In this sermon, Eddie Leo from Indonesia emphasizes the importance of the 49-day encounter as a remedy for spiritual struggles. He highlights the efforts made by Mark Hodges to refine the script and text in English for the audience. Eddie Leo encourages the congregation to rely on prayer as their best protection and shares a personal story about his son Andrew and the tragic death of a popular staff member. He then references two Bible verses, Psalm 116:16-17 and Zephaniah 3:9, emphasizing the importance of serving the Lord with unity and pure speech. He concludes with a powerful story of a young couple in his church who were miraculously protected from harm during a violent encounter with criminals.

Today, I want to talk about prayer that changes things. And I want to begin by saying to you that we're living in a violent, violent, violent society. Last week, I read an article, just to give you an idea, this was in what we call News24, I think it's news24.com, which is a local newscast, sort of, sum-of-fucking. It takes together many of the newspapers, what they say. It says that 90% will be crime victims. And it goes here, and it says, Crime statistics show that nearly 2.5 million people were victims. Two and a half million people were victims of violent crime in the past three years. And it shows the probability that more than 90% of people would fall victim to crime in South Africa, ultimately. And then it goes on here, this is done here by the National Civil Safety and Security Action. These people that do statistics and research, they say statistics confirm that the government has already lost the struggle against crime. And so it goes on. Then, in all of that, I have, there was a major bank and a whole situation around them wanting to run a campaign against crime. And also from the Sunday Times, a little printout here of a newscast. And it talks here, and it says that, I just want to pick up the right sentence here, The research surveys, TNS Research Surveys, a national research company, found that among the country's 12.5 million urban families, 12.5, 12.4 million urban stedelijke families, 1 million said someone close to them had been robbed or burgled during the last six months of 2006. Findings in the report, The State of South Africans 2007, which was released today, also included 200,000 households reported direct experience of murder in the same period. 150,000 families said someone close to them had been raped. Half a million reported either car theft or a hijacking in the immediate circle. These are staggering, staggering things. I suppose that there are so many. I've got more. I can read on. And in fact, I've got a whole bag full of these already as we collect them and we research them. And I've had some serious talks with people in high places. Even in this past week, even last night, I had been talking to people that are directly involved in much of what we're talking about here and crime and corruption. And it is a very sad state of affairs that's going on. In this week, there was a young couple in our church. And I'm telling you, our prayer shield works. And this young couple that is in our church was working. They like ministering. I don't know if they're here in this particular service. They could be here or not. I'm not too sure. But it doesn't matter who they are and names is not important right now. But the young couple had been working. They'd been ministering to the needy, to the poor. And going out into some of the townships and the settlements and feeding the poor and ministering and praying over them. They were really on fire. Just young couple. And they arrived home in the week. And as they got home, in some plot, there were criminals waiting for them. And then the violence began. And they several times, I don't know how many times tried it. About 20 times tried to put a knife in the back of this young man in our church. And the knife would not penetrate, just wouldn't get in. So eventually they left that. Then they took the woman and wanted to rape her. When they got to the bedroom where they wanted to rape her, they began a fight among each other. This fight was so bad among themselves and arguing that they left that and they decided just to put everything in the car. So they went and they took stuff that they now wanted to steal in the car and they put it there. And then the car wouldn't start. And that just wouldn't work for them. Amen. And they couldn't drive it or something like that. They couldn't drive it. But then they came and then they were out there battling with this car. And these people managed to get the security alarm going off and then they ran away into the night. But what a traumatic experience. But then on our staff there is a man, he is a black man, very, very precious black man by the name of Andrew. And Andrew was shot and killed yesterday. Yes. We lift up his family. I saw him Friday night. Friday afternoon he actually was at my house. And I said, Andrew, you know, you just look so fit. You're ready to go and play. He's got a little soccer team and they call them the Hungry Lions. And they always, he looks like the fittest creature on the planet. And Andrew was smiling at me