before the throne

2 Kings 19:15 And Hezekiah prayed this prayer before the Lord

When you read this passage within its context, you see Hezekiah having a conversation before God, though God isn’t speaking directly back, as he does with someone like Moses.

Hezekiah is talking with God about life and ministry situations that are impacting him. He is letting God know about his concerns. Knowing that when you pray you are praying before the Lord is really quite astounding! He cares that much to listen? He is God. He can do that.

What do you need God to know that you have been reluctant to tell him?

whose on your side?

2 Kings 6:17

And Elisha prayed, "O LORD, open his eyes so he may see." Then the LORD opened the servant's eyes, and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.

When you trust in Jesus and you experience the joy and rightness of living connected to him, you will automatically want others to have that same kind of life. It wouldn't be too loving if you didn't. Those who don't know this life might wonder what all the fuss is all about. Praying for them can have a powerful effect. If they have eyes to see...

The enemies of Elisha are surrounding him, yet he has no fear. Angels of the Lord are surrounding him first. When you are on God’s side, don’t worry. Elisha prays that his servant can see the angels, as well. The servant is terrified until he sees, too.

God’s angels 1 (or infinity, it doesn't matter)- Enemies 0

Game over.

Who can you pray for today who is in need of confidence in the Lord?

Listen

1 Kings 9:3

The LORD said to him:
"I have heard the prayer and plea you have made before me;

After having the temple built, God responds to Solomon’s prayers. God is letting him know they are in this together. He reminds Solomon to be faithful. God lets us know this, too.

When God speaks to Solomon, this is a significant event. This is why it is recorded in the Bible. Hearing the direct voice of God is certainly not the most common communication from God. We can expect God to reveal himself most often through his word, the word of a trusted Christian friend, and through prayer. This is why if we want to hear from God, read the Bible, meet with Christian friends and pray; while all along, listen, listen, listen.

What have you “heard” God saying to you lately?

God knows

1 Kings 8:28

Yet give attention to your servant's prayer and his plea for mercy, O LORD my God. Hear the cry and the prayer that your servant is praying in your presence this day.

Solomon was a wise man. He knew where his help would come from. He asks God to listen. Notice he doesn’t ask for God to bless his plans. Instead he asks God to forgive him.

When we pray, we don't need to analyze the situation and then give God all the possible solutions. There is a time for thinking and strategy on our part, but God knows what's going on. We never do wrong to start out with confession. For a forgiven sinner, even the wrong action can result in good if you are keeping close to God. At times, this prayer is appropriate:

“Jesus, forgive me, and give me what I need in spite of what I think I need.”


Where do you need forgiveness today?

pray as you are

1 Samuel 12:23

As for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the LORD by failing to pray for you. And I will teach you the way that is good and right.

God’s people realize the source of their trouble is themselves. Now they are worried their leader, Samuel, won’t pray for them because they don’t deserve it. We hear Samuel’s answer. We don’t have option of praying only for those who do good. Who would we end up praying for?

Who would pray for me? You? Exactly...

Whom do you need to pray for today whom you would rather not?

Christcast 24

Kristina and Dana talking about:

- Kristina turns 18
- what about Christmas?

inside out 13

a talk on the soul
-does everyone have one?
- what is it?
- how does it work?

listen to/download inside out 13 at ITunes, "Christcast"

God hears

1 Samuel 7:8

They said to Samuel, "Do not stop crying out to the LORD our God for us, that he may rescue us from the hand of the Philistines.”

The Philistines kept providing plenty of drama for God’s people. Of course, the most famous Philistine was Goliath, and we know how he ended up. Yet, the Philistines had been a problem long before the time of Goliath. Many times it appears that God allows this to happen as justice, because of the sin of his people.

To cry out to God during times of trouble is the right direction no matter if you are suffering in spite of your actions or because of them. The source of your help is going to be the same.

How do you suffer today? Tell Him.

the connection between New Year and the Christ of Christmas

what is an atheist reponse to Christmas?
what is the connection between New Years resolutions and Christmas?

This sermon is available at ITunes: "Christcast"

weep for the children

1 Samuel 1:10 She was deeply distressed and prayed to the LORD, and wept bitterly.

The story of Hannah is another woman who is having a hard time having a baby. This reoccurring biblical theme tells us that instinctively we know that when great things are to happen, the vision is passed on through our children.

There is nothing more important and more difficult than to raise the next generation to love Jesus and trust in him as Lord. There is always the real possibility that our wick slowly dies out and the light that once shone bright in us is not able to attract our own children like little moths to see what is so wonderful about the light. If children don't have faith in Jesus, it is cause for weeping, indeed. We do well to pray with Hannah this day.

What greatness are you teaching yours or someone else’s children about lately?

show me your glory

Exodus 33:18 Show me your glory, I pray.

