You may not know this, but Christianity isn’t meant to make you into an efficient, moral woman. Are we meant to change as Christ stuns us with His forgiveness? Absolutely. But the transformation that comes, impacting who we are as women, does so naturally, as an afterthought of God’s love for us, surprising us as it shows up.

                                                                                                        —Jan Meyers

Are you stunned by Christ’s forgiveness? Shocked by his unconditional love that flows no matter our behavior?

I hope so. We should never lose our wonder and sheer astonishment over the grace and kindness of God, demonstrated clearly by Christ’s death for us. One of our greatest deterrents against the onslaught of besetting sins is to plunge deeply into the life and ministry of Jesus. How long has it been since you slowly, prayerfully read one of the gospels?

I just finished Matthew’s account of the Lord’s short earthly ministry. I was moved by Jesus’ compassion as he graciously stopped to heal a blind beggar. I paused and put myself in the desperate man’s place. Physically I am able to see clearly, but I asked the Lord, “Where am I blind to your perpetual presence in my life?” And do you know what he showed me? I am blinded when the whirl of daily activities and demands causes me to worry instead of pray. I am blinded by my incessant selfishness from seeing and responding to the countless needs of others in my life. I quietly asked God to heal me of my blindness, too.

At the end of Matthew’s gospel, I stopped again at the empty tomb. Mary Magdalene was there at dawn, her love so great, she just had to be with Jesus. She fully expected to find him still dead. But what did she find? A glowing angel, frightened guards, and an empty tomb. The guards were not the only ones afraid; Mary was terrified, too. But the angel did not tell the soldiers to quit their shaking; only to Mary did he say, “Don’t be afraid.” Why? Jesus was no longer in the tomb,  but alive, a victor over death, sin, and fear. As I reread the account, I needed to hear those words myself. I struggle with fears—fear of what people will think of me and fear of failure in ministry activities, to name just a few. So I personally received the “Fear not!” for me, as well. I am now comforted and more aware of the surprising nature of God’s love.

Choose a gospel today and begin a thoughtful, application-rich read.

Here are some excellent insights into answered prayer from Rick Warren. They may not be new thoughts, but they’re refreshing to remember in light of the call for a National Collegiate Day of Prayer on February 25, 2010. If you’re interested in participating, check out this link: CollegiateDayOfPrayer.org.

Four Secretes to Answered Prayer
by Rick Warren

“Then [Nehemiah] said, ‘O Lord, God of heaven, the great and awesome God who keeps his covenant of unfailing love with those who love him and obey his commands, listen to my prayer! . . . I confess that we have sinned against you . . . Please remember what you told your servant Moses: If you are unfaithful to me, I will scatter you among the nations. But if you return to me and obey my commands and live by them, then even if you are exiled to the ends of the earth, I will bring you back to the place I have chosen for my name to be honored . . . Please grant me success today by making the king favorable to me. Put it into his heart to be kind to me’” (Nehemiah 1:5-11 NLT).   Here are four secrets to answered prayer from the life of Nehemiah: 

Base your request on God’s character—Pray like you know God will answer you: “I’m expecting You to answer this prayer because of Who You are. You are a faithful God. You are a great God. You are a loving God. You are a wonderful God. You can handle this problem, God!”

Confess the sins of which you’re aware—After Nehemiah based his prayer on who God is, he confessed his sins. He says, “We’ve sinned.” He says, “I confess . . . myself . . . my father’s house . . . we have acted wickedly . . . we have not obeyed.” It wasn’t Nehemiah’s fault that Israel went into captivity. He wasn’t even born when it happened and he was most likely born in captivity. Yet, he’s including himself in the national sins. He says, “I’ve been a part of the problem.”

Claim the promises of God—Nehemiah prays to the Lord, saying, “I want You to remember what You told your servant Moses.” Can you imagine saying “Remember” to God? Nehemiah reminds God of a promise He made to the nation of Israel. In effect, he prays, “God, you warned through Moses that if we were unfaithful, we would lose the land of Israel. But you also promised that if we repent, You’d give it back to us.”

Does God have to be reminded? No. Does He forget what He’s promised? No. Then why do we do this? Because it helps us remember what God has promised.

Be very specific in what you ask for—If you want specific answers to prayer, then make specific requests. If your prayers consist of general requests, how will you know if they’re answered?

Nehemiah is not hesitant to pray for success. He’s very bold in his praying. Have you ever prayed, “Lord, make me successful?” If you haven’t, why haven’t you? What is the alternative? A failure?

