Prayer for Valentine's (14-part study)

[solitarysoul]

Prayer for Valentine's - Part 1

February 1st, 2007
I know I do not speak for just myself when I say that prayer most of the time seems dull and uninteresting. There obviously must be something we are not doing correctly though because prayer should be one of the most enjoyable parts of our spiritual life.

If you stop and look at how most people pray, you may realize that it most often seems to be focused on us. We tell God how great He is and acknowledge how loving and powerful He is, but this is said so often, that it makes it so easy for this to just become a monotonous ritual or tradition, rather than truly meaning it in our hearts. It's like maybe we unconsciously think that if we tell God that He is wonderful and loving, that we have made Him happy for the day and He will feel like giving us more blessings.

Have you ever stopped to realize that for the majority of people, when we pray, the focus of our prayer is on our own needs or desires? We ask God to cure this disease, or help us on a test, or help us to get to work safely, or to help us get this job, help us not lose a friend, etc. And the happier we are, the less we seem to pray to God. If we're having a great day, we tend to focus more on what's good in our life, and how much we are enjoying this time now. If we're having a bad day, we tend to spend much more time asking God to help us feel better, and then we give a short thanks if we do start feeling better.

But if you look at the Bible in this same light you'll notice that prayer was not always like this, and for many Bible characters it was just as intense on a good day as it was in a time of crisis. Prayer was not meant for the single purpose of giving God our requests. With this method we are almost acting as though we think God is a machine who may or may not grant our wishes depending on how happy we make Him. Prayer is meant to be a conversation with God. Of course we should always go to God in times of trouble, He should always be who we turn to. But our prayer life should not consist of simply asking God to help us out.

What if I called you on the phone and told you I wanted you to pick me up for class tomorrow, and while you were at it, stop by hardees and buy me a biscuit for breakfast, and then after you drop me off at class, please go pick up my prescription for me and take it home to my house, but be sure to take my dog for a quick walk before you head home. Some people may be happy to do this of course, but on a daily basis, it would get old. God doesn't simply want our requests, He wants to have a relationship with us. Asking God to give us something or help us out in a situation should only be a fraction of our prayer life.

The word Christian literally means, "to be like Christ". We aren't Christians because our parents were, because we go to church, or even because we believe God exists. Even Satan knows God exists, he had conversations with Him. The definition of a Christian is literally a person who chooses to devote their life to Christ. That means our focus should not be on this temporary world and our circumstances, but on God and the bigger picture.

God wants us to get to know Him on a personal level, for who He really is, not for who we want Him to be in our minds. God wants to be our best friend. With the world the way it is today I can't help but wonder sometimes if most Christians do actually worship God. I'm concerned the focus of their worship is more on whether or not God is going to listen to them and cooperate with what it is they would like to be done in their lives.

Prayer should not be about us trying to influence God into giving us what it is we want. Rather it should be about God speaking to us most of the time, and us honestly listening. I've had nights when I've been so upset that I would just lay in bed in tears, asking God to just change the situation, make it all good again. But most of the time He never did. Does that mean He doesn't love me or didn't hear me? Absolutly not. What I wasn't realizing was that I just wasn't listening to what He was telling me. The truth is that He wept as well because I was weeping, but He was waiting on me to let go of myself and my earthly desires, and just give myself to Him and put my trust in Him. You have to take a big leap of faith and just trust God to catch and carry you the rest of the way. That's when true joy overpowers you and when you can experience miracles.

Prayer can be a very enjoyable part of your life if you learn how to have a two way conversation with God. The best way to pray in my opinion is not just about asking God to give you happiness and what you desire, but to make the focus of your prayer life on simply relating to God, being honest with Him about your feelings, and wanting to know Him on a more intimate level. Take your focus off of this world and temporary earthly desires, and spend your prayer time relating with God, getting to know Him, and enjoying His presence. That's what a real relationship is all about.




Copyright © 2007 Scott Morgan | www.the-daily-blessing.com

[solitarysoul]

Prayer for Valentine's - Part 2

February 2nd, 2007
I am not saying that we should not pray to God with our troubles and to not ask for His deliverence, because we most certainly should, but what I am saying is that that is but one type of prayer that belongs in its own place. The point is that our whole prayer life should not revolve completely around this type of prayer. If it does, you may find, if you havn't already, that it can get old and boring, resulting in less energy and desire to talk to God, which ultimately results in other things starting to consume our minds, therefore pushing God out of the focus of our lives. At the current rate, by 2020 only 4% of American adults will be true Bible believing Christians. Most kids grow up falling away from the faith, even if they claim they havn't, because they are more focused on church attendance and man-made traditions and rituals than actually getting to know God on a personal level.

God wants us to give our problems to Him. He wants us to call out to Him in our times of trouble, to look to Him for our support and comfort. I am by no means saying that we should not be asking God to help us get this job, or help us overcome this disease, or to not let our friends betray us, etc. What I mean is simply that prayer should not be limited to this, we should pray more, but add to it. It is ok to pray for these things, but they should not be the focus or the reason we pray.

The first thing I believe we should start to do is relate to God in prayer. This is what it means to have a relationship anyway. Whether we are having a great or absolutly horrible day, it is important to first address God in prayer by relating to Him, so that we remain in Him. In John 15:4-7 Jesus says that we must abide in Him as the branch sticks close to the vine. In other words, when we come to God in prayer, especially when we are asking God for help, we must be careful to not get too consumed in our circumstances, and to focus on the big picture, remaining in Him.

The focus of our prayer should not be on ourselves, but on the relationship between us and God.

When our prayer is centered on us, we'll typically start by asking God to help us in a troubling situation, and then thank Him if our desires are met. For example, say you have a big job interview coming up. You really need this job and you are really stressing out about preparing for the interview. Naturally what is going to be on your mind most is getting ready for the interview. You're going to get up in the morning, and while you shower, get dressed, eat, and drive to the interview location, all that is going to be on your mind are your worries and concerns about the interview. This is the most common time when we'll start asking God, "Please help me" ... Please give me the strength and comfort I need to relax and make this interview go smoothly, and please help me get the job.

While that may be a good prayer, I do not believe it is the best way to go about praying, because when we pray this way, we are still focused on ourselves and getting that job, rather than the relationship between God and us. For a quick example for why this may be important, what if for some reason that you are unaware of, getting this job may hurt your relationship with God? You would be wearing yourself out with unnessary stress. And the saddest part about it is that if this cycle continues, we may begin to lose interest in asking God to help us and protect us, because we feel that it will make no difference if we still may not get what we want. But this only hurts our relationship with God.

A better way to go about praying in my opinion is to start by focusing on that relationship. God made us in His image, and our point in living on this earth is to become like Christ and to grow closer to God. This cannot be done though if our focus is on our worldly desires and our circumstances. The focus must be on our relationship with God and becoming more like Him. Just like a father and child, the purpose of you having a relationship with your father is not to get things from him, but to love and relate to one another. Of course asking him for things is not wrong and you should go to him with your problems and troubles, but hopefully the center of your relationship with your father isn't to just get things you want.

If we focus on getting things we want, we become more confused and upset when it seems that our prayers are not answered, and we also will find it more boring to talk to God. To tell you the truth, the scariest thing for me in my walk with God, was when I honestly realized one day that I just did not have the energy to pray anymore. I saw no point in it. I felt like the only purpose in praying was to let God know I'm here and suffering. But most of my prayers seemed to go unanswered, and as far as I could tell, there was no difference in the outcome of my situations whether I prayed or not, so I thought, why bother?