and he, you know, sort of jogged out the front door and there he goes down the street. The other day I was, I saw him and I picked him up. It was raining. I said, Andrew, and I picked him up and he's the friendliest character on our staff, on our staff. And extremely popular. He got killed yesterday. We got the report this morning. We are dealing with real serious stuff. And I don't know, you know, it's like man's life is like a vapor. You know, today it's there, tomorrow it's gone. You know, it's like the grass of the field. Today it's there, tomorrow it's gone. It just shrivels, it dies and we fly away. Man's life is like a shifting shadow. It's but a vapor. The Bible's got many, many ways of describing our lives that we live here on earth. And each of you, you know, intensely so. The prayer even now, with this thing happening, I realize that even this is not good enough. I realize that we've just got to sharpen our prayer strategy dramatically. Can you say amen? And this thing is getting closer and closer to us. I think if I had to now give testimony time. And I think so many people get up here and give a testimony of danger they became aware of. It's going to take more than a political speech to heal this country. Can you say amen? It's going to take the church stepping forward. You know, I often think that when we look at even those church leaders that surround the state president, I often think they're not representative. They are true fathers of the Christian church in this nation. Those people are the ones that ought to be there. The ones that are there that have got influence across the masses. They ought to be there, but I don't know what's going on. And it seems like this world that we live in where this is going on. And in the midst of that there's a lot of terror and emails flying and people saying, you know, there's danger, there's danger, there's danger. But you know what? The Christian church is praying. In our church is the head of police here on the west end. And I'm not sure if he's here today. I think they're out of the city today. But he's organized prayer meetings to happen at the police station. And I have just come to a point where I want to raise up a strategy. If I can do a little bit of family talk to you today. Raise up a strategy by which we're going to set up prayer cells across this west ramp. And we're going to devise a strategy and teach you and help you to help each other and help us and help one another and help your families. We've got to set up a strategy of prayer until for some strange reason the world thinks, well, this is very strange. The west ramp will be the most crime-free zone that there exists in the nation. Can you say amen to that? Give God a praise offering right now. You know, I was speaking to a friend of mine, Dr. Kenneth Meshu. In the ministry there are two people that are my closest friends. The one is Dr. Kenneth Meshu. He's the leader of the African Christian Democratic Party. And no compromise. That man is, I spoke to him last night. There's no compromise. The cross of Jesus is number one. Christ is Lord in that man's life. And he's full of the Holy Ghost. He comes out of the ministry of Reinhard Bunker. That's where he comes from. And he preached, shared the platform at times with Reinhard. And then also there's another friend of mine, Pastor Clive Gopal of Natal, of the Indian community, or shall we say Asian community as they prefer to call themselves, of Natal. And they are, and those people down there carry me on their hands. They're close friends of mine. And I was discussing it with Dr. Meshu. And saying to him, you know, these things going on. We've got to get to a point where there is a definite strategy that we deploy spiritually. We cannot rely on politicians. Can you say amen? And that does not say any particular party or political parties. I'm saying today we can't rely. If God has given us the weapons of our warfare, mighty through God. You know what Paul says in 2 Corinthians 10, 3 and 4 and 5. He says, though we walk in the flesh, we don't war according to the flesh. But the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds. And we've got to come against these things. And you know, it's like this. Let me make a statement. Maybe you want to say this after me. When we preach, people act. When we pray, God acts. Is that so? Is that so? When we pray, God acts. When we just preach, people act. When we pray, it is the Lord that acts on our behalf. We need to understand that. Some people have got prayer in different levels of value system and so on. But we are now mobilizing God's spiritual army. Another prophet that has the... He's a prophet in the body of Christ prophesied over me. What's his name? Bill Hammond. The prophet Bill Hammond. He prophesied over me and said, This church will become like an army camp of God in the spirit. And this is where there will be a base where we will take on forces of darkness. Now, you know, sometimes if one gets political, and I'm certainly not political. I don't want to be political. I'm not a political creature at all. But if you get political, you say, Well, you know, this is only in the white community. Let me just tell