Tag: Prayer

On the Same Page Together

by Dale, posted in Christian Living, Love, Marriage, Prayer, The Bible, Uncategorized

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Yesterday I received my daily email from All-Pro Dad, and the post for Wednesday was entitled, 4 Areas You and Your Wife Need to Be on the Same Page

The four areas are:

  1. Touching throughout the day.
  2. Spending money wisely.
  3. Making big decisions together.
  4. Having an Open-Heart policy.

BONUS: Closing the day in prayer

These four things are spot-on, but what caught my attention was the title of the article and the bonus.  They describe the real need of every marriage.

The page that every marriage should work from each day is a page from God’s Word.

The bonus in every marriage, every day is prayer!

You see, God, the Creator of marriage between one man and one woman (Genesis 2:18-25), is also the Author of God’s Word.  Therefore, for a husband and wife to be blessed and have an honorable marriage, they will work off the same page . . . the page(s) of God’s Word.

Since God is righteous (Psalm 145:17), then all His ways, counsel, direction, and wisdom is right.  You want to know what’s right for your marriage, then both of you work off the same page, God’s Word!

Husband and wives should read the Word together, share with each other what God teaches you each day-by-day from the Word, faithfully attend a Bible teaching and preaching church, be exposed to biblical preaching via podcasts or radio, attend camps and conferences where you can learn the Word together, and live your lives in accordance to God’s right path (Joshua 1:8-9; Psalm 1:1-6; 19:7-14).

Proverbs 14:11 reminds us, There is a way which seems right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.  Since marriage is the union of two selfish individuals whose way seems always best to themselves, it is most wise to walk in the counsel of God’s righteous Word.

The power and place of God’s Word is on display in Psalm 119.  Here’s an action plan. How about each day, you and your spouse read one eight-verse section from Psalm 119.  Take turns reading each verse out loud and stopping after each verse to listen to God and share with each other how that verse applies to your life and marriage.  Then jot down in a journal your thoughts, biblical plans, and the righteous path God has revealed to you as you read, discuss and meditate on the Word.

Finally, enjoy the BONUS—pray together.  Don’t just wait until the end of the day.  Find yourselves praying for and with each other throughout the day and night.  The absolute best place to go with your spouse is to the Throne of Grace (Hebrews 4:14-16).

Now, that’s really working off the same page!!

A Touch of Heaven

by Dale, posted in Men, Praise & Worship, Prayer, Renewal, Uncategorized

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It is now 355 days away, and yes, I am counting, until we gather again for the Friday evening session of Men’s Prayer Advance!  Every year, I must say that it is a “little bit of heaven on earth.”  There is a genuine spirit of expectancy; a passion to worship in song, prayer and praise; a longing to hear the Word preached again; and an unparalleled unity among men before the Throne of God!

How is it that over 600 men gathered in one auditorium are singing with all their heart and voice, even if they have no musical ability?  How is it that these men are uninhibited in their expressions of love for God and surrender to God?  How is that men are willing to clap and/or raise their hands in praise, shout for joy, and even move to the altar in conviction even during a sermon, pray with such honesty and transparency, and not be ashamed to confess Christ before their peers?

I believe the answer is found in Exodus 14:30-31, Thus the Lord saved Israel that day from the hand of the Egyptians, and Israel saw the Egyptians dead on the seashore. Israel saw the great power that the Lord used against the Egyptians, so the people feared the Lord, and they believed in the Lord and in his servant Moses. 

And then note their response to the Lord’s working as recorded in Exodus 15:1-3 and following,

Then Moses and the people of Israel sang this song to the Lord, saying,

“I will sing to the Lord, for he has triumphed gloriously;

    the horse and his rider he has thrown into the sea.

2 The Lord is my strength and my song,

    and he has become my salvation;

this is my God, and I will praise him,

    my father’s God, and I will exalt him.

3 The Lord is a man of war;

    the Lord is his name.

The Children of Israel had been exposed to the character and works of God!  They saw, listened, believed and then worshiped!

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The Friday night service is a touch of heaven because we arrive on Thursday afternoon in need of a touch from God, a heart-change.  From the very first general session until Friday night, we are exposed to powerful, convicting preaching; many times of prayer with another man or in groups; CPR prayer (confession, praise, requests) in our Thursday half-night of prayer; Sweet Hour of Prayer on Friday mid-morning; breakout sessions that deal with men’s heart issues; and music that magnifies Christ, glorifies God, and lifts the soul!