But God later showed me what my problem was. I was not relating to Him. God knows you are there, and if you are suffering, He knows that. What He wants you to do is humble yourself before Him, become like a child, be honest about your feelings, and just love Him for who He is. He wants you to put your relationship with Him first. If our relationship with God does not come first, then do we honestly value Him above our worldy desires?




Copyright © 2007 Scott Morgan | www.the-daily-blessing.com

[solitarysoul]

Prayer for Valentine's - Part 3

February 3rd, 2007
If you're like me, you've asked God for many things you did not recieve, or guidance you did not get.

There is no prayer that goes unheard by God. Sometimes the answer is simply no, and sometimes we just don't recognize the answer because it isn't what we expect. That is another reason why we must focus on relating to God rather than praying to Him just to get our own desires. One thing many people seem to misunderstand today, which is why it is important that Bible reading is a daily part of our lives, is that God doesn't simply grant us whatever it is we ask for if we want it bad enough, or if we have been 'good'. He isn't Santa. God's will is always what is best for us. Even if that means we must go through a tragic situation in order for us to learn something, God will allow it to happen. It hurts Him, but as long as we trust Him and keep our focus on Him, it refines us to be a better person. Hearing answers to your prayers is not about whether or not you got what you wanted, but about whether or not you are in tune with God's will.

If you truly put your relationship with God at the focus of prayer, I am confident that over time you will hear your answers from God. That doesn't mean the answers will be what you hoped for, but you will hear them.

Every single time that I use to pray in confusing or struggling situations and I found no answer to my prayers, I later realized that no matter how brief or detailed my prayers were, every single one of them could be easily summed up as asking God for direction. It's important to ask God for direction of course, but sometimes we jump to conclusions. You need something to actually develop a real personal relationship with God. You need to actually drive your prayers, and show real concern and devotion toward your actual relationship with God. Your carraige isn't going anywhere if you don't have the horse to pull it. After all, what good is knowing which direction to go if you don't have the driving force to get there? You first must get close to God.

There's an advantage that shy people generally have over the rest of the world, and that is that most shy people realize that you really do not need to speak to be a communicator. Unfortunatly, society seems to think otherwise, so people usually only tune into that form of communication. But even research shows that verbal communication only makes up 20% of all communication. This is where you can have a different type of conversation than you have with any other person, and this is where you can grow closer to God than you can with anyone else.

Here is a basic technique I practice just about every time I pray. Simply just talk to God about how you are feeling at that very moment. Whatever may be on your mind, both concerning the situation you are praying about, and the actual circumstances you are in when you are praying. If you do this on a daily basis, you will be amazed at how it can transform your prayer life and your personal relationship with God.

I know it sounds normal and very simple but the key is to be honest about how you are feeling, and actually put those feelings into words in your head directed toward God. If we step back and really take a look at how much we hold back from God and others, you will be amazed to discover just how much of our lives are controled by lie, fear, and fitting in with society. I garauntee you that those who will disagree with me on that statement, happen to be the ones who are the most controlled by lie and fear, because they cannot let go of their pride and admit error. God wants to be your best friend. He already knows what's on your mind, but He wants you to admit it. Do not hold anything back. The important thing at that moment is to tell Him how you are feeling. If you feel upset and confused about something, tell Him. If you feel hopeful and optomistic, tell Him. If you feel like God isn't even there, tell Him you feel as if He isn't even there. Naturally we only say what we think we are suppose to say. Now sometimes that may be what you have to do when talking to another person to keep them from getting angry with you, but God is not another person.

God wants you to be honest with Him. If you're having a really down week, nothing seems to be going right for you, you lost your job, your friends are fighting with you, you burned dinner, your dog ruined the rug, whatever, and you just feel like God isn't even there, He doesn't want you to lie and say what you think you should say, He wants you to be honest. Now of course we should always praise God, especially in our times of trouble, but again just like asking for things, praise is but one type of prayer.

The point is growing in your relationship with God. Your relationship with the real loving God is not going to go much of anywhere if you just tell Him what you think you're suppose to tell Him. If you talk to God almost as though you were talking to an imaginary friend, except, He isn't imaginary, you really will grow much closer to Him. Take a look at yourself on the inside. Be honest with God about who you truly are. Tell God the things about yourself that you would never dare tell another person. He already knows everything anyway, but the point is He is waiting for you to realize it yourself and be honest to Him about things. God knows everything, He isn't going to strike you with a lightning bolt if you tell Him you are having doubts or having trouble forgiving someone for something they did to you. Now of course that is no excuse to get away with sin, we should fear God, but not to the point of where we feel as though we cannot be honest with Him. If you can't be honest with God, then you aren't going to hear His answers to your prayers very often, because He knows you aren't being truthful.

Sometimes you won't even realize you aren't being truthful, and that's the point in this, to step back and look at ourselves. If you do this, your focus will turn from yourself, to God. You really just have to let go of your pride. No one's hearing you but God anyway. When you do this, you'll realize just how small and helpless you are, and how powerful God is. Remember what Adam did when he disobeyed God and ate the forbidden fruit? He hid behind a tree because he was scared and felt too guilty to come to God in honesty. Have you ever noticed though, the next thing that happens is God asks Adam where He is. Don't you think God would know where Adam is sense He's all-knowing? Of course God knows. But the reason God asked was so that Adam would know that God is saying, "Hey, I know you are there, but until you come out and admit yourself what you have done, our relationship can't go anywhere", so God asked Adam where he was, so that he would answer.

That is what we need to do. God loves us, He doesn't hate us. He isn't going to ruin our day if we are honest about how we are feeling. What if someone wrongs you and you feel so angry toward them that you just cannot get over it? To most people you're going to put on a show and say you've forgiven them, and you may even do that in prayer. We unconsciously try to trick God into thinking we've forgiven that person, because we say so. But are those thoughts still churning in the back of your mind? Do you still secretly wish something bad would happen to that person? God doesn't want to see you cover that up like Adam did behind the tree, He wants to see you come forth about it and be honest. Of course you need to forgive that person, but covering it up doesn't fix the situation. God already knows the truth, He is waiting for you to admit it yourself.

So come to God exactly as you are. Don't try so hard to be such a great and holy person, but admit that you are not. Admit that you are far from it. It is hard to do and it isn't pretty, but it is honest and because Jesus died for us, God can forgive us for it. But until we come out from hiding, we won't hear a thing. So when you pray, try starting by just telling God exactly how you feel. If you feel great, tell Him. If you feel confused about something, tell Him. If you are having trouble forgiving someone, tell Him. If you've done something you know you shouldn't have, tell Him. If you've deceived everyone else into thinking that you didn't do something you shouldn't have, tell Him. Just tell Him everything, be completely honest, and then all you have to do is trust Him. If you are completely open about how you are feeling, you have humbled yourself before God, and He is all ears and anxious to hear you continue.




Copyright © 2007 Scott Morgan | www.the-daily-blessing.com

[solitarysoul]

Prayer for Valentine's - Part 4

February 4th, 2007
Continue to be honest with God about how you are feeling, and who you are. Make it into a daily task. Read the Bible for an hour a day but before you start, start a conversation with God by letting Him know exactly how you feel. Tell Him what's on your mind, what your concerns are, how you're feeling, humble yourself and be totally honest.

I believe the most distinct difference between men and women is what is hidden deep inside us. We like to put on shows to form an image of who we think we should be.

Men like to feel like they can make an impact in the world or someone's life. No matter how often a man may deny it, I don't believe that there is anything that a man naturally fears more than being worthless or unuseful, having no value to anyone. Some may not even consciously realize that they feel this way. It took me 8 years of being painfully shy and observing my inner self and the world around me before I realized it.

