What is Prayer?..Craig Denison Ministries

 What is Prayer?

Craig Denison Ministries

Weekly Overview:

This week we’ll spend time breaking down the individual components of First15 by sharing God's desire for each of them. The majority of First15 is dedicated to encountering God and learning about his character, but every now and then we will cover some teaching and tools that will help in pursuing God to greater depths. This week we will get back to the basics and learn some spiritual disciplines that will help us encounter him in deeper, more transformative ways.

Scripture: “What am I to do? I will pray with my spirit, but I will pray with my mind also; I will sing praise with my spirit, but I will sing with my mind also.”1 Corinthians 14:15

Devotional:

Prayer is one of the most fulfilling aspects of Christian spirituality. It’s time set aside to simply listen to God, to place our lives in his hands, and to pray in response to the desires of his heart. In 1 Thessalonians 5:17 Scripture tells us to “pray without ceasing.” In John 14:13-14 Jesus states, “Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it.” But perhaps the most important Scripture on prayer is when Jesus taught us to pray in Matthew 6:5-15.

Because First15 is meant to stir your affections for God and lead you to a transformational encounter with him, I won't walk you through an exegesis of verses 9-15. There are numerous resources (one of which I will point out in the extended reading) to assist you in coming to a better understanding of the depth and applications of Jesus' model prayer. However, I want to focus your attention on verses 5-8 and lead you to a broader definition of prayer so that your prayer life would be marked by God’s nearness. Let's walk through that text and then apply it as a model we will use daily in First15. In Matthew 6:5-8, Jesus says:

And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward 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.

First, Jesus teaches us that we are to pray in secret. What an amazing God we have that he desires to meet with us in secret! All of us have a longing to know our Creator in a way that no one else is allowed into. We each need a secret place with our Maker. It’s vital to our relationship with God that we set aside time to listen to him and talk with him one on one. It’s in this secret place that our relationship with him will go deeper and our lives will be radically transformed.

Next Jesus teaches not to “heap up empty phrases” just to be heard for our “many words.” Jesus makes it clear that prayer is more about relationship with the Father than the words we say. Prayer is more about the heart than the lips. It’s about opening our hearts to God and letting him show us his plan for transformation in both our lives and in the world around us. Mother Theresa said, “Prayer is not asking. Prayer is putting oneself in the hands of God, at His disposition, and listening to His voice in the depth of our hearts.” C. S. Lewis wrote, “I don't pray to change God. I pray because I have to. I pray because I can't help myself. It doesn't change God. It changes me.”

Do you need God today? Do you need his presence in your life? Do you need to be changed through an encounter with your heavenly Father? Take time in guided prayer to “place [yourself] in the hands of God” and allow him to change you by his goodness and love.                                  

Guided Prayer:

1. Take a moment to place yourself “in the hands of God.” Open your heart to God and surrender your life to him that all of you would be completely his.

“‘Arise, and go down to the potter's house, and there I will let you hear my words.’ So I went down to the potter's house, and there he was working at his wheel. And the vessel he was making of clay was spoiled in the potter's hand, and he reworked it into another vessel, as it seemed good to the potter to do. Then the word of the Lord came to me: ‘O house of Israel, can I not do with you as this potter has done? declares the Lord. Behold, like the clay in the potter's hand, so are you in my hand, O house of Israel.’” >Jeremiah 18:2-6

2. Take some time to listen to God.Ask him to lay something on your heart that he wants to accomplish in prayer today. It could be prayer for yourself, for someone you know, or for the nation in which you live. Sometimes God speaks with words, sometimes an inclination or a thought. Pay attention to anything the Spirit lays on your heart and trust his leading.

“My son, if you receive my words and treasure up my commandments with you, making your ear attentive to wisdom and inclining your heart to understanding; yes, if you call out for insight and raise your voice for understanding, if you seek it like silver and search for it as for hidden treasures, then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God.” >Proverbs 2:1-5

“Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.” Revelation 3:20

3. Pray for whatever the Spirit puts on your heart.Ask God how to pray for it. Ask God for his will. Through prayer we align ourselves with the heart of God and agree with what he wants to do in us and in the world around us.

