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Why do I pray?

I have to say that it’s very challenging knowing the hurt and pain and struggle that some are going through and have gone through. It’s hard wanting to make sense of the “why” behind a lovely and kind person ending up with alzheimers and dementia, or a parent losing a child, or a young child with a painful chronic disease, or a brutal and senseless murder, or ongoing child/domestic abuse, a beloved spouse getting a scary diagnosis, etc.

This world can be so ugly and painful in ways where I have no ability to fix it or make sense of it personally. But He encourages me to pray constantly (1 Thess 5:17), and in every situation (Phil 4:6). Jesus modeled intentional prayer for us (Mark 1:35), and promises that the Father gives good gifts to those who ask (Matt 7:11). The best gifts are not shallow or selfish, like money or fulfilled desires — but are things like unexplainable peace that washes over someone in deep turmoil and grief, patience to endure burdens heavier than we could bear on our own, kindness to see others in pain and seek how we might lighten their load or encourage them, faithfulness to hold out hope even when we can’t yet see the victory, self-discipline to stick to it even when it feels like it’s useless and meaningless.

I used to not think much about anybody other than myself (in fact, I’m still like that when I let myself run on “default settings”). But I have made this miraculous claim (that I fully believe, and that I believe my life over time begins to reveal more and more) — that Christ lives in me, and that I am being conformed more and more into His image.

It is such a miraculous claim that seems so egotistical and absurd (that the God of all time and creation would even know of me, care about me, and choose to save and use me) that you would think that I would have to be the biggest narcissist and judgemental religious bigot to make such a wild claim — yet, it instead humbles me horribly.

When I see someone living cleaner than me that makes no such claim of being powered by the Holy Spirit of the Living God — it leads me to deep repentance where I must rely on God as my strength to wash me and to heal yet another part of my heart (that has been working against myself and against yall and against His beautiful will). When I see someone making the same foolish mistakes I have made myself, it inspires me to not just see an enemy who had hurt me or others, but to remember that through the cross and risen Savior I am seeing the same victory that they too need — that we are not at different levels of need or of worthiness or of glory — that we have all fallen short of the glory of God.

Thank you so much when you encourage me, my friends. I just have to say 100% that you seeing any good in me doesn’t make me feel better about me, it just puts me in more awe of how the Father will turn ashes into beauty, mourning into gladness, despair into praise (Isaiah 61:3).

We all need to be prayed for, and we all need the act of prayer to do its work within us — to draw us closer to the Father and to His will. Amen.

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Talking to, at, about, or “with God”

As a child, I fell into praying by just repeating what I saw people doing around me. Before we ate a meal, someone would listen to “the man of the house” as he would “say grace” for us. When we were in church, at the expected pauses or transitions on the church bulletin, we would bow our heads and listen to “the man behind the podium” as he would “pray” for us. When we went to bed, we might recite a known poem about God watching over us while we “lay me down to sleep”.

As I grew up, I found myself at crossroads in my life where instead of just tradition or ritual — I found myself in a position where I realized my own need and the needs of others that were beyond my ability — and that need that kind of “God if you really exist, and if you really care, we really need your help on this” kind of attention and touch daily.

What is really wonderful is that I didn’t need Him any less when I was a little child listening and reciting. And even when I get distracted as an adult and I’ve gotten too busy to care enough about being serious about prayer time — His door is still open every time that I open my eyes to realize the need and the value of time spent together with Him.

Sometimes I need a reminder that prayer isn’t about a ritual or tradition, and that it isn’t about an obligatory “did I say my prayers”. Sometimes I need a reminder about the things Jesus had to teach us about prayer. I need a reminder that prayer isn’t a perfect recitation but a pattern of recognizing some key things about ourselves and our need for regular communication with God — in order to stay healthy and avoid foolishness.

