"That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved" (Romans 10:9). Notice it does not say that if you believe that Jesus died for your sins you will be saved. It says if you believe He died and is now alive, and in that "aliveness" you make Him your Lord.

"Saved" is a word that means to make whole and to save from destruction and danger. This not only means the new birth, but also refers to the progressive work of the Holy Spirit healing and making whole those areas of your being that have been wrecked and those areas that are still posing a danger to you.

Man was created to be under the authority of someone. It is our choice. We cannot be neutral. If we do not let Jesus be Lord, someone or something perverted will be our lord. We have no choice in the matter except to choose one or the other. I can personally testify to this and I have seen multitudes of people fall into this predicament.

Jesus told His disciples that they were confused about the idea of authority. He told them that in the Gentile world (those people without God) authority meant "lording" it over them in a harsh way. Jesus explained that authority meant serving others. "Jesus called them together and said, ‘You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many’" (Mark 10:42-45).

Authority is a very big issue with God. God created everything with His authority. It is His way of dispensing His power.

Why is God so big on authority? There is something that I call the Law of Authority. The Law of Authority dictates that the servant receives the benefits of the assets, and the protection and power of the authority figure. The authority figure must care for the servant. If one does not submit to his employer, his employer cannot pay him his wages. If one does not submit to the police authority, the police cannot protect him.

The same applies to our relationship with God. God is not an egocentric person who wishes that all of His subjects bow down in order to prove who He is. God has such a love for us, such a desire to totally care for us, but He cannot do so unless we submit our lives to Him. If one does not submit to Jesus, Jesus cannot protect him.

Rules without relationships lead to rebellion! When we are raised with tremendous affirmation and not enough discipline, we grow up to be very independent and rebellious. Conversely, when we are raised with heavy discipline and not enough affirmation, we also become rebellious. There is a balance to be found.

I knew a Muslim man who was married to a Christian woman. He was on the path to believing that Jesus was the Messiah; he was earnestly seeking with his heart. His main problem, however, was discerning the character of God. He said that he could easily obey God’s orders when he received them, but that he could not understand having a personal intimate relationship with God. His life experience was with father figures that exercised rules without relationships.

Many people have an experience with Jesus and then fail to move on to victory in their lives because they do not understand the word "lord" or they misunderstand the character of Jesus. So many people feel He is a hard taskmaster and they read the Bible with that mindset. I don’t know how to express this, but Jesus is a great guy!

The word lord is not common to the Western mindset. In the West, we like the word democracy. To the Eastern mindset it may carry the connotation of some hard taskmaster who is impossible to please. The word lord actually carries the connotation of "bread provider." To all humans of all regions and races, the idea of submitting to an authority is against their nature. That trait was inherited from our forefather, Adam. That was his problem. Rebellion to authority is the original sin.

The entire issue is, you choose who your provider will be. God wants to be your provider. He wants to give you your needed love, security and significance. That is what lords do. That is what gods do. The lord owns the servant and is obligated to provide for that servant. There are several categories of lords, but after we define them you will see that you really only have two choices.

The two choices are:

1. God, the Creator, manifested as Jesus Christ, the Word of God.

2. "Other gods."

These two choices are also known as the Kingdom of God (Jesus is the King) and the Kingdom of the World (Satan is the prince).

In the Garden of Eden, Adam and Eve chose the "other gods." They followed the advice of a living spirit being, Satan, who was manifesting himself through something that God had created; the serpent. The advice was to use their own soul power (their own intellect and talent which are independent from God’s Spirit) to be their own god. They took the advice. What they did not know, however, is that the living spirit being was an enemy of their creator, and now he had access to influence their lives. You can now take that formula which applied to Adam and Eve and define all the "other gods" in those terms.