Oftentimes we make prayer far more complex than the Lord ever intended. The weight of change does not rest on our shoulders. God alone heals and transforms. Just as salvation is about receiving the gift Jesus already paid for, prayer is about saying yes to what God already wants to do. We never have to beg him for mercy or compassion. He is a Father filled with grace to a level we will never comprehend. But it’s in prayer that we discover the grace God has and open ourselves up to be transformed by it. And through prayer we agree with God’s heart for others, that we might co-labor with him in what he longs to see happen in the world around us. May your prayer life be filled with the fullness of God and his powerful love.

When God Begins to Change Your Desires..Emily Rose Massey

 When God Begins to Change Your Desires  

By Emily Rose Massey

"Delight yourself also in the Lord, and He shall give you the desires of your heart” (Psalm 37:4, NKJV).

When I am pulled into the temptation of complaining about my circumstances, I must ask myself some questions to gain perspective and do a serious heart assessment: if I am always seeking an escape from the discomfort or trial, am I truly satisfied in Christ alone? Am I looking to material things, people, or enjoyable experiences to find peace or joy? Am I truly content with what God has already provided for me in Christ? We know as believers, we can always find answers and direction in the Scriptures.

Psalm 37:4 tells us to: "Delight yourself also in the Lord, and He shall give you the desires of your heart” (Psalm 37:4, NKJV). The Hebrew word translated “delight” literally means to be delicate or feminine. It carries the idea of being pliable or sensitive.  In this specific context in Psalm 37, it means to be dependent upon God and to derive one’s pleasure from Him.

When we read this verse, we usually picture the word delight to mean to enjoy God, which in a way, it does. But as I went deeper researching the Hebrew meaning of the word, I realized the verse seems to be a command to us. God is commanding us to find our pleasure and contentment in Him alone.

Here, also in this verse, the Lord is telling us that He will give us the desires of our hearts once we fully depend on Him and His ways. When we have a full understanding of who God is and what His ways are like, we can take genuine pleasure in Him. Not because of what He can do for us but just because of who He is.

What begins to happen the more we take delight in the Lord, He begins to change our hearts and change our desires to reflect His desires. Instead of thinking more about ourselves and what we want, we begin to think more highly of others and become less self-focused and selfish. Suddenly, one of our greatest desires then becomes to please God and tell others about Him, using our life to give God all the glory He deserves. 

Intersecting Faith and Life:
Jesus is the One who gives us the strength and ability to remain content no matter what we are experiencing. True contentment is knowing that Jesus alone can satisfy our souls. When we search for fulfillment in things, people, or even our circumstances, we will always come up short. All of these things we try to fill our lives with aren’t necessarily bad things, but when they become the end goals and the reason for our being, they become idols in our life. We end up being discontented because those things were never meant to fulfill us. Jesus is the only One who can bring true contentment into our life. May we learn to delight in Him, and over time, we will begin to see how He changes our desires to look more like Him. Take some time to reflect and journal and express your gratitude to the Lord. If you are feeling discontented, ask the Lord to help you find satisfaction and peace in Him alone.

Further Reading:

• Philippians 4:13
• 1 Timothy 6:6-11

A Prayer for When Change Seems Impossible..Ashley Moore

 A Prayer for When Change Seems Impossible

By Ashley Moore

“By his divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life. We have received all of this by coming to know him, the one who called us to himself by means of his marvelous glory and excellence.” - 2 Peter 1:3, NLT

Something about transitioning to a new year drives people to reflect on the past and ponder ways to improve the future. We see it in businesses as they examine their last quarter and make new goals for the next four quarters. Family’s examine their rhythms and commitments and make decisions about what they want to keep or change moving forward. And people personally inspect their health and fitness levels and make plans for personal growth for the upcoming year. 

What typically happens next, though, can be rather disappointing. We start strong with the momentum of transition and ride the high of new habits and routines. But it doesn’t take long before employees get swamped maintaining rather than advancing the business, the family calendar gets overtaken by the kid’s sports and church commitments, and our sneakers and dumbbells begin to collect dust. 

