I begin this year with a series of messages, “Challenge Yourself to Change.” Change is difficult because that means becoming something we have never been. There is always room to grow in our faith. I challenge you to change. Contentment is good and desirable, yet there is always room to grow in our understanding of God and our how we practice living out our faith. Years ago in the days of S.F. I wrote a devotional which I have never forgotten: Always content but never satisfied. As long as we are on this earth, this side of heaven, contentment is the goal, accepting who we are in Christ, yet asking the Lord to constantly mold us and shape us. Challenge yourself to Change!
You cannot change by digging in your heels. You need the Lord. You need to hear from God. How do you hear from the Lord? Here’s one way: He can send a bolt of lighting to get your attention, make a donkey talk, do the amazing ... I think a lot of people want God to stay in their back pocket until something bad happens, then they pull him out to do something dramatic to bale them out of the tough situation. One of my professors in school described how some people use the Bible like a magic lamp in which something bad happens so we pull out our bibles and we rub and rub and rub hoping a genie will pop out and then our wishes will be magically granted and all will be well. God does do amazing things, it is part of the Christian life, but the miracles are not meant to be magic bullets that give us a license to continue making bone-headed decisions.
You cannot change by digging in your heels. You need the Lord. You need to hear from God. How do you hear from the Lord? Here’s one way: He can send a bolt of lighting to get your attention, make a donkey talk, do the amazing ... I think a lot of people want God to stay in their back pocket until something bad happens, then they pull him out to do something dramatic to bale them out of the tough situation. One of my professors in school described how some people use the Bible like a magic lamp in which something bad happens so we pull out our bibles and we rub and rub and rub hoping a genie will pop out and then our wishes will be magically granted and all will be well. God does do amazing things, it is part of the Christian life, but the miracles are not meant to be magic bullets that give us a license to continue making bone-headed decisions.
There is another way: Position yourself to make it more likely to hear from God by practicing the disciplines of the Christian faith. I know many people who believe in Jesus, want God, but from my perspective they do little in practicing the disciplines to hear God speak… There are many disciplines, I’ll highlight five in this series: prayer, reading the bible, fellowship, service, and worship… Practicing the Disciplines means you are saying “Lord, I am teachable, I want to learn, I want to change, mold me…”
How do Spiritual Disciplines change you? Consider tithing, giving a regular amount of money to the Lord based on your income. Some of you are saying you can’t afford it! Mathematically, based on human wisdom, perhaps you are correct. Yet if you discipline yourself to give anyway, even though you don’t think you can afford it, the mindset of your personal finances changes, when you tithe regularly, many people have discovered it helps sanctify, or make holy, all your finances....many people have found once they start giving they are more responsible in how they spend the rest of the money entrusted to them because it is all set apart for God. Giving your money to the Lord helps bring order to your finances and helps harness the temptation of materialism: READ Mt. 6:19-21. Tithing clearly has the potential to change you! A person can give legalistically and it does nothing to change the heart, but if you give with sincerity you will see the money entrusted to your care differently, and you will grow in your faith.
Today’s Spiritual Discipline: The practice of PRAYER. You pray because you need to hear from God.// If you think praying is your opportunity to convince God of something or tell God something he doesn’t know, then you don’t understand how big God is… You need to hear from God! Maybe hearing from God comes in the form of peace, perhaps a still small voice, perhaps a direct answer to the request of your prayer, perhaps greater trust in God, perhaps the building of patience. The Bible is full of advice, commands, invitations of how to pray, when to pray, why pray, what attitudes which is why puts prayer in the spotlight as an important spiritual discipline. Someday we’ll have a series on prayer …
The verses I chose for today on Prayer, Mark 11:22-24, are very challenging. I think Jesus speaks in difficult terms because that means we need to wrestle with what it means, so we own the discipline because God wants our heart in the process. In this scripture he speaks of moving mountains in prayer. Have you ever known anyone that has seen a mountain move in prayer? the mind is twirling… does Jesus mean literally moving a mountain? I’m going to let you answer the question. He definitely means figuratively ~ the situations in which we see no clear answer, the tough situations, God is the God of the impossible…
What is so wonderful about this scripture is that as we get caught up in the more dramatic “mountain moving” words of this scripture, we need to be careful we don’t miss the more simple principle guiding words: “Have faith in God.” Those are the most amazing words of this scripture: have faith in God. Everything that follows is supporting/explaining what it means to have faith, but it’s the faith that is important, it’s the believing in God… That is what prayer is all about…. Moving a mountain is only the result of the faith… When I was in High School I used to run long distance a lot. I used to go to community runs of multiple miles around the county. I quickly learned that so often the best runners were not the ones with the brightest clothing, the latest running shorts… so often the winning runners were in very worn running gear, not the people who catch your eye…this scripture is like that: “have faith in God.” Prayer is about trusting God, looking to God, in the strength of God. Somebody said, “The only limit on prayer is the will of God.”