you something. It's very much in the black community. Andrew was killed in Dobsonville last night. It's everywhere. And I know of people that say, We live in a shack, but every night we live in terror because we haven't got security. We got nothing. They can kick down the walls and come through and kill us and rape us. And I think if we really had to get the real statistics of what's going on in this nation, it's very, very heavy stuff. And so we've been sharing with some people in high places. We've been talking to them all week long and devising a prayer strategy. There are people on the far right and people on the far left. And they're people that, in every dimension, that could not care for the value of a life. If they see any person living and walking and not even knowing them, have done them no harm, they just kill you. You know, just for a cell phone. Or for something. Or maybe a handbag on a seat in a car. Doesn't matter. I want you to look at something on page 1 of the notes at the bottom of page number 1. Somebody just gave me a note here, that said here from somebody in Alexander Township, there are 10 murders per night. 10 murders per night in that township out there. How about Soweto? How about Dobsonville? That is part of Soweto. How about Mosul Hakeim? How about all of these townships and villages? And the informal citizens. Do you know how many people get killed and raped? Do you know how many people suffer? This is nonsense. How many of you are going to help me to pray this cancer prayer out of the nation? Let me see your hands right now. If you say Amen, stand up and give me a pledge and say yes in Jesus' name. Come on. Come on. Come on. Come on. Come on. Hallelujah. I want you right now. Put your hand on your heart. Put your hand on your heart and say, I pledge allegiance to the Lamb of God. I shall pray whenever and wherever I can for the sake of the Kingdom of God in obedience of the Holy Spirit to help and protect my fellow men and women, brothers and sisters, and children of the Kingdom of God in Jesus' name. I pledge allegiance to the Lamb of God. Thank you, Jesus. Give the Lord another praise. Hallelujah. You may take your seats. Thank you very much. Look at page number one at the bottom. Page one of your things. I just put this point, the last point at the bottom. I'll get to the first point after that. I should have put this one first. This nation can alone be saved from escalating trouble, violence, rape, murder, everything else. Through the power of prayer that touches the heart of the Father and causes Him to move on our behalf. Look at this little article which I was able to get. I've got so many resources. And from them, I just picked this one up in the weekend. The murder rate in New York City was dropped, has dropped significantly in the last ten years. And a primary reason could be prayer. A New York City policeman recently told a group of British Christians that since the introduction of a 24-hour prayer clock a decade ago, the annual murder caseload has fallen from 2,600 to 600. Detective Donald Sanchez said some of the credit could go to the former mayor, Giuliani's tough stand on crime. But he added, God is sovereign. Everybody say God is sovereign. He places people in office and in government. He said he believes that God put Mayor Giuliani in the office to be the right man at the right time. On the next page, the Christian Prayer Association in the United Kingdom has seen overall crime decrease by 45% since a program of prayer and social action was begun there. Then crime is a constant concern in our world. We spend this all from these articles. We spend millions of dollars, they say, building new jails, hiring police officers and implementing crime control program that's going on right now in our nation. Perhaps it is time we return to the straightforward defense, which is prayer. Straightforward defense. Prayer. Can you say Amen? That's why we wear the full armor of God. Responsible social actions opens doors of opportunity for individuals to be involved. Prayer reminds us that we need God's involvement to solve the problems society faces today. With God's help, all things are possible. This article here that I got and then Philippians 4, 5-7 was connected to it. It says, Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything. But in everything, by prayer and petition with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. From fresh illustrations on the computer dictionaries and resources. If we look at that, do you agree with that, that we need to raise up our prayer strategy? I believe it is the most vital thing. Those of you running businesses today, If you have a business, I see your business, man. I look in your direction and I see your own, what you say. There sits a young advocate on that side. I know that they're also a place. He's a no-compromise fatty venter. He's just a no-compromise man of God also. And I look at people here that have got... How many of you are running your own business? Let me see your hands right down in this place. Raise your hands. Right, now. Those of you running businesses, you need to set up a strategy and invite people that are willing. You don't