Prayer As The Steering Wheel - Part #3

       What role does prayer play in your life? (When problems arise do you innately go to your knees in heartfelt prayer or do you try to fix the situation with your own wit and wisdom? ) On a scale of 1 to 10, how would you rate your prayer life?  Think about it for a moment or even write down your answer.  Do you see it as absolutely crucial to your everyday existence or as an optional part of your life? 
     For many years prayer wasn't present in my life.  While trying to fight the inevitable sleep that would soon dawn on me in a matter of minutes,  I would  throw a couple requests God's way before dozing off to dream land.  After hearing some amazing stories of people of prayer and the mighty ways God answered, I became rather fond of the idea of praying and decided to try it for longer than 5 minutes.  I can recall several times where I would passionately get on my knees and....fall asleep:(  This is a lot harder than I thought, I said to myself.  But although prayer is hard work (it doesn't come naturally or with ease) I have come to see the imperative need to pray, not only in my life but also in the life of every believer.  It is through prayer that we come to know our Savior, gain His vision for our life, and lay it all at His feet in a desire to gain Him.  Prayer must become our steering wheel, it's not optional.

Prayer has become as essential to me as the heaving of my lungs, 

and the beating of  my pulse.

- Charles Spurgeon -

     Have you ever wished you could see the big picture of your life?  Instead of being restrained to the ant's
limited view of what lies ahead, there are times when I wish could see the eagle's view, knowing what will happen in my life.  But God has chosen a different way for His children.  It is the path of many unknowns partnered with a Father who is known and who knows every step of the way ahead.  While my finite mind cannot fully comprehend, I know that I have a Lord who knows the past, present and future, who, by His sovereign hand, already has my life planned out.  He holds my future in His hand.  Shouldn't I take the time to ask Him about it?  Can I not bring all my worries and concerns to Him and ask Him to lead me?  Is He not capable of doing so?   Let us pray as though the answers to these questions are true, for they are.  God sees what we cannot, let us learn to trust Him and pray to Him concerning our future.  There is comfort in knowing that the future is in the Father's hand and that we can hold on to that same hand for the wisdom and direction we need.
     That same hand that offers to lead and guide us also changes us.  The very promise of grace is not to leave us how God found us, but to conform us more into the image of Him son.  Believe me, there is much conforming that needs done in our lives if we are truly to walk in obedience to the Father's will.  That is why one of the main results of prayer is conformity of our desires and will to His.
I love the promise of Psalm 37:4.

Delight yourself in the LORD,
and he will give you the desires of your heart.

Yes! That means that if I pray and do all that Christian 'stuff' God is going to give me whatever I want, right?  Not quite.  You see, when we truly delight ourselves in the Lord, He changes our desires to be in line with His. It is in those quite moments of prayer where we catch a greater glimpse of the awesomeness of our God, gain a lesser view of yourself and ignite a passion to live for Him alone.  As we lay our lives on the altar in willing surrender, we loose our vision for our life and gain His.  If you want to know God's will, pray, for through much prayer God conforms our desires to His.

A soul silent to God is apt to be sullen rather than submissive.

 - Charles Spurgeon -

   The idea of listening for God has recently been popularized through pastors, books and many evangelical leaders.  By silencing ourselves and just sitting and listening for the Lord to speak to us is now the popular way to know what God wants.  However, I am afraid that this unbiblical approach to prayer has left many deceived and disillusioned.  Scripture clearly points out that we speak with God through prayer and God speaks to us through His Word.  (Check out Hebrews 1:1-4) Justin Peters puts it well when he says:

If you want to hear from God, read your Bible. 
If you want to hear from God audibly, 
read your Bible out loud.
(You can smile now)

     While we should all be seeking to know God's will, we do not do it through listening for a still small voice to suddenly speak to us, we go to God's Word.  So how does prayer fit into all of this?

    Unlike any other book, the Bible takes the supernatural work of the Holy Spirit for us to understand it's truth.  Any skeptic can read the Bible and walk away unchanged, but the Holy Spirit must work in the life of a believer, using God's Word as a tool to teach, rebuke, correct and train in righteousness. (2 Tim. 3:16)
Every believer should prayerfully read God's Word, communing with the Savior and asking Him to use the Holy Spirit in her life to make God's Word effectual in her life.  

