"Dear God, Please help me to do well on this exam."
"Dear Lord, I hope that you will heal Sally's grandmother from her sickness."
"Dear God...if there is a god..."
These three scenarios are common occurrences that arise in the prayer life of Christians and non-Christians alike. They are the fleeting quips, uttered as a last ditch effort and as a last resort in that great time of need.
Most often, prayer is the last thing that comes to mind.
The thought: If I can't do it...then maybe God can.
This thought demonstrates an incorrect prioritization of the things in our lives. It says, I am stronger, and I can do it on my own. And if perchance, I simply can't do it on my own, then...and only then, will I go to God.
But why is it that prayer is so frequently the last thing on our to-do list?
It's simple. The thought is wrong.
The new thought: God can do all things.
If God can do all things, He doesn't need my permission to do them. If we all genuinely believed that "every good and perfect gift is from above," our prayer lives would be transformed.
Rather than a last minute quip, thought would go into the prayer that we produce. Beyond that, we would change our habits from "the last ditch effort prayer" to the "prayer of expectancy".
What is this "prayer of expectancy"? And how does it differ from "the last ditch effort prayer"?
Quite honestly, "the last ditch effort prayer" offers little hope. And, while sometimes necessary, does not build a strong foundation for a wholesome prayer life.
On the contrary, thought is given to the "prayer of expectancy". It is a function of a heart that earnestly expects God to answer. Not expecting the Lord to answer in the way that we specifically want, but one that expects an answer. It accompanies a person who genuinely prays expectantly. It offers true hope.
Wouldn't you want to spend more time with God if you truly believed that He loved and cared for you? That He wants to answer your prayers? That He wants you to want Him to know all the intricacies of your life?
So pray expecting God to answer. Pray with a spirit of genuine faithfulness, not as a last ditch effort, but as a matter of first priority. Pray expectantly.
Monday, November 21, 2011
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
Satan is Alive ... And Well
Sometimes, I think I forget that both God AND Satan exist. That there really is a heaven AND a hell. That there really are angels AND demons.
Sometimes, I focus so much on God, and His perfection, and His strength, that I forget that their is even an opposer.
This is the first step to denying God. For why would anyone need God if there was no one to oppose, no one to defend against, no one vying for the attention of your soul?
How easy it is to ignore the very thing that is right in front of our faces. The reality that man is depraved, that sin exists, and that Satan is very much alive and at work should be so clear and obvious to us.
But, Satan is the ultimate deceiver. For he discovered that if he can get us to believe that he doesn't exist, then evil doesn't exist, and it is much easier to deny the very real reality that we ourselves are sinners in need of a Savior.
Daily this is the lie that many of us are fed. Dangerous as it may be...it is not the only tool that Satan has in his toolbox. His second tool is to cause us to believe that God isn't capable of saving us, that we don't have the tools to fight and defeat him and his minions.
"Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 13 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God."
As Christians, we are given the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the gospel of peace, the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit. We are given the Word of God. God equips and prepares us for battle, not to fight an invisible enemy, but to fight an enemy that is very much alive and well.
May we be men and women of faith who are willing to openly rebuke Satan; not in our own strength, but rather through the magnificent strength and glory of Jesus Christ!
Sometimes, I focus so much on God, and His perfection, and His strength, that I forget that their is even an opposer.
In C.S. Lewis' book, The Screwtape Letters, Screwtape, the devil, feeds his "project" the following lie:
Satan, evil spirits, and hell don't really exist.
How easy it is to ignore the very thing that is right in front of our faces. The reality that man is depraved, that sin exists, and that Satan is very much alive and at work should be so clear and obvious to us.
But, Satan is the ultimate deceiver. For he discovered that if he can get us to believe that he doesn't exist, then evil doesn't exist, and it is much easier to deny the very real reality that we ourselves are sinners in need of a Savior.
Daily this is the lie that many of us are fed. Dangerous as it may be...it is not the only tool that Satan has in his toolbox. His second tool is to cause us to believe that God isn't capable of saving us, that we don't have the tools to fight and defeat him and his minions.
In Ephesians 5, God doesn't just tell us that Satan exists.
God gives us all the tools we need to defeat him:
"Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 13 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God."
As Christians, we are given the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the gospel of peace, the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit. We are given the Word of God. God equips and prepares us for battle, not to fight an invisible enemy, but to fight an enemy that is very much alive and well.
May we be men and women of faith who are willing to openly rebuke Satan; not in our own strength, but rather through the magnificent strength and glory of Jesus Christ!
Friday, November 4, 2011
The Strength of the Blesser
I've always been a joyful person. The sort of person who gets so hyper that they are literally rolling on the floor laughing. A single witty comment can send me into a writhing fit of uncontrollable laughter, propelling me headlong into a state vaguely reminiscent of euphoria.
On many an occasion (perhaps even daily?), I scare my friends with one of these occurrences which are frightfully alarming and cause many to wonder if I just might not be insane.
Being happy, hyper, crazy, you-name-it, I've been it. Joy has never been a problem for me.
Nothing wrong with this, right?
Well, the simple answer is no. But the more complicated, longer answer is a yes-no.
One day, someone who is very special to me said something that I will never forget. He said,
"I know you're a joyful person, Olivia, but what is it that you take joy in?"
He praised me for being joyful and recognized that joy is something that we, as Christians, are called to. But he promptly told me that he wanted me to find joy in things that were much bigger than the things of this world. He reminded me that the joy of the Lord is my strength!!!
Was I really taking joy in the Lord? Or was it stemming from something else? I mean, God created me to be a joyful person, and I'm glad for that, but I couldn't only find joy in life because that was my natural disposition. The object and the cause of my joy should be dedicated solely to the Lord.
A few weeks later, I was reading a book on prayer. As I read it out loud, this sentiment struck me:
Joy places emphasis on the blessed, thanksgiving places emphasis on the Blesser!
I realized that if the joy of the Lord really was my strength, I would not merely be joyful, but I would be in a state of constant thanksgiving. In fact, I would joyfully be praising Him for His strength.
To be clear, there is nothing wrong with being joyful, but there is something wrong if I place more emphasis on my joy, and too little emphasis on the Giver of that joy!
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