Somewhat contrasting to that, what I believe women fear most, again whether they realize it or not, is if they will be appreciated for who they are. I highly doubt a woman would want to just be useful or seen as an object that can satisfy someone else's desires, especially if it is sexual. I believe women like to know that they are beautiful. They want to be appreciated for who they are, for their inner beauty to be admired and to feel safe in a deep connection with someone.

What I am trying to get at is that I believe that at least on some level, every person kind of lives on the surface, driven by their fears and pretending to be who they think they should be, in hopes that what they desire will be found in another person. For example, look at men and how they tend to think that the more macho and less emotional you are, the more manly you are. A lot of men don't like to look at their emotional self for what it really is because they fear it will appear as a sign of weakness and that no one would want to respect or value them. No man likes to admit it, but if he is honest with himself, deep down inside every man feels like a little boy. But they like to cover that up and pretend it is not true.

I'm no woman obviously, but in all my time spent observing I do believe that each woman deep down feels like they just want to be held and comforted, loved for who they are and know that they are beautiful. I wouldn't dare say that women feel like little girls, because girls are equal to guys and I know they like to show that when they may get the feeling that someone may think otherwise. But sometimes I get the sense that women try to cover up any weaknesses when they get the impression that someone may see them as a vulnerable person, letting you know that they can be independant and take care of themselves, as if to imply that they feel that someone seeing a weakness in them may suggest otherwise.

The reason I say this is that an important part of relating with God and humbling ourselves before Him is coming to Him honestly and admitting these feelings to Him. Sense we are not all-knowing, we would never be able to be totally honest with each other, because we have no idea how the other person may react to what we tell them. But the point in this is that God is the one who we can go to without that worry. God knows everything about us, even the things we like to hide and pretend aren't true. We do not need to hide these feelings from God. In fact it is much better if we do not. God understands why we feel this way, but don't forget when Adam hid behind the tree after he ate the forbidden fruit. Don't hide from God, come forward to Him and humble yourself. He is your father afterall, far more powerful than anything else in existance, and as much as we may hate to admit it, we are so weak and powerless. The reason we have these fears with other people is because we do not want to be abandoned by others. But there is nothing that would have God abandon us.

Continue to be honest with God on a daily basis. Make it a habit to at least just take a few minutes a day to relax and talk with God. Tell Him everything you are feeling and all of your concerns. Do not hessitate to say anything. No matter what is on your mind, even if it is very perverted, violent, or lustful thoughts, tell God that you are having them. If you honestly do not want to be having them, tell God that, but again don't say just what you think you should say. If you have no real desire to stop having sinful thoughts, tell God that, but ask Him to help your desires change.

Sometimes we get so caught up in trying to be who we think we should be, that we may not even realize we are doing it. That is why it is important to make it a daily habit to look deep inside yourself and be honest with God about everything.

So if you are totally honest with God about how you are feeling, prayer will become a two-way conversation, and God will empower you and move you to do the right thing, or to better understand His will in a situation. When you make this a habit you very well may become more aware of God's infinite love and forgiveness for you than you ever have been before.




Copyright © 2007 Scott Morgan | www.the-daily-blessing.com

[solitarysoul]

Prayer for Valentine's - Part 5

February 5th, 2007
One common problem that tends to cause us to focus our prayers on something other than our relationship with God are false views of God that may come to our mind when praying.

For me personally I don't really have a particular image that comes to mind when I pray, but a lot of people do. It may not neccissarily be a visual image, but more of a description of who He appears to be to you personally. I'm not saying those people's thoughts are wrong, but the truth is many people, myself included at times, picture God in ways that are not biblical, and this is important to understand if you want to have a real two-way conversation with Him. If you expect to hear from God, you've got to be sure you're praying to the real God of the Bible, and not our own personal god conjured up in our minds.

Some people think of God as a good friend who is just there to listen to their problems, give some advice and have a good time with them. No rules or anything, He just wants to have fun with them.

Some think of God as more of an entity that grants requests rather than an actual being with a personality. A force like gravity, or maybe even a genie who grants wishes, as if God is more of a power outside our world who only interferes when we ask Him to and how we ask Him to, and if He does what we ask, He is good and has cooperated.

Some think of God as more of a grandparent who watches over us and protects us, but is very playful and lenient with us. Like grandparents who give candy before dinner or ice cream whether or not you ate your vegetables as a child. They think that God will grant their wishes and personal desires if they whine enough or have a big enough pity-party to make God feel bad for them. They also tend to unconsciously think that God is a man like us, a lenient imperfect human who will not condemn us for doing wrong as long as we go to church and say we love Him. This is a very dangerous misconception because this is what Jesus was talking about when He preached the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5-7. Lukewarm, or "Sunday Christians", who claim to know and love God but do not. This is very dangerous because Jesus Himself said that even though those people believe God exists, they will not get to Heaven.

One of the most dangerous misconceptions in my opinion is when some think of God as more of a personal conscience who always agrees with what they do. Instead of reading His Word and shaping their life around it, they shape their opinions and views of His Word to fit their own worldly views and opinions. For example, maybe a newly saved person who grew up learning about evolution suddenly reads Genesis and can't see how it is possible to be literal, so instead of researching it honestly or believing it anyway, they may choose to shape that around their worldy belief, and say that Genesis is just a metaphor. I'm not picking a side and saying Genesis is literal and not metaphorical, I'm saying that some people take the Bible and choose what they want to believe based on what they have already learned in the world. They may only believe in parts because of worldly discoveries or views that seem to contradict things.

Some may think that God is always on their side as long as they keep holding that title of being a Christian, as if they feel that they are saved by their own will. "I will be in Heaven someday because I believe it", or "This person hurt me so I will hurt them in return, I don't need to call them a brother/sister and forgive them because they wronged me, and God is on my side."

Some think of God as more of a hater of the most obvious sins and world problems. As if God is sitting in Heaven as a spectator of the world, seeing what we do. Choosing sides on our own situations, as if He is just another individual but with more authority. Some use Bible verses or God's name as kind of a smoke screen to make themselves and others believe that they are doing God's will, yet they are really just living their lives as they please. Some people may even subconsciously think they fool God into thinking that we are saved this way. For an example of this idea, say someone murdered a family member of yours. A person with this idea of God would think that it is ok, or even right, to live the rest of their life in hatred toward that murderer, holding a grudge toward him instead of forgiving him, because God hates murder. It would be very difficult to forgive that person of course, but it is the right thing to do. The fact that God hates murder, does not make it right for you to do the judging and hate the murderer.

I admit there was one point in my life when I was sure I was going to Heaven someday, simply because I said so and I wanted to. I believed God existed, I believed Heaven existed, I was a good person by the world's standards, so I thought, what's the problem? It was almost as if I thought I could will myself into Heaven. Many people are like this today. In fact, I am not one to judge, but I am concerned that most Christians are like this today. The truth is, you do not get to Heaven on your own will. That is our pride speaking, and Satan getting in the way. That is exactly what he wants you to think, because deception is his greatest trick. If you think you are going to Heaven someday simply because you believe in God, you go to church, or you call yourself a Christian, you may be in for a very rude awakening.

These are just a few examples, some of the more obvious ones that probably just about every believer is or has at some time been guilty of, including myself of course.

