WEBVTT

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 We begin a series this week which is based on this book called Christian Disciplines.

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 The series is on Christian Disciplines and we're going to be following this over these

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 next few weeks and today we start by thinking about quiet times in communion with God.

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 I want to paint three pictures, three scenarios and I want you to kind of try and think yourself

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 into each of these scenarios.

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 The first scenario is a way to imagine that you've woken up and you've got to get out to

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 meet people and you for some reason go without breakfast.

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 It might be that you've been so much of a rush you haven't had time to have it.

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 It might be that perhaps you just haven't got the appetite for breakfast, you don't feel

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 like it, perhaps you're a bit nervous about what's ahead of you and so you can't face eating

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 it.

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 But you leave the house without having had breakfast.

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 It gets to about 11 o'clock and you're sat in the presence of two or three others that

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 you're meeting with and your stomach begins to remind you and them of what didn't happen

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 a couple of hours earlier.

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 At a volume that is slightly out decibelling a pneumatic drill.

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 That's the first scenario.

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 Second one is this.

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 Imagine that you've got a car journey to make and you've done this journey quite a lot before

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 such that you know the precise mileage.

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 It's 120 miles.

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 You've got to be there by a certain time because you've got an important meeting there.

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 Unfortunately, you are running late and so you get in the car and there isn't really that

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 much margin for extra time.

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 About a couple of minutes into your journey, say it's 120 miles, you know that, you glance

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 down and you remember that you haven't refuelled and the gauge is telling you you've got 98

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 miles in the tank.

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 Do you chance it?

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 Do you just keep going and carry on with that journey thinking it might happen?

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 Third scenario is you, again, it's first thing in the morning, you're in a bit of a hurry

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 and you grab your phone.

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 It's plugged into the charger and you're going out and you know that you're going to need

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 that phone.

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 For a start, it's got your diary on it.

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 But you've got a lot of calls and texts and emails to make.

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 And then as you're walking down the path, you check your phone for your first appointment

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 and then you realise that for some reason, though it was plugged into the charger, that

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 charger had been switched off on the wall overnight and you've got 9%.

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 Now having hopefully taken you to each of those three scenarios, I want you to imagine that

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 they're all happening at the same time.

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 That's what happens when you don't pray.

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 You run in on empty.

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 And all the time you can't relax because there's this sense that something's not quite there

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 that should be there, that could be there, but it's not.

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 C.S. Lewis wrote this.

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 The moment you wake up each morning, all your wishes and hopes for the day rush at you like

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 wild animals.

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 And the first job each morning consists in shoving it all back.

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 In listening to that other voice.

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 Taking that other point of view.

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 Letting that other, larger, stronger, quieter life come flowing in.

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 We can't, we shouldn't try to reduce things to formula.

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 But experience, wide experience of lots of people will say to us that if we don't grab

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 that time at the beginning of the day to pray, to get that recharge,

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 then we will be more vulnerable.

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 Our vulnerability to anxiety, our sensitivity to sin, and our ability and power to resist sin

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 is directly proportional to the nearness of our communion with Christ.

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 We need to pray.

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 Now, of course, let's be really clear about this.

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 When we talk about prayer and being a Christian

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 and setting aside a time, whether we call that a quiet time or whatever we want to call it,

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 there's a big danger that we can think that it's about compartmentalising.

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 Even if we don't register, that's the danger, that's where we can go with it if we're not careful.

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 You know, I do my God bit there and then get on with life.

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 That would be a distortion of how things are.

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 Why? Because the reason why that is so important is not because that's the bit that we do,

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 that's the prayer for the day and then we get on with the rest of it.

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 No, it's because prayer, as John Wesley said, it was the breathing of the soul.

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 It's something that needs to happen, but you need to drink that draw breath at the beginning of the day

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 because it sustains you for that whole ongoing conversation with God

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 throughout the whole of the rest of the day.

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 It sets the scene.

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 It's immersing in his presence at the start of the day.

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 I had somebody say years ago,

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 when we look at the life of Jesus, we see two things.

