Prayer - thoughts from Beth Thompson

Sometimes, prayer is a natural occurrence. It springs out of the heart as an organic influx of joy, pain, sorrow, confusion, sometimes indignation. This naturally occurring prayer often leaves me stumped and wanting more. Unfortunately, this is really the only kind of prayer I have time for.

“Lord, thank you for your mercy, thank you for your promises, thank you for the blessings…I pray for X, Y, Z, please bring comfort to their situation. Continue to mold me and make me into your image…”

This prayer is memorized, and after days and months of repeating it, I no longer feel its sincerity. It is soft, and dull, and spirit-less.

To counter-act this daily mantra, one of my resolutions for the year is to develop an intimate prayer life with the Creator, and…

It hasn’t exactly happened yet.

I would like to blame my culture…television, media, Forever 21, the girl next door, the trust-fund kids, perhaps my friends, my church, or whatever, for creating my unexciting prayer life-

But I know that the only person who has control over my prayer life is myself.

Ironically, despite my desire to foster a close relationship with God, shearing proactive prayer time into my schedule is an incredibly difficult task. I am busy, too busy, and to experience anything of the divine in my planned-out-twenty-minute kneeling sessions is nearly impossible.

I wonder if you have experienced the same?

While perusing my list of must-read-every-day blogs, I came upon an exceptional post written by Andrea at Andrea’s Nest, entitled “24 Points on Prayer.”

Here are some of her thoughts:

Points on Prayer

1) VOW FOR PRAYER

In order to pray, we need a resolution and determination for prayer.

2) SEPARATION UNTO PRAYER

To separate ourselves unto prayer is to sanctify ourselves unto prayer.

3) LOCATION OF PRAYER

Prayer happens in our human spirit, where God dwells (John 4:24).

4) CONDITION OF PRAYER

We need to calm down, stop our activity, stop our thoughts, and open to Him.

5) ORGANS OF PRAYER

• strong spirit - Luke 1:80
• renewed mind (to interpret the feeling of the Spirit) – Ephesians 4:23
• open mouth (praying audibly) – not because God is deaf, but to keep our minds from wandering or keep us from falling asleep

6) POSTURE OF PRAYER

kneeling = attitude of submission, reverence, appealing, petitioning, and waiting for a command

7) DEALING IN PRAYER

Our conscience may prompt us to confess our sins and shortcomings that there would be no insulation between us and the Lord.

8) DEFENSE IN PRAYER

Prayer is a warfare! We need the blood of Jesus (claim it!) and the word of our testimony (Revelation 12:11) to declare His victory.

9) HARMONY IN PRAYER

Harmony or oneness in prayer is important when praying with others.

10) BURDEN OF PRAYER

It’s hard to pray without a burden. In fact, it’s not normal to be a Christian and not have a burden. God needs a channel to discharge His burden. His burden. There are lots of burdens, we just need to pick them up.

11) SENSE FOR PRAYER

It’s not about reading from a prayer book or always praying the same words the same way. Nor is it that the congregation says “amen” because it’s in the program. That is ritualistic, inorganic prayer and God is not inorganic or static. As Christians, we pray by the inner sense, by the moving of the Spirit from within. This takes learning because we have to learn to follow that sense and not pray according to our mind, feelings, or situations. We simply get into the spirit and He will teach us what to pray (Romans 8:26).

12) UTTERANCE IN PRAYER

Prayer isn’t about eloquence, because God doesn’t need our fancy speech. He also doesn’t need multiplicity of words (Matt. 6:7). The Spirit will give us the living, instant, present utterance to express the inner sense (1 Cor. 2:10 ) and discharge His burden.

13) SUPPLY IN PRAYER

If we are full of the Word of God, this will be our supply in prayer and also the content of our prayer.

14) ASKING IN PRAYER

Not just general fellowship with the Lord, but prayer that issues in responses (Matt. 7:8). The Lord pays attention to results. He won’t give us a serpent (Matt. 7:9-10).

15) SPECIFICITY OF PRAYER

Not general or aimless prayers, but prayers that are particular, specific, definite, measurable and detailed.

