Freedom in Christ Jesus, my Lord, My Saviour, My Master

 100 Identity Truths

(Your true identity in Christ Jesus)

1. I am born again (1 Peter 1:23) states that Christians are (You have been) "born again," not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God." This verse emphasizes the spiritual rebirth that comes from God's word.

2. I am a child of God (John 1:12) Yet to all who did receive HIM, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God 

3. I am a saint (I Corinthians 1:2) Unto the church of God which is at Corinth, to them that are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, 

4. I am the salt of the earth (Matthew 5:13) Jesus says to His disciples, "You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot." 

5. I am the light of the world (Matthew 5:14) Jesus says, "You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden.

6. I am a disciple because I have love for others (John 13:34-35) "A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another."

7. I am protected by the power of His name (John 17:11) "I will remain in the world no longer, but they are still in the world, and I am coming to YOU. Holy Father, protect them by the power of YOUR Name, the Name you gave me, so that they may be one as we are one." This is a verse where Jesus prays to His Father God, asking HIM to protect His disciples as He prepares to leave the world, emphasizing their unity and the divine power of God's name. This moment highlights the transition of Jesus' ministry and the challenges His followers will face in the world.

8. I am set free by the truth (John 8:31-33) Dispute Over Whose Children Jesus’ Opponents Are.

³¹ To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. ³² Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” ³³They answered him, “We are Abraham’s descendants and have never been slaves of anyone. How can you say that we shall be set free?”

9. I am eternally secure in Christ (John 10:27-31) ²⁷ My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: ²⁸ And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. ²⁹ My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father’s hand. ³⁰  I and my Father are one. ³¹ Then the Jews took up stones again to stone him.

10. I am kept from the evil one (John 17:15) My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that YOU protect them from the evil one. This verse states that Jesus Christ prayed to His Father God not to take His disciples out of the world, but to keep them safe from the evil one. This verse emphasizes the importance of divine protection while believers remain engaged in the world

11. I am one with God the Father and Jesus the Son (John 17:23) "I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me." This verse expresses Jesus' prayer for unity among believers, stating that through this unity, the world will recognize that God sent Jesus and loves believers as much as He loves Jesus. This verse highlights the deep connection between Jesus, God, and believers, emphasizing love and unity as key aspects of Christian faith.

12. I am God's gift to Christ (John 17:24)  "Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory you have given me because you loved me before the creation of the world."  This verse expresses Jesus' desire for His followers to be with Him and to witness His glory, emphasizing the intimate relationship between Him and the Father, who loved Him before the world was created. This verse highlights the promise of eternal life and fellowship with Christ for believers.

13. I have peace with God (Romans 5:1) states that since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. This verse emphasizes the relationship between faith and peace with God.

14. I have been justified by faith (Romans 5:1) is a verse that declares the justification and reconciliation of believers with God through faith in Jesus. Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Peace and Hope. 

15. I have access into the sphere of God's grace (Romans 5:2) states that through faith in Jesus, we gain access to God's grace, in which we stand, and we rejoice in the hope of sharing in God's glory. This verse emphasizes the importance of faith and the joy that comes from the assurance of God's promises. through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God.

16. I can rejoice in trouble (Romans 5:3) Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance;  this verse states that we can rejoice in our sufferings because suffering produces perseverance, which leads to character, and ultimately to hope. This passage emphasizes the positive outcomes that can arise from enduring hardships.

17. The love of God has been poured out in my heart (Romans 5:5) And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.

18. I am reigning in the life of Jesus Christ (Romans 5:17)

19. I have been reconciled to God through the death of Jesus (Romans 5:10)

20. I am being saved by the life of Jesus (Romans 5:10b)

21. I have been baptized into Christ's death (Romans 6:3)

22. I have been raised to walk in the newness of life (Romans 6:4)

23. I have been united with Christ through His death and resurrection (Romans 6:5)

24. My old self was crucified with Christ (Romans 6:6)

25. I am alive to God in Christ Jesus (Romans 6:11)

26. I am yielded to God (Romans 6:13)

27. I am not under the law, but under grace (Romans 6:14)

28. I have eternal life in Christ Jesus (Romans 6:23)

29. I am freed from the power of sin (Romans 6:18)

30. I am free from condemnation (Romans 8:1)

31. I am a servant of God (Romans 6:22)

32. I am free from the power of sin and am a servant of righteousness (Romans 6:18)

33. I am free from the vicious cycle of sin and death (Romans 8:2)

34. I am indwelt by the Holy Spirit (Romans 8:9)

35. I am led by the Spirit of God (Romans 8:14)

36. I am a joint heir with Christ (Romans 8:17)

37. I am confident that all things work together for good (Romans 8:28)

38. I am being conformed to the image of Christ (Romans 8:29)

39. The Holy Spirit helps my infirmities (Romans 8:26)

40. The Holy Spirit makes intercession for me (Romans 8:26)

41. God foreknew me (Romans 8:29)

42. I have been given all things (Romans 8:32)

43. I am inseparable from the love of God (Romans 8:35)

44. I am more than a conqueror through Christ (Romans 8:37)

45. I am God's temple (I Corinthians 3:16-17)

46. I am washed, sanctified, and justified by the blood of Jesus (I Corinthians 6:11)

47. I have been bought with a price (I Corinthians 6:20)

48. I am the image and glory of God (I Corinthians 11:7)

49. I am triumphant in Christ (II Corinthians 2:14)

50. I am a sweet aroma manifesting the presence of God wherever I go (II Corinthians 2:14)

51. I am adequate for anything because my adequacy comes from God (II Corinthians 3:5)

52. I am a new creation in Christ (II Corinthians 5:17) states that if anyone is in Christ, they are a new creation; the old has gone, and the new is here! This verse emphasizes the transformative power of being united with Christ.