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 We see his miracles, his teachings, his public ministry, in other words.

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 All the stuff, the amazing stuff, people healed, people that were fed, water turned into wine,

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 and the amazing things he said, the proclamation of forgiveness,

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 all the stuff that is recorded that might be broadly described as his public ministry.

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 That's the first thing.

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 The second thing we see is those moments when he withdrew to pray.

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 The mistake we make is when we think of Jesus' life as a life of public ministry

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 punctuated with moments of withdrawal to prayer.

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 Because the truth is, it's the other way around.

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 Jesus' life was a life of communion with his Father

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 with such intimacy, depth, and power

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 that what we see recorded in the Gospels

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 is a life of that

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 punctuated with moments

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 of public ministry,

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 of healing,

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 miracles, signs, and wonders.

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 So, let's be really clear about this.

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 When we're talking about a quiet time,

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 we're not talking about compartmentalising our lives.

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 So we've got our spiritual bit,

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 and we do that at one point in the day,

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 and then we get on with everything else.

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 The point of setting that side of time

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 is the recharge that we carry with us

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 and through us for the rest of the day.

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 The fundamental thing here

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 is presence.

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 Now, let's come back to Moses,

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 who we saw in that reading.

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 Moses, we join Moses' story in Exodus 33.

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 The Ten Commandments have been given.

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 They've been announced,

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 and the people of Israel have messed up.

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 And Moses finds himself in this position

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 where he's leading in a state of complete and utter chaos.

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 And he knows that,

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 given the enormity of what he has to do,

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 he has to spend that time with God in prayer.

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 He has to.

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 And so what we see is he goes into that place,

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 that tent of meeting.

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 It's a place of tremendous holiness

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 where the presence of God is to be found.

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 You know, I can't help but think back

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 to that really old film,

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 The Ten Commandments,

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 which I might point out

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 was quite a few years before I was born.

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 But do you remember that film

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 with Charlton Heston?

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 He comes down from the mountain,

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 having kind of met with God,

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 and he's kind of glowing

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 like he's overdosed on ready brick.

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 I'm old enough to remember those adverts.

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 The point is he spends that time

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 in communion with God's holiness.

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 And at that point in history,

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 that was where the holiness of God

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 was to be found,

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 in that very focused, designated space.

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 And such was that holiness,

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 such was the holy otherness of God,

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 that you could not look upon God and live.

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 Elsewhere in the Old Testament,

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 we see in Isaiah,

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 Isaiah in the temple where he's called,

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 and he has this vision of the glory of God.

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 Even then, he cannot look on God

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 because God is so holy and holy other.

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 Even, he says,

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 that the presence of God,

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 the bright shining light,

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 and surrounded, we're told,

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 by heavenly beings

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 whose wings are having to cover their eyes

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 because even they cannot

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 behold the holiness of God.

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 Otherwise, they will simply...

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 In Jesus Christ,

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 to whom all of these events point,

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 God is supremely revealed.

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 God comes to us and among us.

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 Through his life, his death,

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 and his resurrection,

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 we have that access

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 that is unique.

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 That the Holy Spirit is now come,

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 and therefore,

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 wherever we are,

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 and we don't need to be

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 in a particular place,

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 in a particular temple,

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 at a particular time,

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 or we don't need to be

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 a particularly special person,

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 any one of us

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 can commune

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 with that holy otherness.

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 And that is something

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 that we take all too casually

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 and too lightly,

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 too often.

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 Who wouldn't want to do that?

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 And so it is

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 that we have that opportunity

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 to know that presence of God

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 throughout the whole day.

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 But the rationale

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 of having that quiet time

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 is to have that space

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 that is set aside

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 at the beginning of the day.

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 And incidentally,

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 I don't think there's anywhere

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 in Scripture that I'm aware of

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 that says that it must be

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 at the beginning of the day.

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 It's just that logically

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 it makes sense,

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 if we can,

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 at the beginning of the day

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 to grab that time.

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 Even if it's just

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 a very short time,

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 because it sets us up

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 for the rest of the day.

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 So why is it such a struggle?