Is it OK to ask God to make you successful? It all depends on your definition of success! I believe a good definition of success is—“Fulfilling God’s purpose for my life in faith, love, and the power of the Holy Spirit, and expecting the results from God.” That is a worthy life objective that you should be able to pray for with confidence.

Consider this—If you can’t ask God to make you a success at what you’re doing, you should be doing something else. God doesn’t want you to waste your life. ]]> http://graceandguts.net/prayer-pages/prayer-page-2/feed/ 0 http://graceandguts.net/devoted-to-prayer/devoted-to-prayer-6/ http://graceandguts.net/devoted-to-prayer/devoted-to-prayer-6/#comments Fri, 19 Feb 2010 16:48:18 +0000 barbara http://graceandguts.net/?p=440  

Spirit of the Living God 

Flow into your beloved child

Heal in me everything that harms you

Strengthen everything that is weak

And lift my heart to reflect your glory. Amen  

                                                                                                         —Celtic prayer

In quiet humility, pray the Celtic prayer again. Pause at the completion of each phrase. What does the Spirit of the Living God bring to mind as you recall how beloved you are, especially when you consider activities that harm God or places of personal weakness?

Flow into your beloved child. At first, I resist the notion of being beloved. My museum of memories kicks in and is flooded with all the reasons I should not be beloved: past failures and present self-centeredness; the countless times my sins have broken the heart of God; my overarching tendency to look to myself to accomplish what only God can do. But like the sun peeking through the dark clouds, the gentle reminder from the Spirit of the Living God comes: “But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy” (Titus 3:4-5). I am comforted by mercy and lean again into being the beloved.

Heal in me everything that harms you. Ok, so what comes to mind when you ponder the ways you harm God. For me, getting busy with the daily stuff of life instead of spending time just to be with the one who loved me enough to hang for me. I harm him when I choose to live in unforgiveness, bitterness, and resentment when he has so lavishly forgiven me of things I dare not even speak about. King David captured the thought in Psalm 51:4: “Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight.” He was grieved over his harm of God. I am, too.

Strengthen everything that is weak. Acknowledging weakness attracts the presence of God, fine-tunes our dependency, and advances our prayer life like nothing else. Isaiah 40:29 says, “He gives strength to the weary and increases power to the weak.” In 2 Corinthians 12:9, Paul quotes the Lord’s promise, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness,” and Paul goes on to conclude, “Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.”

And lift my heart to reflect your glory. Can you believe we’d have such an honor? Paul puts it this way in 2 Corinthians 3:18: “And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.” May his glory be replicated in us.

Praying together for the National Leadership Conference

February 22-26, 2010

“Seek the Lord, all you humble in the land, you who do what he commands. Seek righteousness, seek humility…” 

                                                            -Zephaniah 2:3

The National Leadership Conference is just around the corner. We are again calling for 3 weeks of steadfast prayer prior to the event in Orlando. We think it is thrilling to imagine all of us crying out for mercy, standing together against a very real enemy, and praying in faith so we can see God’s kingdom advanced. We will all begin on Monday February 1^st. Print out this page and use it daily.  We look forward to being with you.   -The National Team

Week 1 (February 1-7): Crying Out for Mercy 

Monday: Does Psalm 130:1-2 express the desires of your heart?

Tuesday: Luke 18:9-14 records beautifully a cry for mercy. Make personal applications.

Wednesday: Read Luke 15:11-32. Consider if there are ways you have wandered from the Lord.

Thursday: Jesus extended mercy to the widow at Nain in Luke 7:11-17. Read the passage and consider where you need his merciful touch today.

Friday: Paul tells a bit of his testimony in I Timothy 1:12-14. Can you relate to his words?

Saturday: The desperate cry for mercy. Read Matthew 20:29-34.

Sunday: Pray Psalm 31:1-3. Ask God to guide our time together.

Week 2: (February 8-14) Standing Firm for Victory 

Monday: Read Exodus 15:1-18. Tell the Lord where you need fresh victory in your life.

Tuesday: Psalm 60:11-12 promises victory. Pray this out loud for our time in Orlando.

Wednesday: What does I Corinthians 15:57-58 promise? Claim this for your life.

Thursday: I John 3:8 gives us great hope as we stand firm for victory. Why? Thank him.

Friday: Read 2 Thessalonians 3:3. Where do you need strengthening and protection?

