Pray

"If my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land." - 2 Chronicles 7:14

It is 4:45 in the morning. I have been up since 3:00am. Recently the Lord has been convicting me that I don't pray enough and I have been asking him to give me a heart that constantly seeks him and brings me to my knees in prayer. Well he seems to be answering my prayer by waking me up at 3am and feeling the overwhelming need to pray. I have spent the past hour and 45 minutes reading scripture and praying. It has been an awesome time of asking God for forgiveness, asking him to transform me, and petitioning for friends, family, and the ministry.

I truly believe if God's people humble themselves and pray and seek his face the Lord our God will move in ways we never thought possible. Men and Women of God we need to be a people of prayer. We need to stop praying safe prayers, our prayers need to be Biblical. My prayers have shifted from "God give me a good day" to "God do whatever it takes today to conform me to the image of Jesus Christ." God has been teaching me to stop praying for my own comfort and start praying for His kingdom to come and His will to be done. We need to take a look at scripture and see how our Biblical heroes prayed. We need to look at Jesus's prayer in John 17. We need to pray the Lord's prayer and mean it. So today, ask God to give you a heart of prayer, an attitude of prayer, and a constant knowledge that God is able to do immeasurably more than we can ask or imagine. Billy Graham once stated that in the morning he picks up the phone to God and doesn't put it down till he goes to bed. He lived in constant prayer. What happens when the people of God truly grasp 1 Thessalonians 5:17-18 where it says, "pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you."

"Our Father in heaven

hallowed be your name.

Your kingdom come,

your will be done,

on earth as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread,

and forgive us our debts,

as we also have forgiven our debtors.

And lead us not into temptation,

but deliver us from evil."

- Matthew 6:9-13

The Road of Reflection

One thing that I love is long reflective car rides. I tend to do my best thinking while I am driving by myself for long periods of time or in the shower. Those long drives by yourself gives you plenty of time to spend just talking with God and listening to Him. This past weekend I was driving to Indiana Wesleyan to spend some time with some college students. The drive takes about 4.5 hours and I was enjoying the ride by praying, listening to some Allistair Begg sermons, and worshiping. At one point I was listening to my advanced copy of the new Polen CD. I got to the song called "At The Cross" and almost broke down in tears. Do you ever have those moments when God's truth becomes so real to you and hits home? Have you ever had those moments when you realize how messed up your life would be without Jesus Christ? That is what happened at this moment. These words began repeating...

"I was spotless, I was blameless, I was the perfect Lamb of God,

You were broken, fallen, worthless, yet I died, I died for you."

As I was driving the weight of the truth in those words overwhelmed me. I was reminded of how wretched I am and how perfect Christ is. How I don't deserve anything and he deserves everything. How God would take a messed up sinner like me and save me is beyond my comprehension. At this point God's love became very real to me. I began to understand how wide, how deep God's love is for us. We are broken, fallen, worthless people yet He died, He died for us. Do you believe that? Really, does that truth effect your life? Does it do anything in your heart? Because I know for me it brings me to my knees.

The rest of the drive all I could do was thank God. Thank Him for His love, His goodness, His kindness, His faithfulness, His patience, His sacrifice... the list goes on and on. It made Romans 12:1 very real to me. When we realize how broken we are and how perfect God is our only response should be to offer our bodies as living sacrifices to Him. I pray today that you would take time to feel the weight of the words from that song. That God would bring you to your knees and you would cry out with thankfulness to your heavenly Father. That you would know its not about you and it is about God. That He is ultimately in control and that you can fully trust in Him.

*Please join us in supporting an awesome band (Polen) that is truly seeking after God and leading people into worship. They will be releasing their new CD at 3 consecutive concerts March 19th, 20th, & 21st. Cost is $10 and you receive their new CD free ($12 value). Don and I will also be speaking at the events. For tickets & more info visit www.polenband.com or let me know, I am selling pre-sale tickets as well.

Icicles

With the recent snow storms I have had to do a lot of snow shoveling. In the midst of shoveling I began to notice many icicles forming on our gutters above our driveway. Some of these icicles were very large and must have weighed 20-30 pounds. Underneath the icicles were cars and also a walkway where most of us walk. As I fixated on the icicles with fascination I began to think about sin. You see, just like an icicle it starts out small and builds. The more snow that melts and re-freezes the bigger and heavier the icicle gets. The same is true in our lives, as we let more and more unrepentant sin build up in our lives it becomes a large heavy icicle that hangs over our heads ready to crush us.

