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

Os Guinness shares a story of three different umpires having a discussion about balls and strikes. Umpire One states, “There’s balls and there’s strikes, and I call them the way they are.” Umpire Two claims, “There’s balls and there’s strikes, and I call them the way I see it.” And Umpire Three argues, “There’s balls and there’s strikes, and they ain’t nothing till I call them.”

Which umpire is correct?

There’s balls and there’s strikes, and I call them the way they are.

Umpire One is stating that balls and strikes are facts. There is such a thing as a ball and as a strike and the umpire’s job is to identify which one it is. If the umpire calls a ball a strike (or vice versa), then he or she is in error.

There’s balls and there’s strikes, and I call them the way I see it.

Umpire Two introduces us to relativism – the notion that ideas and views are relative to differences in perception. There is no universal or absolute truth according to relativism, rather truth is as each person sees it. Umpire Two is claiming that there’s no objectivity to calling balls and strikes but only his perception of them.

There’s balls and there’s strikes, and they ain’t nothing till I call them.

Umpire Three pushes relativism even deeper. It is not just that truth is relative to one’s own perception but one can conceive his or her own truth. Truth is not discovered but created. Umpire Three is arguing that balls and strikes don’t even exist until he calls them.

Which umpire is correct?

Truth is under attack. The notion that there is objective, verifiable, fixed, and defined truth is obsolete today. And the very idea of anything being “absolute” is under attack. The enemy works to undermine truth and sow seeds of confusion. The Bible tells us he is a liar and does not stand on truth (John 8:44). He wants you to believe fake news. Lies and deception are the tricks of his trade.

When God appears before Moses and sends him to Pharaoh to free His people, God instructs Moses to say “I am who I am.” (Exodus 3:14) sent him. “I am who I am” is not “I am whoever you want me to be.” We are not called to see truth the way we perceive it (Umpire Two) or make up our own truth (Umpire Three) but to know the truth (Umpire One).

…you will know the truth and the truth will set you free.

John 8:32

 

 

Just the other day, Amy and I were out walking when we ran across a whopping pine tree. The tree caught my attention because of its immensity, but that’s not the only reason. There were pine cones sprawled across the ground. The ones that are normally found at the foot of a pine tree. The ones that add a charming woodland touch around any home at Christmas time. As I looked up the tree, I saw some more of the same scaled, brown cones that mimicked the ones lying on the ground but had yet to fall off the tree. Then I noticed that there were other cones on the tree. But these were different. I had never seen these kind used as decorative ornaments around a house at Christmas or any other season. They had the same scales but they had not separated like the ones on the ground or the other ones on the tree. And they were green not brown! They were new pine cones and were the same but different than the full-grown ones that had already fallen to the ground. The same pine tree accommodated both mature and immature pine cones at the same time.

That’s a perfect representation of the church. It’s the same church that hosts both mature and immature members at the same time! Those that have been on the journey for a while and those that are new to the path are intended to live and grow together as part of the same family.

I’ve been a Christian for over 30 years, been in the church longer than that, and a preacher for 15 years and I have to say that’s not what I have always observed. Instead, here are some observations I’ve seen:

From those who are farther along in their growth…

I find it peculiar that we correlate being around the church for a long time with maturity. Growing old and growing up are not the same thing. If I understand this correctly, it takes a female pine cone up to two years to reach full maturity while the male pine cone only takes months to reach full maturity (contrary to human nature, I know). Each person matures in God’s time. Yet, rather than cheering on each baby step, we tend to impose artificial deadlines on assumed milestones. Instead of celebrating other’s accomplishments, we tend to boast about our own. Rather than labor to meet the needs of others, we hustle to have our own met. We should be leading by example and witness, instead we disparage by our judgment and criticism. Those on the tree who are farther along should be encouraging and building up those who are not as far along, but that doesn’t always happen.

So speak encouraging words to one another. Build up hope so you’ll all be together in this, no one left out, no one left behind.