Saturday: Claim Psalm 18:30-40 for our gathering at the end of the month.

Sunday: Pray 1 Peter 5:6-11 for your team mates.

Week 3: (Feb. 15-21) Launching Forward for Expansion

Monday: Read Isaiah 43:15-19 and ask God to do this in your ministry.

Tuesday: Consider the familiar Matthew 28:18-20 passage. Pray that the gospel goes to every campus, community, faculty, and culture.

Wednesday: Acts 8:4 tells us that the scattered church “preached the gospel wherever they went.” Pray that our evangelistic edge would be sharp.

Thursday: The last words in Acts 28:31 need to be our marching orders. Pray them boldly for each one coming.

Friday: Pray Romans 1:14-17 would be true of our lives and ministries as we expand.

Saturday: Praise God for what heaven will look like according to Revelation 5:11-14.

Sunday: Oh, how we need unity as we believe God to

launch movements everywhere. Pray Ephesians 4:1-6.

Lord God, hear us as we pray. Meet us as we cry for mercy, grace, and faith. We humble ourselves under your mighty hand. Our lives are yours, our future, our friends, and family. We acknowledge that apart from you we can do nothing. We exalt, honor, and love you. Amen.

Every one of us is, even from his mother’s womb, a master craftsman of idols.

                                                                                                 —John Calvin

When we seek satisfaction, significance, or security in anything other than Jesus Christ, we are crafting idols in our hearts.

Idol worship is as old as mankind. One does not need to study culture for very long to see how people have dethroned the one true God and placed all manner of “things” to rule as lord of their lives. The prophet Ezekiel nails it in the Old Testament book that bears his name: “…this message came to me from the Lord: ‘Son of man, these leaders have set up idols in their hearts. They have embraced things that lead them into sin’” (Ezekiel 14:3 NLV).

Ok, that gets my attention as I head into a new decade! Where have I set up idols in my heart that lead me into sin? My idols, like yours, I’d guess, are not ones constructed of wood or stone. No, for me the idols are my performance, my looks, my success, or my reputation in the eyes of others. I have sincerely taken a long look into my heart and have not been altogether excited about what I see there. I’ve been praying about this, and God has highlighted the main idol he wants to tear down now: the idol of approval.

This is what I wrote in my journal just days ago: “I come confessing the idol—and it’s a deep one in my life—approval. I have an inordinate need to be liked and approved of by others. I see myself through their eyes and allow them too much power to define me. God, rout out this vile idol that sets itself up against you and your holy word. You have given me a new, godly identity. Help me to see myself through your eyes. I choose to meditate all year on my new identity in Christ. Help me, Holy Spirit, when I get off-track. Amen.”

Where are your idols that are leading you into sin? Ask God to highlight where you’re seeking meaning apart from Christ. Mostly, these are good things: family, money, health, love, or a good reputation. But we are idol-builders in our hearts, and the enemy of our souls would want us to dethrone our great God and put a fake—any fake, even a basicly good one—in the center of our lives. Take a moment and pray or journal around this question. Let’s begin this new decade with a cleansed spirit before our loving Father. Let’s commit to loving him and him alone so that all our meaning and purpose may be derived from who he is and all he has done for us.

A Morning with Our Lord

O Lord, I have heard a good word inviting me to look away to Thee and be satisfied. My heart longs to respond, but sin has clouded my vision till I see Thee but dimly. Be pleased to cleanse me in Thine own precious blood, and make me inwardly pure, so that I may with unveiled eyes gaze upon Thee all the days of my earthy pilgrimage—A.W. Tozer

Such is the cry of our hearts to know God intimately through prayer. We long for satisfaction found only in him. We seek a clarified focus to behold him in all his glory. Enjoy a morning doing just that, my friend.

Psalm 9 (NLV)

Early Morning Renewal

Scripture:  ¹ I will praise you, Lord, with all my heart;
      I will tell of all the marvelous things you have done.
 ² I will be filled with joy because of you.
      I will sing praises to your name, O Most High.

Ponder:  Ask yourself:  Have I thanked the Father for his abundant goodness to me? What steals joy from my life? Is praise a part of my response when things go badly?

Prayer:  “Be still in the presence of the Lord, and wait patiently for him to act” (Psalm 37:7). Tell the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit how much you love them. Reflect where you’d be had they not rescued you? Is there any sin that is clogging your ability to really enter into worship this morning? Confess. Let praise flow freely to the Lord.

