In one of the Disciplers' Convocation meetings, the Lord exposed us to the three strategies or investments of the devil in the world. The Lord opened us to the same three investments that the devil is using to manipulate the world. And as children of God, the Lord helped us to see what we should be mindful and be careful around this investments because the devil has invested so much of his time and his person into this areas, that he would always throw it at anyone that becomes his prey.
Listen to Podcast: THE DEMANDS OF THE WORLD VS THE NECESSITY OF THE KINGDOM
Anyone that becomes his prey is led into this lust and he captures them. So this morning, the Lord will be helping us to see under the leadership of the Holy Spirit, the demands of the world. On one of the groups that I belong to, somebody asked a question about that sermon and he said, you know what, how come that we are talking about turning stone into food, that how come it’s not scriptural and all that? And we are going to be looking at some of the demands of the world, The Demands of the World versus the Necessity of the Kingdom.
The Kingdom is not something we can toy with and that’s why yesterday, my beloved brother was saying in the evening school, that Christianity is not a religion, it’s a way of life. We belong to a Kingdom. When we say come and receive Jesus as your Lord and Saviour, what we are saying is that come and take the passport that makes you a citizen of the Kingdom. So, we are not practicing religion, we are living a life whose end is eternity. We are living a life whose destination has been pre-determined. We are living a life that is designed from the beginning of time. We are not living a life of default but a life of design.
And we want to look at the difference between these things, the Demands of the World versus the Necessity of the Kingdom and I want to start our observation this morning by looking at a Scripture, in James chapter 4 verse 4, we are going to start with the demands of the world.
4 Adulterers and adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.
James 4:4
The Bible says, adulterers and adulteresses, do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? It’s a question. Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. Is this verse not clear enough and definitive enough? He said see, do you not know that when you become married, when you enter into a relationship with the world, you have made yourself automatically an enemy of God, meaning that there is no sitting on the fence on this matter. You can’t be nice to the world and be a good guy in the Kingdom. You cannot want to sit on the fence and say, you know what, ‘I am just a free moral agent. I’m good to the guys on this side and I am good to the guys on this side’. It cannot work, that’s what the Scripture is saying. that when you pitch your tent in the world automatically, you’ve moved your tent away from God. And who is the King of this Kingdom, God! You cannot be in the bad book of the King and say that you are a citizen of that Kingdom.
I remember during the old times, when there is, you know, entrenched Kingdom culture in Nigeria and we had Kingdoms of different kinds, you know, in Oyo, Oyo Kingdom, the Ife Kingdom, the Ijebu Kingdom and all that. You will see that when the king is displeased with a person, the king will utter a judgment and the person is banished. There are different punishments the king could offer but the greatest that usually you know carries a lot of weight in the heart of people is the banishment because what that means is that you have no right, you cannot enter into the Kingdom, you cannot relate with people in the Kingdom, the king is no longer responsible for you so you are sent out. So, you cannot say you pitch your tent with the world and you are also in the Kingdom.
And let us see, what are the demands of the world, because some of will say, you know when we talk about the demands of the world, you know friendship with the world, after all I don’t fornicate, you know, I don’t engage in all these things, what are the things that calls for the demands of the world, that the Bible is saying in James chapter 4 verse 4, that brings you in a position when you become an enemy of God? 1st John chapter 2, we will establish that first before we start talking about, the necessity of the Kingdom. 1st John chapter 2 and I will read from verse 15 down to 17;
15 Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world. 17 And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever.
1st John 2:15-17
He said do not love the world, some people will wish we can expunge this areas from the Bible but its there, what is written, is written. Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. This is not Lara speaking, this is the word of God. Do not love the world, is it an advice? It is a command because see, there is no set and subset in this matter, they are whole sets. You cannot intertwine or intersect, or what do they use to call it? There is another word they use to, when you want to combine two sets together. The set of God and the set of the world are not the same, they are different. He said, you do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. He did not say, small portion of god’s love is in him. He said the love of the Father is not in him. So when you chose to love the world , you have eliminated the love of the Father from your life. The two cannot co-habit. And see what he says in 16, what are the demands of the world, he is listing them here, he said for all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, the pride of life is not of the Father but is of the world.
