forgiveness experts

Mark 11:25
25 But when you are praying, first forgive anyone you are holding a grudge against, so that your Father in heaven will forgive your sins, too.”

What is it about repenting of sin and prayer power? What is it about repenting of sin and healing? Seeking forgiveness and forgiving are tough. They are also central to living a healthy life now and forever. No wonder they are the hub of the Lord’s Prayer.

We have our work cut out for us, concerning the whole arena of forgiveness. Yet the potential is awesome. What can we do individually and as a community if we become experts at forgiveness? What can the world learn from us?

Are you holding any grudges that you need to address?

anything

Mark 11:24
24 I tell you, you can pray for anything, and if you believe that you’ve received it, it will be yours.

Let’s start with what is obvious with God. He is not going to work against himself. So if I believe in something sinful, I will not receive it by praying. Yet, if I pray for something with confidence, and it fits within God’s boundaries, it shall be so. Can you tell the difference? Just keep praying.

What do you want to happen in your life that will only come to pass if God shows up strong? Pray on this.

all people

Mark 11:17
17 He said to them, “The Scriptures declare, ‘My Temple will be called a house of prayer for all nations,’ but you have turned it into a den of thieves.”

“All nations,” means, “all people groups,” which is one of those remarkable things about the Christian faith. Christianity works in all known cultures, which can’t be said for any other philosophy or worldview.

For all the attempts throughout history to make being Christian mean being Jewish, Greek, Eastern, Western, none of this works as well as going with God’s design of a faith that is accessible to all people of every culture.

Learn (get Googling) something new today about Christians of a culture not your own.

too deep

Mark 9:29
29 Jesus replied, “This kind can be cast out only by prayer.”

A demon is in so deep that only deep prayer will address the situation. What are your deep issues? What does Satan subtly place before you that keeps you from God’s power?

Focus on the good God is doing through you, not what is getting in the way. If addiction is present, there is, of course, more response necessary. Above all, keep praying.

What is a deep issue for you? Pray…

daily bread

Mark 6:46
46 After telling everyone good-bye, he went up into the hills by himself to pray.

So Jesus has just fed 5000 men, plus women and children (not how you take attendance at a Dodger game, by the way), on a little bread and a couple of fish. Instead of keeping the feast going, celebrating his miracle of food, like his miracle of wine prior, Jesus says, “So long, I’m going to spend some time with the Father for a while.”

I want to know what they talked about.

“Now that was a good one Father. Wine, bread and fish, what am I a grocery store? Manna from heaven? Oh, yeah….I remember…”

Pray for those who are going to bed hungry tonight.

early

Mark 1:35
35Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed.

God is not limited to our view of time. Anytime we pray is any time for God. For some of us, the morning is a great time to spend time in prayer with God. Within the Korean Christian tradition, it is common for the people to gather early on the church campus every day for prayer before they go to work. A Korean pastor told me he calls everyone as a reminder if they aren’t there!

I am not Korean, but I do find the early morning hour effective for prayer. If you do also, great. If not, pray at another time.

Wake up one half hour earlier than normal tomorrow to pray.

prayer support

Matt 26:36
36 Then Jesus went with them to the olive grove called Gethsemane, and he said, “Sit here while I go over there to pray.”

What was Jesus expecting from the “inner circle” disciples he brought with him while he wrestled with the devil in prayer? I think he expected them to lift him up in prayer while he prayed, like Aaron and Hur holding Mose’s arm up when Israelites were fighting the Amelikites (Exodus 17). If Jesus himself desires the prayer support of his disciples, we are wise to do the same.

Pray for the leaders within your church community.

baptism

a talk on:

infant baptism or "believer" baptism...immersion or sprinkling...does a Christian have to be baptized?

what is baptism? an overview

a matter of will

Matt 21:22
22 You can pray for anything, and if you have faith, you will receive it.”

Faith comes when our will is connected to God’s will. This is not a matter of trusting hard enough. It is a matter of really trusting. When we trust God can do something and God wants to do it, if we are open to be filled by God’s power, well then, it gets done. Someone put it this way:

God does things through us, not for us.

What are you praying for God to do lately?

house of prayer

Matt 21:13
13 He said to them, “The Scriptures declare, ‘My Temple will be called a house of prayer,’ but you have turned it into a den of thieves!”

As a church community, Christians do a lot of strategizing, planning, caring for property and so forth. Yet, together we are a house of prayer more than anything. Anything that steals away our purpose to love God and work with him in his Kingdom must be placed in its proper context.

Pray for protection of your church community.

the prodigal sons

blue state/ red state
"liberal"/ "conservative"
younger brother/ older brother

looking at the prodigal son parable as "sons" gives insight into today's America

listen here or download at ITunes
type in "Christcast"

Trinity

Matt 14:23
23 After sending them home, he went up into the hills by himself to pray. Night fell while he was there alone.

Jesus spent time alone with the Father and the Spirit. He spends eternity in this same “Trinitarian” relationship, and so you can just imagine him sprinting up the hill in order to connect. Taking on our humanity, he must have been absolutely burdened with sorrow, compassion, and joy as to how we would turn out in the end through him. This wasn’t a little time away. This is plugging in to existence itself.

Spend time thinking about the Trinity as reality today.

who is your god?

I follow a God who sacrifices his life in order that all people might be rescued-
I follow a God who says do the same-

Live your life for the sake of other people

progress

Matt. 5:44
44 But I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you!

This is one of those misunderstood passages of the Bible. It is generally not effective to simply begin “loving your enemies.” Taking a direct approach. This is the climax of the “Sermon on the Mount,” and is preceded by other spiritual disciplines that prepare one to be able to love enemies and pray for them. In other words, we become the kind of people who can do these things. If you actually read all of Matthew 5, it all starts by working on anger issues.