So, when Friday night rolls around, you have over 600 men who are ready to worship because as we heard this year, “we are not cleaner, we are CLEAN” before the Lord!

You know, Sunday services at church, for instance, should be times of awesome worship, too, if we are being exposed every day to the Word and broken in prayer!  When you have a daily fresh encounter with God Who is your Holy, Loving, Just, Righteous, Awesome, Transcendent Heavenly Father, it will affect your worship!  And as Romans 12:1-2 reminds us, worship is 24-7 . . . not just on Sundays or Men’s Prayer Advance.

So, are you giving God Exodus 15 kind of praise today?

Are your co-workers experiencing salt and light (Matthew 5:14-15) and seeing Matthew 5:16 fulfilled in their lives because you have been exposed to the Son?

Will today in your home before your family and next Sunday at your church be a touch of heaven because you are clean?

As we were so challenged this year, we must “keep the clay wet” (Jeremiah 18:6); “shut the door” (Matthew 6:5-15); and “stay in faith” (Hebrews 11:6).

(If you want to watch the services, check out this site as well as the other links: Thursday NIght Service 1.26.17)

How’s the View?

by Dale, posted in Christian Living, Hiking, Prayer, Uncategorized

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Hiking has always been in my blood!  I remember as a six-grader hiking up East River Mountain, Bluefield, WV, on Christmas Day with a foot or more of snow on the ground!  Wow!  I have never forgotten the views, the beauty of the sparkling snow, and the fun of just hiking with family.

Something that beckons me to climb a mountain is to reach the summit.  Why?  Because I am so intrigued by the view, and I want to know what it looks like on the other side.

 

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One of the many blessings of traveling to Israel was mounting the summit of the Arbel Cliffs.  What an awesome view overlooking the Sea of Galilee.  During the early ministry of Jesus, which took place on the western side of the Sea of Galilee, Scripture mentions that He departed into the mountain to pray (Matthew 14:23; Mark 6:46; Luke 6:12).  We cannot be certain that the Arbel Cliffs was that mountain, but it sure could have been since it is situated between Tiberius and Capernaum.

Praying takes me to the summit.  There is no higher throne of authority than the Throne of Grace (Hebrews 4:14-16).

From that summit, I see all things around me through the eyes and wisdom of God.  There, I am taken above my worries, fears, anxieties, questions, doubts, temptations, Satan, old sin nature, and needs.

At the summit of prayer is that quiet place above the noise and distractions below.  There I feel like I could soar like the eagles.

There at the summit, I can see the attributes and character of God, the person of Christ, and the enabling help of the Spirit who draws me to prayer.

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The Psalmist David knew about that summit when he said, From the end of the earth will I cry unto thee, when my heart is overwhelmed: lead me to the rock that is higher than I (Psalm 61:2).

And when he (Jesus) had sent the multitudes away, he went up into a mountain apart to pray: and when the evening was come, he was there alone (Matthew 14:23).

Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and show thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not (Jeremiah 33:3).

How’s your view this morning, this afternoon, and this evening?

Living Well in 2017

by Dale, posted in Christian Living, Prayer, Uncategorized

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“The Christian life starts with the promises of God. He makes claims about Himself and gives us promises about our salvation and our future. Then, having trusted in those promises, we respond in faith and obedience to God’s commands.” (Kevin De Young)

There are over 7,000 promises in the Word of God.  One of the most well-known involves prayer.  Let’s sink our tap-roots into Jeremiah 33:3 for a moment and note with me four promise words from this passage:  Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know.

COMMAND

Call to me – “to cry out, call aloud, literally to roar”

Here is the promise of an invitation in the form of a command.  God knows exactly what we need for life, and He does not leave us wondering. At the very root of prayer and our great need is simply crying out to God.

Believers who really believe in the promises of God, who walk by faith, are not fearful to cry out to God!

Psalm 4:3             But know that the Lord has set apart for Himself him who is godly; The Lord will hear when I call to Him.

 CONFIDENCE

I will answer you – “to heed, to pay attention, to give answer”

Here is the promise that God will answer you.  He gives us His undivided attention every time we cry out to Him.  His answers are always best, even when there is delay or a no.

