Prayer (2)

'...Your Father in Heaven [will] give good gifts to those who ask' Matthew 7:11 NIV

Can I challenge you to do something...'Pray the largest prayers you can. You cannot think of a prayer so large that God, in answering it, will not wish you had made it larger. Pray not for crutches but for wings.'

When we love our children we want to be generous with them. And that's how God feels about us: 'If you, then, though you are evil...give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in Heaven give good gifts to those who ask Him.'

Some of us have difficulty accepting the gifts God gives us, particularly material things. One lady told me once, 'I distinctly remember feeling God must have had His wires crossed. Why would He do that for me? In fact I felt guilty, as if I'd somehow acquired something God didn't really want me to have.' Think how cruel the following words would sound if they represented your attitude as a parent: 'I'm too busy. I don't want to hear about your lost bike or your school problem. Don't bother me with your personal requests. I'll take care of everybody else but you. If you love me you'll survive on bread and water. Sure, I'm rich, but why would I give you anything-back off!'

Good parents don't talk like that! They want only the best for their children. So, take a good parent's feeling for their child, multiply it exponentially, and you'll only begin to understand how God feels about you. Nobody's voice sounds sweeter to Him than yours. Nothing in the world keeps Him from directing His full attention to your requests. So come to Him in prayer.

You are Loved!

Prayer (1)

'O You who hear prayer, to You all flesh will come.' Psalm 65:2 NKJV

I wanted to pass on some encouragement today. Last Sunday was a pivotal day for our church. We were set free in the spiritual realm because of our praying church. The morning and evening services were filled with miracles signs and wonders. I'm excited for what God has for us. So don't give up praying...God is on the move and all He's asking us to do is believe and walk in faith.

Now, Mark records, 'Very early in the morning...Jesus got up...and...prayed.' (Mark 1:35 NIV) Do you want more of Jesus! Then follow His example. Jesus made deposits each morning so that He could make withdrawals throughout the day.

Many of us don't, and it shows! RA Torrey said, 'We are too busy to pray, and so we are too busy to have power. We have a great deal of activity, but we accomplish little.' The pastor of a mega-church acknowledged that for many years he knew more about prayer than he ever practiced. One day God interrupted his schedule and told him to explore, study, and practice prayer until he fully understood it. The results were life-changing. He writes: 'It has been twenty years since I began taking time to pray. My life has been transformed. The greatest fulfilment hasn't been the list of miraculous answers to prayer I've received, although that has been wonderful; the greatest thrill has been the quality of difference in my relationship with God. When I started to pray I didn't know what was going to happen. God and I used to be rather casually related to one another. We didn't get together and talk very much. Now, however, we get together a lot, not talking on the run, but carrying on substantial, soul-searching conversations every morning for a good chunk of time. I feel as if I've gotten to know God a lot better since I started praying.' Martin Luther said, 'I have often learned more in one prayer than I have been able to glean from much reading and reflection.' Do you want to know God better? Start praying!

You are Loved!

Not Connected?

'You cannot be fruitful unless you remain in Me.' John 15:4

Most of us own a smart phone today. Mobile phones can be life–savers…but the batteries have a limited lifespan and need to be recharged.

 

One weary weekend I was as drained as my phone battery. I went through my evening routine, dutifully placing my mobile phone on its charger. Unfortunately, I neglected to plug the charger into the socket. Next morning was Sunday and I woke refreshed—but my phone was no better than the night before. It was in the right place… but it wasn’t connected to the power source!

 

Sometimes the consequences of not “plugging in” can be more severe…many people dutifully march to church every week, but leave as drained as when they came. They’re in the right place, but they’re not plugged in to the power of God…and without that it doesn’t matter if you sit in a pew or on a barstool… You can study the Scriptures for hours on end, “always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth” (2 Timothy 3:7 NAS); you can even do great things for God but lack power in your life.

 

If I’d left my mobile phone on the charger for days or weeks instead of overnight, it wouldn’t have helped. Multiplication of effort isn’t a substitute for true power… Guard against things that disconnect you from the power source…obviously sin will do that, but so will weariness. We can’t remain connected if we’re weighed down by busyness. We can spend so much time doing things for God that we neglect our relationship with Him. Jesus said, ‘You cannot be fruitful unless you remain in Me.’ That means reading the Bible, praying and resting in His presence.

 

You are Loved!

Tapping God's Creativity

'He...reveals His thoughts to man.' Amos 4:13 NIV

I Don't know if you have ever seen a flashlight you have to pump or crank...the first time I ever saw one and decided to buy it I asked the sales lady how long the battery would last. “As long as you do,” she replied. “What do you mean?” I queried. “You are the battery,” she explained. “There’s no battery inside. You have to pump the handle at the bottom of the flashlight to make it light up.” I tried it, and sure enough I generated the power needed to make it light up! As soon as I stopped pumping the light went out…

 

If you make the right commitment to an idea but it seems impossible…pray…and keep pumping. Bright ideas will come your way—ideas that come from God’ (Isaiah 48:17).

