Most of us would never verbalize, but too many of us wrestle with the thought processes that maybe God is a respecter of persons.  The devil will surely try to tell you you’re not loved as much as the next guy.  The reality is, “God is no respecter of persons.”  God has declared that He knows every one of us by name, the hairs of our heads are numbered, our years are already established (praise God.) and God has already planned for you that great triumphant victory of glorification to where we shall ever be with the Lord.  Hallelujah.  What else matters besides that?  What does it matter on this journey that we’re in, these lives that are nothing but vapors?  I’m getting to that time where I start realizing, you know, this thing’s winding down.  I think just last month it finally dawned on me that one of my favorite passages in the pastoral epistles that I no longer really should be identifying with anymore, but I’m talking up until the last months, “Let no man despise your youth.”  As a young man, I had to make some stands against powerful people and doctrines.  As God opened my eyes, no special revelation, God just opened my eyes and said, “Well, that’s what it says.”  Amen?

The reality that was being brought home by the Holy Spirit through Moses in Deuteronomy 4, was understanding what is later stated in the New Covenant that we’re to be doers of this Word, not hearers only, lest we find ourselves in deception; amen?  You have to do these commandments.  Deuteronomy 28 is great, and you read through Deuteronomy 28, and all of the blessings if you keep His commandments (amen?), doing those things that are pleasing in His sight.  The temptations, the trials, and the tribulations allow us to get a glimpse of our hearts.

Now, we’re talking about prayer and praying effectually.  We saw the mandate, “men ought always to pray, and not to faint.”  We didn’t turn over to Luke 18, but we made reference to what that parable was about.  The parable was not that you could wear God down and finally get what you want from that unjust judge.  By the way, God is not unjust; amen?  That’s not the teaching of the parable.  The teaching of the parable is contrasting this unjust judge, and if this woman’s importunity can obtain from this unjust judge a declaration of justice, then when you come to understand the justice and the love of your Father, how much more shall He bring to you that deliverance and bring that answer in prayer?

Turn over to Luke 18 for just a moment.  There’s the one aspect that I want you to see down in verse 7, “Shall not God avenge his own elect?”  Shall not God avenge His own elect, those who cry unto Him day and night?  You see, in prayer, though God wants to reward us speedily, this parable tells us, we are still required to cry to Him day and night; amen?  We can’t just sit back and go, “Well, God wants to bless us.  Let Him pour the blessing on.  I’m just sitting here waiting for God to come through and bail me out in the nick of time.”  “Men ought always to pray, and not to faint.”  We’re to take those promises that God has given us and bring them before Him in His throne and say, “Lord, this is what we believe.  This is what we’re waiting for You to manifest.”  Not as so many people have erred and taken some of these principles of faith and confession and thinking that somehow you can come before the throne of God and hold God captive.  “I’m going to make You keep Your Word, God.”   I think you ought to reconsider if there’s that kind of a mentality, because God does not have to be influenced, pressured, or reminded of His Word and His promises.  They are sure to a thousand generations, and your threats on God won’t change it, and it’s tragic that so many people have that mentality.