Mid Morning Refreshment

Scripture:  ³ My enemies retreated;
      they staggered and died when you appeared.
 ⁴ For you have judged in my favor;
      from your throne you have judged with fairness.
 ⁵ You have rebuked the nations and destroyed the wicked;
      you have erased their names forever.
 ⁶ The enemy is finished, in endless ruins;
      the cities you uprooted are now forgotten.

Ponder:  Offer praise for the power and justice of God. Have you recently meditated on the cross and the grand victory Jesus’ death and resurrection attained for you? Are you putting on the full armor of God to make a stand against the wiles of the devil?

Prayer:  With great joy, affirm the fact that “the enemy is finished.” Consider any lies you may believe, and confess them. Praise him:  “But you, O Lord, are a shield about me, my glory, and the one who lifts my head” (Psalm 3:3).

Late Morning Replenishment

Scripture:  ⁷ But the Lord reigns forever,
      executing judgment from his throne.
 ⁸ He will judge the world with justice
      and rule the nations with fairness.
 ⁹ The Lord is a shelter for the oppressed,
      a refuge in times of trouble.
 ¹⁰ Those who know your name trust in you,
      for you, O Lord, do not abandon those who search for you.

 ¹¹ Sing praises to the Lord who reigns in Jerusalem.
      Tell the world about his unforgettable deeds.
 ¹² For he who avenges murder cares for the helpless.
      He does not ignore the cries of those who suffer.

 ¹³ Lord, have mercy on me.
      See how my enemies torment me.
      Snatch me back from the jaws of death.
 ¹⁴ Save me so I can praise you publicly at Jerusalem’s gates,
      so I can rejoice that you have rescued me.

Ponder:  Are you in trouble today? Picture God as your refuge, and run to him. Write down all the names of God you can think of.

Prayer:  Sing a song of praise to God. Affirm your need for God’s mercy. Tell him where you need it administered right now. Thank him for the unforgettable ways he’s lavished love and grace on you. Be silent before him. He is holy, holy, holy. “Worship the Lord in all his holy splendor” (Psalm 96:9).

A Final Response

Scripture:  ¹⁵ The nations have fallen into the pit they dug for others.
      Their own feet have been caught in the trap they set.
 ¹⁶ The Lord is known for his justice.
      The wicked are trapped by their own deeds.
                         Quiet Interlude

 ¹⁷ The wicked will go down to the grave.
      This is the fate of all the nations who ignore God.
 ¹⁸ But the needy will not be ignored forever;
      the hopes of the poor will not always be crushed.

 ¹⁹ Arise, O Lord!
      Do not let mere mortals defy you!
      Judge the nations!
 ²⁰ Make them tremble in fear, O Lord.
      Let the nations know they are merely human.
                         Interlude

Ponder:  Ask yourself:  Am I aware that a final judgment will really happen? Am I praying earnestly and consistently for friends, family members, and even strangers I pass on the street for their salvation?

Prayer:  Pray for the poor. Pray for Haiti. So much of our world lives in poverty. Pray sweeping prayers for the nations. Pray for the place in the world that God has put on your heart:  India? Yemen? Ghana? Slip to your knees or fall prostrate before your King. Thank him for the privilege of actually speaking to him about everything. Thank him that your prayers reach his ears—that he is a God who bends to hear our faintest cry.

I give you an invitation: If you are thirsty, come to the living waters. Do not waste your precious time digging wells that have no water in them. If you are starving and can find nothing to satisfy your hunger, then come. Come, and you will be filled. You who are poor, come. You who are afflicted, come. You who are weighted down with your load of wretchedness and your load of pain, come. You will be comforted! You who are sick and need a physician, come. Don’t hesitate because you have diseases. Come to your Lord and show Him all your diseases, and they will be healed! Dear child of God, your Father has His arms of love open wide to you. Throw yourself into His arms. You who have strayed and wandered away as sheep, return to your Shepherd. You who are sinners, come to your Savior.”

                                                  —Madame Jeanne Guyon, French author (1648-1717)

What a glorious invitation as we embark on a new year full of spiritual possibilities. Is there an element of this invitation that caught your attention? For me it was the reminder that God’s arms of love are open so wide to me that I can simply fall freely into them. Is there a more practical way to freefall than through a deepening prayer life? 

