Check it out. Our church and hundreds of others around the world participating in this for the last two weeks. What a powerful way to start out the new year, fasting and praying for God's will to be done in the church. There's five days left, and even if your church isn't officially participating, you still can. Juice fast, 'Daniel fast', fast from TV or Facebook or junk food... whatever God calls you to. Even if you don't fast, spend some time with us this next week praying for the leadership of your own church, for the leadership of your country, and for the awakening of God's people throughout the world. Stop 'being a Christian' and start living like you are one of God's chosen people!
This is the first time I've ever participated in an extended (more than a day) fast, and I have seen over and over in the last two weeks the incredible power of our Almighty God when His people earnestly seek His face. In my life, in my relationship with Naomi, and across the world in the testimonies people are sharing on the website. I don't know how I missed out on this for so many years. God is so amazing. I am so in love with Him.
Showing posts with label prayer. Show all posts
Showing posts with label prayer. Show all posts
Monday, January 26, 2009
Thursday, August 14, 2008
16 days... yea for the weekend!
The weekend starts early this week! I'm down in Waxhaw already... got here around 2:00. This afternoon was kind of dis-jointed with a couple of projects I needed to get done around Mom & Dad's house, and then Naomi had Bible study this evening... So it wasn't too easy, and the evening could have ended better.
The closer we get to the wedding the more prayer I feel like I need. I think maybe that's normal. So if you get a few minutes sometime during the day, here's what I'm praying for, if you want to join me. I'd appreciate it.
The closer we get to the wedding the more prayer I feel like I need. I think maybe that's normal. So if you get a few minutes sometime during the day, here's what I'm praying for, if you want to join me. I'd appreciate it.
- That God would continue to give us the grace to keep Him the center of our relationship, that He would be our All.
- That He would continue to guard our hearts and minds in our physical relationship with each other in this season before marriage. (He's been just incredible in this area! This is one of the many areas that we can really see His hand at work in both of us. He's blessed us with with hearts that seek His will in this part of our relationship over our own human desires. Truly a God thing!)
- That I would be deliberate in cultivating our relationship; that I would learn to hear not only to what Naomi says, but what she is feeling and thinking as well. That I would put her desires above my own, and learn how to be a servant to her in everything. That my relationship to her would be modeled after Christ's relationship with the church.
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
18 days... what am I going to use for headlines once I'm married?
When I sat down to write a post earlier tonight, I had it all mapped out in my head what I was going to write about. I knew what I wanted to say, and how I was going to say it. I had all the points I wanted to cover already laid out. I had scripture in mind to support what I wanted to say, and I thought it was going to be helpful to people.
But you're reading this post instead. Why? All too often in my life I try to get ahead of God. Instead of relying on Him minute-by-minute for everything, I try to plan things out my way. I know what I want, and I know how to get it. I shut Him out. This is the attitude that characterized about five years of my life. I didn't stop believing in God, I just didn't have time for Him. I still prayed sometimes, and read the Bible occasionally, but it was either out of a sense of duty, or else it was in the hope that God would affirm the decisions that I had already made for my life. I made choices based on what I thought was best for me. Sometimes I even told myself that it was what God wanted for me.
Even if the things I plan for my life are done in the best of intentions, it is still wrong to take control of my future out of God's hands. James 4:13-16 says:
Paul tells us that 'the peace of God... will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.' This peace comes only when we place all our decisions at the feet of God and humbly wait for His guidance. Decisions made without Him don't bring peace into our lives. They are the source of our anxiety; they distance us from Him.
Sometimes God allows us to make decisions based on the good judgment that He gives us through His Spirit. Sometimes He calls us to wait for divine guidance or intervention. Each decision is different, but we need to present each and every one to Him in prayer. This should not be a burden to us. It should be a joyful experience as we wait on the Lord. Sometimes the answers come right away. Sometimes it takes longer. Often the answer God gives is not what we had hoped for. But if we trust Him with the entirety of our lives, the answers are always the right ones, and that is what matters.
