Lifting Up Holy Hands, Without Wrath and Doubting

Now, of course, this morning, we talked from verses one through seven about primarily about prayer and we talked about how that the lord has given us quite a prayer list. I don’t know how many people there are in the world or how they come to the conclusion of the population of the world but there are eight, I think around 8,000,000,000 people in the world and the lord says that we should pray for all of them. We should pray for all of them and so we we saw that this morning that we should pray for every every person and make that a point and I I promise you if if we do that, if we make it a point to actually intercede and and pray for everyone, everyone that we will draw closer to god. If for no other reason than the fact that we’re praying more and seeking the lord more and drawing closer to him in prayer and so that’s a tall order we admit but we could all do better in that in that way and let’s let’s resolve not to just do better but let’s resolve to to try and have before our mind people’s spiritual needs when we meet them and to call out to god just briefly even if it’s just briefly, Lord, work in that person’s heart. Lord, bring that person to yourself. Lord, save that person’s soul.

Because verse three says, this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our savior. Because we know Christ died for all men and wants all men to be saved. Verse number four and so as we’re talking about the idea of prayer, we come down to verse number eight and verse number eight is also about prayer but verse number eight narrows down the audience a little bit. Well, a lot by 50% as a matter of fact. Verse number eight narrows down the audience by about 50%.

Now, whereas in verse number one and verse number two, we’re told about what or who we should pray for. In verse number eight, we’re told rather how to pray. We’re told how to pray. In verse number eight, the Bible says, I will therefore. So, Paul’s expressing his desire toward the people of god. He says, I will therefore, that men pray everywhere. Now, if you look at verse number in verse number two, you or verse number one in the same chapter, you see all men and then you go down to verse number four, all men to be saved and and then you see verse number five between god and men. Verse six, who gave himself a ransom for all, men is implied here. When you get to verse number eight, it says, I will therefore that men pray everywhere but what’s interesting is you can say the word men in two different ways. Like in our in our in in our church here, we can refer, well, I mean, even in even in this, in this passage, when you read how that verse number four says, who will have all men to be saved? Does that mean that god only wants males to be saved? Is that what that means?

Of course not. It’s a word man. We say man. We it’s a word that refers to all of mankind. Both men and women. The man, of course, being the the head of the of the race, Adam, was first formed Eve from Adam and so that’s why the man is the word man is used to represent the human race. When you get to verse number eight, it’s different.

The verse number eight says, I will therefore that men pray everywhere and this is not just mankind in general. This is men. Around here, there’s no confusion between what is a man and what is a woman. There’s no difference between gender and sex. It’s the same thing, just a different word. A man is a biological male, a woman is a biological female. That is the definition, that is the only thing that we know, and anything else is is outside of scripture, outside of biology, and outside of science. Now, you’ll notice in verse number eight though, the target of this passage is men.

Men. Now, So, this this message is primarily going to be pointed at the gentleman among us and that doesn’t mean that it has no has no no application for females because of course it does. Ladies, these things apply to ladies but this is pointed at men and we know that. Look at verse number nine because after right after verse number eight which says, that men pray everywhere, it says, in like manner also and then, women are addressed and like manner also. So, there’s a job for men in this case and there’s a job for women just like we read in Ephesians. Husbands, love your wives. Wives, submit yourselves to your husbands. There’s is pointed at two different people and you can see that in verse number nine. Both are addressed in this passage and of course, we’ll cover verse nine through verse number 15 later.

But speaking to the men, god is addressing men specifically in their responsibility to pray. Of course, ladies are expected to pray, obviously, but the lord is talking to the men. So, I want to talk to the men tonight. The men here are addressed as the ones responsible for leading the family and the church in prayer. Now, what’s interesting is as you read first Timothy, there like you go to chapter three, just look over the next the next chapter over, you will see verse number 15. Says this, but if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth. Now, we’ll get to that later, but behaving oneself in the house of God is not is not so much a reference to, you know, what you say or don’t say or do and don’t do within the confines of the four walls of the building.

Now, you are the house of god as the church of god no matter where you are. It’s not just the building but but based upon that verse, sometimes people say, well, first Timothy is primarily aimed at the public meeting of the church and then there’s others maybe that that would argue that first Timothy is not just talking about the public meeting of the church, it’s also talking about private life. The truth is, I think it’s both and here’s why I think it’s both because in the in the in the church of god, in the in the work of god, the the public life is supposed to come out of the private life.

