2 Chron 7:12-14, Then the Lord appeared to Solomon at night and said to him, "I have heard your prayer, and have chosen this place for Myself as a house of sacrifice. If I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or if I command the locust to devour the land, or if I send pestilence among My people, and My people who are called by My name humble themselves and pray, and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, will forgive their sin, and will heal their land. 
As we have made very evident, we are using material adapted from The Battle Plan for Prayer Bible Study Curriculum, developed by Stephen and Alex Kendrick. We are currently considering the reality that we are engaged in a spiritual struggle through our prayers, yet it is not a battle in which we go forth and engage an enemy. It is the terminology of warfare, used by the writers of scripture as the means of making it very evident and real that we need to be fully equipped by the Lord to stand strong and firmly rooted in the Word of God. 
While the vocabulary is that of armed conflict and combat, with the Word likened to a sword, it is not our place to march forth on seek and destroy missions. Rather, we steadfastly hold to the truth of the victory of Jesus Christ, supreme and triumphant, against all the forces of doubt and disruption and distortion and distraction. We pray asking the Holy Spirit to open scripture as the means of bringing truth to bear as He displaces all the lies and the deceit of this realm. He brings the light of Christ to dispel all the darkness and to brilliantly illuminate the bleakest and foulest recesses of our humanity. 
The Apostle Paul outlined this scrutiny of integral mêlée in 2 Cor 10:3-6. 2 Cor 10:3-6, For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh, for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses. We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ, and we are ready to punish all disobedience, whenever your obedience is complete. 
    	This is the course of our prayer efforts in the every measure as they are anchored in the Word of God. We do not try to fight with our ideas and with our thoughts and with our indoctrinations. We stand on the Word of God through the life-giving power of the Holy Spirit as our Guide, our Instructor, and our Source of faith and hope. We count on Him to lead our conversations, our studies, our actions and most especially our prayers. 
As we deal with all who would stand against the Lord, we do so with those hearts that would seek their salvation rather than their destruction. We lift them up with hearts that ask the Lord to bless them and to make Himself so very real to them, removing from their eyes the blinders of this age. 
Again, hear the testimony of the Apostle Paul in the manner in which he counted on the Lord to guide his witness to those who would later receive the Good News of the resurrection power of Jesus Christ in 1 Thess 2:10-13. 1 Thess 2:10-13, You are witnesses, and so is God, how devoutly and uprightly and blamelessly we behaved toward you believers; just as you know how we were exhorting and encouraging and imploring each one of you as a father would his own children, so that you may walk in a manner worthy of the God who calls you into His own kingdom and glory. And for this reason we also constantly thank God that when you received from us the word of God's message, you accepted it not as the word of men, but for what it really is, the word of God, which also performs its work in you who believe. 
    	That is why we hold so solidly to the Word of Truth. It is God’s Word. It cannot be piecemealed and ripped apart, taking only those elements that we like and disregarding the rest. It is His Word and it is to be accepted and believed upon in its fullness. We may have our struggles with certain aspects of it, but that does not mean that we can ignore it! No! 
When we read those passages that cause us to thrash about without true understanding, we pray asking the Lord to make known to us what is at the core of our struggles and frustrations. Sometimes it may be that the Holy Spirit opens up a lack of correct translation. Sometimes it may be the way we have been taught is not the actual contextual truth of the matter at hand. Sometimes it will be that we have to set aside our concepts. We must always allow the Lord the freedom to reveal His truth deep into the core foundation of our hearts with the knowledge that He does all things perfectly and far beyond our meager human understanding and comprehension. 
	This brings to mind the reality expressed by Brother James in James 1:16-25. This would be a good time to turn to it, and stand as we read it together. James 1:16-25.
