Starting the Day With God

This is Stu Epperson from the truth. Talk podcast connecting current events, pop culture, and theology, and were so grateful for you that you've chosen The Truth Podcast Network it's about to start just a few seconds. Enjoy it and please share around all your friends. Thanks for listening and thanks for choosing the truth. Podcast network you're listening to the Truth Network and TruthNetwork.com encouraging prayer, God offers an open invitation for his people to talk with him at any time about anything on encouraging prayer Dr. James Banks, author of the best-selling peripheral product and many other books on prayer provides weekly biblical insight help you learn to mom and now so today were talking about starting the day with and why we really want to do this.

James there's a lot more to this than we sometimes think is it really is probably think we can dismiss it too quickly because sometimes talking about a confound will legalistic like a bunch of rules we have to follow up are going to be right with God.

But that's not where were going today. Today it's like were going fishing. I love that bite. Just think of you know your your father waking you up early in the morning and say let's go fishing and the adventure awaits before you. I was reading in an old book recently by Matthew Henry called a method for prayer in Matthew Henry was a pastor who lived from 1662 to 1714 long time ago, but the insights he has a really timeless and he starts with Psalm five, which has these words in verse three in the morning, the Lord you hear my voice in the morning I lay my crust my request before you and wait expectantly and then Henry goes on to talk about why we really want to do this and he lays out several reasons for any reason found me saying yeah, tell me more.

So tell us more. I feel like I'm like an infomercial, but but wait there's more but remember, he's he's writing over 300 years ago. So the language may sound a little bit formal but these are so good.

I gotta share them.

First, he writes, God is a friend we love and have freedom with such a friend. We cannot go by without calling on the we have no particular business with them. In other words, God is so good, so good a friend he's he's the kind of friend you gotta check in with the first thing in the morning. Even if you don't have anything to say and it makes me think that Abraham was called a friend of God right Moses is fine with God, but the Lord really face-to-face. And there's a closeness there yeah yeah and we don't want to start the day without that and that's the second thing Henry says about our friendship with God.

He has something to say to us as a friend every day. Now this is both through his word and through just being in his presence through prayer.

We can't deny one of the other report reaching for the word of God without prayer were really in danger of that legalism.

We were talking about, or a lukewarm faith that just goes through the motions. So if it's the heart of relationship that were really after pouring out our hearts to Jesus just quieting ourselves before him really is mean, if I go there in my relationship with God. Things tend to go downhill pretty quickly. Yeah they do and and that's the third thing that Henry pointed out, he said, do we not know that our happiness is bound up in his favor. It is the life, the life of our souls. It is better than life.

The life of our body. So we want God's favor. We want God's blessing on our lives and we want to start with that every day before we do anything else. I always loved tremendous insights. I know right coming. It is so here's the next one week. We have daily work to do for God. We are both his friends and his servants. And we need to we need him to show us what we need to do onto direct descendent to give us strength for it, because otherwise our our our minds, our hearts can spin off in so many directions and we can find ourselves busy but not really living in step with him so true those days we don't start with them are so much harder and so much more hectic in life is challenging enough as it is right. Yeah that's so true, so here's another that really follows that tell me you don't think this is relevant today. He said, do we not know that we are continually in danger. Our bodies are so and in their lives and comforts were continually surrounded with diseases that are souls, much more so the devil is a strong subtle adversary and seeks to devour. So we have to put ourselves under God's protection and clad ourselves with his armor so that we can stand and not be surprised into sin by sudden temptation or overpowered by a strong one. You know I I have a friend to praise his way through the armor of God, putting it on piece by piece.

Every day, and that's a great way to start the day is an affront listers not to do that they can prove they can pray that way through the Ephesians 611 and following right yeah yeah thanks for that Robbie and there just three more here so it's all point out quickly, but the next one may sound a little morbid, but it's really just honest. He says that our bodies die a little every day when I read that I thought of the old Queen song somebody to love each morning I get up I die a little late so the point is because we do we need to prepare ourselves for eternity. And I like that because if our lives are relationship with him.

They they can be lifted the distance and going out of this life should be like walking with a friend from one room into another just keeping the conversation going, all the while I love that analogy is II think it's it's what were really called to so here the last two reasons for starting the day with God. He says the church needs our prayers. We we are part of the family of God and our friends and our families need our prayers as well. The world around us needs our prayers desperately. Well, those are all outstanding reasons to start the day with God. I mean this is been really rich today. James brings me brings out the last part of Psalms 53 right in the morning I lay my requests before the Lord, and wait expectantly.

We have so much to look forward to him him at an fascinatingly just this morning, you know, I climbed up in his lap and that the thought came to me what you do on vacation. Delete well Robbie you know I gave it to you right there in Genesis 2 to go look erected and the seventh I went into that and it was such an excursion this morning and I just waited expectantly in and he taught me so much about vacation this morning but III can't help but just think it was from a piece that you did last week where you talked about what if you just go to God that with anything in particular.

But just like to be with him and so as I was so readily and with him again.

My mind a little like God woke you up this morning and pick you fishing. I like that took you into his rest vacation with you know we really want to do we really want to start the day with him because you never know. Let's finish today bye-bye asking for his help to just do that. Let's pray Lord we need you. We love you and we thank you Lord Jesus. You said your yoke is easy, your burden is light.

So this is this is this is something we get to do.

We praise you for help us help us Lord always run to you in your name we pray.

Amen.

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 as you pray