uh fellow believers.

It is so good to be uh just to have your word that we can have in our hands that we can read it.

And Lord, just like we talked last week, is just the gift you've given us of just prayer.

And Lord, just help us never take that for granted.

In Jesus' name I pray.

Amen.

Um, as we we talked about spiritual habits, the goal here is we want to develop spiritual habits, just like we're saying it.

A habit is something that you don't have to think about, you just do.

And so that takes us back.

If you will, open your Bibles.

And last week I was told I said the wrong verse, but if you will read with me in 2 Peter 2, we're gonna start reading in verse 1.

Okay, 2 Peter 2, um, yeah, 2 Peter 1, I'm sorry, I already messed up again.

2 Peter 1, we're gonna start reading in verse 3.

Okay, 2 Peter 1, beginning in verse 3, his divine power was giving to us everything required for life and godliness through the knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.

By these he has given us every great and precious promise, so that through them you may share in the divine nature, escaping the corruption that is in the world because of evil desires.

And so we are these habits are a promise that the Lord has blessed us with.

Prayer is a promise.

Do you remember back?

I I don't know if we realize or we are as passionate about this gift as we should be.

Back in the Old Testament, they could not pray to God.

In fact, do you remember they had to go before a who?

A priest and the priest.

But we have been, when Jesus died on the cross, remember the big thing that happened, the big sign that happened, the what, the veil ripped, and that was the picture of what?

Now we can go directly to the Father ourselves.

Wow.

And and we can go straight to the God that spoke the world into consistence, in existence.

We go straight to him.

This isn't something we have.

We have a promise that if we take time to pray, then what?

He hears us.

And so we what we're going to go, the promise that we're still going to talk about today is prayer.

Okay?

A couple things, just a uh, we're going to continue on what we talked about last week.

But before we do that, I do want to say this.

When I was, when I when I was coaching high school, I had a coach that I coached, he coached track.

I did baseball.

But we we hosted this track meet, and all the coaches had to do the timer.

You know, this is before electric stuff, so we had to use a stopwatch, and so I went and helped.

We had this kid, it was the first track meet of the year.

We had this kid in ninth grade that kind of moved in.

He was a tall kid.

He was in ninth grade, he was already a little over six foot, and he could just run.

I mean, you'd say go.

He just looked like it was easy to him, and he would just run.

I mean, he was good.

And so he got into uh he had the the media, the the thing he ran was the 800, I think I'm right, and he ran around the track twice.

So you'd run around the track twice.

He was just a big old lanky and he could just fly.

So at practice one day, they decided, you know what, we're going to train this.

This kid has skills, so we're going to train him.

So the coach said, here's what I want you to work on.

Don't take off and get ahead of everyone.

Kind of wait for the crowd, get behind people and draft.

You know, let them block the wind.

This is Oklahoma, the wind.

Let them block the wind for you, and then at the end just blow by them all and win.

So he's like, okay, coach, I can do that.

Okay, coach, I can do that.

So mind you, the first track meet of the year, all of us coaches, our friends with the coach that taught this.

We all have our timers.

I will never forget this.

The gun goes off.

This kid takes off running.

I mean, he's just flying.

And then all of a sudden, he realized what the coach told him.

So he's way ahead of everyone.

So he starts almost going backwards.

He gets behind the one kid that's in the lead.

He's six foot.

This kid's probably five foot.

I mean, he's tiny.

This is no joke.

He follows that kid like this all the way for a lap and a half.

The other coaches are, you know, I got the time.

The coach that taught him that was miserable.

I mean, he was just like, and sure enough, when the when it was finally time to finish, he passed the guy and he won easy.

The coach goes up to him.

The coach goes up to him and says, Don't ever listen to a word I said.

When the gun goes off, you take off and run.

You do what comes naturally.

Okay, this is what I want to say this tonight.

Tonight, when we talk about prayer, some of your prayer life really needs no fixing.

You enjoy your time with the Lord.

I'm not asking you to change what's working good.

There is so many people that come in my office that just that that their prayer life is non-existent, they're struggling through it.

This is what we're talking about.

We are wanting you, if you are running full speed, don't back up and get behind someone.

You keep running full speed and you get in the prayer life that you're in.

But if you're struggling through, you're just wanting to say, you know what, I could do something different.

I could do something.

We're going to talk today, we're talking about, and we'll get more into it in just a second, is praying through scripture.

How to pray through scripture.