If you skip or downplay the part of this scripture about having faith in God and quickly go to the mountain moving part, you may be tempted to think about prayer in terms of what are the desires of your heart, but prayer is about faith IN GOD ~ is what you are praying in His Will? Have faith in God! Part of prayer is to be asking if what you are praying fits His passions, his Will, His Values, His ways! The only thing that limits prayer is God’s will.
Practicing Prayer will change you because you are searching for God’s will. You are putting your trust in God. Many things to learn about prayer in this scripture…
Be careful what you pray for. Moving a mountain is pretty serious. Pretty dramatic. Do you really want the mountain to move? Are you really willing to have that big of a change? Here’s a silly little joke about being careful about what you pray for /wish for:
A couple were dining out together celebrating their 40th wedding anniversary. After the meal, the husband presented his wife romantically with a beautiful very old gold antique locket on a chain. Amazingly when his wife opened the locket, a tiny fairy appeared. Addressing the astonished couple, the fairy said, "Your forty years of devotion to each other has released me from this locket, and in return I can now grant you both one wish each - anything you want.."
Without hesitating, the wife asked, "Please, can I travel to the four corners of the world with my husband, as happy and in love as we've always been?" The fairy waved her wand with a flourish, and magically there on the table were two first-class tickets for a round-the-world holiday. Staggered, the couple looked at each other, unable to believe their luck. "Your turn," said the fairy and the wife to the husband.
The husband thought for a few seconds, and then said, with a little guilt in his voice, "Forgive me, but to really enjoy that holiday of a lifetime - I yearn for a younger woman - so I wish that my wife could be thirty years younger than me." Shocked, the fairy glanced at the wife, and with a knowing look in her eye, waved her wand.....and the husband became ninety-three.
When Jesus talks about moving a mountain through prayer it seems to arbitrary, no real reason given. This gives the impression that means we have to think it through…. Why do we pray what we pray? We must carefully consider the things we pray….
Pray big prayers. Moving a mountain is pretty big. God gives a wonderful invitation to his children, Ps. 81:10 says, “Open wide your mouth and I will fill it.” Ask what you need, God says, and I will do it for you. Somebody said Jeremiah 33:3 is “God’s telephone number” because it contains a very clear promise: “Call to Me, and I will answer you, and I will tell you great and mighty things, which you do not know” (NASB). I read another prayer in a men’s group which makes so much sense: “Lord, teach us to pray big prayers. So much of what we pray is just details.” I find that a helpful and challenging thought. The details do matter, but sometimes our prayers suffer because our vision is small. If we truly want to honor God, we will believe what he says and then act on that belief by praying large prayers that require an Almighty God to answer them.
Say it outloud! Is it reading too much into this scripture that Jesus says to talk to the mountain? Let the world know your prayer request, what you are working on with God. Talk about your impossible God given dreams: this is where the Lord is leading me, I think God may be challenging us in this area, perhaps the mountain you are asking to be moved is for missionaries in a certain area, the way we do things to be changed, the gospel to be heard…whatever it is, if you are willing to speak your prayer to others it is more likely to come about…
Be Patient in Prayer. God will move the mountain, but I don’t see anywhere it says the timeframe. What is the mountain? Maybe it is a literal mountain, a humanly impossible situation, a stress filled unexpected life changing event that is rocking your world… The way I see it we are called to believe it before it even literally takes place READ Mark 11:24…
Prayer will change you because Prayer is about listening to God, understanding God, more about trusting in God than it is about getting what you want. The only limit to prayer is God’s will. We have many opportunities to grow in our faith prayer as we learn patience, letting others know our prayers, learning to enlarge our vision by praying big prayers, and carefully considering the things we pray for. More than anything else, prayer is deliberate time spent with God. May the Practice of Prayer be a vehicle for you to hear from God, change your world, and grow in your faith. Challenge yourself to change!
How do Spiritual Disciplines change you? Consider tithing, giving a regular amount of money to the Lord based on your income. Some of you are saying you can’t afford it! Mathematically, based on human wisdom, perhaps you are correct. Yet if you discipline yourself to give anyway, even though you don’t think you can afford it, the mindset of your personal finances changes, when you tithe regularly, many people have discovered it helps sanctify, or make holy, all your finances....many people have found once they start giving they are more responsible in how they spend the rest of the money entrusted to them because it is all set apart for God. Giving your money to the Lord helps bring order to your finances and helps harness the temptation of materialism: READ Mt. 6:19-21. Tithing clearly has the potential to change you! A person can give legalistically and it does nothing to change the heart, but if you give with sincerity you will see the money entrusted to your care differently, and you will grow in your faith.