53. I am an ambassador for Christ (II Corinthians 5:20)

54. I am strongest when I am weakest (II Corinthians 12:10)

55. I am crucified with Christ and the life I now live is His (Galatians 2:20)

56. I am redeemed from the curse of the Law (Galatians 3:13)

57. I am filled with the fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, selfcontrol (Galatians 5:22-23)

58. I am in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 1:1)

59. I am blessed with every spiritual blessing (Ephesians 1:3)

60. I am chosen by God to be holy and blameless (Ephesians 1:4)

61. I am predestined to adoption through Jesus (Ephesians 1:5)

62. I am accepted in the beloved (Ephesians 1:6)

63. I have redemption through His blood (Ephesians 1:7)

64. I am forgiven of all my sins (Ephesians 1:7)

65. He has made known to me the mystery of His will (Ephesians 1:9)

66. I have wisdom as I try to know His will (Ephesians 1:8)

67. I am predestined according to His purpose (Ephesians 1:11)

68. I have obtained an inheritance (Ephesians 1:11)

69. I am filled with the Holy Spirit of promise (Ephesians 1:13)

70. I have the spirit of wisdom and revelation in His knowledge (Ephesians 1:17)

71. My eyes have been enlightened (Ephesians 1:18)

72. I know the hope of my calling (Ephesians 1:18)

73. I know the exceeding greatness of His power to me (Ephesians 1:19)

74. I know the riches of His inheritance in the saints (Ephesians 1:18)

75. I am made alive with Christ (Ephesians 2:1)

76. I am raised with Christ and seated in the heavenlies (Ephesians 2:6)

77. I have been saved by grace through faith (Ephesians 28)

78. I am God's handiwork created in Christ Jesus for good works (Ephesians 2:10)

79. Once afar off, I am now made near by the blood of Christ (Ephesians 2:13)

80. I have access through Jesus to the Father (Ephesians 2:18)

81. I am a fellow citizen with the saints in God's household (Ephesians 2:19)

82. I am built upon the foundation of the apostles and Christ the cornerstone (Ephesians 2:20)

83. I am able to walk boldly into Christ's presence (Ephesians 3:12)

84. I am strengthened with power through His spirit of the inner man (Ephesians 3:16)

85. I am receiving exceeding, abundantly above all that I ask or think (Ephesians 3:20)

86. I can speak the truth in love (Ephesians 4:15)

87. I can grow up in all things under him (Ephesians 4:15)

88. I have been renewed in the spirit of my mind (Ephesians 4:23)

89. I have put off the old man (Ephesians 4:22)

90. I once was darkness, but now I am light in the Lord (Ephesians 5:8)

91. I am able to walk as a child of light (Ephesians 5:8)

92. I am strong in the Lord and the power of His might (Ephesians 6:10)

93. I choose to put on the whole armor of God and stand (Ephesians 6:13)

94. I am able to quench all of Satan's darts (Ephesians 6:16)

95. He who started a good work in me will finish it (Philippians 1:6)

96. I will be ashamed of nothing; with boldness, Christ will be magnified (Philippians 1:20)

97. The mind which was in Christ is in me (Philippians 2:5)

98. God is working in me both to desire and to do His good pleasure (Philippians 2:13)

99. My citizenship is in heaven from which I eagerly await His coming (Philippians 3:20)

100. I can rejoice in the Lord always (Philippians 4:4) states, "Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice!" This verse emphasizes the importance of joy in the Christian life, encouraging believers to find their joy in their relationship with the Lord.

I CONFESS MY IDENTITY IN CHRIST JESUS 

This is what the believer looks like in the mirror of God’s Word.

Who am I? 

Who I Am in Christ Jesus: 

• I am a child of God.

But to all who have received him--those who believe in his name--he has given the right to become God's children … (John 1:12).

• I am a friend of Jesus.

I no longer call you slaves, because the slave does not understand what his master is doing. But I have called you friends, because I have revealed to you everything I heard from my Father (John 15:15).

• I have been justified and redeemed.

But they are justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus (Romans 3:24).

• My old self was crucified with Christ, and I am no longer a slave to sin.

We know that our old man was crucified with Him so that the body of sin would no longer dominate us, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin (Romans 6:6).

• I am no longer under condemnation.

There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:1).

• I have been set free from the law of sin and death.

For the law of the life-giving Spirit in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and death (Romans 8:2).

