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Fellowship can take a hike
I went hiking with a friend and it came up while we talked that God wasn’t answering his prayers. I felt that was a bad time to tell my friend that “no” was an answer. Instead, I told him that God always has a better plan than us because he can see everything that we can’t. He knows things that we’ll never know. My friend didn’t look satisfied with that response. As we continued to hike, the terrain became so rocky and jagged that the trail we were on became very hard to see. We stopped and took our bearings. We had no idea where to go next. We could…
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Prayer is fellowship with God
What if God’s plan unfolds and we don’t have the strength to endure? What if, instead of praying for someone to be delivered from their hardships, we instead pray for them to have the strength to endure? For example, can you imagine someone saying they will not pray for you to be delivered from your hardships? Stick with me on this. I know it sounds harsh, but much of the growth I’ve had in my life directly resulted from endurance of hardships. It needs to be communicated with tactfulness and gentleness, or not said at all. The point being made from the pray-“er” to the pray-“ee” is that the prayer…
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The Funny Thing About Prayers….
In the past I have prayed this prayer: God, please help me to be a better father. Also, please help my child to be more obedient and kind and loving. Give me patience and gentleness and compassion and understanding and self-control—especially over my anger—and help me to be a better reflection of Christ in my life so my kids can look at me and see the virtues of my Savior throughout my deeds and behavior. At the time, I thought it was an awesome prayer. Somehow, God was going to imbue me with a self-control I have never before experienced. I will soon—with God’s grace—have my prayers answered and be…
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Proverbs 4:23
I can guard my heart by being less focused on the things of this world. That means listening to God’s words without distraction while seeking things that edify my heart and my mind. When I bring all the things I hear and see together with prayer and meditation, I should be able to share Scripture that I’ve learned with others. Although doing this can protect my heart from the evils of the world penetrating my soul, the spring of life will truly flow meaningfully when I drink deeply from God’s own words. I think that when this happens, my own thirst will be satiated and I will still have plenty…
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What is an answer? Reflection on prayer…
God answers our prayers. What is an answer? It’s a response. An answer CAN BE that God would give me what I asked for if it is according to God’s will. Who is man to know the will of God? The closest we can get to knowing the will of God is to align our prayers with what Scripture speaks to us about who God is. When the disciples asked Jesus how to pray, Jesus models for them the Lord’s prayer. Within the Lord’s prayer it says “your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” Matthew 6:10 Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do,…
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My Story
For most of my life I was unable to hear the Gospel message because of my pride, because of my stubbornness, and because of my love for sin. That last one, my love for sin, was a tremendous obstacle in my path. It felt like it was physically in my way, physically stopping me from moving forward. Looking back at how I lived my life then, I realize now that my love for sin was ultimately very selfish and always insatiable. Because I denied myself nothing I desired, I found that I was denying myself everything that mattered. Not too long ago, I was spiritually broken and twisted inside when…
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Everyone has a story….
And everyone struggles with wanting to tell their story to others. There’s a couple of problems with that. Number one is finding someone who wants to hear your story. Number two is once you think you’ve found a receptive ear, internally a person may struggle with not knowing which story to tell, or how to tell it. Those are real problems. Those are real obstacles when it comes to letting someone see who you are and what makes you tick. These are real determinants for whether or not that person you are sharing your story with would want to get to know you even more. Once you know a person’s…
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Not all things are helpful….
Freedom. I have the freedom to do God’s will. But if I do someone else’s will, is it not my own anymore? Isn’t doing the will of another explicitly not doing my own will? No. Not if my actions are in alignment with what God wants me to do. I need to want to do what God wants me to do. 1 Corinthians 6:12 repeats, “all things are lawful for me,” twice. The first instance is followed by the response, “but not all things are helpful.” The second instance has a more pointed response, “but I will not be dominated by anything.” This is not in reference to man’s law.…
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Forgiveness cools the flames
Giving forgiveness is a spectacular thing because you can’t see it or touch it. You know it’s there and you can feel it—so it must be real. It seems almost impossible to give away something like this to someone else and have them receive it without being able to see it either. But they will also know that they received it—without a doubt. Getting forgiveness is also a very special thing. Many times, life goes on without realizing there is a need to be forgiven. Why would anyone who is innocent need to be told the slate is wiped clean? They don’t—but conviction can take hold of the heart and…