Matthew 7:7-8 Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.

CHARACTER

I will show you great things

Show – to make conspicuous something that was previously unknown

Great – in importance, as here, God Himself

Here is the promise that when we pray, God will reveal Himself to us.  God operates totally and consistently based upon Who He is.  Study through the Old Testament and see how He revealed Himself to Abraham, for instance, via His names and His attributes.  The great things in prayer are not first of all His answers but the revelation of Who He is.

In response to Jeremiah’s prayer recorded in chapter 32, God responds in verses 26-27, Then the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah, saying, “Behold, I am the Lord, the God of all flesh. Is there anything too hard for Me?

So, when you pray, look for Who God is, then watch His hand.

CLEAR

I will show you mighty things

Here’s the promise of God taking you into the secret place of His counsel, the intimacy of His fellowship, into the Throne of Grace (Hebrews 4:14-16).

This word mighty refers to “hidden, inaccessible” things.  It pictures an impregnable city protected by high walls.  When you pray, God takes you behind all the ‘stuff of this world,” all the circumstances of your life, things you do not understand, and He brings you into the secret place of His grace, His wisdom, His love, His mercy, His power, His resources, His faithfulness, and on and on and on.

No one can touch the mighty things of God; they are inaccessible.  You have access to them by the work of Christ and through the power of the Holy Spirit (John 16:13; Romans 5:1-3; Ephesians 2:18-19; 3:12; Hebrews 10:19-23).

 

The strongest believers are those on their knees surrendered and believing the promises of God.  That’s living well in 2017.

Wise is he in the day of trouble who knows his true source of strength and who fails not to pray. (E.M. Bounds)

Christmas In the Past; Life in the Present

by Dale, posted in Christian Living, Christmas, Parenting, Praise & Worship, Prayer, Uncategorized

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The build-up and anticipation of Christmas is unequaled in our country!  As is often said, “The preparation for Christmas seems to get earlier and earlier each year.”  Indeed, Christmas is a very special holiday and one that many folks prepare for throughout the whole year.  But, what about the days after?  Is there a let-down?  After all the planning and performing of cantatas as well as children’s plays, buying and wrapping gifts, preparing for company and meals,  taking family photos, and  celebrating firsts (marriage, children, house, job), is all over, how will you handle the days and the weeks after?

  1. Begin today in God’s Word reading it with the same passion as you did all the “Christmas passages.” Memorize other portions of the Word of God with the same fervor as you did to memorize Luke 2:1-20.  Read books about the life of Christ beyond the cradle with the same zeal as you did all the Christmas books.  Read them to your children, and make Christ’s life BIG to them every day!!
  2. Live with a daily anticipation of the next biggest day of your life as a believer—the Rapture & the Bema (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; Titus 2:11-14; 12 Corinthians 5:10).
  3. Enjoy singing songs of praise and worship to our God all the other months of the year with gusto and joy on your face as you did the carols of this season (Psalm 96:1-9).
  4. Be a giver today as you were on Christmas (Acts 20:35).
  5. Open up your home for family and guests today and into next year (Romans 12:13; 1 Peter 4:9).
  6. Walk in the same grace today that was sufficient yesterday as you dealt with the “tug in your heart” over that special person that was not here this Christmas season (2 Corinthians 12:9).
  7. Be as energetic today about the gospel as you have been prior to December 25 (Philippians 1:27).

2 Peter 1:3-8

According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue:

4 Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.

5 And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge;

6 And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness;

7 And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity.

8 For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

(Photo:  Steven Lawson)

Our Native Tongue

by Dale, posted in Prayer, Uncategorized

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Last evening, while contemplating my Monday, a personal day of prayer and Bible study with the election heavy on my heart and mind, I began to watch the Worship Night in America video.  As the introduction played along, I heard the following statements, and they greatly resonated in my heart!

Prayer is the language of the people of God.

Prayer is her native tongue.

Today marks the end of an election that has brought many things to the forefront of people’s minds, both positive and negative, but none greater among evangelicals, I believe, than prayer.  How awesome to see in recent months the people of God at Boones Creek Bible Church express the language of Heaven, to meet together for three hours and cry out to God, to gather in small groups around the front of the church and speak our native tongue, to have a group gather every Monday for one hour or more to gather around the Throne of Grace, and even this past Sunday night to watch a remnant of the church broken before God in faith-believing, intercessory, confessional, repentive supplication that led to a crescendo of worship-filled song!