In other words, they’re not supposed to be a big distinction between what goes on in private and what goes on in public. They’re supposed to be connected. They’re supposed to be related and some some things you read in here, you can apply it to your private life and some things you read in here, you can apply it to your public life. For instance, chapter two verse one, what we read this morning about praying for all men or verse number two, praying for kings and for those who are in authority, is that mean it’s only to be done in public because first Timothy deals with only in the church? No. This is something that deals with the both the public and the private. So, as a church, we should pray for for all people, all kinds of people, all their needs, especially their spiritual needs as a church.

We should also pray for our leaders as a church but that doesn’t mean that that’s to the exclusion of praying in private, right? And so it is in verse number eight. I will that men pray everywhere, lifting up holy hands and without without wrath and doubting. So, the lord has given the responsibility to the men concerning prayer and he says, I will that men pray everywhere. Like in all places, it is the duty, it is the burden of the men of our church, and the men of our home to be the ones who set the example and lead their families and lead our church in prayer. This is again, this is not directed toward me as the pastor. It is directed toward you, men, as the men of your of this church. Amen. And so the lord expects us to set an example and to take that duty of spiritual leadership in prayer, right? We ought to be able to lead our families in prayer. We ought to be able to lead our church in prayer. Now, let me say something real quick. When we talk about leading in prayer in church, honestly, let let’s be honest, okay? I mean, many of you have been in church. Many of you have been have been going to church longer than I’ve been alive, okay? So, you know, I know this, you certainly know this, because you would have a lot more experience, which is most of the time when we call on somebody to pray in church, it’s kind of a show.

It’s... In other words, we pray because you you try to say the right words and it’s supposed to sound a certain way and, you know, and and if and if if one person prays and they do anything outside of the box, what does everybody do? Everybody starts doing this.

Right? What’s going on? The pattern is being broken. The schedule is not being followed. But here’s what I’m saying. Now, I’m being a little bit facetious, and I think you understand that, but really, public prayer in our church is not supposed to be a show at all. It’s supposed to be sincere, heartfelt, biblical prayer in which one person is leading the congregation, in which one person is setting an example for the tone, the priorities, the requests, that the whole church is praying for and I I certainly hope if you’re not leading in prayer that your heart is in tune and your heart is is calling out to god in the same way that we’re being led in prayer but that same truth applies privately within your the within your home That that prayer is not supposed to be a show. It’s not supposed to sound a certain way. It’s supposed to be sincere prayer by the the leader of the home.

Paul points and he says, I want men to pray everywhere. I want men to be the example setters and the leaders in their homes and to be the ones who can take their family whenever there’s a problem or maybe when there’s not a problem, when things are fine and can can gather their family around and say, we are gonna pray about this and we’re going to talk to god and intercede.

The men in our church should be should be praying examples. But that duty, I want you to know comes at a price. That duty comes at a price. In order to lead the church and to lead the family in prayer, that man must himself be a man who prays privately. Remember, the public which means that is in front of other people, the public is supposed to come out of and be the spillover from the private.

Woe unto the man who prays in church when he’s called upon to pray but has no private prayer life. Don’t be that man. Don’t be that man. We have and and think think about think about your family. Listen, gentlemen, your family knows if you pray. Now, they might not know all the details. They might not have your prayer list but they know whether you pray in private.

They know that and if if if and and then listen, this happens in homes. This happens in homes and sadly, I have I I have I have observed, I have the experience of of observing people who use prayer for a show even in their home. Even though everybody in the family knows that he’s fake.

That ought not be. The price of being of being the man who leads in prayer is that you must be a man who prays privately. You have a private, personal walk with god in prayer. Another price is, you must yourself have a credible testimony among those whom you lead in prayer. Nobody wants to listen to a to a hypocrite leading prayer, right? Man, and and the reason the reason I mentioned that the the the church versus the home, the public versus the private which you know, how you apply this can vary. The reason I mentioned that is because you know, in the church, you know, we we we can all, you know, look this look apart but at home, I mean, there’s no fake. Yeah, there’s no fake going on. Everybody knows what’s going on behind the behind the the the doors of the home.