‭Matthew‬ ‭6:9‭-‬13‬ ‭NLT‬
[9] Pray like this: Our Father in heaven, may your name be kept holy. [10] May your Kingdom come soon. May your will be done on earth, as it is in heaven. [11] Give us today the food we need, [12] and forgive us our sins, as we have forgiven those who sin against us. [13] And don’t let us yield to temptation, but rescue us from the evil one.

https://bible.com/bible/116/mat.6.9.NLT

Lord God Almighty, you are creator of the Heavens and the Earth, your ways are far too high for me to fully comprehend — yet you have made a way for the unholy and the imperfect like me to seek you — and to even abide in you and walk with you. This is amazing the way that your Kingdom invades and overtakes the darkness through the example you have given us in Christ Jesus and by the ambassadors we are each called to be a your representatives walking through this land on our way back home to you. We want ourselves, and our brothers and sisters who are blind to various foolishness that falls short of what is best — to be healed and freed from traps that we’ve sometimes become too comfortable and familiar with in our lives. Teach us and lead us in what is best, disciplining us gently when necessary to keep us on the narrow path, so that your will can be seen clearly as the best path. Be our strength and our provider so that we can be a blessing to those around us and will give freely as you give to us. You are the example of ultimate forgiveness and love, so we are inspired and convicted to forgive and love even those our foolish pride might fight initial consider excluding — yet remind us that we have no forgiveness available to us if we do not see the depths of our own need or refuse to forgive others. Your Love overcomes and your Word guides us in Truth that will deliver us from foolishness into wisdom and that will reveal your victory in and through the testimony of our lives — proving that the time of foolishness, of wickedness, of oppression, of injustice, of atrocities, of wars, and of all evil is coming to an end. Amen.

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When People Do You Wrong

Yesterday, shortly after I parked my truck at work and entered the building, someone stole my truck:

As part of life in a world where people do foolish things, and where people don’t mind hurting or taking advantage of others as long as it benefits them, we are going to encounter moments that are stressful, challenging, and uncomfortable.

As our team came back from lunch together yesterday, we noticed that my truck was not in its normal place. My teammates were laughing at the situation because they thought I had forgotten where I had parked. I was laughing at them because I thought they were playing a prank on me. But when we got to the security/loss prevention office, we all stopped laughing when we saw the footage of a suspicious vehicle and someone stealing my truck right after I had parked and entered the building.

I called the Sheriff’s Office and as we waited, we gathered the footage and placed it on a USB thumb drive for them. Our team ran copies of it through various video enhancement and license plate identification systems while we waited, and our head of LP leverage some of his specific knowledge, skills and contacts on my behalf.  As we were dropping all of our normal work to do this, a member of my team in New York covered for us and kept everything running. My day was not just wrecked because of the loss of my truck and the stress of the financial impact, but everything that I needed to get done that day was shot. And when I got home, I was so tired from the stress of the day that I couldn’t just work late to catch up. I couldn’t even start looking for vehicle options. I posted the video on my Facebook and was immediately flooded with more spam posts from scammers trying to share links to their Instagram pages than real comments from real people that know our follow me.  So I went to bed at 7:00PM and occasionally tried to block and hide spammers as I tried my best to settle down and rest.

Through all of this, I could have looked for people to blame. I could have been mad at people and mad at God. But what good does that ever do anyone, really? We can’t control other people, and we can’t control many of the circumstances we find ourselves in. We can look at what we can learn from a situation, what we can do differently, and how we can forgive others like we have been forgiven ourselves.

In a different life before I knew Jesus and before I committed to walk in The Way, I knew the criminal mindset and victim mindset and justifying bad decisions and criminal actions. So I could see the reflections of my own foolish past in the actions of these men played out on the video screen. I could laugh with the policeman when he asked for my name and let him know that he wouldn’t find any active warrants but that I was confident that he’d find me in the system. You see, there is an old man that I used to be. Someone that might have chased down these folks on my own to seek revenge and teach others through what happened to these guys to never ever come at me and mine again. But that approach was never fulfilling and began more wars than it ever ended.

So now I trust the one who has forgiven me, and I forgive others. You men who have chosen a life of crime, listen to me — it isn’t a shortcut to anywhere but destruction, self inflicted pain for you and your family and loved ones unless you turn away from your foolish ways and turn to God. I don’t have to get revenge, because you are destroying yourselves if you don’t repent and go another way. I don’t want revenge because I would rather see you listen to wisdom, know there is a better Way, choose to be forgiven and to walk in The Way following Jesus.