So, just kind of in a quick review, prayer is an important part, like we talked about last week.

Prayer is an important part of the Christian life.

It is the way we communicate with the Lord, and don't forget this.

The way we do what?

We praise Him.

That's an important part that so many times we forget.

So many people come in and say, I just don't know.

When I pray, because most of the time people pray, they start their list with what?

Just all the things they want the Lord to give them.

There's a huge, this prayer time is a time of, and we'll talk more about that, praising the Lord.

How we pray should reflect the purpose.

Our focus should be on who God is and not on ourselves.

The Lord's prayer is the prayer, remember we talked about last week.

It's the model prayer.

And we find it in Matthew 6, 9, and Luke 11, 2.

But the thing that I love about this prayer that Jesus spoke.

Jesus said this, in this manner, therefore pray.

Jesus told us.

He said, pray like this.

And here's the example.

So he lists his example.

We talked last week so many times a lot of people do what?

They memorize this and they think that's a prayer.

Okay?

Remember, this is an example prayer.

And I'm not saying it's not bad to quote it sometimes, but that is not the quote in it is, it's an example of how to pray.

Okay.

Prayer is an important part of a Christian life.

And one's prayer life, we talked last week, should be developed.

Listen, I do not think, I don't think in our Christian life that we ever arrive.

Now, there are times things are going really well, but as we walk through the Lord, we're we're we're we are learning new things all the time.

So I want to take that back.

Our prayer life is something that is going to be a continual development until I think the day the Lord comes.

Okay?

And so prayer should never be on autopilot.

Okay, now some of this stuff I'm talking here is people have come into my office and we've talked about this.

And when I mean by autopilot, you know what I mean?

One of those deals, you put it on there and you go back and have a drink and you're not paying attention.

And there's a lot of, this is how I do my quiet time.

I read my Bible, and this, you it's just almost autopilot.

We do not want to be a prayer life that's on autopilot.

It's a communication, it's a talk.

We want to be careful of doing it the same way every time.

The same list.

I I was taught to pray with a list.

It's a great way to do it, don't get me wrong.

But have you noticed sometimes when you pray through a list, you can almost go months with the list being the exact same?

And it can be, at times, some people have come in and say it's defeated because of why?

They don't see the Lord answering any question, or I mean any of their prayer requests, because why?

It's the same old list, we're just going through it some.

I'll say this: if you do have a list, an important part is right next to it when the Lord answered it, so someday you can celebrate the answers.

Okay?

Um, if we're not careful, our prayer can be self-driven.

Self-driven to the point of Lord, this is how I want to do it.

And I do think, and we're gonna get into this, there's a piece of prayer of sometimes sitting still and letting the Lord reveal something to you.

And then that makes it what?

More about the Lord speaking to us versus what?

Us just being the one doing all the talking.

And then I heard someone the other day came in and says, When I start praying, I start off good, and the next thing you know, my mind is wandering on the things I need to do today.

It's wandering on, well, you you know, you're not on your, you know what I'm saying.

It's easy sometimes to get this is I'm looking at this, and my mind starts wandering.

And then I put, etc.

What there's probably some struggle you're having in your own quiet time that could lead to come out of, it's just autopilot, okay?

Where does our appetite from prayer come from?

Think about that.

Where does our appetite from prayer come from?

We see in script, well, let's go ahead and read this.

Ephesians 1 13.

Ephesians 1 13.

In him you also trusted after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, in whom also having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise.

1 Corinthians 6 19.

Don't you know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God?

You are not your own.

This prayer life, listen, without the Holy Spirit drawing, we would have no desire to pray.

Without the drawing of the Lord, salvation would not happen.

Prayer is a, the prayer here that we're talking about is driven, it is, it is through the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit is what gives us the aptitude the uh appetite for prayer.

Then if we can continue in John 6, 63, it is the Spirit who gives life, the flesh profits nothing.

The words that I speak to you are, this is Jesus.

He's speaking to the disciples.

This is at a time some of the disciples were saying, Whoa, this is too hard.

I don't know if I want to do this.

Okay?

This is Jesus speaking.

Jesus says, It is the spirit who gives life, the flesh profits nothing, the words that I speak to you are what?

Spirit and life.

The words that I speak to you change your life.

And like the verse said before that, you become a new creation.

So this prayer, it takes us back to the words that I speak.

The words that Jesus spoke, the Bible are what?

Spirit and life.

What is the spirit?

The change inside and the life changes on the outside.

