My Walk with Christ
An ordinary guy on a supernatural journey.
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The Rock San Diego – 6/21/09 – Bubbles – Part 1, What is Prayer?
Posted on August 24th, 2009 No comments- A hypocrite is someone who believes one thing and does the opposite.
- Repetition is not prayer
- How would your dad feel if you said “Happy Fathers Day” seven times because you thought that’s how you thought you could be heard?
- He wants you to talk to Him – from your heart – every time
- He’s a person, not an object – speak to Him – He understands your pain, desires
- Be real with your emotions, fears, etc
- The Lord’s prayer is the model for prayer
- Be specific in your prayer
- There are hinderances to your prayers being answered / addressed
- God wants to bless you – and He has them waiting just for you
1) Prayer is faith-based communication- Communication is the exchange of ideas or information
- God’s bubbles are waaaay better than your bubbles – we send up junk (and He wants your junk)
- Prayer is your faith reaching out to God
- God’s voice is a small still voice
- Wait for God to respond
- It is absolutely expected that prayer is two-way – it’s communication (I have been feeling lately that it was presumptuous of me to think that God would talk to me every time I prayed)
- Jacob said “I’m not letting you go until you bless me”
- Wrestling with the Lord is prayer
- Don’t “punk out” with God and give up your wrestle (prayer) before you are blessed by God – He delights in blessing you
- God’s telling you “come on.. come get it”
- God may let you suffer with pain to allow the lesson to be learned (for your own good)
- God’s not in the business of making us happy – He’s in the business of making us holy
2) Through prayer, God gives us information and insight- Jeremiah 33:3 – Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and mighty things that you do not know
- Call Him on His promise – but remember God’s ways are not our ways – He will do for you what He knows you need in His way
- You may ask Him a Yes or No question and He may give you a completely different answer
- “Lord give me wisdom about…”
- Psalms 119: 169 – Let my cry come before you Lord. Give me understanding according to your word.”
- He will help you make decisions about your life according to the Bible.
- It’s not enough to ask for ‘happiness’ or for ‘a blessing’ – He wants you to be specific about a unique challenge, decision, issue, confession, etc
- If you tell God, He can clean out the junk in your heart
3) Through prayer, God shapes your heart and character- He changes the way you think, process information, and how you feel
- He changes your desires
- Psalms 51: 10 – Create in me a clean heart, oh God.
- Your heart wants to be wicked – you don’t even realize how wicked your heart is – you want to think you’re “not that bad”
- Lord, change my heart – give me a desire to be holy
- Holy desires come from God – not you
- Romans 12:1 – … present your body a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable…
- Sometimes we ask God for something that we wouldn’t ask if our heart were clean
- When you ask the questions He wants, He will bless
4) Through prayer, God expresses and gives His power- Power = Ability, authority, and freedom to do, or to act
- What God can do, man cannot do, ever
- There’s no question God has power, there’s no question He loves you, there’s no question he’s telling you to pray, there’s no question He’s going to put you in a position where you need His power, so He’s going to put you in a corner where you either self-destruct or you trust Him
- He has power to make you strong – He’s looking for you to trust Him
- Get on your knees and ask for God to clean your heart
- Moses had to wait 80 years before his ministry (40 years of education, 40 years of tenderizing his heart, then 40 years of ministry)
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Choosing the Lord
Posted on August 24th, 2009 No commentsI have been distracted by WoW again. I know, I can’t believe it either. Read the rest of this entry »
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I’m back
Posted on August 24th, 2009 No commentsLord, I have gone astray. You know I’ve become distracted. You know I’ve called out to you from time to time. It’s like I’m your lost sheep – wandering and calling, “where are you?” Bring me back home, Lord. I realize I need to keep my eyes, ears, thoughts squarely on you. I realize that you are not here to help me choose. You have already shown me the way. It’s up to me to choose. I choose you, Lord.