God and Moses have a close friendship. This verse refers to when Moses asks to see God and he catches a glimpse of God’s back. Would we really want to see God in his glory? Where all his goodness would be present right there? Well, many got to see Jesus and that never turned out as expected.

The more God has of us, the more God can trust us. This means the manifestation of his power through our lives becomes greater. With this comes joy and great fear. The "holy things" of God are not to be "handled" casually. So, think carefully when you pray, "Show me your glory"-

But pray, "Show me your glory..."

Are you ready to really let God have access to your life?

answered prayer?

Genesis 25:21 Isaac prayed to the LORD for his wife, because she was barren; and the LORD granted his prayer.

Isaac had a hard time being born himself. Now it was his turn to sweat it. He and Rachel were not having success at getting pregnant. Isaac does what God’s people do. He talks to God about it. Rather than instantly getting jealous that Isaac’s prayer was answered, I am more intrigued that it was granted.

We often are so sensitive not to offend people who pray and don't get the results they are hoping for, that we ignore the times when our prayers are followed by exactly what we desired would happen. Some people end up treating prayer like it is something to do for the physical, emotional, and spiritual results of those praying only. It is good for your well being, but don't expect God to actually take what is prayed for and respond to what is being said. That's an interesting observation except it is not actually what happens.

When is a time when God gave you exactly what you asked for?

really?

Genesis 20:7 He will pray for you and you shall live.

God speaks to King Abimelech about not taking Sarah as his wife. God says she is really married to Abraham who is a prophet who will pray for Abimelech. It is sometimes confusing to get caught up in God’s ways. Not to God it isn’t.

We need to take a break in thinking that we have God figured out. The sense of certainty that is this exactly what God is thinking comes out of our own desires more than the Lord’s input. It is enough to leave our encounters with God with a healthy dose of, “Whoa! Really?”

When have you been confused about what God wants recently?

who am I to talk to God?

Genesis 18:27 Let me take it upon myself to speak to the Lord, I who am but dust and ashes.

Abraham says these words as he is in conversation with God concerning the wickedness of Sodom. This episode is a wonderful example of prayer as speaking with God about the work we are doing together. Can you imagine having a talk with the creator of the universe? At least Abraham knows where he ranks. We are the same. Dust and ashes, as it were.

When we approach God in prayer, we emphasize his being like our "Abba," the Hebrew equivalent of "daddy." Jesus told us to pray to God like this when he gave the model of the Lord's Prayer. At the same time we realize who we really are compared to him. Since he knows everything about us anyway, we might as well come to him in complete honesty.

What is it about yourself that is the best example of your own unworthiness?

last blog of year

This is the last blog of 2006. Looking to the New Year, a resolution I have already decided on is to make progress in prayer, both as an individual and for our church community. This year will be a "Year of Prayer" for the church.

To aid in our prayer focus together, I have taken 150 verses on prayer from the Bible, Genesis to Revelation, chosen from The Renovare Spiritual Formation Bible. Each weekday, we will have one verse of scripture to consider, a brief thought for the day, and a practical prayer application. This will prove beneficial as we consider our partnership with Jesus and how we are doing together.

Happy New Year!

P.S. I would be remiss if I didn't give a shout out to my favorite young woman in the world, Kristina, who just celebrated her 18th birthday. 18, but still my "baby girl."

I love you,
Dad

day 74- change me from the inside

We have spent the last 3 1⁄2 months examining a vision of what it can mean to be live a transformed life. As we have the intention to make our renovation a reality, we have been given the means to follow through.

Dallas Willard has connected us to God’s path of transformation as recorded in the Bible. Neither the author or God himself can force us to take that path. We will not see transformation without it.

If you have been following the progression of change of the five parts of who you are, you are well on your way. If you haven’t begun yet, you are invited to return to September 15 in this blog and begin again.

God’s desire for you since before the beginning of time is that you would come to him in complete transparency and say, as in the song,

Change Me On The Inside

Just like King David I cry out to You
Create in me a clean heart
I've grieved You again I need Your release
From patterns that keep me in sin
But there's only one way I can finally break free

Change me on the inside…

CCLI Song No. 2956367
© 2000 Vineyard Songs Canada (Admin. by Music Services)
Brian Doerksen

day 73- the means to transform my soul 4

The final means to transformation of my soul is becoming a person of the Book.

Receive, Study, and Internalize the Law of God to the Point of Obedience

This is the essence of the transformed life. Where God's Word is taken in to your very soul and becomes a way of life. It is not as if the Bible is one of many sources for all that is necessary to lead a healthy and complete existence fully immersed in the reality of God's Kingdom. It always fascinates me when even the most conscientious person seeks other paths rather than the Bible as a source for living.

