Praying with the Holy Spirit..... Craig Denison

 Praying with the Holy Spirit

Craig Denison

Weekly Overview:

As believers, we’ve been given the Holy Spirit as a Helper, Teacher, Friend, and seal for the promised inheritance of eternal life with God. His presence, guidance, and wisdom in our lives are our greatest gifts while here on earth. Through him we have access to direct connection with our heavenly Father. Through him we receive spiritual gifts to empower us. And through him we are able to bear the incredible fruit of abundant life. Open your heart and mind to all that the Holy Spirit would give you, show you, and lead you to this week.

Scripture:“But you, beloved, building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that leads to eternal life.” Jude 1:20-21

Devotional:   

God loves to respond to the prayers of his people. We see him respond to the desire of Adam for a helpmate with Eve, the prayer of Abraham in saving Lot and his family, the prayer of Moses in the salvation of his people, the prayer of Elijah in sending down fire upon an altar, and the cry for a Savior in sending his only son, Jesus. And through the death of Jesus we’ve been filled with the Holy Spirit,  God himself sent as our Helper. Our Helper not only longs to guide us and empower us, but also to help us pray and to pray for us.

Jude 1:20-21 says, “But you, beloved, building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that leads to eternal life.” We’ve been given the incredible gift of praying with the Holy Spirit. The Spirit who searches the deep things of God desires to help us pray. He desires to reveal God’s desires to us in the midst of our circumstances, relationships, and opportunities and longs to help us pray in line with God’s will. When we pray in the Spirit we are praying along with the will of God himself. When we pray in the Spirit we are asking God to do the very thing he desires to do. It’s crucially important that we as children of God learn how to discern the will of our Father through the Holy Spirit and pray according to that will.

Matthew 21:22 says, “And whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith.” And Romans 10:17 teaches us, “So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.” Scripture tells us to pray in full faith that God will give us what we ask for because faith is always meant to begin with the word of God. Prayer is meant to be as simple as asking God to fill us with the knowledge of his desire and then praying in accordance with that desire in full faith because God will always fulfill his promises.

What’s more, when we don’t know what to pray we can trust in and lean on the groanings of the Spirit. Romans 8:26 says, “Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.” Did you know that the Holy Spirit prays for you? Did you know that he intercedes on your behalf? So great is his love for you that he asks God to help you. So great is his desire for you to walk in abundant life that he intercedes on your behalf when you don’t know how to pray.

Aren’t you thankful for the grace of God? In his grace he’s blessed you with the Holy Spirit to help you pray and intercedes for you, all because he loves you. You’ve been given an incredible, powerful gift in praying with the Holy Spirit. Take time today to listen to your Helper as you enter into a time of prayer.

Guided Prayer:

1. Meditate on the Spirit’s desire to help you pray and to intercede for you.

“But you, beloved, building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that leads to eternal life.” Jude 1:20-21

“Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.” Romans 8:26-27

2. Ask the Spirit to fill you with the knowledge of God’s will for whatever it is you desire to pray about. Before you speak, listen.

3. Pray in line with what the Spirit has revealed to you. Ask God, in faith, to bless you with whatever you feel he has shown you. Pray along with Scripture! Rest in the assurance that God will provide you with any and every thing that is in his perfect will for you when you ask him to.

“And whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith.” Matthew 21:22

“So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.” Romans 10:17

God loves to make the Christian life simpler than we often make it out to be. I used to believe that to discover God’s will I had to ask God for things and wait to see if life’s circumstances panned out in line with those prayers. But God longs to fill us with the knowledge of his will even before you ask so that we can simply pray in full faith and joy in accordance with what he already desires to do. He blesses us with a life of simplicity if we will simply, wholeheartedly follow him. Take time today to search out the will of God for your life and rest in assurance of his faithfulness as you pray.

Extended Reading: Hebrews 11

How to Pray without Ceasing..... By Kelly O’Dell Stanley

 How to Pray without Ceasing

By Kelly O’Dell Stanley

“Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you” (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, ESV).

Impossible, right? Maybe in the olden days, when every task directly affected your family’s survival—of course they prayed, because if the crop died, they’d starve. If someone got sick there was no medicine to help. Life was dangerous and fragile, and people weren’t distracted by social media and cell phones. But today? Who could be expected to keep their mind on God at all times? Surely God wouldn’t expect that of us, because He knows more than anyone how flawed we are, and how short our attention spans are.

Except that nowhere in the Bible is there an asterisk after that verse that says, “*unless you’re really busy.”

Here’s the good news. Not only is it possible to pray without ceasing, but it’s possible to do so without making any significant changes to your schedule or time commitments. It’s all about shifting your thought process and turning everyday moments into prayer. Keep that connection open and talk to God as you go through your day. Here is how you can pray without ceasing:

Begin with gratitude.

