You'll be in my Prayers

Having grown up in the Christian Church my whole life, I have heard this phrase and used it my whole life. I've told people that I would pray for them and their situation but most times I didn't actually pray.

I don't like listening to people about their problems because I know most times I can do nothing to help them. I always feel terrible about this but I have no idea what to do. I really wish I could help them, but I have nothing within my resources to help them. So, because I know there is nothing I can do, I give them some sympathy by letting them know, "You'll be in my prayers."

My intention is not to point the finger at anyone about this. I am writing about this because I know that this has been something I have done many times. We tell people that we will pray for them and their circumstances, but I am afraid that we only say this because it is a way of only showing sympathy. If it were more than showing sympathy then we would actually be praying for these people and their circumstances. Many situations are hopeless and we don't know what to do with them, so we make others feel a little better by saying, "You'll be in my Prayers."

Just today I found myself telling someone I would pray for them because I knew I couldn't help them.

I believe that coming up against hopeless situations is good for us though. This is where we are actually pushed to bring people and their situations to God in prayer. And we don't have to just tell people, "You'll be in my Prayers" to make them feel better, but we can tell them this because we actually will pray for them and because we actually believe that God will these people in our lives through their circumstances.

In 1 Timothy 2:1, Pauls tells Timothy, "I urge you, first of all, to pray for all people. Ask God to help them; intercede on their behalf, and give thanks for them." Verse 3 says, "This is good and pleases God our Savior..." Paul didn't tell Timothy this because it sounded nice, but he told Timothy to pray for everyone because, he knew that hopeless situations would come up and because he knew that God would hear his prayers.

God really does hear our prayers. So, let us then take our hopeless situations, as an opportunity where God can be glorified, and actually pray for His help. If we never pray or ask for God's help, how can we ever expect to receive His help. Let's not use it as a sympathetic way of telling people that we care for them but we can't help. We can do something, we can pray!

I Need You More

Seeking Direction from the Father

Mark 1:35-39 "Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed. Simon and his companions went to look for him, and when they found him, they exclaimed: 'Everyone is looking for you!' Jesus replied, 'Let us go somewhere else, to nearby villages, so I can preach there also. That is why I have come.' So he traveled throughout Galilee, preaching in their synagogues and driving out demons."

In this section of scripture we see that Jesus sought out the direction from the Father. How much more should we seek out direction for our lives from God! From spending time with the Father and seeking out direction Jesus was given direction for what his next step was and he also was reminded of what his call was. So many times I think we neglect spending time with God and we miss direction and we aren't reminded of our call.

I believe our lives as witnesses can be much more effective if we live like Jesus did and seek the Father. Like Jesus, when we spend time with God and seek him, we will receive direction from God, and also reminders of why we are here. God deeply loves us, that is why He sent His son Jesus to come and die for our sins, and through this He also has a wonderful plan for our lives and this plan can only be walked out through relationship with God and through direction from God.

To be a "Christian" and do "christian things without a relationship with God is the hardest thing you could ever do. It is from God through prayer that we receive direction, call, and also His heart. Like any relationship changes us, relationship with God changes us, it changes our heart and causes us to care about what He cares about. When we care about what God cares about, doing "christian" things will just be what we do naturally. It will be from the outflow of our hearts, instead of us trying to be "christian" through the gritting of our teeth.

Let us seek the Father! First and foremost God calls us to seek Him and out of the outflow or our relationship with Him we will change the world!

Failure is Ok

Recently, I just started reading a book by an author I have never read from before. The book is Awakening by Stovall Weems. It is about renewing and revolutionizing your relationship with God. A good amount of this book that talks about fasting. This is challenging for me because fasting for me has never been a strong suit for me. The longest fast I have ever done without food was for 5 days, the only reason I was able to do that was because I was fasting with about 60 other students as well and we spent all 5 days of the fast together and food just wasn't available. The obvious pressure of not wanting to look like a failure in front of everyone was what keep me in that particular fast. But as for any fasts that I have done or attempted on my own, I have rarely ever completed one. Just a one day fast without food is difficult for me. When I have attempted these fasts it was a rare occasion. I have always hated the thought of fasting, because I always knew I would end up failing.

As I was thinking about this today, I pondered all the different things that God has been teaching me lately. One thing especially, has been the reality for me that nothing I ever do or don't do will ever qualify me for salvation. My salvation and righteousness before God is only because of what Jesus has done for me. The only reason I am saved is because I chose to identify myself with the death and resurrection of Christ and call upon His name. One particular story in the bible that helped me grasp this was the story of when the Israelites were set free from Egypt. The last of the ten plagues that came upon everyone in Egypt was that the first-born of every household would be killed unless they marked their doorposts with the blood of a sacrificed lamb. It wasn't anyones actions that caused them to be saved from this plague, but it was the blood of the sacrifice on their doorposts. This same principal applies to us in salvation. We are only saved by having the blood of Christ marking the doorposts of our hearts. Nothing I do or don't do, can save me but the blood of Christ.

