 your life right now and the drawing near to God that we need to do without a doubt. Every one of us can get closer to God and in our relationship with him. And so I encourage you to be a part of that in this time of prayer together that we've had as a matter of fact all this week. And I'll just remind all of you tomorrow night at seven o'clock. So while we're waiting on some to jump on board with us here tonight, I wanna encourage you to share this out to on your Facebook or your social media platform, YouTube, whatever it may be. And let's get the word out for other people to be able to join in and receive a word from the Lord in the time of prayer together. We're gonna pray this evening over this first week of school for all the students and the subsequent weeks that are to come. We're gonna pray for this coming weekend as well as our nation once again for the elections that are coming up next week. There's a lot of seemingly apathy in our nation concerning it, but I wanna tell you most one of the most important things you can do as a Christian and as a citizen of the United States is exercise your right to vote. And so I would encourage you if you haven't already to make plans to do that next week. So we're gonna pray over our nation, our leaders and for the coming election as well. And then of course, believe in God for this coming weekend right here at Pace Assembly and other churches that are preaching the gospel. We need the houses of worship to be called a house of prayer and a place where people will gather this weekend in mass more than ever before. This is time for people to gather together and to worship and to serve and be edified by the word of God, the fellowship of God's people. The Bible says in the book of Hebrews that we're not to forsake the assembling of ourselves together as the manner some is, but so much the more as we see the day approaching. And the question is, do we see the day approaching, the day of the Lord, the return of the Lord? Well, certainly we do. The signs of the time that are all around us. So while I'm waiting on some to jump on board here with us, I wanna make this quick announcement. September the 11th, just a few weeks from now in the 6 p.m. night service, I will be bringing a prophecy files update. And I want you to make plans to be with us in person right here at Pace Assembly. We are working on that entire teaching and ministry that will come on that night for prophecy files update on September the 11th as a 6 p.m. service. Not sure right now whether or not it will be broadcast. So if you can be here in person, make plans to be here, just mark it on your calendar for September 11th and we'll give you an update from there. Now let me share with you just a little bit out of the word of God as we get our hearts prepared to go to prayer. The most important thing that could happen is to receive the word of God and pray the word of God. So that's the reason why I share a little bit from the word of God each time we gather together. And here is some marks say, if you wanna call it a litmus test, whatever. If you wanna call it a checkup of your spirituality, make sure that you're in the right position, the right vein. And here's some things that I believe would be very important to mark our true spirituality inside of our life. First of all, there should be the desire to be holy rather than happy. Our world is filled with people that want to be happy and they're looking for things to make them happy. And that's the reason why God doesn't, I've heard it recently said from the World Economic Forum that people in the coming days will own nothing and be happy. Well, God's ultimate desire for you is not your happiness, but your wholeness and the joy of the Lord that is your strength. Joy is much deeper. It's a spiritual gift. It's the fruit of the spirit, but it is certainly different than happiness. Happiness means something has to happen. That's the root word, happen, in order to bring the happiness. Well, the Bible says in Philippians 4 and verse number 8, Paul's writing here now. He says, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus, my Lord. For who's sake I have lost all things, I consider them rubbish that I may gain Christ. So our highest expectation of true spirituality deals with our desire to be holy, more like Christ instead of pursuing happiness. I can assure you that your joy and happiness, things that may happen inside of your life that bring you to a place of happiness, I can assure you those will come when we seek first the kingdom of God and to know him and to count everything else, as Paul said, as loss. Second thing is a true spirituality is the desire to see and honor God and to advance the kingdom, even if it takes temporary suffering and loss to do that. Here's what the Bible says in 2 Corinthians and again, this is Paul writing in verse 4. He said, we're hard pressed on every side but not crushed, I like this translation, perplexed but not in despair, persecuted but not abandoned, struck down but not destroyed. We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body. This is a powerful passage of scripture that lets us know that there's gonna be sufferings, there's gonna be ups and downs in your walk of the Lord and sometimes in your spirituality. Thank God for the grace and the mercy of God but it is the desire to honor God and to advance the kingdom even through the times of suffering. And I'll tell you, I truly believe that there may be times up ahead and certainly there will be of suffering that people, Christians have to deal with. And that's the reason why we must be prepared to press through those times and to give honor to God that through those sufferings, we're actually revealing Christ through our lives according to the scripture here. Here's the third thing I'll share with you. It is the desire to carry our cross. Here's what the book of Acts chapter 20 verse 24 says, however, I consider my life worth nothing to me if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me, the task of testifying to the gospel of God's grace. Acts chapter 20 verse number 24, the desire to carry the cross of Jesus Christ regardless of what kind of mocking or situations may come into our lives. The Bible says very clearly that we should be a people who will, and this is Jesus on words, deny ourselves, take up our cross and follow after him. In doing so, we are giving glory to God and we are going to see the grace of God work through our life. There's not a person in the Word of God who served the Lord faithfully, who didn't