Phil Beach Jr. emphasizes the critical importance of having the knowledge of God, which encompasses both a personal relationship with Jesus Christ and an understanding of His Word through the Holy Spirit. He distinguishes between true Christian knowledge, which is experiential and spiritually illuminating, and Gnostic knowledge, which is merely intellectual. Beach warns that a lack of knowledge of God leads to moral decay and spiritual ineffectiveness, urging believers to seek wisdom and understanding through prayer and scripture study. He highlights that true knowledge of God enriches our lives and empowers us to live righteously in a corrupt world.

Now, we're going to be having a different kind of service this evening. What we're going to do is we're going to be reading very many scriptures. After praying, I... First of all, let me ask a question. Does everyone have their Bibles? Okay. Is everyone prepared to do a lot of turning and a lot of going through the scriptures this evening? We're going to be teaching on a subject. However, the teaching is going to mainly consist in reading scriptures from the Bible that will show us the importance of the particular subject that we're going to be teaching on this evening. Now, the subject that we're going to be talking about this evening is having the knowledge of God. Having the knowledge of God. And, of course, when we speak of having the knowledge of God, we are talking about a two-fold application. Okay? So, it's very important that you understand this. When I speak about having the knowledge of God, I'm speaking about a two-fold application. And the two aspects of the knowledge of God can, first of all, be seen in a personal relationship with God through Jesus Christ. When an individual receives the knowledge of Jesus Christ and understands that He is the Savior of the world and they believe on the Lord, then they enter into a relationship with God based on the knowledge of their experience. Okay? For example, you meet Jesus, you become born again, your sins are washed away. You might not know anything about what the Word of God says. You might only have heard from somebody that Jesus can save you. All you have to do is respond in your heart to the knowledge that Christ cares for you and that He's your Savior and through responding and through repenting and through turning to God, you can come to know Christ experientially. However, the second aspect of the knowledge of God is not only knowing Christ experientially by revelation, but knowing Christ by revelation through His Word. Okay? So when we speak about the knowledge of God tonight and the need for Christians to have the knowledge of God, I'm not speaking about a Gnostic knowledge, which is a knowledge that is wholly gained by the power of the intellect and the mind. I'm talking about a knowledge that comes by the revelation and the illumination of the Holy Spirit as we, first of all, come to know Christ experientially and as we come to know Him more fully by studying His Word. You see, the difference between Gnosticism and true Christian knowledge is Gnosticism is a knowledge based on intellectual and mental increase only. But Christian knowledge is a knowledge that is gained in your intellect and in your mind, but it is not just an intellectual knowledge, but it is a knowledge that has become real by studying God's Word and by the Holy Spirit illuminating the truth to you. The one brings forth life, Christian knowledge, by studying the Word, and the other, which is Gnosticism, brings forth death. So we need to understand that introduction before we go into the Scriptures, because I do not want anyone to misunderstand. I am not teaching that our main goal as Christians is to get knowledge and knowledge and knowledge. Knowledge in itself does not save a man, and knowledge within itself does not produce spirituality within a man. Knowledge within itself doesn't help you as a person. Actually, the Bible says knowledge makes you proud if you don't have love, because you'll use that knowledge in order to show off and to boast and to be someone who tries to exalt himself above someone else. So let's make that very clear tonight, that the knowledge I'm talking about, and the knowledge the Scriptures are going to be talking about, is that knowledge that is gained by revelation of God's Spirit, through an experience with Christ in salvation, and by an experience with Christ through the Word of God. Okay, let's first, if we would please, open up our Bibles to the Old Testament. Now, we're going to be going to the book of Hosea. Now Hosea is one of the minor prophets, and the book of Hosea is located toward the end of the Old Testament. Toward the end of the Old Testament. Hosea, chapter 6. Now, Hosea the prophet was a man who prophesied concerning the sin that was in Israel at the time of his life. Now see, here I am, right after Daniel, and I was going to say, here I am, telling you where to find it, and I couldn't find it. Okay, Hosea, chapter 6. Okay, that's okay, we're in no hurry. This is going to be a Bible study tonight, and do you know that we're going to end this Bible study by opening up opportunity for anyone to ask any questions that they have. And then we will seek and try, with the help of God, to answer your questions according to what the Bible says. But the reason why we're doing this first is so that we can first of all get into the scriptures, and second of all, we can discover that God puts a very, very strong emphasis on knowledge of Him. You see, so in Hosea, chapter 