Lord, thank You for not leaving me with the decisions of my life. Thank You for the wisdom that You give us through Your Spirit. Thank You for always listening to our prayers, no matter how small or insignificant they might seem. Lord, let me never rely on my own strength. Let me always seek Your will, and give me the patience and humility to wait for Your response. I pray that in everything I do, say and think about, You would be glorified. Lord, I desire that You be made greater and I be made lesser. Remind me always to seek Your glory in everything, not my own.
But you're reading this post instead. Why? All too often in my life I try to get ahead of God. Instead of relying on Him minute-by-minute for everything, I try to plan things out my way. I know what I want, and I know how to get it. I shut Him out. This is the attitude that characterized about five years of my life. I didn't stop believing in God, I just didn't have time for Him. I still prayed sometimes, and read the Bible occasionally, but it was either out of a sense of duty, or else it was in the hope that God would affirm the decisions that I had already made for my life. I made choices based on what I thought was best for me. Sometimes I even told myself that it was what God wanted for me.
Even if the things I plan for my life are done in the best of intentions, it is still wrong to take control of my future out of God's hands. James 4:13-16 says:
"Now listen, you who say, 'Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.' Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, 'If it is the Lord's will, we will live and do this or that.' As it is, you boast and brag. All such boasting is evil.' (NIV)This is a sin that I fall into all too often. I make decisions without the leading of the Lord. Sometimes they seem like such small decisions that it doesn't really matter. But every decision I make either brings me closer to God by relying on Him in everything, or it pushes me away from Him by trusting my own sinful nature. God uses even the smallest of decisions in my life to teach me more about Himself.
"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." -Philippians 4:6-7 (NIV)The time spent in prayer seeking God's will in each and every decision is what draws us into a deeper relationship with Him. It is a humble reliance on God for everything. Not just the big decision. Not just the things we don't feel like we can handle on our own. We should recognize that we can't make any decisions in our own wisdom and strength.
Paul tells us that 'the peace of God... will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.' This peace comes only when we place all our decisions at the feet of God and humbly wait for His guidance. Decisions made without Him don't bring peace into our lives. They are the source of our anxiety; they distance us from Him.
Sometimes God allows us to make decisions based on the good judgment that He gives us through His Spirit. Sometimes He calls us to wait for divine guidance or intervention. Each decision is different, but we need to present each and every one to Him in prayer. This should not be a burden to us. It should be a joyful experience as we wait on the Lord. Sometimes the answers come right away. Sometimes it takes longer. Often the answer God gives is not what we had hoped for. But if we trust Him with the entirety of our lives, the answers are always the right ones, and that is what matters.
Lord, thank You for not leaving me with the decisions of my life. Thank You for the wisdom that You give us through Your Spirit. Thank You for always listening to our prayers, no matter how small or insignificant they might seem. Lord, let me never rely on my own strength. Let me always seek Your will, and give me the patience and humility to wait for Your response. I pray that in everything I do, say and think about, You would be glorified. Lord, I desire that You be made greater and I be made lesser. Remind me always to seek Your glory in everything, not my own.
Sunday, August 10, 2008
Questions to ask myself daily
My beautiful fiancée sent me this list of questions. She has them in her Bible where she sees them each and every day. What a wonderful reminder to daily be seeking God. It is easy to go through a whole day and not put any work into my relationship with the Lord. Like any other relationship, our relationship with Christ is a work-in-progress. It takes effort, sacrifice, and a desire to grow closer to Him. While there is no 'magic formula' for a God-centered life, little reminders like this one go a long way towards focusing our attention and efforts at relationship-building.
- What experiences of prayer and meditation have I had this week (or today)?
- What temptations did I face?
- What movements of the Holy Spirit have I experienced?
- What opportunities to serve others have I had?
- In what ways have I encountered Christ in my study of the Bible?
Friday, August 08, 2008
Day 22... the weekend is finally here.
Two more weekends after this one! This one will be short, which is kind of a bummer, but Naomi will probably get a chance to come up and visit on Tuesday next week with some of my family who are going to make a day trip up to see our apartment and such. Since they'll be out in Texas soon after the wedding, they won't get much of a chance to come up and visit us in Raleigh, so they're coming to at least check the place out before then. I'm looking forward to being able to show them around, if it works out for them to come up.