   Often times God direct us through His Word in our times of prayer.  The other night I was praying about a decisions I needed to make and was asking for God's wisdom when He brought a passage of scripture to mind.  God used His Word, through my prayer, to help me know what His will was in this situation.  It is in times of prayer, asking the Lord for wisdom that He will lead us back to His Word to know where/what He wants us to do.  Again, this should provide great motivation in our lives to learn God's Word.  The more we know God's word, the more He can use it in our lives to know His will.

     So let me ask you a different question.  Will you pray? 

Unmistakable Christianity

Wednesdays In The Word: Ephesians 6:10-18

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might.

Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand 

against the schemes of the devil.  For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, 

but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this

 present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.

Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand 

in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm.  Stand therefore, having fastened 

on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness,  

and, as shoes for your feet,  having put on the readiness given by the gospel of 

peace.   In all circumstances take up the shield  of faith, with which you can extinguish

 all the flaming darts of the evil one;  and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword 

of the Spirit, which is the word of God, praying at all times in the Spirit, 

with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, 

making supplication for all the saints.

Know God's Will by Knowing His Word - Part #2

      How do we know God's will?   Let me start off by listing some ways we do not find God's will.

• We do not find God's will by silently waiting for Him to audibly speak to us
• By waiting for miracles to happen  ( i.e. asking God to wet a sheep skin like Gideon did.)
• By doing whatever we want and hoping that somehow we are acting within His will
• By flipping a coin or some other superficial means

If this is what we do not do, what are the steps we take to discover God's will?  At a recent conference, one of the speakers used this order sensitive list for seeking God's will.

We can know God's will through:

1. His Word 
2. Prayer
3. Our own desires

Examining scripture, we will dive into the first one this week.

Knowing God's Will Through His Word 

     Have you ever had to use the bathroom in the middle of the night when it is pitch black and you can't see anything?   On multiple occasions, as I have blindly stumbled through the halls, I have been assaulted by little toys on the floor or even my half-open door which I accidentally walked into, leaving a welt on my forehead.  In the same way we can either stumble through this life being in danger of making the wrong step or we can run unhindered in the path of God's will with His Word as the light to our path! 

     As in Pilgrim's Progress, Christian uses the Word of God to direct Him on His journey, so we must choose to do the same.  Any tool is ineffective if it is not used.  Every day we must seek the Lord through His Word.   In Colossians 2 it says that, "in Christ are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge".   Paul reminds all believers of the purpose of God's Word in 2 Timothy 2:16:

All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction,

 and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.

God's Word is the tool He has given us to equip and train us in a knowledge of His will.  

I have heard Romans 12:1-2 quoted many times.  But as I read it this time something stuck out to me. Let's look at verse two together.

Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, 
that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

     We all know we aren't supposed to be conformed to this world, following it's patterns, but how does this verse say we avoid that?  By renewing our minds in God's Word, the only form of truth that transforms us more into the image of Christ and allows us to know God's will!  We can read many book on planning our lives, but in reality we only need the Word of God to discern what is the will of God.  If you want to know God's will, know His Word.  

"Cling to The Word as though your very life depended on it because... I can assure you, it does."

Paul Washer

     Now I want to ask you a question.  Let's say you and I are in the army.  Currently we are in training but in a short while we will face battle head on.  The commander gives us a book filled with instructions on how to fight, survive and be successful while we are on the battle field.  Handing it over, He warns us that our survival and success in battle is dependent on how well we know the instructions laid out in the book.  How much time would we spend reading, memorizing and pouring over this instruction book???  I would image any serious soldier would invest a lot of time in learning and applying these instructions.  Now let me ask you another question. How much time are we spending, doing the same thing over the pages of scripture???  We need to starting taking God's Word seriously and actively pour ourselves into the pursuit of a knowledge of it. 

     Every aspect of the Christian life is dependent on The Word of God.  In Romans 10:17 we see:

So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.

Our salvation is dependent on hearing the Word.   In the same way we see that the source of our sanctification comes from God's Word in John 17:17:

Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth.