The "other gods" can be defined in two categories:

1. The spiritual, animism. Many people know for sure that they are in contact with living spirits. This practice is called animism, coming from the word animated. Most primitive tribal and family religions are based upon animism. Many of them worship family ancestral spirits. The worshipers feel that these spirits are looking out for their benefit. They pray to trees, lakes and even other people who have died. They worship one of the creations of God, rather than the Creator. Hinduism, Voodoo, New Age and many other religions are based upon animism. These people are constantly attempting to satisfy and/or manipulate these living spirit beings through worship, rituals, sacrifices, and attempts at reconciliation. They interact with them through various media including meditation, chanting, fetishes, carved idols, drugs, alcohol, animals, dancing, yoga, human sacrifice, and many other ways. They often hold festivals in honor of the spirits. Mardi Gras in America is a good example of this. My friends from West Africa and Haiti have told me some very interesting stories. I have personally witnessed some of these activities and have felt the demonic oppression.

I want to say that these spirit beings are real and they truly do become active and animated in a person’s life. The Bible calls them demons and teaches that they are all under the control of Satan, the former archangel Lucifer, who rebelled against God. Satan is the embodiment of all that is evil. He comes to kill, steal and destroy (John 10:10). His eternal destiny and the destiny for all that follow him is the Lake of Fire.

The Apostle Paul said in 1 Corinthians 10:19-20 (Amplified), "What do I imply then? That food offered to idols is intrinsically changed by the fact and amounts to anything or that an idol itself is a living thing? No, I am suggesting that what the pagans sacrifice they offer in effect to demons - to evil spiritual powers - and not to God at all. I do not want you to fellowship and be partners with diabolical spirits by eating at their feasts."

Deuteronomy 32:17 says, "They sacrificed to demons, not to God, To gods they did not know, To new gods, new arrivals that your fathers did not fear." These "other gods" do indeed have an animated power. But they counterfeit what God does. They are not reliable, they instill uncertainty and fear, and they will lead you to eternal damnation. They are created beings who were never designed to be providers. Isaiah 14:14 says of Lucifer (Satan), "I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, I will be like the Most High." Satan and all demons are subordinate spiritual beings. Jesus and believers have authority over them.

2. Secular. Many people do not believe in the spirit world and they rely on soul power and other such things for their needs. The problem is that everything is eventually spiritual, even those things that on the surface seem to be secular.

God created man with a very powerful soul, consisting of the will, intellect and emotions. Since the fall of Adam, man only uses a fraction of his potential soul power. I believe this is a grace of God. The Bible calls this "the flesh" and the "old man." Man can do very powerful things without God in his life (soul power). Man creates powerful religions and works through science. He obtains power through wealth, politics, commerce, military might, intellect, education, institutions, family, ambition, manipulation of the masses, and many other means.

The problem with soul power lies in the fact that God created the soul to be a servant of the spirit (connected to God’s Spirit) and without God the soul operates without the constraints designed by God. Also, the demon spirits hook on to this soul power and actually give it more power to dominate.

Many famous entertainers and business people openly admit (I have heard their testimonies) to obtaining their power from the spirit world. Ezekiel 28:4-5 says of Satan, "With your wisdom and your understanding You have gained riches for yourself, And gathered gold and silver into your treasuries; By your great wisdom in trade you have increased your riches, And your heart is lifted up because of your riches." Satan has empowered the "world system" and "other gods" with a lot of temporal power for riches. He is an expert.

Man’s soul and the spirit world cannot make man what God created him to be. At best they can supply some of man’s apparent needs, but even these provisions are short lived and have no lasting value. The end result is eternity separated from God. You will live with your god forever. You must choose who your god will be.

"Other gods" promise provisions with ease. Jesus promises provisions through His Word. His Word works on the principle of seed-sowing and harvest, and obedience to His Word. This involves time, patience and quite often suffering. It is not an instant fix. However, God promises what "other gods" cannot promise: an intimate, personal relationship and friendship with Him in His presence, and eternal life. They do indeed perpetrate lies and promise eternal life and reincarnation, etc., but they are lies. Even Jesus was tempted to take the "easy road" for His needs. "Then the devil, taking Him [Jesus] up on a high mountain, showed Him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. And the devil said to Him, ‘All this authority I will give You, and their glory; for this has been delivered to me, and I give it to whomever I wish’" (Luke 4:5,6).