have to pray every day of the week, my precious, precious, beloved friend. Even if you just do it once a week, if there's a prayer meeting. You know, Clive has got a 24-hour clock. I've kind of taken the strategy that we've got like just about 280 or so prayer cells in a week. But now this thing is multiplied. Even if you, once a week, somewhere at a convenient time when you can get a little group together, or your family once a week, or if it's just husband and wife, more than I pray together, just husband and wife, or you're in the prayer meetings on a Saturday morning, or you maybe get your prayer, your cell group together, your cell group and say, listen, let us meet at a convenient time. Let's make it, let's say a Thursday night, for example, if you're not in college or Bible school, let's get together on a Thursday night and just come together and pray and take our prayer strategy. We've got the notes out. We've got it available to all the people and begin to pray. Also, our head of police has said, come and pray in the Rudderport police station. Now, I think they're down with a conference or something in the Eastern Cape. So we will not do that this week. But when he gets back, I'm strategizing with him. Jesus will fall for it. He just wants me to distribute his strategy that he's got for churches countrywide to protect them policemen. I mean, they stand with their hair in their, their hands in their hair. And you know, if I think of this, that if we, I'm just talking to you this morning more than the usual kind of preaching kind of style. I just say that if all the Christian churches across the nation could reinstitute prayer, we'd have instant revival in this nation of ours. Can you say amen? Now, we are in the most vital period of time. We're in the 49-day encounter. How many of you are still very much part of that and doing it? Let me see your hands. Wave with your hands to the Lord. God bless you. That is the most valuable stuff. As you're working through that, it brings you closer. I've even doubled up. There's a book by Rick Warren, The Purpose Driven Life. You need to get a hold of that and read that as well in case you haven't read it. I've read it before. I'm doing it a second time. And when I'm finished with my 49-day encounter, I'm going to do it a second time. I've decided to take another color pen, like a red pen, or a blue pen, or a green pen. Just roll through it another 49 days and see if I can add anything to what I've already put in there. Just keep going, bringing you closer to the Father so that God could hear your prayers. So, we're rolling out a strategy. Maybe you say, in my convenience, I can meet on a Saturday afternoon lunch time. Or, Saturday morning, I can't come to the prayer meeting here. I'm living out in Rampartin or I'm living in Pretoria. I'm a little bit too far from the church and I've got to get to work on Saturdays. But I can get a group together. And once a week, thoroughly work through those notes, those prayer notes. We'll give the opportunity towards the end to make sure that everybody's got it. And instead of just having, say, 280 prayer cells, we can run 1,000 or 2,000 prayer cells. Can you say amen to that? And now we're going to focus on this thing. And I'm going to steer you to help you to see how you can contribute spiritually that God may bless you. But also another thing is, my dear friend, listen to me now. Listen to me now. Just on a... See yourself as one of my family members. Just on a personal note. Take your house. Consecrate that place. The Holy Spirit must not be grieved by anything going on in your house. Everything. Scan through that house. Anything that you know that is... You know what, Jesus, I was reading this week in the New Living Translation where Jesus was saying these words. He says, if your eye causes you to stumble, if your hand causes you to stumble, it is better to cut off your hand. It is better to cut out your eye. And those words struck me where He was saying, then your whole body is cast into hell. You know, I was reading there where He was busy with the Sermon on the Mount. And He was busy talking to the people. And He says, you know, in Matthew 6, He says, the lamp of the body is the eye. He says, and if the eye is in darkness, He says, how great is that darkness. Anything you can see, anything you can touch, anything you can have, any item or items that would be a welcome mat for demon spirits to come entering into your house. Scan the house. Clean up. Amen. Don't give the devil any chance to come near your house or stir up demons of hell. To use people through those demons, stir up people to come and attack you. I have prayed over my house and you know what I do is, from time to time, I go around, even did it with my parents. Go from time to time, take a bottle of olive oil. You know, I just say, Lord, this place belongs to Jesus. And I always think of Jacob where he poured out the oil on the rock. And he was there and he was just, he saw the ladder into heaven. And Jacob said, Whoa, this is surely the house of God. The Beth El. The house of El. El is God. Elohim. House of Elohim. House of the Holy Trinity. Surely, this is the holy place. And