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Prayer 101: Prayer as a Priority

So, how does your morning begin?

Some of us gently awaken and whisper, "Good morning Lord!" And then sometimes, especially when life is in a curve-ball mode, we begin the day with the words, "Good Lord it's morning!"

That's true isn't it? Be honest.

I don't know about you but I have enjoyed this journey of examining prayer. There are times when I've been elated at understanding something clearly for the first time that I've read many times before and prayed about in God's Word. There are other times when, in quiet prayer and solitude, God's Holy Spirit has convicted me of sin that is or has been hindering not only my relationship with Him, but a relationship with another person - be it a friend, casual acquaintance, stranger, one of my kids or even my wife. And through it all, God is at work in my life.

You and I have been on a special journey these weeks looking at prayer.

Prayer 101: Prayer & God's Plan

I don't know about you, but I sometimes think about being part of something bigger or greater than me.

It's not that I'm arrogant or have a huge ego that needs to be constantly stroked (okay, I have a small ego that's needs to be stroked every once in a while), but sometimes, life is pretty mundane. And when it gets really mundane, all of us - including me - rhetorically ask, "isn't there more to life than this?"

The answer to that question - whether we believe it or not - is, "yes! There is more to this life." Each one of us, in our own unique way is a part of the magnificent puzzle or mosaic of God' Eternal Plan. The problem is that we - I - only see a very small part of that plan. Sometimes we're oblivious to it. Other times, we may not believe we are "worthy" of participating in God's Plan.

The fact of the matter is that God - since man's creation - has continually used men and women as an integral part of His Plan of Redemption. After all, God's Plan of Redemption is for MAN and no other created being. The only other rebellious created beings are angels (now demons) who were created with a will , but not in God's likeness and image, and are already condemned without hope of redemption. Hell was created for their - and anyone who would choose to follow their example - rebellion and disobedience. These are facts that we have to not only understand but contend with.

Prayer 101: Trust

Trust is something, especially in human terms, that can be gained or lost.

Wives trust their husbands, explicitly and implicitly, that they will be loved and cared for. They trust that their husbands will protect them or support them not only financially, but physically and emotionally. Our wives trust us to be a good father and role model for our children. By the same token, we husbands trust that our wives will respect us for who we are and that, particularly within the context of a Christian marriage relationship, that our wives will trust us when we are working at what we believe is best for the entire family. Sometimes it may not look that way, but... we just wanted to be trusted.

Typically we men can go along pretty well until we slip the first time if we allow some necessary home repairs to go undone - because we don't "feel" like doing them. Or maybe, we didn't stand up for mom when she was being sassed by one of the teen children. Or maybe we got caught watching some porn or carrying on an inappropriate chat online with an unknown person of the opposite sex (blatant reasons to loose trust). All of those can lead to a breakdown of that initial trust.

Melinda Emerson: 12 Bible Verses Every Small Business Owner Needs

Melinda Emerson in the Huffington Post shares 12 verses for us business owners. Thanks Melinda for this post.

All Christian business owners should have these on their office wall. Being a believer can be tough enough in 21st century America, but being a Christian and in business for yourself poses additional challenges.

Challenges yes, but opportunities to share what being a Christian is all about abound. We live in a lost and dying world. To many, there is no hope. We business owners have a unique place - and mission - in life. God calls us to this ministry to share and live Christ to His glory as His stewards.

What does that all mean? We minister to our employees. We love them for who they are and help them become what God would have them be. We minister to our customers and clients. We show them a special love, attention and compassion that they can't and don't find in many other businesses. Whether you own a gas or service station, are a plumber, lawyer or other service professional, or maybe you own an e-commerce business like me, we are to reach out and share Jesus in all that we do and say. Is it hard? Yes, it is. But God asks us to do the impossible! And by His Holy Spirit, that's exactly what we can do.

“I gain understanding from your precepts; therefore I hate every wrong path.
  Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.
I have taken an oath and confirmed it, that I will follow your righteous laws.” Psalm 119:104 - 106

Click on the link below for a good and practical read from Melinda Emerson and the Huffington Post.

"I normally do this post at the top of the year, but I was inspired to wait until now. With Easter having just past, I though this post would be particularly meaningful at this time of year. My relig..."

via www.huffingtonpost.com

Prayer 101: Grandeur & Simplicity

Our God is a God of indescribable grandeur and magnificence. Look around and notice the immensity of the universe and the complexity of His Creation.

Yet at the same time as we live in and experience God's awesome grandeur, there is a certain simplicity. We may be awestruck at the grandeur, but it's the simple things of life that cause us to smile and reflect on God's goodness.