There's a supernatural quality in the words of Scripture that you pray.

When you pray the Bible, you aren't just praying ordinary words, takes us back to that verse.

You are praying words, spirit and life.

Ephesians 5, 18 and 19.

And do not be drunk with wine in which it is disapparating, but be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord.

So here's an example in the verse.

What's it saying?

This is in the New Testament.

It's saying, Together do what?

Speaking to one another in Psalms.

What is Psalms?

It's a book in the Bible, but it's also what?

Psalms.

Okay?

Then in Colossians 3:16, let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and administering, admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your heart to the Lord.

Colossians 3:16

Okay?

So now we see here the last two verses are talking about coming together and what?

Singing psalms.

What it what we said the Psalms, but if we look in the in the book of Psalms, what is the book of Psalms?

It's a bunch of songs, but it's also when we say songs, it's really a call.

It is a worship to who?

The whole Psalms is a song, but the song is based on who?

Our relationship and our worship to our Heavenly Father.

In the Psalms, God teaches us to come before Him.

So now we're going to, okay, we talked, the New Testament sang Psalms.

And when they use the word Psalms, it's at that time they were singing these Psalms.

God's Word.

So they were singing this, they were doing this together.

So listen to Psalm.

Well, we can see this.

In the Psalms, God teaches us to come before Him using words such like this.

I want to read some.

Now, this is just a few.

We'd be here all night reading.

So look what Psalms 3.3 says.

But you, Lord, are a shield around me, my glory in the one who lifts up my head.

Psalms 8.1.

Lord, O Lord, how majestic is your name throughout the earth.

You have covered the heavens with your majesty.

Psalms 16:11.

Psalms 16:11

You reveal the path of life to me.

In your presence, in abandonment, joy.

At your right hand are eternal pleasures.

How precious is your loving kindness, O God.

God, your way is holy.

What God is great like you.

Your word is a lamp for my feet and a light to my path.

Lord, you have searched me and you know me.

You know when I sit down and when I stand up.

You understand my thoughts from far away.

Today, as we look through the book of Psalms, I want to tell you this, as we're gonna we're gonna model some of this, we're gonna speak into it.

But before I forget, this is kind of the book we're basing this off of.

Donald Whitney, he came in here about seven or eight years ago and did a men's deal, and um it changed the way I pray.

And so when we were talking about just habits, this was so this is the book we're basing it off of.

If you want to come over after look at it, this is the book, this is the book we're kind of basing tonight's praying through the Psalms.

Okay?

So praying through the Bible looks like this.

Okay?

We've seen them do it in the New Testament.

They sang psalms together, they worship doing that, but praying through the Bible looks like this.

Simply go through the passage line by line, talking to God, because what do we what do we say?

God's word brings spirit and life.

Okay, so why not take what the Lord's given us and pray through it?

So praying through the Bible looks like this.

Simply go through the passage line by line, talking to God about whatever comes to mind as you read the text.

Praying the Psalms, what does it look like?

So here's what I want you to do.

On your piece of paper there is um, if you look, it's out, or you can look it up in your Bible, but uh Psalms 23.

We're just gonna start with Psalms 23.

Okay?

Going to kind of model what we're looking at.

Okay?

Now remember, prayer takes some time, and we gotta find time to do it.

I do think as a church, a lot of times we're, and I'm just speaking in, okay, if this doesn't apply to you, please just be.

But most people that come in say, I read my Bible, they struggle in their prayer life.

What a lot of times we read our Bible, it's like, okay, I did pretty good.

I'm gonna pray God as I close my Bible and then I'm done pretty quick.

Okay?

So this here is gonna require some time, and um in a minute we're gonna we're gonna actually try it.

Okay?

So as we look at it here, if we look at Psalms 23, okay, here's, and then well, I want some, we're gonna do a little class participation here, okay?

I'm gonna start it, but then I want you to help me and be careful with it.

I mean, you don't have to call out anything that your particular life's having a problem, but we can make it broad.

So, but you'll see what I'm saying right here.

So if I was praying, like this book is teaching, okay, if I was praying through the Psalms, okay?

The Psalms, let's say today was Psalms 23.

Okay, so I'm in my time of prayer.

I'm sitting there, I'm reading the first line.

The Lord is my shepherd.

Okay, when I read that, I'm gonna stop right there.

Is the Lord showing me anything by the Lord is my shepherd?

Okay, I've prepared a little bit, I've thought about it, I've done it, so it would be like, Lord, thank you for being the good shepherd.