6, verse 6, we find the prophet Hosea is speaking to Israel, and this is what he says. For I desire mercy, not sacrifice, and the acknowledgement, now the King James Version says, and the knowledge of God, rather than burnt offerings. So here we find that the prophet Hosea was prophesying to the nation of Israel. Now listen to this, Israel was displeasing God because they were involved in religious activities, but they had no knowledge of God. And Hosea, by the Spirit of God, was telling the nation of Israel, listen Israel, God does not want your religious activities, and all of your religious deeds, if you are doing those things without the knowledge of God. Now let's turn to Hosea, the same book, the fourth chapter. Everyone there? We're going to begin to read with verse number 1, and we're going to read on through verse 6, okay? Now let's listen to the strong words that this prophet has against the nation of Israel. Hear the word of the Lord, you Israelites, because the Lord has a charge to bring. Now the word charge can be interpreted or translated as, the Lord has a controversy with you. Now the implication is, God is not pleased with something that is present in your life. This is what God was saying to the nation of Israel. Let's find out what it is. Against you who live in the land, there is no faithfulness, no love, no knowledge of God in the land. There is only cursing, lying, murder, stealing, adultery, they break all bounds, and bloodshed follows bloodshed. Let's read those sins that are present in Israel at this time. Cursing, lying, murder, stealing, adultery, breaking of all bounds, and bloodshed upon bloodshed. I submit to you that the reason why these sins are running wild is because there is a lack of what? The knowledge of God. Now can you see here how very, very dangerous it is for a person that continues to live as a Christian without allowing God to increase his knowledge within their life? What will result? What kind of sin? Cursing, raging of tempers, anger, lying, deceitfulness. You know, to lie. You know what lying is? Misrepresentation of the truth. You know, when we cover things up, it's lying. There's so many versions of lying. Why do Christians lie? Should Christians lie? God forbid. It's because they lack the knowledge of God. They're babes. They're children. See, they're children. Murder. Now you say, well, no one's murdering. Did you know the New Testament teaches that when a Christian slanders someone's character, they are murdering that person? Did you know the church is full of murderers? You see, we need to see things the way God does. Stealing. Well, we know what stealing is, to take something that's not yours. Did you know that you steal every time you take the credit for something that you shouldn't take the credit for? First of all, did you know that everything that is good and nice and pleasant and holy in our life is a result of God, not ourself? Every time we would try and steal the credit from God and try and bring attention upon ourself in regard to some kind of a trait or some kind of a discipline that we have in our life, did you know we are stealing what belongs to God? Isn't God the one that's to be praised? Isn't God the one that's to be glorified? Every time we steal God's honor, we become thieves. So when we look at it in this light, it's sobering. Adultery. Jesus said in Matthew, you have read, it is written, thou shalt not commit adultery. Jesus said, but I say to you that if you are a man and you look at a woman and lust after her. Oh, that's Steve. Well, I wondered who in the world could be coming in. Hey, man, we just started with a Bible study. We're talking about the importance of having the knowledge of God. I would suppose that Steve would be able to appreciate this very much if just if you allow me for a couple of minutes to give an example. Now, if Steve was attempting to be a warehouse manager, and I suppose I believe that's what you are, right, Steve? And if Steve didn't have the knowledge of the basic principles and the basic formats of doing things, I don't think he would be a competent warehouse manager, would you, Steve? If you didn't have certain basic knowledge. So I think that as Christians. We need to recognize that unless we understand the need to have the knowledge of God, we're going to fail. I think Jeff's glad to see his daddy. No, no, no kidding, huh? That's OK. It's right after the book of Daniel, right after the book of Daniel and right before Joel. Well, we're in Hosea, chapter four, Hosea, chapter four, and we're reading this portion of Scripture. And what it is, is Hosea, the prophet, is prophesying against Israel. And we're seeing why God is so angry at Israel. And we're in verse number two. And we were reading here where Hosea says there is cursing. There is lying and murder and stealing and adultery. And we have basically come to the conclusion that the reason why these awful things were present in the nation of Israel, because they lacked the knowledge of God. OK, they lacked the knowledge of God. You know, I think that if I was asked tomorrow to go to shop right during the rush hour and be one of the cashiers, I suppose that I would probably be the center of a lot of confusion. I would be the center of a lot of trouble. And the reason why is basically very simple. I would lack the knowledge of the register and of the policies of the store. And that would constitute an immediate problem, which would result in quite a bit of confusion. I suppose that some of the people would become very