As we pray, as we immerse ourselves in God's Word, we need, I need, to better notice the grandeur as well as the simplicity of what we are praying and how we are praying, but also how simply God wants us to be with Him. The grand prayer of an eloquent orator or preacher or teacher using "thees" and "thous" does not impress the ears of God any more than the simple words of a child praying for their mom or dad, or a drunkard who's had enough of their lifestyle and wants liberation and freedom from their addiction. Our God works equally awesomely in the grand things as well as in the simple things. He is God over all.

In Daniel's prayer of chapter nine, the prophet speaks of the "great and awesome God" (verse 4), which is His nature, he later describes some of His Works to mankind "who brought your people out of Egypt with a mighty hand and who made a name for yourself that endures to this day" (verse 15), those are indeed grand aspects of God.

Divine Obedience

Prayer is typically viewed as being a time of silent "talking" to God. Sometimes we're not too silent.

We praise and adore God in prayer. We recognize Who He is and what He does. We seek His guidance and provision in our lives. We ask Him to intercede in the lives of friends, relatives and loved ones. In prayer we confess our sins. Those are what I would call the "quiet" part of prayer. We may even sing and worship but that is still relatively silent.

But then there's the "active" part of prayer. Throughout this study, we have sought to transform or reform our lives into lives of prayer. A life of prayer is when we are "being" with God throughout the entire day. We are thinking about Him and speaking to Him. We may sing to our Father during the day, but He's looking for more from us.

Prayer 101: Confession & Repentance, Part 2

Confession is speaking to God "with knowledge" about who we are: saved sinners living in a fallen world.

Confession may be "good for the soul" but that's only half of the equation. We can confess all we want, but sooner or later, each one of us must put a stake in the ground and stop and repent (turn away) from what we are doing.

At one point toward the end of the discussion between Job and his three friends, Elihu, a younger man who has been listening to the give and take of the four (Job, Eliphaz, Bildad and Zophar) speaks up and says to Job,

"Suppose a man says to God, 'I am guilty but will offend no more.
Teach me what I cannot see; if I have done wrong, I will not do so again.'
Should God then reward you on your terms, when you refuse to repent?
You must decide, not I; so tell me what you know." Job 34:31 - 33.

That's a provocative question. Job's friends may not have been really "helping" him, but laced within their monologues were pearls of truth. And so I ask myself, "Should God reward me on my terms when I refuse to repent?" My pride doesn't want to answer that question; at least truthfully.

Prayer 101: Confession & Repentance, Part 1

Growing up Roman Catholic, the one day of the week that I really did not look forward to was Saturday. And in particular, Saturday afternoons after about 4 pm.

Why? Well as any good Catholic can tell you, the good Catholics head of to church at about that time and prepare for and take part in the sacrament of confession. No one speaks, but everyone instinctively knows when it's their turn to enter the confessional. You go in, kneel down and wait. Then you hear the little door slide open and you begin, "bless me father for I have sinned."

After a couple of years, I began asking the question that many Catholics ask (and maybe don't or are afraid to ask), "why? Why do I have to go into a special little closet and confess my sins to another person? Why cant' I just go to God Himself?"

Those questions asked in catechism class usually propelled you right over to the rectory and the Monsignor's office. And even worse, you really never got a good answer.

What to Do About Jesus

So, what do we do about Jesus?

That truly is the bottom line in all of our lives. Is he good teacher? A godly man? A baby in a manger at Christmas? Do we even question His life? Did Jesus really exist?

In my post on the Deity and Humanity of Jesus, we looked at Philippians 2:6-11.

"...Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God,
   did not consider equality with God something to be grasped,
but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant,
   being made in human likeness.
And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself
   and became obedient to death— even death on a cross!
Therefore God exalted him to the highest place
   and gave him the name that is above every name,
that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
   in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord,
   to the glory of God the Father."

Anxiety, Depression & Restoration, Part 2

According to the television commercial, "depression hurts". And so it does.

One of the beauties of God is that He wants His children to not only be happy, but whole. He wants our relationships to be whole; not only with Him but also with one another. In Philippians 4:2, we read of two ladies in the Philippian church, Euodia and Synteche, whose relationship was not whole. Heck, it was broken. And the apostle Paul in writing to the church, pleaded with these women and the entire church to reconcile and restore the relationship.

And in this admonition, Paul is given a teaching moment: how to not only restore broken relationships, but also how to deal with anxiety and depression. In Part 1, we looked at the downward spiral of anxiety and depression. We used the acronym SADDDR: Strife or Situation, Anxiety, Depression, Disruption in human relationships, Disruption in our relationship with God, and Restoration.