So, how do you think of God when you pray? After being honest with Him about how you are feeling, try thinking about who it is you actually think you are talking to. God obviously, but who is God to you? Recognize it, and be honest with Him about that as well. Then try to fix any false views you may have about God to fit His true character. If you do this you will be able to better communicate with the real God because you will better understand who you are talking to, and can therefore better understand His will in situations if you know His character. God presents Himself in the Bible in many different ways, and He is our Creator and far beyond anything we can ever see or comprehend, so we can't know too much about Him exactly, but there is a lot that He has given to us in His Word so that we can understand who He is.




Copyright © 2007 Scott Morgan | www.the-daily-blessing.com

[solitarysoul]

Prayer for Valentine's - Part 6

February 6th, 2007
Some people unfortunately seem to think that God is a totally personal being. They think He is simply who we think of Him as in our own minds, and that we can't have any clear idea of who He is or what He is like. This is completely false. We tend to picture God in our minds as whatever we are most comfortable with, but God doesn't simply answer to us when we say the word "God" or when we make our claims of faith. In order to get into real conversation with God, we have to consciously address who He really is.

Hebrews 1:3 says, " (Speaking of Jesus) He is the reflection of God's glory and the exact imprint of God's very being , and he sustains all things by his powerful word. "

So how can we know who God is? All we have to do is look at who Jesus is. I've heard a lot of people say before that you can be saved without having read the Bible, and while this is certainly true, don't jump to conclusions and say that you can truly love God without reading the Bible. In order to truly love someone, you have to know who they actually are, right? If you love someone for who you think or wish they are, rather than who they truly are on the inside, it is not them you love, but the idea of such a person in your mind. It is the same with God. While you can of course be saved without having read the Bible, in order to truly know and love God for who He is, you have to really get into His Word and learn it. It is mostly through His Word that we get to know who God truly is. Prayer is a big part of that as well, but you first have to know the one you are speaking to in order to develop that relationship in prayer.

Every one of us are actors in a way. We tend to hide the bad and put a spotlight on the good. If we have a belief, feeling, or thought that is obviously unattractive or looked down upon by others, we naturally hide it. We pretend. We are too afraid of the social and emotional consequences in our lives if we are totally honest about who we are and what we think.

We long to have that true love in our lives that will accept us for exactly who we are. There is nothing that can humble and change the human heart more than to still be desired and wanted even when we look our absolute worst. In other words, if we are totally honest about how we are feeling and who we are, nothing melts us greater than a love that can not only still accept us and forgive us, but can actually desire and continue to enjoy us more and more, regardless of the situation and circumstances. That is God's love, and that is why it is ok to be totally honest with Him. He wants us to be honest with Him.

We have to know God for who He really is though, this character of His, to understand that we really can talk to Him like this. He wants to be that love that we long for.

The best way to get to know Him is to read and meditate on His Word, following with prayer. I must admit that sometimes I really wonder how many people do this, or if again we just pretend, to cover up the bad. The reason I wonder is because as we read and meditate on God's Word, which by the way means to think about what you've read through your day and apply it to your life, we reflect Christ. And it is a lifelong journey. Yet I hear people every day make these claims, but their character does not always back it up. I am not judgemental, but as we grow closer to the real God of the Bible, we begin to know His Spirit, and when someone claims to have it in them but truthfully they do not, it shows through their character, and it is hard to just ignore.

We like to hide the bad and put on shows for each other because humans are driven by their fears of not being accepted by others. Let God be the love He wants to be for you, and be open with Him on a level that you may not even ever dare with other people. When you do this you will actually feel empowered to be more like this around others, because you will truly feel the Spirit move within you and you will become more like Christ.

Recognize who God really is in your minds, and compare those thoughts to His Word. To your suprise some may even realize that they could very well not yet truly be experiencing the Holy Spirit within them, but may be putting on a show for others so that they think otherwise. We must be honest with ourselves and with God about it, because it does show through our character.

So when praying, again try starting by being totally honest with God about how you are feeling at that moment, and what is on your mind. Then once you have done that you have humbled yourself before Him so that it becomes a two-way conversation rather than a one-way letter with a request on it. Next think about how you are imagining God in your mind, or at least be conscious of who it is you are actually talking to. Be honest with God about this too and let Him know how you are seeing Him. Then compare these thoughts to Jesus' character, as the Bible illustrates.

If you would like a more visual image of God in your mind, the book of Revelations is a very descriptive book about images of Jesus and the time of His return. Revelations 1 has a great visual description.




Copyright © 2007 Scott Morgan | www.the-daily-blessing.com

[solitarysoul]

Prayer for Valentine's - Part 7

February 7th, 2007
The first chapter of Revelation has a great visual description of God in verses 10 through 18. It is the experience that John recorded during the last days of his life when he was exiled to the island of Patmos after refusing to honor the Roman Emporer as God. If you'd like to think of a visual image of God when you pray, try imaging this description.

" I was in the Spir'it on the Lord's day, and heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet " (Revelation 1:10). John obviously realized that something very big and powerful was coming.

" And I turned to see the voice that spake with me. And being turned, I saw seven golden candlesticks; And in the midst of the seven candlesticks one like unto the Son of man, clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girt about the paps with a golden girdle " (Revelation 1:11-12). In this part of the world during this time, the term "Son of Man" was basically the greatest title you could have, so John clearly means by this that Jesus is the center of life, He is greater than anything in the universe and nothing matters more than Him. In a more easily read version of the Bible, verse 12 states that the golden sash around his robe was at His chest. When someone was finished with their work for the day, they would raise their sash to their chest so that the material of their robe would move more easily. With Jesus's golden sash around His chest, John is telling us that God's work is done, He is alive forever and so are those who accept His gift by faith.

" His head and his hairs were white like wool, as white as snow; and his eyes were as a flame of fire " (Revelation 1:14). The color white symbolizes purity. Jesus is completely pure and eternal, yet we cannot see the face of God and live, so this could further symbolize that when being in the presence of God, there can be nothing greater or more satisfying, because if you are in His presence you have eternal life. This can be possible because of the fact that Jesus died for us. The Bible says that our sins are scarlet red, but if we accept His gift of salvation we can be in His presence, which will turn our sins from scarlet to pure white.

The blazing fire symbolizes that even though we are full of sin, God, who is eternally pure, sees everything and can look at us even through all our wickedness, and still love us more than anything. His eyes burn straight through us and see everything. That is the deepest natural desire of every human heart, to be loved absolutly unconditionally, nothing can stop it. We cover things up and put on a show in front of others because we are afraid of our conditions getting in the way of another person's love for us. But what God is saying is that He wants to completely fulfill that deepest desire in our hearts Himself. Absolutly nothing could stop His love for us.

" And his feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace; and his voice as the sound of many waters " (Revelation 1:15). In the time of Nebuchadnezzar, man-made kingdoms consisted of foundations built with a mix of heavy iron and clay because finer metals such as bronze could not support all the weight on top of them. So instead, the bronze, silver and gold were put on top of the iron, covering up the true inner foundation to simply make it look better. We like to pretend and cover up our flaws in order to look better in front of others.

The finest and purist of brass is when it is being shaped, when it is burned in a furnace, but this is also when it can easily be bent, so man-made kindoms certainly could not have been supported by blazing bronze. We are self-descrutive and self-obsessive, and as a result if we rely only on ourselves and the world, we will ultimately destroy ourselves and everything will end in death. But God's kingdom is different. John said that His feet were like that of fine brass, as if to say that Jesus can carry all our weight, all our flaws, no matter how heavy.