So, the three demands of the world are these, one the lust of the eyes, what your eyes wants to see, Solomon said ‘there is nothing that my eyes saw that I did not give to myself’. And there are people that live their lives like that, you see a Lamborghini, you see a Ferrari, you want to have it, so you will do anything to have it. Such a person, the Bible says is given to the demands of this world and the love of the Father is not in him. So, whether you are a Pastor or a Bishop, or you are an Elder or a Deacon, the love of the Father does not co-habit with the love of the world. You cannot tell me that you love the world and you love God at the same time. No! The Bible says it does not work. One love supersedes and eliminates automatically the other. So it could be that you started in the love of God. It could be that you started your life loving God but something happened to you by the way.
The lust of the eyes demanded from you something and you gave in to that lust. At that time you gave in to that lust, the love of God has been eliminated in your heart, so what you have now is the love of the world. And that’s why the love that people see, that you give to God is coloured in the love of the world. So you now preach for money. You now preach for material things, you only honour invitations that bring you money and accolades. The passion for souls is no longer there, that is the love of the world driving you. And remember you cannot love God and love world, it’s not possible. A man of God or a child of God that is driven by the lust of the eyes can no longer please God because your focus and your attention will be different.
The second demand of the world is the lust of the flesh, anything your flesh feels like. If you feel like having, deriving pleasure right there and then, when you know its unlawful, you do it. The love of God is not in you anymore. You no longer see sisters as people that God has brought under you to be blessed, you are now seeing them as elements or instruments of pleasure. There is something wrong with you. The love of the Father is no longer in you. The love of the world has consumed you. The same people that you use to see as people to impact grace upon, you are impacting them with something else. The love of God is no longer in you. The love of the world has taken you over and see, let us look at these things, you know, my husband and I sometime ago, were looking at advertisements, the adverts! And my husband said, why is it that they are always splashing pleasure in the face of people?
You know, you will see an advert, it could be that they are advertising a suitcase, they will put a naked woman beside the suit case. It could be they are advertising football, you will see they will put something, pleasure! The lust of the eyes! Because that’s the demand of the world, do it! Do it! And you will see that everywhere that you go to, except you are not walking on the earth, except there is a special road that you are walking, that has not been revealed to some of us. You can’t wake up in a day and walk on the streets on the earth oh! That you will not see this demands calling for your attention- lust of the eyes, the lust of the flesh, the pride of life.
They tell you, buy this wrist watch so that you will be the boss, even sim cards, they advertise it in such a way that if you are not careful, they will be splashing these demands to you, splashing it in your face. So you will see everywhere that we turn, that these demands are there. And you know yesterday while we were in the evening Bible school, we learnt that see, that’s why God is not going to judge us, it will be Jesus so that you will now tell him that the street he walked on the earth was not the same street, whether it’s the same demands. The Bible says, He was tempted in every way so the lust of the eyes came staring at him, the lust of the flesh came staring at him, the pride of life was there but he did not give in.
So, there are demands of the world, the world wants you to love it and that’s why they invest so much. Sometimes I just wonder, those that want to drink the beer, let them drink it now, why are they putting it in our faces? They will now put that bottle, it will be sweating, what are they doing? They will put the cup and the foam will just be there, you will now see the thing golden colour, what are they doing? They are enticing men. Demands!
If you go to the internet, before you open it, God save you if you don’t know where you are going to, you will just go and enter rubbish in Google, they have taken you to a porn site. Why? The demands of the world! They are doing advertisement all over the place. Luring men, enticing them, persuading them, the pride of life! They want to make you feel important. You will now hear people saying all manner of gospels, singing all manner of gospels, you know, be a self-made man, be a self-made woman, you have arrived. Feel good with yourself, defend yourself, nobody should say rubbish about you, check out anybody that is saying rubbish about you, it’s not compulsory to be friends with everybody, all manner of things to allow pride to enter into you, to make you bigger, to make you feel bigger than yourself in the name of positive thinking, self esteem, they are luring people into sin, and you feel big, and you too, you feel on top of the world. God is even speaking to you, talk to that person. ‘It’s not compulsory to talk to everybody, if I say hello and the person doesn’t say hi. I walk away’ because go all over the place, that’s the news, that’s what people are sharing.
