Seeking God through Prayer..Craig Denison Ministries

 Seeking God through Prayer

Craig Denison Ministries

Weekly Overview:

Learning to seek the face of God is the foundation for experiencing the amazing life Jesus died to give us. We have available to us through Christ all the wonders, excellencies, and satisfaction we can fathom. God has granted us grace upon grace, mercy upon mercy, affection upon affection, and love upon love. When we pursue him through all the avenues available to us, a door is opened in which we discover all our heavenly Father longs to give us. May you grow in your pursuit of God this week as we study various ways we’ve been given to seek his face.

Scripture:“But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret.” - Matthew 6:6

Devotional:

The fact that God listens to us as his children changes the landscape of prayer from empty phrases uttered into the abyss to direct communication with the Creator and Sustainer of all. When you pray you are heard by your heavenly Father. And it’s because he listens to us that prayer is one of the most wonderful and powerful avenues to pursue him. May we learn to dialogue in greater ways with our heavenly Father as we open our hearts to all he would show us today about prayer.

Matthew 6:7-8 says, “And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.” Jesus inaugurated an entirely new perspective on prayer. Prior to Jesus, God’s people would pray out of obligation or ritual, begging a seemingly distant God to move on their behalf. Jesus taught that God knows our needs before we even ask. He taught that God is a good Father who longs to respond to the needs of his children. And in John 15:7 he taught, “If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.” God’s desire is to respond favorably to our prayers. He always has our absolute best in mind and longs to satisfy the desires of our hearts.

The key to effective communication with God is first to trust that he is a good Father who listens and longs to answer the prayers of his children. After gaining proper perspective, we need to spend significant time allowing God to fill us with his desires for us, fashioning our hearts into a reflection of his. God will not give you what he knows is less than his best. Rather, he longs to fill you with a desire for what is best for you, then come along and satisfy that desire in magnificent and miraculous ways as you pray.

Jeremiah 33:3 says, “Call to me and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known.” When you call out to your heavenly Father, trust that he will answer you. He longs to fill you with the knowledge and desire for his will. He longs to speak with you. You can have his heart and know how he feels. The Holy Spirit who dwells within you longs to reveal to you the perfect plans of your heavenly Father.

Spend time in prayer listening for the heartbeat of God and allowing him to fill you with the knowledge of his will.

Guided Prayer:

1. Meditate on God’s purposes for prayer. Allow Scripture to fill you with trust and faith in God’s ability to both listen and speak to you.

“And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.”>Matthew 6:7-8

“If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.” John 15:7

“My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.” John 10:27

2. Ask the Spirit to fill you with a knowledge of God’s desires for you. Where do you need God’s wisdom? What part of your life doesn’t seem to be marked by the work of God? Where do you need peace, joy, and purpose?

“Call to me and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known.” Jeremiah 33:3

“Let me hear what God the Lord will speak, for he will speak peace to his people, to his saints; but let them not turn back to folly.” Psalm 85:8

3. Pray in accordance with God’s will. Pray with boldness after you discover God’s heart for your need, knowing that he hears you and will respond to your prayer perfectly.

In his book, Power through Prayer, E. M. Bounds shares incredible wisdom on a lifestyle of prayer. May his words guide you into a deeper connection with your heavenly Father today:

The men who have done the most for God in this world have been early on their knees. He who fritters away the early morning, its opportunity and freshness, in other pursuits than seeking God will make poor headway seeking Him the rest of the day. If God is not first in our thoughts and efforts in the morning, He will be in the last place the remainder of the day.

Extended Reading: Matthew 6

How Do I Know It’s God’s Voice?..ABBY MCDONALD

 How Do I Know It’s God’s Voice?

ABBY MCDONALD

“But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.” John 14:26 (ESV)

As my husband told me about the conversation with our son, the wrinkle in my brow deepened. The more he spoke, the deeper it became.

Our firstborn was in seventh grade at the time, and during the drive home from youth group, he’d asked deep questions about faith.

“Why can’t I hear God speak to me?” he asked. “How do I know I’m really hearing from God?”

Because these questions echoed some of my own, I panicked. Instead of seeing them as part of my son’s spiritual growth, I wanted tidy, black-and-white answers and step-by-step guidelines with which to answer him. But there is no rulebook for recognizing the voice of God, is there?

