Spiritual Progress — Tim Conway

Father, we come to You tonight. Lord, we are a weak lot. Lord, we serve a mighty God. And we call upon You. Lord, I don't know what's happened in this building. I know that this conference has been held here in past years.

But I don't know the history. And I don't know if the Gospel's been preached here on a regular basis. I don't know if You've filled this place. I don't know if this is a place of regular salvation. But I pray that it would be that.

I pray that it would be a place that You would inhabit. A place that You would fill with Your glory. Lord, please draw close to us. Draw close. I pray that these messages on leadership, Lord, use them.

We need leaders. We need pastors throughout New England. And I pray, Father, that as we're calling upon You, You would remember our brother Paul Snyder. Lord, he served You, poured out his life for these last years there in the jungles of Indonesia.

And I pray that You'd have mercy upon him. Lord, restore the functions. Restore his health. Allow him to serve You in the future. Allow him to return to the mission field at some point. Lord, Lord, we believe that You are the God who heals us.

We believe that You are a God of the miraculous. We believe that You do exceedingly abundantly beyond what we ask or think. And we believe that You put that in Scripture for a reason. Because You would have us to expect things from You that even go beyond our thinking and our expectation.

Father, please, amaze us. Amaze us in the life of Paul Snyder. Amaze us in the life of the church here in Portland and in the life of the Fellowship Conference here in New England. Amaze us, Father. Do such things in our midst.

Oh, Lord, when I come to this place, I think about praying Edward Payson. And when I think about him, I think how badly I pray that things would happen in Portland that would rival what happened in his day.

That we wouldn't simply read about past historical chapters in the Christian history books. But Lord, that You would do such things today in New England that would cause future generations to have more books written about.

Father, please, I pray in Christ's name, Amen. Is there a problem with the volume? Okay, well, brethren, over the next three days, we just had Clint Leiter at our church this past Lord's Day. And he brought a message from 1 Timothy 4 .15.

Spiritual Progress Through Prayer

Not that I want you to turn there. But Paul is encouraging Timothy. He's encouraging Timothy that he practice certain things, immerse himself in certain things, so that everybody might see his progress.

Progress in the Christian life. It's essential. God has not called us to stagnation, but to growth. You ever read those texts? More and more. There's supposed to be an increase. Can you think of any? Can you think of any verses that speak about more in the Christian life?

Anybody? What do you got? Strength to strength. Yes, that's a good verse. Strength to strength. You know the one I like? Is there in the Proverbs? You've got this idea that the Christian life... Is the Christian life in Scripture portrayed as starting out at noon and then night comes?

What do you think? Yes and no. Right? We have the Christian life like the rising of the sun until the fullness of day in the Proverbs, but then Jesus also said we need to work while it's day because the night is coming.

Both are accurate ways to look at the reality of the Christian life. Progress. Progress. I want to talk about progress on three fronts. Tonight, Lord willing, prayer. Tomorrow, perhaps Luke 16 and giving.

And then I think on Saturday, evangelism if the Lord will help. Now, look, if you've heard something of what I'm going to bring tonight, I would just ask you please hear it again. The main reason I want to preach to you on prayer from this text, I feel as much as anything is as a fresh reminder for myself.

In 2011, I preached not exactly what you're going to get tonight, but something similar. And I just feel like I need this again. Sunday morning, July 15th, not of this year, but in 1866, Charles Spurgeon preached a message called Order and Argument in Prayer.

Job’s Order and Argument Before God

The words that he spoke on that Sunday morning reached my ears not long after the Lord saved me back in 1990. I bought a little book called Twelve Sermons on Prayer by Charles Spurgeon. Order and Argument in Prayer.

He preached that morning from a text out of Job. And I want you to look at it. Turn in your Bibles to Job 23. Job 23, verses 3 and 4. Job. Job in all of his afflictions. Oh, that I knew where I might find Him.

That I might come even to His seat. I would lay my case. Or the King James Version says, I would order my cause. I would lay my case before Him. I'm reading from the ESV. I would lay my case before Him and fill my mouth with arguments.

And therefore, Spurgeon's title, Order and Argument in Prayer. Here's Job, an afflicted child of God. He doesn't pray to be healed. He doesn't pray, Lord, give me my children back. He prays what so often we feel in the depths of our soul.