There is usually suffering when you change your "lord," or change who or what your provider will be. This does not come easy! In Mark Chapter 4 Jesus described that provisions in the Kingdom of God will grow as fruit by the seed of His Word being planted in your heart. He also said that Satan will try to steal the Kingdom seed, and plant his own seeds. Many believers fall back under this pressure and return to the "other gods." There will be a war when you decide to have all your needs met by Jesus in His Word. But it is worth it, both for now and eternity!

Take a lesson from the Rich Young Ruler. "Now as He was going out on the road, one came running, knelt before Him, and asked Him, ‘Good Teacher, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?’"(Mark 10:17). This man was a young political leader, he was wealthy, and observed the Jewish law to the letter (he thought). Verse 21 says that Jesus loved him so much that He told him to sell his possessions, give the money to the poor and follow Him. The man was sad because he had many possessions and would not do what Jesus asked. Remember that Jesus loved this man and knew what he really needed. Jesus was trying to get him to turn from his "other gods."

Then the disciples expressed their concern to Jesus for His doctrine and did not understand how a rich man could be saved. Peter reminded Jesus that he and the others had given up much to follow Him. Jesus replied, "So Jesus answered and said, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for My sake and the gospel's, who shall not receive a hundredfold now in this time--houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions--and in the age to come, eternal life. But many who are first will be last, and the last first.’"(Mark 10:29-31). Notice that Jesus gave the warning, "with persecutions."

Here is your guarantee from the Word of God that Jesus will take care of you when you turn from your soul power and your "other gods." Notice, Jesus indicated that people would have to leave their ancestral traditions and gods, their material possessions, and anything else that qualifies as an idol or as an "other god." Also notice the guarantee. When we "sacrifice" what we are trusting in we will receive a hundredfold now in this time, but with persecutions, and also in the age to come, eternal life.

Do not be afraid to turn from your "other gods." Jesus will give you a hundredfold back, but it will be with suffering or persecutions. It is well worth it!

You eventually take on the character of your provider. You will become like the one who supplies your needs. You will take on the character of the one you obey. You were created to be a slave to someone. You become a slave to the one you obey. "Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you are that one's slaves whom you obey, whether of sin leading to death, or of obedience leading to righteousness?" (Romans 6:16). "The idols of the nations are silver and gold, The work of men's hands. They have mouths, but they do not speak; Eyes they have, but they do not see; They have ears, but they do not hear; Nor is there any breath in their mouths. Those who make them are like them; So is everyone who trusts in them." (Psalms 135:15-18). Romans 8:29 says that you are predestined to become conformed to the image of Jesus, God’s son.

Words are seeds. God’s Word will not only provide for you, but will also change your character into His. If you continue to take the words and pictures of "other gods," you will become just like them. This is the pattern of sowing and reaping.

The end result is that you have purpose in life; the purpose that God designed for you. That purpose is to "glorify" God. In other words, it is to reveal God to others. Yes, God wants to be your provider, but it does not end there. God does not bless us just to be blessed. That is what got the Old Testament believers into trouble. They fell into gross immorality and idolatry when they became inward with their blessings. God blesses us to bless others. He wants to reveal Himself to the lost people in this world. He loves them, and he wants you to go to them. He wants to use the gifts He created for you to influence people in your realm of influence. God wants to change you into a giver. God promised to bless Abraham, the first Hebrew. He also told him that he wanted him to take the blessings not as a privilege, but rather as a responsibility (Genesis 12:1-3).

He does not want you to spend time worrying about your provisions like unbelievers do. He wants to set you free to glorify Him. "But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you" (Matthew 6:33).

When I met Jesus I was in for some real boot camp training! First, He formed our relationship, then revealed His character to me and then let me know how valuable I was to Him. He went to work to change my character so that I would appreciate authority in His Word. He put me under the discipline of the Holy Spirit. He also put me under the discipline of delegated authorities. These years in my life were a great trial. But through them I discovered some important things about myself and about the character of God.

