Romans 1, 18 through 23.

For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppressed the truth in unrighteousness,

because that which is known about God is evident within them, for God made it evident to them.

For since the creation of the world, his invisible attributes, his eternal power and divine nature have been clearly seen,

being understood through what has been made so that they are without excuse.

For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their speculations and their foolish

heart was darkened. Professing to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image

in the form of corruptible man and of birds and four-footed animals and crawling creatures.

Father, as we take this holy word into our hands now and into our minds.

We acknowledge our utter dependence upon you to understand it

and to believe it and to live it. Left to ourselves we will misunderstand it,

distort it, reject it, become licentious or legalistic with it.

And so I ask for your help for me

for a very special enabling and anointing.

I ask for my listeners

that their hearts would be tuned

to discern the truth and to detect error.

And I pray that their hearts would be so framed now that they would love the truth and embrace it and live it to your glory.

I ask Father very specifically for unbelievers in our midst that

they would sense the love of Christ as their own hearts are opened and laid bare with all of ours and would you save

them through faith in Jesus? And would you build the Saints, the sinful Saints, all of us who have trusted in Jesus and make us strong and wean us off the breast of sin and

grant that we would find satisfaction in the bread of life and the fountain of joy called Jesus.

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