Read Matthew 5:21- 48 and highlight the progression of issues we address on our way to love of enemy.

complaining

Jonah 4:1-2
1 This change of plans greatly upset Jonah, and he became very angry. 2 So he complained to the Lord about it…

I am glad Jesus told me I could communicate with God like I do my dad.

“Abba, who art in heaven.”
“Daddy, who art heaven.”

If I pray like I have talked with my dad, I guess it’s OK to complain to him, once in a while. At least that’s what our own kids think.

Tell God about something that ticks you off today.

school prayer

Jonah 2:1
1 Then Jonah prayed to the Lord his God from inside the fish.

School prayer has been used as a fundraising tool for organizations that oppose it and those who favor it. In either case, this is a non-issue. Logically, prayer is available any time any place. Jonah didn’t have a problem praying in the belly of a fish. Come to think of it, if a giant fish swallowed me, I wouldn’t have a hard time praying, either!

Pray for children in your local schools today.

repentance

Daniel 9:3
So I turned to the Lord God and pleaded with him in prayer and fasting. I also wore rough burlap and sprinkled myself with ashes.

In the Old Testament, prayer, fasting, sackcloth and ashes often go together when repentance is the order for the day. God certainly knows if we are open to new life through his forgiveness. Why all the extra emphasis. Think of it this way. In prayer we give attention. In fasting our physical desire. In sackcloth and ashes our desire for recognition. All of this together seems to be saying, “OK God, I understand. I am taking this seriously.”

Think about your humility before the Lord throughout the day.

in God we trust

where do you put your ultimate trust?
welcome to your god
is there anything to trust in better than Jesus?

prayer in the air

Daniel 6:10
10 But when Daniel learned that the law had been signed, he went home and knelt down as usual in his upstairs room, with its windows open toward Jerusalem. He prayed three times a day, just as he had always done, giving thanks to his God.

Christians had a structured prayer life much earlier than Muslims. For centuries, the day was divided into prayer times. Bell towers of churches striking on the hour are part of that heritage. Even at universities who don’t realize it.

For example, I wonder how many students at UC Riverside know that their bell tower is tolling “O God Our Help in Ages Past,” every hour on the hour? Just heard it last weekend.

Set up five prayer times during the day for the next few days.

let my people go!

when you follow God, you can't sell yourself short
you don't know what God has in mind
Moses continued...

keep praying

Lamentations 3:44
44 You have hidden yourself in a cloud
so our prayers cannot reach you.

When God seems absent this doesn't mean stop praying. It simply means be prepared to be disappointed. It's not as if not praying is going to be helpful. When God seems remote, it is rather time to pray extra hard.

"Hey God…Are you there?!!"

Pray for those who are having a hard time praying.

don't miss out

addressing the latest "Jesus Family Tomb" spectacle, what do those who are trying to discredit the physical resurrection of Jesus have in common?

keep looking

Jeremiah 29:11-13
11 For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. 12 In those days when you pray, I will listen. 13 If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me.

Here God is speaking specifically for his people after 70 years of exile in Babylon. This is a very popular scripture to generalize. It is much quoted concerning our own lives. Verse 13 is one of my favorites to consider when I think of people who don’t know Jesus. Keep looking. If you are honestly seeking, God always shows up.

How are you looking for God this week?

the city

Jeremiah 29:7
7 And work for the peace and prosperity of the city where I sent you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, for its welfare will determine your welfare.

God sent his people to exile in Babylon. As God’s people, everywhere we live is, at times, like Babylon. As Hebrews 13:14 says, 14 For this world is not our permanent home; we are looking forward to a home yet to come.

We work with God concerning the new creation right now. The city we live in is important and we pray for it’s blessing. As such, we don’t pray against cities either. It’s easy to pick on places like Las Vegas or New Orleans for their “sensual” excesses. What about cities where greed, gossip, personal revenge and such are rampant? Like everywhere-

Pray for your city today.

??

Jeremiah 12:1
1 Lord, you always give me justice
when I bring a case before you.
So let me bring you this complaint:
Why are the wicked so prosperous?
Why are evil people so happy?

If you believe in God, then your God is not going to be much of a God if he isn’t beyond your understanding. If you can fully figure God out, whatever he/she/it is…he/she/it is certainly not God.

What are some of your toughest questions you have for God?

temptation of Jesus

the uncanny similarity between the temptations Jesus faced and our own offers great insight into spiritual health

pray all

Isaiah 56:7
7 I will bring them to my holy mountain of Jerusalem
and will fill them with joy in my house of prayer.
I will accept their burnt offerings and sacrifices,
because my Temple will be called a house of prayer for all nations.

Making one language as better than others when it comes to faith can bring challenges. For over a thousand years in Christianity, it was thought that Latin was really the language to know God through. Latin sounds pretty cool, but the only language God is interested in is the truth. This can be spoken in any language and God loves when the blending of sound from the world over comes to his ears.

Learn to pray, “I love you, Jesus,” in a different language.

Moses the prince of Egypt

the story of Moses and his call from God

mind and heart

Isaiah 38:3
3 “Remember, O LORD, how I have always been faithful to you and have served you single-mindedly, always doing what pleases you.” Then he broke down and wept bitterly.

Emotions play a key part in our relationships. Yet, as Dallas Willard has said, ‘Emotions make good servants, but terrible masters.’

We don’t consider God and his ways with us using an emotional barometer. I don’t have to feel good all the time to know God is with me. In fact, my relationship with God is way more about thinking. Loving the Lord God with my mind first and foremost.

Consider giving your emotions over to God for the day and pray for his guidance.