Jesus is our example. Even though He was God in the flesh, He denied His soul power and trusted in His Father in Heaven. "Jesus gave them this answer: ‘I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does’" (John 5:19). While Jesus walked on Earth, He depended totally on hearing from His Father. He totally submitted as a human to Father God. If Jesus needed to do this, we do also.

The way to truly make Jesus Lord is to put the Word of God first place in your life. Jesus is the Word as stated in John 1:1-2. "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God" (John 1:1,2).

It is vital to be a doer of the Word. "Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says" (James 1:22). Faith is not just believing with one’s mind; real faith is believing the Word of God so thoroughly that one will obey it and act on it in some practical way.

Jesus got excited when the Centurion took His Word and acted upon it. "When Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to him, asking for help. ‘Lord,’ he said, ‘My servant lies at home paralysed and in terrible suffering.’ Jesus said to him, ‘I will go and heal him.’ The centurion replied, ‘Lord, I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. But just say the word, and my servant will be healed. For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and that one, ‘Come,’ and he comes. I say to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.’ When Jesus heard this, he was astonished and said to those following him, ‘I tell you the truth, I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith. I say to you that many will come from the east and the west, and will take their places at the feast with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven. But the subjects of the kingdom will be thrown outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ Then Jesus said to the centurion, ‘Go! It will be done just as you believed it would.’ And his servant was healed at that very hour" (Matthew 8:5-13).

Notice in this story that the centurion was passionately concerned for the welfare of his servant. He knew the true meaning of authority!

The measure of how much we love God is how much we love the Word and obey the Word. "Jesus answered and said to him, ‘If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him. He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine but the Father's who sent Me’" (John 14:23,24).

Another way to submit to the Lordship of Jesus is through delegated authorities. Many Christians misunderstand this concept. A delegated authority is someone who is sent in the name of another. For instance, if I send one of my employees to another employee with my authority to issue an order, then the one sent is my delegated authority. Disobeying the messenger is the same as disobeying the one in authority. The Bible makes it clear that we have delegated authorities throughout our lives. Some of them are good and some of them are not so good, or even evil. The governments of our countries and cities and their police are delegated authorities of God. If you study the Book of Acts you will see how the first century believers handled very difficult circumstances. Jesus, when He was on trial for His life, submitted to the delegated authorities of Rome and even of the Jewish religion. He did not submit to the individuals, but to the office they represented.

We have delegated authorities in our families, in our spiritual and church lives, in our school life, and in our vocational life.. Ask God to help you walk the balanced life with your delegated authorities.

How much do you love Him? Love is action. Obedience to the words you hear is an expression of your love. If you were to catch your child stealing money from a neighbor you would take harsh action lest he become an adult thief. That child might say to you, "But Mom, I love you." "Yes," you would say, "but if you love me, then do what I say."

Submitting to Jesus is always a voluntary action.

In the Old Testament and Hebrew cultures, slaves were a common tradition. However, God demanded that the slaves be cared for and treated with dignity. He even provided for the slave to go free after a certain period of time. Additionally, He allowed a slave to stay with the family that owned him, as a voluntarily slave, if he preferred.

"But if the servant declares, ‘I love my master and my wife and children and do not want to go free,’ then his master must take him before the judges. He shall take him to the door or the doorpost and pierce his ear with an awl. Then he will be his servant for life" (Exodus 21:5,6).

My experience with the Lord Jesus since 1979 has been one of going out of my way to find ways to obey Him. He has honored my attitude beyond anything that I can imagine. It is safe to put your entire life into His hands. It is profitable to find His Words and obey Him. It is wise to drop your own desires and seek His. He is God! He can do all things. We are simply created beings; we are limited. He wants to do great things in our lives, but He is certainly limited by how much or how little we submit to His Lordship.

When I first met Jesus, I asked Him how He could listen to my prayer and millions of others at the same time. I knew that I had made contact with God through Jesus and the Holy Spirit, but I was not sure how contact from me to Him would work. I had not been trained in any religious traditions, (thank God) and therefore I did not have to "un-learn" any un-scriptural methods of prayer.