The sound of rushing water can be both deafening and soothing at the same time. If you have ever been near the base of a very large waterfall you'll know what I mean. It can be a very relaxing sound, yet at the same time it can be so loud that you can't hear the person next to you speak. God's voice when speaking to John was completely soothing and peaceful, yet at the same time he can hear nothing but God, all his focus is on Him.

" And he had in his right hand seven stars: and out of his mouth went a sharp two edged sword: and his countenance was as the sun shineth in his strength " (Revelation 1:16). In verse 11 God says that the seven stars in His right hand are the seven angles appointed to look over the seven churches. The fact that Jesus is holding the stars says that even though the angels look over the churches, Jesus is who is in control. No matter what we may face, if we have given our heart to the Lord we are fully secure.

The double edged sword coming out of His mouth says that God wants to get up close and personal with us, to cut away what is still wrong with us. It is very painful, which is why we go through such trials and difficult times in our life, but it makes us whole, it is for our best in the end.

God is light, a light far greater than anything else in the universe. So much more abundant than the sun or any other star, yet it is not a blinding light, rather it obsorbs around us. In the Old Testament when Moses went on Mount Sinai for 40 days with God, he came down with his face glowing as if it was burning itself. In the presence of God, we will feel waves of warmth, forgiveness, and love that we could never imagine possible.

" And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead. And he laid his right hand upon me, saying unto me, Fear not; I am the first and the last: I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death" (Revelation 1:17-18). When John saw Jesus, he fell to the ground. He realized he was not worthy to be in God's presence, and that compared to God he is very weak. He is silenced, speechless, unable to speak until spoken to. But then once again, just like God came to Adam in the garden, He came to John and assured him that it was ok. Once again, when we humble ourselves in recognition of who we honestly are, we see how weak and wicked we can be even when we have the best of intentions. But God assures us that it is ok, that He wants to fill that desire in our hearts for that true eternal love.

After you humble yourself before God, think about how you are thinking of Him. Try to consciously think about this image of Him in Revelation. He is greater, more powerful, and more important than anything in the universe. He is completely pure and eternal. He sees everything and knows all, but wants us to be honest and trust that He will love us even though our sins are great. He can carry all our weight and flaws. His presence and voice is completely soothing, yet so great that nothing else can be heard, nothing can get in the way. He is in control. He is pure light shining in all its brilliance. So when you pray, try to consciously put this view of Him in your mind. If it helps, even memorize Revelation 1:10-18 or at least the symbols and details of the image described, and recite them to God at the beginning of prayer along with your feelings.




Copyright © 2007 Scott Morgan | www.the-daily-blessing.com

[solitarysoul]

Prayer for Valentine's - Part 8

February 8th, 2007
Many people claim to hear the Holy Spirit when they really do not. Some of us may have even claimed such things. When there is something in life that we just want so badly, sometimes we may fool ourselves into thinking that it must be from God. Sometimes we desire so badly to hear God's voice that we will make up situations where we claim to have heard Him, but in reality it may not have been anything more than our own feelings and desires.

This is very dangerous, not only because it fuels stereotypes about Christianity that will cause people to doubt when you do actually have these experiences, but it actually harms our relationship with God very badly. God clearly says in the Bible that it is a serious sin to claim that He has said or done something that He did not actually do. According to the Bible, it is blasphemy to even say, "I know in my heart that this is where God wants me right now", if you do not know that is the truth. You have to be careful that it isn't simply what you want to believe. If we make up situations where we claim to hear from God but actually have not, our own conscience will end up becoming our god, rather than the real living God of the Bible. Is it any wonder then that those people don't hear from God? They aren't addressing Him for who He really is.

In order to hear the Holy Spirit, we must get rid of anything in our lives that is blocking that connection. Our love for Christ must be true love; it has to be chosen. We don't love Him just by saying so or going to church. And that means that we must consciously choose to do whatever is necessary to put Him first, even if that means abandoning other temporary things on earth that are important to us.

The more you are totally honest with God about who you are, what you are doing, and how you feel, and the more you consciously and carefully think about who it actually is you are talking to, the more you will feel the real desire to get to know God on a very personal level. You will begin to find the desire to have a more intimate relationship with God than any person, and you will eventually even discover that such a relationship can be even more real than any earthly relationship. That is an amazing feeling, and it has an incredible impact on our lives. You will begin to realize just how weak and powerless you are compared to God. And perhaps the most shocking realization of all is that you will start to notice just how often you seem to put on a show and resist being honest with God, and truly believing in your heart that He is there.

Every single human being is living in a level of sin that most will never realize. It is so easy to point out another person's flaws, especially when they wrong us. But we are very good at not looking at our own flaws. We don't want to find problems with ourselves, because we fear for our reputation and relationships with others. Not to mention we all know it is difficult to admit being wrong when someone has made us angry. So we tend to glance past our own mistakes, and magnify the mistakes of others. We hurt others without realizing it. We pray unholy prayers asking for God to get back at someone who wrongs us. We think we may be close to someone but truthfully we may not know him or her at all.

Most people probably will not want to agree with me here, because honestly I don't blame anyone for not wanting to realize this. But the truth is, some level of fear controls every one of us. We don't want to be alone, we want others to like us, we want to be respected, and we want to be loved. We fear that others may not care for us, that no one likes us, that no one really knows who we are, that we will be forgotten, etc. And the truth is, though we don't normally realize it, we would do just about anything to be sure that those fears do not become a reality. We put our pride and reputation at the focus of our lives. Some people say they don't care what others think of them, but every one of us does on some level, because that's just who we are. We are sinful beings living in a fallen world that is driven by fear and deceit.

We live as if we are all alone and we need to protect ourselves. We think we must protect our reputation and further our pride, because no human completely trusts God. Some think they have to dress a certain way, talk a certain way, have certain interests and opinions, drive fast, etc., in order to be accepted and liked. Have you ever noticed, the Bible says there is no need to worry, there is nothing to fear but God, and then we go about worrying and fearing things every day? It's because we still protect ourselves from those things; we don't fully trust God.

People in relationships leave for someone else when they find someone that appears to be more pleasing, or when their old partner hurts them. They don't want to realize that they are actually the real problem. They don't forgive, and they don't trust God. In just about any breakup (and especially divorce), the person who leaves someone else in a relationship is the one at fault, unless if it is because they are being abused or their partner cheated on them. Before you disagree with me here, did you know that Jesus said this? It is not my own opinion. The truth is that especially in American society today, when a problem arises, instead of having faith and solving the problem, we tend to just leave it or run away. But people, this is not biblical in any way at all.

People like to find the good qualities about themselves, and then parade them for everyone to see. Some, defiantly not all of course, but some people who become pastors, doctors, nurses, etc., do so simply in order to be seen as a good and helpful person in the eyes of others. There is not a single person, not me, you, or anyone, who is not guilty on some level of living life in this way. We cover up the truth in order to focus on what we can see, to make us feel safer and happier in this life. We abandon true love, trust, honesty, and faith, in order to focus on what we think we know for sure will satisfy ourselves, yet then we still claim to have such love, honesty, and faith, because we think that others believing these things is what makes us good people. In other words our sub-conscious mind may be saying, “Regardless of what the truth is, if everyone else thinks I am a loving, honest, and faithful person to God and others, then that means I am.” In arguments we play the blame game and magnify our good qualities in an attempt to prove ourselves to be right, and the other person wrong, when really all we should do is love them and forgive them as Christ would.

