Prayer

“Lord, teach us to pray.” – Luke 11:1.

Prayer was an important part of Jesus' life and ministry. Jesus knew, and wants us to know, that prayer is mightier than the sword, and has the ability to slay the enemies of the soul. 

Prayer is brighter than the rays of the sun, revealing the hidden depths of the human spirit. 

Prayer is quicker and stronger than eagles’ wings, bearing us up from the confines of the earth and transporting us to the throne room of God. 

Prayer is a greater power in the transformation of the world than all legislation and military might. 

The center of its power is in the heart which utters it; the radius of its influence is as infinite as the mind of the Living God. It is the cool breath that comes to ease the fevered brow. It is the Holy lever of Archimedes to move the world! 

How is your prayer life my friend?

Also, let us know if we can help or pray for you! 

Prayer: A Mystery Unfolds

We lead a prayer ministry at our church.  So I feel like I think about prayer fairly often.  But this week the morning show I listen to (The Walley Show) was talking about prayer, specifically about when prayers are unanswered or answered in a way that we weren’t really hoping for or expecting.  They had many examples of how these unanswered prayers lead to bigger things that they just couldn’t see.  Which I agree happens often, but not always.  Recently I’ve also watched a relatively new believer blossom into a beautiful example of Christian boldness emboldened by the Holy Spirit. We also have come to realize that many struggle to attend our prayer gathering because of a fear of praying a loud, or a fear of praying wrong. I’ve watched Christians grapple with this concept of corporate prayer and have been moved and touched by the words that they themselves feel fall short. So I’ve been thinking a lot more about prayer this week.

Prayer is indeed mysterious.  To me, prayer has always seemed simple on so many levels. I grew up Catholic and my youthful prayers were either repetitive rote memorization or easy flowing conversations (many times one sided conversations) with God.  It was a lot of asking, a little thinking, and many times it felt desperate.  As I’ve grown as a Christian, delved deeper into the Word, and walked through spiritual battles, my concept of prayer has definitely evolved. It is far from simple.  But in many ways, it is still very mysterious- and there are many things I don’t understand.

Dear Christian, You can't Win.

Don't argue with fools. 

There is an old gambling saying: “You can’t lose what you don’t put in the middle”. However, what I’m witnessing on social media and news websites is: we have way too many Christians “going all in”! What I mean by that is we are wasting precious time arguing with people whose only motivation is to attack Christianity (and Christians) directly and by proxy. This is clearly evident when you witness non-believers and spiritual reprobates suddenly quoting Bible scriptures and proselyting like a possessed carnival barker. While their positions have the veneer of pure kindness and altruism, there is something inherently rotten at the core: the hatred of God. Yes, I said it because it is true…they hate everything Christianity stands for; they hate you! Now they would never have the guts to come right out and say it, but they do.

ADORATION

I was reading Psalms 78 today and I was in absolute wonder of what an awesome God we serve! Unregenerate man cannot fully understand the wonder and power of God. Proverbs 1:7 states, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge…” Psalms 111:10 also states, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; prudent are all who live by it. Your praise endures forever.”

Without being born again and without the Holy Spirit, man is incapable of truly understanding the hidden things of God. Our God is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow…for God never changes! This is the same God that split the Red Sea piling up the waters rigid as walls. This is the same God that spread a table in the desert and rained manna and meat upon the people like dust!

We must worship God in spirit and truth. God is able to take worship out of the hands of men and put it in the hands of the Holy Spirit. It is impossible to truly worship God without the impartation of the Holy Spirit. It is the operation of the Spirit of God within us that enables us to worship God acceptably through the Person of the Lord Jesus Christ, who is the physical manifestation of God. So worship originates with God and comes back to us and is reflected from us, as a mirror. This is the only worship that is pleasing to God.

Have you recently studied, and/or experienced anything that brought you into the awe-inspiring presence of God?