I got a chance to listen to one of pastor Sean Cordell's sermons on the trip down here. Naomi and I feel God is calling us join the body of believers at Treasuring Christ Church in Raleigh, and while we haven't had too many Sundays actually spent in Raleigh yet, I have been able to hear all the sermons for the last three months, thanks to their podcast. One of the upsides of seven hours driving time each weekend is plenty of free time to listen to the podcasts I never seem to have time to listen to during the week.
Anyway, this last week has been a growing time for me as God has been teaching me in a really hands-on and practical way to wait on Him timing, to be obedient to Him when He says wait, and to make prayer a real two-sided relationship with Him. He's taught me so much about communing with Him through prayer and meditation. And the sermon I listened to on the way down really reinforced a lot of those very same things. Neat how God works stuff like that out. Seems like almost everything I've read or listened to this week has been about the very things God has brought up in my life recently. What an amazing, all-powerful God we serve.
It's almost midnight, and the battery on my laptop is running low. I thought I could use Tim's power cord to recharge, so I didn't bring mine down, to save a bit of space packing. A good idea in theory, since we both have MacBooks, but in practice, Tim happens to be out for the night at a friend's house, and he has his computer and power cord with him. So no late-night writing session for me tonight. Probably just as well, anyway. I could use the sleep.
Thank You, Father, for the things you teach me each and every day. Thank You for the way You use other people and circumstances in my life to reinforce the things that You've been teaching me, and to make me ponder the things in life that seem so difficult some times. You have brought me to a point where I can truly say thank You for the hard times in my life. I love You, Lord, and I would rather a lifetime of difficulty with You than a day of pleasure and comfort apart from You. Thank You, thank You, thank You. You are my God, my Savior, my Friend. And I desire to do Your will. Lead me in Your will so that You get all the glory.
I got a chance to listen to one of pastor Sean Cordell's sermons on the trip down here. Naomi and I feel God is calling us join the body of believers at Treasuring Christ Church in Raleigh, and while we haven't had too many Sundays actually spent in Raleigh yet, I have been able to hear all the sermons for the last three months, thanks to their podcast. One of the upsides of seven hours driving time each weekend is plenty of free time to listen to the podcasts I never seem to have time to listen to during the week.
Anyway, this last week has been a growing time for me as God has been teaching me in a really hands-on and practical way to wait on Him timing, to be obedient to Him when He says wait, and to make prayer a real two-sided relationship with Him. He's taught me so much about communing with Him through prayer and meditation. And the sermon I listened to on the way down really reinforced a lot of those very same things. Neat how God works stuff like that out. Seems like almost everything I've read or listened to this week has been about the very things God has brought up in my life recently. What an amazing, all-powerful God we serve.
It's almost midnight, and the battery on my laptop is running low. I thought I could use Tim's power cord to recharge, so I didn't bring mine down, to save a bit of space packing. A good idea in theory, since we both have MacBooks, but in practice, Tim happens to be out for the night at a friend's house, and he has his computer and power cord with him. So no late-night writing session for me tonight. Probably just as well, anyway. I could use the sleep.
Thank You, Father, for the things you teach me each and every day. Thank You for the way You use other people and circumstances in my life to reinforce the things that You've been teaching me, and to make me ponder the things in life that seem so difficult some times. You have brought me to a point where I can truly say thank You for the hard times in my life. I love You, Lord, and I would rather a lifetime of difficulty with You than a day of pleasure and comfort apart from You. Thank You, thank You, thank You. You are my God, my Savior, my Friend. And I desire to do Your will. Lead me in Your will so that You get all the glory.
Thursday, July 24, 2008
The results are in... 37 days left!
37 days, but today has been a good one, and if the rest of the them are like this, the time will fly by...
I did spend two hours this morning praying, worshiping, and reading the Word, and it was... more than I expected. I was a little apprehensive that it would somehow be a disappointment. Totally the wrong thing to expect about time spent with the Lord, but for some reason I was worried that He wouldn't meet me there. How wrong I was!