he poured oil out on the rock where he slept. And you know what I do from time to time, go from corner to corner, right around the house, and I go there and I on every corner make a cross with olive oil. Right around. And even where people come in, at the doors, the windows, everywhere. I cut off all demonic traffic. I pray and I pray a prayer on you for that now. Right now. Pray a prayer, go around that place and consecrate it just like it was the tabernacle of Moses in the wilderness. Say, this place is just nothing evil that's going to come in here. Can you say amen? And precious people do that. Pray over your place. I've gone to my parents. And I remember now, even now, if I go to Benoni where my mother still, she's now 90, where I go to her and still the olive oil cross that I made when my father was alive is still on the window. Still on the window. And she sleeps in. I fasted one day. I was in a period of 40 day separation. And I was just going and praying. And by the third day of fasting, I found myself having dreams that were like, you would classify as nightmares. And all kinds of disturbances. And I realized that the enemy is coming in really to try and attack me because I'm in a state of fasting. Jesus, at the end of His 40 days, there was a period when the devil came and tried to tempt Him. And by the third day, I realized there's something wrong. And then I got up. I got out the olive oil. As stupid as it seems, it is not stupid, my friend. Like Jacob that consecrated. That was Israel that slept on the rock. I said, I sleep on the rock. Can you say amen? And even your car, even if you go to your car and consecrate that vehicle, it's just things that I just believe that thing is something God gave you. It did not come to you by any other means. God gave you your car. And you need to go and just consecrate that thing. Let's do some consecration this week. Come on, give the Lord a praise offering right now. And so you're all going to help me. We're going to pray for each other. We're going to pray and get the devil out of the worst land and all these surrounding cities. Amen. Amen. Psalm 73 says, verse 28, but as for me, how good it is to be near God. But as for me, how good it is to be near God. We're in the 49 day encounter. I have made the Sovereign Lord my shelter. And I will tell everyone about the wonderful things that You do. Can you say amen? Now from the days of Adam and Eve, you think how quick people started praying? From the days of Adam and Eve until now, godly men and women have been calling on the name of the Lord in prayer, calling on the name of the Lord to be saved from their troubles and dangers. Where's the first prayers in the Bible? In Genesis 4, early, verse 25, Adam knew his wife again, and she bore his son and named him Seth. For God has appointed, she said, another seed for me instead of Abel, whom Cain killed. As for Seth, to him also a son was born, and He named him Enosh. Now these men then began to call on the name of the Lord. Who was the first praying family? Adam's family was the first praying family. It says here, then men began to call upon the name of the Lord. Of course, Adam knew God, and we know Abel was killed, and we know that Seth was born, and then also we know that a son was born, and then His name was Enosh, and men began to call upon the name of the Lord. Adam was still alive. They realized their dependence upon God. You must know in the early life, the early population explosions of the planet, God multiplied them very rapidly, and they very quickly realized, we need God, we need God. How many of you need God? I see here Warwick and Yolanda sitting here, and Yvette sitting here. On Friday, I'm busy reading the Bible, those very scriptures I'm talking about, and I just get, you know, sometimes you sit, you work, and you just get tired, and sometimes I get up when I work, and I get into prayer, and I start praying for you people. Then I get back and I work again, and then I felt myself getting drowsy, and I thought, yeah, let me just get up, and get out of this place, and go for a walk, and I walk through the house, and I'm alone in the house, and I'm walking and praying, and I decide, I must check the news. As I switch on CNN, on the news, there is stone throwing going on in Jerusalem. They are throwing stones, and Israeli soldiers are running across that temple mount, where I've never seen them. I like them running around there. It's the first time I see them running around. And I thought to myself, Yanni Duplessis is with a group there, of business people, they're with a group out there in Jerusalem. So I'm sending an SMS to Jerusalem, to him and Naomi, I said, watch out, don't go to the temple mount. Trouble is on the road. The only one that can protect you, is Almighty God. Can you say amen? Give the Lord a praise offering everybody right now. Come on. Well, here we see the first praying family. Genesis 12 verse 8, and then he, just a little bit further, I just jump across the Bible, you can't take every praying text. Then he, Abraham, moved from there, to the mountain east of Bethel, and he pitched his tent with Bethel, on the western eye on the east. And then he built