Lasting change can feel impossible sometimes, can’t it? It only adds to our discouragement when we fail to meet our goals, keep our promises, or honor our commitments. 

Change can begin to seem futile. This is a dangerous mindset for the believer. When we doubt that change is possible, we can grow cynical. Our cynicism can breed hopelessness about our situations and whether others will ever be capable of making the greatest change–turning from their sin and following Jesus.

We fall prey to a lie that true and lasting change depends only on our ability, convincing ourselves we aren’t capable. Have you ever been there?

This is why I have so much love for Peter’s words from our key verse. Peter lived the reality of this human experience, this tension of desiring change and wanting to live a fruitful life but not quite hitting the mark. To put it the way Jesus said in another reminder to our friend Peter, our spirits are willing, but our flesh is oh so weak (Matthew 26:41). 

Peter was this headstrong disciple who was utterly convinced he was going to prevent Christ from being crucified (Matthew 16:22). Jesus, coincidentally, called him Satan and rebuked him for this (Matthew 16:23). He was also the disciple who claimed to Jesus that if everyone else abandoned him, he would be willing to go to prison and die for him (John 22:33-34). Still not quite understanding Jesus’ plan for salvation in an ill-fitting attempt to protect Jesus, Peter sliced off the ear of one of the High Priest’s servants (John 18:10). Finally, as Christ was taken to be crucified, just as he said he would never do, Peter denied knowing Jesus three times (Luke 22:57-60).

But, we see from his writings in 2 Peter that people can change. Peter finally acknowledged and accepted that the power to change and live anything that remotely resembles a Christ-like life comes from God’s divine power, not our own. 

And we need that reminder as we seek to make changes in the new year, too. Our strength, grit, and sheer will won’t be enough to make lasting changes. God has given us everything we need to live a changed life, a life that is pleasing to Him. And we received this by coming to know Him. By the power of the Holy Spirit, change, true change that brings glory to God, is possible. 

Let’s pray:

Dear Lord,
Thank you for giving your people a desire to make positive changes. We know every good thing about us is a gift from you. I pray that as we look to make changes in the new year, we would do so from a heart motivation of bringing glory to you. Lord, forgive us when that is not our motivation. But Lord, we also pray that as we seek to change, we would remember and depend on your spirit for power and not the power of our fleshly, faulty self-will. Lord, thank you that you’ve equipped us with everything we need to live a godly life this year and forever! In Jesus’ name, amen.

The Power of Jesus' Last Words..Debbie McDaniel

 The Power of Jesus' Last Words

By Debbie McDaniel

“When he had received the drink, Jesus said, “It is finished.” With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.” – John 19:30

Last words have power. And often, deep meaning and significance.

And if, like me, any of you have ever been at the side of a precious friend or family member who was whispering final words in their last moments here on earth, you know the incredible heart connection they hold for you, personally. We often find ourselves clinging to those words as we think about a loved one who has passed away. We treasure what they said and we remember…

There’s no doubt that Jesus knew what His last words needed to be here in this life. He knew the power those final words would have for generations still to come. And He had great purpose in them, which still breathe such life and meaning for our lives today.

Jesus became the final and ultimate sacrifice for our sin. The word in this verse, “finished,” is actually from the Greek word, “tetelestai,” which is the same word that means “paid in full.” Often, it was used in an accounting term, which indicates a debt was paid. The uniqueness about the way it was written is that the tense of the word indicates both a point in time it was complete and that it would also continue to be complete or finished. And this is the essence of what Christ came to do. He came to “finish” God’s work of salvation in us. He came to “pay it in full,” the entire penalty, or debt, for our sins. He’s at work in our world still today in powerful ways.

People sin every day. They did, then and we do, now. And that sin costs us greatly. It separates us from God, it sets up a barrier, it leads to further drifting away from what we know to be right, and often leads us to great despair. But the hope that we have now because of Christ’s death on the cross and His ultimate sacrifice on our behalf is this: He completed the work. He paid the sacrifice in full on our behalf. No other payment is needed. He just asks that we accept His gift of forgiveness and life.

Jesus came to save. He came to rescue us, a people without true hope, to give us a lasting life and freedom that we can only find through Him.