It is a lifelong journey of seeking Him, taking a step and sometimes faltering, only to get back up again. We want a GPS telling us when to reroute, but instead God gives us a relationship, telling us to trust Him.

Sometimes I read stories of God speaking directly to His people in the Old Testament, and I long to hear His audible voice. I receive a word from God but then question whether it’s really Him. I hesitate to move forward, and instead of acting out my faith, I’m like Moses after God asked him to lead the Israelites out of Egypt: I want visible confirmation.

Moses boldly said, “Now show me your glory,” and God delivered (Exodus 33:18, NIV). Moses had to hide in a rock as the glory of the Lord passed by, and although he wasn’t allowed to see God’s face, he received the assurance he needed to do what the Lord asked.

Most of us won’t behold the Lord’s glory the way Moses did, but when we accept Jesus as Savior, we receive what Jesus described as being better than His physical presence: the Holy Spirit. How could anything possibly be better than seeing Jesus? But Jesus knew His leaving earth would allow each of us who accepts Him to receive this beautiful promise:

“But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you” (John 14:26).

God can speak through other believers, His creation and His Word, and as our faith grows, He wants each of us who’ve named Him as Lord to recognize the voice of His Spirit.

As I spend time nurturing my relationship with God, I become confident in knowing when a word is from Him. My journey has taught me these things about His voice:

1. It’s consistent and steady. The Spirit’s voice will never contradict something from His Word or His character. (John 16:13)
2. It may convict, but it does not cruelly threaten. Fear is a tactic of the enemy, and his goal is for us to live our lives captive to it. (John 16:7-8; 2 Corinthians 3:17)
3. It propels us to take action. He wants us to live the full lives He planned for us and to fulfill our purposes in Him. (Psalm 143:10; Galatians 5:16)

I admit I panicked when I heard my son’s questions because I didn’t have tidy answers. I didn’t want my son to stop believing if God didn’t answer the way he thought He would. But eventually, I realized my son's questions indicated growth. A healthy faith is one that continually moves forward, even when we doubt.

God knows there will be times when we question His voice. The good news is that He keeps speaking in the midst of our uncertainty. Let’s take some time to get still and listen today. The more we do, the more we’ll recognize Him when He speaks.

God, thank You for the gift of Your Spirit. Thank You for continuing to speak to us, even when we doubt and hesitate to move forward. Give us confidence in our ability to hear You today, and propel us to act on what we hear. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

The Holy Spirit’s Dwelling Place..Dr. Charles Stanley

 The Holy Spirit’s Dwelling Place

Dr. Charles Stanley

1 Corinthians 6:19-20

Every time the news programs report a story about vandalism at a church, believers cringe. It’s hard for us to bear the thought of anyone spray-painting graffiti on sanctuary walls or damaging the stained glass windows, let alone setting fire to a place of worship. It’s a desecration! The church is a sacred place.

I’m saddened by the fact that many Christians don’t have the same qualms when it comes to harming the temple of the Holy Spirit—their own bodies. Some put junk into their stomachs, their veins, or their lungs. Others wear themselves down under a weight of stress or exhaustion. Some folks justify these abuses as their right: It’s my body, I can do what I want. But that isn't true.

First Corinthians 6 says that believers are the Lord’s possession (v. 19). He has fashioned these earthen vessels to serve Him and carry out the work He’s planned for us to accomplish. God created us with a mind, body, and spirit—of the three aspects, the body is the one that allows us to interact with our environment. People cannot reach their full potential while neglecting the proper care of their bodies. What good are education, talent, and gifts if we’re too tired or sick to complete tasks well?

Here in the world, we can do nothing apart from our physical body. Since it is the only one we’ll have in this life, we should do our best to keep it in good condition. Believers should also recognize their responsibility to treat the earthly frame like the sacred and special dwelling place that it is.

