I've just watched the sermon. It made an impact on me...the necessity and then also the simplicity of calling on the name of the Lord."God says: I want praise from your life. The only way fresh praise will come, is if you keep calling upon Me in days of trouble. And when you forget to call upon Me, I will just send some trouble to remind you how smart you really are." "Trouble is one of God’s greatest servants isn’t it, because it reminds us how much we need the Lord"How much do I, do we, need the Lord God Almighty! And how real He is. Sometimes I never get passed the image that God is my Creator. I stay there. But God isn't merely our Creator, He's as active as when He created the world. He's God and when we will call upon His name, He will answer: "Draw nigh to God and He will draw nigh to you" (James 4:8)"Why would God sent people like that to Heaven? If the people of my Church don’t want to be around God’s presence and they don’t love God’s presence? Why would they go to heaven? It would ruin everything for them. In Heaven there’s nothing but God! If you don’t enjoy His presence and you don’t love to call upon Him and worship Him. I don’t care what doctrine you have in your head"We desperately need to pray...when we are in need, we turn to people of whom we know that they can help us out. This world is in need, we personally are in need, our friends are in need...to whom will we turn to?"What does that say about our churches, when God has the Church born in a prayer meeting, and we don’t even have a prayer meeting." I came across a lyric of Casting Crowns and it really fits the message of Jim Cymbala. Let me share it with you all:What if the armies of the Lord,Picked up and dusted off their swords,Vowed to set the captives free,And not let satan have one moreWhat if the church, for heaven's sakeFinally stepped up to the plateTook a stand upon God's promiseAnd stormed hell's rusty gatesChorusWhat if His people prayedAnd those who bare His nameWould humbly seek His faceAnd turn from their own wayAnd what would happen if we prayedFor those raised up to lead the wayThen maybe kids in school could prayAnd unborn children see light of dayWhat if the life that we pursueCame from a hunger for the truthWhat if the family turned to JesusStopped asking Oprah what to doHe said that He would hear,His promise has been madeHe'll answer loud and clearIf only we would prayIf My people call by My nameIf they'll humble themselves and prayIf My people call by My nameIf they'll humble themselves and prayLet us humble ourselves and just do the thing...it's so easy, but yet, the first thing we skip is reading the Word and prayer. Let us skip all other things and pray!In Him, Paul