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 Well, I want to suggest to you

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 three reasons,

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 practical reasons,

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 why I think very often,

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 so many of us,

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 will struggle

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 with the discipline

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 of grabbing that time.

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 The first is this,

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 and it's busyness.

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 We have so much stuff,

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 we live busy lives,

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 at any stage in life,

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 that there are so many

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 other things that can be done.

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 First thing.

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 And

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 in response to that,

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 we need to be reminded

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 that the busier we are,

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 the more manic life becomes,

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 the more important that time is.

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 Martin Luther

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 apparently once said,

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 I have so much to do

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 that I shall have to spend

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 the first three hours

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 in prayer.

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 Susanna Wesley,

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 often regarded

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 as the mother of Methodism,

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 she was the mother of

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 John and Charles Wesley,

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 plus 17 others.

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 She had 19 children.

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 19 children.

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 And this was in the days

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 before nappies

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 and washing machines

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 and mum's neck

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 and all the other stuff.

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 Yeah, she was there

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 for 19 children

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 and she had a way

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 of praying.

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 She would take her apron

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 and she would lift it

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 over her head

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 to do two things.

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 One, to signify

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 to all of these 19 children

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 that was her time

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 when she was in prayer.

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 And two,

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 to withdraw

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 and to create that space

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 she knew

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 she needed to pray.

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 Who knows

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 what impact

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 that determination

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 of that woman had

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 on the spiritual life

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 of this nation

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 and indeed the whole world.

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 So busyness is one thing.

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 Secondly,

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 very closely connected

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 is the sense

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 that we can feel,

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 is the way we feel

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 about it.

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 We can feel

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 spiritually rubbish.

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 And the reason

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 why we feel

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 spiritually rubbish

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 is because

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 we've convinced

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 ourselves we're too busy

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 and we haven't

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 got around to it

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 and therefore

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 we've missed it

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 and then we feel

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 rubbish and we feel

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 we're lousy Christians

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 because we haven't prayed

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 and we haven't done that

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 and we carry around

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 in our head

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 this sense of all

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 the stuff we haven't done

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 and we say to ourselves

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 I'm so worthy,

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 I'm unworthy,

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 I'm a rubbish Christian

00:13:55.440 --> 00:13:56.240
 because I never pray

00:13:56.240 --> 00:13:57.259
 and I never do this

00:13:57.259 --> 00:13:57.900
 and I never do that

00:13:57.900 --> 00:13:58.520
 and I know I should

00:13:58.520 --> 00:13:59.139
 and a proper Christian

00:13:59.139 --> 00:14:00.000
 would be far more spiritual

00:14:00.000 --> 00:14:00.920
 and would have a really,

00:14:01.060 --> 00:14:01.720
 really highly disciplined

00:14:01.720 --> 00:14:02.340
 spiritual life

00:14:02.340 --> 00:14:03.240
 and would read their Bible

00:14:03.240 --> 00:14:03.899
 and they would pray

00:14:03.899 --> 00:14:04.680
 and they would spend time

00:14:04.680 --> 00:14:05.279
 listening to God

00:14:05.279 --> 00:14:06.040
 and they would see all this,

00:14:06.120 --> 00:14:06.379
 that and the other

00:14:06.379 --> 00:14:06.960
 and that's not me.

00:14:09.660 --> 00:14:10.480
 Get over it.

00:14:12.259 --> 00:14:13.480
 Christian faith isn't

00:14:13.480 --> 00:14:14.540
 and never has been

00:14:14.540 --> 00:14:15.259
 although tragically

00:14:15.259 --> 00:14:16.840
 we try to make it into

00:14:16.840 --> 00:14:20.080
 ritual rules

00:14:20.080 --> 00:14:20.860
 and religion.

00:14:21.019 --> 00:14:21.399
 It's not.

00:14:21.580 --> 00:14:22.259
 It's relationship.

00:14:23.759 --> 00:14:24.580
 That's what it is.

