Pray Hard

"News about Jesus spread far beyond the borders of Galilee so that the sick were soon coming to be healed from as far away as Syria. And whatever their illness and pain, or if they were possessed by demons, or were epileptics, or were paralyzed -- he healed them all." -- Matthew 4:24

What does it mean to pray hard? I'm actually puzzled by this statement, mostly because if you can "pray hard" then surely you can "pray harder" or maybe even you can "pray easy."

Let's look at healing. Do you find yourself praying harder for a serious condition like cancer and maybe not as hard for something like an ear infection? Since God is doing the healing, then why would one healing be more difficult than another? To quote Bob Hostetler, "there is no hard or harder with God."

Does our inconsistency in how we pray reveal that we think that one healing is harder than another? Do we believe that what Christ has done is enough or do we think that we must somehow add something to accomplish the healing? Do we doubt God’s willingness to heal? If we believe that Christ has already paid the price for healing, then a healing simply must be received by faith as a gift. We must learn to rest completely in the completed work of Christ and Christ’s revelation of the will of the Father to heal all who come to Him in childlike faith.

Now that was easy!

Sorting

Jesus prayed:
"And I give myself entirely to you so they also might be entirely yours. I am praying not only for these disciples but also for all who will ever believe in me because of their testimony. My prayer for all of them is that they will be one, just as you and I are one, Father -- that just as you are in me and I am in you, so they will be in us, and the world will believe you sent me. I have given them the glory you gave me, so that they may be one, as we are -- I in them and you in me, all being perfected into one. Then the world will know that you sent me and will understand that you love them as much as you love me." -- John 17:19-23, NLT

I recently listened to a podcast by Danny Silk and I had to laugh out loud when he began describing how he sorts out his M&M's by color before he eats them. I do the same thing! First I sort them into groups by color. Then I eat select M&M's from each pile until the piles contain the same number. After that, I eat my least favorite colors (bye bye red!). Before you call the OCD police, let me explain where I'm taking this. Sorting. We all do it. And sadly, we do a lot of it in the Body of Christ (think denominations). We like to sort. It helps us decide who's in our group and who's not. But Jesus prayed in John 17 that we would be ONE. There is no sorting in the number ONE. Can't be done. The Trinity (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit) are ONE and that's God's desire for us. In fact, Jesus said that's how the world will know we belong to Him -- when we become ONE. I know I will never be able to eat M&M's again without remembering that Jesus prayed for us to be ONE.

Time Machine

"Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits at God's right hand in the place of honor and power." -- Colossians 3:1

"Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever." -- Hebrews 13:8

I am constantly looking for anything to help train me to pray for the sick. Books, teaching tapes, articles, etc.... I'm intrigued by what everyone has to say. But, the Word of God should always be the beginning and our default position. In some ways we need to get in a time machine and go "back to the future." Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever, and he healed ALL who came to him. No exceptions.

It might be helpful to picture a time machine when praying for someone's healing. If I inwardly remind myself that if that person standing before me were able to get into a time machine and go back to one of the healing events described in the New Testament that Christ would heal them. He healed all who came to Him. The person I am praying for is coming to Jesus in the same way. They are demonstrating simple faith by asking for prayer. Nothing has changed. The very same Jesus in those events 2000 years ago is seated at the right hand of God. Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever! Amen.

A Noble Cause

Have you ever petitioned God for a "noble cause"? Or pleaded for someone's healing by reminding God that this person has small children at home or that they're a good person? To some degree I think we all have. We sometimes forget that Jesus Christ himself already became the noble cause for us.

I love the scene in the movie, Princess Bride, where Inigo and Fezzik take Westley to Miracle Max. (In my opinion, it's one of the greatest scenes in the movie.) Inigo and Fezzik are in a "terrible rush" to get Westley revived so they can storm the castle and rescue Buttercup.

Here's the brief exchange:
MIRACLE MAX: "Don't rush me, sonny. You rush a miracle man, you get rotten miracles. You got money?"
INIGO: "Sixty-five."
MIRACLE MAX: "Sheesh! I never worked for so little, except once, and that was a very noble cause."
INIGO: "This is noble, sir."(pointing to Westley)"His wife is crippled. His children are on the brink of starvation."
MIRACLE MAX: "Are you a rotten liar."
INIGO: "I need him to help avenge my father, murdered these twenty years."
MIRACLE MAX: "Your first story was better."

Roger Sapp (in "Healing Hints) presents it this way: "Occasionally someone will try to receive healing by presenting what appears to be a noble purpose in their healing. They may want to raise their children. They may want to "glorify God" in their healing. While sounding noble, these people are often unable to receive healing until they simplify their motives and simply accept that Christ wants them well. Often these "higher purposes" for their healing reveal that they do not really believe that Christ wishes them well simply because they are sick and in pain. Jesus Christ never had complex responses for hurting people. When the sick came to Him, He felt compassion for them and that compassion was enough to motivate Him to heal them. The people coming to Him did not need a noble purpose to receive healing. God is glorified in Christ's simple but profound love and ministry to hurting people."