I remember one day early, in my walk with the Lord, hearing the Holy Spirit speak to me. He said, "If you will tithe your time and give me 10% of it, I will bless the other 90% beyond your imagination." I did just that. I determined to give God no less than 2.4 hours per day for prayer and fellowship in His Word. He honored His promise. He multiplies my time like no one else could do.

The first day was awkward. I sat in my auto and said to the Lord, "Okay, I will just pretend that you are sitting here with me, and I will just talk to the windshield and trust that you will hear me." He heard me, and my prayer time turned into a wonderful event that I now crave more than anything.

I told the Lord that I preferred to read the Word rather than talk to Him. He responded and said, "Reading My Word is prayer. Prayer is nothing but a two-way conversation between you and Me. When you read My Word, I am speaking. There is a time for you to speak."

Quite often I get into the Word of God or some kind of devotional book before I talk to God. That way I can come closer to praying His will for my life and others. God wants us to pray, but I feel that He wants to give us the prayers He desires for us to pray. The primary prayers I initiate with God are the confession of my sin and weakness, and my praise and worship.

Here is an example of what I mean. God wants to increase Israel, but He asks Israel to pray for His will. "This is what the Sovereign LORD says: Once again I will yield to the plea of the house of Israel and do this for them: I will make their people as numerous as sheep" (Ezekiel 36:37).

There are some lessons in the ISOB curriculum on prayer that are very good. One is called "The Flowing River" and another is "Connecting the Crosses."

Some of the principles in those lessons have to do with coming into the presence of God during your prayer time. God has left us a map or a pattern to follow which He honors. I am not reducing God to a formula, but some of these steps will help you make contact.

1. Recognize the value of the Cross of Jesus and the forgiveness of sins. First, take time first to confess your sins to God. "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness" (1 John 1:9). When you sin, run to God, not away from Him.

Pour out your heart to Him. This is the most important thing you can do to develop your relationship with Jesus. I have found that He honors me with His presence quickly when I pour out my heart, the good, the bad and the ugly. Take some time to unload everything that is on your heart. When I do this I say, "God, this is how I feel. I know I am wrong, but this is where I am located." He has always honored this attitude.

2. Get into the Word. Sometimes reading a few Psalms or Proverbs helps. Devotions, books and tapes can be very helpful. The Holy Spirit works with the Word of God. You need to put the Word first place in your life.

3. Take time for thanksgiving, no matter what your circumstances may be. This is very important. God does not honor an ungrateful heart.

4. Take some to give Him your will in exchange for His will. So often we get certain things in our mind that we want God to do. God is not our servant. He wants our will to become lined up with His will.

I can recall one day early in my walk with God when things were just not going my way in business. I was grumbling and complaining to Him. He spoke and said, "Larry, what if I make you a deal? What if I would give you everything you asked for and nothing more or nothing less?" I thought about it for a few minutes and answered, "No way Lord, I have no idea what I need." He said, "That is correct. But remember Ephesians 3:20, which says, "Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us," I answered, "Yes Lord, have your way."

5. Then take time to do the same thing with your mind and your emotions. Trade them in for His. Discipline your emotions to praise Him. "‘For who has known the mind of the Lord that he may instruct him?’ But we have the mind of Christ" (1 Corinthians 2:16).

6. If you have taken time to walk through these steps, most likely you will find yourself in the presence of God. Sensing His presence is more than just an emotion or a feeling. After some practice you will learn to detect His presence. Remember, He lives in you.

So often, when I find myself in His presence, I find that my prayer requests have either vanished or have changed. Many times I feel God giving me a promise in His Word to stand on.

When you feel that God is giving you a promise in His Word, then you can take that and stand on it as a finished work. It may take some time to manifest itself, but it is worth the wait.

"Pray without ceasing" (1 Thessalonians 5:17). I used to wonder how we could pray without ceasing, without intermission. I now do that. All day long I just stay in touch with God in my spirit. Sometimes it is without spoken words. Often I just pray with my prayer language. At other times I simply thank Him for all He has done. There is a way to experience the presence of God in our lives so that we are in touch with Him all day.

