The Lesson

"One day, Jesus told his disciples a story to show how that they should always pray and never give up." Luke 18:1

"Learn a lesson from this unjust judge. Even he rendered a just decision in the end. So don't you think God will surely give justice to his chosen people..." Luke 18:7

"But when the Son of man returns, how many will he find on earth who have faith?" Luke 18:8

Little girls are relentless. "Daddy? Daddy? Daddy? Daddy? Daddy? Daddy?" can become an icepick in a parent's eardrum when it is repeated over and over again. I remember responding on more than one occasion to this relentless request, with an exasperated, "What do you want now?" My wife taught me to avoid using this phrase as a release valve, and to just respond earlier. She said it would lower my blood pressure, and avoid discouraging my daughters from coming to me. She reminded me they weren't going to be any less relentless, and I was going to give in, anyway. Good advice.

The story Jesus shared with His disciples about prayer bears a striking similarity to my own anecdotal analysis of parenting little girls. The relentless are rewarded.

The lesson to be learned in prayer is actually two fold: KEEP PRAYING & KEEP FAITH.

Prayer is not an idol, but it is an essential part of an active faith. Faith is not some inanimate object or ethereal concept. It is applied truth, or truth in action.

"We do what we believe in. All the rest is religious talk." Peter Lord.

Prayer is the primary means of putting what we believe in action. Prayer puts faith, or our beliefs into motion. Prayer puts trust in God, and this believing prayer is rewarded. It cultivates a calm and a confidence in life based on a continuing series of answers to prayer.

People who practice believing prayer grow in faith, having learned the lesson that God will keep His promises to His people. Prayer acts on promises made by God, to His people, in The Word of God. Read it. Pray it.

A prayerless faith is a complete paradox. Prayerlessness finds no basis upon which to trust in the promises of God's Word. Prayerless people have become discouraged by delay and as a result have either come to trust in themselves or lost complete faith in God. Prayerless people are deceived.

God's delay doesn't represent God's denial of a request. It may be His call for the deepening of desire or the purifying of it. When there is a delay, pray anyway. God is always at work.

God answers the prayers that are prayed, not delayed. Don't delay. The simple truth is this. Prayers must be prayed to be answered. Children who run to The Father for an answer may not get the answer they want, but they will not be ignored. God keeps His promises. God answers His children. KEEP PRAYING.

Prayer is not mere symbolism, but it represents the faith of the children of God, in the love of The Father. When hope in The Father is all the children of God have, they pray with a profound intensity. Once they lose confidence in their own ability to transform their condition, they lean on The Father with relentless dependency. Prayerfulness is initiated by the hopelessness of their own position, unless The Father intervenes. The prayerful trust Him to come through. He always does. KEEP FAITH.

TALK LESS! PRAY MORE!

The Spirit

"Then, teaching them more about prayer,...How much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him." Luke 11:5-13 (NLT)

"Shameless persistence" v. 8 -

Jesus describes the manner in which people knew how to pursue a pressing need, and have it met by a neighbor. Jesus wasn't breaking new ground here. He was just stating what was known as an accepted truth of the existing social order. People can wear you out, when they think you have what they need.

"Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for.
Keep on seeking, and you will find.
Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you." v. 9

Again, Jesus was simply stating what the people of his community knew to be true about themselves. Heads were nodding up and down, and elbows were jostling the person next to them, and probably chuckling in agreement. There were no gasps or shocked faces. Everyone knew this to be true. You can almost hear people saying to one another, good-naturedly, "I know that's right!"

"For everyone who asks, receives.
Everyone who seeks, finds.
And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened." v. 10

Jesus closes his argument, by overstating the obvious, and restating "The Good Neighbor Policy."

The point of comparison Jesus makes is not between neighbors, and parents. He doesn't portray God as a resistant friend or an indulgent parent. The point Jesus makes is...

"HOW MUCH MORE will your heavenly Father give The Holy Spirit to those who ask him." v. 13

The point of prayer is not for a person to merely be persistent or for God to be extravagant. The point of prayer is to RECEIVE THE HOLY SPIRIT.

Praying persistently for what you don't need is no virtue. Being indulged with stuff without substance is no blessing. Prayer is meant to fill a person with The Person, The Power, and The Presence of The Holy Spirit. To pray for less is a fool's errand, and to receive less is a poor trade.

What is The Spirit that prayer is meant to bring into the life of those who pray? Paul described it as fruit. He said,
"THE FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, self-control." Galatians 5:22-23 NASB

There is a pungent aroma that accompanies any work of the flesh. It is the by-product of enormous exertion and the out-pouring of profuse perspiration. This powerful aroma can be found in locker rooms and factory floors. The labor of strong men pulls a team together or pushes a product out the door. The smell is nothing to be ashamed of, but it is not the reason for the existence of the team or the purpose of the factory. The team's purpose is to produce victories, and the factory is meant to produce profits. The odor is not the product. It is simply the by-product.

On the other hand, the farmer's effort produces the fruit of the land, by the sweat of his brow. There is no less labor, and no less sweat on a farm than in a factory. After the fruit is harvested on the farm, it is collected and then transported to a farmer's market. The over-whelming aroma of the fruit covers up the smell of those who produced it. Anyone who has ever strolled through a farmer's market soon discovers it is not about farmers at all. It is all about fruit. It is not about an aroma of fruit, but the taste of it. No matter how great the aroma, fruit tastes better than it smells. Life is in the fruit, not in the aroma. Don't settle for less than the best.