Lord, I just want to find You. Job was praying. He was asking. He was seeking. But you know what? He wasn't finding his God. That's what he really wanted. Lord, come to me. Show me Your presence. He wanted to come before the high court of heaven is what he wanted to do and make such arguments as he was persuaded would hold weight with God.

You see, he was persuaded. However the book ends. You know how the book ends. But however it ended, here's what I know about Job. Job felt like he had a case to make. And he thought if just he could get a hearing from God, if God would just show up, that He could lay His case before him.

And you know what Spurgeon emphasized in that sermon? He emphasized that the manner in which Job approaches God ought to be our manner of approach when we pray. Spurgeon said this, some utter whatever sentences come rushing into their minds, like a herd of swine or a pack of hounds with little attention to what is said.

Now don't you wish you could do that? Spurgeon's imagery. Like a herd of swine or a pack of hounds. You ever think of people like that praying? Spurgeon thought like that. But we sit in prayer meetings, right?

We hear one another pray. And of course, we want to encourage people, don't worry about what other people think. But we do think things. And we listen. And some people's prayers are much more effectual in prayer meetings.

Have you ever been in a prayer meeting? How many of you have been in a corporate prayer meeting? I hope every hand. Some people when they pray, they stir you up, right? And some people want to put you to sleep.

Well, they don't want to put you to sleep, but they want to the way they pray. There are some people when they pray, it kills a prayer meeting. And there are other people when they pray, you get encouraged.

And your faith is stirred. That's a reality. And some people do. They just utter... Well, I've had to talk to some young Christians before. Just crazy. I mean, sometimes it's like I've had people in the church, they're praying and it's almost like they don't know what to say.

But here's the thing. Should we argue? Order an argument. That's what Job said. He wanted to fill his mouth with arguments. Clearly, this doesn't mean quarreling. It doesn't mean disagreement. What happens when a man comes to a court of law and he comes before a judge and he's got a jury over here?

He wants to argue his case. He wants to show you he's in the right. He wants to lay his evidence out there. He wants to make the case that he is in the right. Praying like that. That's sloppy prayer. Job says this several times.

Just stay right there. You don't need to turn to these. But in Job 13 .3, Job says, I would speak to the Almighty and I desire to argue my case with God. Again, in Job 13 .15, though He slay me, I will hope in Him, yet I will argue my ways to His face.

Now that's bold. When God shows up, Job is very humbled. He repents in dust and ashes. In Job 13 .18, behold, I have prepared my case. I know that I shall be in the right. And here's the thing, what Spurgeon recognized is that when he searched the pages of Old Testament Scripture, he found that it wasn't just Job who approached God this way.

He found that the ancient saints had a tendency, they had a habit, they had this approach to God where they were careful in presenting their argument. They didn't just pray haphazardly. Now look, there are times, yes, there are times when it's necessary to rush before God.

There's times when we need to pray. We need to lift our voice. There's an emergency at hand. But would you just rush into a court of law without any forethought about making your case just on the spur of a moment?

Unprepared? Sloppy? Ordinarily, as a rule, we shouldn't come before the King of kings unprepared, thoughtless, and unorganized. Listen to Spurgeon. See yonder priest? He has a sacrifice to offer, but he does not rush into the court of the priests and hack at the bullock with the first poleaxe upon which he can lay his hand.

But when he rises, he washes his feet at the brazen laver. He puts on his garments and adorns himself with his priestly vestments. Then he comes to the altar with his victim properly divided according to the law and is careful to do according to the command.

And he takes the blood in a bowl and pours it in an appropriate place at the foot of the altar, not throwing it just as it may occur to him, and kindles the fire, not with the common flame, but with the sacred fire from off the altar.

Our spiritual sacrifices should be offered with holy carefulness. God forbid that our prayer should be a mere leaping out of one's bed, kneeling down, saying anything that comes to hand. On the contrary, may we wait upon the Lord with holy fear and sacred awe.

So anyway, I'm done by and large with telling you about Spurgeon and preaching that message. But I'll tell you this, that sermon impacted my own prayer life and has. It stayed with me for the last... I'll be saved 30 years in 2020.

So I'm closing in on three decades. And probably in my prayer life, that sermon of Spurgeon's has had one of the greatest impacts on my own prayer life. I want to give you some examples. And back in 2011 when I preached this, I had my oldest daughter Charity in mind.

Prayer Without Order: The Careless Approach

I thought maybe I would use one of my daughters again as an example. A daughter, I have two of them here, I can relate to this. Daughters asking me for something. And I want to use them as an example as to what I mean by order and argument in prayer.