It wasn't one of the incredibly life-changing moments with God that I've had in the past, but God definitely showed up, and in a big way. I was praying that He would use the time to convict me of areas of sin in my life and to renew my passion for Him. And He did.
Once more, God pointed out to me that I need to make more of an effort in witnessing to those around me, and spreading His love to the people in my life. He showed me areas of my life in which I've been selfish with my time or energy or love for others.
He showed me how very little time I give to Him each day spent in worship and communion with the Spirit. And He gave me little reminders throughout the day to spend a few moments talking with Him and seeking His will for my life.
He reminded me of the incredible sacrifice He gave through sending Christ to die for my sins, and the power over sin that Jesus' death on the cross gives. He truly gave me a heart of worship this morning, and it made a huge difference in the rest of my day.
He once again showed me the importance of starting my day off with uninterrupted time spent studying the Word, praying, and worshiping. My quiet time in the mornings has been getting shorter and more rushed, and much more shallow. He gave me a vision for what incredible things He will do when I devote more time to Him and less to things of this world. He showed me a glimpse of His incredible beauty and awesome sacrifice.
It was a morning spent in renewal, and was without a doubt time well spent. My next step is to turn this into a habit. I may not have two hours each and every morning like I had today, but there is definitely lots more available time in my mornings than I have been giving to Him in the past. My prayer is that He would let this be only the beginning of a new turn in the road of my walk with Him. The power and majesty of God that I saw this morning is something I don't want to give up.
Lord, give me a heart that yearns for you with everything I have within me. Take this seed you planted in my life and grow it into a life fully devoted to furthering your kingdom. Give me a mind that is fully stayed on you, the Author and Perfecter of my faith. Give me a heart that worships you in every season of my life. Give me the will to put you first in my actions, my thoughts, and my priorities. You alone are worthy of all praise and all worship. You are God alone. Take my life and do what you will with it. I ask these things in the name of my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
I did spend two hours this morning praying, worshiping, and reading the Word, and it was... more than I expected. I was a little apprehensive that it would somehow be a disappointment. Totally the wrong thing to expect about time spent with the Lord, but for some reason I was worried that He wouldn't meet me there. How wrong I was!
It wasn't one of the incredibly life-changing moments with God that I've had in the past, but God definitely showed up, and in a big way. I was praying that He would use the time to convict me of areas of sin in my life and to renew my passion for Him. And He did.
Once more, God pointed out to me that I need to make more of an effort in witnessing to those around me, and spreading His love to the people in my life. He showed me areas of my life in which I've been selfish with my time or energy or love for others.
He showed me how very little time I give to Him each day spent in worship and communion with the Spirit. And He gave me little reminders throughout the day to spend a few moments talking with Him and seeking His will for my life.
He reminded me of the incredible sacrifice He gave through sending Christ to die for my sins, and the power over sin that Jesus' death on the cross gives. He truly gave me a heart of worship this morning, and it made a huge difference in the rest of my day.
He once again showed me the importance of starting my day off with uninterrupted time spent studying the Word, praying, and worshiping. My quiet time in the mornings has been getting shorter and more rushed, and much more shallow. He gave me a vision for what incredible things He will do when I devote more time to Him and less to things of this world. He showed me a glimpse of His incredible beauty and awesome sacrifice.
It was a morning spent in renewal, and was without a doubt time well spent. My next step is to turn this into a habit. I may not have two hours each and every morning like I had today, but there is definitely lots more available time in my mornings than I have been giving to Him in the past. My prayer is that He would let this be only the beginning of a new turn in the road of my walk with Him. The power and majesty of God that I saw this morning is something I don't want to give up.
Lord, give me a heart that yearns for you with everything I have within me. Take this seed you planted in my life and grow it into a life fully devoted to furthering your kingdom. Give me a mind that is fully stayed on you, the Author and Perfecter of my faith. Give me a heart that worships you in every season of my life. Give me the will to put you first in my actions, my thoughts, and my priorities. You alone are worthy of all praise and all worship. You are God alone. Take my life and do what you will with it. I ask these things in the name of my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