Jesus did not call His disciples to meaningless, mind-numbing, relentless prayer. He called His disciples to go to the right source for the right reason. The Father was the only one who could give them what they really needed...The Spirit.

Praying for less than what is needed the most, misses the real point and purpose of prayer. It simply doesn't matter how sincere or persistent a person is in the pursuit of the wrong purpose. Persistent, purposeless prayer never results in the right product...The Fruit of The Spirit.

Jesus described God as a "HOW MUCH MORE" kind of Father. The Spirit is The Father's answer to what His children need the most. When the church of His Son gathers as a collective body of people pursuing The Spirit, the aroma is over-whelming and attractive to those who hunger and thirst after righteousness. The Fruit of The Spirit always is.

When the church resists Christ's call to pray for The Spirit, they are left with the inevitable by-product of the work of their own flesh. It is an overwhelming aroma, but not as attractive, as the Fruit of The Spirit. Unchecked and unclean body odor never is.

People who persistently pray and pursue God for what they want, rather than what they need, may exert great energy, but they fail to produce The Fruit of The Spirit. The danger comes when the church body settles for the aroma of its own imitation fruit, and loses its taste for The Fruit of The Spirit.

It simply doesn't matter how much effort is made for God, or how much prayer is expressed to Him. If The Father doesn't send The Spirit to produce His fruit in the lives of His children, there is no point in praying. Without The Spirit, there will be no Great Awakening, individually or corporately. The churches of the land will be marked by the aroma of the flesh, but never release the aroma of The Fruit of The Spirit.

Imitation fruit, and perfumes may be used by churches to attract a crowd, but a Great Awakening hinges on the arrival of one person, The Holy Spirit. He is the church's Fruit Inspector.

Jesus said His followers should ask God for, and persistently pray for The Spirit. We need the aroma of His fruit in our lives, His Presence in Christ's church, and His Power in this world. The Holy Spirit launches the next Great Awakening.

TALK LESS! PRAY MORE!

The Need

"..You should pray...Give us each day the food we need." -
Jesus, Luke 11:3

The King James Version's, "Give us this day our daily bread," puts an emphasis upon praying for DAILY provision. The translation quoted above appears to put an emphasis on daily NEED. IMO one points to God, the other looks inward. This may not be an improvement, if it deteriorates prayer into glorified navel gazing. However, let's explore this idea of need.

Recently I began to search for the cause of death in America, over the past 100 years. It turns out the number one killer in America in the early 20th Century was tuberculosis and pneumonia. It was aided by a monstrous flu epidemic that killed millions. By the middle of the 20th Century, cause of death had shifted to heart disease. For the past 60 years, this has remained the primary cause of death, excluding abortion. Interesting that abortion didn't even make the top five. It is the greatest cause of the loss of life in American history. But, I digress.

Starving to death is not a fear Americans seem to dwell upon. The phobias of the nation are many, but this one is rarely fatal. From food stamps to free meals at school, and dinner on the grounds at church, there is food to eat. You can find it stuffed in Spandex on any trip to your neighborhood Wal-Mart, if you don't believe me.

How does praying, "Give us each day the food we need," lead to a "Christian" nation devouring itself with heart disease. From childhood obesity to chronic obesity food has taken over the lives of millions. Regardless of the latest fitness craze, insane fitness ads, palatial fitness gyms, and ever-present diet plans, the epidemic continues.

Growing up in Southern Baptist culture, I often joked that the cross over the church ought to be shaped by criss-crossing a knife and a fork. Sweet tea, tables groaning under pot-luck dishes, and loaded with desserts to kill for are the memories of many a Southern Baptist boy. Good times.

Today, the contemporary church believes that a day old Krispy Kreme Donut, and warm Starbucks coffee is the sign of a movement of God. If they only knew.

Need. What does that mean? Praying for what we need is a grand gift from God. It is sometimes called by the classic devotional authors, "Supplication." They refer to prayer as the means to leans on God for the supplies needed to thrive, not just survive. Prayer is a great privilege, and should be used early and often. Jesus said, "You should pray."

Health and wealth theology has taken a great deal of credit for success in the world's wealthiest nation, but it has also stolen a great deal of joy from solid Christians. Jesus encouraged His disciples to pray for what they needed...daily. Some may make too much of prayer, but it is no badge of honor to make too little of it.

Dana, my wife, has a favorite verse in the Bible. It is,
"My God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:19 NASB

Since she was a small girl, Dana has seen the wisdom in asking God to supply personal needs out of His limitless resources. She has taught me a valuable lesson in practicing patience, and receiving divine provision. Time and space fail me to document all the times God has provided in our time of need. Thanks, Dana.

Often, good-hearted people shy away from praying for something they want, because they question if they really need it. Of course there is a difference, but there are times when God is the only one who knows what it is. Pray anyway.

True. Wanting something and needing something are two different things. Just because something is wanted, doesn't mean it is wrong to desire it. BUT, in the matter of food, failing to discern the difference between wanting and needing can lead to inevitable, and very visible consequences.

Saying grace over a meal is a great time to ask God and yourself, "Do I really need this?" Praying over your meal, before you inhale it, is God's way to express gratitude for what you have, and to learn to discern what you need. More gravy? REALLY?

Prayer leaves the answer in God's hands. God always answers prayer. His big three are: Yes. No. and Wait. However, my personal favorite is, "You have got to be kidding!" Remember the gravy?

