You have to have heart. ( Psalm 86 v 12 )

It is recorded that David Livingstone died praying on his knees , Daniel prayed three times a day on his knees , and was condemned to death because of it. I usually pray  sitting down, many years ago I always prayed on my knees,but my knees began to hurt,so I sit when I pray, there are times I still pray on my knees,but during my daily walk I pray. Prayer demands a right attitude ,of reverence,whither we kneel ,walk,or sit, it goes without saying, that for the Christian prayer is vital,we need to pray, pray , pray.Our relationship with God is vital,and prayer is a vital part of it, John Burton wrote                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    I often say my prayers,                                                                                                                               But do I ever pray?                                                                                                                                     And do the wishes of my heart,                                                                                                                 Go with the words I say?                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               For words without the heart,                                                                                                                     The Lord will never hear;                                                                                                                           Nor will He to those lips attend                                                                                                                 Whose prayers are not sincere.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       Lord teach me what I need                                                                                                                         And teach me how to pray;                                                                                                                         And do not let me seek Thy grace                                                                                                             Not meaning what I say.

Inward assurance. ( Philippians 3 v 4 - 11 )

John Stott writing on John Wesley says he was an example of many religious people who are in bondage to their religion.He became a member of what was know as the Holy Club,he was the son of a clergyman ,like his father he became a clergyman.He was orthodox in belief,religious in practice,upright in conduct and full of good works . He and his friends visited the inmates of a local prison, and work-house at Oxford. They took pity on the slum children, providing them with food, clothing and education.They observed Saturday as the Sabbath as well as Sunday.They went to church and to Holy Communion. They gave to the poor,searched the scriptures,fasted and prayed. But they were bound in the fetters of their own religion, fot they were trusting in themselves that they were righteous,instead of putting their trust in Jesus Christ and Him crucified. Later on he did in his own words, came to 'trust in Christ',in Christ only for salvation' and was given an inward                     assurance that his sins had been taken away.He later wrote of  his pre- conversion experience' I had even then the faith of a servant, though not that of a son'                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             John Stott                                                                                                                                Christianity is a religion of sons, not slaves.

Weakness. ( 2 Corinthians 12 v 9 )

I have a friend who is a very bright Christian, he is practically house bound,but he suffers from mental illness, he has a friend who works, who is very capable yet he suffers from mental illness, he also is a very bright Christian. I was listening to a man ministering on You Tube, he told of a man he visited,who was paralysed from the neck down for the last nine years.he was a minister, and although he is paralysed,he spoke of the wonderful fellowship he had with the Lord,in spite of his disability, he has prepared Bible courses for many churches.In spite of these people having difficulties,God has sustained and blessed them. Being a Christian does not mean one will not suffer ,Job that very godly man suffered  tremendously ,Paul one of the greatest of the apostles ,wrote of his infirmities ,of his thorn in the flesh,and Timothy suffered stomach trouble , and frequent illnesses. Irrespective of the difficulties we have ,and restrictions they may bring, God can enable us to still shine for Him,and  glorify Him.Annie J.Flint experienced many difficulties in her life, she was wheel chair bound owning to severe arthritis as she grew older,yet out of suffering,she wrote poetry,a favourite one is called, 'He giveth more grace                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                He giveth more grace,when the burdens grow greater,                                                                              He sendeth more strength more  ,when the labours increase                                                                    To addeth afflictions, He addeth His mercy,                                                                                              To multiplied trials,, His multiplied peace.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    When we have exhausted our stores of endurance,                                                                                    When our strength has failed ere the day is half done,                                                                              When we reach the end of our hoarded resources,                                                                                     Our Father's full giving is only begun.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           His love has no limit, His grace has no measure,                                                                                       His power no boundary known unto men,                                                                                                 For out of His infinite riches in Jesus,                                                                                                       He giveth, and giveth, and giveth again.