walk through difficult places and that's the reason why the Bible says that they are our example as to how to press through the times of difficulty, the times of mocking and persecution so that we can reveal Christ to a lost and dying world. That's so critically important. Here's number four of true spirituality. It is the desire to see everything from God's point of view. Now that's a challenge for all of us and here's what Colossians chapter one verse nine says, we're asking God that you may see things as it were from his point of view by being given spiritual insight and understanding. That's a different translation than the King James but it's letting you know that everything we do should be filtered through what some people call a Christian worldview. What does that mean? That means I filter everything through the Word of God and the mind of God which is the Word of God and then I make my decision based upon what God says about things. So I'm not fluctuating with the world. I'm not seeing it from my point of view and then I go to church and I'm seeing it from his point of view. No, this is throughout and in and a part of every part of our life. That is to have God's perspective, God's principles and then we apply them to every situation. So we're not like some, I've heard some politicians recently saying that they can actually find in the Bible the endorsement and justification for abortion. Well, that would be absolutely wrong. That's against God's Word. How they can find that, they're not looking at it from God's point of view. I can assure you that's man's point of view and whatever concoction or twisting of the scripture that they've done. The Bible says if we have true spirituality truly walking with the Lord, we're gonna see everything through his point of view, through his eyes and then we will adjust ourself accordingly. Here's number five of this spiritual, true spirituality. It is the desire to die rather than to live wrong. Now think about this. Here's what the book of Daniel chapter three and you're familiar perhaps with the story of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. But here's a little bit from two verses. Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego replied to the King O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this manner. If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from it and he will rescue us from your hand. O King, but even if he says, he's able to rescue us from your hand, O King, but even if he does not, what a powerful statement of faith right there. We want you to know O King that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of goal that you have set up. Look at the impact of faith inside of their life that even if the God they serve doesn't rescue them. We always want to believe that God is gonna rescue us from every situation and we'll never feel pain or hurt or sorrow or grief or anything else, but that's not true. In fact, the Bible says many times that he is saving us in that situation. And so for Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, they put their faith on the line and they said, even if he doesn't, we're still not gonna serve the gods of this world or you and that statue of gold. That is a determined faith that marks true spirituality. Here's the last two. The desire to see others advanced even at our expense. This is true spirituality because here's what it says in 2 Corinthians 4-5. For we do not preach ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord and ourselves as your servants for Jesus' sake. This is a lost characteristic in the lives of many Christians today, certainly in the world. We're watching it from the perspective of the fact that it's hard for companies to find people to work in the time. And it's not that there's not jobs and it's not that they're not willing to pay. It has everything to do with the fact that people have lost a work ethic and a volunteer ethic on that. And more importantly, as this scripture teaches, the ability to say no to ourself or even at our expense be able to help other people. I'm not saying that there's not people doing that. I'm just saying that it is certainly decreasing in the time that we're in where it becomes a me and a selfish society. As a true spiritual believer, our first thought is not even about ourselves, self-preservation. It's all about being able to advance others and helping others to find Christ and their purpose for living. And here's the last one of a Mark of True Spirituality, the practice of habitually making eternity judgments instead of time judgments. In other words, here's what 2 Corinthians 4.18 says, for we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary. It's time constrained, but what is unseen is eternal. In other words, we should constantly be looking toward and making decisions and judgments based on eternity, not based on a segment of time or a moment of time. We're only in a short period of time that we have on this earth, but the things of eternity are really what is valued and what matters. So I want to encourage you today to look towards the future, plan towards the future. In fact, I would encourage you, even in these prayer times, listen carefully to God because he's going to talk to you about your future and about what plans he has for you in the future. And I want to make sure that you are focused on that even in this prayer time. Now I want us to go to the Lord in prayer and thank you for taking time to join with me in this little bit of the word of God, but let's take this and apply all of these things into this time of prayer. We're going to pray specifically over this week and the coming weeks of school. And then we'll just go from segment to segment in this prayer and you just join with me at each topic as we go along and we'll conclude tonight's time of prayer together in faith believing. So let's do that right now. Father in heaven, we thank you for your grace and your mercy upon us. Thank you Lord Jesus for the guiding hand and the guidance of the Holy spirit that leads us and directs us every day of our life. We acknowledge you Lord in all of our ways and we set our faith towards the cross of Jesus Christ. And right now God we come to you as we have throughout this week lifting up every student that's been going to school, the parents, faculty, staff, teachers, bus drivers, Lord even the very grounds of the schools that we ask that angels of protection and guardian angels would be planted around that school that no weapon, no evil will come nigh that place. And we continue