You will find that any truth out there that actually works has its source in the Bible. For example, the recovery movements like AA are based on biblical principles. Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, by Stephen Covey, biblical principles. The business books by Ken Blanchard and John Maxwell. Yes, even Dr. Phil!

I am not saying that all of these and other resources are 100% pure Bible, I am just saying that they have actually proven helpful in the long term. The only reason people make progress as a result of these writings is when the biblical principles are actually tried. That's the key.

Go to the Bible itself and actually try to follow one of its teachings. Dallas likes to say if you intentionally and honestly follow any one teaching, then Jesus will draw you to all that is necessary for you to come to confident faith in Jesus and begin to learn to have the faith of Jesus. Start anywhere. One teaching.

Have you actually tried to live one teaching? Have you actually incorporated this into your life? Until a conscious, obedient effort is made to let Jesus guide you in a specific arena of your life it doesn't make sense to say, "I can't," or "It won't work for me," or "I have already tried that." Really? Have you really been saturated by the way of Jesus?

One place to start pondering this process of soul transformation is to live in Psalm 119 for awhile. See the respect and integrity the Psalmist has for God's law as lifegiving, not a hard set of rules to condemn us to a life of misery. Spend some time there and see what comes to mind.

Read Psalm 119 to start and end this day.

Please note:
Two new sermons are available at ITunes, "Christcast."

day 72- the means to transform my soul 3

One of Dallas Willard’s key teachings is we are not in charge of outcomes. We partner with Jesus, arranging and rearranging our lives to learn from him and work with him any way possible, but leaving outcomes in his hands.

This is such a freeing way of looking at life. Like the biblical parables of farming, we plant and wait. We can’t manipulate the seed to try to tell it “You need to yield lots of grain!” We simply follow the faithful work Jesus is working through us and watch.

This takes a large dose of humility.

1 Peter 5:5-7 (NLT)
You younger men, accept the authority of the elders. And all of you, serve each other in humility, for

"God sets himself against the proud,
but he shows favor to the humble."

[6] So humble yourselves under the mighty power of God, and in his good time he will honor you. [7] Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about what happens to you.

Dallas tells of some of pastors who dread doing hospital visits. The reason? They pray with the patients, but rarely do they see a “healing.” Dallas always tells them, “You are not in charge of the outcomes.”

God is not doing great things in the world to make it possible for us to receive accolades. It’s not as if he is saying,

“This morning I am going to make sure that everyone knows how wonderful Dana is. I want all eyes on him. Let’s see, what can I do to make him look better?”

It is enough to know God has me in mind at all. Yet, it is more than that. I know he does think I am precious, regardless of what others think. I know I am the “apple of his eye,” in spite of my unworthiness. His confidence in me makes me want to give my life to him. Sinful as I am, it is in bits and pieces, but I am moving in his direction, yoked to Jesus.

Spend time today thinking about humility and how its relationship to Jesus coming into our world as a human to bring our transformation.

day 71- the means to transform my soul 2

The second means to transform my soul is yoke myself to Christ.

Yoke Yourself to Christ

Matthew 11:28-30 (NLT)
Then Jesus said, "Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. [29] Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle, and you will find rest for your souls. [30] For my yoke fits perfectly, and the burden I give you is light."

A yoke is a wooden harness that is used in agriculture to put two oxen together so they can work together pulling a load or plowing a field. The system works best when you take an experienced older ox and yoke him to an inexperienced younger. The younger ox learns to follow the lead of the older and the older teaches to share the load. After a while, the oxen work together as one.

Jesus invites me to yoke to him. In this way he can teach me to live my life as he would live it if he were me and he actually guides me as I am yoked to his lead. I am no longer working on my strength, but his; my direction, but his. In this way I am able to succeed in the way he desires for me in every area of transformation.

What is an area of your life you would like to make progress in?

day 70- the means to transform my soul 1

What are the means I can use to renovate my soul?

Acknowledge Your Soul and Place It under God

There is so little teaching done on the soul that there is a lot of confusion as to what it is. If I am to make any headway in transformation and the soul is at the center of organizing all the parts of who I am, then I need to spend time thinking of the soul.

The primary place I must change my thinking is in realizing I am not contained in my body. I am not only a physical being. I am a spiritual being who has a body.

We get so enamored by all things scientific that we miss out on the most important part of reality. That which is not measured by instruments. That which will last for eternity. The soul needs proper care just as the body. Our soul lasts forever. It is not some ghost that leaves our body and floats around after we die. The soul is a non-physical entity that isn’t limited to our body’s boundaries now.

Caring for the soul through spiritual disciplines makes it possible to bring refreshment to our existence. There are so many ways our souls are damaged over the years. Abuse, betrayal, abandonment, and other ways that chip away at who we are. We need God to “renew” us. We need to give ourselves over to his care.

Where have you been wounded to the soul?