upset and say some unpleasant things to me. And there might even be some bloodshed knowing shop right. Are you catching the drift? Look at me for a second. Why is it so hard for Christians in general to live the way they know God wants them to live? I submit to you, it's because there is a lack of the knowledge of God. Both the knowledge that comes through communing with him in the spirit and the knowledge that comes from studying and knowing his word. Just like I could not go to shop right and be able to successfully function as a good cashier unless I had knowledge. We can as Christians live right before God unless we get in and know his word. Let's read on here. Verse three, because of this, because of what? All of those gross sins the land mourns and all who live in it waste away. The beasts of the field and the birds of the air and the fish of the sea are dying. Basically what the prophet is saying because there is a lack of the knowledge of God in the land. The whole land mourns and is in a state of destruction and is basically becoming worse and worse. All because, as we'll read on, it is a lack of knowledge of God. There's not a lack of religious duty. There's not a lack of religious deeds. There's not a lack of religious activity. But religious activity within itself does not make us holy and righteous. But the knowledge of God's word being made alive to us by the presence of the Holy Spirit is what does it. Verse number four that let no man bring a charge. Let no man accuse another for your people are like those who bring charges against the priest. You stumble day and night and the prophets stumble with you. The prophet here is saying it got so bad that you couldn't even convict someone by the law because the law was corrupt itself. That's pretty much where we're at today, isn't it? Now, here's the thing right here. Verse number six. My people are destroyed from what? Which is lack. That's the old way of saying lack. Now let's read that again all together. My people are destroyed from lack of knowledge. What knowledge is he talking about? The knowledge of God and His holy word. Hey folks, we don't need 1700 books on how to be a Christian. Hey, we just discovered the whole reason why we are destroyed because we lack knowledge. Do you think the church is going to come out someday with a pill where you take it in the morning and you get all the knowledge of God you need? I doubt it, but I bet you if she could, she would see because don't we live in a society where we want to get everything quick and easy? Fast food restaurant, fast, quick hamburger. And I'm not saying that's wrong. It's really pretty nice when you're hungry to get a cheeseburger. I mean, I think that's pretty neat. But the problem with this is when that mentality gets into the church. And the church thinks that she's going to be able to become what God wants her to become without doing it God's way. God's way is time. God's way is discipline. God's way is study. God's way is taking time out to know Him and His word. But we're living in a society where we'd rather sit down and memorize four steps and then think that after we memorize those four steps, everything's going to be good. People, let me tell you, there's no other way that we're going to be able to accomplish what God wants us to accomplish. First of all, as His guardian. Remember the last sermon? There's no way we're going to do it unless we simply recognize that in order to be effective as a Christian, we have to have the knowledge of God that comes by communing with Him in prayer directly by the Holy Ghost and communing with Him through His word. And as we learn of His word and we learn of who He is, the knowledge of God becomes life to us. It builds Christian character. It builds the fruit of the Spirit. Love, joy, peace, patience, long-suffering, temperance, meekness. Against such there is no law. It builds endurance. It builds patience. It builds love. It builds an ability to cope with pressures. It builds with an ability to be able to work out human imperfections that we all experience in our marriages and in our jobs. It helps us to say, I'm in this world, but I'm not of this world. I have a different power working in me. Don't you want that? Don't you want to be able to experience the power that enables you to live in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation as the sons of God, blameless and harmless and pure? Is this something that is only a dream? Is it something that we just hope for but never really can understand? I say, no, it's not. It's something that you can have as an individual. And it comes by simply knowing God, by the revelation of His word. It's open to all of us. Every one of us can be that person that God wants us to be. Because you've rejected knowledge, the latter part of verse 6, I also reject you as my priests because you have ignored the what? The law of your God. Wow. It seems to me that God puts a premium on knowledge. Not the knowledge that pops up. Not the knowledge that makes a person arrogant, that makes a person feel like he or she is better than someone who is not as learned as they are. That's the knowledge that destroys. But the knowledge that comes to you as you humbly read God's word and you humbly seek Him is the knowledge that strengthens and gives you the power to be able to cope. Amen? Okay, now let's turn to the book of Proverbs. Now, if your Bibles are like this, you just turn like this. You go back. Back through Daniel and Ezekiel and Jeremiah. Back through Isaiah. Keep going. And