• As a child of God, I am a fellow heir with Christ.And if children, then heirs (namely, heirs of God and also fellow heirs with Christ)--if indeed we suffer with him so we may also be glorified with him (Romans 8:17).• I have been accepted by Christ.Receive one another, then, just as Christ also received you, to God's glory (Romans 15:7).• I have been called to be a saint.… To the church of God that is in Corinth, to those who are sanctified in Christ Jesus, and called to be saints, with all those in every place who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, their Lord and ours (1 Corinthians 1:2). (See also Ephesians 1:1, Philippians 1:1, and Colossians 1:2.)• In Christ Jesus, I have wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption.He is the reason you have a relationship with Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification and redemption … (1 Corinthians 1:30).• My body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who dwells in me.Do you not know that you are God's temple and that God's Spirit lives in you (1 Corinthians 6:19)?• I am joined to the Lord and am one spirit with Him.But the one united with the Lord is one spirit with him (1 Corinthians 6:17).• The hardening of my mind has been removed in Christ.But their minds were closed. For to this very day, the same veil remains when they hear the old covenant read. It has not been removed because only in Christ is it taken away (2 Corinthians 3:14).• I am a new creature in Christ.So then, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; what is old has passed away--look, what is new has come (2Corinthians 5:17)!• I have become the righteousness of God in Christ.God made the one who did not know sin to be sin for us, so that in him we would become the righteousness of God (2Corinthians 5:21).• I have been made one with all who are in Christ Jesus.There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female--for all of you are one in Christ Jesus (Galatians 3:28).• I have been set free in Christ.For freedom Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not be subject again to the yoke of slavery (Galatians 5:1).• I have been blessed with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places.Blessed is the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms in Christ (Ephesians 1:3).• I am chosen, holy, and blameless before God.For he chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world that we may be holy and unblemished in his sight in love (Ephesians 1:4).• I am redeemed and forgiven by the grace of Christ.In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace (Ephesians 1:7).loganchristianfellowship.com• I have been predestined by God to obtain an inheritance.In Christ we too have been claimed as God's own possession, since we were predestined according to the one purpose of him who accomplishes all things according to the counsel of his will (Ephesians 1:11).• I have been sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise.And when you heard the word of truth (the gospel of your salvation)--when you believed in Christ--you were marked with the seal of the promised Holy Spirit (Ephesians 1:13).• Because of God’s mercy and love, I have been made alive with Christ.But God, being rich in mercy, because of his great love with which he loved us, even though we were dead in transgressions, made us alive together with Christ--by grace you are saved (Ephesians 2:4-5)!• I am seated in the heavenly places with Christ.… And he raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus … (Ephesians 2:6).• I am God’s workmanship created to produce good works.For we are his workmanship, having been created in Christ Jesus for good works that God prepared beforehand so we may do them (Ephesians 2:10).• I have been brought near to God by the blood of Christ.But now in Christ Jesus you who used to be far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ (Ephesians 2:13).• I am a member of Christ’s body and a partaker of His promise.… The Gentiles are fellow heirs, fellow members of the body, and fellow partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 3:6). (See also Ephesians 5:30.)• I have boldness and confident access to God through faith in Christ.… In whom we have boldness and confident access to God because of Christ's faithfulness (Ephesians 3:12).• My new self is righteous and holy.… Put on the new man who has been created in God's image--in righteousness and holiness that comes from truth (Ephesians 4:24).• I was formerly darkness, but now I am light in the Lord.… For you were at one time darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of the light (Ephesians 5:8).• I am a citizen of heaven.But our citizenship is in heaven--and we also await a savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ … (Philippians 3:20).• The peace of God guards my heart and mind.And the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:7).• God supplies all my needs.And my God will supply your every need according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:19).• I have been made complete in Christ.… You have been filled in him, who is the head over every ruler and authority (Colossians 2:10).• I have been raised up with Christ.Therefore, if you have been raised with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God (Colossians 3:1).• My life is hidden with Christ in God.… For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God (Colossians 3:3).• Christ is my life, and I will be revealed with Him in glory.When Christ (who is your life) appears, then you too will be revealed in glory with him (Colossians 3:4).• I have been chosen of God, and I am holy and beloved.Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with a heart of mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience … (Colossians 3:12).• Greater is He who lives in me, than he who is in the worldYou are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world… (1 John 4:4).• I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.Philippians 4:13

The Holy Spirit Evening Routine

 YOUR SPIRIT DOESN'T SLEEP, WHAT IS IT PROCESSING TONIGHT?

The Holy Spirit Evening Routine (Try This Tonight) 

Tonight, before you fall asleep, something could happen in your spirit that most Christians have never experienced. Not because it is rare, not  because it requires a special gift, but because almost no one has ever told you what the Holy Spirit wants to do in you during the evening hours, and how a simple deliberate routine can open the door to a dimension of spiritual growth, peace, and revelation that the busyiness of the day makes nearly impossible. 

What you are about to learn here is not a complicated spiritual program. It is a practical, Word-based, Spirit-led evening routine that you can begin tonight in your own bedroom in 15 minutes or less. 

And if you do it consistently, it will change the way you sleep every night, the way you awake every morning, the way you think, and the way you experience the Presence of God in your daily life. 

This is not theory. This is something you can try tonight and every night before going to sleep.  And the results will speak for themselves. 

This teaching is going to give you something that most spiritual teachings do not. 

A specific actionable practice that you can implement immediately, not next week, not after a conference, but tonight. Because the truth is most Christians have a morning routine of some kind. even if it is brief, even if it is inconsistent. 

 But almost no one has an evening routine that is designed to cooperate with the Holy Spirit during the hours when your spirit is most receptive and your mind is most quiet. 

We understood the spiritual significance of the evening hours in a way that the modern church has largely overlooked. 

¶The evening belongs to the spirit. When the body is tired and the mind begins to rest, the spirit is most awake. And the believer who learns to feed his spirit in the evening will find that the Holy Spirit does more in those quiet hours than a full day of activity could accomplish. 

 The evening belongs to the spirit. That is a revelation that most believers have never considered. 

Your mornings may belong to discipline. Your afternoons may belong to duty. But your evenings, those final minutes before sleep, belong to the Holy Spirit. 

And what the Holy Spirit wants to do in that window is the subject of this entire teaching. Here is the problem. And it is so common that it has become invisible. 

Most Christians end their day the same way. They finish their last task, eat their evening meal, watch something on television or read something on their phone, brush their teeth or dentures, get into bed, and lie there while the events of the day replay in their mind. 

The worry cycle, the regrets surface, the fears creep in, and the last thing their spirit receives before sleep is not the word of God. It is the residue of the world, the news headlines, the stressful conversation, the unresolved problem, the mounting to-do list. 

And that residue does not simply evaporate when you close your eyes to sleep. It seeps into your spirit. It colors your sleep. It shapes your dreams. And it determines the spiritual temperature you wake up  with the next morning. 

Think about it this way. Your spirit is like a field, and whatever is planted in it last, is what grows first the next morning. 

If the last seeds planted before sleep are seeds of worry, you will wake up with a harvest of anxiety. 

If the last seeds planted before sleep are the evening news, you will wake up with a harvest of fear and agitation. 