What does that look like? Think with me here. First, let's consider a careless, laxadaisical approach. Here's what I want to put on the table. Both of my daughters have bank accounts that are attached to mine.

I can put funds in there or take funds out whenever necessary. They would probably rather I didn't take funds out at times. But let's just suppose one of my daughters wants me to take some money from my checking account and transfer it over to their checking account.

In fact, let's be very specific. My daughter would like me to give her $300 from my account and transfer it over to hers. So that's what's on the table here. Now think with me here. Because this all has to do with prayer.

This has to do with how we approach the Lord. Think about this. The laxadaisical approach. I'm talking about no order and argument. I'm talking about my daughter wants me to put money in her account. She runs by me one day when I come home.

She comes out of the kitchen. She passes by and kind of mumbles to me something under her breath about I want some money. That's all she says. She doesn't even wait for an answer. She just goes past up the stairs.

That's how some people pray. They don't really look for an answer. At some prayer meetings, I hear people pray and I really wonder, do they have a burden about that? I know a lot of the prayers that go up at our church, people do have burdens for those.

And sometimes they go up because the prayer request came out in our prayer meeting. People heard there was a request and they loved that brother or sister and even though they might not know about it specifically, they pray for it.

But some people, I'm afraid, they pray with no expectation. What would you think of that? My daughter goes past me. She asks for $300, just kind of mumbles it, and doesn't even engage me. No eye contact.

She goes up the stairs. I never hear about it again. What would you think about that? I just ask you, consider your own prayers. How many of them are like that? Where you throw something up to the Lord, no expectation that He's really going to come through.

You pray about it one time, you lay it before the Lord, why? Why would you even pray it? Well, you got to pray about something. You just kind of put filler in there. None of that. That's not order and argument.

The Laundry-List Approach to Prayer

Let's go to a second example. How about the laundry list approach? You ever heard in a prayer meeting, maybe you've been guilty of this. You just pray one thing after, give me this, give me this, give me that, give me that.

I mean, imagine this. Let's run through this scenario again. I come home. My daughter walks by me. This time she doesn't go past and go upstairs, never. She makes eye contact with me, and it's just basically, Dad, I want a phone, I want a car, I want food, I want candy, I want a cell phone, I want money, I want my own room, I want clothes, I want this.

That's how some people pray. There's no order in argument. It's just the laundry list approach. Many pray like that. Asking for every conceivable thing that we want, have wanted, might want, but no case for any of it is made.

Now look, I'm going to show you that this is a very biblical way to pray, to make your case, to lay your arguments out there. I'm going to show you that it is. So far, I've talked about Spurgeon. I'm giving the examples.

But I'm going to take you to Scripture, so you just hold on. But let's go back to the scenario again with my daughter. How about the use of my name excessively approach? Can you imagine if one of my daughters came to me, and you were there, you were witnessing this.

You came in the door with me, and my daughter, she comes up and she says, Dad, please, Dad, put some money, Dad, oh, Dad, please, Dad. Dad, can I have some money, Dad, put in my account? Have you ever heard people pray like that?

They use God's name like ten times in every single sentence. I wonder whether that's vain repetition. Using God's name in vain. What is that? That sounds like you don't know what you're praying for. You have no case to make.

And you're just putting filler in using God's name. Or, how about this? The unnatural approach. Now, I don't know about the circles here, but I know that when I was first saved, I kind of cut my teeth in some of the Reformed Baptist circles.

And I would hear men pray in a whole different tone than what they normally spoke in. You ever heard that? I mean, could you imagine if you came in with me and my daughter comes up and she just in some unnatural tone, oh, Father, I would like You to put some money in the account if it be Your will.

Could you imagine that? You'd look at me, what's wrong with your daughter? There are Christians that pray that way. It's like, be yourself when you pray to the Lord. In my estimation, you get these, oh, if it be Your will, all these ifs and unnatural tones.

That speaks to me more unbelief and hypocrisy than anything. The unnatural approach. Artificial tones. Repeated ifs. Ifs. If. If it be Your will. If it be Your will. Look, I know we need to be surrendered to God's will.

But I hear the ifs so often. George Mueller said this, in my younger years, I had a good many ifs, but those are all gone. I know that the Lord has the means at His command to answer all my prayers if I come believing, asking in the name of Christ.

