In this sermon, Pastor David Bradsher explains how Christians can determine if their faith is based upon truth, or if they have been deceived. He explains that this is necessary because all of the essential external (and some internal) pieces of the Christian puzzle can be easily faked, thus we must be able to determine through self-examination whether or not our doctrine of Jesus, our knowledge of Him, our being born of God, our love of Him and His people and our distinction from the secular world are indeed true. Pastor Dave tells us that how our heart responds when we are in God's presence can tell us much about ourselves from the spiritual perspective. Prayer is defined as our coming into the presence of God. Though God is always around us (as He is omnipresent), His presence is especially intensified on an individual basis during times of prayer and it is of great importance that we respect where we are during these times. In true prayer we can get a sense of our true spiritual self. This is best exemplified by Isaiah 6:5. In this biblical passage, Isaiah is shown the full glory of God. Upon seeing this, he was awakened to what he actually was in comparison to God's glory and might. With his true nature being realized, he thought he had received judgment and was a dead man. During prayer (though not to this extreme degree), we all experience (and SHOULD experience) these feelings of shortcoming and unworthiness at one point or another. Experiencing this from time-to-time is not necessarily the work of Satan, rather it serves as a sign of understanding on our part of our comparison in relation to God's standards and laws (it demonstrates our humility). Our heart will often point out to us all of our numerous shortcomings and tell us that we are not worthy to approach God. How we respond when our heart condemns us will tell us much about our faith. Though our doubtful heart may indeed be correct about our unworthiness (on our own accord), a true faith will recognize that Jesus stood in our place and received our judgment and because of His work on the cross, we may approach God as children, not convicts. Conversely, we may view God as our Father, not as a indifferent and omnipotent judge. A true faith acknowledges its unworthiness, and in doing so, approaches the throne of God under the authority of Jesus' righteousness, not its own. A true faith does not wallow about in a pit of self-pity and despair, focusing solely on the doubts within itself and its own helpless nature. Pastor Dave goes on to tell us that God is greater than our hearts. He explains that this can serve as a great comfort or a fear inspiring truth, depending on what we think God will see when he searches our heart. However, a true faith should view this more as a comfort than a fear because a true faith derives its confidence from Christ's work on the cross. If we are confident in Christ, however, there should be evidence (both internally and externally) of this in our lives. Pastor Dave concludes by asking us how we feel when we pray. Do you feel condemned or encouraged? If it is the latter, it DOESN'T have to remain that way. All you have to do is look to the cross and remember what Jesus did and continues to do on your behalf. Remember that you have one who speaks to the Father!