 If the last seeds planted before sleep are a social media argument or a stressful phone call, you will wake up with a harvest of irritation and unrest. 

 But if the last seeds planted before sleep are the Word of God, the promises of Christ, the truth of your identity as a new creation, and the conscious deliberate fellowship of the Holy Spirit, you will wake up with a harvest of peace, clarity, strength, and spiritual sharpness that nothing else can produce. 

We saw this pattern operating in the lives of believers and addressed it with this characteristic directness. 

¶ "What you feed your spirit last at night determines what your spirit produces first in the morning. Most  believers give the last hour of their day to the world and then wonder why their mornings feel spiritually dead. Turn that hour over to the Word and the Spirit and watch how radically your mornings change. 

Turn that hour over to the word and the spirit. That is the prescription.

 Not an hour of straining. 

Not an hour of religious performance. Only an hour or even 15 minutes of deliberate, spirit directed, Word saturated evening practice that plants the right seeds in the right soil at the right time. 

And the Holy Spirit who never sleeps, who is always at work within you, will tend those seeds through the night and present you with a harvest when you open your eyes. 

And here is what makes this even more urgent. Psalm 127:2 says, "For so he giveth His beloved sleep. God gives sleep." 

Sleep is not merely a biological function. It is a gift from God. And if sleep is a gift, then the hours of sleep are not wasted hours. They are hours in which God is actively at work. 

Your conscious mind may be at rest, but your spirit is not asleep. Your spirit does not have an off switch. It is always active, always receiving, always  processing. 

And the question is, what is it processing during those hours? 

Is it processing the fear you absorbed from the news? 

Or is it processing the Word of God you deliberately planted before you closed your eyes? 

The Holy Spirit wants to use your sleep as a workshop. He wants to work on your spirit while your mind is out of the way, but he works with the material you give HIM. 

And if you give HIM the Word, he will produce results that will astonish you. 

So let me walk you through the Holy Spirit evening routine step by step. 

This is not a formula. It is a framework. It is flexible enough to fit your life and specific enough to produce real results. And every element of it is grounded in the Word of God. 

1. The first step is to disconnect from the world. 

And I mean that literally. At some point in the evening, ideally 30 minutes to an hour before you plan to sleep, deliberately step away from every input that is not the Word of God. 

Turn off the television, set aside the hand phone,  close the laptop, step away from the news, the social media, the entertainment, and the noise. 

This is not legalism. This is stewardship. You are stewarding the final inputs of your day. You are choosing what seeds will be planted last, just before you are going to sleep. 

And you are making room for the Holy Spirit to speak without competition. Psalm 46:10 says, "Be still and know that l am God." 

Stillness is not idleness. It is the deliberate creation of an environment in which the voice of God can be heard above the noise of the world. 

And the evening is the most natural time to create that environment because the day's work is done and the body is already moving toward rest. 

2. The second step is to speak the Word over your night. This is where confession becomes intensely practical.  Before you lie down, take 2 or 3 minutes and speak specific scriptures out loud over your evening and your sleep. 

This is not a prayer request. This is a declaration. You are not asking God to give you a good night's rest. You are confessing what the Word says about the night season and aligning your spirit with heaven's intention for the hours ahead. 

Here are examples of what this sounds like. You might say, "I will both lay me down in peace and sleep. For thou, Lord, only makest me dwell in safety." From Psalm 4:8. 

You might say, "When thou liest down, thou shalt not be afraid. Yay, thou shalt lie down, and thy sleep shall be sweet." From Proverbs 3:24.

 You might say, "He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most high shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty." From Psalm 91:11. 

 These are not wishes. These are covenant realities that you are speaking 🗣️ into the atmosphere of your bedroom, into the soil of your spirit, and into the ears of the angelic realm that responds to the voice of God's word. 

When you speak 🗣️ these scriptures, you are planting the last seeds of the day. And they are seeds of peace, safety, and divine protection. 

Noted that the evening confession is one of the most underutilized weapons in the believer's  arsenal. 

¶ "The words you speak over your night are the instructions you give to your spirit for the hours of sleep. If you speak fear, your spirit will process fear all night long. If you speak the Word, your spirit will process the Word. And the believer who confesses the promises of God over his night will wake up stronger than the believer who confesses nothing. The words you speak over your night are the instructions you give to your spirit. That is the mechanism. Your spirit takes its cues from your mouth and the last instructions it receives before sleep are the ones it works on through the night. 

¶ The third step is to review and confess your identity in Christ. This is the centerpiece of the evening routine and it is the element that separates this practice from every secular bedtime routine in existence. 

In these few minutes, you are not simply winding  down. You are reinforcing the most important truth about your existence, who you are in Christ. (Click here) 

You do this by confessing out loud 🗣️ the identity truths that the Word of God declares about you, not as a list you read mechanically, as a conversation with your own spirit, spoken in the presence of the Holy Spirit with the weight of covenant reality behind every word. 

You say, 🗣️ : "l am the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus." From 2 Corinthians 5:21.

"There is no condemnation over me because l am in Christ Jesus." From Romans 8:1.

l am a new creation. Old things have passed away. All things have become new. From 2 Corinthians 5:17. 

Greater is he that is in me than he that is in the world. From 1 John 4:4. 

I can do all things through Christ which strengthenth me. From Philippians 4:13. 

Each of these confessions is a seed. And when they are the last seeds planted before sleep, they produce a harvest of identity consciousness that will be waiting for you when you open your eyes. 

You will not wake up feeling condemned.

 You will not wake up feeling uncertain about where you stand with God. 

You will not wake up vulnerable to the enemy's first accusation of the day. 

You will wake up knowing who you are because your spirit spent the entire night processing the truth about your identity. 

Do considered this evening confession to be one of the most transformative practices a believer could adopt. 