an altar to the Lord. And he called on the name of the Lord. There's Abraham, calling on the name of the Lord. And again in Psalm 18, 2-6, The Lord is my rock, says David, and my fortress, and my deliverer, my God, my strength in whom I trust, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. I will call upon the name of the Lord, who is worthy to be praised. Can you say Amen? So shall I be safe from my enemies. How will I be safe from my enemies? By calling upon the name of the Lord, who is worthy to be praised. How will we be safe from our enemies? By calling upon the name of the Lord, who is worthy to be praised. And we see this in the lives of these people. I've got a book at home, I was thinking while I'm preaching to you, I'm thinking, Hey, there's a book I need to get into. It's quite a thick one, called All the Prayers of the Bible. Just look at how people through the ages have called upon the name of the Lord. He says, The pangs of death surrounded me and the floods of ungodliness, floods of ungodliness made me afraid. Does that sound familiar? The sorrows of hell surrounded me. The snares of death confronted me. In my distress, I called upon the Lord and I cried out to my God. He heard my voice from His temple and my cry came before Him, even to His ears. Psalm 116, I've underlined Psalm 116, because really, I've got to read you the whole psalm. Because the whole psalm is about this, so I've just emphasized, you just make a little tick mark, then go read it when you read the Bible again at home. But I'm just going to take two verses, 16 and 17. Oh Lord, truly I'm Your servant, I'm Your servant, the son of Your maidservant. You have loosed my bonds, I will offer to You the sacrifice of thanksgiving and I will call upon the name of the Lord. In Zephaniah 3 verse 9, For then, changing their impure language, I will give to the people a clear and a pure speech from pure lips that they may call upon the name of the Lord. Listen to this one. To serve Him with one unanimous consent as little falls today and one united shoulder bearing the yoke of the Lord. That's our verse. Everybody say, our verse. Man, make a star there, because that is the implementation verse. I'm going to read it again. God's going to say, He's going to give us, He's going to change and take away impurity of language. He's going to give the people a pure and a clear and a pure speech from pure lips and that they may all call upon the name of the Lord to serve Him with one unanimous consent and one united shoulder with stammering lips and with another tongue I'll speak to these people from the book of Isaiah 1 Corinthians chapter 14 also. Bearing the yoke of the Lord with one united shoulder calling upon the name of the Lord. Now look in the New Testament in Acts 2 verse 17. And it shall come to pass in the last days, says the Lord, that I'll pour out My Spirit upon all flesh. We know this one so well about Pentecost. And your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your young men shall see visions, your old men shall dream dreams, and on My men's servants and on My maid's servants I will pour out My Spirit. In those days they shall prophesy. I'll show wonders in heaven above and signs in the earth beneath. Blood and fire and vapor of smoke. The sun shall be turned into darkness and the moon into blood before the coming of the great and awesome day of the Lord. And listen, it shall come to pass, this is the prophecy that started the New Testament church, that whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved. If we go again to that top little section I've highlighted where David says in verse 3 there of Psalm 18, he says, I'll call upon the name of the Lord who is worthy to be praised, so shall I be saved. And again, whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved. It's connected. 1 Corinthians 1, verses 2 and 3, to the church of God, which is at Corinth. We see it. I didn't take so many verses. I just took this one more. To those who are sanctified in Christ Jesus called to be saints, with awe, who in every place call on the name of the Lord, Jesus Christ, our Lord, both theirs and ours. Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Grace, grace, grace. There we see, I of course was confronted with just taking every verse like that because there's so many and they roll across the Bible. See, how these people from the family of Adam, children of Adam, were starting to pray. Men began to call upon the name of the Lord. They had a need. They lived in a violent society because men had received a sin nature. And let me tell you today, there is only one that can save you and protect you. His name is Jesus. And quite honestly, you cannot afford to walk far away from the Lord. The 49 day encounter is the best medicine for little falls in its history. Can you say amen? For all of us together. That man from Indonesia, Eddie Leo, he just really blessed us and Pastor Mark Hodges have been working to get that script and that text right in the correct English for you and refine it and keep on refining it and keep on refining it so that we can get close to God. Our only protection is our God. He doesn't help us to say become