With this reality, God was showing me that it's ok to fail. We will never be perfect on our own. The fact that Jesus died, gives us freedom to fail. We can boldly pursue spiritual things. If we fail at living for God perfectly thats ok, we are still saved. Jesus died so that we don't have to fear of failing anymore. Most often we don't endeavor in pursuing spiritual things is because we know we'll fail. But since Jesus died we have no reason to fear. Because of Jesus we can only grow more in Him. It is better to pursue spiritual things, such as fasting for me, and fail along the way and experience and know God, then to never do those things at all. So lets not put so much pressure on ourselves to perform for God. If we could live pleasing lives for God in our own strength, then how would God ever receive the glory? If it was ever at all possible for us to follow the old covenant of keeping the law, then why did Jesus die? Jesus paid it all for us and our salvation is free, so let us boldly pursue greater things and if we fail along the way, it's ok, lets get back up, that failure has not disqualified us.

Driving Home

Tonight, as I was driving, thoughts were just racing through my brain about all the things that I have to get done. I had just finished attending an all day class for my theology schooling and I was on my way back to Castle Rock. Feeling overwhelmed and drained, I was wondering where my joy had gone.

Right then I felt as if God was asking me where my focus was. "Are you doing this for eternal purposes or are you doing this to make a name for yourself?" At that moment I began to think of what a glorious day it will be when we join all the angels in singing and worshiping God. It will be such a glorious day.

When we look to Jesus and spending eternity with Him, the things we endure here on this earth are become such a light burden. It all becomes so worth it.

"Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart."

Just as Jesus endured the cross because of the coming glory, we too should also endure faithfully to the end in serving Christ Jesus as he served us. Any length of suffering doesn't even compare to eternity in heaven with Him. So let us not become tired in serving Jesus, but let us look to eternity and rejoice that we have an eternal home that we are bound for. May we, for the joy set before us endure our crosses. Oh, it will be such a glorious day!

God Interruptions

This morning I had such neat experience. I had just worked out for the first time at the gym in a long time and was on a great start for the day getting settled in at Starbucks for some time spent with the Lord and reading His word. It was completely packed today and every table was full except the handicap table and I felt bad for taking it but I did anyway. I made sure to keep my eye out for anyone who might need the table more than I.

Then a guy asked me if I was meeting anyone here and if he could share the table with me and I had no problem with it so I let him join me. Right at that moment I really felt like this guy was also in ministry and at least a christian himself and I thought about asking him but I decided against it. I just put my headphones back in to some worship music, while I continued to read my daily reading of the Bible. Just a few minutes later my friend Jon a creative arts pastor from a church in southern Denver walks in and we start a conversation and talk about the books were reading and what theology classes I am taking. This conversation is obviously heard by the guy sitting across from me and he asks me if I am in Seminary.

From this point on I find out that he had just finished Seminary out in Portland and was in the process of possibly becoming a youth pastor at another church in town! The guys name is Brandon and the three of us just ended up talking for at least an hour about ministry and all the stuff that God is doing in our lives. It was such a cool meeting and I really felt that God had orchestrated it all.

I am not sure what this connection holds for the future, but I know that if God put it together then He definitely has some plans in the future and I want to be a part of it. Moral of the story is that, don't be too busy to be interrupted by appointments that God may have planned for you throughout your day. In the long run you'll be better off for it. My day has been so blessed by this interruption from what I had planned and I am so thankful. Ill be praying for Brandon as he finds out so soon if he gets the job as a youth pastor or not.

What's Keeping You?

I have swept away your sins like a cloud. I have scattered your offenses like the morning mist. Oh, return to me, for I have paid the price to set you free. - Isaiah 44:22 (NLT)

As I came across this verse in today's One Year Bible reading plan, I got a better picture of how much God paid for us by having Jesus die on the cross for our sins. God,..."wants everyone to be saved and to understand the truth." 1 Tim 2:4 (NLT) So logically He paid a price that would be enough to cover all the sins of all the world through all ages of time. That's a HUGE price! The enemy likes for us to think that our sin is too great for us to ever come back to God. But when you think about this, how could your sin ever be to great for what Christ did on the cross? It is a slap in the face to God saying that He didn't pay enough.

So then we can simply come to God in repentance, which is refocusing our eyes back on Jesus and allowing Him to change us, and know that we are made righteous. It is only through Christ that we have right standing with God in heaven. So what is keeping us from God? Maybe it's because we think we messed up too much in our lives. If that's the reason, then know that it's a lie from the enemy. You have nothing holding you back from God.