The Difference a Moment Makes

Encouraging prayer, God offers an open invitation for his people to talk with him at any time about anything encouraging prayer Dr. James Banks, author of the best-selling and many other books on prayer provides weekly biblical insight help you learn to love and valve out encouraging her to talk about a moment makes James tells more struggle. We often face is I just don't have time to pray or spend time in God's word so full of the things that we have to do today that we either rush to her devotions or we don't do them at all. So this is kind of a can we talk moment this life for many believers in our fast-paced world. There are so many distractions and things competing for attention and easy to slip up, so I thought we talk about it today from from a slightly different angle. First, the last thing I want to do is be legalistic because it just doesn't help that was never Jesus approach to things either. Instead, let's just think about the difference even a single moment can make with God and gotcha just a moment with God can change everything. Just think about Genesis 4 God spoke the world into existence, and it took a moment to say, let there be light, but what is that mean I mean it. It meant the existence of billions of stars beyond counting and all he did was say the words and it happened right that beautiful that's what want to go because we were so busy it helps so much to remember how vital it is absolutely indispensable to choose time to do nothing else other than be with God, even if it's just sort for 5 million server or four minutes because in that time that were listening to him he can literally speak worlds into our lives, she felt entire universes he can speak so much he can change everything for the better and but to go there. You know we got to let them week we got to let a man sucking you think the time when just a moment with God changed everything for you. James oh yeah, I can get a good one for that moment I'll never forget. 20 years ago I was going to a really difficult season where it felt like the devil was attacking her family every time I turned around and he really was, and even some trusted friends turned on us unexpectedly and it was this mess where I'm starting to struggle depression. I got to the point where you just feel none.

And I was wondering where God was in all of that but one morning this is going on. I sit down at the breakfast table with my Bible and I wasn't there long you start to read a passage of Scripture where it were Jesus is speaking and all of a sudden it's as if he's speaking directly to me in that moment everything else. Everything else fades away in these words just jump off the page. Everything to put in perspective. It was as if light just fell all around me and nothing changed in my circumstances I changed in the moment got God lifted my head way above my circumstances and enabled me to see over them and have hoped for the first time in a long time, literally almost a year and if I hadn't taken that moment with him and just think about that.

If I hadn't taken that moment I would've missed that one makes me think of Psalm 33 or David calls the Lord the one who lifts up my head, you have it exactly it was like that and and again a moment just just one moment was was all it took like you were saying earlier just a moment with him can be the difference between darkness and light in our lives and we need we have to let his light and only takes a moment to pull back the curtains or lift the blinds but think about the difference it makes in the room in the morning. Are you writing even as I'm looking out the window.

It snowed last night and I out there. Everything is bright and since reflecting off the snow and man. It again opening the blinds leading the light this past week I was reading an excerpt from a sermon by George Whitfield, who was an evangelist that God used in amazing ways. During the great awakening just as powerfully even more powerfully than he used Billy Graham if you can imagine that and Whitfield was talking about the importance of thinking about a verse of Scripture and just focusing on, you know, just kind of chewing on something Rita got word of God. We can go to fasting and Whitfield was emphasizing slowing down and just taking Fraser to repeating it over and taking it to heart. And that's really what happens for you that morning at the kitchen table. It was just a first right right is just diverse and really just a couple of phrases in the verse and this is what Whitfield said while the believer is musing on the works and word of God, especially that wonder of wonders of the Lamb of God slain for the sins of the world. He frequently feels the fire of divine love Kindle so that he is obliged to speak and tell of the loving kindness of the Lord to his soul. That's awesome God's love can light a fire in us when everything around us is dark and cold. I mean I think about it. Even this morning.

You can tell me about something that happened 20 years ago as if it happened yesterday because in that moment his love became so real to you all again exactly and it was totally unexpected. You know, honestly Rob you not moment. I was just going through the motions just doing the best I could do to hang on and and you know better through it, but not moment me and in that's not just a lift that up that particular day.

There have been so many others like that but I really can't count just like we were were praying for prodigal son and things were so rough, but again and again God met us and go to my room and close the door and I just take again a moment, but in that moment that I don't mean to misrepresent this week we have missed this treasure in jars of Clay.

This is good happen every if we don't make time if you don't make time for moments with God will never come as Jesus was talking about Matthew 66 when you pray going to your room, close the door and pray to your father who is unseen and your father who sees what is done in secret will reward you that it just just zeroing in on those last few words will reward you that there really is a reward for taking a moment with God.

Jesus promised it and the more we do this, more will be rewarded, while thanks James. Let me read things up with a prayer along these lines, Jesus, thank you for meeting James X. At that point at the kitchen table. Thank you for lifting his head up and I know of the many many many times that you just brought my world alive when you showed up in those moments, and that's all it takes from just complete despair to complete joy. If we would just find time on a private you would let there be light in our lives and help us to find those moments when we need admin. Use your spirit to encourage us when that is to happen and I thank you so much for this reminder today and I pray that you would bless many Jesus name I pray, 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