aggressive, become this, that or the other. The best protection, my precious friend, is to pray. Can you say amen? Samuel the prophet said these words. You must take it for yourself too. He said these words. He says, Far be it from me that I should sin against the Lord by not praying for you. This morning, when you were sleeping, Harold was on his knees before God, literally on my knees, and I was lifting up those prayer cards before the Lord's throne and again said, Lord, protect, keep in peace. Not even knowing that one of our people, a soldier, a young soldier of God, Andrew, got killed in the very night I was praying before I could even get to my knees. Had I known, I would not have slept last night. I would have prayed through the night. And if I know the enemy's coming to you, I would not sleep. I'd pray through the night. If I know your blood is now at stake, I will not stop until I feel that thing is right off us. We just have to become spiritually sensitive. We're just gonna have to take one another's hand. Take a hand in both directions. Just give a squeeze. Just do that right now. Say, let's take hands. Everybody say, let's take hands. Let's pray. We're the army of God. Amen. Let's go on with the notes right now. Now it says here, God answers, in the middle of the page, I type, God answers prayers of the righteous. What kind of prayers does He answer? The wicked or the righteous? Righteous means those in the correct standing. Right standing, correct relationship as God requires with the Lord. Our ongoing good quality relationship with God. Everybody say, good quality relationship. With God, it is absolutely essential to sustain us through thick and thin. The Bible is full of stories of great heroes who trusted in the Lord and prayed and He answered them. Like I say, I've got a book there, it's called Duck, you know. I got it in Durban, in, I think, Kumbuka in Durban, in that one, Natal Plaza, whatever they call that place. And I found this book, it's a thick one, on all the prayers of the Bible. The Bible is full. There was a man called, I think it's Ian Bounds, I think it was, Ian Bounds, that made, he always wrote about prayer and in one of those books that really impacted my personal life, I don't know where it is now, it could be in the library that we've created here at the church, where he begins to take all these great people, how they prayed and God answered. You know, just this morning I was getting dressed, I heard Jenson Franklin, strange enough, speak about the same thing. And he was saying, just keep on sowing the seeds, just keep on sowing the seeds, the fruit will follow. Can you say Amen? Never give up on your prayer. Just know, in the Bible, through the history from Adam till now, people have been calling upon the name of the Lord. You just keep on doing that. Go to your workplace, set it up at your workplace, set it up in the family. Once a week, pull your family together. Whenever you have the opportunity, get them together and pray for their protection and preservation. God forbid that the blood of your family fall on the ground unnecessarily. We've got a job to do. And in Psalm 34 verse 4 to 9, God answers the prayers of the righteous. 34, 4 to 9, I prayed to the Lord and He answered me, freeing me from all my fears. Those who look to Him for help will be radiant with joy. No shadow of shame will darken their faces. I cried out to the Lord in my suffering and He heard me. He set me free from all my fears. For the angel of the Lord guards all who fear Him. What kind of person does God protect? Him with the fear of the Lord. And He rescues them. Taste and see that the Lord is good over the joys of those who trust in Him. Let the Lord's people show Him reverence. For those who honor Him, those who trust Him, those who honor Him, those who fear Him, will have all they need. This word of the Holy Spirit. Psalm 65, 1-5 What mighty praise, O God, belongs to You in Zion. We will fulfill our vows to You, for You answer our prayers and to You all people will come. Though our hearts are filled with sins, listen to this, though our hearts are filled with sins, You forgive them all. Can you say, thank you Jesus. What joy for those who choose, whom you choose to bring near. Those who live in Your holy courts. What joys await us inside Your holy temple. You faithfully answer our prayers with awesome deeds, O God our Savior. I love it. I love it. I had to make it big on the text. You are the hope of everyone on earth. Even those who sail on distant seas. Psalm 121 I took my troubles to the Lord. I cried out to Him and He answered my prayer. 1 Peter 3, 12 For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and His ears are open to their prayers. Focus on your personal relationship with God. Man, stick to that 49 day encounter. Don't get behind. Just stick with it. Proverbs 15, 8 The Lord hates the sacrifice of the wicked, but He delights in the prayers of the upright. That word upright in the Hebrew means He walks the straight and narrow road. The right path. Proverbs 15, 29 The Lord is far from the wicked, but He hears the prayers of the righteous. Those in correct relationship with Him. Well, John 9, verse 31 says Well, God doesn't listen to sinners, but He is ready to hear those who worship Him and do His will. If you're obedient to the will of God for your life. James 5, 16 says The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and wonderful results. Now, let's go to page number 2. Page number 2. And we go to the verse which I want to close with in the session. 