What would happen if everyone were completely honest? Really think about that for a minute. What would the world be like if each one of us admitted all our thoughts and fears? Living in such a fallen world, I'm not sure it would be possible for such a thing to be accomplished, but have you ever just talked to someone where the two of you can just be totally honest about who you are and how you are feeling? What if you and a friend just totally admitted all these fears, saying everything on your minds, and set aside your desires to be cared for and loved? What do you think would happen? In a human relationship, if the other person is respectable enough and honest themselves, the two of you will probably grow incredibly close. And that is because you are really hitting home, your true inner self. The souls of those people are truly interacting with each other, rather than our minds focusing on pride and performance. But most importantly, God wants to be this best friend of ours. He is perfect, and He understands us better than we even understand ourselves. He is not going to abandon us or stop loving us, no matter what.

These fears block our communication with God. We get so use to these fears controlling us that they continue to control us in our prayers. We aren't honest with God, and we may even at times try to make ourselves look good in front of Him too, by not addressing the bad things in any way other than apologizing for the obvious sins and asking for forgiveness. But sometimes we may not even say that with true heart behind it.

We need to learn to trust God for who He really is. He is unlike any human. He is not going to dislike us because of our flaws. He just wants us to cast away our fears when talking to Him and be honest, admit the fact that we do have such flaws, and that there is a lot more wrong with us that we haven't yet discovered. The Bible says to fear God, but this is not the same kind of fear. We need to be honest with God. The fear the Bible speaks of is more of a respect for God's power and wrath, to acknowledge that we are not worthy of anything, and He is worthy of total praise and worship. When we fear God, we humble ourselves before Him.

In order to hear our Father's true voice, to know that a message is from God, we first have to get rid of anything that is getting in the way of honestly communicating with Him.

As you pray, forget about your pride and reputation, forget about the fears you have of whether or not God will be happy with what you say, and be totally honest. First admit to Him and yourself that you have these fears, and then do whatever is necessary to clean out whatever is blocking a clear conversation with God. That could mean forgiving others who have hurt you, apologizing to those you have hurt, being more honest with others about who you really are, or simply just loving others more, putting their needs (and taking into mind their fears) before your own.




Copyright © 2007 Scott Morgan | www.the-daily-blessing.com

[solitarysoul]

Prayer for Valentine's - Part 9

February 9th, 2007
You may know about God, you may even know Him personally very well. You may know that we are supposed to feel completely satisfied in God and Him alone, but do we? Honestly? Have you ever wondered why it is that we may not feel this way? Why does He seem to be so far away from us? Why are our lives so self-centered, rather than God-centered, and why is it so difficult to be honest with ourselves and realize this?

We tend to be quick to blame God for these things. If He seems to be far away, or if we are having a difficult time and we have trouble being faithful, we sometimes blame God. Even if we do not consciously realize it, it is almost like we are trying to influence God to admit to wronging us and to apologize for allowing certain things to happen in our lives. I've met people who seem to be very faithful, but once crisis strikes, they lose faith because they don't understand how God could allow such things to happen if He really loved them. It's almost as if they are sub-consciously asking God to confess and repent, “or else I will no longer believe.”

Are we looking at ourselves completely and honestly though? We are the sinners after all, not God. This is what I meant previously when I said I believe every one of us sins on a level that most will never realize. The reason we don't realize it so easily is because it doesn't initially seem to be sin. In this fallen world of lie and deceit, we don't recognize many things as being wrong or sinful, because to us and our human standards (which are influenced by the evil one) the only things that seem to be wrong are those that harm another person, or disrupt the peaceful and happy lifestyle. But what about harming our relationship with God? Is this not sin?

What exactly are we claiming when we say we make Jesus the Lord of our lives? I am not saying that we don't, but what I am saying is that if we really do, then whatever it is that would harm such a relationship and devotion to Christ must as well be sin. So if we do not feel completely satisfied in God alone and we don't feel Him near us, is this not our own faults?

So what is it that harms our relationship with God and causes this separation and lack of full satisfaction? I believe it is our self-centeredness, and it is much more common than we think. We don't like to think of ourselves as self-centered and we say we are selfless when we think only of others without concern for how we will feel as a result. But what about God? The Bible says to do all things for the glory of God. Basically I think all this is saying is that anything and everything that is not done for the purpose of glorifying God and growing in our relationship with Him, is sin. Anything we do for ourselves without the glory of God in mind.

Think about when we're upset or hurting. We may pray to God a lot, but we may also do a lot for ourselves, without God in mind. If we're feeling lonely, we may do something to win a friendship with another person. If we're worried about our finances, we may do things with the focus of gaining more money for ourselves. We may parade the good qualities about us and hide the bad, in order to gain another person's acceptance or interest. By our standards there may be nothing at all wrong with these things. But are we doing these things for the purpose of God's glory?

As humans, this certainly isn't something we're able to avoid, but it is important to realize because this again is another part of being honest with God. In order to grow closer to God in prayer and to become more in tune to hearing His response, we need to get rid of the things that block an honest and close conversation. We need to truly desire to grow in Christ, to want His will more than our own. We cannot do this when we are focused on ourselves.

So the next thing to do in prayer is to find that desire. When we're in an argument with someone, we never want to admit that we are wrong, especially if the person we are arguing with has made us angry. For some people, even when they know they are wrong about something, they still will not admit it because they are more concerned about making themselves feel better. We like to try to get the other person to admit they are wrong. But if we truly desire to know God and love Him, we should be glorifying Him always. When we pray, we should consciously ask God to show us where we are wrong. We need to actually want for God to show us how we are wrong, more than we want to show other people how they are wrong when we get into arguments. We have to let go of our pride and concern over reputation to do this. You can rejoice in knowing that you are much closer to God than most of the world, if you can get to the point of where you truly desire in your heart to learn where you are wrong, more than you wish to show someone who has wronged you where they are wrong.

Come to God in honesty, just as you are, be conscious of who it is you are actually talking to, and ask God to show you where you are wrong, and to help you make the necessary changes. And actually want this. It is not as hard to truthfully want this, when you come to the honest realization that it is for the betterment of your relationship with God, and finding that total satisfaction in Him. This is a major biblical truth that seems to have slipped under our noses. The Bible tells us to be like Christ. The major thing about Christ though is His unconditional love and forgiveness for others. So to be like Christ is to have unconditional love and forgiveness for other people. That literally means there is nothing that can permanently harm your relationships with others. Jesus healed one of the very men who came to capture Him the night before He was crucified. He also washed Judas' feet the night before he would betray Jesus. Jesus already knew Judas was going to betray Him. Can you honestly say that you could do such a thing? Can you, knowing that someone is intending to harm you, continue to love them and do good for them anyway? That is what it means to love someone unconditionally.

I'm sure we've all had an experience where someone has promised us they would never leave, or never stop caring for us the way they do, but then as soon as you do something they don't like, their excuse is, “but the person I promised that to would have never done that to me.” But to have real unconditional love and forgiveness for someone means there are no “buts”.

Now with that in mind, think about how people will see you when they notice that your main concern is not about your own pride and reputation, or making yourself feel better, but about learning how you can better love and forgive other people. That is what you are doing by truthfully wanting for God to show you where you are wrong, and what you can do about it to become more like His Son. You are willingly taking pain for others.

Every time we engage deeply in prayer, especially when it is a prayer for ourselves, I believe we should be doing this. We need to be sure to get rid of anything that is blocking that relationship with Him, whether it be lies to make ourselves look more innocent, or false images of who God is, and then not only be honest with God about who we are and what we do, but ask Him to show us where we are wrong, and to help us make the necessary changes. Ask Him to help you have this desire, to really want to be shown where you are wrong, for your own good and for the sake of your relationship with Him, and with others. Ask Him to help you with your desire to love and forgive others in the same way that God loves and forgives you. When this is what we truly want, it will start to come naturally for us to admit that we are sinners, that we are wrong and fall short, and to want to see where we are wrong so that we can become a better example of Christ, to love others the way He does, and further our relationship with God. I think that's the most meaningful of any Valentine's.