I remember when the accusers brought a woman caught in the act of adultery to Jesus asking Him what they should do with her, to which He replied to them, “Whoever is free from sin should cast the first stone.” — knowing that the law prescribed she be sinned to death. Jesus himself was free from sin and would have been justified to stone her, yet he showed mercy — even as the accusers all left convicted of their own sin.

I stand forgiven of all my sin by the power of the Blood of the Lamb, yet I will not stone you for the evil you have done against me. My God will turn what you meant for evil towards me to actually be a blessing. And I do not need to seek Vengeance because it is His to measure out as He pleases. My hope and prayer for you is that you will know the forgiveness and hope that I have found in Jesus. Amen.

‭Matthew‬ ‭6:9‭-‬15‬ ‭AMP‬
[9] “Pray, then, in this way: ‘Our Father, who is in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. [10] Your kingdom come, Your will be done On earth as it is in heaven. [11] Give us this day our daily bread. [12] And forgive us our debts, as we have forgiven our debtors [letting go of both the wrong and the resentment]. [13] And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil. [For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.]’ [14] For if you forgive others their trespasses [their reckless and willful sins], your heavenly Father will also forgive you. [15] But if you do not forgive others [nurturing your hurt and anger with the result that it interferes with your relationship with God], then your Father will not forgive your trespasses.

https://bible.com/bible/1588/mat.6.9.AMP

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Open Door Policy

For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.
Matthew 7:8 NLT

This section in Matthew is about prayer. It’s worth a quick read:

“Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened. “You parents—if your children ask for a loaf of bread, do you give them a stone instead? Or if they ask for a fish, do you give them a snake? Of course not! So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good gifts to those who ask him.
Matthew 7:7‭-‬11 NLT

Now, admittedly when asking for things, sometimes we might be asking for stones (heavy burdens) or snakes (things dangerous to us) and not even realize that what we “WANT” is not what is actually “BEST” for us. There are times when the “good gift” is to NOT give my daughter what she thinks that she wants. This is usually when she has locked her eyes onto something and has blinders on about anything else.

When the “desires of the eyes”, “desires of the flesh”, or the “pride of life” have taken over our focus so strongly that we are asking for bad gifts — we must realize those aren’t good gifts from the Father.

1 John touches on this:

For the world offers only a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions. These are not from the Father, but are from this world.
1 John 2:16 NLT

So I might ask myself:

Am I craving and asking for this because I think that it will bring me physical pleasure?

Am I craving and asking for this because I see it and want it (like bait in a trap)?

Am I craving and asking for this because it will make me proud to have it and show off to others that I have it?

Asking for these things is not asking for something from the Almighty, Good, Good Father but is loving this world and the things it offers us at a painful cost and price.

So we might do well to understand that asking, seeking, and knocking for such things might be the same as the prodigal demanding that the door be open for him to leave with his inheritance — rather than us asking to “come in” to what is truly a gift and blessing.

What are we discontent about today? What are we not at peace about in our lives?

Have we asked God about it?

Have we sought to have wisdom revealed to us about the situation?

Have we been persistent — persistent, not just demanding (like a Karen who didn’t get their way)?

Lord, you know what we truly need before we even ask. Thank you for being a faithful and good Father who always gives good gifts. Help us to see farther than our eyes, our hands and our mouths — to recognize the many blessings and the true treasures that aren’t of this world. Thank you. Amen.

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Falling Asleep

Question: What if I fall asleep while praying?

First things first, we need to make sure that we are getting adequate sleep. Our body is the temple of the Lord, so proper upkeep and maintenance of that temple is important. I sometimes overlook that part of the equation because it doesn’t sound all “spiritual” and “wise” to talk about (and it is an area where I need to improve personally) — but it really and truly matters. So please get adequate and healthy amounts of sleep, exercise, water, and food.

Many times when that happens to me, it was peace washing over me that I needed desperately.

But occasionally it can be my body fighting against my spirit having close, intimate time with the Lord concerning issues that really need to be dealt with. In those cases, I find that physically getting on my knees in the floor and leaving my head down towards the floor offers a position where I can sustain it for longer periods of prayer, humility, deep contemplation, and repentance without falling asleep.