	James Chapter 1, beginning with verse 16, Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren. Every good thing bestowed and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation, or shifting shadow. In the exercise of His will He brought us forth by the word of truth, so that we might be, as it were, the first fruits among His creatures. This you know, my beloved brethren. But let everyone be quick to hear, slow to speak and slow to anger; for the anger of man does not achieve the righteousness of God. Therefore putting aside all filthiness and all that remains of wickedness, in humility receive the word implanted, which is able to save your souls. But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks at his natural face in a mirror; for once he has looked at himself and gone away, he has immediately forgotten what kind of person he was. But one who looks intently at the perfect law, the law of liberty, and abides by it, not having become a forgetful hearer but an effectual doer, this man shall be blessed in what he does. Amen.
You may take your seats.
    	As we may have and should have intense dealings with the Word of God, in prayerfully seeking after Him to make known that which is His Truth and His will, we always need to do so with the knowledge that He is the Supreme Lord God Almighty, Creator of Heaven and earth and everything that is made. As His Word is His gift to us, made alive and active in our lives by the Holy Spirit, we must always submit to Him and to His Word in prayerful consideration that He knows everything and He always does everything to the perfection of His nature. Whenever we think that we know better than He does, we need to take it to Him in prayer and beseech for Him to enlarge the course of our understanding in the full acceptance that He is The Lord God Almighty and we are merely the creatures of His handiwork. 
	This brings to mind the truth recounted by the Prophet Isaiah in Isa 45:5-13, if you would please turn to it and read along with me. Isa 45:5-13, "I am the Lord, and there is no other; Besides Me there is no God. I will gird you, though you have not known Me; That men may know from the rising to the setting of the sun That there is no one besides Me. I am the Lord, and there is no other, The One forming light and creating darkness, Causing well-being and creating calamity; I am the Lord who does all these. "Drip down, O heavens, from above, And let the clouds pour down righteousness; Let the earth open up and salvation bear fruit, And righteousness spring up with it. I, the Lord, have created it. "Woe to the one who quarrels with his Maker — An earthenware vessel among the vessels of earth! Will the clay say to the potter, 'What are you doing?' Or the thing you are making say, 'He has no hands'? "Woe to him who says to a father, 'What are you begetting?' Or to a woman, 'To what are you giving birth?'" Thus says the Lord, the Holy One of Israel, and his Maker: "Ask Me about the things to come concerning My sons, And you shall commit to Me the work of My hands. "It is I who made the earth, and created man upon it. I stretched out the heavens with My hands, And I ordained all their host. "I have aroused him in righteousness, And I will make all his ways smooth; He will build My city, and will let My exiles go free, Without any payment or reward," says the Lord of hosts. Amen.
	As well as understanding that we need to trust that the Lord has all things well in hand since He created and upholds all things by the power of His Word, we also need to recognize that the Word is our very basis of all understanding. God has not hidden truth away from us, but has revealed it and continues to show Himself through the effective ministry of the Holy Spirit. This is detailed for us as evidenced by the Apostle Peter in 1 Peter 1:22-2:10. 
	As we read it together, please note how the Apostle recounts the very Word of God in his explanation of how we have been brought into this living relationship through the precise power of God revealed in scripture. 1 Peter 1:22-2:10, Since you have in obedience to the truth purified your souls for a sincere love of the brethren, fervently love one another from the heart, for you have been born again not of seed which is perishable but imperishable, that is, through the living and abiding word of God. For, "All flesh is like grass, And all its glory like the flower of grass. The grass withers, And the flower falls off, But the word of the Lord abides forever." And this is the word which was preached to you. Therefore, putting aside all malice and all guile and hypocrisy and envy and all slander, like newborn babes, long for the pure milk of the word, that by it you may grow in respect to salvation, if you have tasted the kindness of the Lord. And coming to Him as to a living stone, rejected by men, but choice and precious in the sight of God, you also, as living stones, are being built up as a spiritual house for a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. For this is contained in Scripture: "Behold I lay in Zion a choice stone, a precious corner stone, And he who believes in Him shall not be disappointed." This precious value, then, is for you who believe. But for those who disbelieve, "The stone which the builders rejected, This became the very corner stone," and, "A stone of stumbling and a rock of offense"; for they stumble because they are disobedient to the word, and to this doom they were also appointed. But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God's own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; for you once were not a people,  but now you are the people of God; you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. Amen.