Copyright © 2007 Scott Morgan | www.the-daily-blessing.com

[solitarysoul]

Prayer for Valentine's - Part 10

February 10th, 2007
As I'm winding down to the last few sections of this study I thought I would give an example of two prayers, a self-centered prayer, and a God-centered prayer, to help if you're having trouble understanding what I'm trying to say.

For this example I'm using something that I think a lot of people I've met can relate to, myself included. It's an example of prayer when suffering from depression. I've met many people who have suffered, or are suffering from depression, and one thing I've noticed is that almost every one who goes through this seems to either grow closer to God because they're praying so much, or grow more distant from God because they don't understand why their prayers seem to go unanswered. I hope this example can really help some people out, because those who are falling away as a result of difficult times do not have their prayers and concerns focused on God, they have them focused on feeling better.

We need to be honest with God and think about how we picture Him of course, but that alone doesn't have a whole lot of effect if we are still focusing on our own feelings, rather than the relationship. Here's an example of a self-centered prayer of someone suffering with depression:

God, I've felt so miserable and I don't understand it. I can't sleep and when I do I have nightmares. I'm crying every night and I feel so horrible all day. I don't have many friends anymore because they're all so sick of hearing me complain and they don't want to listen. I know I haven't been too good of a friend to them and I seem to just annoy them, but I can't help it, I feel so horrible all the time. How can I be like them when I'm feeling so bad? Please take this pain away from me and help my friends and family understand what I'm going through. Everything seems to be going wrong and I just don't know what to do anymore about anything. My friends never talk to me anymore, my family just gets angry with me, I'm doing horrible in school and I think my teachers hate me, I hate my job and no one likes me there either anyway. Please help me find the right medication and therapist who can help me out with this, and please help me to feel better and get my life back on track.

I hope that you don't misunderstand what I mean by “self-centered”, because I know that word is usually used as almost an insult toward someone, but I certainly don't mean it like that. This prayer is certainly not a bad prayer at all. We should tell God how we are feeling and what's going on in our lives. We should bring our problems to Him and ask for help. That's a part of being honest with Him after all. But when I say self-centered, I mean when the prayer is focused on ourselves, when the point is in hopes of God helping us to feel better, or making the circumstances in a situation work out the way we want them, rather than focusing on God and His will. Take a look at a similar prayer, but what I consider to be more God-centered, and compare the two:

God, you know how miserable I've been feeling and I don't understand it at all, but I realize that by the way I am acting and living, no one would be drawn to you through me. I cannot help the way I am feeling, so I hope that you will help me here so that it is easier for me to be a better example of your Son. But over all, may Your will be done. This is a very difficult time for me, but I pray that you will use it for good. I realize that my actions and behavior are telling others that the only reason to ever worship you and be thankful is when everything seems to be going good. By my example, those who don't know you must think that having faith in you is nothing but a saying. What good is saying that if I don't have real faith when it matters most? Everyone hopes for things, that doesn't make them faithful toward you. That would never help the lost to get to know you, or want to. I pray that you will help me to feel better and overcome this, but above all I pray that Your will be done, not mine. I know that I am not loving you otherwise, I am using you. Please have mercy on me, and continue to show me where I am wrong so that I can become more like Your Son, and use this as an opportunity to show others your glory.

When the focus of your prayer is on God rather than yourself, you will become more aware of how much you fall short of living for His purpose and loving others the way Christ does, and less concerned about your own feelings or how difficult your life may be for you right now. And when you do this, instead of becoming more down and discouraged about yourself and your circumstances, just wishing everything would change, God responds by helping you to realize your sin, so that you have more to be honest about and fix. Not only will you notice a response to your prayers, but God will help you to feel better by helping you realize your flaws, so that you know what you can do to change and be a more lovable person.

You'll start to develop a focus on the higher purpose. And just as the Bible says, when you get your focus truly on the higher purpose, there is nothing at all that can take away your true joy. You could be striped of everything you have and love on earth, and still remain joyful, sad yes, but still joyful and rejoice in the fact that you have a far greater reward on its way. Remember what Jesus had to go through, yet then look at the result. Rather than focusing on your own circumstances and troubles, focus on what you can learn from them, and how this can help you grow closer to God and treat others the way He does. We learn to live for His will, rather than our own. And yet there's still no reason to be discouraged, because living for His will and having faith in His promises only yields an even greater reward.




Copyright © 2007 Scott Morgan | www.the-daily-blessing.com

[solitarysoul]

Prayer for Valentine's - Part 11

February 11th, 2007
I want to be sure we really understand what it means to know God. We hear people say all the time, especially in modern churches, that they love God so much, they don't know what they'd do without Him, He's the Lord of their lives, etc. One thing that concerns me though, is that even though they will turn right around and deny this, there seems to be a lot of people who say these things, but do not mean them in their hearts. The Bible says that we will know a true believer by their fruits. That means that a true believer is not someone who simply declares to know and love Jesus, and convinces others to think this is the case; rather, a true believer is someone who's heart is truly set on doing the will of God, even if that would cost them their life, and that is reflected through their character and attitude.

So what do we really mean when we say we know God? Do you really know God? That is a much more difficult question than most would think. In fact, if you think that is an easy question, I am scared for you. We need to take a step back and look at ourselves honestly, as well as our relationship with God. When the Bible talks about knowing God, it isn't talking about our knowledge of Jesus or the Bible. The most intelligent Bible scholars in the world are not necessarily saved. Wisdom does not save us. And for the record, wisdom certainly does not come with age, so if you've grown up believing that, get that out of your mind now before you are deceived further. Wisdom can come from experience, but the fact that someone may be twice your age does not automatically mean they have spent twice as much time and effort getting to know God, even if they've done a lot more studying than you, or read the Bible a lot more than you. God's wisdom is not the world's wisdom.

Knowing Jesus is a matter of a personal relationship with Him. If you know Jesus well, you would love the things He loves, and hate the things He hates. You would shape your life around Him and His teachings. But to actually know what He really loves and hates, you first would have to know the Bible.

You can say you know George Bush. You may be a big fan of him; you may know everything there is to know about him. You may know all his personal information, his hobbies, his history, his dreams, his interests, everything. But that does not mean you know him. Regardless of how much you know about George Bush, if you walk up to the front of the white house and he doesn't know who you are personally, you're not getting in. If you really know George Bush personally however, he would call you by name when he saw you, he would recognize you, and if you walked up to the front of the white house, he would say that he knows you and that you can come in. But that kind of relationship is not established by knowing facts about him. You won't get to know him like that by just reading biographies about him and putting bumper stickers on your car. Similarly, you won't get to know Jesus personally by simply reading about Him or listening to sermons about Him in church, and putting bumper stickers on the back of your car.

This is where prayer comes in, and why it is one of, if not the , most important parts of our spiritual life. Think about someone else you're closer to, like a friend or family member. You know them and love them, and so you enjoy your time with them. But is that the same kind of relationship between you and God? Do you know and love God to the point of where you enjoy spending time reading His Word and praying to Him? Do you go about your day thinking about Him constantly, missing your prayers, or wishing you had a Bible on you that you could read? I'll be honest I wish I felt like that more often. That's who we should be aiming to be in our lives.