In my experience, it really depends on what I need in order for my heart and my thoughts to be closer to His heart and His thoughts.

If I’m falling asleep because I’m not making time to be with God — and I’m just occasionally saying a prayer because I know I should in the morning or evening — I could probably benefit from being more intentional about my intimacy with God. I might need to grow in my attitude towards Him and my hunger for His Word. Once we’ve believed and received the Holy Spirit as promised in the Word of God — these types of groanings to God in periods of dedicated prayer (like we see Christ and the disciples model for us) can be powerful and offer growth, breakthrough, deliverance, healing, and renewal.

If I’m in a hard season where life has me worn, and it is work for me to lift a hallelujah because as I sing my praises, and my hope is that I truly believe these words that I’m singing, and I’m wondering where God is in all of this — that is a wonderful season where I can come to Him with my troubles, lay in His arms with faith like a child, say “I need you Father” and let Him wrap His loving arms around us and comfort us with peace and sleep.

He knows exactly what I need even better than I do. He is also a Good Father who loves me and welcomes me with open arms — I don’t have to make grand gestures or complete certain practices in order to speak with Him. But sometimes I need something practical to wash my hands and prepare my heart to sit with Him again.

Whatever it is that we need in order to draw close to Him, I pray it is granted by God, received by us gratefully, and empowered by the Holy Spirit to impact us and this life. Amen.

Offer sacrifices in the right spirit, and trust the Lord. Many people say, “Who will show us better times?” Let your face smile on us, Lord. You have given me greater joy than those who have abundant harvests of grain and new wine. In peace I will lie down and sleep, for you alone, O Lord, will keep me safe.
Psalms 4:5‭-‬8 NLT

Some great verses to guide your study on intimate conversation with the Lord (aka prayer): https://www.openbible.info/topics/prayer

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My PrayerMate

Great is the Lord , and highly to be praised, And His greatness is [so vast and profound as to be] unsearchable [incomprehensible to man].
Psalms 145:3 AMP

I really enjoy the PrayerMate app. It helps me bring some order to my prayers while not just being repetitive. I can build out separate lists and tell it how many items to automatically give me from each list when I start a prayer. That way, many of your names come up.

For my lists, I start out praising God for who He is, with separate items praising:

Who He is as Father
Who He is as Son
Who He is as Holy Spirit
What He has done

Then I submit myself:

Confess who I am in Christ
Confess my sin
Pray to be granted Repentance
Surrender My Will to His Will

Then I pray your names and relationships:

My Closest Inner Circle
Extended Family
Church Family
Marketplace Relationships
Specific Unbelievers

At times, people ask for, or I feel led to specific intercessory prayer for others. I have a separate list of those names in that grouping.

Then I have groupings for:

My Walk with God
My Specific Needs
Missions/Outreach
Sharing My Testimony
A list of Biblical Prayers

I can set this app to remind me during the day to take a moment to pray. And by maintaining these lists, I can either have it automatically hand me a number of items to fit how much time I have right then for prayer — or I can drill down into a particular group and list.

Admittedly, I could be much more consistent and intentional with my prayer than I am at times. But this app really helps me with this, and when I’ve fallen out of practice, or when I’ve just been “phoning in my prayers” — I can look at the names and the needs listed and see the real hurt, challenge, and need and be prompted to truly contemplate the need, then pray for and try to help — rather than just grow cold.

I’m not sharing this to say “look how good I’m doing”. Nope, this is just an app that is helping me do what I should love you deeply enough to gladly remember to do on your behalf, to remember your needs, to remember our relationships and value them, and to remember that I can take it all to my Awesome God on your behalf.

I’m showing you my weakness. My crutch. That I need help, but that this is helping me — with organization, with access, with reminders, and with accountability.

I’m hoping that maybe someone else might find my crutch helpful, and maybe we could hobble along and encourage and pray for each other?

And most importantly, and as praising Him is first in my PrayerMate order, He is worthy of our praise. So whether it is with an app or not, let’s not miss out on our opportunity today to spend time with Him, to praise Him, and to walk with Him.

God bless.