Psalm 100:4 says “enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name.” 

In other words, start by telling God what you’re thankful for. Prayer doesn’t have to be asking for something; it can simply be thanking Him from your heart for what He has already done.

Incorporate prayer into everyday chores.

Let your everyday tasks become acts of worship by turning them into times of prayer. As you fold laundry, pray for each family member—and then if your laundry piles are as high as mine, and you’re done praying but not done folding, branch out from there. Pray for your child’s soccer teammates, for the teachers standing in front of your children’s classrooms, for the partner who works hard to pay the bills, for health to stay active, for the workplaces where the clothes are worn. Or simply give thanks for the warmth of the home where you relax in those pajamas.

Sing a song of praise.

“Is anyone among you in trouble? Let them pray. Is anyone happy? Let them sing songs of praise” ( James 5:13).

Often, we think of prayer as what to do when we need God to fix something or when we’re unhappy. But the Bible encourages us to pray at all times. Try listening to worship music. As you sing along, offer it to God as your prayer. Or, better yet, make up your own song along the way. Nobody is listening but Him, so don’t worry if you’re out of tune.

Stop talking once in awhile. Instead, just listen.

“And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words” ( Matthew 6:7).

The number (or quality) of words you use in prayer doesn’t matter, because prayer is about God, not about us. Allow yourself to contemplate the nearness of God. Trust that He is your constant companion. Don’t monopolize the dialogue, but spend some of your time just being, simply sitting and resting in His presence. And keep in mind that the best conversations are two-sided, but you won’t hear anything if you never stop to listen.

6 Lessons from The Lord of the Rings..... by Ryan Duncan

 6 Lessons from The Lord of the Rings

by Ryan Duncan

Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy (Matthew 5:7).

Not too long ago, I found myself talking with a friend over coffee. As we began to discuss the Hobbit movie, the two of us began to reflect on Tolkien’s novels and how his Christian faith was revealed through his writing. Grabbing a pen and a spare napkin, I managed to jot down a few of the lessons we realized J.R.R. Tolkien passed on through his epic fantasy...

1. Have Courage

Who would you say is the "hero" of Tolkien’s series? Is it Frodo? After all, he was the one who bore the Ring of Power to Mount Doom. Some might think the real hero is Gandalf. Without his wisdom and guidance, Middle-earth would surely have been overrun. What about Eowyn? She was the one who could defeat the Witch-King in battle. There are many characters you could choose, but they all have one thing in common: Courage. Tolkien lived during the years when Nazi Germany stood ready to overshadow the world, and no doubt he saw ordinary people called on to perform extraordinary acts of heroism. As Tolkien wrote, "Even the smallest person can change the course of the future." Even the meekest of Christians can show courage when afraid.

2. The World Needs More Hospitality

I feel like the gift of Hospitality is going out of fashion among Christians. It's true everyone needs a place where they can take a break from the world, but it has nearly reached the point where Christians are no longer bothering to open the door even to other Christians. Hospitality was not just a virtue but an essential part of Tolkien's Middle-earth. In The Hobbit, Bilbo hosts over a dozen rowdy dwarves who eat everything in his pantry. In The Lord of the Rings the elves are constantly opening their doors to travelers in need. Even the Ents, who are basically walking trees, find ways to accommodate guests when they pass through their forest. Hospitality is not an easy gift, and from the way he writes Tolkien obviously believed it wasn’t supposed to be, but that does not mean it isn’t an important gift.

3. Fellowship is More Valuable Than Gold

One of my favorite passages from The Hobbit is at the end of the story, where Bilbo Baggins meets with Thorin Oakenshield one last time before they finally part ways. Throughout their adventure, Thorin had pursued his lost treasure with unwavering determination, and when it was finally returned, he refused to part with even a piece of it. His greed led to many bad decisions, and in the end he realized what the soulless mound of gold had really cost him. In that moment, he turns to Bilbo and says, “If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world.” In today's world, where the economy and money seem to be on everyone’s mind, it’s important that we don’t forget what’s truly important: family dinners, jokes with friends, the people we love, and those who don’t come with a price tag.

4. Mercy is Strength

There are many forces at work in The Lord of the Rings trilogy, but when asked what he believes keeps evil at bay, the wizard Gandalf answers mercy. “Many that live deserve death. And some that die deserve life. Can you give it to them? Then do not be too eager to deal out death in judgment. For even the very wise cannot see all ends.” It is fascinating to think that the mercy Bilbo showed in Tolkien’s first, thin story could have such a great impact in his three-part epic. What’s more, the same is true for our own lives. Even if we can’t see them, our actions have consequences, and the grace we show to others is always remembered.

