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"The backslider in heart will have his fill of his own ways. But a good man will be satisfied w his." Proverbs 14:14
The Fool flinches when God touches his heart. He moves away from His reach, retreats from His Presence, and goes back to senses dulled by sin. The self-made man gets what he deserves, his own way. The Wise find their way to God, and find satisfaction in Him.
TALK LESS! PRAY MORE!
Ordinary and extraordinary obstacles have a way of invading your space by getting in your face. Don't let insane crises or mundane circumstances turn your eyes away from Jesus.
Obedient prayer warriors follow The Intercessor’s lead, and allow His Spirit to guide them to the face of The Father.
TALK LESS! PRAY MORE!
“My God, My God, Why have you forsaken me?” - Jesus(Matthew 27:46, Mark 17:24)
“Father, into Your hands I commit My Spirit.” - Jesus (Luke 23:46)
Standing in The Gap between two opposing forces is the very definition of intercession. When Jesus took His place upon The Cross, He experienced separation from His Father, and expressed desperation for a reunion with Him. Personal sin should bring about the same conditions in His followers.
Jesus prayed, and saturated Himself in private, personal companionship with His Father. His prayerful preparation in The Garden ended in the yielding of His will to His Father’s will, come what may. He prepared Himself to be poured out as a sacrifice on The Cross on behalf of others. Jesus did not fear His crucifixion on a physical level, as much as He abhorred the idea of spiritual separation from His Father.
These two verses of Scripture contain the prayers of Jesus on The Cross that reveal the wide range of emotions that tore at His heart and soul. He experienced His initial separation from The Father, and expressed His desperation to be received by The Father.
Sin separates the sinner from intimacy from The Father. When children sense their behavior brings pleasure to their earthly parents, they often cry out, “Daddy! Mommy! Watch me!” Child-like behavior pleases parents, but childish behavior brings no pleasure to them.
When children know their behavior is not pleasing to their parents, they hide. They fear their errant behavior might result in a rebuke from the one’s they love. Childishly, they turn their faces away from the gaze of the very ones they once sought to please. This only happens…EVERY TIME!
Note to Self: Prayerlessness should be a flashing light on your dashboard, reminding you that you have lost your way home, and that you are in need of a family reunion, with The Father.
Separation must be followed by desperation Separation is the consequence of sin. Desperation is the cure to it. Jesus was in the right place at the right time. The Cross did not feel right. It was right. Big difference. Feelings, like appearances, can be deceiving. Prayer brought Jesus to The Cross. Prayer brought Him through it. It will do the same for His followers.
The anguished words of Jesus expressed His genuine revulsion at being separated from His Father. Though He was not being punished for His own sin, He was being sacrificed to remove its consequences from others. The Father cannot have fellowship with sinful people who have strayed from His direction, protection and correction. Sin must be forgiven, by The Father before there is a reunion with Him. Jesus stood in The Gap, and prepared the way to remove the separation caused by sin.
At the very heart of sin is a spirit of rebellion resisting the will of The Father. Prayerless people do not want to face up to their own sin, so they turn their faces away from The Father. They believe if they avoid eye contact with The Father, they can postpone the reckoning they deserve. In doing so, they miss the reunion they need.
Jesus died on The Cross to deal with the consequences of sin. When He sensed His first initial separation from The Father, it tore at His heart. He was desperate for restoration, and reconciliation. His followers are marked by the same response to their own sin. Anything less than genuine revulsion with personal sin, only postpones the reunion, and continues the separation.
Separated sinners believe the whispering lies of the enemy who warns them that they would be fools to bring their sin before the eyes of The Father. Childishly, they try to hide it from Him. Jesus died on The Cross to clear the path to forgiveness. The Father seeks to forgive child-like sinners, “poor in spirit” enough, and desperate enough to be right with Him.
Jesus took sin, that was not His own, and put it where it belonged, on The Cross. Those who identify with His death on The Cross find themselves in the right place to receive forgiveness from The Father. Those who seek to hide or excuse their sin remain separated from Him.
Prayerful people are not perfect, just forgiven children. Child-like praying resists separation from The Father, not a reunion with Him. Prayer unleashes their desperation for a reunion with Him.
Bringing your sin to The Father, in the name of Jesus, removes your separation and turns your desperation into a family reunion. Jesus filled The Gap on The Cross for His followers to turn to The Father, and pray to Him. Prayer turns your desperation into restoration with The Father.
TALK LESS! PRAY MORE!
What God values the most, He scatters the most. The church matters most, when it is scattered most, to the uttermost. The early church sailed into the wind, when it was opposed by adversity and persecution. They preached the Word of God, anyway, and anywhere.
No matter where they were blown, by the storms of life, no matter how ill the winds proved to be, they were never blown off course. They arrived at their destination, with their faith in God intact. Their goal in life was to share the Gospel. Wherever they landed, they introduced people to Jesus. So should we.
Prayer is not a magic wand to wave over rough seas. It is the pilot's compass that points the way through the storm. If you want to calm down, look up.
TALK LESS! PRAY MORE!
Prayer makes eye contact with The Father. Parents love it when their children call out, "Watch me!"
This morning, your Father in Heaven is watching over you. Look up to Him, and call out to Him today for His direction, correction and protection.
TALK LESS! PRAY MORE!
"The path of the righteous is like the light of dawn, that shines brighter & brighter until the full day. The way of the wicked is like darkness; they do not know over what they stumble."
PR. 4:19
Walk in The Light. Children sing it. The Wise live it. The lost need it.
"This little light of mine...Let it shine, let it shine, let it shine!."
TALK LESS! PRAY MORE!