Back to need. If God's people only prayed over their food with this kind of integrity, they would lead a nation away from gluttony. There I said it. Gluttony, one of the "Seven Deadly Sins." It is the sinful use of food as a form of self-gratification, and the loss of food as a source of nourishment.

Go to any church fellowship hall on banquet night or weekly family dinner and you will find the evidence you need to see that it exists. It isn't pretty.

Daily. The people Jesus spoke to had no refrigerators or freezers, and most had no savings accounts or charge cards. Most were called "the people of the land." For the most part, they were peasants, small farmers, artisans, and laborers.

Life was day to day. People worked for a daily wage, or to produce their daily food. It was tedious, back-breaking, and mind-numbing work. Their ambition was to exert enough energy, that day, to provide enough food for their family to survive another day. There was little hope of social or economic ascent. Life was short, hard and without mercy. The setting and the rising of the sun were a relentless reminder that they had better be moving. To less was to invite starvation. Daily need, indeed.

Jesus intervened in their daily lives with the gift of prayer. He told them to look to God, daily, for what they needed. Got that? Daily. Can you see a pattern? Praying to God daily, for what is needed daily, keeps a person in touch with God's love for them, and His hand on them, daily. Emphasis mine.

Life is fragile. Handle with prayer. Jesus put it this way. "You should pray...Give us each day the food we need." Praying daily for what is needed to survive, may not seem like much of an ambition to the average American Christian.

Too often, American Christians believe they were born for more than this. In typical fashion, they race off each day to do more work for The Lord than ever before. In doing so, their busy lives have little time and space to spend with The Lord of the work. Jesus knows what you need before you ask for it. Pray anyway. It is the original pause that refreshes.

Americans have grown accustomed to lofty pursuits, marked by selfish ambition. In doing so, they have done a great deal of good. BUT life for millions of them has developed into a craving for more, leaving very little satisfaction with what they have, once they devour it. Jesus had more in mind for His followers.

Praying keeps your "wanter" from getting out of control, and reminds you that God provides what you need the most. His Son, Jesus, satisfies the deepest need in your life, in a way more stuff never will. When you are expending more time serving Him, than you are replacing in time with Him, you are in need. More than God wants what you can do for Him, He wants you.

TALK LESS! PRAY MORE!

The Kingdom

"This is how you should pray." Jesus

"May your Kingdom come soon." Luke 11:2b NLT

Jesus told His disciples to go and tell the people of Israel, "The Kingdom of God is near you now." (Luke 10:9) He then encouraged them to pray, "May your Kingdom come soon." (Luke 11:2)

Near or soon, the point is clear. The Kingdom is wherever the King is, and it is based on whatever the King says. When Jesus gathered His disciples and shared The Sermon on The Mount, He placed before them The Constitution of The Kingdom.

Matthew's Gospel contains this powerful presentation in Chapters 5-7. Jesus provides a lesson in contrast between the contemporary religious culture, and His Kingdom. The most profound play on words in the world may be, "You have heard it said." vs/ "But I say to you!"

Over and over again, Jesus explains there is a new sheriff in town. His Word and His Way are the law of the land. The people are called to leave a kingdom of darkness and to walk into The Light. Those who do are set free from the penalty of sin. Those who persist in rebellion, remain prisoners of sin, hell and the grave.

When His Kingdom comes, The King exercises authority, not only over His citizens, but over all who hear Him, yet reject Him. Placing the King's Words on a throw pillow or a bumper sticker, pale in significance to having His Word transform one's own heart. This is where the Kingdom must come. Don't just print it. Pray for it.

When Texas became the 28th state of The Union in 1845, a unique ceremony took place throughout the land. At Texas forts, and in the capitol city, the flag of the nation of Texas was lowered, and the flag of The United States of America was raised.

All those present swore a new allegiance. Old loyalties ended, and a new jurisdiction was installed. For nine years Texas had been a free and independent nation. The moment the flag of the nation of Texas was lowered, Texas ceased to exist.

Texas received a form of rebirth by moving under the authority of a new nation, The United States. More than a flag being raised, one had to be lowered, on the pole and in the heart of every Texan. To do less was an act of treason, revealing a heart of rebellion. That act would come in 1861, but I digress.

Praying for the coming of The Kingdom is not a prophetic whimsy in hope of The Second Coming. It is the removal of treason from the heart of a rebel. Prayer prepares the way for a change of heart, and a new devotion. Prayer places a person under the guiding hand of The Father, and yields to His Son's jurisdiction and authority.

Prayerlessness begins with pride, but it ends in rebellion. Jesus turned to prayer to minimize His will and to magnify the will of The Father. Prayer would be the primary means The Son used, early, late and often to keep His will from ever turning away from the will of His Father.

Prayer guarded the heart of Jesus from any hint of rebellion to His Father. His disciples should not kid themselves into believing they are above His call to pray in this way. Prayer is the language of His Kingdom, and those who do not pray reveal themselves as aliens in a foreign land, or posers with a heart of rebellion to The King they profess to follow.

In December 1986, I was counseled, by a retired NASA space engineer, "Your walk with God is the next 20 seconds." He reminded me that the heart is deceitful, and even a minute delay in obeying a prompting of The Spirit of God was an invitation to rebellion. He recommended admitting to God any thought of rebellion before taking my next breath. His counsel has proven to be the best advice I have ever been given, about maintaining a walk with God.

Prayer is life-changing because it is breath-taking. Breath-taking is often used as an expression to describe an encounter with the abnormal. In The Kingdom, breath-taking is considered normal behavior. Prayer breathes out rebellion, and breathes in God's authority. The result is life-giving. It establishes a relationship with The King, and maintains fellowship with Him. Feeling a little rebellious? Don't kid yourself. You have the heart of a rebel. Don't yield to it.