16) THOROUGHNESS OF PRAYER

Pray from different angles, covering every aspect, not just one.

17) FERVENCY IN PRAYER

The strength of prayer is more important than the length of prayer. Prayers should not be half-hearted or lukewarm, but intense, urgent, earnest, and burning in burden.

18) FASTING IN PRAYER

Fasting isn’t about not eating; it’s about being so full of a heavy burden to pray that one does not eat.

19) LINGERING IN PRAYER

If we wait in the Lord’s presence, not leaving so quickly, He may really bring us into His heart.

20) FAITH IN PRAYER

We should believe that our prayer is heard (Matt. 15:27).

21) THANKSGIVING IN PRAYER

When we pray, it should be with thanksgiving. We should thank the Lord during our prayer (Colossians 4:2, Phil. 4:6-7).

22) PERSEVERANCE IN PRAYER

Don’t stop. Don’t faint. Luke 18

23) WATCH IN PRAYER

Be vigilant, awake, on guard, watchful. Mark 14:38

24) REWARD OF PRAYER

This reward is not an answer to prayer. In the kingdom age, the Lord will reward us for the prayers we offered concerning His people and His will.

Andrea’s thoughts truly spoke a deep repose to my heart and soul. I, we, the body of Christ, need this time of prayer, we need this time to ensure intimacy with the Trinity, and we especially need it to keep our hearts humble and contrite before Him.

My own experience has proved to me that the more time and devotion I spend in prayer and solitude, I change.
The pressures, anxieties, media addiction, and distractions become mere trifles, and I begin to organically worship God for his nature instead of his providence. I begin to see my neighbor lying in the road, and begin to have grace on people who are different from me.

Being married also proves a challenge in a prayer life…if one’s spouse is always nearby, it is somewhat difficult (at least for me) to close the door and shut him out for some quality God-time.

I know deep down that the answer is waking early, when Joel is still sleeping, when I can literally shut the world out and quiet my soul before the King.

The question: will I do it? Will we do it? Will we, as the American church, learn to quiet our hearts and minds before the Father, put away our distractions, our entertainments, and let Him be lord of our life through prayer? 

I hope I can. I hope you can. I hope we can.

Failure Isn't Final

No one ever starts something with the intention of failing. Success is the quintessential American dream and we all, in some way, strive for it. Yet if we take a realistic look at our lives, failure, in its many forms, is part of it. Some people are defined by it and never recover fully. Others deny it. And some use it as a catalyst for growth.

The dictionary defines “failure” as: proving unsuccessful, nonperformance of something due, deterioration or decay.

In our relationship with Jesus, we start out strong. We have the best intentions and have a desire to be faithful followers of Christ. Yet we will experience moments of failure because of sin. Have you ever just flat out let God down? The Bible tells us that sin separates us from God. There are times when our sins/habits/lifestyle/choices will deter us from growing in our relationship with Jesus. And we can feel like we are total failures as Christians. Thankfully we can look to the Bible for wisdom on how to move forward when we fall short.

Di Wilson says, “When the solution is simple, God is answering.” God is not complicated! Recovering from failure because of sin in our relationship with God is actually quite simple. What’s the solution? Let’s open our Bible’s and see…

John 21:15-17

¹⁵ When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my lambs.” ¹⁶ A second time he said to him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Tend my sheep.” ¹⁷ He said to him the third time, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” Peter felt hurt because he said to him the third time, “Do you love me?” And he said to him, “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my sheep.”

Peter was a bold, brash, straight-talking fisherman. He was as honest as he was rugged. From my study of the life of Peter, I have the picture of a man who said whatever came to his mind. I also have a picture of a man who, when he committed himself to something, committed all the way. There was no wishy-washy half-heartedness to Peter. He left his life of fishing to go with Jesus and become a fisher of men. He was a sold-out follower of Jesus … and he didn’t hesitate to tell anybody.

Yet we know that despite his enthusiasm and claims … when the moment of truth came … Peter did just as Jesus warned he would do.