So, you should, we should, as men, lead our families in prayer. We should come to god with our families in tow, bringing our family to the lord, if you will. But to do that, we have to be credible. We have to be credible. They have to know our faith. And the last price that must be paid is this, we must ourselves set the example within the church of the family.

So if we’re gonna in anything and really, actually leading in prayer is whether it’s in the church or in the home is a matter of spiritual leadership. Maybe you’ve never thought about that but but actually, especially when you apply verse number eight to the public meeting of the church, leading in prayer is a matter of spiritual leadership And so, spiritual leadership is first and foremost to be done by lead by setting an example to be followed and to be emulated.

It’s not about telling people what to do. It’s about showing people what to do. That’s what it means to be a spiritual leader and this includes in prayer. So, it is for these reasons that the men in our church who are called upon to pray should not do so lightly but do so soberly. We’re not just trying to fill space. We’re not just trying to to check off the boxes of an order of service to ensure that, you know, we say the right things or maybe use the right spiritual sounding vocabulary.

No, when we say we’re, hey, brother Wayne, will you lead us in prayer? That’s exactly what we mean. We say, we’re, you’re, what is in your heart, what you ask god for, and the tone that you use, and your attitude is supposed to be that which sets the tone and the attitude and the priorities of the prayer of the church.

And this is a form that is reserved. This is a a form of spiritual leadership that is reserved for men, right? And this is why in our church, I don’t call on ladies to pray. It’s that simple. This is spiritual leadership that is in verse eight dedicated to the men, to the men. And that’s not to say that in private in your home, your your wife can’t pray or your kids pray, they should. They should, they should pray but as far as leadership goes, this is the man’s job.

But what if my husband won’t lead in prayer? What if my husband won’t lead in prayer? In that case, ladies, listen, you gotta do what you gotta do. You can’t neglect prayer because you don’t have a good leader who will guide you. But listen, shame on that family. Shame on that husband.

That needs to be fixed You know, oftentimes, you know, people, you know, in in church, whatever, church life, people argue about the role of men and the role of women in the church but a lot of times, at the base of that, is a void where a good godly man should be. A good, credible, trustworthy example to be emulated, a good man should be. It’s when that vacuum is there and no one’s in that void that you have problems with regarding the roles of men and roles of women and so let me encourage you men to take the take the leadership in your family because the lord is talking to you and he’s talking to me in verse number eight. He wants us everywhere.

Wherever wherever we are, he wants us, the men, to take lead in prayer. Now, look at verse number the the second part of verse number eight. I will that men pray everywhere. Notice, three, three criteria, if you will, three descriptions, if you will. I will that men pray everywhere, lifting up holy hands, holy hands. The hands in scripture are regarded as the primary member of the body related to work, right? Because obviously, you work with your hands and you know this verse. Hebrews one ten, it says, and thou, oh lord, in the beginning, in the beginning hast laid the foundation of the earth and the heavens are the what?

Works of thine hands. So, the works are related to the hands. Just like the feet is related to your walk, right? Your works are related to your hands. Even we’re even familiar with this though doing the working with one’s hands, right? Talking about holding tools and doing work. So, hands are related in scripture to it is the part of body related to your work. Now, notice it says, lifting up holy hands. Now, let me read you a few verses and I won’t dwell on them for time but let me read you a few verses because it’ll reveal the kind of emphasis we’re looking at here. Isaiah one fifteen and when you spread forth your hands, I will hide mine eyes from you.

Yey, when you make many prayers, I will not hear, your hands are full of blood. You see what they’re doing? What are these people doing? Now, these people are being rebuked but but they’re spreading their hands before god. Now, this is not something we commonly do in prayer in our culture but just just listen to the way the scripture describes the pattern or the attitude of prayer.

Psalm 141 verse two, let my prayer be set forth before thee as incense and the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice. He’s praying. Nehemiah chapter eight verse six, and Ezra blessed the Lord, the great God. And all the people answered, amen, amen, with lifting up of their hands, and they bowed their heads and worshiped with their faces to the ground. So, there, they lifted up their hands and then they bowed their heads.

Daniel six verse 10, you’re familiar with this verse. Now, when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went into his house and his windows being open in his chamber toward Jerusalem, he kneeled down upon his knees three times a day and prayed and gave thanks before his god as he did a four time. So, he’s, you have kneeling, you have the hands being raised, and then we come to the New Testament in Ephesians chapter three verse number 14, Paul says this, for this cause, I bow my knees unto the father of our lord Jesus Christ.