then after you get to Isaiah, you'll come up to Proverbs. Proverbs chapter 2, verse 10. And what we're doing, Steve, is we are going through several scriptures that refer to the importance of the knowledge of God. And I'm showing you how God's word teaches and puts a very, very high premium on knowledge of Him and His word. And then the last 10 minutes of our service this evening, or 15 minutes, we'll spend where you can ask any question you want and we'll be able to answer it by God's word. Proverbs chapter 2, verse 10. Now, in context, this scripture is referring to the commandments of God. Let's go up to verse 1. Proverbs chapter 2, verse 1. Okay, I'll begin to read and you follow. And notice what the theme of this is. My son, if you accept my word and store up my commands within you. Turning your ear to wisdom and applying your heart to understanding. If you call out for insight and cry aloud for understanding. If you look for it as for silver and search for it as hidden treasure. The writer of Proverbs is saying, if you will put as much effort into the knowledge of God and the seeking of wisdom and knowledge as you do for money. This is what will happen to you. Verse 5. Oh, what a scripture, I'm excited. Then you will understand the fear of the Lord. And find what? My God, you'll find the knowledge of God. For the Lord gives wisdom and from his mouth come knowledge and understanding. He holds victory in store for the upright. He has a shield to those whose walk is blameless. For he guards the course of the just and protects the way of his faithful ones. Then you will understand what is right and just and fair. Every good path. Can you believe it? Isn't there a need in the world today to understand what is right? What is just and what is fair? Do you want to be able to know what is right and just and fair in relation to everything that pertains to your life? To your relationship? To your dealings with people? To your dealings with your children? You want to know what is right and fair and just in regard to everything pertaining to everything that is relative to your life? You can know it by simply doing one thing. Setting your heart to know the Lord. Isn't that wonderful? Verse 10. For wisdom will enter your heart and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul. Discretion will protect you. Understanding will guard you. Wisdom will save you from the ways of wicked men. From men whose words are perverse. Verse 16. Let's get going here now. It will save you from the adulteress. From the wayward wife with her seductive words. Who has left the partner of her youth and ignored the covenant she made before God. For her house leads down to death and her path to the spirits of the dead. None who go to her return or attain the path of life. How do we stay free from being sucked into an adulteress relationship? How do we stay free from being sucked into the ways of evil people? Did you know anywhere you go you can find a crowd that's talking about things that aren't good? Dirty cussing jokes. Unclean thoughts. How do you stay free from it? Understanding and knowledge of God keeps you from it. Let's turn to Romans or Proverbs. Same book. Proverbs chapter 8. Proverbs chapter 8. Beginning with verse 1. Do you want to read it, Mark? Why don't you read it? Verse 1 through 11. Knowledge. Go ahead. Now, can we see something? Can we catch a glimpse of a reality that America is quickly losing? Did you know that anyone who has any general understanding of the world empires in the past? The Roman Empire, the Median Persian Empire, the Greek Empire, and the Roman Empire, and the American Empire. Did you know that empires begin to destroy themselves when two things begin to happen? This can be proven. The first thing that begins to happen is it is not an external destruction. They begin to corrupt themselves internally by forsaking the moral teachings of the Holy Scriptures. And number two, when they begin to seek materialistic gain above and beyond their spiritual riches. Spiritual riches consist in possessing wisdom, knowledge, and understanding. Possessing the qualities and virtues of goodness and gentleness and meekness. That's what makes you rich spiritually. And I believe that America is facing a crisis. We're blessed because of prosperity. We're blessed because of free enterprise. But our blessing is quickly turning into a curse. Because we are looking at this prosperity that is so abundant in America. And we are making it our God instead of God himself. And we are spending more of our energies and more of our labors, perhaps, perhaps, on those things that perish. Rather than those things that don't perish. What are the things that don't perish? Wisdom and knowledge and understanding. And meekness and gentleness. Which all comes by Christ and through him. See? And what we see is there is a longing and a desire within the heart of God for his children. To begin to search out those treasures and those riches that are of heavenly value. Now, let's go to the New Testament. 1 Corinthians chapter 1. Now, Corinthians is right after Romans. 1 Corinthians chapter 1. Now, very quickly, we're going to go through some scriptures in the New Testament and show that the same theme in the Old Testament that we have discovered concerning the importance of knowledge is carried through in the New Testament. However, the place to find this knowledge has been made much more specific in the New Testament. And that place to find the knowledge of God in the New Testament is seen in Christ himself. Okay? 1 Corinthians chapter 1, verse 5. For in him... Did everyone find it? 1 Corinthians? Find it, Doug? Good. 1 Corinthians chapter 1, verse 5. For in him you have been enriched in every way in all your speaking and in all your knowledge. Now, if we would turn to 2 Corinthians, which is right after 1 Corinthians, go to the 4th chapter, 2 Corinthians, the 4th chapter, beginning with verse 6. 