    	The Apostle Paul makes known just how vital is the prayerful use of the Word of God in the whole process of salvation as we can read together in Rom 10:11-17. Rom 10:11-17, For the Scripture says, "Whoever believes in Him will not be disappointed." For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, abounding in riches for all who call upon Him; for "Whoever will call upon the name of the Lord will be saved." How then shall they call upon Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach unless they are sent? Just as it is written, "How beautiful are the feet of those who bring glad tidings of good things!" However, they did not all heed the glad tidings; for Isaiah says, "Lord, who has believed our report?" So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ. Amen.
    	It is again the Apostle Paul, one of the most learned and studied of the Apostles, who details the necessity of counting on the Lord to open His Word in the effective ministry of the truth of Jesus Christ in 1 Cor 1:17-25. 1 Cor 1:17-25, For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel, not in cleverness of speech, that the cross of Christ should not be made void. For the word of the cross is to those who are perishing foolishness, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. For it is written, "I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, And the cleverness of the clever I will set aside." Where is the wise man? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not come to know God, God was well-pleased through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe. For indeed Jews ask for signs, and Greeks search for wisdom; but we preach Christ crucified, to Jews a stumbling block, and to Gentiles foolishness, but to those who are the called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men. 
    	He also makes it very clear that our testimony is of utmost urgency and concern in Phil 2:14-16. Phil 2:14-16, Do all things without grumbling or disputing; that you may prove yourselves to be blameless and innocent, children of God above reproach in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you appear as lights in the world, holding fast the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I may have cause to glory because I did not run in vain nor toil in vain.…among whom you appear as lights in the world, holding fast the word of life… We can only be these beacons of truth and light by the Word of God if we are living that life in prayerful dedication unto the fullness of the truth of Jesus Christ. We must be immersing ourselves in the Word through continual prayer to be honoring to the Lord in complete filial obedience to His Holy Scripture.
	We are again encouraged to value and to appreciate and to prayerfully obey the Word of God in Col 3:12-17. Col 3:12-17, And so, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience; bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against anyone; just as the Lord forgave you, so also should you. And beyond all these things put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity. 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 richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God. And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father. 
    	We cannot separate ourselves in terms of prayer and the study and obedience to the Word of God. To effectively pray means that we cherish and honor God and His Word. We pray for the Holy Spirit to make it ever more real to us, especially as we know that we will face the fiery torment aimed at all who live for and proclaim the Lordship of Jesus Christ in this age of intolerance and deception. Here again, the Word of God is our surety of the fact that the truth of Christ will displace and overcome all the wicked intentions of this world, as recounted in 2 Tim 3:12-17.
2 Tim 3:12-17, And indeed, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted. But evil men and impostors will proceed from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived. You, however, continue in the things you have learned and become convinced of, knowing from whom you have learned them; and that from childhood you have known the sacred writings which are able to give you the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work. Amen.
 	Hopefully it is very evident why we need to be in prayer as we are in the Word and counting on God to make His Word our very source of wisdom and truth. He is equipping us to face all the challenges of this time in history. When this age proclaims there is no right or wrong, that everything is flexible and that truth today may not be truth tomorrow, we know and we stand on the Word of God. It is not relative and it is not changeable to fit the mores of what humanity wants it to be. It declares Jesus Christ as the Way, the Truth and the Life against all the onslaughts of current day philosophy and ideology. On Him and on His Holy Word, we prayerfully stand as the beacons of the light that will utterly disperse the deepest darkness of this age. So be it!
Then the Lord appeared to Solomon at night and said to him, "I have heard your prayer, and have chosen this place for Myself as a house of sacrifice. If I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or if I command the locust to devour the land, or if I send pestilence among My people, and My people who are called by My name humble themselves and pray, and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, will forgive their sin, and will heal their land. Amen.

This morning’s benediction is 2 Tim 4:18. The Lord will deliver me from every evil deed, and will bring me safely to His heavenly kingdom; to Him be the glory forever and ever. Amen.