Encouraging Prayer - The Giant Of Despair

Hey this is Jim Graham from the masculine dirty podcast where we explore relationship instead a religion every week your chosen Truth Network podcast is starting in just a few seconds. Enjoy it, share it, but most of all, thank you for listening you for choosing The Truth Podcast Network. This is the Truth Network encouraging prayer, God offers an open invitation for his people to talk with him at any time about anything encouraging prayer Dr. James Banks, author of the best-selling and many other books on prayer provides weekly biblical insight help you learn to love and now today encouraging to talk about a man who locked up in a dungeon by John the name of that giant was despair and each night, on the advice of his wife. The giant would beat the man with the club.

This went on for some time, but James, I know you noticed a race that you take it from here.

The man wasn't alone in the dungeon.

He was there with his friend Opal, but it's Not happening to both of them matter what it is called Happening to them both. Several nights until one night the man whose name was Christian realized he had a key that would open any lock and the key was called promise and he basically says wait a minute, we could've gotten out of here a long time ago and in here and hopefully use the key and they escaped how this story sounds familiar to you. It's from book progress and change your telling me this has a great application for us when were struggling to break it really dropped the giant despair catches Christian and hopeful after they wander from the path and of course this is an allegory there on the way to the celestial city there on their way to heaven, but just think about what happens when when we wander from following Jesus and go on our own way and willfully sin.

We may think were fine at first but sooner or later we end up with despair and despair will lock you up and beat you mercilessly mean just think about how her adversary the devil uses our sins and mistakes against us.

He keeps us stuck on what we've done by reminding us over and over and over again. My finger just right this minute I couldn't get over how stupid stupid is like beating us up with the same thoughts over and over again.

Maybe you should tell our listeners a Robbie caught his finger in a hedge trimmer. Yes, this you know I really think this was Bunyan's point here. If it were honest, we've all been there. This is and this is where we really need to talk about praying if it's hard to pray when your mind is filled with condemning thoughts about the ways that that you've blown it and and you know how you should have done things differently if it's hard to pray like that sure is.

Wonder if your faith is really genuine on meaning receiving know the Lord and that really is despair.

So let's talk about pray when you feel that way when you send, and you know it you've repented of your sin you've asked God to forgive you but you still feel like you're locked up and despairs dungeon and it seems like God is far, far away. A practical part of the Christian life because again we've all been there and again the way the Christian gets out is is with the key called promise and just the name of that key is a reminder that our salvation is a gift from God that it's based entirely on his promises, if I remember correctly the name of that castle is doubting Castle right into giant's wife's name was dissident someone who just doesn't care and I think the point all of this is is that we can end up in some really difficult places we go our own way, but it is a special event after we turned back we confess our sin and ask for God's forgiveness that we have to believe in his promises to us.

We have to remember that our salvation is a gift from him entirely through his grace, not something we earn on our own.

That really is the promise that gets his, yet is I was reading one of your newsletters to a friend, not just today and in Newton is talking about how we can fall into sin, even though we believe and we can be surprised at what Finis but Newton looks at God and says here's a quote he sees us from first to last thousand evils arise in our heart thousand wrongs in our conduct, and perhaps that sometimes we were ready to think we weren't capable of such things, but none of them are new to him, past, present and future are the same. The foresight of them did not prevent his calling us by his grace, while in other words, God knew you know how we would mess up even before we saved us, and it didn't prevent him from doing a comforting thought is an knowing how we would mess up didn't keep God from loving us to begin with. It didn't keep him from giving us his son and calling us to himself and we struggle with praying after we've sin. After we confess your sins and and and repented, as we been talking about.

We need to take our eyes off of ourselves and put them on God's promise of salvation and everything that comes with it because he really is that good and we really are that love sometimes when we pray, and it seems like God is so far away he's he's actually closer than we think. It's just that our eyes have been on ourselves so long and the best thing we can do then is to look to him and take a step of faith and keep on praying. Keep on moving toward him and we need to seek his face and in every step of faith is just a step away from doubting Castle as you get closer to him on what a beautiful thought. And you know further away from giant despair.

That's right, we might not feel like much of the Christian you know the devil will keep reminding us of that as long as he can feeding us with thoughts about how weekly Bento stupid we've been, what a hypocrite. Are you sure you didn't say in the whole nine we know it right just like we need to step out of doubting Castle and praise God for who he is, for his mercy and long suffering and kindness to us.

These are the things that he's promised. This is who he is. We need to take that step of faith toward him and just love him for all that he is all of his goodness and kindness to us and keep on going until finally reached the celestial city a man select. Let's pray that will stay on that road by the grace of God, pray father, help us. Thank you that you would not leave us in despair. Thank you that you love us and and that you knew before you even called us our own weaknesses and years you called a scale. Thank you for being our praise Jesus, hear more from Pastor James by visiting the website James Banks.org or by visiting these church in Durham, North Carolina.

May God bless you and encourage you to pray.

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