If you want to be on my list, please just ask. I won’t even proudly say you’re already there. I’ll just be grateful that we have a relationship where we might be able to pray for each other and share something more than surface level things that are posted to Facebook. I want to love you, and prayer ands remembering the names of you and your family specifically ands regularly helps me. Thank you.

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Daniel Prayed

Christian, remember today that Daniel didn’t go grumbling into the lion’s den about how unfair it was that he was being punished for breaking the law by praying. But that he trusted in the Lord through whatever trial he must go, so that the Lord would be glorified. The same was true with Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. 

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego replied, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you. If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God whom we serve is able to save us. He will rescue us from your power, Your Majesty. But even if he doesn’t, we want to make it clear to you, Your Majesty, that we will never serve your gods or worship the gold statue you have set up.” – Daniel 3:16‭-‬18 NLT


In other words, if we are going to stand bold for God, we must be ready to see it through to the end, without grumblings or doubt, without expecting there should be no trials or troubles – but instead, rejoicing that we might suffer with Christ in this world, just as we are heirs with Christ in eternity.

Daniel soon proved himself more capable than all the other administrators and high officers. Because of Daniel’s great ability, the king made plans to place him over the entire empire. Then the other administrators and high officers began searching for some fault in the way Daniel was handling government affairs, but they couldn’t find anything to criticize or condemn. He was faithful, always responsible, and completely trustworthy. So they concluded, “Our only chance of finding grounds for accusing Daniel will be in connection with the rules of his religion.” So the administrators and high officers went to the king and said, “Long live King Darius! We are all in agreement—we administrators, officials, high officers, advisers, and governors—that the king should make a law that will be strictly enforced. Give orders that for the next thirty days any person who prays to anyone, divine or human—except to you, Your Majesty—will be thrown into the den of lions. And now, Your Majesty, issue and sign this law so it cannot be changed, an official law of the Medes and Persians that cannot be revoked.” So King Darius signed the law. But when Daniel learned that the law had been signed, he went home and knelt down as usual in his upstairs room, with its windows open toward Jerusalem. He prayed three times a day, just as he had always done, giving thanks to his God. Then the officials went together to Daniel’s house and found him praying and asking for God’s help. So they went straight to the king and reminded him about his law. “Did you not sign a law that for the next thirty days any person who prays to anyone, divine or human—except to you, Your Majesty—will be thrown into the den of lions?” “Yes,” the king replied, “that decision stands; it is an official law of the Medes and Persians that cannot be revoked.” Then they told the king, “That man Daniel, one of the captives from Judah, is ignoring you and your law. He still prays to his God three times a day.” Hearing this, the king was deeply troubled, and he tried to think of a way to save Daniel. He spent the rest of the day looking for a way to get Daniel out of this predicament. In the evening the men went together to the king and said, “Your Majesty, you know that according to the law of the Medes and the Persians, no law that the king signs can be changed.” So at last the king gave orders for Daniel to be arrested and thrown into the den of lions. The king said to him, “May your God, whom you serve so faithfully, rescue you.” A stone was brought and placed over the mouth of the den. The king sealed the stone with his own royal seal and the seals of his nobles, so that no one could rescue Daniel. Then the king returned to his palace and spent the night fasting. He refused his usual entertainment and couldn’t sleep at all that night. Very early the next morning, the king got up and hurried out to the lions’ den. When he got there, he called out in anguish, “Daniel, servant of the living God! Was your God, whom you serve so faithfully, able to rescue you from the lions?” Daniel answered, “Long live the king! My God sent his angel to shut the lions’ mouths so that they would not hurt me, for I have been found innocent in his sight. And I have not wronged you, Your Majesty.” The king was overjoyed and ordered that Daniel be lifted from the den. Not a scratch was found on him, for he had trusted in his God. Then the king gave orders to arrest the men who had maliciously accused Daniel. He had them thrown into the lions’ den, along with their wives and children. The lions leaped on them and tore them apart before they even hit the floor of the den. Then King Darius sent this message to the people of every race and nation and language throughout the world: “Peace and prosperity to you! “I decree that everyone throughout my kingdom should tremble with fear before the God of Daniel. For he is the living God, and he will endure forever. His kingdom will never be destroyed, and his rule will never end. He rescues and saves his people; he performs miraculous signs and wonders in the heavens and on earth. He has rescued Daniel from the power of the lions.” So Daniel prospered during the reign of Darius and the reign of Cyrus the Persian.