Peter did just as Jesus warned he would. He failed Jesus. He publicly denied him three times at that ultimate moment of decision. And as we look at that, we must think, “What a failure! He denied Jesus! How could he ever be restored? How could he ever be forgiven?” Yet he was forgiven and he was restored. The Bible tells us so. And so, today, as we look to God’s word for instruction on how we might survive the failure of our own sin, we can find no more perfect example than that of Peter.

So, what must you know so that you can survive the failure of sin?

1. Nobody is perfect … everyone fails.

Scripture: As Simon Peter stood warming himself, he was asked, “You are not one of his disciples, are you?” He denied it, saying, “I am not.” (John 18:25-26)

None of us are immune to sin. None of us are immune to letting Jesus down … not even the people who were closes to Him on this earth. Peter walked and talked and laughed and ate with Jesus for three years. He was in the inner circle of the disciples. You might even say that he was one of Jesus’ best friends. Yet he let Jesus down. Three times he denied even knowing Jesus ... all within view of Jesus Himself. 

So, should we be surprised by the failure of sin that enters our lives? No. Is God surprised when we fail in our sin and let Him down? No! Does He stop loving us? No!

God knows our tendency to sin all too well. He created us. He was there at the moment when man rebelled and took that step from holiness into sin. He recorded in His word in Romans 3:23 that “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” All of us…every single one of us have sinned. 

Despite what we may think of ourselves or what we may think of the believers who surround us, we are all just human. We are not perfect. We will fail. We will sin. So, perhaps the first important step is to stop being beating ourselves up. There is nothing to be gained in that. There is no forgiveness or restoration in hating and punishing ourselves for the sin we commit that is absolutely no surprise to Jesus. Indeed, if it is truly forgiveness and restoration that we seek, then we need to go directly to the giver of life and forgiveness … our Lord Jesus Christ.

2. No matter what you do, Jesus is still your friend.

Scripture: Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish you have just caught.” (John 21:10) “Come and have breakfast.” (John 21:12a)

Peter had denied Jesus when it counted. He had publicly turned his back on Christ. Yet the risen Jesus enjoyed watching Peter catch a net full of fish. He cooked breakfast for him. He invited him to sit down and eat. He enjoyed time and fellowship with Peter.

The same goes for you. No matter how you have failed, no matter what sin you have allowed into your life, the Savior who died for you still loves you. He is still your friend. And He still wants you to sit down with Him, talk with Him, and be with Him. Because, friends, it is only through those moments of sharing and communication that the failure can be addressed and resolved. So, please understand, no matter how you might fail, Jesus is still your friend. He still loves you. He still wants to be near to you.

3. You must understand that your sin has consequences.

Scripture: When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon peter, “Simon son of John, do you truly love me more than these? (John 21:15a)

Often those circumstances go far beyond your self. Your sin does affect those who are close to you … your family, your friends, and even your church. But, more important than anything else, your sin failure affects your relationship with Christ.

Just look at Peter and Jesus. Yes, Jesus still loved Peter. He was still His friend. But that relationship was damaged. It was strained. And the damage to that relationship had to be dealt with. Jesus confronted Peter. He said, “So, Peter … I remember all of that stuff you said … how you would always stick by me … how you would never fall away … how you would die for me. But look at what you did. Do you still think you love me more than all of these other guys?”

Peter had to be confronted. He had to understand the consequences of what he had done. He had to realize that he just couldn’t go back to fishing … he just couldn’t go back to the way things had been before. His choices, and his sin, had forced a change upon his relationship with Jesus, and that change had to be dealt with. He had to understand that the consequences of his actions went far beyond himself.

Friends, this is a lesson that we must never forget. Our sin has implications with our families, our friends, and our church. We must acknowledge those implications and deal with them. We have to understand that our own choices and actions do not just affect us … they affect everyone around us, especially those we care about the most.

ou know, our first inclination when faced with the failure of sin in our lives is to try and hide it. Somehow we think that if we just put it out of sight and out of mind, and if enough time passes, that it won’t matter anymore. But, friends, I hope that you know that approach won’t work. Sin that is hidden is sin that festers and grows and infects.