I mean, we need boldness. Boldness. Not a bunch of ifs. Like, is God going to do it? Or is He not going to do it? I mean, we need the boldness of Jacob. I am not going to let you go until you bless me.

Directness and Specificity in Prayer

I'm going to get this blessing. How about the roundabout approach? You say, what do you mean by that? Well, I mean this. Where somebody's praying for something, but you hardly know what they're praying for or who they're praying about.

I mean, if I walk in and one of my daughters says, oh, Father, I would like to come into Your presence and ask You to consider showing certain favor and blessing. Please grant such mercies as I now petition Thee for.

You know, I will go back to Spurgeon in a second. Somewhere I saw, I think this is in his lectures to his students, there was a guy preaching at the Metropolitan Tabernacle. And I think it was a young guy.

And he was opening the service and he was praying. And Spurgeon actually finally went up to him and laid hold on his arm and stopped him from praying and said, son, just ask your heavenly Father for something.

You remember Abraham? Oh, that Ishmael might live before you. There it is. You know the name. You know what he wants. To the point. Don't beat around the bush. Extra words and excess and eloquence. But you say, yeah, but you're making a case to make these arguments before God.

Is that useless? No, I'm going to show you that is not useless. And that is not a waste of time. But let's be distinct about what we want. What we want. Be distinct. Say what you mean. Mean what you say.

I mean, what I want for my daughter is, Dad, I want $300. Would you please put $300 in my account? Now, the order and argument approach. Let's look at this. My daughter. My daughter comes to me. Maybe she says, Daddy.

Not bad to use some affection, right? That goes a long way. Can we pray, Abba, Father, if one of them said, Daddy? Very distinct. To the point. I'd like You to put $300 in my account. Dad, I have an internship and I'm taking college classes.

The internship I'm not going to be paid for. And, Dad, I'm broke. You know what? That holds some weight. We're a broke people. That's a good place. I'm poor. I can't do this myself. I'm out of resources.

And she's giving me all the reasons. Mom thinks it's a good idea. And, Dad, you wanted me to take the internship. You wanted me to go to school. And now that I'm doing that, I had to quit that other job where I was making money.

Dad, you know I have a car and I need to put gas in. Dad, you don't want me riding around on fumes all the time. Plus, I'll be able to do some kind things for other people. And you go through... Daddy, I'll be able to help others.

Dad, you said... that's powerful. Dad, you said that if I went to school and I couldn't work and I got into financial difficulties, you said you'd help me. You remember that? Just laying the arguments out there, one after another.

Dad, knowing how generous you are, that's a good one. Dad, my friends will know how generous you are. You see, just bringing out the hammer of prayer and you whack that same nail and you drive it down deep.

That's what I'm talking about. Now listen, if we make progress in our praying, we'll make progress at this point. How to approach the Lord. See, this has to do with... the Lord said that you don't have because you don't ask.

But I'm thinking that the lackadaisical approach is not the kind of asking that God has in mind. Or the abundant, flippant use of His name. Or laundry list approach. There's something about laying out an argument when you go to the Lord.

Laying out your case. And I want you to see this. I want you to see this in Scripture. Go to Exodus 32 please. Exodus 32. I want you to see Moses. I want you to see how Moses... you know what Moses encountered.

Moses Pleads for God’s People

He encountered the Lord God on different occasions ready to wipe out and annihilate the Hebrew children out there in the wilderness. Why? Their repeated stiff-necked attitude. Their repeated sin. Their repeated...

They spurned God over and over. They rebelled from one day to the next. And I'll tell you, when Moses came along, he didn't just say, mumbling as he went by God, oh, please don't destroy them. And then never looked for any answer.

He didn't give just a laundry list. Oh, Lord, would You please make sure that our shoes don't wear out? Would You please make sure that fiery serpents don't come up out of the sand? Would You please make sure we have enough water?

Would You please make sure that the manna doesn't stop? That wasn't it because that wasn't what was on his mind at that point in time. He was singular. He brought out that hammer and he had one thing in mind.

Lord, don't destroy Your people. And he laid his case out. And I want you to see it, because if you see it and it grabs you, it will help you pray. Look at this. Exodus 32 .7. This is what I want to start reading.

Classic example from our Bibles of order and argument in prayer. This is huge. If you grasp this, it will alter your prayer life. Notice this. In v. 7, the Lord said to Moses, go down, for your people whom you brought up out of the land of Egypt have corrupted themselves.