And one day we will be glorified  when the Lord calls us home!  Every part of the Christian life is directly linked to God's Word. Don't believe the lie that being in God's Word is not essential to your life.   This couldn't be further from the truth.  
    However, we don't pursue knowledge just for the purpose of being smart or making our parents happy by the fact that you know what the definition of propitiation is.   Reading God's Word is a means to an end.  Paul Washer puts it well when he says:

The goal of the Christian life is the pursuit of an intimate knowledge of God that leads to a greater estimation of His worth, a greater satisfaction and joy in His person, and a greater giving of oneself for His glory.
-Paul Washer 

     The other day my mom wanted to make clam chowder.  After getting online, she finally found a recipe that looked good.  Scrolling through the reviews, one of them caught her eye.  Complaining that the soup didn't turn out well, the reviewer said that there must have been something wrong with the recipe.  However, the problem really wasn't the recipe but the fact that this person didn't follow it!!! Substituting water for clam juice (a key ingredient) and adding in or leaving out other key ingredients, the chef didn't get the desired result.  
     There are two things I think we can glean from this story when it comes to God's Word.  The first is this, we shouldn't just read God's Word, we need to apply it.  Just as the cook decided to read the recipe and then do her own thing, we need to read God's Word and submit ourselves to it.  There is a reason God's Word is called the Word of Truth for it is the source of truth, not of suggestions.  Every area of our life must come under the authority of Christ and His Word, that in everything He might have preeminence. (Colossians 1:18) If you want to know God's will for your future, follow in obedience to His Word now.  Oh the blessing that comes when we walk in obedience!
     Upon hearing this story, there is a second truth that we must be reminded of.  Following God's recipe for life, without substituting in our own wisdom, will always result in a successful life.  (But God's measure of successful is very different from the world's!  Check out God's Word to see what His success looks like:)  After reading the review my mom went ahead and decided to make the soup and you know what, it turned out great!!!!!  Trust the Lord, follow His Word, walk by faith and leave the results in His hands.  

So a quick summary? 
Read it, Live it! for we find God's will primarily in His Word. 

Find Part #1 by clicking Here

He Has Always and WIll Always Be Faithful!

Yesterday I had the wonderful opportunity to celebrate 17 years of God's faithfulness!  My mind can not recall to memory all the times my loving Savior has been so good to me. I do not deserve His love and blessings, yet He freely lavishes them upon me each day.  So as I turn another year older I celebrate the Lord's faithfulness.  He has been faithful in the past, He will remain faithful in the future.  I can trust Him.

~

As for you, O LORD, you will not restrain
your mercy from me;
your steadfast love and your faithfulness will
ever preserve me!

Psalms 40:11

Have You Been Broken?

Check This Out!

I would really encourage everyone to check out this article on cultivating private times of prayer.  Prayer is one of those areas of our life that requires diligence and discipline.  But what does this look like and how do we get started in cultivating times of prayer???  This article answers those questions.

http://setapartgirl.com/leslie-ludy/blog/01-14-15/fresh-vision-prayer

Knowing God's Will For Your Life - Part #1

Click below to access the following articles in the series. 
Part #2
Part #3
Part #4
Part #5 
   The game of LIFE is a classic.  Complete with jobs, money, cute little cars, and pink and blue stick figures, it provides many long hours of fun.  Although just a game, it does remind us how life is a journey.  There will be a time when we will start to feel like that little stick figure in the car; the unknown future laid out before us with many important decisions that will impact the rest of our lives.  Life isn't just a game, it is an unfolding reality.
     While every day is marked by little decisions that we make here and there, in each of our lives there will
be a time when we arrive at a crossroad.  The decision we make will impact the direction we travel.  Upon coming to this point, some people just travel down the path that seems best for them, but for those of us who have been redeemed by Christ, we have a far greater factor that impacts the decisions we make. What is God's will? As a senior in high school, I stand at a crossroad.  Maybe your are standing in the same place in your life, unsure of what to do next.  How do we know what God's will is for our lives?
      God has placed several wise people in my life who have helped me find the answer to this question and I would like to share their wisdom with you over the next few weeks.  While we will not all come the the same conclusion, the universal principles of seeking God's will and knowing it is clearly laid out in scripture.  So let's start this week by getting ourselves ready for a road trip!

Making Sure Everything Is Ready to Go:
     Taking a big trip anywhere requires a lot of work, especially when you have a "larger than normal" family:)  Before we leave we must make sure the van is in working order and safe to drive. In the same way, let us pull over a moment and take inventory of our own lives to make sure everything is in working order before we head off again on the pilgrimage of life. 