No, in order to survive the failure of your sin …

4. You must confront your sin, admit your sin and confess your sin.

Scripture: It was cold, and the servants and officials stood around a fire they had made to keep warm. Peter also was standing with them, warming himself … (18:18)
When they landed, they saw a fire of burning coals there with fish on it … When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, "Simon son of John, do you truly love me more than these?" "Yes, Lord," he said, "you know that I love you." Jesus said, "Feed my lambs." Again Jesus said, "Simon son of John, do you truly love me?" He answered, "Yes, Lord, you know that I love you." Jesus said, "Take care of my sheep." The third time he said to him, "Simon son of John, do you love me?" Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, "Do you love me?" He said, "Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you." Jesus said, "Feed my sheep. (21:9, 15-17)

This is an incredible moment! I have pointed out these verses to you because I want you to understand how Jesus has set up the circumstance. 

Do you see the reference to the fire in chapter 18, at the moment of the denial, and the reference to the charcoal fire here in chapter 21? The Greek word for charcoal fire, anthrakian, is found only in theses two places in the entire New Testament! That is not a coincidence. On the night of the denial, Peter warmed himself in the darkness by a charcoal fire. Now he finds himself warmed by a fire at sunrise with Jesus.

Now, how many times did Peter deny Jesus? Three. And how many times, sitting there by that fire, did Jesus ask Peter about his love for him? Three! Do you see how Jesus set up this important moment for Peter? 

Yes, Jesus still loved Peter. And, yes, several days had passed since that horrible night when Peter denied Him. But that failure, that denial, that sin was real. It had to be confronted. It had to be brought out in the open. It had to be addressed.

Friends, God’s Word promises us in 1 John 1:9 that, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” But we must admit … we must confess. No amount of hiding, no amount of pretending, no amount of “sweeping under the rug” can resolve our sin problem. The only solution is openness and confession with Jesus.

5. Jesus still has a purpose and mission for you.

Scripture: Jesus said, “Feed my sheep.” (John 21:17)

Yes, Peter had failed miserably. He had denied his Lord. But he saw that Jesus still loved him, he understood the consequences, and he confronted his sin. So, by giving Peter this three-part affirmation, he let Peter know that he was still valuable to the cause. He was useful. He did have a purpose. In fact, he would still be a great leader.

Closing Illustration
I want you to flash forward with me a few weeks in the Scriptures. I want you to see the rest of the story … what happened with Peter after the resurrection of Jesus and the coming of the Holy Spirit. It is fifty days after Jesus ascended into heaven. The Holy Spirit came upon the group of believers in a violent wind and with tongues of fire. They began to speak in other languages, languages that they did not know … but that od gave them so the people nearby could understand. 

But look at what happens in Acts 2:13-14, and 40-41.

Friends, that same Peter who cowered in the darkness and denied Jesus on the night before he was crucified stood boldly in front of the entire population of Jerusalem and told them all about Jesus Christ!

Isn’t that amazing?! Isn’t that powerful?! Friends, please understand … no matter how you have failed … no matter how you have allowed sin to infect your life … Jesus has the remedy for that sin. He wants to restore that relationship with you. He wants to forgive you. He wants to be your very best friend. But there are some steps that you have to take … confronting your sin, admitting it, and confessing it. Once you resolve that, God can and will restore you and use you in mighty ways to make a difference in His kingdom.

LIFE APPLICATION
I want to urge you … if sin has led you down the wrong path of your life … find you way back through the power, might, and love of Jesus Christ. He will show you how to be the ultimate survivor out of the failure of sin.

Aleida Huissen, 78, of Rotterdam, Netherlands, has been smoking for 50 years. And for 50 years she has been trying to give up her harmful habit. But she has not been successful—that is, until recently. She has now given up cigarettes, cigars, and pipes. The secret? Leo Jansen, 79, proposed marriage last year, but refused to go through with the wedding until Aleida gave up smoking. Says Aleida now: “Will power never was enough to get me off the tobacco habit. Love did it.”