How Would Jesus Respond to Insults?..Joe McKeever

 BIBLE VERSE OF THE DAY: “… who, when He was reviled, did not revile in return; when He suffered, He did not threaten, but committed Himself to Him who judges righteously…” ( 1 Peter 2:23)

How Would Jesus Respond to Insults?
By Joe McKeever

In his book Mud Hen in a Peacock Parade: A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Heaven, retired seminary professor Dan R. Crawford tells of a put-down he received in the most public of gatherings: the University of Texas graduation exercises.

That day, as the crowd gathered on the mall in front of the University Tower and the about-to-be graduates marched in, Dan noticed the words of John 8:32 inscribed in stone over the door: “You shall know the truth, and the truth shall set you free.” In the processional, Dan marched between the president of the university and the guest speaker who was also the president of a famous institution.

In his invocation, Dan “quoted the verse inscribed over the door and thanked God for the pursuit of truth in which the university was engaged and also the Truth that sets us free.” A few minutes later, the guest speaker, the distinguished president of an august institution said, “Now I must correct the Rev. Mr. Crawford from his prayer earlier. Truth is relative. It is not embodied in any person.”

Dan notes, “Most were asleep when he made this bold statement, but he sure got my attention.”

A public comeuppance. Ever get one of those?

I hope you do. And I hope it’s as out of place and as mean-spirited as the one my friend Dan Crawford received that day. If it is, if you are unfairly attacked by someone misusing his/her position of trust before a large audience, here are some observations on your response…

Choice

If it does happen... If someone in a public forum shows pulls the kind of stunt the commencement speaker did that day, you have a choice: you set the speaker in his place or you can be the hero of the hour.

Class

The classy thing for you to do when someone tries to embarrass you (or set you straight or bring you down) in public is to sit quietly and show no response.

Confirm

The absolutely worst thing you can do–is to respond in kind, to give as good as you received. That would be childish and immature, and all it would do is confirm in the minds of the onlookers that the putdown was correct.

Convert

You are not going to make a convert of the offending speaker and that is not your goal. However, there were hundreds of listeners still awake in that commencement crowd of several thousand that day in Austin, and they are the ones Dan Crawford could win over, if he did the right thing.

Course

The right thing is not to defend and not to attack. Just stay the course. Be yourself, show some class, and you will impress the right-thinking people in the audience who were horrified that the speaker would take advantage of you in that way.

The Lord Jesus was on trial. People were hurling lies at him.  “… many false witnesses came forward… At last two witnesses came forward and said, ‘This fellow said ‘I am able to destroy the temple of God and to build it in three days.’’ The high priest turned to the Lord and said, ‘Do you answer nothing? What is it these men testify against you?’ But Jesus kept silent.” ( Matthew 26:59-63)

Jesus kept silent. And when on the cross people were accusing and taunting Him, jeering at Him and spitting upon Him, the Lord prayed, “Father, forgive them for they know not what they do.” ( Luke 23:34)

A Prayer for Government..Emma Danzey

 A Prayer for Government

By Emma Danzey

Romans 13:1 says, "Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. ”

Maybe you are someone who prays regularly for those in leadership or maybe it is the last thing that crosses your mind to do. With so many disagreements and emotional news stations, it can be challenging to remember that God actually calls believers to honor the government because it has been established by Him. Whether we like or agree with those in high places, we are to be representatives of Christ in the ways that we carry ourselves. We can disagree, but show that and speak up in loving ways. 

The government is making vital decisions about the direction of our nation every day. It is our responsibility as Christians to pray for them. We can ask God to direct their hearts and decisions. We can pray for government members to accept Jesus who have not already. We can pray for the protections of religious freedoms. We can pray for God to work within the leadership.

Let's Pray:

Dear Lord,

Thank you so much for being sovereign over all. We praise You for being King of Kings and Lord of Lords. We ask that today, you would guide our government into making decisions that honor You. We pray for discernment and vision for leadership. We pray for a spiritual awakening for those who have been asleep. Open the eyes of unbelievers in government to the gospel. We pray for our president to have wisdom and direction from You. Guide our vice president with insight and integrity. Lead our speaker of the house with knowledge and honesty. Lead our senators, state representatives, governors, and mayors in decision making. Help them to seek You first and Your ways. Bless our supreme court justices with wisdom and understanding as they make life changing decisions for many people. 