00:14:24.580 --> 00:14:27.639
 And the third reason

00:14:27.639 --> 00:14:28.660
 why I think we struggle

00:14:28.660 --> 00:14:30.800
 is simply we make it

00:14:30.800 --> 00:14:31.440
 more complicated

00:14:31.440 --> 00:14:32.220
 than it is

00:14:32.220 --> 00:14:33.060
 or we think it's

00:14:33.060 --> 00:14:33.600
 more complicated

00:14:33.600 --> 00:14:34.360
 than it is.

00:14:35.060 --> 00:14:36.100
 Now there is no formula

00:14:36.100 --> 00:14:37.340
 but it makes sense

00:14:37.340 --> 00:14:39.320
 that in that time

00:14:39.320 --> 00:14:41.879
 to read the Bible,

00:14:43.320 --> 00:14:44.600
 to listen to God

00:14:44.600 --> 00:14:46.360
 and to talk to God.

00:14:47.740 --> 00:14:48.440
 That's it.

00:14:49.420 --> 00:14:50.480
 It's as simple as.

00:14:51.860 --> 00:14:53.060
 There's no special

00:14:53.060 --> 00:14:54.120
 sort of spiritual

00:14:54.120 --> 00:14:55.240
 thing you have to do.

00:14:55.399 --> 00:14:55.899
 There's all sorts

00:14:55.899 --> 00:14:56.600
 of tools out there.

00:14:56.679 --> 00:14:57.360
 There's Bible reading

00:14:57.360 --> 00:14:57.919
 programs,

00:14:58.039 --> 00:14:58.419
 there's notes,

00:14:58.500 --> 00:14:59.179
 there's all different things.

00:14:59.379 --> 00:14:59.740
 There are different

00:14:59.740 --> 00:15:00.759
 approaches to prayer,

00:15:01.039 --> 00:15:01.980
 there's centering prayer,

00:15:02.080 --> 00:15:02.740
 there's meditation,

00:15:02.899 --> 00:15:03.480
 there's loads of

00:15:03.480 --> 00:15:03.879
 different things

00:15:03.879 --> 00:15:04.980
 that are marvellous,

00:15:05.080 --> 00:15:06.159
 marvellous tools

00:15:06.159 --> 00:15:06.799
 in the toolbox.

00:15:08.960 --> 00:15:09.960
 But we don't need

00:15:09.960 --> 00:15:11.000
 to make it more complicated

00:15:11.000 --> 00:15:11.980
 than it needs to be.

00:15:12.419 --> 00:15:13.159
 It boils down

00:15:13.159 --> 00:15:14.480
 to one simple truth.

00:15:15.100 --> 00:15:15.820
 That isn't any

00:15:15.820 --> 00:15:16.720
 human relationship,

00:15:16.840 --> 00:15:17.220
 whether you're talking

00:15:17.220 --> 00:15:17.659
 marriage,

00:15:17.779 --> 00:15:18.100
 whether you're talking

00:15:18.100 --> 00:15:18.560
 friendship,

00:15:18.740 --> 00:15:19.100
 whether you're talking

00:15:19.100 --> 00:15:19.480
 neighbours,

00:15:19.600 --> 00:15:19.860
 whether you're talking

00:15:19.860 --> 00:15:20.340
 family,

00:15:21.100 --> 00:15:22.419
 that if you're going

00:15:22.419 --> 00:15:23.200
 to grow

00:15:23.200 --> 00:15:24.180
 in a relationship

00:15:24.180 --> 00:15:24.840
 with another

00:15:24.840 --> 00:15:25.800
 human being,

00:15:26.240 --> 00:15:26.800
 it ain't going

00:15:26.800 --> 00:15:27.120
 to happen

00:15:27.120 --> 00:15:27.680
 if you don't

00:15:27.680 --> 00:15:28.500
 spend time

00:15:28.500 --> 00:15:29.080
 with them.

00:15:29.980 --> 00:15:30.280
 It won't.

00:15:31.280 --> 00:15:31.879
 Why should it?

00:15:35.780 --> 00:15:36.980
 We need that time

00:15:36.980 --> 00:15:38.400
 to pray,

00:15:39.200 --> 00:15:39.600
 to talk,

00:15:39.759 --> 00:15:40.160
 to listen,

00:15:40.580 --> 00:15:41.800
 to read God's word.