 

Albert Einstein said it’s important that we never stop asking questions, or lose our holy curiosity. God’s Word says He ‘forms the mountains…creates the wind, and reveals His thoughts to man.’ Imagine tapping into the resources of a God Who knows you and can fill your mind with imaginative, inspired, innovative ‘thoughts’. Jesus knows the mind of God, the plans of God, the will of God and the purposes of God because He is God. And Paul says, ‘We understand these things, for we have the mind of Christ.’ (1 Corinthians 2:16 NLT) Creativity has been built into every one of us. Each of us lives less of the life God intended when we choose not to release the creative powers we possess. When you tap into God’s creativity, He helps you see things not as they are, but as they can be. And that can change your life!

 

You are Loved!

You're In

'The word...which can...give you an inheritance.' Acts 20:32 NIV

I love the story of Linda Knox; she was in her eighties when she died of malnutrition in her Chicago apartment. "Apparently she’d lost her sight, and her mind had failed. Among her belongings they found the equivalent of $186,000 in uncashed checks, $206,000 in works of art, $440,000 in jewels, and $56,000 in antiques. In all, she had an estate worth over $900,000—yet she died alone in poverty. And what’s worse, she’d drawn up a will leaving these things to friends and family members. But she never filed it with the courts and it was never executed, so her beneficiaries were unaware of their inheritance."

 

There’s a lesson here for all of us today. When Christ died and went back to Heaven, He left a will. And you are named in it! You say, ‘Where can I find a copy?’ In His Word! You’re an ‘[heir] of God and a [co–heir] with Christ.’ (Romans 8:17 NKJV) I know it doesn't feel like it sometimes, but you are now of royal blood. Once that truth sinks down into your soul, your attitude toward reading the Bible will be revolutionised. Instead of spending mindless hours watching TV or surfing the internet, you’ll start meditating ‘day and night’ in the Scriptures. As a result, you’ll start to ‘prosper in all that you do’ (Joshua 1:8; Psalm 1:2–3). Now you can understand why David said, ‘I will delight myself in Your commandments, which I love… The law of Your mouth is better to me than thousands of coins of gold and silver.’ (Psalm 119:47; 72 NKJV) Peter wrote: ‘His divine power has given us everything we need for life…He has given us His very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature.’ (2 Peter 1:3–4 NIV) What more could you ask for?

 

You are Loved!

'The Man'

 

'Come, see a Man.' John 4:29 NIV

I poured myself a cup a coffee this morning and sunk in my chair to take some time to pray. I appreciate everyone who signed up to pray during our week of prayer. It's a blessing to know that you are "All In" as we walk this journey of faith another year. This portion of scripture is simple yet powerful. 

 

When the woman at the well met Jesus, unlike all the other men she’d met, He addressed her real need. ‘[He said,] “Go…get your husband”… “I don’t have a husband,” the woman replied. Jesus said…“you have had five husbands, and you aren’t…married to the man you’re living with.”’ (John 4:16-18 NLT)

 

Because we’re weak, we keep getting into situations that leave us wounded. And those wounds can’t be healed by going from relationship to relationship. After meeting Jesus this woman ran to tell everybody, ‘Come…meet a Man who told me everything!’ (John 4:29 TLB) Her answer wasn’t another man; she’d already tried that! Her answer was meeting the Man, and asking Him to fill the void in her life.

 

The Bible refers to this as putting ‘on the new self, which is being renewed in…the image of its Creator.’ (Colossians 3:10 NIV) If you’re sick of the way you’re living and want to change, remember, the woman at the well couldn’t ‘put off the old man’ till she met the new One. When you’re attached to certain habits and relationships, it’s hard to break free in your own strength. You’ll only be able to disengage when you acknowledge Jesus as Lord of your life. Only by embracing the new will you find strength to say goodbye to the old.

 

So what does all this mean for you? It means coming to Christ as you are, asking Him to save you, and entering into a relationship with Him. James says, ‘Surrender to God… Resist the devil, and he will run from you.’ (James 4:7 CEV) When you do that, God will give you the strength to forsake those old patterns and begin a new life!

 

You are Loved!

Exercise Faith

He couldn't do any miracles among them... And He was amazed at their unbelief.' Mark 6:5-6 NLT

As I read this scripture this morning I had to ask the same question...why don't we see more miracles here in America?

 

The more I studied the answer became relatively simple, God answers prayer in a manner directly related to our level of faith. ‘According to your faith, be it unto you.’ (Matthew 9:29 KJV)

 

Yet sometimes in spite of our doubts and human reasoning, He comes through for us anyway. The believers praying for Peter’s release from prison were amazed when he suddenly appeared on their doorstep (Acts 12). When Jesus returned to His home town and began to teach in the local synagogue, the people were amazed by His wisdom. Because He lacked formal education and credentials they wrote Him off as ‘just a carpenter’. (Mark 6:3 NLT) And the result? ‘Because of their unbelief, He couldn’t do any miracles among them except to place His hands on a few sick people and heal them.’

 

Question: How often does your unbelief tie God’s hands? The truth is: (a) sometimes our faith is so weak that we don’t expect Him to answer at all; (b) we fail to pray with confidence; (c) we don’t prepare ourselves for what He wants to do for us.

 

You can’t ask God for forgiveness, then continue to live under condemnation over sins He has put under the blood. Or pray about your financial situation, then worry yourself sick about how He’s going to meet your needs. You can choose to live by your feelings, or in a way that reflects total trust in God. The Bible says, ‘Without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He…is a rewarder.’ (Hebrews 11:6 NKJV)

 

So exercise your faith!

You are Loved!