And then just let it run.

I mean, it could even be the extent, Lord, my kids need you to be their shepherd.

Can you get their attention?

Lord.

See what I'm seeing.

I mean, what what is the Lord drawing on you when you read the when you read, the Lord is my shepherd?

Lord, thank you for my salvation.

Lord, thank you for the calling you have on my life.

Do you see how that verse all of a sudden opens up things I might not have thought of, opens up areas in my life that I can draw out?

What are something you're thinking of?

When you when you hear, well, let's go to the next one.

I shall not want.

If you were praying, what what comes to mind in your Christian walk of maybe someone that in your life that this popped when you read that, it popped in your mind.

Does anybody have any?

You want to share?

Any anything pop up?

I shall not want.

Yes.

Any He provides my needs.

Any any others?

It's drawn us, yes.

There.

Or Lord, help me be thankful for the things that I do have.

You see, you see, see where it and there's a lot of times we don't pray that, but just this this verse is all of a sudden pulled it out.

You got I have no need for more.

So it takes us draw out, and we're just at this point, it's not a rush.

We're reading.

The scripture we're letting God's word that what brings spirit and life just run through us.

Okay?

Then look at He makes me lie down in green pastures.

What what's your well if I'm lying down and there's green pastures I'm full.

Full.

There you go.

If there's green, I'm I'm full.

So again, that's a Lord, thank you that I, Lord, it could even be this, Lord, I've been so busy.

Lord, give me rest.

Depending on where you're at.

You know what I'm saying?

It could be the idea of, Lord, thank you that I'm well fed.

Lord, thank you that I can rest.

It could even be, Lord, I've been so anxious.

I've been worried.

I've been struggling.

Lord, please help me get back to letting you be God and what?

Let me lay down in your green pastures.

The picture of that is just, I remember as a kid, just remember just the nice plush grass and just laying in it.

Nowadays I start itching and all the bugs get me, but but the picture of it, right?

Anyone else?

What does anybody makes me lie down in green pastures?

Anybody have just here's the thing is, there's no, it's where the Lord's drawing you and taking you to it.

So any anybody else?

Be still.

Being still.

There you go.

Okay?

Then let's go to the next one.

He leads me beside still waters.

Okay, that could go, that's a that's both of those can almost go together in a way.

They're kind of the same thing, but you know.

And then look at, he restores my soul.

Still waters, I'd say he gives them peace.

Peace.

And then there's there's times like he restores my soul.

I have a friend at home that is struggling.

Just in his in his walk with the Lord, he's kind of left his wife.

His name pops to mind, and Lord, please restore him to what he was in you.

You see what I mean?

It's not just, it's, it's, the Lord could run.

I haven't thought of that guy in probably six months.

It just hit me just now.

You see what I'm saying?

Just talking through it.

So he restores my soul.

Could be a lot of different things.

It could be my, hey, my kids are struggling.

And this is my time to pray for them.

It could be, you name it.

Okay?

Okay.

Okay.

Yeah.

And it taking us back to maybe you're in your life right now that you aren't in green pastures, you're not in still waters, and it's a cry to the Lord to what?

Get me back to where I need to be.

It could even be a point of restore my soul.

Lord, I have these sins in my life.

I need to ask you to forgive me so that my soul can be restored.

You see where you see how it, I mean, we it depends on how the Lord's working with you through the scripture.

Now, okay, I want to pause just for a second.

Our goal here is not to manipulate scripture.

I mean, we want to pray.

We want to pray according to scripture.

Okay, so it's not one of those, Lord, your scripture says that I should be happy.

Make me happy.

I want to be careful with how we, this scripture's letting us lead, but we also want to be biblically sound.

And it could be something as you're reading it.

There's a verse of scripture that makes no sense to you.

Lord, I don't even know how to pray.

I don't get this.

Well, guess what?

The next couple days, you're spending time in God's word trying to figure out what that state, what that verse says.

You see what I'm saying?

So, so this as we read through this, there could be a stretch of about three verses that just as you read it, you're like, You know what I'm saying?

Maybe the Lord's wanting you to pull that out and go do some study on it later.

Okay?

Because you it just doesn't, or, or just, you know, at the time.

So let's and then let's look at the one.

He leads me in the paths of righteousness.

What can we say there?

What what what's your thoughts of that?

Do what?

There you go.

He leads us.

Good.

More likely.

Okay.

Yep.