Familiarity

"When Jesus had finished telling these stories, he left that part of the country. He returned to Nazareth, his hometown. When he taught there in the synagogue, everyone was astonished and said, "Where does he get his wisdom and his miracles? He's just a carpenter's son, and we know Mary, his mother, and his brothers -- James, Joseph, Simon, and Judas. All his sisters live right here among us. What makes him so great?" And they were deeply offended and refused to believe in him. Then Jesus told them, "A prophet is honored everywhere except in his own hometown and among his own family. "And he did not do many miracles there because of their lack of faith. -- Matthew 13:53-58

It has been said that "familiarity breeds contempt." I would like to discuss this phrase as it applies to the Matthew 13 passage above. We are told in Acts 10:38 that "God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power, and he [Jesus] went around doing good and healing all who were under the power of the devil, because God was with him." Jesus did great works everywhere he went but we see that when he returned to his hometown the people were deeply offended and refused to believe him. Why is that? And what can we learn from this?

It is often human nature to not respect someone (or the anointing on their life) when we know them well enough to know their faults, their family, or their history. Most people who answer the call of God on their life do not answer it at infancy. Therefore, and in some cases, that call comes only after many years of working it out, making mistakes, and growing up. Those years are riddled with mistakes and bad choices that are well known to those closest to them.

Fortunately for us, God equips the called and he is the one most familiar with our frame. He doesn't wait until we've grown up in the faith to start using us. God will always supply the anointing to accomplish the call on our life. If, for example, we have a call to perform miracles, they will most often (but not always) be best received by those not familiar with us. Our family members and even our closest friends may not recognize the very anointing that God has put right in front of them because it looks like "us." It's too familiar and it weakens their faith. Even Jesus did not perform many miracles in his own hometown because the people did not have faith. They knew Jesus' family and they knew him to be a carpenter's son.

I've heard stories of incredibly gifted evangelists who've seen thousands saved and yet their own family members won't listen to a word they preach. Or what about the miracle worker who God has used to heal and deliver hundreds from illness and yet their family members are stricken with all sorts of diseases? Let's not discount the familiar because that "familiar" person may just be the one God put in your life to carry the anointing you need for your situation.

Eye of the Needle

"Indeed, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God." -- Luke 18:25, NIV

If we're going to have riches we will have to stay on our knees! This passage speaks of a gate in Jerusalem called the eye of the needle. When I was young I thought it referred to the eye of a sewing needle. There is no way anything could pass through that kind of needle (except, of course, a piece of thread). A camel could not pass through this gate unless it stooped and had all its baggage removed. After dark, when the main gates were shut, travelers or merchants would have to use this smaller gate, and then the camel could only enter unencumbered and crawling on its knees!

We need riches because as Joyce Meyer always says, "Ministry is expensive." God blesses us so that we can partner with him in ministry, not so we can stock all our barns with stuff. Riches won't keep you from entering the kingdom of God, but the love of them might. :)

A Thousand Generations

“You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing love to a thousand [generations] of those who love me and keep my commandments.” (Exodus 20:4-6)

Have you ever thought about four generations versus a thousand generations? In four generations, you have thirty ancestors, and in ten generations you have 2,046. God says if we love Him and keep His commandments He will show love to a thousand generations. Wow! Can you wrap your head around that? What we do today will impact many generations to come. Never underestimate the obedience of one life.

Worth Repeating?

“Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.” (Ephesians 4:29)

Our speech matters to God. And as the Bible's Golden Rule says, "Do unto others what you would have them do to you" (Matthew 7:12). What we dish out will come back to us. We can be sure that if we have loose lips, our words will eventually return to haunt. I came across these words of wisdom this week and thought they might be worth repeating. I certainly hope to keep them in mind.

We should run our words, including prayer requests, through these two tests:

1) Is the news "approved" for sharing? It's easy to spread gossip under the guise of being well-meaning, even prefacing the news with "I wish you'd pray for … " But just because my "sharing" is well-meant doesn't mean it's appropriate.

2) Would I want this news shared about me? This is the real kicker. If I were sitting in a room with others blatantly talking about me, would I want what I had told them to be shared? Or would their chatter make me feel as though I'm in my underwear, and everyone's inspecting me?

Gently deflect a gossip-prone conversation before it gets off-track. Our speech really does matter to God [and to us].

