“Get Up You Bum!”

Why not want chicken maybe it's not the get for your family but it is the perfect gift for poor family ninja chicken can break the cycle of poverty for poor family yes chicken chickens and provide nourishment for family and they can sell mosaics at the market for income when you donate a chicken or any other gospel for Asian 1% of what you give goes to the field and get the ball went gospel fundraiser to support family of Jesus family this Christmas and give them six explanation see chickens and camping got off for people to talk with him anytime about anything urgent prayer. Dr. James sewing and many other books on prayer provides weekly insight help you learn to mom about things before we went on a few bomb encouraging prayer life may be better explained that all right boxing movie you imagine that the boxers down the rough starts with global long count counting the canned in the trainer experiment on the side you like Burgess Meredith from Rocky movies of the trainer from Cinderella Man one of my favorite movie in any start shouting something like get you going to let that knock you down right back over this talking kind of think of me of that ugly hard-nosed boxing trainer encouraging you to get back in the ring with you. Chris complexly but I think you're onto something here. I mean, we really need this because we face when facing serious adversity. When we pray exactly right wing of the devil can keep us from prayer he can defeat us on so many levels because then you got us living in our own strength instead of God, that's really true.

You know the devil will try to overpower us and discourage us in so many ways, but we still have it in us to win, not in our strength.

But in God's and that's where prayer matters so much and now I hear believers admit all the time that they're not really good at praying you right now. I mean II did to hear that all the time and that's why this is again up you bum, talk you might not be very good at praying, but what you know you just can acquit you lie down and take it, or even fight back if you receive Jesus if his spirit is working you.

You have it in you to win so it really depends on what you're emphasizing, exactly. I mean if you're looking at yourself in the number of times you mess up when it comes to prayer and allow that to keep you discouraged.

It's hard to win that way but I was reading something this past week I found so encouraging my friend David Beatty.

Another pastor whom you know recommended a book of John Newton's letters to me John Newton. You may recall, was the author of amazing grace and has an amazing story. Mimi was a sailor and slave trader and then the Lord saved him and he later became a pastor involved in abolishing slavery from the British Empire right right and in in in this letter he tells another pastor friend who's been writing about his own difficulty praying. I think I could match you overmatched.

You, on coldness and wanderings in secret prayer, but in prayer.

I am to confess my sins and depravity, which I could not honestly do unless I felt I mean wow. There's a lot there. First, a strong believer like Newton saying he finds prayer tough sometimes but then he also says what he does about it he confesses it tells God about it and keeps on going. There is a good thing and that you know we were mindful of our own weaknesses, so, so he wants to keep his focus though and all of that on on God and of our prayer is going to be real and move the heart of God it to be that way you know you think about it's got to be humble if we come to God saying I'm such a prayer warrior really careful.

But if we come humbly confessing any sin in our hearts and minds, mindful of our dependence on him and everything. Then then that will bring the right way and that's actually one of the reasons why Newton was such a powerful believer in that same letter he mentioned a poem he wrote about struggling with prayer and look it up and these are some of the things he says is a point I long to know.

Often it causes anxious thought. Do I love the Lord, are no my his or am I not pray or hear or read sin is mixed with all I do you that love the Lord indeed tell me is thus with you. There's a lot more to it.

But man what an honest poem you know and and and hands with these words. It's a prayer, let me love the more and more if I love it all. I pray if I have not loved before. Help me to begin today by praying hard even though I'm a bum I want to belong to you. I really do.

So help me to get up get up and keep praying. That's right because here's the thing. If we belong to Jesus. His spirit is going to be at work within us, to show us how much we need him every day and how the battle really is in history and in our adversary the devil will try to discourage us in some of those same places, emphasizing our weakness.

You know but but this is never an excuse to keep on sinning to keep on and that weakness God is faithful and and we have to keep going. Keep praying, asking him to help us love him more and the beautiful thing is he always will and I like what you said earlier about this. We have it in us to win because he's right there and he'll never leave us.

And that's an important point here. If we are maturing in our faith and getting closer Jesus, as we walk with him through life were going to become more aware of those moments where we can do better know because our hearts will become more sensitive to him� Very think Newton is writing about him and what he goes through shows us how we can live more independently on Jesus in the moment and grow in our praying.

You know you feel weak in your brain. Just talk to God about it.

Go right there right now you know because he's faithful we can really make progress so it's not just its rise up you child of God exactly put it rise up oh Church of God have done with lesser things give heart mind and soul and strength to serve the King of Kings.

Keep your eyes on him. Keep going. Keep praying and you will overcome strength. Thanks James. Let's pray that we do just that. Jesus, I'm encouraged to just say help me Lord, you know I struggle with the same wondering in not getting on plane and all these things that we've been describing today. Beautiful thing is I know you can come through and I know you you want us to be closer and he wants to have that relationship help us all to grow and that that we might be like others to share amazing fellowship with Jesus name, amen. Hear more from Pastor James by visiting the website. James bank.org or by visiting these church in Durham, North Carolina. May God bless you and encourage you to pray