So man so many times we people pray this, Lord, I want so-and-so.

Lord, will you please save?

Or or get their attention.

And how many times would it be not, I mean, the idea of Lord, I know so-and-so's, but Lord, what can I do?

How can not not that the Lord has to use me, but instead of saying, hey, so-and-so is struggling, Lord, how can you use me today?

You know, but it goes back to I don't want to force it, I want to be led.

I need the Lord to lead us.

Okay?

So just a freshness.

And then, okay, and we don't, we okay, this is no rules in a way.

So let's say we get going and all of a sudden the Lord takes you back to verse 1.

You see what I'm saying?

It's not, oh, I've already passed.

I'm on verse 3, I can't go back to verse 1.

You see, this is an opening to what we're doing through this is Lord, lead me how you want me to pray.

Because if we really think, and I don't want to get into a whole theology of this, the Lord knows what we're gonna pray before we pray.

You know what I'm saying?

So sometimes we look at this idea of the idea, then what is the purpose of prayer?

But the purpose of prayer is so that what?

The Lord can show us what he wants us to do.

And there's so many times the Lord, we feel like the Lord doesn't answer our prayer, but he has all the answers over there.

He just didn't answer it quite like we want him to, so we don't feel like it's answered.

So, so when we want to get into this prayer right here, the the this this style, okay, it's it's still prayer is prayer when you talk to the Lord.

It's just we're letting Scripture, and I'm not saying we still don't have lists.

I'm not saying we still we don't just take a time of Thanksgiving.

You know what?

Like we talked about the Lord's Prayer, just this is just another way to say what?

Lord, I'm setting down all my agenda, all that I want, and today, Lord, I'm gonna read this verse of scripture.

I want to see where you take me in my prayer life.

Okay?

So here, now, the next one, now we're doing a little, just if this is something you want to do, this is it, oh, let's look at this first.

So basically, what we are doing is taking the words that originate in the heart and mind of God and circulating them through your heart and mind to God by the means his word becomes the heart of our prayer.

So, praying through Psalms, I'm gonna go ahead and show the whole thing to do that.

There, you could do it a couple ways.

You could just open up, but here's what you got to be careful of.

This is what, and some people do it, and they feel like the Lord has really used this, but be careful of this.

The idea isn't to do this.

You know what I mean?

I'm not saying that the Lord can't speak to that, but there's something about being consistent.

And there might be a verse of scripture that really meant a lot to you.

Okay?

Like you do a but we want to use this whole word.

There are some of the psalms that David's like, Lord, will you please take my enemy and crush his skull?

We can be there sometimes, but you know what I mean?

So so be be careful, okay?

But here's kind of a way, if you really want to try, here's how the writer here suggests it.

Okay, like, what's today's date?

And I kind of messed up.

Today's the 12th, but okay, we're gonna do the 11th because it was yesterday.

Okay.

Keep adding 30, and then there's five chapters to choose from.

Okay?

So here's how it looks.

So yesterday was the 11th.

So quickly you just look.

11, 30 more is 41, 71.

Do you see why I'm just adding 30 that way?

Because how many?

There's a hundred and there's thirty days in a month.

And so there's about 115 verses, or 100 and that's not right.

150.

So it fits out where if you do 150, so there's three, there's five, and 30, 150.

See what I mean?

And now, there is the 31st.

I know someone's gonna ask on some of them.

He suggested just go through, there's a lot to read in ver in chapter 119.

So you could you could do a lot with that one itself.

So that would be for when there's 31.

But here's the idea.

There could be some, so if we took this today and we look through verse 11 and just skim through it.

And verse 41, verse 71, verse 101, and just as you're looking through it, oh, this is the one I want to pray today.

Okay?

You might enjoy this so much that you do all five.

Okay?

But today I would like to do this.

If you'll flip over in your Bibles, and I it's not on your papers, so if you don't have a Bible, look it up on your phone.

But if you'll flip over to Psalms 101.

Okay, before we do this though, I want to.

So today's the 12th, so if we pick these five, just like this said, now it would not hurt to say this.

You know what, God?

I'm gonna pray.

I'll never forget this is what my when I went to my dad, my dad's a pastor, when it was time, I wanted to marry Lisa.

And I went to my dad and I said, I think Lisa's the woman for me.

And I'll never forget.

Instead of him saying, Congratulations and slapping me on the back, he said, Did God give you a promise?

I'm like, what do you mean?

He said, Have you fasted over it?