Note to self: You squeeze an orange. You get orange juice. When you get squeezed, you don't always reveal what is on the label. Either take off your "I VOTED FOR STEPHEN" T-shirt or reconnect with your root system. Your artificial fruit is not cutting it.
Waxed fruit may wax eloquent, but real heat will tell the tale, and reveal the truth about the fruit of a person's life. The Fruit of The Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, and self-control come with The Spirit, when He saturates a person with The Presence of the character of Christ. Don't settle for less.
TALK LESS! PRAY MORE!
"My voice shalt thou hear in the morning, O Lord; in the morning I will direct my prayer unto thee, and I will look up."
Psalms 5:3
Throughout my childhood, after pouring out a hopeless situation to my Dad, he would often respond with these words "Things will look better in the morning." They always did.
This was not coincidental. It was providential. Dad would pray with me, and then head to his room to pray over me. When I awakened, I discovered he began his day much earlier than I did. He had taken my hopelessness, and trusted in God's faithfulness.
This verse of Scripture gave Dad's life perspective, and guided him to the profound peace of believing prayer, come what may. It has become a favorite of mine.
"My voice shalt thou hear in the morning..."
Prayer is based upon a confidence in God's listening ear, not our eloquent voice.
"I will direct my prayer unto thee, and I will look up."
Directing your prayer toward God, first thing in the morning places the compass of your life on an immovable object. The shadows of intimidating circumstances and irritating people can cause you too lose sight of Him.
Prayer reminds you God is still there. Prayer begins the day with a fresh breath of air to inhale the fragrance of His Presence. There is nothing like fresh mountain air. Breathe deep.
"I will look up."
Looking up provides a fresh perspective in the midst of the conflict. Life is not lived out on a perpetual retreat on the mountain top. It is often a running battle with a relentless enemy fought out in the valley of despair. Prayer replaces despair with fresh air.
Prayer reminds you of the overwhelming Presence of God, and places your confidence in Him. The battle is His. Look up and fight in His shade.
TALK LESS PRAY MORE!
"Let my prayers come before thee; incline thine ear..."
Psalms 88:2
Effective praying is exclusive praying. It results by accepting no man-made substitute and by placing your request before the only one who will respond to you.
The Scripture reveals God is inclined to incline his ear, like a loving father reaches down to draw a crying child to his face. Effective praying seeks the comforting embrace of The Father more than the answer to a prayer.
Prayer is more about getting with God than getting an answer. Prayer is not a race to get what you want. It is a race to embrace His face.
When I was a small boy, I always loved to rub my face against the fresh shaven face of my Dad. At 66 years of age, I can still remember the smell of the "Old Spice" Dad would splash on his face. If I raced to embrace him early in the morning, some of his after shave would rub off on me, and linger through the day. Today, Dad is in Heaven, but his fragrance remains.
The Father inclines His ear to hear you. Linger in the aroma of His Presence. He is the answer to your prayers.
TALK LESS! PRAY MORE!
“Father, glorify Your Son, that the Son may glorify You.”
John 17:1
In The Prayer of Jesus, The Son addressed Holy God, as Father. When Jesus responded to His disciples’ request, “Lord, teach us to pray,” (Luke 11:1), He offered them the same gracious, and intimate access to His Father. He said, “Pray, then, in this way, “Our Father, who is in Heaven.” (Matthew 6:9)
When Jesus established The Constitution of The Kingdom, He introduced the standards for citizenship, “poor in spirit.” (Matthew 5:3). He described those who were not spiritually arrogant, but humbled themselves, rather than being full of themselves.
When the arrogant disciples of Jesus needed an object lesson of this kind of humility, a child-like trust in the authority and jurisdiction of The Father, The Son reached out for the hand of a little one, and said, “Unless you are converted and become like children, you will not enter the kingdom of Heaven. Whoever humbles himself as this child, he is the greatest in the kingdom of Heaven.” (Matthew 18: 3-4)
The Prayer of Jesus begins with The Son, humbling Himself in The Presence of The Father. It ends with The Son interceding before The Father for His disciples to be filled with His love. They needed to be full of Jesus, not themselves. His disciples still do. Jesus still intercedes for them to experience, “I in them.” Thank you, Jesus.
When contemporary disciples start complicating prayer, or become satisfied with being educated about prayer, they stop coming into The Presence of The Father. Instead of turning into humble children, seeking His direction, protection, and correction, they become rebellious children who start delaying, and stop praying.
Reading about prayer, talking about prayer, singing about prayer, and preaching about prayer must lead to more praying. Anything less is a delay in intimacy with The Father.
“Unless you are converted” should encourage every prayerless disciple that personal, private prayer is the way a rebellious child is able to turn their prideful and prayeless heart into a humble and prayerful heart. Two things break The Father’s heart, rebellion and repentance. Prayerful children are humble children who turn around at the slightest call of The Father, and run to Him, in the name of The Son.
There is nothing like The Presence of The Father. Jesus longed for The Father’s Presence, and found His way to Him, early in the day, during the day, late at night, throughout the night, in public places, and on prolonged, private retreats. Jesus saturated Himself with The Father’s Presence, by yielding His will to The Father’s will. His disciples should do no less.
Recently, I asked my 92 year-old father, Don Miller, “What is the one thing you would want people to know about prayer, if it was the last thing you could share with them?” He said, “Follow Jesus. It just isn’t any more complicated than that. Don’t complicate prayer. Jesus cannot be explained. He must be experienced.” Nuff said.
TALK LESS! PRAY MORE!
What a privilege to be invited into your “home”. We take that very seriously and understand that our calling and mission are completely and confidently to exalt the name of Jesus as we impart the powerful knowledge of intercession. Therefore, the moments we spend with you are dedicated to exhorting the people of God to Talk Less! Pray More!