to pray tonight even as there's a reflection upon this first week of school, a full week of school for students. We pray God that you would just now let their minds and their hearts and all of the parents, faculty, staff, principals, everybody, Lord Jesus receive that fresh anointing upon their life even now, not only for what is already taking place but for the weeks that are ahead. We pray right now in the advance of this entire school year that you would keep the angels of heaven around that school over the students, over the faculty, staff, teachers and the bus drivers and everybody that works in that capacity. I pray God that you would just put your hand upon them and guide them and Lord let nothing be done in that school that would be displeasing to you but to the upbuilding of every mind of every child, every student so that there would be an advancement of knowledge and understanding. Give them wisdom we pray. And Lord I pray that they would sense the very presence of God in and around that school that there would be peace that would rule and reign on every campus and that your spirit, Lord would just abide in these locations throughout this entire school year for everyone that is watching right now as we join together in agreement prayer. You said Lord that when we get together in agreement and we ask it in your name, it will be done and we believe it to be done right now. And in the weeks that are to come. And so Lord we pray for our nation once again and for the leadership of our nation. God from the president, the Supreme Court, the Congress, Lord every one that is in federal and state and local governments. We pray God for righteous leadership in every area. We pray right now Lord that for this coming election that you would help the hearts and minds of people that are God that are considering candidates that they're going to vote for, that they will vote the Bible, vote the principles of God's word in the officials and individuals that will go into office so that this nation can have a turnaround so that this nation can be able to see a revival take place. We pray for our nation God and we pray for the healing. We pray for the God, the sins of our nation to be forgiven and washed by the precious blood. We pray for a united mind in values and in principles that are found in the word of God. You said Lord that a nation that will forget you will be turned into hell and we're seeing it on the streets of America now. Oh God we pray for the pulpits of America to once again be lit on fire of the spirit of God and the word of God and revival to permeate every area, every church that's preaching the gospel. We pray right now Lord for those that will consider people for elected offices that it won't just be some ritual that they do but praying over those and being informed about what's taking place in the platforms that they're bringing forward so that there is righteousness that can rule in the federal state and local levels. We pray God that righteous men and women will step up and say I'll serve this nation not to be takers but to be givers. People that will come and serve as servants Lord towards the people so that your hand can be upon them. We understand God that our duty as Christians is to pray for our leaders and for our nation and we do that now. We renounce all kinds of sins from prejudice to social to economic no matter who it is and what it is. We pray that there would be a uniting of minds and hearts circled around the word of God and the principles of God's word. Lord we pray right now for this coming weekend as churches will gather together. Lord to worship you to celebrate the goodness of God to hear the word of God preached and taught. We pray right now Lord that you would just set those pulpits on fire and let the spirit of God now speak to the hearts of every pastor and minister that will step up every evangelist. God we pray right now that you give them the word in season not just some word but the word that Ramah word that burns in their spirit and causes the altars in their churches to be set on fire. Lord we believe to now that now is the time for a move of God like we have never had and we pray Lord Jesus that that would happen right here at Pace Assembly. Lord as I have the privilege of pastoring this church as other pastors who love their congregations and care about them. But Lord more than anything else not about programs and not about some new ideology or new program, new thought. But Lord let the revival fire burn so that the hearts and lives of people are drawn nearer to you and build the kingdom as one body of believers. Heal the body of Christ we pray from every sin. Forgive us our sins and all unrighteousness be cleansed. Help us tonight Lord Jesus as we draw together in prayer to be united in that prayer to say thy kingdom come thy will be done in earth as it is in heaven. We thank you for it right now. Thank you for hearing our prayer and answering our prayers and we give you praise for it tonight. Now for every person that is watching the Lord bless you and the Lord keep you and the Lord make his face to shine upon you. The Lord be gracious unto you and give you his peace now and forevermore in Jesus mighty name. Amen and amen. God bless you friends. Thank you for taking time to join with us tonight. If you are within the driving distance of Pace Assembly we want you to come and be our special guest this weekend. I want you to make sure you're here. I'm going to dive back into the book of Jeremiah. There's some things that I believe Jeremiah needs to speak to our hearts about today concerning our assignment and the anointing of God upon that assignment. We have that. We have a command, a mandate from heaven and I want you to be here this weekend. I believe that we're going to see an outpouring of his spirit, believing God for miracles, signs and wonders, people to get saved and in your church if you have a local church where you attend make sure you're there this weekend. Be faithful. I know you could attend online but if you can physically possibly be able to be there then you need to be in the house of God. The fellowship of the saints is so needed right now and you need that fellowship. So make sure that you're in your church and if you're part of Pace, come on and pack this house out, fill up your car, come with an expectation and let's see what God's going to do. God bless you friends. Thank you for being with us for this night of prayer and we'll look to see you tomorrow night at seven o'clock for a time of prayer together. See you then.