God we know that the government is not the enemy, sin is. We pray that any sin and schemes of the Devil within leadership would be revealed and dealt with. We pray against the spiritual attacks on them. We pray for a realization of good and evil and that leaders who are believers would test the spirits and put on Your full armor every day. We pray that lawmakers would make decisions that are in line with Your will and Your truth. Help them to stand with You and not the world. Help them to choose obedience over popularity.  

Acts 5:29 says, “But Peter and the apostles answered, “We must obey God rather than men.” God we are aware that not everyone in leadership follows You. Just as You are working, the enemy is too. We pray that if there is ever a matter where the government is asking people to sin against You, that they will stand up for what is right and honor You. Lord, we are called to honor those in leadership, however if they are ever asking us to do something sinful against You, the choice is clear that we must obey God over man. Help us to make the hard decisions if we ever need to. Go before us and help us to represent You well in love.  

Jesus, You told us to give to the government what belongs to them. You said in Matthew 22:21, “So give back to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s.” Would You please help us to be faithful and fair to the leadership of our nation? You modeled honoring the government even if you did not agree with them. Give us Your strength and help us to live by Your Holy Spirit to make honest decisions in taxes, in voting, and with our words. We affirm that You ultimately are in control and You have allowed certain people to be in government for a reason. Enable us to not live in fear, but to stand in faith knowing that You go before our nation and You have the plan for this world. We trust You, we love You, we praise You. Amen.

God Is Able..Emma Danzey

 God Is Able

By Emma Danzey

Ephesians 3:20-21 says, “Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.”

Able to Do Immeasurably More 
Can you think of a time when you just got back from your favorite vacation? Or perhaps you just achieved a huge goal in life? Maybe you got one step closer to your dream? There were likely feelings of great happiness, accomplishment, amazement, and celebration. Whether it was an experience or a tangible award, whatever it might be, the mountain top moment is for sure to go down in your life history as a memorable one.

Ephesians 3:20-21 does not just say that God can do more than we ask or imagine, he can do immeasurably more. This means we cannot even estimate how much more our God can do. When we have that challenging work or homework assignment, He is able to help us through. When we go through a season of difficulty, He can give insurmountable strength. When we are raising the next generation, He can do a new work in them and use us in powerful ways. When we have a deep and unmet longing in our hearts, the Lord can fulfill us and reveal Himself as a treasure that is far greater than anything we could want. The fact is that our Creator and Savior is not just able to do more, He can do far greater things than our small human minds can wrap around. This is a Biblical truth, but how often do we forget this in our daily lives, in our prayers, and in our churches? We serve the God who is beyond our beyond.

Invited into His Work
What is beautiful about these verses, is that God not only does incredible work, He invites us into what He is doing. We have the privilege of the gift of the Holy Spirit within us. The Lord gives us His power and equips us to do amazing things on His behalf to share His love to the world. We are not only experiencing His immeasurably more, we are sharing it. He has given us the right to be His children and co-heirs. Our salvation in and of itself is exceedingly more than we could think up. Now, He has sealed us with His very own Spirit, commissioned us to share His gospel, and actively working through us for His glorious plans to be revealed.

To Him Be the Glory 
I love how Ephesians 3:20-21 ends on giving God the full glory in the church, in Christ Jesus, throughout all generations forever. This is a reminder to us that no matter what God allows us to be a part of in His kingdom work, that is never about our own names, it is about fully glorifying the only worthy one, Jesus. We might get to experience some immeasurably more moments in our lifetimes. However, may we always remember that the Giver of the gifts is greater than the gifts themselves. The Savior of the world is better than the messenger. The glory goes to God and never to us. 

I am sure in each of our lives there have been times when we have been tempted to take credit for what the Lord has done. If we are not keeping check, pride can easily creep in when we use our talents, or serve, or get recognized for a ministry we are involved in. We must be on our guard and regularly humble ourselves and remember that only the name of Jesus is to be worshiped and lifted up.

Intersecting Faith and Life:
How has God done immeasurable more than you could imagine in your life? How has He invited you into the work that He is doing? Remember that we can be tempted to take the glory for ourselves, but may we always redirect it to Him in all things. 

Further Reading:

• Psalm 77:14
• Philippians 2:13
• Hebrews 13:21