The “Why” of Prayer....

It’s not “how” we pray, it’s “why” we pray. That connection with the Almighty cannot fully be explained or comprehended, but it can be experienced. And that experience changes everything. The joy, peace, security, and confidence we have has little to do with the circumstances in life and everything to do with the FOCUS of our lives.

Pray like this: Our Father in heaven,may Your name be kept holy.10 May Your Kingdom come soon.May Your will be done on earth,as it is in heaven.11 Give us today the food we need,12 and forgive us our sins,as we have forgiven those who sin against us.13 And don’t let us yield to temptation,but rescue us from the evil one. Matthew 6:9-13a

Wisdom...

What is wisdom? Common sense. Honesty. A shield for those with integrity. A guarded path for the just. And protection for those faithful to Him. God rewards those that seek Wisdom. He reveals the “right way to go” to those who pursue Him. You won’t find it on your iPhone, or through social media comments. You won’t find it in universities. You’ll find it in people, and in experiences that God has ordained, strictly for the purpose of your spiritual growth. And there’s no amount of money that can purchase it. It only comes from God. And it only comes when you ask Him for it.

6 For the Lord grants wisdom! From His mouth come knowledge and understanding.7 He grants a treasure of common sense to the honest. He is a shield to those who walk with integrity. 8 He guards the paths of the just and protects those who are faithful to Him. 9 Then you will understand what is right, just, and fair, and you will find the right way to go. Proverbs 2:6-9

A Slice of Humble Pie...

When you feel PRIDE creeping around, bake a HUMBLE pie. A slice of HUMBLE pie always does the trick. If you allow PRIDE to have its way, you will end up in a place you don’t want to be, absent from God’s presence.

O Lord, hear me as I pray;pay attention to my groaning.2 Listen to my cry for help, my King and my God,for I pray to no one but You.3 Listen to my voice in the morning, Lord.Each morning I bring my requests to You and wait expectantly. 4 O God, You take no pleasure in wickedness;You cannot tolerate the sins of the wicked.5 Therefore, the proud may not stand in Your presence,for You hate all who do evil.6 You will destroy those who tell lies.The Lord detests murderers and deceivers. 7 Because of Your unfailing love, I can enter Your house;I will worship at Your Temple with deepest awe. Psalms 5:1-7

A Solid Example of Trust...

How often do we question or complain to God about our way of thinking about His eternal, “for our good” will? Here, Abram thinks because he doesn’t have a son, all of God’s blessings and promises are for nothing. How foolish he was. I totally understand his viewpoint (he didn’t have the Bible to read about himself; ), but his vision isn’t God’s viewpoint. He was witnessing the scene from a limited view point. If God makes a promise, He keeps it. It will come true. It just might not be in our timeframe. Abram is just like us, weak, fragile, and insecure. His journey, walking with God, starts out a little shaky, then slowly starts to develop. Of course he has his “I’m a bonehead” moments (as do we all), but that’s how the process of sanctification works. You don’t repent and receive God’s grace and “poof” you’re perfect, ready for Heaven. It’s a process, and for some it takes a long, long time, with many bumps in the road. Faith is like the educational process. You are taught a concept, practice or experience that concept, then somewhere along the way you “get it”. It may be during that year of school or years after while performing a job or participating in an event that makes the light bulb go off. The main point about faith is this: it isn’t how great your faith is, it’s acting on what little faith you have. That might mean “doing” and the “understanding” comes later. “The just shall walk by faith”. I definitely struggle with that one. But the amount of faith you have isn’t the point. Didn’t Jesus say, “if you have the faith of a mustard seed...” you could move mountains (Matt 17:20)? Faith is only as good as the object in which it is placed. So you see, the amount isn’t the limiting factor. What does matter is where you’re putting it. We all have faith. We use it every day. When we drive our cars we put faith in other drivers on the road, believing they will stay on their side of the road and obey all traffic laws in order to prevent an accident. We trust the chairs we sit on not to break. We trust the airline pilots to fly us safely to our destinations. We trust our doctors and pharmacists with the right medications to make us well. Some of us even place our faith in the weatherman on tv, planning our day, what to wear, or bring to an outing, based on his “prediction”. God is worthy. As a matter of fact, He’s the only One worthy of our faith, and our faith doesn’t add to or take away any of God’s power or lesson His role in our lives. So the next time you start to question “why” or think “what good is this”, remember Abram. His journey is the solid foundation and great example of what happens when you trust God.