These icicles presented a dangerous situation for the guys at the house and visitors who would come by. Something must be done about the icicles and something must be done about sin. The other day we moved the cars and worked together to safely knock down the icicles and pick up the pieces of broken ice. The danger of the icicles was then removed. In our own lives something must be done about sin. Jesus came not only to save us from the sin but to pick up the broken pieces in our lives. So in your life are their icicles? Is there sin that hasn't been dealt with that is turning into an icicle? I would encourage you to get on your knees and surrender to Jesus Christ. You might need some friends to help you break down your own icicles and to help you pick up the pieces.

The funny thing is two days later I walked outside and the icicles were back. Know that we are in a battle, know it is not us that sins but the sin nature that is in our flesh. May you keep your eyes fixed on Jesus Christ and may he bring freedom, healing, and victory over the sin that so easily entangles us!

So now it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me. For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing. - Romans 7:17-19

Union

"Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me." - John 15:4

Love by its nature seeks union.

Union: the state of being joined or united or linked

We are seekers of union. We want to love and be loved. There is something inside each one of us that wants to be united with something. When God calls you into a personal relationship with Jesus Christ it isn't just something you "add on" to you current life. You are now in union with Jesus Christ through the Holy Spirit that dwells inside of you. You are joined, united, and linked with the God of creation. You are now always together, you cannot be separated, nothing can break your union. Many times we lose sight of our union with Christ. Though it is an essential
part of our Theology it is many times forgotten. Our union with Christ is an amazing thing, it radically changes our perspective once we truly start to understand it. As the author Brennan Manning puts it,

"Until the love of God that knows no boundary, limit, or breaking point is internalized through personal decision; until the furious longing of God seizes the imagination; until the heart is conjoined to the mind through sheer grace, nothing happens. ...The revolutionary thinking that God loves me as I am and not as I should be requires radical rethinking and profound emotional readjustment."

Jesus, human words cannot bear the weight of Your mercy and compassion. My union with You is like being so attached that life seems impossible without You. Detached from You during my days of sour wine and withered roses was a shadow life. I have no sense of myself apart from You. My bones say thank You for this now moment. Amen.

When Everything Falls Apart

This past week I have been listening to Fee's cd Hope Rising. The song Everything Falls has been an encouragement to me and I just wanted to share the lyrics with you.

you said
you'd never leave or forsake me
when you said,
this life is gonna shake me
you said
this world is gonna bring trouble on my soul
this i know

when everything falls apart
your arms hold me together
when everything falls apart
your the only hope for this heart
when everything falls apart
and my strength is gone
i find you mighty and strong
you keep holding on
you keep holding on

when i see
the darkness all around me
when i see
the tragedy has found me
i still believe
your faithful arms will never let me go
and still i know

when everything falls apart
your arms hold me together
when everything falls apart
your the only hope for this heart
when everything falls apart
and my strength is gone
i find you mighty and strong
you keep holding on
you keep holding on

?shallow? i last for the night
but hope is rising with the sun
(its rising with the sun)
there will be storms in this light
but i know you will overcome

when everything falls apart
your arms hold me together
when everything falls apart
your the only hope for this heart
when everything falls apart
and my strength is gone
i find you mighty and strong
you keep holding on

when everything falls apart
your arms hold me together
when everything falls apart
your the only hope for this heart
when everything falls apart
and my strength is gone
i find you mighty and strong
you keep holding on

you keep holding on

"No one will be able to stand up against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you or forsake you. Be strong and courageous, because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their forefathers to give them. Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go. Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go." - Joshua 1:5-9

The Body of Christ

"Just as each one of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. We have different gifts according to the grace given to us..." Romans 12:4-6a

Do you believe you are a vital member of the Body of Christ? Because you are. Do you believe the church needs you like a body needs a mouth? Because it does.

You have a role. God has given you God-ordained gifts, talents, and passions to use for His glory. The Lord has placed you in a local church body to play a role in that particular body of Christ. God has prepared people for you to minister to, pray for, and serve. He just wants His children to be obedient and fulfill their purpose in Christ. My prayer for you today is that you will understand that you are valued in the kingdom of God, you have a vital role in the body of Christ.