God loves to hear His redeemed pray, to cry out to Him.

Psalm 34:15 – The eyes of the Lord are toward the righteous and His ears are open to their cry.

Psalm 66:19-20 – But certainly God has heard; He has given heed to the voice of my prayer. Blessed be God, Who has not turned away my prayer nor His lovingkindness from me.

Proverbs 15:29 – The Lord is far from the wicked, but He hears the prayer of the righteous.

Hebrews 4:15-16 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but One Who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.  Let us then with confidence draw near to the Throne of Grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

Christ shed His blood to open the way to the Throne of Grace.  He has given us a language, a native tongue, which identifies us as true believers reconciled back to God into the fellowship of grace and mercy through Christ alone. There is never a moment that we do not need God; we are desperate for Him every moment of our lives . . . and He will never leave us or forsake us (Hebrews 13:5).

Now that this election is hours from being over, may the passion for prayer and in prayer continue.  Yes, prayer is the language, the native tongue of God’s people.  It is the atmosphere of every believer.

Psalm 18:6 – In my distress I called upon the Lord, and cried out to my God; He heard my voice from His temple, and my cry came before Him, even to His ears.

1 Thessalonians 5:17 – Pray without ceasing.

The Priority of Life

by Dale, posted in 40 Days of Prayer & Fasting, Christian Living, Prayer, Uncategorized
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MYBIBLE.COM

Prayer should be the number one priority of our life.  That’s your life-line to the Throne of Grace. That’s how you seek God first (Matthew 6:33). “You can do more than pray after you have prayed, but you cannot do more than pray until you have prayed.   Pray often, for prayer is a shield to the soul, a sacrifice to God, and a scourge to Satan” (John Bunyan).

A shield to the soul

Blessed be the Lord, because He has heard the voice of my supplications! The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusted in Him, and I am helped; therefore my heart greatly rejoices, and with my song I will praise Him.  (Psalm 28:6-7)

A sacrifice to God

Lord, I cry out to You; make haste to me! Give ear to my voice when I cry out to You. Let my prayer be set before You as incense, the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice (Psalm 144:1-2)

A scourge to Satan

Resist the devil and he will flee from you. (James 4:7).

Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need. (Hebrews 4:14-16).

Often I hear my wife say, “No decision before prayer.”  If you seek Christ first, I think you will be engaged throughout your day in much silent and vocal communication with your Heavenly Father Who loves you and always has His ear open to your cry!

 

Your Daily Planner

by Dale, posted in Christian Living, Prayer, Uncategorized
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Effexis Software

Does your daily planner resemble this one?  Look through your personal planner for a moment (whether you have one or not).  What does it reveal about you?  You have planned work, meetings, school, fitness, entertainment, grocery shopping, ballgames, school events, eating out, visits to family, church, etc.  When do you pray?  I know you can pray throughout the day, and you should, but when do you really pray?  When do you meet with God? Is it scheduled in your planner?  Is it every day?  Why or why not?  Do you really think you can get through your day without an appointment with God Who gives you all that you need for life today?  If you alone have the ability to make yourself breathe, think, see, remember, feel, touch, walk, talk, plan, play, drive, eat, lead, wash, put your make up on, make decisions, worship, sing, listen, understand Scripture, run, put on your clothes, all the stuff of life. . . . YOU DO NOT NEED GOD.

But, if you fully understand the truths of Acts 17:24-31 (see below), you will most certainly make a daily appointment with God through His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, Who is our Advocate and High Priest (1  John 2:1; Hebrews 4:14-16).  You are desperate for Him.  You know you really, really need Him every moment of the day and night.  You know you need the grace of God, the wisdom of God, the power of God, the comfort of God, the direction of God, the love of God, the mercy of God, the Word of God, the forgiveness of God, the mercy of God, the kindness of God, the faithfulness of God, . . . the absolute fullness of God which is found only in a personal relationship with the Lord Christ Jesus (John 1:1-4; Hebrews 1:1-4).