If you ever feel out of touch, do something. It may be just your feelings, which can be unreliable. It may, however, be something you need to seek God about. One of the best rules to follow is; if you are in doubt, press in and find out what is going on. Often we will feel the devil’s oppression. But sometimes God is putting a burden on us to intercede for someone and we are feeling his or her spirit. "But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, even those who because of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil" (Hebrews 5:14).

There will also be a weaning process in your relationship with the Lord. The parents of a newborn baby quickly respond each time the baby cries. But as the baby matures, the parents may wait a few minutes before they attend to the child. Later, as the child matures, the parents may even avoid the child’s demands as a step towards discipline in patience and in an effort to avoid self-centeredness. This is called weaning. The Lord also weans. He may give you a full-grown "watermelon" as a present when you are a new disciple, but later He may only give you the "watermelon seed." As you continue in your walk with Him, He may even allow that seed to come under attack so that you will grow in faith.

I want to issue a warning to you about this weaning process. So many new believers "feel" the presence of God when they first come to know Him, and then later difficulties come and they fall back because they could not see and feel God working. If you will press in to the Word and prayer, if you will seek the Lord for Him and not just for your own satisfaction, you will not only find Him during the dry times (the weaning period), but your relationship with Him will grow warm and close.

The morning is the best time to pray. I am a morning person, so I can say this easier than some. Please do not feel condemned or criticized by my preference. You may sleep late every day and have a wonderful prayer life which is very pleasing to the Lord. I know God-called intercessors who stay up or get up late at night and pray for hours. I feel that it is important to align yourself with God in His Word in the morning before you do anything else.

I do not wish to put God in any kind of box or set of formulas. However, from what I read in Scripture, there is something special about the morning. I have noticed that demons are very active at night, especially between 10 P.M. and 4 A.M. It seems that the spiritual atmosphere is clearer in the morning. I believe that is why so many people who are called as intercessors prefer to pray during these "dark" hours. My wife and I especially noticed this during our mission trips to Haiti. The Voodoo activities hit their peaks between 10 P.M. and 4 A.M. I know that demons are active all the time, even during the day, but there seems to be an intensity at night. "You shall not be afraid of the terror by night, Nor of the arrow that flies by day" (Psalms 91:5).

I pray all day, but if I do try to do anything in the morning without first making contact with God, my day just does not work as well. It seems like there is a special blessing if we start with God, His Word, and prayer.

Psalm 5:3 says, "In the morning, O LORD, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait in expectation."

Psalm 88:13 says, "But I cry to you for help, O LORD; in the morning my prayer comes before you."

Mark 1:35 says, "Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed."

Exodus 34:4 says, "And he hewed two tables of stone like unto the first; and Moses rose up early in the morning, and went up unto mount Sinai, as the LORD had commanded him, and took in his hand the two tables of stone."

Exodus 19:13 says, "Then the LORD said to Moses, ‘Rise early in the morning and stand before Pharaoh, and say to him, ‘Thus says the LORD God of the Hebrews: ‘Let My people go, that they may serve Me.’"

Psalm 55:17 indicates that anytime is the right time to pray. It says, "Evening, morning and noon I cry out in distress, and he hears my voice."

If you are not sure how to pray, pray the Word. (Chapter 16 covers this subject completely; the following is just an outline). One of the most powerful ways to intercede for yourself and others is to pray the Word. Take the Word of God and put it on your lips and speak it out.

Jesus takes our confession and makes it powerful. Hebrews 3:1 says, "Therefore, holy brothers, called to be partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our profession, Christ Jesus." When we speak God’s Word, Jesus takes it to the Father and asks Him to perform it. Then we can enter into rest and let the Word do the work. Hebrews 4:1 says, "Therefore, a promise being left to enter into His rest, let us fear lest any of you should seem to come short of it."

Hebrews 4:12 says, "For the word of God is living and powerful and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing apart of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart."

Angels go to work when they hear God’s Word. (Psalms 103:20)

Demons flee! (Psalms 149:5-9)

Prayer must be developed between you and God as something personal and real. Ask Him to teach you and He will.

The biggest thing with prayer is to be real with God!