He said, This is a serious decision.

What has God showed you on that?

So my dad, we went through it, and so I thought, okay, this is something I'm gonna do.

And I'll never forget, my dad said, the one thing you don't do is you don't look in the concord, you don't look in the back back here, and you find out how you want to answer it, and then you go find it in scripture.

My dad said, if you really trust God, where are you at in your quiet time?

Just keep reading.

You know what our God's big enough that he can take any book of the Bible if he wants to give you a promise, he can do it.

So the same thing here goes, don't manipulate it.

Let's just go through it.

If you want to do Psalms, if it's easier to you, do Psalms 1, Psalms 2, and just work your way through it, that's fine.

Psalms is a little bit easier because it's written as a song.

You can do it through all scripture, but Psalms is a little bit easier because it's written as a song, it's set up to lead into some of this.

So, like today's the 12th.

So if you want to do it this way, what would it be?

The 12th, 42, 72.

You see what I'm saying?

If it was the fifth, it'd be five, add 30, it'd be 35, 65, 95.

But don't let that.

Here, all we're doing today, the one thing, what we we what we want, don't get wrapped up in a lot of things.

But get wrapped up, get into God's word.

Trying it.

Okay?

So here's what I want to do.

We got some time.

I'm going to, so here's what we want to do.

I want I want to try this.

We did this at the men's deal.

And I'll just tell you this.

This room was full of about 200 men sitting in here, and the guy pulls out.

Now, this is about this is about 15 years ago.

He just had a timer deal.

But I'm going to, I'm going to set my timer.

He set his for 15 minutes.

And we just, whatever the day deal verse was, we just by ourselves, we just prayed through.

So right now we're going to stop right here and we're going to pray through Psalms 101.

If you get to rolling and you finish Psalms 101, grab another one of these and keep going.

You see what I'm saying?

But we did, I forget what Psalms we did, and when the timer went off, I thought, man, he messed his timer up.

I was only through verse 5.

It's just amazing.

So we want to stop right here and try it.

Okay?

So what we're going to do is just verse 101.

Um, just kind of what we talked, let the Lord drive it.

I'm on set by time.

Not that it's even timer-led, but if we don't, just to kind of get us there.

So let's just stop right now, take the next 15 minutes to just get in verse 101 and see where the Lord takes you in your prayer time.

Okay.

That was 15 minutes.

Um hopefully it wasn't the longest 15 minutes of your life, but real quick, we're about to go.

We got about 10 minutes left.

Anybody have any, I mean, anything to say about their time?

Did it seem to go fairly quick?

Did you end up praying for stuff that you hadn't thought of in a while just because the scripture led it to that?

And don't get me wrong, there's stuff heavy on our hearts all the time that we're going to probably, and whatever we do, it's going to come out.

But it does lead us to a different, a different thought process of letting the Lord lead through the prayer, through his word.

And so I just I think it's one of those deals that uh you if we can start it.

Again, the list we pray through, keep doing.

But if this is something, you know, maybe it is something that you start off setting a timer.

Uh he tells a story in his class that he does teach us as a class, in his seminary class.

And he says, so for one of the grades, they have to do it for four hours.

They have to do this for four hours.

And so they build up to it, and all the all of them, don't matter how spiritual are, four hours is a long time.

And it's always the time that they're all like, oh no, four hours.

So when the time comes, he said he's never had anyone wish they did not do it.

You know, and most of them do it past four hours.

Just because once you get into it, it's one of those where and think about this.

You did it 15 minutes here with people sitting around you.

Uh you can hear someone talking in there.

You know what I'm saying?

There's stuff going on, but but it did it.

So I want to just challenge you.

It's another way to look at it, another way to pray.

And so um, grateful that you're here.

It like I said, we have the notes to go through if you want those.

Practice it.

I'd like to know in a couple weeks what you think.

Is it something that that the Lord has drawn you to?

But you see how, and I think the more you do it to, the more your eyes are open to where the direction the Lord's trying to take you.

So um thank you for being here.

If there's something, questions, struggles about what we talked about tonight as you're getting into it, just got please feel free to ask.

We'll see you Sunday.

We pray this message has been a blessing to you and helped to strengthen your walk with Jesus.

Please know we want to minister to you and pray for you.

Send an email to contact us at fsfbc.org and let us pray for you and help you in any way we can.

Thank you for listening to chapter and first, the Bible teaching ministry of Fort Smith First Baptist Church.