5. Sometimes We Must be the Sacrifice

J.R.R. Tolkien lived through two World Wars; he knew better than most that no victory comes without a cost. This theme of sacrifice is ingrained in his novels and in the essence of his characters, none more so than Frodo Baggins. Frodo gave up his peaceful life at home in order to destroy the Ring, knowing the mission would likely claim his life. In the end, even though Frodo survived his journey he could not go back to his life in the Shire. He had given everything to protect the world, and now, he had no place in it. As Christians, sometimes we are called to surrender the things we love most in order to preserve what Christ has done. It may be our hard-won careers, our deepest dreams, perhaps even the desire for a family of our own. It is a cold and bitter truth, but like Frodo, Christ does not leave us alone and without hope.

6. There is Always Hope

There are some pretty heavy moments in Tolkien’s writing. There are good people who suffer, while others give in to the darkness, but no matter how far a character falls there is still always hope and the opportunity of forgiveness. Even a character like Boromir, who betrays his companions, ends up finding redemption in the end. For Christians, the message of hope is a powerful one, and it is very comforting to find it within the pages of The Lord of the Rings. There is a quote in The Return of the King where Pippin asks Gandalf if there any hope for them, “There was never much hope,” the wizard replies, “Only a fool’s hope.” And yet, that is all that’s really needed. Despite all the adversity we might face in life, God’s grace is still present, and no matter what we’ve done he can still use us to demonstrate His glory. One of Tolkien’s greatest gifts to his readers was the message that hope exists, even when we're faced with overwhelming odds.

For Further Reading
J.R.R. Tolkien and the Discipline of Hope
Vessels of Mercy: God, Grace and Gollum
Tolkien's Middle-earth: A Christian World

A Prayer to Make Room for God ..... By: Alisha Headley

 A Prayer to Make Room for God

By: Alisha Headley

“…I will open the windows of heaven for you. I will pour out a blessing so great you won’t have enough room to take it in.” (Malachi 3:10)

Have you ever tried to fill your coffee cup in the morning with a fresh cup of coffee when the cup is already full? In the same way, have you ever thought that maybe God wants to pour a fresh word, a fresh anointing, and a fresh blessing into us every day, but our cups and lives are already full?

Full of other things, people, priorities, agendas, and worries. Or perhaps it’s just full of yesterday’s old coffee, with no room for the new.

We live in a world of distractions. From the moment we open our eyes, before we can make it into our kitchen to start brewing coffee, most of us have notifications, alerts, emails and reminders on our phone. We have kids waiting for us and their endless demands. Naturally, we tend to fill ourselves up with the world, but God wants to fill up on His Word before anything else.

In fact, just as today Scripture points out, He wants to open a window so wide, directly from heaven, so he can pour out blessings that we won’t have enough room to take it all in. How beautiful is that? But on the other side, how detrimental it is if we have no room for Him to pour it into us?

We must empty out our cups daily, allowing room for God to pour into us with a fresh word. Therefore, when Jesus taught us to pray in Matthew 6:11, “give us this day our daily bread…”, He was teaching us to do this on an everyday basis. It is something we must be doing daily because God has a new word and a fresh word waiting for us.

The world will try to fill us up with things of the world before we fill ourselves up with the Word of God. Today’s verse is a great reminder to empty our cup, so we can allow the one who made the cup to fill us up first before anything else. Let’s pray.

Father,

Thank you that you want to pour into us. That you desire to fill us up with you. Lord, you know what bread we need each day and you know the amount we need to be full of you. Please prompt us each day to empty our cup out.

Your Word says in 1 Peter 5:7 to “cast all our cares upon You, for You care for us.” Thank you that you love us in a way like this, that is so indescribable. Today, we pour out all our hurts, concerns, worries, agendas, unforgiveness, and everything else that is filling our cup up today. We ask that you take it all from our hands, empty us out completely. We ask that you fill us with your provision today, your presence, your will, and your purpose.

Fill us up with all of you, so that we can be a light and pour out onto others. We are so grateful for your blessings, and we praise you for being a God of abundance. You came so that we may “have life and live is abundantly.” (John 10:10) Thank you that you want to pour into us so that “our cup overflows with blessings” (Psalm 23:5).

We love you Lord and love that you desire to pour into us each day and that you “take great delight in us” (Zephaniah 3:17). We give you this day, a new day, asking that you fill us full of the freshness of your Word.

Thank you, Jesus, for being the Lord that you are. An overflowing, ever-loving, never-ending God of abundance. 

In Jesus’ Name, 

Amen