00:15:45.379 --> 00:15:46.580
 In an old song

00:15:46.580 --> 00:15:47.120
 that was written

00:15:47.120 --> 00:15:48.940
 in the late 60s,

00:15:48.960 --> 00:15:49.740
 1970s,

00:15:49.740 --> 00:15:51.100
 by Ralph Carmichael,

00:15:51.100 --> 00:15:52.980
 said this,

00:15:52.980 --> 00:15:57.639
 Far from the rapid pace

00:15:57.639 --> 00:15:59.779
 where God can soothe

00:15:59.779 --> 00:16:01.040
 my troubled mind,

00:16:01.879 --> 00:16:03.139
 sheltered by tree

00:16:03.139 --> 00:16:03.920
 and flower,

00:16:05.060 --> 00:16:07.220
 there in my quiet hour,

00:16:08.379 --> 00:16:09.540
 with him my cares

00:16:09.540 --> 00:16:10.360
 are left behind.

00:16:11.620 --> 00:16:13.220
 Whether a garden small

00:16:13.220 --> 00:16:15.040
 or on a mountain tall,

00:16:16.519 --> 00:16:18.600
 new strength and courage

00:16:18.600 --> 00:16:19.720
 there I find.

00:16:19.720 --> 00:16:22.399
 then from this

00:16:22.399 --> 00:16:24.100
 quiet place

00:16:24.100 --> 00:16:26.259
 I go to prepare

00:16:26.259 --> 00:16:27.680
 to face

00:16:27.680 --> 00:16:29.320
 a new day

00:16:29.320 --> 00:16:30.720
 with love

00:16:30.720 --> 00:16:31.440
 for all mankind.

00:16:34.700 --> 00:16:35.779
 I want to leave you

00:16:35.779 --> 00:16:37.560
 with one last image.

00:16:38.740 --> 00:16:39.420
 I'm going to grab

00:16:39.420 --> 00:16:40.220
 a glass for this.

00:16:40.220 --> 00:16:45.259
 It's not a magic trick

00:16:45.259 --> 00:16:45.700
 by the way

00:16:45.700 --> 00:16:46.639
 so don't get excited.

00:16:48.500 --> 00:16:49.379
 I'm going to pour

00:16:49.379 --> 00:16:50.040
 some water.

00:16:54.580 --> 00:16:55.620
 The purposes of this

00:16:55.620 --> 00:16:56.800
 illustration,

00:16:57.100 --> 00:16:57.259
 that

00:16:57.259 --> 00:17:01.779
 that glass is you and me

00:17:01.779 --> 00:17:02.800
 and the water is

00:17:02.800 --> 00:17:06.460
 whatever we fill

00:17:06.460 --> 00:17:07.220
 our lives with.

00:17:07.220 --> 00:17:08.880
 we set out

00:17:08.880 --> 00:17:09.339
 the beginning

00:17:09.339 --> 00:17:09.960
 of the day.

00:17:10.339 --> 00:17:10.759
 Susie,

00:17:10.819 --> 00:17:11.319
 could you just

00:17:11.319 --> 00:17:12.500
 give my hand

00:17:12.500 --> 00:17:13.860
 a gentle nudge?

00:17:14.900 --> 00:17:15.360
 A bit harder.

00:17:17.799 --> 00:17:18.900
 A bit harder still.

00:17:19.500 --> 00:17:19.799
 Go on.

00:17:20.480 --> 00:17:21.059
 There we go.

00:17:21.339 --> 00:17:21.860
 Thank you.

00:17:22.539 --> 00:17:23.299
 What fills out

00:17:23.299 --> 00:17:23.720
 just then?

00:17:25.160 --> 00:17:26.420
 It's not a trick question.

00:17:27.259 --> 00:17:27.740
 Water.

00:17:28.279 --> 00:17:28.980
 Because that's

00:17:28.980 --> 00:17:29.779
 what's in the glass.