And I prayed. ( Jude v 24 - 25 )

I was walking one morning , praying as I walked, asking God to lead me not into temptation, to deliver me from all evil,and to have clean heart,I pray this most days, it is not vain repetition, but the earnest prayer of my heart.And as I prayed, the words from 1 Peter 1 v 5 came into my mind,''Kept by the power of God'',they brought great comfort and assurance to my heart.Later I was reading C.H.Spurgeon , who was writing on repentance, here is part of what he wrote,'' True mourning for sin will make us very jealous over our tongue, lest it should say a wrong word;we shall be very watchful over our daily actions, lest in anything we offend, and each night we shall close the day with painful confessions of shortcoming, and each morning awaken with anxious prayers, that this day God  would hold us up that we may not sin against Him''.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          His love in times past,                                                                                                                                Forbids me to think                                                                                                                                    He'll leave me at last                                                                                                                                  In troubles to sink;                                                                                                                                      Each sweet Ebenezer                                                                                                                                  I have in review                                                                                                                                          Confirms His good pleasure                                                                                                                      To help me quite through.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     (John Newton )                                                                                                                             

Lost and found. ( Luke 15 v 11 - 25 )

It is great when you find  something important that you have lost,I know a man and he used  a cash dispenser ,and he walked away, leaving his card in the dispenser. Well you can imagine the panic when he discovered it was lost, the bank with the dispenser was in a large shopping complex which he was still in.So he ran back to the bank,when he arrived at the bank , he explained to a lady what had happened,well she explained that if the  card is left in the dispenser ,it draws it back in..Well to that mans relief, the card was recovered, and nothing had been taken out of his account.Yes loosing something valuable is  not nice,but finding ,it is a relief. You know what the Bible tells  us, everyone on the whole of planet earth is lost,and  God does not like that, for it is very serious, it has awful consequences for all of us.And so God did a wonderful, wonderful thing,because He loved this old world so very much,He sent Jesus,to rescue, the likes of you and me.And when he finds those who are lost heaven has a  big party,because He has saved them,and they will not be going to the place were lost souls go.                                                                                                                                                                                      We're all like sheep  who've wandered                                                                                                       off  and gotten lost                                                                                                                                                       Isaiah 53 v 6.                                                                                                                                                         

Justification . ( Galatians 2 v 17 - 21 )

There are people who challenge Christian when they say they are saved ,by saying, so that means you can live whatever way you want.That is so far from the truth, it is John Stott  in his book on Galatians who writes the following on being Justified freely by God, when a person puts their faith in Jesus to be their Saviour .But first an short explanation on the meaning of justification, it is a legal term borrowed from the courts. When we put our faith in Jesus as Saviour we are declared not guilty, no longer are we condemned,no longer are we lost,no long are we under  the wrath of God. C P Romans 5 v 1.Now let us consider what John Stott has to say that this weakens a mans sense of  moral responsibility.  ''We are justified in Christ ....united to Christ by faith. And someone who is united to Christ is never the same person again. Instead, he is changed. It is not just his standing before God which  has changed; it is he himself- radically , permanently changed. To talk of going back to the old life , and even sinning as he pleases, is frankly impossible.  He has become a new creation and begun a new life''

Despair turned to hope, ( Psalm 42 )

Imagine what it is like for many people who are driven from their homes ,and from their homeland, to end up in a country,with nothing.This is nothing new for it happened to the people of Judah to those we would call the people of God.The world power at the time was Babylon,they conquered what was left of the nation,destroying  Jerusalem,and the temple.They had been warned time and time again to change their dreadful wicked ways,and turn to their God,but they wouldn't ,so eventually it happened. So they would spend the next 70yrs in Babylon, here is how they felt in words from Psalm 137.                                                                                                                                                                                              By the rivers of Babylon                                                                                                                            There we sat down, yea ,we wept                                                                                                              When we remembered Zion.                                                                                                                      We hung our harps,                                                                                                                                    Upon the willows in the midst of it.                                                                                                          For those who carried us away captive                                                                                                      ask of us a song.                                                                                                                                        And those who plundered us requested mirth,                                                                                          Saying,  '' Sing us one of the songs of Zion.                                                                                                                                                                                                  Sad words,words of hopelessness, their world lay in ruins, yet into that situation, came words from God through the prophet Jeremiah,could it be that these words are for you/?,here is what they said.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                For I know the thoughts that I think  towards                                                                                            you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and                                                                                                not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.                                                                                                              Jeremiah 29 v 11.