Now, listen, if if you sit while you pray, you’re not sinning, okay? I’m not I’m not I’m not saying that. So, don’t don’t get me wrong but as far as we see in scripture, what do we see the attitude or or the position of the body when we pray? What you see is this, you see the prayer, let me go over this side.

The prayer kneels on his knees and lifts his hands up to God like this. And then he bows himself with his face to the ground and he puts his hands up like this. Now, when we get to one Timothy chapter two verse eight, it says, lifting up holy hands. Now, we can’t understand that unless we understand the attitude of prayer as found in Scripture, right? What does it mean lifting up holy hands?

So, when you when when you bow in in the in the in the in the scripture, when you see people bowing on their knee and lifting up their hands, here’s what they’re doing. Remember, the hands are the works, right? They represent the works, Okay? What you’re doing is you’re bowing down to God and you’re lifting your hands up and you’re showing God your hands. That’s what’s going on.

And he says, lifting up holy hands. You’re saying, here’s in essence what you’re saying. Lord, look at my hands. They’re clean. My works are pure. This is what... This is... Lord, see them.

And this is not just my idea. This is exactly what the scripture describes. Even in Isaiah one, when they lifted up their hands, the lord said, I will not hear you because your hands are full of blood but on the positive sense, it says this, Psalm 26 verse six says this, I will wash my hands in innocency. So, will I compass thine altar, oh lord. James four eight says this, draw nigh to god and he will draw nigh to you.

Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double minded. So, the man who prays especially publicly. Now, this this also applies in private. We do we dare not kneel before the god who knows our hearts and tries our reins and lift our hands up as it were to god and say, god, look at my hands. God knows if our hands are clean. God knows if our mind is clean. He knows if our life is morally pure.

He knows but when we in like we read here, if we’re in public or we’re before our family leading them in prayer, the man who prays is a man who must be privately clean. His hands must be pure. His works must be righteous. His hands cannot be soiled with the filth of this world or with personal pollution. He has to be righteous and he has to be holy.

This is what the holy hands mean. His works must be pure practically, and his works must be pure morally in God’s sight. And so the attitude of prayer that we see here is the kneeling before God with the hands lifted up. Let me ask you a question, gentlemen. Can you, when you kneel down to pray, can you lift your hands to god and say, lord, look at my hands.

You know my life. You know what I’ve what I do in private. You know how I talk to my wife. You know what I look at on the Internet. You know what I watch on TV. You know what I think in private. You know my motivation. You know everywhere I go. You know every word I speak, Lord, at my hands.

I would challenge you, gentlemen, I would challenge you first of all in your private life to get into that very attitude. I’m not saying in your mind, I’m saying in your body, kneel down on your knees and look up and lift your hands to God. You say, well, that’s not reverent. Listen, it’s all over scripture. It it there’s nowhere in scripture where it says, you have to bow your head to pray. In fact, you can find many places where where people lifted up their their head to pray. There was one man though you remember who didn’t dare do that.

He would not so much, remember the the man in the temple, the publican. He would not so much as lift his head toward toward heaven but you know why he would not do what others did? You know why he would not do even that little thing? It’s because he was ashamed. Normally, they would lift their head up and lift their hands up and say, Lord, and they would pray like that, but in this case, he wouldn’t dare do that because he was dirty and he was ashamed and he was repentant.

Let me challenge you to do this, gentlemen. When you go to your private prayer time, kneel down on your knees and lift your hands up to god and say, god, you know, you can see my hands. They’re clean.

This is the kind of prayer the lord wants us to have before him. The lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice. The Lord is not pleased with the hypocritical prayer. So that’s the first thing.

Holy hands. Second thing is wrath. Verse number eight, lifting up holy hands without wrath and doubting. Look at Matthew chapter five. You know these verses. This is just review.

Verse 22. Verse 22, Matthew five twenty two, But I say unto you that whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment. And whosoever shall say to his brother, Raqah, which is to say useless, vain. It’s an insult. Shall be in danger of the council, but whosoever shall say, thou fool shall be in danger of hellfire. Therefore, if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee.