Who's In Control?

...You are not your own, for you were bought with a price...

1 Corinthians 6:19-20  

     I don't know about you, but I like to be in control.  There is security in thinking that we can dictate our own lives.  However, when Christ calls us, he calls us to surrender to His plan; His plan for our salvation, our lives, eternity.  We are no longer the leaders, we are the followers.  Each one of us must make the decision to submit to God's place of authority in our lives.  After all, it is hard for God to direct us if we are tightly controlling the 'steering wheel' or our life.  We must give Him the steering wheel and take the back seat, allowing Him to guide and direct us.  We must surrender our control so we can accept His.

     However the truth is that most of us have not fully surrendered our lives to Him.  Why?  In the back of our mind there is a fear, an irrational fear.  It's the fear that God will ruin our lives, that God will make us miserable, that God's plans can't really be better than ours.  While we dream of riding off in a pink, rose covered carriage with the sign "Happily Ever After" diligently tied with bows to the back, we are convinced that if we give God total control of our lives He for sure leave us as unmarried old maids.  But is that the character of our God?

You are good and do good.

Psalm 119:68

~

I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go;
I will counsel you with my eye upon you.

Psalm 32:8

We can trust our God!!!! We can hold to His promises knowing that He is a good God who loves and cares for His children.  He does not want us to live in a miserable existence, but rather a glorious existence in which we are fully satisfied in Him because we are fully surrendered to Him.  He has control and in Him we find our rest, our confidence, our peace.

Windshield Clear

Follow Christ!

Remember also your Creator in the days of your youth...

Ecclesiastes 12:1

     This summer I read the book of Ecclesiastes.  It hit me like a fast ball going 90 miles an hour.  In our youth how often we forget that life is short and filled with many vanities.  One day even the most renowned scientists, doctors, political leaders and celebrities will be forgotten.  Everything that we invest our lives in on this earth will simply turn to ash and be no more because it is temporal.  But God has called us to eternal things. Several hundred years latter Paul gives a similar exhortation to live for the things of eternity when he says:

If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, 

where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.  Set your minds on things that 

are above, not on things that are on earth.

Colossians 3:1-2

      Fame and fortune will one day pass away, but the things above, they are eternal.  May our lives reflect a desire to invest our time, talents and abilities for the purpose of storing up treasure in heaven. When we live for the here and now our life is void of purpose and lacks clarity. But when we live for Christ, oh the eternal riches that we discover. (Colossians 2:3)

~

All to Jesus I surrender,

All to Him I freely give.

We are burning What?

For the love of Christ controls us, because we have concluded this: that one has died 

for all, therefore all have died; and he died for all, that those who live might no longer 

live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised.

2 Corinthians 5:14-15

     Motivation is a key component of our lives.  Igniting passion and purpose, it is the catalyst that drives us to action.  The fruit of our lives will often be in direct correlation to our motivation.  Because of this, it is important that we evaluate our motives.

     Messages consisting of "follow your dreams" and "you can be whatever you want to be",  stem from a motivation to make self great.  But the goal of the Christian life?  To make God great.  To glorify Him by living for Him alone!  Pray that God would allow a passion for His glory to be the fuel that motivates you rather than desire for your own personal greatness.  

~

Turn your eyes upon Jesus,

Look full in His wonderful face,

And the things of earth will grow 

strangely dim

In the Light of His glory and grace

Alignment Completed
     Without an alinement, the road ahead will be filled with many course corrections or maybe even a complete veering off of the path.  However, God alone can align our will to His.  Let us pray that He will.  May our hearts echo the prayer of Christ, who, although He would suffer greatly,  surrendered himself completely to the will of the Father.

...not my will, but yours, be done...

Luke 22:42

~

Take my will, and make it Thine;
It shall be no longer mine.
Take my heart; it is Thine own;
It shall be Thy royal throne.

From, Take My Life and Let It Be

Wednesdays In The Word: Ephesians 1:3-6

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed 

 us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places,

even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should 

be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption as sons 

through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his 

glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved.

Walking On The Eternal Plane

No Christians man or woman was ever meant to walk on the natural plane.

There is no provision made for such a walk.  Always the expectation 

of God is that His children shall break through and live

and endure as seeing the invisible, and there

 is full provision made for him to do this:

"My grace is sufficient for thee"

- Amy Carmichael -

Did Jesus die to make me happy?