1 Thessalonians 5:11 (The Message)

From those who are in the beginning of the journey…

All fruit ripens. Some sooner and some later. But it all matures. It’s an irreversible law of creation. But sometimes we like to settle in and get comfortable. We get cozy sitting on the branch but not absorbing all that it has to give us. We refuse to stretch ourselves in places where God can speak to us. We reject wisdom and guidance. And we get stuck. We can’t stay in the same place forever. We have a saying at Aldersgate Church: “It’s okay to not be okay, but it’s not okay to stay that way.” There’s room for our hurts, habits and hang-ups, but we can’t continue to live there. We must push on toward maturity.

So come on, let’s leave the preschool finger painting exercises on Christ and get on with the grand work of art. Grow up in Christ.

Hebrews 6:1 (The Message)

 

 

I walked up to the counter for my customary Tuesday morning order. Before I could say anything, the barista interposed, “Good morning! Tall medium roast with room at the top?” I quipped back, “Please, with lots of room the top!”

Ah, yes, room at the top. You know, for the most important ingredients – the cream and sugar. I’m one of those that likes to have a little coffee with the good stuff. Today, the barista worked her magic and got it just right. But sometimes there’s not enough room at the top. The coffee takes up too much room for the good stuff. And that’s a problem.

Does that describe your life? I know it does mine sometimes. Not enough room for the good stuff.  We live life filled to the brim with no room for anything extra. We do as much as we can and spend as much as we can until we have no time, money, or energy to spare. The urgent becomes the important. The mundane crowds out the exceptional. Unlike the pages of a book, the shoulders on a highway, and room for the good stuff in a coffee cup, there is no margin in our lives.

In his book, Margin: Restoring Emotional, Physical, Financial, and Time Reserves to Overloaded Lives, Richard Swenson, M.D. describes margin like this:

Margin is the space between our load and our limits. It is the amount allowed

beyond that which is needed. It is something held in reserve for contingencies

or unanticipated situations. Margin is the gap between rest and exhaustion,

the space between breathing freely and suffocating.

Margin is not something that just happens. We have to fight for it. On those occasions when I order my coffee and there’s not enough room at the top for the good stuff, I have to let go of a little of the coffee.

What do you need to let go of today? How will you fight for margin? How will you leave room at the top?

 

I recently read the story of Ernest Shackleton’s failed mission to be the first explorer to cross Antarctica. Shackleton was a British explorer who’s plan was to sail as far south as he could and then walk a hundred or so miles across the South Pole. Unfortunately his ship got caught and crushed in polar ice several hundred miles from its destination. For more than a year Shackleton’s crew fought to stay alive on the ice in subzero temperatures. But afterwards they reported the worst thing was not the subzero temperatures but the darkness. The sun goes down in mid-May and doesn’t come back up until mid-August in the South Pole. The crew reported there is no desolation so devastating as the polar night – darkness all the time.

Some of you know what it is like to live in that darkness. The devastating darkness of depression. It may be situational or it could be persistent. Regardless, it’s crushing darkness.

You’re not alone. Jeremiah (Lamentations 3:1), David (Psalm 31:9-10), Hannah (1 Samuel 1:7), and Elijah (1 Kings 19:1-18) all struggled with depression. Charles Spurgeon, believed by many to be the greatest preacher to ever live, once said in a sermon, “I have spent more days shut up in depression than probably anybody else here.” And the wife of Martin Luther, the father of the Protestant Reformation, professed to having to hide all the knives in their house for fear he would injure himself during his bouts of depression. Christ followers are not immune to depression.

God has a promise for you! Nehemiah 8:10 declares “…the joy of the Lord is my strength.” How in the world does one find joy in the throws of such darkness?  With all respect and sensitivity, please allow me to share a few suggestions.

Open Your Eyes

Look for places of joy in your life. Yes, they may be hard to find, but they are there. Margaret Feinberg chronicles her journey with cancer in her book, Fight Back with Joy. She speaks of creating a “joy wall.” She literally fashioned a wall where she hung pictures, objects, and reminders of things that brought her joy and she made it a daily habit of focusing on that wall as a reminder of the joy of the Lord. How might you construct a joy wall?