2 Corinthians, the 4th chapter, beginning with verse 6. For God who said, Let light shine out of darkness, made his light shine in our hearts, to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ. So we find that there is a knowledge that comes to us when we see the face of Christ, spiritually speaking. So our pursuit, in order to find the knowledge of God, should be in two general directions. One is in the direction of Christ himself, by prayer, and the other is in the direction of God's Word. 2 Corinthians, chapter 6. Now, here Paul is explaining the methods and the means that he used in order to be a true, genuine minister. And in verse 6 of chapter 6, he mentions in purity, in understanding, patience, kindness in the Holy Spirit, and in sincere love. Now there, the word understanding can be interpreted as knowledge. So therefore, Paul recognized the knowledge of God as an important tool that he needed in order to successfully be a minister for Christ. Now, Ephesians. Now as you turn past 2 Corinthians, you'll come to Galatians. One more book after that is Ephesians. After 2 Corinthians is Galatians, and then there is Ephesians. Now we're going to discover three places where Paul prayed particularly that the knowledge of God would increase in the heart and life of the believer. The book of Ephesians, chapter 1, verse number 17. Okay? Verse 17, chapter 1. I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the spirit of wisdom and revelation so that you may know Him better. Now, in another version it says that He might give you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him. Okay, in the same book, Ephesians, chapter 3, verse 19. Let's begin with verse 16. Now remember, Ephesians chapter 3, beginning with verse 16. This is Paul's prayer. This is Paul's prayer. He's praying this. I pray that out of the glorious riches, out of His glorious riches, He may strengthen you with power through His Spirit in your inner being so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power together with all the saints to grasp how wide and how long and how high and how deep is the love of Christ and to know this love that surpasses knowledge. So there we find God desiring us to have a knowledge of His love which surpasses human knowledge itself. So, one more place in Colossians chapter 1. That's right after Ephesians. Philippians and then Colossians, I'm sorry. Colossians chapter 1, verses 9 and 10. Colossians chapter 1, verses 9 and 10. For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you. What's Paul praying for? Asking God to fill you with the knowledge of His, what? Through all spiritual wisdom and understanding. You see, God wants us to be filled with the knowledge of His will. How do you know what God's will is? You study the Bible and you learn of Him. I've got about 20 more scriptures, but we're running out of time. I always overstudy so that I have to cut off rather than fall short of. So, why don't we just open up for the last 10 minutes any kind of discussion. And as we opened up, remember our first scripture is this. My people perished because of what? A lack of knowledge of God's word. Did you know that every question and every misunderstanding in your heart concerning anything can be answered in God's word? Did you know that? Any question pertaining to your life and the world, anything. Now, you can't find out where the third root of 97 is in the Bible. You have to understand what I mean. Any question regarding the life itself can be answered in the Bible. So, why don't we just open up on hand. After a few weeks, we're going to announce this so you can prepare all your questions ahead of time. But does anyone have any questions about anything? Yes, Peter? Hebrew. Okay. Yes, there is. The Bible says in 1 Peter, and I'll read it to you. 1 Peter. That's right after Hebrews or after James, I mean. 1 Peter chapter 2. Now, Peter is talking to young new Christians here. This is what he says to them. Therefore, since you have had the word of God and it has saved you, rid yourselves of all malice, deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind. And then verse 2. Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk that you may grow by it. The milk, the spiritual milk that every believer should drink every day is basically what you read. Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. And Romans. Now, what is Hebrew version of what happened? Matthew, Mark, and Luke are called the Synoptic Gospels. The word synoptic means similar. The reason why Matthew, Mark, and Luke are called Synoptic Gospels is because each one of those books have similar information in it. They're all about the life, the works, the acts, the death, and the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. The book of John is more about the words of Jesus. John is more concerned about the things Jesus taught rather than the things he did like Matthew, Mark, and Luke wrote about. The book of Acts is a book about church history. The history of the first church after the day of Pentecost. The book of Acts gives a record of what happened in the early church, how Paul got saved, what Paul did, and