Please take a quick moment to watch this video....

     "That's the dumbest thing I have ever heard!" But is it?  There is something about that message that seems appealing.  Something that makes us feel good.  It's the half truth that God cares about our pleasure, that God wants to make us happy.
     Every human wants to feel accepted.  We all long for love and the security of knowing that someone cares for us.  Through it's appeasing illusions, the world has tried to offer people something that will satisfy or dull this longing.  Money, relationships and friendships, facebook status, entertainment, these may pacify the need momentarily but will not solve it eternally.
     The church has come to see that Christ is the answer to the need that every human heart has.  Jesus Christ is the living water that if we drink from, we will never thirst again. However, they have used misguided methods to draw in the masses. Methods that focus on man's hunger for satisfaction rather that their need for salvation.
     God has become a God who we can feel comfortable with.  The motive for being a Christian has ceased from serving the Lord and has evolved into making me feel happy.  For many, God has become a cosmic boyfriend who always loves us no matter what, the genie in the sky who will give us whatever we want or the grandpa figure that they run to when life gets tough.  Many have followed God but soon become disappointing with Him when being a Christian starts to get tough or "He doesn't give me what I want".  We have reduced God to someone who exists to serve us rather than The King of kings and Lord of lords that is deserving of our reverence and service.  The gospel and the Christian life has become man centered rather that God exalting and I fear we have been caught in it's trap.

     Instead of having a right view of God, we have exalted ourselves by thinking that God exists for our pleasure, to make us happy.  The point of God's existence has become for us to have 'our best life now'.  But can this view be found in scripture? 


The Purpose of the Gospel and Salvation:

But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus."
Ephesians 2:4-7
     Salvation is not about us.  We are simply the recipients of amazing grace lavished on us by the God who looks upon wretches like you and me and chooses to demonstrate His righteousness (Romans 3:25-26) by saving us.  He saves us for His own glory! Even the fruit that we bear in our lives is to draw praise to Him alone, as we see in Philippians 1:11:

"...filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God."
     God has not saved us to make us happy but to demonstrate His love through His mercy.  Yes, we have reason to rejoice! We have been adopted as the children of God, but that wasn't the main purpose to God's 'rescue mission'.  The main purpose was to make His glory great.  Now our lives in Christ are to be lived for the same purpose, to glorify God.

     At this point I would like to pose a question to you from John Piper:

      “Do you feel loved by God because you believe he makes much of you, or because you believe he frees you and empowers you to enjoy making much of him?”
   - John Piper    
 
    God's love was manifested on the cross in that Christ became our substitution.  He died in our place, bearing our burden for sin  in order that He might appease the wrath of God.  Now, we are no longer slaves to sin but bond servants of Christ, living in the enabling power of His life and death to live for Him. Yes, God loves us but His love is seen for us in that He has saved us from ourselves.  We are called to stop living for self and to start living for Christ.
    If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. (Luke 9:23)

Have You Counted The Cost?
So therefore, any one of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple. (Luke 14:33)

     If God chose for us a bumpy road laden with trails and pain, would we still follow Him?  Would we still consider Him worthy of our life even though He slay us?  Yes, God desires to give good gifts to His children, but have we come to love the gift more than the Giver?  When the gifts are gone will we still follow Him because in so doing you will have the gained the greatest gift of all, Jesus Christ.  
    The pain, the persecution, the daily death that comes from following Christ is worth it all because it draws us closer to Him. 
 
Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ... Philippians 3:8
 
When we loose the things of this temporary life, we come to gain Christ.

     So does God really care about our happiness?  In a sense, yes, but it's not the happiness this world seeks after.  It's the happiness, the JOY that comes from Christ.  It is hard to know Christ when we know and love self so much more.  That is why God has called us to walk the narrow road, the road that keeps us close to our Savior.  This path might not be popular but it is the path on which God chooses to work all things together for our eternal good and His glory.  For God alone we must live our lives, not because we are worth anything but because He is worthy of everything.

 

Memories Without Regrets

How lovely, Lord, it is to make memories without regrets.  Help me always to remember this.  May I never allow anything in my life that, like the touch of soiled fingers, would leave the stain of regret.
   Darlene Rose, Missionary to New Guinea and survivor of Japanese prison camp during WW2