TALK LESS! PRAY MORE!

The Question

"That same day two of Jesus' followers were walking to the village of Emmaus,...as they walked along they were talking about everything that had happened. As they talked and discussed these things, Jesus himself suddenly came and began walking with them...He asked them, "What are you discussing so intently as you walk along." Luke 24:13-17

There is no walk with Jesus without talking to Jesus. Talk about walk the walk and talk the talk all you want, but without talking to Jesus you are on a blind man's journey. Only Jesus can make sense out of the senseless, give hope to the hopeless and turn the impossible into the HIMpossible.

Jesus invited these two discouraged disciples to stop talking about Him, and to start talking to Him. There is a huge difference. Talking about Jesus ignores His Presence, and magnifies the crisis. Talking to Jesus embraces His Presence and releases the crisis to Him. No matter what the crisis is, it always shrinks in His hands.

The empty tomb has meaning, only if our hearts of full of Jesus. Talking about the empty tomb without talking to Jesus robs us of a sense of His Presence. He is here. He is listening. He knows the subject under discussion, and He hears the intensity of the anguish of every human heart. He still asks the question, "What are you talking about?" His Spirit still prompts the human heart to stop talking about Jesus, and to start talking to Him.

Every Easter people rush to the empty tomb and still miss Jesus nine ways from Dallas. For those in the north, that is a big miss. Easter Egg Hunts, Bunny photo ops, new clothes, family dinners, overblown pageants, well-rehearsed concerts, massive mail outs, and multiple services all provide opportunities for an encounter with Jesus. The problem is that after all the Easter excess, the question of Jesus has gone begging. "What are you talking about?" A great deal was done for Him and said about Him, but not much was said to Him.

When these two folks on the road to Emmaus encountered Jesus , they missed him. People still do. More than that, they were annoyed by Him. People still are.

Jesus interrupted their conversation, and when He did, one of them gave Him an earful of Aramaic angst.

"You must be the only one in Jerusalem who hasn't heard about all the things that have happened there the last few days."

The next two words will turn a talker into a walker. The answer to the question forces the talker to turn away from the problem and to turn and face Jesus.

" 'What things?,' Jesus asked." Luke 24:19

What happened next was a spewing out of all the pain of the past tense. They had been eye-witnesses to what looked like the worst thing that man could do to another human being. They could not see God's hand at work in it.

NOTE TO SELF: Sometimes God wraps up His greatest gifts in some of the scariest packaging.

Talking to Jesus began the healing process, by taking the pain of the past and moving it into the present tense. Prayer is a matter of talking to Jesus, and allowing Him time to make sense out of whatever tense is filling your life with tension. Sometimes it is the pain of the past, the intimidation of the present or the fear of the future. Prayer covers them all, and places them all in the hands of Jesus.

This Easter, don't miss Jesus. The tomb is empty, but your heart can be full of Him. When Jesus asks you, "What things?" Like the old song says, "Tell it to Jesus." TALK LESS! PRAY MORE!

Father, thank you for an empty tomb & a full heart. Your Son died for us & Your Spirit lives in us, but Your love sent them to us. You are worthy of our praise.

The Foundation

"Pray for those who hurt you." Luke 6:28

Teddy Roosevelt used a tried and true mechanism, when working a room filled with people who knew him, but whose names did not readily come to his mind. He would shake someone's hand enthusiastically and ask, "How's the old complaint?" Immediately the unknown person would begin a sob story. It would either trigger his memory or focus that person's attention on their problem. He knew people loved talking about themselves, and this social skill kept them from asking him to remember their name. Pretty savvy. Thanks Teddy!

Everyone has a story filled with time and place, chapter and verse, blessing and curse. Wise people learn to deal with those who curse them, or their lives become a self-destructive, autobiographical short story.

Jesus established the Constitution of His Kingdom on the firm foundation of prayer. Wedged within all the beatitudes is a simple statement that has profound consequences for the citizens of His Kingdom.

"Bless those who curse you. Pray for those who hurt you."
Luke 6:28

Intercession is God's idea of retaliation. He replaces striking back with kneeling down. He values turning the other cheek over giving someone the back of the hand. The Kingdom is not about getting even with someone. It is about lifting them up. Prayer is no easy road.

God knows it is harder to hate someone you pray for. It isn't impossible, just harder. Going through the motions of feigned forgiveness produces a lobotomized faith. People who try to fake it until they make become bowls of imitation fruit. They look good on the outside, but don't hold on the inside what is advertised on their label. The world can tell the difference between real and false Christianity.

"Bless your heart." is one of the great beatitudes of Southern culture. Unfortunately, it has deteriorated into a platitude of dubious value. It is often used to cover a multitude of sins. In most Baptist churches it has become a postlude to a laundry list of complaints about a person's conduct or an exposure of their lack of character. After the poison has been spewed out of the speaker's mouth, they swirl this phrase around the teeth and gums, and spew out, "Bless their heart." It leaves a faint hint of an artificial aroma of rotten fruit floating over their venomous revelation. The odor is bit like that of a gardenia in a garbage can. But I digress.

Note to self: You just can't say anything you want to say about a person and cover it up with, "Bless their heart." God knows you don't mean a word of it. Stop it.

"Discernment is given for intercession, not fault-finding." Oswald Chambers.