You will see somebody will share it to you, you too you will read it, you say wow! It’s true. It’s not compulsory, I can’t kill myself. Ah! It’s true, it’s true, it’s true, I am bigger than all these things, In fact, I have arrived. The demands of the world! But is that what God wants us to feed ourselves with? See what he said, he said these things is not of the Father, but is of the world, Verse 17, he said, and the world is passing away, I love this. The world is passing away. So, it’s just a matter of time, all that is trending will trend no more. People that have given their souls to ‘Big Brother Naija’ has it not passed away? But the things they have dropped in their heart is still living with them. I am not apologetic about it.
The pictures they have shown them, the values they have sold to them, the ideas they have sold to them. How they devalue the morals of people and before you know it, people are saying, eh! it’s not bad now. It’s okay now. Somebody was talking about one of them, I did not watch it but all over the place, you will read. One of them started thinking, how come we are praising a married man that came to the house and did not fornicate, is it not normal? So for them, it’s abnormal. So they too they started checking, that the values they are passing across subtly through this reality TV show is demoralizing our sense of thinking.
The world! They will sell it to you subtly in the comfort of your house, on the subscription you paid for, with your money! And you will start living a life of default and not design because the demands of the world will make you do things that others are doing. That’s why Jesus said that broad is the way that leads to hell, many tread on it. That’s what’s trending. That’s why you should be careful as a child of God on what is trending. Broad is the way that leads to hell. He said narrow, uncommon, rare, scarce is the way that leads to eternity. You won’t find many people walking in it. They will say ‘what is it? You are old fashioned. You are not even in vogue, ah, ah, calm down now, are you the one that killed Jesus, what’s there?’ The demands of the world!
He said the world is passing away and the lust of it. That’s why you will see many people will engage in these things then later they will come back to their senses and say why did I do it? Because in the heat of the moment, when the pressure was mounted, they gave in. Later to discover, what have I done? And that’s why you will see on the last day, there will be so many regrets. Many people that will regret, the pressures they gave into. And the Lord said, But he who does, I love that, but he does his own will, did you see that in your Bible, he who does as he pleases? He said, he who does the will of God, he who does the will of God in the midst of the demands of the world abides forever because all the things they are doing will lead to death but he who does the will of God abides forever.
And I want us to se, what is God’s will? God’s will is not something that we should gloss over, and say ‘I am just trying, God knows I am trying. Ah! God knows it’s not easy in this world for somebody to still be going to church once a week, in this world. Ah! God knows I am trying. You know with the traffic in my area, I still try to pray for two minutes, God knows I am trying. Ah! With all that is happening, with the pressure of bills to pay, and I am still trying to give the little that I have for the work of God. I am trying’. So, we are now trying we are not leaving. We are trying, we are trying to do the will of God, managing to do the will of God. When it’s convenient for us, we do it. When it’s not convenient, we forsake it. Matthew chapter 6 verse 33, what is the will of God? Matthew chapter 6, I will start from verse 31, so we will understand where Jesus is coming from;
31 “Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. 33 But seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.
Matthew 6: 31- 34
He said, therefore do not worry saying, what shall we eat, the word of God is complete, there is no question you are asking or will ever ask that is not answered here. He said, because there will come a time, Jesus knew that we will start worrying. We will be so engrossed in what to eat, and what to drink, what to wear, that we will forget that we will forsake the most important thing. So he said do not worry, what shall we eat or what shall we drink, or what shall we wear? Why do you run up and down? Because of these things! Why do you give in to the demands of the world? Because of these things! And he said for after all these things, the Gentiles seek. Another way of putting the ‘Gentiles’ is the world seek, the world demands those things so they give in to the lust of the eyes, the lust of the flesh and the pride of life. If you do these things, you are already walking your way into loving the world because that’s what they seek and get ensnared.