Leave there thy gift before the altar and go thy way. First, be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift. Look at chapter Matthew chapter six verse 12, one chapter over.

This is the model prayer. You know well, you might even have this memorized. Notice in verse number 11, give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever, amen. For if you forgive, if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly father will also forgive you.

But if you forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your father forgive your trespasses. One thing that hinders one thing that hinders gentlemen, one thing that hinders your prayer is anger.

Is anger. Now, the thing is, men are less emotional than women, generally speaking. But men that just because they’re less emotional does not mean they’re not emotional. Just because men kind of suppress their emotion more often does not mean they don’t have it and often times, the way the man, the man deals with emotion is he buries it but listen, anger buried turns into bitterness.

And that will hinder your prayers. It is not an acceptable prayer to come to god with wrath, with anger toward another person. Mark eleven twenty five says this, when you stand praying, forgive. If you have ought against any, that means if you have any quarrel, that if you have ought against any, that your father also which is in heaven may forgive your trespasses. Now, let me touch on one thing.

Let me touch on one thing. Colossians three nineteen says this, husbands, love your wives and be not bitter against them. Now, that that word is also Colossians three nineteen, that’s also spoken to men exclusively and the lord tells us not to be bitter against our wives. As I said, you know what bitterness is? Bitterness is not a moment of anger. Bitterness is anger buried. It is what anger becomes when it’s left alone, when it’s held onto, it turns into bitterness.

Husbands can be bitter at their wives over years long of offenses, misunderstandings, slights, and disrespect. And they hold onto that even though they don’t say anything. That’s very often how husbands deal with it. But in the heart, which God sees, is a festering bitterness that is self destructive.

And the Lord directly addresses us and He says, Be not bitter against your wives, and here’s why, or one of the reasons why. One Peter three:seven, Likewise, ye husbands, dwell with them with your wives according to knowledge, giving honor unto the wife as unto the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life, that your prayers, speaking to the husbands now, your prayers be not hindered.

Again, directly addressing the men, the husbands. The very ones that Paul said, be not bitter against your wives to them, Peter says to that same group, he says, be careful how you live with your wife because your prayers will be hindered. And in and when you put those two verses, Colossians three nineteen, first Peter three seven, and first Timothy two eight together, here’s what you have. The lord saying, lift up holy hands without wrath and doubting. You know, gentlemen, the the person in this world that you’re probably most likely to be angry at is your wife.

Because she is the one who is closest to you. He she is the one that you touch the most often. Right? And that constant interaction between your wife can produce a lot of results that if you’re not careful, will hinder your prayers. So, let me say something to the to to the men because I know, I mean, I I don’t have to wonder if this is a if this is an issue that men deal with. It is. That’s why the lord tells us about it.

You might expect your wife. Your wife might have slighted you. You might have legitimate grievances against your wife for what she’s done to you because contrary to what what we’re told in society, not all women are good wives. They’re bad wives and they’re good wives, just like they’re bad husbands and they’re good husbands, right? Everybody’s kind of afraid to nod, know. Ladies, can you at least nod, can you all say that’s true? They’re like, I’m sticking with my kind.

They’re good wives, they’re bad wives, they’re good husbands, they’re bad husbands. You you listen, you might be in a place where where your wife has actually done done you wrong.

Let me say this, be a man. Take the first step and set the example of forgiveness even if and and set the example of of releasing that anger. Maybe that’s not forgiveness is maybe not the right word because forgiveness involves repentance but but letting go of that anger and bitterness and not holding it against her.

We say, well, she hasn’t she hasn’t tried to get it right. She doesn’t even acknowledge it. Well, you set the example and you let that go because the lord commands you not to be bitter against your wife and it’ll hinder your prayer.

And you gotta be able to lift your hands up to God in prayer as a man of God and say, Lord, look at my hands. Lord, my heart is clean from anger.

The last thing in Peter or one Timothy rather, one Timothy chapter two verse number eight is, it says, lifting up holy hands without wrath and doubting. For this, look at Luke chapter five. Luke chapter five.

Look at two two different verses in Luke. Luke chapter five verse number 22. I’m in John. That’s not going to help us. Alright, Luke. Luke chapter five. Look at look if you would before verse 22. Look at verse 21 verse 20 rather. Verse number 20. And when he saw that, when Jesus saw their faith, he said unto him, man, thy sins are forgiven thee. And the scribes and the Pharisees began to reason saying, who is this which speaketh blasphemies?