Open Your Ears

In Elijah’s story (1 Kings 19:1-18) he spends 40 days and nights in the wilderness of darkness. As he lies in a cave there is a violent wind that passes by, an earthquake that rumbles, and a fire that consumes, but God isn’t present in any of those things. He shows up in a small, gentle whisper. Sometimes we listen for God in the spectacular and He wants to speak in the mundane. We are waiting for the booming voice and miss the whisper. Where might God be speaking to you?

Open Your Arms

In Fight Back with Joy, Margaret Feinberg shares of a habit she developed delivering red balloons to all the patients at the chemotherapy treatment center. On her darkest days, when that was the last thing she felt like doing while receiving her own chemo treatments, she realized that giving joy away brought herself joy. In our darkest times when we have trouble finding joy, we can often find it by opening our arms and giving it away to someone else.

Check out the full sermon!

Do you want more of God? Do you want to experience more of His presence? Do you desire a breakthrough in your relationship with God or in a certain area of your life? If so, here’s what you need to do: ask for a musician!

That’s right. Ask for a musician. There’s a great story found in the third chapter of 2 Kings. Judah, Israel and Edom are at war against Moab. They have a vision for victory, have implemented their strategy, and have run up against obstacles. There is no water. And they begin to doubt the likelihood of victory. So they summon the prophet Elisha to intercede on their behalf.

Elisha’s initial response was “bring me a musician…” (2 Kings 3:15). Elisha, the prophet who had received a double portion of the mighty anointing that rested on his predecessor Elijah, needed to get his worship on before he could access the wisdom and counsel of God. The psalmist says the same thing: “Come into his presence with singing…enter his courts with praise” (Psalm 100:2, 4). Worship is a gateway to experiencing the presence of God.

Let’s take a closer look at how Elisha got his worship on:

Elisha Had The Right Expectation

I don’t believe Elisha was expecting the musician to perform a concert or put on a show. I don’t believe Elisha put the musician on a stage. I do believe he put the musician on a platform. What’s the difference? A stage is where one performs. A platform is where one wields influence. The performer on the stage says, “Look at me!” The influencer on the platform says, “Look at God!” I am guessing, however, that the musician gave it his very best. Why? Because we should never apologize for using our God-given gifts and talents with excellence. Is God not worthy of that?

Elisha Had The Right Spirit

I believe Elisha had a spirit of surrender. I imagine he conceded his preferences, opinions, and judgments and instead yielded himself to experiencing the presence of God. I don’t think he whined to the musician that it was too soft or too loud, too fast or too slow, too short or too long. I don‘t think he moaned, “Another new song?” I think he yielded a critical spirit to spirit of surrender. What would happen in our worship if we put aside our preferences, opinions and judgments and surrendered to experiencing the presence of God?

Elisha Had The Right Audience

We are not told whether Elisha was alone with the musician or if others were present. It doesn’t really matter, because Elisha had an audience of one. He was only focused on experiencing the presence of God, not what everyone else was doing.  Were they singing or not singing, sitting or standing, crossing their arms or raising their hands, falling on their face or falling to their knees? It didn’t matter. Elisha was fixated on God and God alone. What would happen with our worship if we put our attention on God and not on those around us?

“But now bring me a musician.” And when the musician played, the hand of the Lord came upon him.

2 Kings 3:15

In last week’s blog, we considered the art of handling conflict. If you are a living human being, you will encounter conflict. It’s not the conflict that is the problem, it’s unresolved conflict that is the problem. Ultimately we aim for a resolution to the conflict and a reconciliation of the relationship. But what if that is not possible? That’s where forgiveness comes in.