00:17:30.700 --> 00:17:31.660
 If it was full of milk,

00:17:32.259 --> 00:17:33.160
 milk would flow out.

00:17:33.220 --> 00:17:33.980
 If it was a cup of tea,

00:17:34.059 --> 00:17:34.600
 it would be tea.

00:17:35.599 --> 00:17:36.500
 The point is,

00:17:36.539 --> 00:17:37.019
 and forgive me,

00:17:37.079 --> 00:17:37.659
 it seems like it's

00:17:37.659 --> 00:17:38.779
 screamingly obvious,

00:17:40.059 --> 00:17:40.799
 but the thing that

00:17:40.799 --> 00:17:41.679
 the vessel is filled

00:17:41.679 --> 00:17:42.339
 with is what

00:17:42.339 --> 00:17:43.039
 we'll fill out.

00:17:43.419 --> 00:17:43.959
 Now get this,

00:17:44.039 --> 00:17:44.779
 every single day

00:17:44.779 --> 00:17:45.199
 of our lives

00:17:45.199 --> 00:17:45.980
 we face knocks.

00:17:46.419 --> 00:17:46.799
 We do.

00:17:46.959 --> 00:17:47.980
 I've never known,

00:17:48.379 --> 00:17:49.559
 never known anything

00:17:49.559 --> 00:17:52.019
 such as a perfect day,

00:17:52.159 --> 00:17:52.480
 literally.

00:17:53.099 --> 00:17:54.219
 Something will go wrong.

00:17:54.699 --> 00:17:55.299
 Might be tiny,

00:17:55.419 --> 00:17:56.019
 might be massive,

00:17:56.480 --> 00:17:57.299
 but we have knocks.

00:17:57.299 --> 00:18:00.019
 The question is,

00:18:00.599 --> 00:18:03.399
 is what flows out?

00:18:03.400 --> 00:18:04.660
 when

00:18:04.660 --> 00:18:06.960
 those knocks come.

00:18:08.759 --> 00:18:09.740
 Because whatever

00:18:09.740 --> 00:18:10.980
 our lives are filled with

00:18:10.980 --> 00:18:12.460
 will be the very stuff

00:18:12.460 --> 00:18:13.340
 that flows out.

00:18:16.080 --> 00:18:17.360
 Christ gives us

00:18:17.360 --> 00:18:18.080
 that gift,

00:18:18.960 --> 00:18:20.100
 that opportunity

00:18:20.100 --> 00:18:21.000
 to be filled

00:18:21.000 --> 00:18:21.780
 and to go on

00:18:21.780 --> 00:18:22.580
 being filled

00:18:22.580 --> 00:18:24.600
 with his presence,

00:18:25.240 --> 00:18:26.540
 with his power,

00:18:27.500 --> 00:18:28.860
 with his Holy Spirit.

00:18:28.859 --> 00:18:31.519
 my prayer is,

00:18:31.559 --> 00:18:32.559
 is that we will do that

00:18:32.559 --> 00:18:33.219
 just now

00:18:33.219 --> 00:18:34.939
 and every day.

00:18:34.939 --> 00:18:35.000
 Amen.

00:18:35.000 --> 00:18:35.079
 Amen.

00:18:35.079 --> 00:18:35.139
 Amen.

00:18:35.139 --> 00:18:35.199
 Amen.

00:18:35.199 --> 00:18:35.219
 Amen.

00:18:35.219 --> 00:18:35.259
 Amen.

00:18:35.259 --> 00:18:35.299
 Amen.

00:18:35.299 --> 00:18:35.319
 Amen.

00:18:35.319 --> 00:18:35.359
 Amen.

00:18:35.359 --> 00:18:35.879
 Amen.

00:18:35.879 --> 00:18:36.000
 Amen.

00:18:36.000 --> 00:18:37.000
 Amen.

00:18:37.000 --> 00:18:37.039
 Amen.

00:18:37.039 --> 00:18:37.079
 Amen.

00:18:37.079 --> 00:18:37.119
 Amen.

00:18:37.119 --> 00:18:37.139
 Amen.