1 Some time later, the Lord spoke to Abram in a vision and said to him, “Do not be afraid, Abram, for I will protect you, and your reward will be great.”2 But Abram replied, “O Sovereign Lord, what good are all Your blessings when I don’t even have a son? Since You’ve given me no children, Eliezer of Damascus, a servant in my household, will inherit all my wealth. 3 You have given me no descendants of my own, so one of my servants will be my heir.”4 Then the Lord said to him, “No, your servant will not be your heir, for you will have a son of your own who will be your heir.” 5 Then the Lord took Abram outside and said to him, “Look up into the sky and count the stars if you can. That’s how many descendants you will have!”6 And Abram believed the Lord, and the Lord counted him as righteous because of his faith. Genesis 15:1-6

Our #1 Priority...

Seeking God is our #1 priority and greatest reward.

1 My child, listen to what I say,and treasure my commands.2 Tune your ears to wisdom,and concentrate on understanding.3 Cry out for insight,and ask for understanding.4 Search for them as you would for silver;seek them like hidden treasures.5 Then you will understand what it means to fear the Lord,and you will gain knowledge of God. Proverbs 2:1-5

Joy that Lasts...

Joy that comes from God, obeying His commands and living according to His ways, cannot be measured. It can’t even be compared with the short-lived, temporary excitement that comes along with new material possessions. This joy, not only lasts, but gets you through the tough times. And it is a reminder and motivator that helps us maintain our focus while treading through the storms and valleys that are constantly being experienced in our lives. When you get knocked down, you get up. The accompanying peace that comes with this joy, allows us to rest and rejuvenate to face each new day. There is no greater joy a person can have, aside from what only God can provide.

7 You have given me greater joy than those who have abundant harvests of grain and new wine.8 In peace I will lie down and sleep,for You alone, O Lord, will keep me safe. Psalms 4:7-8

Evidence of Being Transformed...

Something must’ve happened to Abram while he was in Egypt. There he lied about his wife to Pharaoh. He seemed only concerned for his own safety. But we He left Egypt, He no longer seemed concerned only about himself. He gave Lot his choice of land to live, allowing him to pick first. He rescues Lot from invaders. He gives Melchizedek 10% of the spoils from his victory over the invaders. He then makes an oath to not take any of the rest of the spoils that he gained in rescuing Lot. These totally unselfish acts clearly show the transformation of his spirit since being told by God to leave his hometown and travel to Canaan. I wonder, do I display this kind of behavior since my conversion? Do I display this kind of selfless attitude? Am I embracing the process of sanctification growing in grace, or am I kicking and screaming the whole way through?

8 Finally Abram said to Lot, “Let’s not allow this conflict to come between us or our herdsmen. After all, we are close relatives! 9 The whole countryside is open to you. Take your choice of any section of the land you want, and we will separate. If you want the land to the left, then I’ll take the land on the right. If you prefer the land on the right, then I’ll go to the left.” Genesis 13:8-9

Then Abram gave Melchizedek a tenth of all the goods he had recovered.21 The king of Sodom said to Abram, “Give back my people who were captured. But you may keep for yourself all the goods you have recovered.”22 Abram replied to the king of Sodom, “I solemnly swear to the Lord, God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth, 23 that I will not take so much as a single thread or sandal thong from what belongs to you. Otherwise you might say, ‘I am the one who made Abram rich.’ 24 I will accept only what my young warriors have already eaten, and I request that you give a fair share of the goods to my allies–Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre.” Genesis 14:20c-24