¶"The believer who confesses his identity in Christ before he sleeps is programming his spirit for victory. The spirit does not rest during sleep. It continues to work. 

And if the last thing it received was the truth of the Word, it will build on that truth through the night. The believer will wake up with a spiritual strength he did not have when he went to  bed. He will wake up with a spiritual strength he did not have when he went to bed. 

That is the promise of the evening confession. Not that something magical happens in your sleep, but that the Holy Spirit, who is always at work in the   recreated spirit, uses the material of the Word to strengthen, build, and reinforce your inner man during the hours when your conscious mind is not interfering. 

4. The fourth step is to invite the Holy Spirit to work while you sleep. This is not a long elaborate prayer. 

It is a simple faith filled acknowledgment that the Holy Spirit is present, active, and willing to work in you during the night. 

You might say 🗣️ along the line like, "Holy Spirit, I thank you that you dwell in me. I yield my spirit to you tonight. Work in me while I sleep. Bring revelation. Bring clarity. Strengthen my inner man. and let me wake up sharper, stronger, and more rooted in Christ than I am right now. "

That is not a formula. It is a conversation with GOD. And he dwells inside you. And he responds to invitation. He responds to yielding. 

He responds to the believer who says, 🗣️ "I give you access to work in me tonight." 

John 14:26 records Jesus Christ saying, "But the comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name. He shall teach you all things and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you." 

The Holy Spirit teaches. He brings things to remembrance. And he does this not only during your waking hours, but also during the hours of rest. 

How many times have you gone to bed struggling with a problem and woken up with a clarity you did not have the night before. That was not coincidence. 

That was the Holy Spirit working in your spirit, processing the information, bringing revelation, and presenting you with an answer your conscious mind could not produce on its own. 

The evening routine positions you to cooperate with that process deliberately, consistently, and with increasing effectiveness. 

And let me show you something from scripture that most believers have never connected to the evening hours. 

Psalm 16:7 says, "I will bless the Lord who hath given me counsel. My reigns also instruct me in the night seasons." 

My reigns instruct me in the night seasons. The word reigns in Hebrew refers to the innermost part of a person, the seat of the emotions and the spirit. 

David is saying that in the night his own spirit under the instruction of God was teaching him. He was receiving counsel during sleep, not through a dream necessarily, though dreams can be a vehicle, through the inner working of the Holy Spirit in his spirit during the hours when the noise of the day was silenced. 

 Job 33:14-16 confirms this pattern. For God speaketh once, yay, twice, yet man perceiveth it not. In a dream, in a vision of the night, when deep sleep fallth upon men, 

¹⁴ For God may speak in one way, or in another,

Yet man does not perceive it.

15 In a dream, in a vision of the night,

When deep sleep falls upon men,

While slumbering on their beds,

16 Then He opens the ears of men,

And seals their instruction ( NKJV)

 in slumberings upon the bed, then he openeth the ears of men, and sealeth their instruction. 

God opens ears and seals instruction during the night. He deposits teaching, direction, and revelation into the human spirit during the hours of sleep. 

And the evening routine is designed to position you to receive that deposit with maximum effectiveness. 

We connected this to the believer's practical life in a way that removes all mysticism and replaces it with simple actionable truth. 

¶ "The believer who prepares his spirit before sleep is like a student who reviews his  notes before an exam. The material is there. The mind is ready. And when the exam comes, the answers flow naturally. 

 The Holy Spirit is the teacher. The Word is the textbook and the evening is the review session. Do not skip the review and expect to pass the exam of the next day's challenges .

Do not skip the review and expect to pass the exam. That is the practical urgency of the evening routine. Tomorrow will bring challenges. Tomorrow will bring pressures. Tomorrow will bring moments where your faith is tested, your identity is questioned, and your peace is threatened. 

The evening routine prepares your spirit for all of it. It preloads the ammunition. It sharpens the sword. It fills the tank. 

And the believer who enters the next day with a  spirit that was fed, confessed over, and yielded to the Holy Spirit the night before is a believer who is ready for whatever that day brings. 

And there is one more dimension to this that deserves attention because it speaks directly to the season of life that many watching this are in. 

For those who are in their later years, the evening hours can sometimes be the loneliest hours. The house is quiet, the family members may be far away, the body may ache, and the mind, left to its own devices, tends to wander toward regret, toward worry, toward the unanswered questions of a lifetime. 

But the evening routine transforms those hours from a season of loneliness into a season of communion. You are not alone in that room. The Holy Spirit is there and he is not a distant Presence. He is an intimate, personal, attentive companion who has been with you every step of the journey and who has no intention of leaving. 

Romans 8:26 says, "Likewise, the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities, for we know not what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. 

 He helps your infirmities. He intercedes for you. He takes the things you cannot put into words and translates them into  the language of heaven. 

And in the quiet of the evening, when the distractions are removed, that intercession becomes something you can sense, something you can rest in, and something that replaces the loneliness with the divine Presence that is more real than any human company could ever be. 

5. The fifth step is simply to rest. Not to keep praying, not to keep confessing, not to keep straining for a spiritual experience. 

To rest, to close your eyes with the full Confidence that the Word has been planted, the confession has been made, the Holy Spirit has been invited, and the night is in God's hands. 

Psalm 3:5 says, " I laid me down and slept. l await for the Lord sustained me." 

Here, I is your spirit, me is your body. Your spirit does not sleep. But your tired body is going to sleep. 

The psalmist did not sustain himself. The Lord sustained him. And the sustainment happened during sleep. 

Your job in this final step is to trust the process,  to believe that the seeds you planted will grow,  to believe that the Holy Spirit will work, and to let go of the day with the peace that comes from knowing that the God who never sleeps is watching over you through every hour of the night. Yes, let go and let God sustain all of you. 