—Prairie Overcomer ^[1]

---

^[1]Tan, Paul Lee: Encyclopedia of 7700 Illustrations : A Treasury of Illustrations, Anecdotes, Facts and Quotations for Pastors, Teachers and Christian Workers. Garland TX : Bible Communications, 1996, c1979

An Indestructible Life

I. TIME

Time is not really spent. It is invested in a future we cannot see. The Bible speaks of time and seasons.

Ecclesiastes 3:1 (Msg)

¹  There's an opportune time to do things, a right time for everything on earth...

Your days are ruled by the clock. The choices that you make with each tick of the clock will shape your future. Time can sometimes feel unimportant. Struggling with the mundane routines of life can be seen as a “waste of time.” Maybe you don't feel like you're experiencing the life you dreamed of. You operate in survival mode instead of passionately living.

Anonymous. Forgotten. Hidden. Have you ever felt this way?  Once you had a position or title – in your home, neighborhood, crew, family, job, etc. Now you might be unimportant and unconsidered. Invisible.

Concealed for months, years, or decades, you might think that your potential is in hibernation like a bear in winter. And as time passes, you wonder if Spring will ever awaken it again.

All of us are acquainted with chapters in life when our visible fruitfulness is pruned back and our strengths and abilities are unnoticed by the watching world.

God Himself sees you. Here, today, He sees each and every one of you. God appreciates the visible and invisible equally – He values you no more than He values me. God never wastes anyone’s time.

Right now, we can only see the tip of the iceberg of who you are. But did you know that arctic scientists tell us that only 1/8 to 1/10 of an iceberg is actually visible? As much as 90% is submerged in the UNSEEN. Because of their enormous masses, icebergs are virtually indestructible.

10% visible + 90% unseen = an indestructible life.

The most influential life in all of history reflected the iceberg equation. 90% of Jesus’ life on earth was spent in obscurity. 10% of His earthly life was spent in the public eye. All of His life was, and is, indestructible.

Jesus’ first three decades were mostly unrecorded, but they were not uneventful. During these 29 invisible years Jesus submitted to a delayed destiny. A God-sized mission pulsed in His heart, but He wasn’t free to proclaim it or pursue it. Onlookers only saw the tip of the iceberg of who Jesus truly was. Yet indestructible greatness was growing within Him during this time.

John 7:40-42

⁴⁰ On hearing his words, some of the people said, “Surely this man is the Prophet.” ⁴¹ Others said, “He is the Christ.” Still others asked, “How can the Christ come from Galilee? ⁴² Does not the Scripture say that the Christ will come from David’s family^[a] and from Bethlehem, the town where David lived?”

Matthew 13:54-57

⁵⁴ Coming to his hometown, he began teaching the people in their synagogue, and they were amazed.“Where did this man get this wisdom and these miraculous powers?” they asked. ⁵⁵ “Isn’t this the carpenter’s son? Isn’t his mother’s name Mary, and aren’t his brothers James, Joseph, Simon and Judas?⁵⁶ Aren’t all his sisters with us? Where then did this man get all these things?” ⁵⁷ And they took offense at him.

What good thing can come out of  Brea, Covina, San Dimas, Whittier, etc? A lot. I have seen it.

When we state our desire to be more like Jesus, we are not referring to Jesus’ hidden years right? We are not saying, “I want to live 90% of my life in obscurity!”?

• Our desire to be like Jesus cannot include an exemption clause. Jesus’ character and authority were built over TIME, a time largely unrecorded and uneventful.

Jesus appears to have walked unstressed and unhurried. His peaceful pace seems to imply that He measured Himself by whom He was following and how closely they walked together.

• God was Jesus’ primary pursuit.
• Just like Jesus, when God calls your soul simultaneously to greatness and obscurity, the fruit – if you WAIT for it – can change the world.