They've turned aside quickly out of the way that I commanded them. They have made for themselves a golden calf and have worshipped it and sacrificed to it and said these are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt.

And the Lord said to Moses, I have seen this people. Behold, it's a stiff-necked people. Now therefore, let Me alone that My wrath may burn hot against them and I may consume them in order that I may make a great nation of you.

Now notice, here is where Moses prays. Notice. Brothers and sisters, this was recorded for us. Have you ever gone to 1 Corinthians 10? Let me ask you this. 1 Corinthians 10, why does the Apostle Paul say that these things were written?

For upon whom what? The end of the ages. That's us. These things were written for us. God wants to teach us. Don't go back there and say well, that's some Old Testament thing. That is a New Testament thing.

That is for the people upon whom the ends of the age have come, the ends of the world. That's us. God wants to teach us. Notice Moses' approach. But Moses implored the Lord his God. Now notice what he said.

This is what you want to know. This is what you want to learn from. Why does your wrath burn hot against? Just capture these two words. Your people. Did you notice what God said back in v. 7? Moses, go down for your people.

You catch that? God says Moses, they're your people. Well, Moses comes back and says, Lord, they're Your people. I love that. I love that. That is powerful. Brethren, when we pray to say if you're praying for somebody and they're a child of God, Lord, they're Your people.

Or if you're praying for yourself, I am your child. I am one of Your people. That holds tremendous weight when it comes to prayer. I don't want you to turn to this passage. I want you to stay right here.

You've got to stay here in Exodus. But listen to me. Listen to this. In John 16 .26, Jesus said, in that day... He's talking to His disciples. He's talking to us. In that day, and that would be today.

In that day, you will ask in My name. Jesus is saying this to His disciples. You will ask in My name. I do not say to you that I will ask the Father on your behalf. What? Jesus is saying, you're going to pray, and I'm not saying I'm going to ask on your behalf.

He's not denying He's an intercessor. But what's He saying? I'm not saying I'm going to ask the Father on your behalf. For the Father Himself loves you. You hear what our Lord's saying? That holds weight.

Scripture says, Father, You love Me. Powerful to plead that. I was talking about people that use the name of God like vainly repetitious. But it is not vain repetition when you say, Abba, Father. And you use that name with purpose.

Because you're using it because you know the meaning behind it. You used to be a rebel. You used to be separate when you knew not God is how Scripture speaks. He was not your Father. He was not your God.

To come to Him and say, I am one of Your people. You are my God. That holds tremendous weight. Moses turns that thing. Lord, they are Your people. I've never forgotten a prayer of Spurgeon's. Somewhere else.

Again, I think this comes from his lectures. Listen to him. He says, when I was wracked some months ago with pain, and you know he had gout and a number of issues, he was wracked with pain to an extreme degree so that I could no longer bear it without crying out.

I asked all to go out from my room and leave me alone. And then I had nothing I could say to God but this, Thou art my Father, and I am Thy child. And Thou, as a Father, art tender and full of mercy. I could not bear to see my child suffer as Thou makest me suffer.

And if I saw my child tormented as I am now, I would do what I could to help him and put my arms under him to sustain him. Wilt Thou hide Thy face from me, my Father? Wilt Thou still lay on a heavy hand and not give me a smile from Thy countenance?

So I pleaded, and I ventured to say when I was quiet, and everybody came back who watched me, he was confident to say to them, I shall never have any such pain again from this moment, for God has heard my prayer.

I bless God that ease did come and the wracking pain never returned. That is powerful. My Father. Notice Exodus. Let's go back here. Plead that. We're Your people. We're Your church. We've been bought by the blood of Your Son.

Pleading God’s Past Faithfulness

Powerful. Here's a second one. Notice Moses. Verse 11. Moses implored the Lord his God and said, O Lord, why does Your wrath burn hot against Your people whom You have brought out of the land of Egypt with great power and with a mighty hand?

You see what he's arguing now? First, it was they're Your people. Now he's arguing the past. Have you ever heard this? Notice when David said, hide not Your face from me. Turn not Your servant away in anger.

O You who have been my help, cast me not off. You have been my help! As much as to say, You've helped me thus far. You've delivered me from time and time again, Lord. Why would You do that? If You intend to bring me out this far and forsake me.

Lord, You helped me. You helped me along. You provided. You were there. You sustained. You encouraged me. Why have You brought me through so many dangers, toils, and snares like Bunyan said? Only to what are You going to forsake me now in this situation?