"The Great OZ" is currently scaring the pants off a new generation of children who never saw Judy Garland skip her way down the "Yellow Brick Road." Spoiler Alert: The flying monkeys have been hitting the steroids. The quote stated above is from the true Os, Oswald Chambers. A British preacher, Bible professor, and patriot, Chambers died in Egypt while serving with the British Expeditionary Force in 1917. His wife preserved his messages in short hand, and presented them to the world through, "My Utmost for His Highest." It is one of the great devotional books of the 20th Century. The 21st Century Church could use it.

A curse is a call to bless. To be honest, I am rarely a First Responder. I have often had to say, "Just because I choose not to be offended, doesn't mean what you did was not offensive." It helps but it can't end there.

The Spirit of Christ offers me the capacity to make prayer my second nature. Praying for someone who has hurt me does not release them from the offense, but it does take retribution out of my hands. Prayer places the offense and the offender in God's. The relief is amazing.

Settling my accounts with God does not include settling the score with those who have wronged me. God heals my heart when I pray for their best. When I do less, I am only weakened by their worst. Prayer turns over my right to pay back to God. God's payback to me is always worth the exchange.

Reading the Constitution of The Kingdom without seeing it through the lens of prayer, makes it appear incomprehensible gibberish. There is no way a self-sufficient, prideful, prayerless person can hope to live up to this challenging manifesto. People who profess to do so are just pious posers. "Bless their hearts." Doh! Did it again.

"So why do you keep calling me, 'Lord, Lord!' when you don't do what I say?" Jesus - Luke 6:46

"But anyone who hears and doesn't obey is like a person who who builds a house without a foundation...it will collapse in a heap of ruins." Jesus - Luke 6:49

Praying and obeying are two sides of the same coin. Praying for those who have cursed you invests in them. It only costs you your pride. Holding on to a grudge is a poor investment. Let it go. Releasing your grip on it, empties your hands of a grievance, and opens them up to receive a blessing from God.

Investing in prayer on behalf of an offender is not a matter of convincing yourself they did nothing wrong. Prayer declares the direct opposite. It tells God all the gory details. Instead of taking the offense to heart, prayer releases it. Prayers leaves the offense and the offender in His capable hands. Prayer yields to God the responsibility to make it right. Prayer gives up the right to payback, and allows God time to heal your broken heart.

"It is amazing what God can do with a broken heart, if you give Him all the pieces." Samuel Chadwick

The Mountain

"One day soon afterward Jesus went up on a mountain to pray, and he prayed to God all night. At daybreak he called together all of his disciples and chose twelve of them to be apostles." Luke 6:12

For thirty years, I led all night prayer meetings in Baptist Churches in three different states. In reflection, they had two things in common. They were either birthed in the face of great conflict or preceded a great decision. This should have come as no surprise. Jesus did some of His greatest praying, in the face of His enemies and before He led His followers.

When Jesus faced opposition, He got face to face with God. People have a way of getting in the face of a man or woman of God. When that happens, it is hard not to retaliate in kind. Something in the flesh cries out for vindication. Prayer is more than a knee bending exercise. It is a flesh killing enterprise. Taking a wounded ego to God in prayer, won't heal it or resurrect it. Prayer will keep it nailed to the cross, where it belongs.

Jesus chose to go mountain climbing and to pray all night, after religious people were enraged. These religious people were either opposed to WHAT He did, or the WAY He did it. They always are.

Praying is a how God's children receive His direction, protection and correction. Enemies will make a prayerless person believe that right is wrong, and wrong is right. Praying power provides staying power for moving in the right direction, in the face of a steep hill of opposition. Unless people get with God, they will either slow down or get off track. This only happens...every time.

“A man who is intimate with God will never be intimidated by men.” Leonard Ravenhll

In September 2012, I was contacted by a man who was calling on behalf of a wounded brother. I told him that the conflict was not ours to solve, because neither one of us caused it. However, we could intercede for the men who were at odds with one another. Too much was at stake for them to remain estranged. He agreed. I asked him to voice a prayer for his guy, and I prayed for mine. We asked God to keep their hearts tender to His touch and to guide them back to one another for His reconciliation. In March 2013, I received a report, that they had met, prayed together, forgave one another and were reconciled. Thank God!

Prayer clears the air, and it clears the room. When the fog of war fills the meeting or a conversation with confusion, blow it away with a breath of prayer. Special called business meetings are often held in Baptist churches to decide the future of their pastor. They usually pack the house. Call an all-night prayer meeting to seek direction for the church, and you can clear the room. Crickets chirping is a poor substitute for the Spirit's Presence.

Note to self: When the more you say it, the less people hear it, stop saying it, and start praying it. They may leave, but The Spirit will stay. Whose presence do you need more? His or theirs. Who needs to exert the greatest influence on your life or in the church? Them or Him? Keep praying.

Recently I read a personal testimony of a man who believes God led him in 2001 to usher in the second Apostolic Age. Interesting. For the past 12 years, he has been appointing apostles to take the place of the one's Jesus called. I am skeptical, but curious. When was the all night prayer meeting held? There has to be a balance between cessationists, and inflationists. If there is, I intend to find it. Those who believe God is through working in power and authority leave little room for hope. Those who call us to look to them and their friends for it, don't give us much either. But I digress.

Jesus was hounded by his enemies with relentless rage. Preachers of the Gospel who have no enemies, may want to check what they are preaching. The Gospel brings peace, but peace is always declared after the end of a war. Preaching that does not stir up a controversy rarely confronts sin. Confronting sin results in conflict. Handling conflict without prayer is like breathing without air. Neither one ends well.