He said, for your heavenly Father knows, did you see that? For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. He is aware. But what did he say in verse 33, He said But, despite the demands of the world, in spite of the demands of the world, seek first the Kingdom of God, even though you are worried about what you want to wear, what you want to eat, and where you want to live, seek first the Kingdom of God. When you see ‘but’ in a statement, does it not nullify the earlier one? It does. Jesus said see, you can say you are trying, it’s not enough. Despite the demands of the world, seek first the Kingdom of God, how will you not be given over to the love of the world? By seeking first the Kingdom of God! Because while you are thinking of buying that car, not because you just want to drive, but you want to feel good. Think about the Kingdom of God first. While you are thinking of buying that expensive meal not because you are just hungry but because you want to class yourself with the pride of life, think about the Kingdom of God first! While you are thinking about the honorarium that they want to pay you in that church, think about the Kingdom of God first.
So, the weight or the weighing scales of your actions should be the Kingdom of God, it’s not possible to think about the Kingdom of God and still think about the Kingdom of the world. It’s not possible. But see what Jesus said, He said but seek first the Kingdom of God and its righteousness, and all these things, because Jesus brought a great balance to this world. He said see, you will not be naked, you will not go hungry, you will not be thirsty but as you seek the Kingdom of God first, all these things shall be added. All! You will never be thirsty, you will never be hungry, you will never go naked for all these things shall be added but don’t seek first the world, don’t seek first what you will eat, don’t seek first what you will drink, don’t seek first what you will wear. Seek what first? The Kingdom of God! Seek first!
In verse 34, He said therefore, because of what I have said to you in verse 33, He said do not worry about tomorrow. Politicians that embezzle money, what are they worrying about? Tomorrow! When I leave this office, the prestige that I have enjoyed, I have been flying first class, I have been travelling to nations on the expense of the government. What happens tomorrow, when I leave this prestigious position? I want to continue to enjoy what I use to enjoy. So, they embezzle money. So they seek first their own satisfaction, seek first their own pleasure because they are worrying about tomorrow.
And Jesus said therefore, do not worry about tomorrow, because if you worry about tomorrow, you will love the world. Because the world will offer you guarantee, ‘quote and unquote’ of tomorrow. And He said, for tomorrow will worry about its own things, for sufficient for today is its own trouble. The demands of the world can take you away completely. The demands of world can take you away from the Kingdom. The love of God cannot be in you and you love the world at the same time, and that’s why we started with that Scripture, James chapter 4 verse 4, because friendship with the world is enmity against God. Everyone that loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. So why is the Kingdom so necessary? Why is the Kingdom so important? I am going to give us two examples in Matthew chapter 13, how God described the Kingdom of God. Matthew chapter 13, I will first read from verse 44,
44 “Again, the Kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and hid; and for joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.
Matthew 13: 44
Jesus said again, the Kingdom of God is like a treasure hidden in a field which a man found and hid, and for joy over it, he goes and sells all that he has, did you see it? And buys that field. I want to go over it again, maybe you didn’t understand what Jesus was saying here, He said, the Kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. Let me break it down for us, that field is a life, the Kingdom of God is hidden in a field, in a life, in a kind of life, He said, which a man found. A man found that life, the life in God, that’s the life of the Kingdom. When you have that life, you are a possessor of the Kingdom. He said, which a man found and hid, he decided to guard it jealously. Hope we are getting it? This life that you have in Christ is the Kingdom. Jesus said if you think I am casting out these demons by the spirit of Beelzebub, but if I am casting it out by the Spirit of God, the Kingdom has come upon you. Who was there then? Jesus! Jesus carried with him, the Kingdom, the key to the Kingdom.