“God, who made the world and everything in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands. 25 Nor is He worshiped with men’s hands, as though He needed anything, since He gives to all life, breath, and all things. 26 And He has made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth, and has determined their preappointed times and the boundaries of their dwellings, 27 so that they should seek the Lord, in the hope that they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us; 28 for in Him we live and move and have our being, as also some of your own poets have said, ‘For we are also His offspring.’ 29 Therefore, since we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Divine Nature is like gold or silver or stone, something shaped by art and man’s devising. 30 Truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent, 31 because He has appointed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness by the Man whom He has ordained. He has given assurance of this to all by raising Him from the dead.”

Andrew Bonar said it so well:  “Why is there so little forethought in the laying out of time and employment, so as to secure a large portion of each day for prayer?  Why is there so much speaking, yet so little prayer?  Why is there so much running to and fro to meetings, conventions, fellowship gatherings and yet so little time for prayer?  Brethren, why so many meetings with our fellow men and so few meetings with God?  (Deep Fire, ChristLife Publications, p. 305)

What does your daily planner reveal about your prayer life?

Thirsty & Crying

by Dale, posted in Church, Prayer, Uncategorized

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Why is it that when you call for a prayer meeting, born again believers run the other way?  Why is it that if you schedule, let’s say, a fall leaf trip excursion, folks are willing to gather at 7:00 a.m., but if you call for a prayer meeting on Sunday mornings at 8:30 a.m., a handful show up?  Why are believers afraid of entering the secret place of the Most High God (Psalm 91:1)?

To run from prayer is to run from God.  Oh, how He longs to hear the cries of His people!  How He longs for us to commune and listen to Him!  Oh, how He longs for us to look to Him for His powerful, life-altering, God-glorifying answers to our supplications!   How He longs to enjoy fellowship with us; that’s why Christ died for every one of us.

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Is your soul really thirsty and crying out for God?  Matthew Henry said, “God is more willing to be prayed to, and more ready to hear prayer, than we are to pray.”

The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and His ears are open to their cry. The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears, and delivers them out of all their troubles (Psalm 34:15, 17).

As the deer pants for the water brooks, so pants my soul for You, O God (Psalm 42:1).

O God, You are my God; early will I seek You; my soul thirsts for You; my flesh longs for You in a dry and thirsty land where there is no water (Psalm 63:1).

And they continued steadfastly (to give constant attention to) . . .in prayers (Acts 2:42).

And They Continued

by Dale, posted in 40 Days of Prayer & Fasting, Church, Praise & Worship, Prayer, Uncategorized
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Men’s Prayer Advance

One of the most fascinating books in the Bible is the one penned by Luke, the book of Acts.  Every time I read the first few chapters and see the early church in action, my heart shifts into fourth gear, and it’s rolling!  What an awesome privilege to be involved in the much later years of continuing the ministry of Jesus Christ, not because of who and what we are, but because of Who and What  He is!!  Does it get any better than that????  Wow!

In the second chapter, I find a word that resonates in my heart . . . continue (2:42, 46-47).  These passages read, They were continually devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.  Day by day continuing with one mind in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they were taking their meals together with gladness and sincerity of heart, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord was adding to their number day by day those who were being saved.

The word continue means to “give constant attention to” (2:42) and “to continue all the time in a place” (2:46).  The first definition speaks of a daily attitude toward prayer (1 Thessalonians 5:17), and the second refers to set times of corporate prayer.  Put the two together and you see that no matter when the church meets, whether on a Sunday or in someone’s home or at a small group fellowship gathering or in a leadership meeting, prayer is always a part of that meeting.   Interesting that the second word is in the present tense, therefore, this praying in community never stops; it is always an essential element of corporate gatherings no matter the size. And may I add, I really believe that this time of prayer is not just for the food or a brief time of prayer so we can move onto the rest of our business, service, or activity.  Prayer as we see in the early church was indeed their declaration of total dependence upon God!

If Boones Creek Bible Church is to continue the ministry of Jesus Christ as it moves forward through its 60th year of ministry, we MUST CONTINUE in prayer just as we see in Acts 2:42, 46.  Truth is, the Church really did not begin at Pentecost.  It all started in a prayer meeting in the Upper Room prior to Pentecost . . . These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication (Acts 1:14).

And they continued in prayer.