Jesus healed a man with a withered hand on the Sabbath, in the face of his enemies. The result of His miracle should be a warning light on the dashboard of many a weary pastor. Too many believe that if they do the right thing, or work harder at everything, people will be happier with them. The Bible says,

"He looked around at them one by one and then said to the man, 'Hold out your hand.' So the man held out his hand, and it was restored! At this, the enemies of Jesus were wild with rage and began to discuss what to do with him."
Luke 6:10-11

PASTOR ALERT: Jesus did the right thing, and yet it filled people with rage. In their estimation, WHAT Jesus did was right thing, but the WAY He did it was wrong. He healed on the wrong day. Opposition to a movement of God is an ancient strategy. The enemy rarely needs Plan B.

MEMBER ALERT: If the devil can't discredit WHAT your pastor did, he will disdain the WAY your pastor did it. The devil is flexible. He will also raise up opposition by reversing the argument. People who cannot make a case against the WAY a pastor did something, can always be influenced to oppose WHAT was done.

The issue is always the same. As it was in the day of Jesus, it is always about control. The devil wants it, and he won't share it. It must be taken from him. Gospel preaching enrages him. Preach it anyway. Before you do, and after you do, bathe it in prayer.

Mountain air will clear your mind, calm your heart, and give you courage for the battle in the valley. No matter WHAT, find a WAY to

TALK LESS! PRAY MORE!

The Will

"When the man saw Jesus, he bowed his face to the ground, begging to be healed. 'Lord,' he said, 'if you are willing, you can heal me, and make me clean.' Jesus reached out and touched him. 'I am willing,' he said. 'Be healed!' And instantly the leprosy disappeared. Then Jesus instructed him..." Luke 5:12-14

"When the man saw Jesus, he bowed his face to the ground..."

Prayer is the collision of two opposing forces, "My Will" and "Thy Will."

"...begging to be healed...

Prayer first conforms a person to God's will and then transforms them by His will.

"Lord...if you are willing..."

Prayer provides the line of communication between the Heavenly Father and His children. Jesus is Lord. Prayer doesn't make Him Lord. It recognizes Him as Lord. Prayer turns rebellion into a relationship. Prayer honors the Lordship of Jesus, and turns ownership into stewardship. Prayer yields our rights to Jesus and prepares us to do His will.

"...if you are willing, you can heal me, and make me clean..."

Prayer places the crises of God's children, into His hands. The more His children talk about them, the less they pray to Him. The more they delay, the larger the larger their crises get. Prayer releases what God can do for us. Talk is obsessed with what a crisis is doing to us.

"Jesus reached out and touched him..."

Prayer is a high touch enterprise. When God's children pray, they get in touch with Jesus, and then they receive a touch from Him.

"I am willing."
Prayer turns "My Will" into "Thy Will." People, willing to pray, get over themselves, and get in touch with God. They are more obsessed with "Thy" than "My." Childish people are more concerned about "S'mine!" than "Thine."

My first experience in working with children, up close and personal, came when my wife, Dana, asked me to help her with her two year old Vacation Bible School class. Every day I became more and more convinced of original sin. Fights broke out over the slightest offense. Whenever two kids wanted the same toy, it was a throwdown showdown, toddler-style. I learned a new word that week. SMINE!

SMINE: definition - that is mine. To be spoken with a hissing sound, followed by a yanking action, while seizing control of another child's toy, producing a scream from the injured party. This word is often expressed when two children encounter each other in the presence of one toy.

NOTE TO ADULTS: Prayer turns SMINE! into THINE! Childish praying demands God conforms to "My Will." Answered prayer is rooted in "Thy Will." Jesus prayed, "Not My will, but Thy will be done." Follow His lead.

"And instantly the leprosy disappeared."

Delaying in praying only prolongs the agony of the crisis. The earlier a crisis is brought to God, the sooner God's children will see what He will do with it.

"Then Jesus instructed him..."

Answered prayer is not the end of praying. It is the beginning. "When" is followed by "Then." Too often praying people get in touch with Jesus when they need an answer, then lose touch with Him, after they receive it. They are more concerned about "When" than "Then."

People focused on nothing but their own health and wealth may get both and still be spiritually dead and bankrupt. The landscape between "When" and "Then" is roller-coaster ride of emotions and intimidating encounters with the enemy. Prayer turns panic into peace. Enjoy the ride.

Note to self: Prayer is not about getting what you want, as much as it is conforming you into the image of The Father. This was the passion of Jesus, and His Spirit will fan the flames of this fire in your heart. When your heart grows cold, then warm it up through prayer and the reading of God's Word. When in doubt, read the instructions and do what Jesus did.

TALK LESS! PRAY MORE!

The Walk

"And his father Zacharias was filled with the Holy Spirit, and prophesied, saying, "Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, for He has visited us and accomplished redemption for His people." Luke 1:67-68

So little is known about Zacharias, and Elizabeth, in comparison to other characters in the Bible. Yet, God chose them to be the parents of John the Baptist. It is not a great leap of conjecture to believe that there was a depth and an integrity to their character that no one else could see. No matter. God truly valued it.

"They were both righteous in the sight of God, walking blamelessly in all the commandments and requirements of the Lord, but..." Luke 1:6

The Bible is filled with the junction of the conjunction.

"BUT (emphasis mine) they had no child."

This a mouthful. It is not a throw away line, or padding for a pulp fiction novel. This is the Word of God, and simple phrases often carry a powerful punch. When the weight of the words are placed on the scales of their context, they will reveal insight and understanding, that may not be initially appreciated, from a quick read.