where Paul went. The book of Hebrews is a book that was written to Hebrew Christians. And the main thrust of the book of Hebrews is explaining in the Old Testament how Jesus fulfilled the law. How Jesus is greater than Moses, how Jesus is greater than the angels. Because to a Hebrew, to a Jew, their biggest temptation would be, well, I wonder if Jesus is really as great as Moses. You know, because to a Jew, Moses was God almost. So the book of Hebrews is a book written to the Jewish mind. You have to have an understanding of the Jewish law, but then again, you might not. But you have to have an understanding of the Jewish law. Oh, yeah. Okay. James is the half-brother of Jesus. In other words, James was Jesus' brother. After Jesus was born, Mary had many more children. And James happened to be one of them. So James has an insight on things that only you could have had by being his brother. And that was written to Christians that were scattered, but they were Jewish Christians, too. You start with Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. That's the milk. The milk of the Word speaks of the basics. And the basics of Christianity consist in who Jesus was, what he did, how he died, how he raised up, and what that means to us. And that's the basics. And that's what you should study on. I know it's 829. I don't want to hold you any longer. I know Steve has worked all day, and we appreciate him coming over. He didn't have to. And God will bless him, because any time anyone goes a second mile for the Lord, God blesses them. So, why don't we bow our heads right now? Is there any more questions? Okay, next time, I'll announce it, and you can write them down and think them out. Let's just bow our heads and pray. Father, we're so thankful for your Word. We're thankful for your love, oh God, that is ever before us. Lord, we're thankful that your love isn't conditional. It's not based on anything. You love us. You always will. And there's nothing we can do to change that love. Father, I pray for Steve now, Lord. I know that he has gone a second mile tonight. God, I pray that you'll strengthen his inner being. Lord, that you'll draw him, Lord, and give him a special blessing tonight as he goes home. And let him know, Lord, that you have taken notice of his effort. It's not a small thing to you, and that you're pleased. Lord, bless Judy and the kids, and Christine and Rebecca and Mom and Dad. Lord, we just thank you for the privilege that we have. Father, we ask that you'll help us to spend time in prayer, and to spend time reading your Word whenever we can, so that you might cause the knowledge of yourself to increase in our hearts and in our minds. Oh God, help us to recognize the importance of seeking lasting riches. Those lasting riches consist of wisdom and knowledge and understanding and meekness and gentleness and temperance and discretion and having an understanding of who you are and what you are. Help us to seek those things, to spend our time in those things. As well as, Lord, the things that we have to do in order to survive. Teach us, Lord, and we give you all the praise and glory. Let's close by singing the song, The Greatest, number 43. Huh? Number 43. Go ahead, Collette. All my life is loving you The greatest thing in all my life is loving you I want to love you more I want to love you more The greatest thing in all is loving you The greatest thing is knowing you The greatest thing in all my life is knowing you Here we go, now sing it. I want to know you more I want to know you more The greatest thing in all Continue to play, Collette. Doug, come here. Praise the Lord. Let's just worship the Lord. Come here, buddy. Can I pray for you? Thank you, Jesus. Father God, I thank you for this child. Lord, I thank you for your touch that's upon his life. God, I thank you that even at this age, your Holy Spirit is drawing him towards you. Your Holy Spirit is calling him, Lord. Calling him, Lord, to prepare him, Lord, for that which you've called him to do. Father, I pray that you place your hand upon this child's life. God, I pray, Lord, that your Holy Spirit would protect him from the evil that's in this world. God, that you would protect him, O God, from the way of the devil. That, Lord, you will reach into his life, God, that at a young age, that you'll take his heart and calls it to be after you, O God. Father, you've placed your hand upon this child, and, Lord, I pray that as he continues to grow, Lord, that he would be compelled to seek you and to know you, and that, God, that you might lead him and guide him, Lord, and use him for your honor and your glory. Father, I pray for Judy and Steve, his parents. Lord, that you would show them the privilege that they have. Raising this child, Lord, that they would be sober, Lord, concerning their responsibility. Lord, not only to give him a home and not only to put food on his table, but to be examples, Lord, and to lead him into the Word of God so that he can grow thereby. Father, I pray, God, for any family that you'd bless them. You've blessed them before, you're blessing them now, and you plan on blessing them. Strengthen them, Lord, as a family. Calls them, Lord, to continue to rejoice. In Jesus' name, amen. God's hand's on Doug's lap. It's the Lord reaching down. Sure is. Let's sing that song, and then we'll close. Number 49. Lord, prepare me to be a sanctuary pure and holy, tried and true, and with thanksgiving I'll be a living sanctuary for you. Well, praise the Lord. God bless you. Make sure you hug four people at least.