Psalm 121:3-4 declares, "He that keepeth thee will not slumber. Behold, he that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep. 

He does not slumber. He does not sleep. He is awake all night keeping you, guarding you, and working in you. 

Your rest is not passive. It is a faith act. It is the deliberate decision to entrust yourself to the One who sustains you while you sleep. 

Listen to the description of this final act of resting with a beauty that captures the full spirit of the evening routine. 

¶ "The believer who has planted the Word, confessed his identity, and yielded to the Spirit can close his eyes with the confidence of a child in his father's arms. 

He is not worried about the night. He is not anxious about the morning. He is held. 

And in the holding, the Father does His deepest  work. That is the evening routine. 

Not a performance, not a ritual, but it is a deliberate, faith filled positioning of your spirit to receive the deepest work of God in the quietest hours of your day. 

And here is the climactic truth that makes this entire routine so powerful. The Holy Spirit is already in you. He is already at work. He is already willing to teach you, strengthen you, and build you up from the inside out. 

The evening routine does not summon him. He is already there. 

The evening routine does not earn his attention. You already have it. 

What the evening routine does is remove the obstacles. 

It clears the noise. It plants the right seeds. It creates the environment in which the Holy Spirit can work most effectively without the competition of the world's voices, without the distraction of the day's demands, without the interference of a mind that is running in a hundred different directions. 

In the stillness of the evening with the Word on your lips and the confession of your identity in your heart, the Holy Spirit has unobstructed access to your spirit. And what he does with that access will transform you from the inside out. 

Let's expressed this with a statement that should redefine how you approach every evening for the rest of your life. 

¶"The Holy Spirit is the most under utilized resource in the believer's life. Not because he is unwilling, because we are too busy. 

We fill every waking moment with noise, activity, and distraction. And then we wonder why we do not hear His voice. Give HIM the evening. Give HIM the quiet. Give HIM the Word to work with. And he will produce in you what a thousand sermons could not. 

He will produce in you what a thousand sermons could not. That is the power of the evening routine. Not because the routine itself is magical, but because the One who operates within it is God. 

So tonight, try this.  30 minutes before you plan to sleep, disconnect from the world. Turn off the screens. Set aside the distractions. 

Take your Bible or simply speak from the scriptures you know. Declare the Word over your night. Confess your identity in Christ. Invite the Holy Spirit to work in you while you sleep. And then rest with the full confidence that the God who never sleeps is doing His deepest work in you during the quietest hours of your day. Do this tonight. Do it tomorrow night. Do it the next night.

And within a week, you will begin to notice something different. You will sleep more peacefully. You will wake up more clearly. You wil face your  mornings with a spiritual strength that was not there before. Not because you did something extraordinary, but because you cooperated with the ordinary, daily, moment-by-moment work of the Holy Spirit who lives inside you. And has been waiting for you to give him the evening. 

Let us said it with the simplicity that only deep understanding can produce. 

¶"Give the Holy Spirit your evenings, and he will give you your mornings. Plant the word at night, and you will harvest peace at dawn." 

It is the simplest exchange in the kingdom of God. And it is available to every believer tonight. 

It is available to you tonight. Not after a conference. Not after a spiritual breakthrough. 

Tonight in your bedroom with your Bible, with the Holy Spirit who is already inside you. 

Try it tonight and let the results speak for themselves. 

Respected reader, 

If this teaching has stirred something in your spirit, if you intend to begin this evening routine tonight, then l invite you to declare it. In the comment section below, type these words. Speak out. 

🗣️:Tonight, I give my evening to the Holy Spirit. I will plant the word in my spirit before I sleep. I will confess my identity in Christ. I will invite the Holy Spirit to work in me through the night. And I will rest in the confidence that my Father God never sleeps and his deepest work happens in the quiet. I am a new creation and my evenings belong to the Spirit."

 That is not a formula. That is a decision declared out loud by a believer who understands the power of cooperating with the Holy Spirit. Leave that declaration in the comments right now.

And as you begin this evening routine, as the Holy Spirit begins to work in you with a new depth and a new consistency, something is going to surface in your spirit that you may have never fully examined. Because everything in this routine, the confession, the identity declarations, the words spoken over your night, all of it operates on one thing, faith. 

And most Christians assume they understand what faith is. But there is a single verse in the gospel spoken directly by Jesus Christ that has been   translated in a way that hides its most explosive meaning. It is a verse you have likely read dozens of times. You may have even memorized it. But what Jesus Christ actually said in that verse in the original Greek is so radically different from what most English Bibles present that when you see it clearly, it will redefine everything you thought you knew about the kind of faith you are supposed to be operating in. It is not the faith you have been taught. It is something far greater and it has been inside you since the day you were born again. The Faith of God.

In the next teaching, we're going to open that verse and show you what Jesus Christ actually said. 

If what you heard today gave you the routine, what comes next will reveal the faith that powers.

Tonight, I give my evening to the Holy Spirit. I will plant the Word in my spirit before I sleep. I will.

Worship God Only

 In the name of Lord Jesus Christ let's worship using scripture 

 🗣️ : Worship God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.”

Oh come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the Lord, our Maker!

O Lord, you are my God; I will exalt you; I will praise your name, for you have done wonderful things, plans formed of old, faithful and sure.

I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.

Let everything that has breath praise the Lord! Praise the Lord!

Through him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name.

My mouth is filled with your praise, and with your glory all the day.

Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.

Now I,  praise and extol and honor the King of heaven, for all His works are right and His ways are just; and those who walk in pride He is able to humble.

Then Job arose and tore his robe and shaved his head and fell on the ground and worshiped. And he said, “Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked shall I return. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.”

But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him.

Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe,

I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

You shall serve the Lord your God, and he will bless your bread and your water, and I will take sickness away from among you.

Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised, and his greatness is unsearchable.