So, He said the Kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in a field which a man found and hid and for joy over it, he goes and sells all that he has, all his possession and buys that field. The Bible says, what can a man use to replace the price for his soul? Nothing! There is nothing that you can use to exchange it. That’s how priced it is. The Kingdom is so priced that for you to have it, for you to have received it, you can sell all that you have, treasure it! That’s why the Bible says, guard your heart, this your heart that have received Jesus, this your heart that have professed Jesus as your Lord and Saviour, guard it with all diligence, for out of it flows everything that you do. The love of the Father flows from it and you will live that life. So, the Kingdom of God is a priced hidden treasure that you have found, hide it, guard it. If it will cost you all that you have, sell it to keep that life. That’s how necessary the Kingdom is, that’s how important the Kingdom is because that’s what Jesus was making us to see is the importance of the Kingdom. Let’s also go the verse 45 and verse 46 of the same chapter, Matthew chapter 13
45 “Again, the Kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking beautiful pearls, 46 who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had and bought it.
Matthew 13: 45-46
He said again, When emphasis is placed on the same thing, doesn’t it show the importance of it? It does. He said again, the Kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking beautiful pearls, who when he has found one pearl of great price. The life that you have received in Christ Jesus, that put the love of God, the Bible says the love of God has been shed his love abroad in our heart by the Holy Spirit, that put the love of the Father in your heart is a precious jewel. And see what this person also did, he went and sold all that he had a bought it. That’s how necessary the Kingdom is, It’s not a joke. That you belong to Christ is not joke. Why do you think the devil is toiling so hard to have you? Because what you have is precious. We should ask ourselves this.
You know, they were showing a young man on the TV sometime back, that ran mad on the streets. He had run mad and they were saying the story of how he ran mad. They said he was a young boy, 25 years of age, that he has gone into, you know in Nigeria they call it Yahoo ‘plus, plus, plus’, he has gone into diabolic means of using the internet to dupe people, and they did some things for him that had consequences. At the time when he had those things, he had power like the three investments of the devil. The devil gave him power, you know the devil didn’t find it difficult to give him power, the money and he could use that power and money to have sexual satisfaction because there are girls on the streets, all they are looking for is money, and he had those things but what was the devil after? His soul. He didn’t know because if they had shown him, and this is the painful thing about people in the world, about us. What do we do? We want God to show us the end. You know that if each and every one of us on the earth now is taken to heaven just for one day, that let me just show you the consequences of the people that you admire so much that have money, that have power, that they are doing anything they like, the end of your life that you are following me whole heartedly, if they show us that kind of video. Do you know in fact we will increase our commitment to God before night, why? Because we see it?
But Jesus said blessed are you that do not see but believe. It doesn’t have to happen to you first. Don’t let the devil show you the price of the life you have. Yorubas will say, you don’t know the worth of yourself, it’s when something bad happens to you that you will know so I have this number of friends, because your mother died or your father died, you will see everybody calling you, that’s not a true picture. Blessed are those that something has not happened to me, yet love me. Blessed are those who though, have not seen yet, yet believe. So the Kingdom is necessary because in it is life and the life is not a here now, not there tomorrow life, eternal life, a life that is consistent. It’s life that is self evolving. That’s why the Bible says, out of your belly will flow rivers of living water, that’s the life. The Kingdom is necessary, my brothers and my sisters, the Kingdom is necessary. I would like to conclude with this Matthew chapter 13, I will read verse 47 to 52
47 “Again, the Kingdom of heaven is like a dragnet that was cast into the sea and gathered some of every kind, 48 which, when it was full, they drew to shore; and they sat down and gathered the good into vessels, but threw the bad away. 49 So it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come forth, separate the wicked from among the just, 50 and cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth.” 51 Jesus said to them, “Have you understood all these things?” They said to Him, “Yes, Lord.” 52 Then He said to them, “Therefore every scribe instructed concerning the Kingdom of heaven is like a householder who brings out of his treasure things new and old.”
Matthew 13:47-52
The Bible says, the Kingdom of heaven is like a dragnet that was cast into the sea and gathered some of every kind, which when it was full, they drew to shore, they sat down and gathered the good into vessels and threw the bad away and so it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come forth. Separate the wicked from among the just. And cast them into the furnace of fire, there will be wailing and gnashing teeth. Jesus said to them, have you understood all these things. They said yes Lord. Then he said to them therefore, for this reason, every scribe instructed concerning the Kingdom of heaven. I want us to see that verse 52 very well, therefore, every scribe instructed concerning the Kingdom of heaven is like a householder who brings out his treasure, things new and old. I want to read that same verse in Amplified translation.