Who can forgive sins but god alone? Now, there’s a whole message there. Jesus can forgive sins because he is god. So, I mean, it what they said didn’t match anyway but verse 22, but when Jesus perceived their thoughts, he answering said unto them, what reason you in your hearts? Now, if you take your, if you if you write your Bible, you might want to underscore and and underline that word thoughts.

Because that word thoughts is actually the same word as our word doubt in first Timothy two eight. So, what do I mean by this? What it means is that is Jesus said a statement and They didn’t believe it, right? Thoughts, evil thoughts came up in their mind. They didn’t believe what they were told. When Jesus said, thy sins be forgiven thee, they’re like, you can’t forgive. What are saying? They didn’t say anything, right? But it was in their heart. It was a thought in their heart and and so there’s a there’s a question. They’re they’re disagreeing with the lord. They’re they don’t really they don’t they’re not really buying or they’re not really picking up what Jesus is laying down here. Does that make sense? And it but it’s all inward. They’re not saying anything. They dare not. They’ll lose face but but they there there’s something in their heart where it’s it it’s not the in other words, what they’re showing on the outside and what’s on the inside are different. Look at chapter 24 of Luke.

Chapter 24 of Luke. Verse 36. And as they thus spake, Jesus himself stood in the midst of them. This is after our lord’s resurrection and say it unto them, peace be unto you but they were terrified and affrighted and supposed that they had seen a spirit. Verse 38, and he said unto them, why are you troubled? And why do thoughts arise in your hearts? Behold my hands and my feet that it is I, myself, handle me and see for a spirit hath not flesh and bones as you see me have and then he showed them his hands and his feet. He was risen.

He is alive to this moment. Our lord is alive just like he was then but notice in verse number 38, he says, why do thoughts arise in your heart? That’s our same word as doubt, doubting. We saw it in Luke five, here it is Luke 24. Sometimes, it’s put as dispute, sometimes it’s put as doubt but the idea is that the idea is there there are as we pray, as we pray, what is inside of our heart is not consistent with what is coming out of our mouth.

That’s my, that might be what we called out, right? Lord, will you please save this person? And you don’t believe god’s gonna save this person. Lord, will you please provide and god’s and you don’t believe god’s gonna provide. Or or any inconsistency between what’s coming out of our mouth in prayer as we lead our family, as we lead the church in prayer, and what is actually in our heart.

The lord is not pleased with that kind of inconsistency and in all three cases, what do you see? Whether it’s whether it’s holy hands, whether it’s wrath, and whether it’s doubting. If we pray and those things are not in order and we pray and those things are not right, we’re playing the hypocrite.

And it’s hard to play the, listen, it’s hard to play the hypocrite with your family when they know all of your secrets. Just get right with god. Just get right with god and just get right with your family and make confession and say, listen, I have not been doing what I should been doing. I I have not been setting the example for you. I have not been been the husband and the father I should have been to you. I’ve not treated you right. I’ve not talked to you right. I’ve not been right. Please forgive me because I want to lead my family in the right way, in the way that pleases god.

Man, I want to tell you something. Prayer is vital to our lives. If there is for so many reasons but one of the key reasons is is you’re talking directly to god. I mean, that has a way of burning away the fake or at least it should. So long as it’s done right.

And so, gentlemen, the lord calls us to be the leader everywhere in prayer. Be it at home, be it at the church, and he calls us to do it the right way And if we can’t do it in the right way, if our hands are dirty, if we have wrath or anger in our heart toward people, or we have doubt and inconsistency with what’s inside and it’s not matching what we’re saying.

If the the the answer to that is, well, I just won’t pray. I just won’t lead. That is the wrong answer. You know what that is? That is rebellion because in this verse, god calls the men. He says, I will therefore, that men pray everywhere. If we say, yeah, I’m not willing to get everything right like I should and I don’t want to do it wrong. So, I’m just not going to. See, that is rebellion against what god says. The lord has called us to lead in prayer and if we’re not fit, then turn to the Lord and get fit.

Get the Lord’s forgiveness, get forgiveness from others so that you can be the leader in prayer as you should be. Let’s pray.