Look, that's a powerful argument because God doesn't change in His purposes. If He's been faithful thus far with you, He will be faithful with you to the end. What a thing to argue. Lord, You've brought me to this place.

Why? Only to put me to shame now? Far be it from the Lord. He never turns. The past is a mighty plea. Lord, You brought these people out of Egypt. You had mercy upon them then. Notice this, v. 12. Why should the Egyptians say?

Pleading for God’s Reputation and Glory

You want a third reason? God cares about what the Egyptians will say. Held weight. And Moses doesn't use it just once. You know, we're surrounded by Egyptians. We are surrounded by God-haters. We are surrounded by people who mock and scoff at your God.

I remember one time way back in the very early days of our church, we came to the east side of San Antonio. And I remember one day we were out, we were evangelizing, we were going past the Salvation Army.

There's a park there and a lot of the homeless guys that stay in the shelter there, they hang out in this park. And I specifically, I've never forgotten, there was a man sitting at a bench. And he looked at us with contempt.

And he said, he was African-American. And he's looking at us as though we've come from another part of the city to this east side. And he just said with contempt, you're never going to change the inner city.

You're never going to change the east side. And I told him, you're right. We're not. But our God is. That the Lord cares about. Have you ever read in Scripture when our Lord Himself was praying? John 17.

He's praying to His Father. And do you know what He prayed? He prayed this. He prayed He and the Father and the Father in Him and they may become perfectly one so that the world may know that the Father sent the Son and loved those disciples even as the Father loved Christ.

That the world may know. I find this very interesting. Several years back, I preached messages and I have from time to time preached on those seven churches in Asia Minor. Have you ever noticed Philadelphia?

They were one of the faithful churches. Nothing negative said to them. And Jesus said this, He said there are these people who claim to be Jews, but they are not. They call themselves a synagogue. He calls it a synagogue of Satan.

They claim to be Jews. They were not Jews. And you know what Jesus said? He said the day is coming when those physical Jews are going to fall down at the feet of Christians. And Jesus said they're going to know I loved you.

It's like God is concerned about what people think. Notice Moses. Why should the Egyptians say with evil intent did He bring them out to kill them in the mountains and to consume them from the face of the earth?

Turn from your burning anger and relent from this disaster against your people. In another place, Moses said this. He said to the Lord, the Egyptians will hear of it. God said I'm going to strike them with pestilence and disinherit them.

And Moses said if you do that, the Egyptians will hear of it. You brought this people in your might from among those Egyptians. And if you do this, if you destroy these people, the Egyptians are going to tell the inhabitants of this land.

He's talking about Canaan. They've heard that you, O Lord, are in the midst of this people. For You, O Lord, are seen face to face. Your cloud stands over them and You can go before them in a pillar of cloud by day, in a pillar of fire by night.

If You kill this people as one man, the nations who have heard of Your fame will say, you know why? You know why? It's because God wasn't able. I'll tell you this. God has concern for the glory of His reputation and honor.

And you can pray that. I have often remembered those man's words. Lord, that guy scoffed at the ability to transform the east side of San Antonio. Lord, remember his words. You're not a god like the god of the nations.

You're not like the Egyptian gods. You're not like the god of Catholicism. You're not like the god of this easy believism out here. You are the true and the living God. Lord, arise! Your name depends upon it.

Very powerful way to pray. Fourth, we want to argue God's promises. Notice this. Exodus 32 .13. Remember. Oh, that holds weight with the Lord. Father, remember what You have said. Men may be liars. Not our God.

Pleading God’s Promises

If He has said it, He is going to do it. Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, Your servants, to whom You swore by Your own self and said to them, I will multiply Your offspring as the stars of heaven and all this land that I have promised I will give to Your offspring and they shall inherit it forever.

Oh, this is big. Promise. Promise. Search your Bibles to learn to pray right. When you read the Bible, there's many things that we should learn. There's many things we should perceive. There's many ways to be admonished or be encouraged.

But when you read your Bibles, be thinking about promises that you can take to God and plead. We should give the Lord no rest whatsoever when we seek something from Him that He promised to give. Moses is saying this, Lord, if You kill all these people, Your promise is going to be brought into question.

Lord, I've often thought, Lord, You have said the Gospel is the power of God unto salvation. But if we don't see any people saved, where's the proof of that? Lord, Your promise is going to be brought into question.