Daniel 6:3‭-‬28 NLT

You see, God ordained and set in place these trials with a plan and a purpose. To make a clear distinction between those who trust Him and know Him and believe Him, versus those who are not and are grumblers who do not believe that He is sovereign and in control and has a purpose in all things. To shine a light brightly in rose who are His that points them right back to Him and His glory. 

So trust Him, fully trust Him in this very hour, call upon His name, the only name by which salvation has come to the world, the name of Jesus Christ. And when you profess with your mouth and confess with your heart that He is Lord — not some particular words, not some particular religious ceremony, those are just meant to be an outward witness to what has happened inwardly, so don’t trust in those things as the source of your salvation! No, trust in God who came in the flesh to die for your sins as the ONLY worthy sacrifice, and as the ONLY Savior powerful enough to overcome death and the grave to rise, just as we will rise, to life – not just rise one day to heaven,  but rise and awaken to new life TODAY, walking in a new way, powered by the very spirit of God that comes to live in His people as He pours out His spirit onHis people, as He lives with us, in us, and through us, so that His will is done on earth as it is in heaven, so that His Kingdom,  a spiritual Kingdom not built by the works of men, but by His grace and mercy in those who will believe and live. Amen.

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Will You Join in my Struggle?

Dear brothers and sisters, I urge you in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to join in my struggle by praying to God for me. Do this because of your love for me, given to you by the Holy Spirit.
Romans 15:30 NLT
http://bible.com/116/rom.15.30.NLT

Do we care enough to join in the struggles of other believers?

I have to admit that for me,  the answer is – “Not often enough,  but I’m learning to change.”

In our Friday night small group,  I’ve explained that one of our key goals is becoming a closely knit group that cares about each other. Not just a group that prays the grocery list of prayer requests,  but that digs into the emotions and spiritual struggles of each others’ situations both together in action and together in prayer – so that we mourn together and we celebrate together.

Unity in the body of Christ,  I have to believe is less about the facts and details of our theology and more about being of one mind and direction, seeking God’s will as communicated in the Word of God, being draw closer to the Lord in our walks, and in turn closer to one another. And when we are in unity seeking first the Kingdom of God and righteousness, all those other things, those things that Christ explains to the Pharisees are the lesser things – they will be added to us.

Doesn’t He tell us that love fulfills the law? Doesn’t He tell us that there is no law against the fruit of the Holy Spirit? Doesn’t He tell us that we should keep in step with the Spirit and not walk in the flesh?

So why is there so much bickering and argument over these lesser things, over the details of the law? Why are men so interested in learning about God in their minds but refusing to love in their hearts?

And someone might say, but what if I love someone or something that the Lord doesn’t love? And I say, how can this be unless it is sin,  unless it is evil?

And they will say,  but how can I know if someone is evil? And I say,  the Lord tells us that our enemies are not flesh and blood, that He does not wish that even one should perish, that we should love and pray for even those men and women whom we think are our enemies. Not to pray for their evil or wickedness to prevail,  God forbid! But that we pray that they come to know Christ closer and be delivered from those unseen forces that are influencing their lives because of the sin they have not yet released from their clutches.

Sinners cling to sin, that’s what we as men and women of flesh and blood do until it is cast out – until He who is in us overcomes it. But until then, we hold onto it,  we even try to hide it from ourselves. We act foolishly as if we can hide it from God,  like Adam and Eve in the garden. So we all need to be made aware of sin wherever it exists in our lives, and we need to pray for deliverance through His strength,  not just our own striving. We need to be opposed to sin, both in our lives and the lives of others – not so that we can consider ourselves perfect or expect others to be perfect – but so that we can do our part to minimize sin’s affect on ourselves and others.

You see,  God gives us divine instruction because He knows what is best. He wants to protect us from those things in the world that will harm us spiritually and eternally, and lead us into the life that is most rewarding. Now I must mention, that sometimes, worldly rewards, pleasures, and treasures can lie in direct opposition to us obtaining those eternal treasures. The divine instructions are about eternal treasure, not about the temporary things of this world. But the amazing thing is that once we set our eyes upon the eternal,  He provides for the temporary as well.