Today’s Spiritual Discipline: The practice of PRAYER. You pray because you need to hear from God.// If you think praying is your opportunity to convince God of something or tell God something he doesn’t know, then you don’t understand how big God is… You need to hear from God! Maybe hearing from God comes in the form of peace, perhaps a still small voice, perhaps a direct answer to the request of your prayer, perhaps greater trust in God, perhaps the building of patience. The Bible is full of advice, commands, invitations of how to pray, when to pray, why pray, what attitudes which is why puts prayer in the spotlight as an important spiritual discipline. Someday we’ll have a series on prayer …
The verses I chose for today on Prayer, Mark 11:22-24, are very challenging. I think Jesus speaks in difficult terms because that means we need to wrestle with what it means, so we own the discipline because God wants our heart in the process. In this scripture he speaks of moving mountains in prayer. Have you ever known anyone that has seen a mountain move in prayer? the mind is twirling… does Jesus mean literally moving a mountain? I’m going to let you answer the question. He definitely means figuratively ~ the situations in which we see no clear answer, the tough situations, God is the God of the impossible…
What is so wonderful about this scripture is that as we get caught up in the more dramatic “mountain moving” words of this scripture, we need to be careful we don’t miss the more simple principle guiding words: “Have faith in God.” Those are the most amazing words of this scripture: have faith in God. Everything that follows is supporting/explaining what it means to have faith, but it’s the faith that is important, it’s the believing in God… That is what prayer is all about…. Moving a mountain is only the result of the faith… When I was in High School I used to run long distance a lot. I used to go to community runs of multiple miles around the county. I quickly learned that so often the best runners were not the ones with the brightest clothing, the latest running shorts… so often the winning runners were in very worn running gear, not the people who catch your eye…this scripture is like that: “have faith in God.” Prayer is about trusting God, looking to God, in the strength of God. Somebody said, “The only limit on prayer is the will of God.”
If you skip or downplay the part of this scripture about having faith in God and quickly go to the mountain moving part, you may be tempted to think about prayer in terms of what are the desires of your heart, but prayer is about faith IN GOD ~ is what you are praying in His Will? Have faith in God! Part of prayer is to be asking if what you are praying fits His passions, his Will, His Values, His ways! The only thing that limits prayer is God’s will.
Practicing Prayer will change you because you are searching for God’s will. You are putting your trust in God. Many things to learn about prayer in this scripture…
Be careful what you pray for. Moving a mountain is pretty serious. Pretty dramatic. Do you really want the mountain to move? Are you really willing to have that big of a change? Here’s a silly little joke about being careful about what you pray for /wish for:
A couple were dining out together celebrating their 40th wedding anniversary. After the meal, the husband presented his wife romantically with a beautiful very old gold antique locket on a chain. Amazingly when his wife opened the locket, a tiny fairy appeared. Addressing the astonished couple, the fairy said, "Your forty years of devotion to each other has released me from this locket, and in return I can now grant you both one wish each - anything you want.."
Without hesitating, the wife asked, "Please, can I travel to the four corners of the world with my husband, as happy and in love as we've always been?" The fairy waved her wand with a flourish, and magically there on the table were two first-class tickets for a round-the-world holiday. Staggered, the couple looked at each other, unable to believe their luck. "Your turn," said the fairy and the wife to the husband.
The husband thought for a few seconds, and then said, with a little guilt in his voice, "Forgive me, but to really enjoy that holiday of a lifetime - I yearn for a younger woman - so I wish that my wife could be thirty years younger than me." Shocked, the fairy glanced at the wife, and with a knowing look in her eye, waved her wand.....and the husband became ninety-three.
When Jesus talks about moving a mountain through prayer it seems to arbitrary, no real reason given. This gives the impression that means we have to think it through…. Why do we pray what we pray? We must carefully consider the things we pray….
Pray big prayers. Moving a mountain is pretty big. God gives a wonderful invitation to his children, Ps. 81:10 says, “Open wide your mouth and I will fill it.” Ask what you need, God says, and I will do it for you. Somebody said Jeremiah 33:3 is “God’s telephone number” because it contains a very clear promise: “Call to Me, and I will answer you, and I will tell you great and mighty things, which you do not know” (NASB). I read another prayer in a men’s group which makes so much sense: “Lord, teach us to pray big prayers. So much of what we pray is just details.” I find that a helpful and challenging thought. The details do matter, but sometimes our prayers suffer because our vision is small. If we truly want to honor God, we will believe what he says and then act on that belief by praying large prayers that require an Almighty God to answer them.
Say it outloud! Is it reading too much into this scripture that Jesus says to talk to the mountain? Let the world know your prayer request, what you are working on with God. Talk about your impossible God given dreams: this is where the Lord is leading me, I think God may be challenging us in this area, perhaps the mountain you are asking to be moved is for missionaries in a certain area, the way we do things to be changed, the gospel to be heard…whatever it is, if you are willing to speak your prayer to others it is more likely to come about…
Be Patient in Prayer. God will move the mountain, but I don’t see anywhere it says the timeframe. What is the mountain? Maybe it is a literal mountain, a humanly impossible situation, a stress filled unexpected life changing event that is rocking your world… The way I see it we are called to believe it before it even literally takes place READ Mark 11:24…
Prayer will change you because Prayer is about listening to God, understanding God, more about trusting in God than it is about getting what you want. The only limit to prayer is God’s will. We have many opportunities to grow in our faith prayer as we learn patience, letting others know our prayers, learning to enlarge our vision by praying big prayers, and carefully considering the things we pray for. More than anything else, prayer is deliberate time spent with God. May the Practice of Prayer be a vehicle for you to hear from God, change your world, and grow in your faith. Challenge yourself to change!
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