In Matthew 18, Peter asks Jesus,  “How many times do I forgive? Seven times?” Peter was probably expecting Jesus to commend his response as that was beyond what was expected. Rabbis used to say there was an obligation to forgive three times (Amos 1:3-13). Peter doubled that and added an extra forgiveness for good measure. Imagine Peter’s response when Jesus says “seventy times seven!” Of course, Jesus is not to be taken literally here. He’s not saying to forgive 490 times. Jesus is making the point that we can’t “over-forgive.”

So what exactly does forgiveness look like?

Let’s start with what forgiveness is NOT…

1. Forgiveness is NOT excusing. It doesn’t mean we pretend the offense didn’t’ happen. It did. And it hurts. It hurts bad.
2. Forgiveness is NOT forgetting. Forget the cliché you have heard for years. It’s impossible to “forgive and forget.” The human mind doesn’t work that way.
3. Forgiveness in NOT Reconciling. Forgiveness doesn’t necessarily mean the conflict is resolved or the relationship is reconciled. For example, a business owner doesn’t re-hire someone who embezzled from his business. A battered wife doesn’t move back in just because she finds forgiveness for her abuser.

Forgiveness IS…

1. Giving up revenge. How do I know that I have forgiven someone? I no longer have a desire to seek revenge. I don’t want harm to come that person’s way.
2. Wishing the other person well. Not only do I give up my desire for revenge but I truly hope good things for the person who wounded me.
3. Not an option. Those who call themselves Christians must forgive. Not only for the good of the other party but so that bitterness and resentment don’t take root in our hearts an out of that, we end up hurting others.

 

…bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another,

forgiving each other, as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.

Colossians 3:13

 

 

A man is rescued from a deserted island where he survived alone for fifteen years. Before leaving he gave his rescuers a little tour of the buildings he had constructed as a sort of one-man town over the years. “That was my house, that was my store, this building was a cabana, and over here is where I went to church.” The rescuers inquired, “What’s the building next to it?” And the man quipped, “Oh, that’s where I used to go to church.”

Conflict is inevitable. Handling conflict in a healthy manner is optional. Left to our own vices, we typically handle conflict less than desirably. Thank goodness Jesus gave us specific instructions on how to do it right.

If a fellow believer hurts you, go and tell him – work it out between the two of you.

If he listens, you’ve made a friend.

(Matthew 18:15 The Message)

Jesus gives us these six steps to resolve conflict:

1. Acknowledge the Conflict

We could replace the word “if” in Jesus’ words with “when”. To be human is to be in conflict. If you are married, have kids, are part of a workplace, have neighbors, or are part of the church you understand conflict. Conflict is not the problem; unresolved conflict is the problem.

2. Own Responsibility

We tend to put the responsibility on the other party. We say, “I shouldn’t have to take the first step; let them come to me.” But Jesus says it doesn’t matter whether we are the offended or the offender. He expects us to make the first  move (See Matthew 5:23-24).

3. Go

Jesus says “go.” Most of us tend to avoid conflict. Granted there are some who do it for recreation. But most of us are avoiders. While it’s often wise to cool down if we are angry, sweeping it under the rug is never a good idea.

4. The Person I am in Conflict With

Go directly to the person you are in conflict with even though that’s the last person we usually want to go to. It’s much easier to go to someone else to vent, find others who will agree with our side, or throw-up all over social media. Jesus makes it clear we should approach the one, and only the one, we are in conflict with.

5. Attack the Issue not the Person

We tend to attack the person. But it’s impossible to fix the problem if we are consumed with fixing the blame. We must be willing to listen first and speak second (James 1:19). Did you know it’s possible to listen and not agree? Food for thought.

6. Aim for Reconciliation

The goal is not to win the argument but to make a friend – to reconcile the relationship. Is it more important to be right or to maintain the relationship? It is possible to move forward with the relationship even if we are unable to find resolution on the issue. Reconciliation means we bury the hatchet not the issue.

Yes, sometimes it is impossible to find reconciliation. If we keep reading in Matthew 18, Jesus gives us instructions on that too! Ultimately, we must find forgiveness and I will blog about that next week.