And Jesus answered him, “It is written, “‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and him only shall you serve.’”

For from HIM and through HIM and to HIM are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen.

Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name!

The Lord is my strength and my shield; in him my heart trusts, and I am helped; my heart exults, and with my song I give thanks to him.

Because your steadfast love is better than life, my lips will praise you. So I will bless you as long as I live; in your name I will lift up my hands.

For it is written, “As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God.”

“Sing praises to the Lord, for he has done gloriously; let this be made known in all the earth.

Though the fig tree should not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines, the produce of the olive fail and the fields yield no food, the flock be cut off from the fold and there be no herd in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord; I will take joy in the God of my salvation.

Sing to God, sing praises to his name; lift up a song to him who rides through the deserts; his name is the Lord; exult before him! Father of the fatherless and protector of widows is God in his holy habitation.

I will be glad and exult in you; I will sing praise to your name, O Most High.

Ascribe to the Lord the glory due His name; worship the Lord in the splendor of holiness.

I will praise you with an upright heart, when I learn your righteous rules.

About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them. 

To our God and Father be glory forever and ever. Amen.

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.

Worship the Lord in the splendor of holiness; tremble before HIM, all the earth!

Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation and my God.

O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water.

Yours, O Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty, for all that is in the heavens and in the earth is yours. Yours is the kingdom, O Lord, and you are exalted as Head above all.

Now to GOD who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to HIM be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.

I will extol you, my God and King, and bless your name forever and ever.

Oh give thanks to the Lord; call upon His name; make known His deeds among the peoples!

I will give thanks to you, O Lord, among the peoples; I will sing praises to you among the nations.

I cried to HIM with my mouth, and high praise was on my tongue.

My lips will shout for joy, when I sing praises to you; my soul also, which you have redeemed.

And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; all those who practice it have a good understanding. His praise endures forever!

Therefore welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God.

Likewise also that women should adorn themselves in respectable apparel, with modesty and self-control, not with braided hair and gold or pearls or costly attire, but with what is proper for women who profess godliness—with good works.

But I have trusted in your steadfast love; my heart shall rejoice in your salvation. I will sing to the Lord, because he has dealt bountifully with me.

Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.

“There is none holy like the Lord: for there is none besides you; there is no Rock like our God.

Blessed be the Lord, who daily bears us up; God is our salvation. Selah

And the crowds that went before him and that followed him were shouting, “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!”

And the Lord said: “Because this people draw near with their mouth and honor me with their lips, while their hearts are far from me, and their fear of me is a commandment taught by men,

Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures forever!

Therefore God has highly exalted Jesus Christ and bestowed on Jesus Christ the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus Christ every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth,

To the King of the ages, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.

So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.

Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.

Not to us, O Lord, not to us, but to your name give glory, for the sake of your steadfast love and your faithfulness!

I will bless the Lord at all times; his praise shall continually be in my mouth.

All the earth worships you and sings praises to you; they sing praises to your name.” Selah

Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will hear you.

I stretch out my hands to you; my soul thirsts for you like a parched land. Selah

Therefore you are great, O Lord God. For there is none like you, and there is no God besides you, according to all that we have heard with our ears.

I say to the Lord, “You are my Lord; I have no good apart from you.”

I love the Lord, because he has heard my voice and my pleas for mercy. Because he inclined his ear to me, therefore I will call on him as long as I live.

Whom have I in heaven but you? And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you.

Who is this King of glory? The Lord of hosts, he is the King of glory! Selah

The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork. Day to day pours out speech, and night to night reveals knowledge.

Be exalted, O God, above the heavens! Let your glory be over all the earth!

Paul came also to Derbe and to Lystra. A disciple was there, named Timothy, the son of a Jewish woman who was a believer, but his father was a Greek. He was well spoken of by the brothers at Lystra and Iconium. Paul wanted Timothy to accompany him, and he took him and circumcised him because of the Jews who were in those places, for they all knew that his father was a Greek. As they went on their way through the cities, they delivered to them for observance the decisions that had been reached by the apostles and elders who were in Jerusalem. So the churches were strengthened in the faith, and they increased in numbers daily. 

Now the Spirit expressly says that in later times some will depart from the faith by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons, through the insincerity of liars whose consciences are seared, who forbid marriage and require abstinence from foods that God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth. For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, for it is made holy by the word of God and prayer. 

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. I give thanks to my God always for you because of the grace of God that was given you in Christ Jesus,

Brothers, my heart's desire and prayer to God for them is that they may be saved. For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge. For, being ignorant of the righteousness of God, and seeking to establish their own, they did not submit to God's righteousness. For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes. For Moses writes about the righteousness that is based on the law, that the person who does the commandments shall live by them. 

When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place. And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance. Now there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men from every nation under heaven. 

Help us, O God of our salvation, for the glory of your name; deliver us, and atone for our sins, for your name's sake!

In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. This was the first registration when Quirinius was governor of Syria. And all went to be registered, each to his own town. And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be registered with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child.

 As a deer pants for flowing streams, so pants my soul for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and appear before God? My tears have been my food day and night, while they say to me all the day long, “Where is your God?” These things I remember, as I pour out my soul: how I would go with the throng and lead them in procession to the house of God with glad shouts and songs of praise, a multitude keeping festival. Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation .

And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

Be exalted, O God, above the heavens! Let your glory be over all the earth!

You will say in that day: “I will give thanks to you, O Lord, for though you were angry with me, your anger turned away, that you might comfort me. “Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and will not be afraid; for the Lord God is my strength and my song, and he has become my salvation.” With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation. And you will say in that day: “Give thanks to the Lord, call upon his name, make known his deeds among the peoples, proclaim that his name is exalted. “Sing praises to the Lord, for he has done gloriously; let this be made known in all the earth. 