52 He said to them, Therefore every teacher and interpreter of the Sacred Writings who has been instructed about and trained for the Kingdom of heaven and has become a disciple is like a householder who brings forth out of his storehouse treasure that is new and [treasure that is] old [the fresh as well as the familiar.
Matthew 13: 52 AMPC
He said to them therefore, every teacher and interpreter of the sacred writing who has been instructed about and trained for the Kingdom of heaven and has become a disciple is like a householder who brings forth out of his storehouse treasure that is new and treasure that is old, the fresh as well as the familiar. As disciples of Jesus but most importantly those that are trained for the Kingdom of heaven. Many people will come around and say they want to be disciples of Jesus but the time is coming when there will be a separation between those that serve God and those that don’t, there will be a separation between those that love the world and the things therein, and those who the Father’s love are in their hearts.
There is a mixed multitude in the church now because the time has not come. We have people in the church that love the world, we have people in the church that love the Father and we have people that are pretending to sit on the fence. And Jesus said, I would have preferred if you were cold or if you were hot but because you are lukewarm, you are trying to have the love of the world and the love of the Father in you, I will spur you out of my mouth, you are distasteful. I don’t like you. You feel it’s hard? Yes, that’s what Jesus is saying, when you eat something and you spit it out, is it not distasteful? That’s what Jesus is saying, I don’t like you, I can’t have you, you can’t be in me. When you eat something and you swallow it, is it not in you? So, what Jesus is saying is you cannot be in me. You can’t love the world and love me at the same time. I must come first.
Matthew 6: 33, Seek first, don’t seek yourself first, don’t seek your pleasure first, don’t seek the world first, seek first the Kingdom, the Kingdom must always come first. When you are seeking something, you don’t sit and seek. That’s why Jesus was giving an example of the lost coin, of the lost sheep, He said, you can have ninety nine but when one goes missing. He talked about the woman that lost a coin, He said, she swept her whole house to find one, and when she found it, she started rejoicing and called people to rejoice with her, that’s the same way, in the Kingdom of God, one is important so heaven rejoices over one soul that comes to God because that’s a great testimony.
Heaven does not rejoice over your new car. Heaven does not rejoice over your new house, they are but instruments, they should be. So, in case you love the Father, they will be instruments in the hands of God to do his will but if you don’t love the Father, they will be just be an instrument of your gratification, for you to continue to lust after your flesh, lust in your eyes and the pride of life. Seek first! In spite of the demands of the world, understand the necessity of the Kingdom. If we seek the Kingdom first, you will win souls. Nobody will beg you to preach, nobody will beg you to put Jesus out there. Nobody will beg you to persuade men to come to the Kingdom because you are putting the Kingdom first, the interest of the Kingdom is paramount.
The love of the Father has so overwhelmed you, that’s why the Apostles said, see we cannot but preach. Oh! There is an intoxicating love on our inside. We cannot but preach what we have both seen and heard, and what our hands have handled. If the love of the Father is in you, nobody will beg you to love. Nobody will beg you to live a sacrificial life. Nobody will beg you, nobody will have to cajole you to live your life on the altar of Christ. Nobody will beg you to sit at the feet of Jesus to learn, nobody! But when you are still consumed with the world, they will be running after you, follow up unit, evangelism unit, they are always calling your phone and you are always trying, ‘I will try to make it, I will try, I will try’ because you have not seen the necessity of the Kingdom.
I pray that God will put such a desire in our hearts, a desire for his will, a burning desire for his will, He said, he who does the will of God will abide forever, that doing the will of God is the hall mark for your living. Why did God allow you to wake us up this morning? To do his will. Why have God kept you in health? To do his will. Why is your mind sane? To do his will. I pray the Lord will help us in the name of Jesus.
Amen