Heart of Expectation

Expectations define our experience

What are your expectations of God?

What are you expectations of Church?

What are your expectations of Prayer?

What are your expectations of Scripture?

Are you expecting to hear from God and be moved by the Holy Spirit?

I want to challenge you to seriously consider and evaluate your expectations. Do you expect other people to manufacture a "God Emotional High" experience or do you prepare your heart and mind to hear and be moved by the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Do you expect to hear from God each and every day when you get out of bed? Do you expect the Holy Spirit to speak to you through Scripture? Prayer? My heart is that you would evaluate your expectations and compare them to what Scripture says.

New Year's Resolutions Part 2

So, after my blog yesterday I came across a quote that confirmed my convictions about reading through the Bible this year. It is by J.I. Packer and says, "Any Christian worth his salt ought to read the Bible from cover-to-cover every year."

13"You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men.
14"You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden.

- Matthew 5:13-14

Packer poses a great question we all need to answer, are we worth are salt? Or you could go on to ask, How bright is your light? Recently God has just been teaching me the power and importance of Scripture. We need to read, know, and understand God's Word. I will leave you with this passage from the book "Primal":

"One of the common complaints people make when leaving a church is this: "I'm not being fed." As a preacher, I make it my goal to nourish our congregation via a well-rounded diet of sermons. And I try to preach every sermon like it's my last. But let me push back a little. My kids learned to feed themselves when they were toddlers. If you're not being fed, that's your fault. I'm afraid we've unintentionally fostered a subtle form of spiritual codependency in our churches. It is easy to let others take responsibility for what should be our responsibility. So we let our pastors study the Bible for us."

New Year's Resolutions

I have never been a big fan of New Year's Resolutions. I guess my thought would be, "why wait till January 1st to start doing something, do it now!" However, I always think a new year allows us to reflect on the past year and more forward to a new one. This year I felt compelled to make some "resolutions" or goals spiritually for 2010. I wanted to share them with you not only to challenge you to make some goals spiritually for yourself but also to keep myself accountable.

Goal #1: Read through the Bible in 2010. I have never committed to do this and completed it yet so this year I felt this is something I really need to do. The more of God's word I can implant on my heart the more ammunition I have to battle Satan. This year I want to challenge you to know the Word of God.

Goal #2: Read 15 books this year. I really am growing to love to read. I think Christian books are great in addition to the Bible. They help me understand people, culture, and share stories of others in ministry. I will probably be blogging a lot over this next year about the books I am reading and the truths God shows me through His Word.

The first book I am diving into for 2010 is called "Primal" by Mark Batterson. Mark is the pastor of National Community Church on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. I have really enjoyed one of his previous books "Wild Goose Chase." Here are some highlights so far:

• Many Christians know what they believe, but they don't know why they believe what they believe. Their faith is fragile because it has never been tested intellectually or experientially. When they encounter questions they cannot answer or experiences they cannot explain, it causes a crisis of faith.
• If Jesus said that loving God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength is the most important commandment, then doesn't it logically follow that we ought to spend an inordinate amount of our time and energy trying to understand it and obey it.?
• Minds often remain closed to the truth until hearts have been opened by compassion.

Bonded

I want you to think about a really rough point in your life, some obstacle, some hardship, some bump in the road that you had to overcome. Were you alone? Did you have anyone to walk with you through those times?

As I have been studying the book of 1 Thessalonians I am understanding that we are not meant to suffer alone. Shared suffering and hardships are much easier to bear than when you are on your own. So many people give up on God, relationships, people, and life because no one pleads with them not to give up. So today if that is you I want to challenge you not to give up. Read and understand the context of 1 Thessalonians. Paul not only shared the Gospel of Jesus Christ with them but he was willing to share his own life and share in their suffering as well (2:8).

When we share our lives with one another and walk "through the fire" we are refined and grow stronger. Think about the Holocaust for example. In the midst of extreme suffering people were brought close together. Christians all over Germany and Europe bonded together to help people. Many people shared in the suffering of the Jews to help them.

We even see that in many areas in our own lives. Look at sports teams. When teams overcome the team grows stronger and their is unity among the group. As Christians we are a team. Living for Christ in a world that is totally opposed to the things of God is really hard. We have many failures and have many obstacles to overcome. We need to share our lives with one another and walk through the hardships and sufferings with people so that we may be strengthened and God may be glorified.