Righteous is not a word to be treated lightly. Practical piety in the day of Zacharias and Elizabeth was expressed by giving, praying and fasting. When Jesus presented His Sermon on the Mount, he expressed the same elements of this character would be seen in the citizens of The Kingdom. He put great emphasis on these very three things. He magnified the private purity of motive, but He devalued any ostentatious public expression of giving, praying and fasting. Interesting, that no one else seemed to appreciate what these two people had invested in The Kingdom, BUT God did.

The conventional wisdom of the religious system and the general scuttlebutt expressed by their friends and neighbors had this couple pegged as losers and underachievers. All they could see was the "BUT." God always sees past it.

"But they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren, and they were both advanced in years." Luke 1:7

In other words, they were done. Check please. Clear the table. Next! They still had a place of service, but life was moving on without them, and it was about to give them "the bum's rush." Zacharias had no son to pass on his name. Elizabeth had no child to validate her existence. Each day they rose, worked, ate, slept and aged. Mundane monotony, can be the cancer that eats away at the meaning of life.

In spite of what might have appeared, to most of their friends and family, this couple never lost sight of their real reason for living. They did not find hope in climbing the ladder of the current religious system. Their passion was not invested in making a name for themselves. They poured what they had been given, and what they had left into a genuine walk with God.

"...walking blamelessly in all the commandments and requirements of the Lord." Luke 1:7

WOW! What a statement. "Blameless." Don't get me wrong. They had their critics. The cultured, big city religious elite hated to see the hicks come to town. The great unwashed hayseeds from the country would roll into Jerusalem for the feast days, and their poor priests would arrive to do their service to them.

At home, there were the hissing serpents of gossip that always whispered behind Elizabeth's back when she walked through the market. They would nod knowingly, and say maliciously that her childless condition was punishment for some unseen sinful condition. The "Fruit Inspector" boys and "The Share and Tear" girls will always be around. In the case of this couple, dirt could be dished. Mud could be thrown. BUT it just couldn't stick.

"All." There was not one thing that God commanded and required that they did not obey. What a legacy! They were not large and in charge. They did not have the trappings of success or status. They didn't have the capacity to make a name for themselves, or even leave one behind. Still, they walked with God, and He knew them by their first names.

For all practical purposes, Zacharias had already made his mark in life. Elizabeth never would. He was a very small cog in the great religious machine that operated The Temple. For him, there would be no fast track to fame and glory. No high office or prestigious position was going to be in his future. He was part of the priestly class, but that meant he was expected to be honored to serve, when his time came. After guiding people through the worship experience at The Temple, he was expected to go home and pick up his quiet, obscure life, with his barren wife Elizabeth.

"Now it happened." Luke 1:8

The Bible is filled with stories about people who seem to be set on permanent, poignant pauses, right before God's unction falls upon them. In the case of Zacharias, he was on pause, and about to be put on mute. BUT, in both cases, God was at work in his life.

Note to self: God is always working to bring about His best in your life, and He does His best work in what appear to be the worst of circumstances. Don't try to talk yourself through a crisis, just keep walking with God through it. What He has brought you to, He will bring you through.

"While he was performing his priestly service before God, in the appointed order of his division, according to the custom of the priestly office, he was chosen by lot to enter the temple of the Lord and burn incense. And the whole multitude of the people were in prayer outside at the hour at the hour of the incense offering. And the angel of the Lord appeared..." Luke 1:8-11

My gosh, this is like reading the prose of an automobile manual found in the glove box of my car. "When jumping the battery, turn off the engine of the car with the live battery. Attach positive cable on the car with the dead battery to.." Wah. Wah.Wah. Wah. Wah.

Are you kidding me? This is how God works? He shows up in the daily, mundane errands and at the stopped up kitchen sinks of our lives. YES! God was about to jump start the lives of these two wonderful people, but they had to be in the right place at the right time.

Getting up, and showing up for a walk with God is where the unction is. Staying connected to the right power source is the only way to have what only God can give. LIFE. POWER. PURPOSE. Without taking an active interest in spending time with God, their lives were dead. With Him they were about to have the adventure of their lives.

God saves the best for last. Cynics say that youth is wasted on the young. I remember trying to get up a group for a trip to the Holy Land. I had pretty good crowd until they found out we weren't going to Branson. To the uninformed, Branson is Vegas for Baptists. Senior Adults who make this pilgrimage will stand in line in a thunderstorm to gain entrance to a session with their version of Justin Bieber. They will clap, and cheer for their idea of "American Idol." BUT when they get home, they whine about that loud "rock n roll" music in their church. Go figure.

Anyone who has ever been around a Senior Adult ministry in a local church knows that the old can hold their own, with any young person alive, when it comes to wasting the best years of their lives. Can you spell ukelele? I didn't think so. To be a part of the next Great Awakening, it is time for people who know better to step away from the "All U Can Eat" Branson buffet, and pursue the path of this righteous couple. This walk never ends, and it never gets old.

TALK LESS! PRAY MORE!

The HIMpossible

"And his father Zacharias was filled with the Holy Spirit, and prophesied, saying, "Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, for He has visited us and accomplished redemption for His people." Luke 1:67-68

So little is known about Zacharias, and Elizabeth, in comparison to other characters in the Bible. Yet, God chose them to be the parents of John the Baptist. It is not a great leap of conjecture to believe that there was a depth and an integrity to their character that no one else could see. No matter. God truly valued it.