2 Chronicles 7, 14 and 15 There are wonderful verses connected to it. Then if My people are called by My name, will humble themselves and pray, and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear from heaven, I will forgive their sins and heal their land. I will listen to every prayer made in this place. May God do that so to us. You know what? You know what? I will pray God forgive everybody's sin in the total church called Little Falls Christian Center today. We're going to close with that in a moment's time. I'm going to pray God Almighty washes all of us so that our prayers are mighty powerful. And God would hear the prayers of our people in this place. Can you say Amen? Past, present and future sins. Anything done wrong over the span of our lives. If you humble yourself. Look at those verses. I want to quickly read those verses. Let there be tears for the wrong things you have done. Let there be sorrow and deep grief. Let there be sadness instead of laughter. And gloom instead of joy. Humble yourself. When you bow down before the Lord and admit your dependence on Him, He will lift you up and give you honor. Ezekiel 33 verse 11 As surely as I live, says the far sovereign Lord, I take no pleasure in the death of wicked people. I only want them to turn from their wicked ways so that they can live. Turn! Turn from your wickedness, O people of Israel. Why should you die? That verse is still applicable to us. We are all to turn from wickedness. Why die? If God wants to spare our lives. Am I right if I say that? Why die? Go to the next one is prayer to God. In the verse Psalm 32, 6 Therefore, let all the faithful pray to you while you may be found. Surely, the rising of the mighty waters will not reach them. These verses are magnificent. This is from today's new international version. Again, seek the face of the Lord. You can apply that personally for you, the church, the family. Let us examine our ways and test them. And let us return to the Lord from Lamentations, Clarke-Lieder, 340. Isaiah 45, 19 I publicly proclaim bold promises. I do not whisper obscurities in some dark corner so no one can understand what I mean. And I did not tell the people of Israel to ask me for anything I didn't plan to give. This is God talking. I didn't tell the people of Israel to ask me for anything, something I did not plan to give. I, the Lord, speak only what is true and what is right. God will answer your prayers. Finally, turn or repent of all wicked ways of behavior. Proverbs 28, 13 says, The people who cover their sins will just not prosper. But if they mouth it, they confess it, they speak it out and they forsake them, they will receive mercy. Isaiah 55, 67 Seek the Lord while you can find Him. Call on Him while He is near. Let the people turn from their wicked deeds. Let them banish from their minds the very thought of doing wrong. Let them turn to the Lord that He may have mercy on them. Yes, turn to our God and He will abundantly pardon. Isaiah 59, 20 He will come as a Redeemer to Zion. A Redeemer in Zion to those in Zion who have turned away from sin. And Ezekiel 18, 27 says, If wicked people turn away from their wickedness, obey the law, follow the Holy Spirit and do what is just and right, they will save their lives. They will live because after thinking it over, they decided to turn from their sins. Think it over. Everybody say, think it over. Such people will not die. And yet the people of Israel keep saying, The Lord is unjust. Oh, people of Israel, it is you who are unjust. You can't blame God. It is not I, says the Lord. Therefore, I will judge each one of you. Oh, people of Israel, according to your actions, says the Lord, the Sovereign Lord. Turn from your sins. Don't let them destroy you. Well, let us stand up in this place and give God a praise offering right now. Come on. Praise God, everybody, in this place. Come on, praise God. Hallelujah. Now listen. I'm going to pray a prayer today. This here is a prayer cell card. You can start a prayer cell in your family and get a new card every month. Every single month. Then that is the notes which we gave last week that goes with it. I'm going to ask all the ushers. Where are the ushers? Go to every door as people go out and give them this as a worksheet and we can all... You know, what is that verse on that page 1? I'll read that for you so that you can say that we are now shoulder to shoulder. As it says here, that in one united shoulder we shall bear the yoke of the Lord. And now listen to me. I believe you have to be faithful. You have to help me pray. Don't let me pray for you and you don't pray. Amen. How many of you raised up your valuation of prayer today? Let me see that. Now, as you go out, you can get this by the door and then start your own prayer cell at the workplace wherever you go. I won't let you go because...