Prayer overcomes everything! Do you believe that? Does your prayer life reflect that? To overcome everything with prayer we must believe that prayer can overcome everything.

…praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end, 

keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints…

Ephesians 6:18

Praying at all times…

We are encouraged to “pray without ceasing” (1 Thessalonians 5:17) and Jesus told us we “ought always to pray and not lose heart (Luke 18:1). In Scripture, we see examples of praying before daylight (Mark 1:35), all night (Luke 6:12), night and day (1 Timothy 5:5), when alone (Luke 9:18), when together (Acts 2:42) and continually (Acts 6:4).

A great conductor was walking down the streets of New York when someone stopped him and asked how to get to Carnegie Hall. The conductor answered, “Practice, practice, practice.” The same is true of prayer. We must learn to live in steadfast conversation with God just as we incessantly connect with our friends on social media.

Develop “Prayer Pointers” that remind you to connect with God. For example, let brushing your teeth each morning remind you to pray that God might give you pleasing words during the day. Use washing your face as a pointer for praying God would give you a cheerful countenance. When you hear a siren, pray for those in need. Set reminders on your phone that remind you to pray for specific things at particular times.

In the Spirit…

Praying “in the Spirit” means surrendering our will to God’s. James reminds us that we “ask and do not receive” because we ask with selfish motives – wanting our will and not God’s. Praying in the Spirit means trusting that God’s answer is best. It might be yes, but it could be no, or wait. Believe God is for you!

With AllPrayer and Supplication…

All means all – everything and anything, with no limits, no exclusions, the entire gamut, the whole enchilada.

There is nothing too small or too big to be prayed for. In Scripture we are reminded to pray when we are thankful (2 Corinthians 1:11, Philippians 1:3), when we need to confess (James 5:16), when we need forgiveness (Mark 11:25), for food (Luke 11:3), for faith (Luke 22:32), for other people (John 17:19), for relief from suffering (James 5:13), when we are sick (James 5:14), when we are in danger (Matthew 24:20, Acts 27:29), when we are tempted (Matthew 26:41), when we are in public occasions (Acts 12:15), for spiritual wisdom (Ephesians 1:17), for rain (James 5:18), for our children (Luke 1:13), for health and prosperity (3 John 1:2), and for spiritual strength (Matthew 26:41).

Keep Alert…

We should expect God to answer our prayers! Keep a prayer journal full of the things you have been praying for and when God answers (even if it is not what you were hoping or expecting) write it down! Use answered prayers as a means of encouragement during times when it doesn’t seem God is coming through.

With Perseverance…

Prayer is a habit we can fall in and out of. Paul reminds us to pray with perseverance. Don’t stop! Keep praying!

Making supplication for all the saints…

Not the New Orleans football team. If you are going to pray for any team, please pray for the Dallas Cowboys – they need it! Pray on behalf of others. Sometimes the most valuable thing we can do for a person is pray for them. How we pray for others is less important that that we pray for them.

Overcome everything with prayer!

 

 

 

 

 

See to it that no one fails to obtain the grace of God; that no “root of bitterness”

springs up and causes trouble, and by it many become defiled…

Hebrews 12:15

 

Who wants to miss out on the grace of God? Not me! Yet, the writer of Hebrews tells us we can miss out on the God’s grace when we let a bitter root spring up in our lives. The flow of God’s grace doesn’t stop, but like a kinked water hose, we restrict the flow.

So, how then does this bitter root spring up? Like any vegetation, it begins when a seed is planted – harsh words, a betrayal, an abuse, or anything else that wounds. If not dealt with in a healthy way, the hurt begins to take root in our hearts and from that root springs forth a plant that produces bitter fruit – negativity, a critical spirit, division, cynicism, slander, clamor, anger, wrath, and  malice just to name a few (Ephesians 4:31). Bitter root – bitter fruit.

Our natural response when we try to correct the bitter fruit we see in our lives is to merely pick at the fruit. But simply trimming the fruit will never get to the root of the problem. The entire root has to go! Like a stubborn weed in your garden; keep pulling at the top and missing the root and the persistent weed will keep coming back. There is only one way to eliminate the bitter fruit:

…forgive one another, as God in Christ forgave you.

Ephesians 4:32

Forgiveness! Much easier said than done. But perhaps it’s because we have some misconceptions about forgiveness.

Forgiveness is NOT:

1. Excusing the behavior or pretending it didn’t’ happen

God knows your hurt. He knows the seed that was planted and who planted it. He also knows the bitter fruit that you’ve been producing because of it.

2. Forgetting

The human mind doesn’t work that way. Things that are seared into our memories are almost impossible to forget.

3. Reconciling

First of all, reconciling may not even be possible because the person who wounded you may not even still be alive. Furthermore, forgiveness doesn’t mean the relationship must be restored. You wouldn’t expect a battered wife to move back in with her husband if he hasn’t gotten the help he needs.

Forgiveness IS:

1. Giving up revenge

It’s not our job to settle the score. God will appropriate justice at the appropriate time (Romans 12:17-19). We can choose to get even or get well…to stay bitter or get better.

2. Wishing the other person well

Forgiveness means we actually hope good things for them. Begin to pray daily (even though it is hard at first) for blessings to come to the one who injured you.

 

Is unforigiveness really worth kinking the hose on God’s grace?

 

 

Nearly twenty-six years ago I stood at the altar and watched Amy Rebecca Bolton walk down the aisle. We said our “I do’s” and exchanged rings and a kiss and she walked back down the aisle as Amy Rebecca Smallwood. She took my last name which means all that I have is hers (it wasn’t that much at the time).

In fact, at the time, she wasn’t too thrilled to be moving down the alphabet from a “B” to an “S”. We were both students at Texas Tech University and back in that day, we didn’t have the benefit of registering for classes on-line. We had to stand for hours in a line that stretched into what seemed like eternity only to finally arrive at a station and to be told the class or classes you wanted to take were full. That meant you had to saunter all the way across campus to your advisor’s office to get approval to take another class and return to waiting in the line of infinity. If you registered at the beginning of the alphabet your chances of classes being open were much greater. Our marriage license now said that Amy had to register at the end of the alphabet. Nonetheless, she took my last name.

If you are a Christian, a disciple, and a Christ follower, you have taken God’s last name. That means all that is His is yours.  That means you are adequate because God is more than adequate. It means you are secure because God is secure. Who God is, He is now for you and through you.  When you think you are not __________ enough, He is!

You say, “God, I can’t be a good parent,” He says, “I can.” You say, “I am full of doubt,” He says, “But I am faithful.” You say, “God, I am so dysfunctional.” He says, “But I am so complete.” You say, “I am deficient.” He says, “Yet I am sufficient.” You say, “I am so sinful.” He says, “And I am so gracious.” You say, “I am at the end of my rope!” He says, “I’ve got another one, and it’s as long as eternity.”

It’s all in the name. Live into that name!

Ryan