It has been so heartening to see prayer grow throughout our ministries in a very organic way. Intercession honors God, cultivates unity, increases evangelism, and matures our movements. Here’s a suggestion for you: Ask God how he wants to grow your prayer life in 2010. Take a day or a half day with the Lord, keeping that question as your primary focus. This can be done personally; as a local, regional, or national team; or in families. God just longs to answer the simple prayer, “Lord, teach us to pray” (Luke 11:1). This month’s  Prayer Page offers practical suggestions for a half day with the Lord spent walking around the ongoing development of your prayer life.

Another suggestion is to begin 24-7 prayer rooms. Quite a number of our regions and campuses have started them and found the results to be nothing short of remarkable. Mark Gauthier and I met recently with the leadership of Campus America, an organization that is spearheading prayer rooms on many campuses. We found it to be a humble, godly group of individuals who simply long to see students pray for revival, purity, freedom, etc. We could have prayer gatherings for high school students, on college and university campuses, and with faculty. See the links below, if interested, for creative and inspiring ideas: 

http://campusamerica.org/sections/1-home/entries/89-video

http://campusamerica.org/assets/159/original/start_up_pack.pdf

 

“I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May it be to me as you have said.”

                                                                                        —Luke 1:38

What strikes you about Mary’s response to Gabriel’s announcement that she would be supernaturally impregnated by the Holy Spirit with Jesus, the Savior of the world? Her calm acceptance of this extraordinary invitation? Or perhaps the fact that she never consulted her betrothed, Joseph, before agreeing to the proclamation?

All noteworthy observations. But what knocks me over is her submission to God’s will for her life. Although nothing is said in the text, it does not take a genius to ascertain what she was agreeing to: being found with child but not married, facing the awful gossip and false assumptions of her morality, and living under a cloud of suspicion for the rest of her life. We even have books and movies up to this day that question her character.

Mary simply said yes. “I am God’s servant. My life is in his hands, and I will do what he has asked.” That response reverberates through the centuries as the quintessential example of willing and joyful submission to our Lord.

Where do you need to say yes to God this holiday season? What is he asking you to do for him? The gift of a willing, obedient heart is a beautiful one to give our Lord, wouldn’t you say?

Have a joyful, Spirit-filled Christmas and a blessed New Years.

Christmas is God’s reminder that we are not alone. God revealed in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus a reconciling love that rescues us from separation and loneliness. We are not alone; God has come down from Heaven to tell us He loves us! At this Christmas season you can be assured that Jesus is here. He is here to give us hope, to forgive our sins, to give us a new song, to impart faith, and to heal our spiritual wounds if only we will let Him.

                                                                                                    —Billy Graham

Many of us feel alone at Christmas—even in a room full of people. We don’t like to ‘fess up to our feelings of isolation, because we’re supposed to be “joyful.” All the songs we sing speak of the wonder of the season, and a wonder of a season it is! But there is another side.

My mother died this year. I miss her terribly. Not everyone in my extended family is on the best of terms, and that makes me sad and angry all at the same time. What is making you feel a bit out of sorts this Christmas? Have you thought about taking a piece of your prayer time this week to just talk to the Lord about it? Being honest and bringing him into the mix of our emotions cultivate intimacy—a gift he’d like to give you today.

He really does want to impart faith, hope, and healing into your heart. He loves you that much. After all, he sent his Son to be our Savior. Not just for the day we’d invite him to be Lord of our lives, but for today, too. We all are still in need of a Savior to rescue us from our doom and gloom and to remind us that he is the light of the world. 

So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature. For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature…” (Galatians 5:16-17).

• Nature turns all things to itself and pushes itself into the spotlight, while grace refers all things to God.
• Nature longs to know secrets and to have the inside story, while grace pursues what is useful for the soul.
• Nature is quick to complain, while grace endures all things resolutely.
• Nature wishes to be seen in public, while grace seeks to avoid vain displays.
• Nature longs to be steeped in sensual experience, while grace exercises restraint of the senses.
• Nature wants to be noticed by others, while grace wants to be noticed by God.
• Nature is ruled by sin, while grace is ruled by grace.
• Nature represents vice, while grace represents virtue.
• Nature attempts to judge between good and evil, while grace teaches us the eternal law of God.
• Nature does not act on what it knows to be good, while grace flees sin and evil.
• Nature relies on natural gifts, while grace relies on the gifts of God’s mercy.
• Nature succumbs to vice, while grace radiates virtue.
• Nature flees truth, while grace submits to truth.
• Nature runs on its own energy, while grace relies on energy from God.
• Nature ignores its failures and refuses to learn from them, while grace humbly embraces shortcomings and learns from them.