Exalt the Lord our God; worship at His footstool! Holy is he!

Let us come into His presence with thanksgiving; let us make a joyful noise to HIM with songs of praise!

Bless the Lord, O my soul! O Lord my God, you are very great! You are clothed with splendor and majesty, covering yourself with light as with a garment, stretching out the heavens like a tent. He lays the beams of his chambers on the waters; he makes the clouds his chariot; he rides on the wings of the wind; he makes his messengers winds, his ministers a flaming fire. He set the earth on its foundations, so that it should never be moved. 

And you will say in that day: “Give thanks to the Lord, call upon his name, make known his deeds among the peoples, proclaim that his name is exalted.

Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name; bring an offering and come before HIM! Worship the Lord in the splendor of holiness;

Oh come, let us sing to the Lord; let us make a joyful noise to the Rock of our Salvation! Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving; let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise! For the Lord is a great God, and a great King above all gods. In his hand are the depths of the earth; the heights of the mountains are his also. The sea is his, for he made it, and his hands formed the dry land. ...

Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire.

But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.”

Then Jesus said to him, “Be gone, Satan! For it is written, “‘You shall worship the Lord your God and HIM only shall you serve.’”

We give thanks to you, O God; we give thanks, for your name is near. We recount your wondrous deeds.

And the four living creatures, each of them with six wings, are full of eyes all around and within, and day and night they never cease to say, “Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come!” And whenever the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to him who is seated on the throne, who lives forever and ever, the twenty-four elders fall down before him who is seated on the throne and worship him who lives forever and ever. They cast their crowns before the throne, saying, “Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created.”

Let them praise his name with dancing, making melody to him with tambourine and lyre!

Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father.

Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name! Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits,

And I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all that is in them, saying, “To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever!”

Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father. You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews. But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.”

“Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!”

God came from Teman, and the Holy One from Mount Paran. Selah His splendor covered the heavens, and the earth was full of his praise.

For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.”

For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit,

And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting.

There is nothing more important. Pray God

 Luke 18:1–8

Luke 18:1–8 is a parable that the Lord uses to encourage His disciples to pray persistently.

Although I am not always consistent with keeping one, I would highly recommend using a prayer journal or perhaps, more simply, a prayer list. By this, I mean recording one’s petitions on paper and continuing to pray over them daily. There are two distinct advantages.

First, by keeping a record and praying until the Lord resolves the issue, one cannot help but notice God’s faithfulness in answering our prayers.

Second, and more pertinent to this month’s blog topic, a record facilitates persistence. As we all understand, the Lord answers some petitions quickly. Others can take months or even years. I distinctly recall petitions I brought before the Lord in prayer over a decade ago. Only now has He come to answer. I mention this not to lament over the Lord’s divine timing but to highlight His desire that we pray persistently.

Luke 18:1

And He told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart.

It is worth noting that the two Greek verbs used to express “to pray” and “lose heart” are both in the present tense. One sense of present tense Greek verbs is continuation. In other words, Jesus exhorts us to pray continuously, without end, regardless of time.

Yet there are at least three things that work against us as we try to pray continuously:

• The first thing that works against us is our sinful nature. Before the fall into sin in the Garden of Eden, Adam and Eve petitioned the Lord and then anticipated His answer with rock-solid certainty. In our sinful nature, we are inclined to doubt and even distrust God, believing He is weak, distant, or indifferent.
• The second is our experience in the world. Life is replete with instances in which we petition others for many different needs. Human beings are inconsistent, forgetful, and selfish. Despite their best intentions, even those dearest to us fail to come through when we ask for help. We apply this negative experience to the Lord. People fail, so why should God be any different?
• Third, we reckon time from our own perspective. We pray to God not only with a petition but also with a timetable. God must answer my petition my way, according to my schedule.

Luke 18: 2–3

He said, “In a certain city there was a judge who neither feared God nor respected man. And there was a widow in that city who kept coming to him and saying, ‘Give me justice against my adversary.’ ”

Recognizing the natures of the judge and the widow is central to understanding the force of the parable. The judge does not fear God. The Greek word for “fear” is also translated as “terror.” This is not the kind of fear based in love and respect that children are to have for their parents. Rather, this judge lacks the appropriate fear one should have for God, who can destroy the body and cast the soul into hell. The judge also does not respect—literally does not “turn aside”—any man. The widow petitions this judge for justice. Jesus wants His disciples to contrast the nature of the judge against the tender, faithful nature of God. We are also mindful that the widow has no real recourse of her own. Women have no legal standing in this context. We are to assume that she has no other male to plead her case or press her rights for her.

Luke 18: 4–5

“For a while he refused, but afterward he said to himself, ‘Though I neither fear God nor respect man, yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will give her justice, so that she will not beat me down by her continual coming.’ ”

While the judge gives justice to the widow, he, in keeping with his nature, does so to rid himself of her interminable clamoring, not out of compassion, the defense of justice, fear of God, or respect of men. He serves himself.

Luke 18:6–7

And the Lord said, “Hear what the unrighteous judge says. And will not God give justice to His elect, who cry to Him day and night? Will He delay long over them?”

Jesus composes His questions in such a manner that we can answer them with nothing but a resounding yes. This is the nature of God. If the Lord loves us enough to redeem us through the perfect life and innocent death of His beloved Son, certainly He would not hesitate to answer our prayers. The second question alludes to the reality that God answers in His own time, perfect and loving, regardless of how impatient and frustrated we become.

Luke 18:8

“I tell you, He will give justice to them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on earth?”

In His perfect teaching method, Jesus caps the parable with a warning regarding the future. Not only will some lose heart and cease praying to the Lord, there will also be those who have turned away from the Lord altogether by the time of His return. Persistent prayer and faith go together. God wants us to pray continually because doing so keeps us in touch with Him. There is nothing more important.