Imagine a 2-story house. It’s beautiful from the outside. But the beauty of the exterior is only possible if the interior is strong. The unglamorous guts of the house are what give it strength to build on and survive. All of the plumbing, duct work, and support beams are “hidden”. If the “unseen” is carefully attended to, the visible can expand on a trustworthy foundation.

Though unpopular, your TIME in this season does not need to be unproductive. Within the walls of your workplace, home, school and church, God houses the guts of a fruitful future. Here, in the poorly lit crawl space of life, God wants to build within you a sturdy support system for your soul. If you do not respect His craftsmanship in this “hidden season” all that is visible in your life will rest on a fragile foundation, and eventually you’ll experience collapse.Jesus’ hidden years established a foundation in His life. He resisted rushing and took the TIME to live them well.

When Jesus entered the wilderness each layer of temptation would rest on its predecessor (like the second floor of a house rests on the first floor) with double or triple the full weight bearing down on Jesus' hidden foundation. His foundation was secure, so no amount of temptation on the planet could crush Him.

Every choice we make is an investment into a future we cannot see.

  

II. TEMPTATION

And now comes the major understatement of the Bible…

Matthew 4:2

² After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry.

In Jesus’ state of hunger,

Matthew 4:3-4

³ The tempter came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.”⁴ Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”

Lures are tempting, attractive baits used to trap someone or something. Think of Satan’s lures as tasty treats offered on a camouflaged hook.

Satan did not care any more about Jesus having a piece of bread than He did about Eve having a piece of fruit. He still doesn’t care whether we crave food, money, sex or control. He focuses on the HOOK, and whatever fleeting pleasure we experience is worth it from his perspective as long as in the end he gets the hook into us.

In this layer of temptation, Jesus was hungry, and what Satan basically said was, “What are you waiting for? Do something about it! Satisfy your need now!” Satan didn’t suggest that Jesus steal food – that would have broken one of God’s commandments. But eating? Food in itself isn’t sinful. And here is where Satan’s lures can be deceptive. This wasn’t about WHAT Jesus ate, as much as it was about WHEN Jesus would eat. Would Jesus obey God even when obedience required delayed satisfaction of a basic human need?

• Satan’s most effective lure is: immediate gratification. Feel familiar? In our day, we are unapologetically addicted to the immediate – why should we wait when it is within or power not to?
• Which is EXACTLY the question Satan posed before Jesus.

 Concentrating our attention on the tasty treat dangled before us is unwise. This is the fatal mistake Eve made. She didn’t throw out an anchor to stabilize herself. Instead, she tried to navigate temptation with her desires and passions leading the way.

Don’t fall prey to the lie of just one. We disconnect the moment of temptation from all other moments because we rationalize that just this once….

• You give in. Pleasure can anesthetize us against that taste temporarily, but when it wears off, the pain and shame reconnect you with reality.
• Jesus did NOT succumb to the hook or the lie of just one. Nor did He trust His emotions to navigate Himself through Satan’s temptings.
• In the place of temptation, Jesus threw out a hook of His own – an ANCHOR that caught in something immovable – the Word of God.

Matthew 4:4

Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”

God’s Word is not merely our anchor in temptation, it is the anchor of our existence.

When tempted in the layer of appetite, of something you crave, it may sincerely feel as though we will die if our cravings are not satisfied.Something does die when we re-position our feelings behind God’s truth and refuse to let appetite rule: OURSELVES.

Jesus wasn’t in DENIAL about how He felt (He wasn’t chanting “I’m not hungry!”) – but internally what He was saying was, “There is something I need more than food: my life is sustained by God’s Word”)

Victory wasn’t on hold waiting for Jesus’ feelings of hunger to disappear. Instead, victory was waiting for Jesus to reposition His felt appetite behind God’s eternal will.

Remember that feelings were designed to FOLLOW not to LEAD. So when God’s will and word take the drivers seat in our lives, our feelings and desires are free to follow.

  

Today’s decisions foreshadow tomorrow’s challenges and reflect yesterday’s choices. Follow Jesus’ example – lean into God during the barren seasons of your life. The result will prayerfully be an indestructible life. 

xoxo,

Jenny