"They were both righteous in the sight of God, walking blamelessly in all the commandments and requirements of the Lord, but..." Luke 1:6

The Bible is filled with the junction of the conjunction.

"BUT (emphasis mine) they had no child."

This a mouthful. It is not a throw away line, or padding for a pulp fiction novel. This is the Word of God, and simple phrases often carry a powerful punch. When the weight of the words are placed on the scales of their context, they will reveal insight and understanding, that may not be initially appreciated, from a quick read.

Righteous is not a word to be treated lightly. Practical piety in the day of Zacharias and Elizabeth was expressed by giving, praying and fasting. When Jesus presented His Sermon on the Mount, he expressed the same elements of this character would be seen in the citizens of The Kingdom. He put great emphasis on these very three things. He magnified the private purity of motive, but He devalued any ostentatious public expression of giving, praying and fasting. Interesting, that no one else seemed to appreciate what these two people had invested in The Kingdom, BUT God did.

The conventional wisdom of the religious system and the general scuttlebutt expressed by their friends and neighbors had this couple pegged as losers and underachievers. All they could see was the "BUT." God always sees past it.

"But they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren, and they were both advanced in years." Luke 1:7

In other words, they were done. Check please. Clear the table. Next! They still had a place of service, but life was moving on without them, and it was about to give them "the bum's rush." Zacharias had no son to pass on his name. Elizabeth had no child to validate her existence. Each day they rose, worked, ate, slept and aged. Mundane monotony, can be the cancer that eats away at the meaning of life.

In spite of what might have appeared, to most of their friends and family, this couple never lost sight of their real reason for living. They did not find hope in climbing the ladder of the current religious system. Their passion was not invested in making a name for themselves. They poured what they had been given, and what they had left into a genuine walk with God.

"...walking blamelessly in all the commandments and requirements of the Lord." Luke 1:7

WOW! What a statement. "Blameless." Don't get me wrong. They had their critics. The cultured, big city religious elite hated to see the hicks come to town. The great unwashed hayseeds from the country would roll into Jerusalem for the feast days, and their poor priests would arrive to do their service to them.

At home, there were the hissing serpents of gossip that always whispered behind Elizabeth's back when she walked through the market. They would nod knowingly, and say maliciously that her childless condition was punishment for some unseen sinful condition. The "Fruit Inspector" boys and "The Share and Tear" girls will always be around. In the case of this couple, dirt could be dished. Mud could be thrown. BUT it just couldn't stick.

"All." There was not one thing that God commanded and required that they did not obey. What a legacy! They were not large and in charge. They did not have the trappings of success or status. They didn't have the capacity to make a name for themselves, or even leave one behind. Still, they walked with God, and He knew them by their first names.

For all practical purposes, Zacharias had already made his mark in life. Elizabeth never would. He was a very small cog in the great religious machine that operated The Temple. For him, there would be no fast track to fame and glory. No high office or prestigious position was going to be in his future. He was part of the priestly class, but that meant he was expected to be honored to serve, when his time came. After guiding people through the worship experience at The Temple, he was expected to go home and pick up his quiet, obscure life, with his barren wife Elizabeth.

"Now it happened." Luke 1:8

The Bible is filled with stories about people who seem to be set on permanent, poignant pauses, right before God's unction falls upon them. In the case of Zacharias, he was on pause, and about to be put on mute. BUT, in both cases, God was at work in his life.

Note to self: God is always working to bring about His best in your life, and He does His best work in what appear to be the worst of circumstances. Don't try to talk yourself through a crisis, just keep walking with God through it. What He has brought you to, He will bring you through.

"While he was performing his priestly service before God, in the appointed order of his division, according to the custom of the priestly office, he was chosen by lot to enter the temple of the Lord and burn incense. And the whole multitude of the people were in prayer outside at the hour at the hour of the incense offering. And the angel of the Lord appeared..." Luke 1:8-11

My gosh, this is like reading the prose of an automobile manual found in the glove box of my car. "When jumping the battery, turn off the engine of the car with the live battery. Attach positive cable on the car with the dead battery to.." Wah. Wah.Wah. Wah. Wah.

Are you kidding me? This is how God works? He shows up in the daily, mundane errands and at the stopped up kitchen sinks of our lives. YES! God was about to jump start the lives of these two wonderful people, but they had to be in the right place at the right time.

Getting up, and showing up for a walk with God is where the unction is. Staying connected to the right power source is the only way to have what only God can give. LIFE. POWER. PURPOSE. Without taking an active interest in spending time with God, their lives were dead. With Him they were about to have the adventure of their lives.

God saves the best for last. Cynics say that youth is wasted on the young. I remember trying to get up a group for a trip to the Holy Land. I had pretty good crowd until they found out we weren't going to Branson. To the uninformed, Branson is Vegas for Baptists. Senior Adults who make this pilgrimage will stand in line in a thunderstorm to gain entrance to a session with their version of Justin Bieber. They will clap, and cheer for their idea of "American Idol." BUT when they get home, they whine about that loud "rock n roll" music in their church. Go figure.

Anyone who has ever been around a Senior Adult ministry in a local church knows that the old can hold their own, with any young person alive, when it comes to wasting the best years of their lives. Can you spell ukelele? I didn't think so. To be a part of the next Great Awakening, it is time for people who know better to step away from the "All U Can Eat" Branson buffet, and pursue the path of this righteous couple. This walk never ends, and it never gets old.

TALK LESS! PRAY MORE!