Be Mindful To Be A Blessing

"Be extravagantly generous." (1 Timothy 6:18b, MSG)
"Be generous." (Ecclesiastes 11:1a, MSG)
"Generous hands are blessed hands because they give bread to the poor." (Proverbs 22:9, MSG)

I was at a restaurant the other day with a group of friends and something occurred to me about tipping. Suppose two customers walk in at the same time and are seated within moments. Customer #1 orders a sandwich and glass of water for a total of $3.99. Customer #2 orders a sandwich and soda for a total of $5.98. Both customers finish and receive their bills at the same time. Supposing that each customer tips the waiter/waitress 20%. Based on the bill total, customer #1's tip is $0.80 and customer #2's tip is $1.20. Here's the question: Was it easier for the waiter/waitress to serve customer 1 or customer 2? I say it was equal but look at the difference in the tip. Just makes you stop and think about basing your tip on generosity rather than the total of your bill.

Can You Dig It?

"If you believe in me, come and drink! For the Scriptures declare that rivers of living water will flow out from within."-- John 7:38, NLT

"That year Isaac's crops were tremendous! He harvested a hundred times more grain than he planted, for the LORD blessed him. He became a rich man, and his wealth only continued to grow. He acquired large flocks of sheep and goats, great herds of cattle, and many servants. Soon the Philistines became jealous of him, and they filled up all of Isaac's wells with earth. These were the wells that had been dug by the servants of his father, Abraham. And Abimelech asked Isaac to leave the country. "Go somewhere else," he said, "for you have become too rich and powerful for us." So Isaac moved to the Gerar Valley and lived there instead. He reopened the wells his father had dug, which the Philistines had filled in after Abraham's death. Isaac renamed them, using the names Abraham had given them." -- Genesis 26:12-18, NLT

We are called to be flowing vessels of living water; flowing in the power of the Holy Spirit. Sometimes our well gets clogged up and stagnant. Sometimes, as in the case of Isaac, it's our enemies who fill in our wells with dirt. But as Isaac did, and so should we, he continually re-dug them. There are five things in particular (although there are others) that will cause our wells to clog up: 1) legalism; 2) opinion; 3) debate; 4) judgment; and 5) criticism. When we engage in these five activities, I believe we are the ones throwing the dirt into our own well. Let's take a brief look at each one:

1) Legalism opposes grace. It is rule bound. Legalists believe in and demand a strict literal adherence to rules and regulations. The apostle Paul warns us of legalism in Colossians 2:20-23: "You have died with Christ, and he has set you free from the evil powers of this world. So why do you keep on following rules of the world, such as, "Don't handle, don't eat, don't touch." Such rules are mere human teaching about things that are gone as soon as we use them. These rules may seem wise because they require strong devotion, humility, and severe bodily discipline. But they have no effect when it comes to conquering a person's evil thoughts and desires." Legalists may appear to be righteous and spiritual, but legalism ultimately fails to accomplish God’s purposes because it is an outward performance instead of an inward change.

2) Opinions (and their cousin "preferences") are subjective statements or thoughts about an issue or topic, and are the result of emotion or interpretation of facts. I've always heard "no responsibility = no opinion" and I kind of like that statement. If you don't have responsibility in an area then you probably haven't earned the right to an opinion.

3) Debate: Matthew 7:6 "Don't give what is holy to unholy people. Don't give pearls to swine! They will trample the pearls, then turn and attack you." Sometimes the priceless jewels of Christianity cannot be appreciated by those who have not yet tasted of the goodness of the Lord. In fact, the Bible tells us in 2 Corinthians 3:14 that "... the people's minds were hardened, and even to this day whenever the old covenant is being read, a veil covers their minds so they cannot understand the truth. And this veil can be removed only by believing in Christ." I refuse to debate theology with people. In the first place I don't have the knowledge to do so and I've never heard testimony of a debate converting anyone to Christ.

4) Judgment: Matthew 7:1-2 tells us "Stop judging others, and you will not be judged. For others will treat you as you treat them. Whatever measure you use in judging others, it will be used to measure how you are judged." Clear enough and yet most of us don't adhere to this verse.

5) Criticism: Several verses in Proverbs tell us to listen to constructive criticism as a tool for correction, but I haven't found a verse yet telling us to dish it out.

Legalism - Opinion - Debate - Judgment - Criticism
Let's make a decision to dig out the well so that rivers of living water will flow.

Rituals

"And no one puts new wine into old wineskins. The wine would burst the wineskins, spilling the wine and ruining the skins. New wine needs new wineskins." -- Luke 2:22, NLT

Our prayer times with God ought to resemble, to some degree, a waiter waiting on a customer. We should be asking God, "What would you like?" Since God, the creator of the universe, has created such a vast plethora of color, shape, sight, fragrance, sound, taste, creature, and plant life, why would we think that He would be satisfied with the same prayer ritual from us, day in and day out? I find myself going in and out of prayer seasons -- at times I best connect with Him by prostrating myself on the floor and other times the most intimacy comes through kneeling. I'm not convinced that God prefers our 4-step prayer programs. Even as humans we prefer variety in our relationships. For example, date night with our spouse would get a little old if we did exactly the same thing every time. If you find your prayer time becoming dry, try a different posture, a different venue, or a different method. Put the new wine into a new wineskin. The Holy Spirit will lead you.