Prayer is BORING….....

.......Or it’s one of the most enjoyable things you can ever experience. I’m convinced the reason most people don’t pray is they’re not willing to pay the price to pray. DAVID said in Psalm 131:2
2 Surely I have calmed and quieted my soul, Like a weaned child with his mother; Like a weaned child is my soul within me. The hardest part about prayer is quieting your soul from the TV, radio, computer, video games and other distractions of life, and clearly just “listening” to God. Prayer is so much more enjoyable when we learn to “Listen” to the Lord rather than lay our laundry list out to Him like He’s our cosmic genie. Prayer is really reporting for duty. But once you do it you’ll connect with the Lord and really enjoy the intimacy with Him. Prayer is not coming to the king’s table for the stuff on the table. Prayer is coming to the king for the king.
Here are a couple suggestions to really enjoy your time communing with Jesus.

What you’ll need:
• Bible
• Journal
• Pen
• Favorite beverage. (In my case, a cup of “Ugly Mug” saving grace cup o Joe)

What to do:

First, write down how you feel in your latest entry. I don’t care if you’re happy, sad, frustrated, angry, depressed, joyful, etc. When you write it out on paper you’re getting it out of you and before the Lord (Read Isaiah 37:14). You’re also being honest with yourself and the Lord. You’ll begin to feel a release.

Second, ask the Lord to reveal your sins to you. I know, I know, this is a tough one. You’re thinking, “I’m basically asking God to hit me over the head with a tack hammer.” This is not why you confess sin. You do it to clear the blockage and restore your “fellowship” with Jesus. Just before Jesus went to the cross, He got down to His literal underwear and washed feet. Washing feet was a great symbolic gesture in the Jewish culture. When a guest arrived at a home the host washed feet to say, "I don't care where or what you've walked into. This washing releases you from guilt while you are my guest. To have your feet washed suggested you "needed" your soul cleansed. Peter was embarrassed at the action. Jesus said to him John 13:8 "If I do not wash you, you have no part with Me." If we don’t allow Jesus to cleanse us we will live powerless Christian lives unable to be of use to Him. My son is two years old. He is still in diapers. What if he tried to “change” his own diaper? It would be a little messy. His only option is coming to me, his father, and requesting me to change him. I then do what any good father would do, hand him to my wife. Ha Ha! Just kidding. I change him because I don’t want him to walk around in filth. Jesus wants the same for you and me.

Third, open the scriptures. After the junk has been cleared now your heart is ready to receive what God has for you. Make sure you “meditate” on the scripture and “expect” Him to speak to you. His Word is His love letter to you so why not take advantage of it. After all, He holds His own Word above His own name Psalm 138:2. Write down what you see and how the Holy Spirit implants it in your heart. This is where prayer really gets FUN. You’ll hear God speaking to you in ways you never thought! You’ll notice after a time of prayer God will begin to make things happen in your life because now you’re a vessel fit to be used.

Fourth, spend time thanking Him and rejoice where He has you in life. Nothing will bring you closer to Him than looking at all the blessings He gives us everyday. Albert Einstein once said “There are two ways to live: you can live as if nothing is a miracle; you can live as if everything is a miracle.” Prayer gives us perspective how miracle laden our life really is.
Hope that will help you. Now the question is, will you do it?

Broken Bread

Matthew 14:19 and taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven and said a blessing. Then he broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds.

People had followed Jesus everywhere desperate for a touch, a glimpse, a sight of the Son of God. So much so they we’re willing to go without food in a desolate place to get “spiritual food” from the only one who could provide it. The disciples we’re thinking “rationally” by counseling Jesus to send the crowd away so they could get fed. Jesus had a different plan. Jesus actually commanded the disciples to do something impossible; feed the better part of 10,000 people.

Does God ever require the “impossible” from you? Does He ask you sometimes to do the “ridiculous”? He often does, but the way He provides is when you and I become the bread in His hands. First He looks up to heaven and asks the Father to bless us. Then He does something painful. He “breaks” us and we become broken bread. But then something amazing happens! Your brokeness begins to feed and satisfy others in ways that are miraculous, even to the point where there’s plenty leftover (12 basketfuls). Take heart wonderful brother, precious sister. If you’re broken right now God is making you a blessing to other people and in turn you will be blessed beyond your own ability far more than you imagined or expected.

Does this make sense?

Acts 9:15 But the Lord said to him, “Go, for he is a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name before the Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel.

I read this today and was talking to my buddy Marvin about this. I want you to notice the "order" in which Jesus tells Ananias to tell Paul in what his calling is. First Gentiles, then kings and lastly the Jews. Paul's heart was for his people the Jews as he says in Romans 9:3 For I could wish that I myself were accursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers, my kinsmen according to the flesh. So naturally he would want to go to them first. I beleive when God gifts us and calls us to do something he first places us in things that are unnatural for a season. Do you feel like God has birthed something within your heart that you know, that you know, that you know, He wants you to do but then puts you in a place in life that doesn't feel natural? It's a good thing that He's done this because you're not "emotionally" attached to such a place in life. You're now freed up to do what He wants. There will come a time when God will bring to pass that which He's birthed in your heart but there's some things He wants to teach you and me before that happens. I don't just throw my daughter the keys to my car without going through the process of permit, drive time, etc. Then, when she's ready she'll truly enjoy her driving experience. If I could encourage you today, if you're in that place of "Why has God put me in this place. It doesn't make sense" know that God is taking you through His process. It didn't make sense when Abraham had to wait 20 plus years to have a son. It's didn't make sense for Joseph to be thrown in prison after God gave him a dream. It didn't make sense that David was a vagabond for twenty plus years after being anointed king. Through it all God was faithful and will be to you as well (1Cor 1:9) I would encourage you, the road you're on is simply a detour to get you to your ultimate destination. He will bring it to pass.

Restless

Have you ever felt restless about doing something for God that you know He's wired you to do and feels like the brakes have been put on. It's like He tells you something very specific and He seems to be carrying it out, then WHAMMO! It comes to a dead halt. As I was reading Matthew 9:36 - 10:42 today I noticed some things. First Jesus says the Harvest is great but few workers. There's plenty ripe for the picken so the natural thought is let's go do it! The disciples after watching Him do ministry for a while must have been chomping at the bit to get out there and change lives for God but the text never says that (Sanctified imagination on my part). I have to believe Jesus was allowing them to watch Him for a season. If you feel like I do, maybe Jesus just wants us to chill and "observe" what He's doing so we can better grasp and understand His ministry and what He has for each of us. Many times emotions get in the way and it's a "ready, fire, aim" approach. When Jesus does send us for a specific work He'll give very specific instructions about where to go and what to do ( Matthew 10). Point of this blog is we're not "waiting" to go to work. The work "is" the waiting.