So this is the understanding that we want each to come to. And it isn’t a logical conclusion that we have calculated in our minds. It is not a theological proof that we are looking to exercise and manipulate within the world for our own profit and gain. It is a divine wisdom and understanding given to those who are unveiled Children of God, who are seeking His will, and not our own.

And it is foolishness to the wise of this world,  and even to the religious, because it isn’t about things that can be measured and compared between men. It isn’t even about something that we can fully lay claim to for ourselves until this race is at its end and we kneel before the one we call Lord.

“Not everyone who calls out to me, ‘Lord! Lord!’ will enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Only those who actually do the will of my Father in heaven will enter.  On judgment day many will say to me, ‘Lord! Lord! We prophesied in your name and cast out demons in your name and performed many miracles in your name.’  But I will reply, ‘I never knew you. Get away from me, you who break God’s laws.’
Matthew 7:21-23 NLT
http://bible.com/116/mat.7.21-23.NLT

I don’t mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection. But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me. No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us. Let all who are spiritually mature agree on these things.
If you disagree on some point, I believe God will make it plain to you. But we must hold on to the progress we have already made. Dear brothers and sisters, pattern your lives after mine, and learn from those who follow our example.
For I have told you often before, and I say it again with tears in my eyes, that there are many whose conduct shows they are really enemies of the cross of Christ. They are headed for destruction. Their god is their appetite, they brag about shameful things, and they think only about this life here on earth.
But we are citizens of heaven, where the Lord Jesus Christ lives. And we are eagerly waiting for him to return as our Savior. He will take our weak mortal bodies and change them into glorious bodies like his own, using the same power with which he will bring everything under his control.
Philippians 3:12-21 NLT
http://bible.com/116/php.3.12-21.NLT

It is the most important realization of our lives – that we are not worthy,  and neither are they – but that God in His mercy and grace extends His love to us, who will believe,  and who will follow,  and who will lay down their lives and be raised to a new life in Christ, running this race to the end,  understanding that we are temporary travelers in a strange land, headed along the narrow path back to our Father’s house, where He awaits with open arms.

I’m not concerned with the party. I’m not concerned with the celebration. I’m not concerned with the house that He’s prepared with many rooms. I’m not concerned with the riches and rewards.  I’m seeking my Father’s arms. Set toot eyes upon your destination, friends. Choose today what you are seeking,  for you will receive your heart’s desires – but will your heart’s desires be what you want in the end?

And if we want these things for ourselves,  shouldn’t we want them for others? If we say we love Him,  shouldn’t we love like Him. So go, get to know your brothers and sisters personally, and grow together during this temporary journey, and prepare yourself to return to His arms.

A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another.  By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”
John 13:34-35 ESV
http://bible.com/59/jhn.13.34-35.ESV

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Groanings

And the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. For example, we don’t know what God wants us to pray for. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words. And the Father who knows all hearts knows what the Spirit is saying, for the Spirit pleads for us believers in harmony with God’s own will.
Romans 8:26-27 NLT
http://bible.com/116/rom.8.26-27.NLT

I once asked myself,  how can I pray to God if I don’t yet know who He is? I asked, How can I make sure that I’m not praying to some construct of my own mind, or some false substitution, or some idea or image of God that the world has given me that isn’t quite “the one true God”.

Continue reading “Groanings” →

hballingerLeave a comment

Where can safety be found?

But you, dear friends, must build each other up in your most holy faith, pray in the power of the Holy Spirit,  and await the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ, who will bring you eternal life. In this way, you will keep yourselves safe in God’s love.
Jude 1:20-21 NLT
http://bible.com/116/jud.1.20-21.NLT

Some of us are friends – not even because we know each other,  but because we know Christ. Once we know that our enemies are not flesh and blood, the world begins to be filled with the opportunity of friends – because even those imperfect people doing things we might not agree with, or even those that we find opposing us are just in need of the same rescue,  the same grace,  the same deliverance that we ourselves accept daily.

Continue reading “Where can safety be found?” →