When you say you know God and you enjoy your time with Him, do you mean the same thing you mean when you say you know your friends and family and enjoy your time with them? And an even more important question to ask is, do you know and enjoy your time with God more than friends and family? These are very important questions to take into serious consideration. You can't get away with telling God someday, “Well I'm just a human, I didn't know better,” if He's condemning you after death for not putting Him first. God is a loving God, but He is a just God. If you live a life of sin and go against His will, not being truly saved, He cannot have pity and let you into Heaven anyway. If He did, He would not be a perfect God. No sin can be left unpunished. So you must truly accept that amazing free gift into your heart now and consciously decide to make Jesus your very purpose for living, or we will be sorry.

Our excuses will not suffice. You must remember that God is not a man. He is holy, just, and perfect. When you face God after death and you give Him your account for your life, what if He tells you that you loved the world (His enemy) and put it first, instead of loving Him and putting Him first? What are you going to say? You can't say you didn't know any better, because the very purpose of the Bible is so that we will learn and know better. To say, “I didn't know any better,” when it is written clearly in the Bible, makes just as much sense as walking off the edge of a skyscraper and screaming, “I didn't know any better,” expecting that excuse to stop us from slamming into the street. The scriptures are given to us to learn from. If we do not spend time learning them, then whatever consequences may come as a result are our own faults, and there is no excuse for it.

Just like gravity has a defined nature, God has a nature of love, justice, and perfection. But one thing the western world in particular mostly seems to have forgotten is that love does not mean you will be given whatever you want or whatever entertains you the most. Love means that you will encounter what you deserve, and what will make you a better person. Every person in hell someday will be praising God, because sadly that is what it is going to take to get some people to realize the truth. The Bible says that the man who loves you the most is the one who will tell you the most truth, not the one who will just tell you whatever it is you want to hear. That is because love is not always about comfort; love is about doing what is best for that person. And if you know God, then you obviously know that God always knows what is best for us, even if we don't understand it.

It is much harder to know God though of course, than it is to know other people. And God knows this. We have no pictures, recordings, or physical encounters with God. Very few people have experienced actually hearing an audible voice speak to them, and we still have no way of knowing whether or not they really experienced those situations, though I do believe a rare some have and may still today, because people in biblical times did. So it is easy for us to say then that God can't expect us to know Him as well as we know each other. We've never see Him, it's hard to hear Him, and we never have any physical encounters with Him. It's hard enough to believe that He even exists sometimes, let alone know Him on a level that we know our friends and family.

So what then does the Bible mean when it says to love and know God in this way? I'm starting to believe more and more that we can actually know and love God even far more than we can possibly love and know another person. We have to stop and take a look at how we describe love and knowing someone, and compare it to how the Bible describes it.

The Bible describes love for God as obeying Him. We don't love our friends or family by obeying them, not unless if you're a child at least and you're obeying your parents. So it is clear that when the Bible talks about loving God, something is different about this relationship than loving others.

I heard an analogy the other day that really hit me and made me look at this more deeply. The analogy was that loving God today is like driving the speed limit on the highway when you see a cop around you. That is a very uncomfortable thought to me, but the more I thought about it, the more truth I noticed in it.

We live as if we don't consciously realize that God is always watching us and always knows everything we are doing, and everything about us. A police officer driving down the highway is only going to know you are speeding if you pass him or he pulls up behind you. If you're speeding out in the middle of nowhere, he has no idea. So we tend to think sometimes that if we don't see or feel God's presence around us, then we can get away with not putting Him first. We may not think that intentionally of course, but we tend to think it regardless. If you're in a one on one argument with someone, no one else is ever going to see it, and you can easily cover up something bad you did in order to keep the other person from getting angry with you, you'll most likely do it. We don't seem to seriously realize sometimes that God sees it, and it's a big deal. Yet if we know that someone else could discover what we have done, we suddenly become more hesitant to hide that mistake. Why?

Loving and knowing God must not entirely be the same then as loving and knowing others. But I think this makes sense, because we are told to love God more than anything else, so it's just a matter of realizing what we are missing here, and putting forth the effort and devotion to commit ourselves to Him and His purpose. In fact, the Bible says that we are to love God so much, that our love for our friends and family would look like hatred compared to our love for God. That isn't saying that loving God means to hate our friends and family of course. It is saying that our love for others and the world should in no way be able to compare for our love for God. So if our love for God is suppose to be so much greater and more distinct, then how do we really love God, and how do we know when we really love God?




Copyright © 2007 Scott Morgan | www.the-daily-blessing.com

[solitarysoul]

Prayer for Valentine's - Part 12

February 12th, 2007
How do we know when we know God? And how do we know when God speaks to us? Not only must we be careful to think about how we speak to God in prayer, but we also must be very careful to think about how God speaks to us. I've seen so many people say they have prayed and prayed for something, but never heard an answer. We've all said this at some point I'm sure. But have you ever wondered what it is you're actually waiting for? In other words, are you expecting to hear an audible voice speak to you? Are you expecting for your prayers to just work out just as you had hoped, as if it's some magical formula to get what you want? Or are you somehow expecting to just get a clear vision or miracle, so that somehow you will know exactly what to do in a situation? How do you know when you have heard God?

A lot of people claim they have heard God speak to them, and I do not doubt that many of them have. But then there are many (though I do not know who specifically of course) who I am sure have either lied about it, or have misinterpreted their own feelings for being God's voice. It is most certainly possible to hear from God, as the Bible demonstrates many times. But what I think we need to realize before we expect to hear His answers to our prayers is what it is that He desires in us.

Have you ever noticed, there are so many people who say they have never heard answers to their prayers, especially teenagers, yet, they sit around watching shows and listening to music that God would despise, they use foul language or tease or hurt others, they dress in suggestive ways to show off their bodies, they're reckless and live their lives for the sake of their own reputation and pride, they drink and smoke or use drugs, they are no different at all from the rest of the world, and yet, they complain about not hearing God's answers to their prayers. I am not usually one to be harsh or sarcastic, except in situations where Jesus Himself was, but has anyone these days heard of the word, hypocrite? I think the answer here is right under our noses; we just refuse to realize it.

This is one of the most convincing evidences to me that Jesus may be coming soon, quite possibly even within our lifetime. So many people today expect to hear God, yet they just push God away. They don't realize it though. Why? Because they don't read their Bibles anymore, they don't understand what it means to have a real personal relationship with God. To be a Christian, to be saved, does not simply mean to believe in Christ. It does not even simply mean to believe that Christ died for you and that you are saved. Being saved is most importantly a matter of real genuine faith in Christ's sacrifice, and repentance: a permanent and ongoing change in your life to hate the things God hates, and love the things God loves. A true child of God cannot look at sin and continue to enjoy it. It's just impossible. And I don't say this to condemn or blame anyone, I say this out of love for you, as I mentioned in my previous article. Remember the Bible says that the man who loves you the most is not the man who is going to give you what you want to hear, he's just doing that for his own reputation. The man who loves you the most is the one who is going to tell you the most truth, even if it isn't pretty, because he cares more about your well-being and salvation than he does about whether or not you will like him.

To know God means to turn away from a lifestyle of sin, and strive to do what pleases Him. You cannot do both. In the Bible when it speaks of knowing God, the word translated to “ knew ” in Matthew 7:23 is "ginóskõ", which is a very deep and meaningful word. If you recall throughout the Bible when someone is talking about a man or woman “knowing” his or her spouse and conceiving, that is the same word as when the Bible says to “know” God. In other words, the same word used to say that we must know God, is the same word that is used for sex. It is that powerful and meaningful of a word. It obviously doesn't have the same literal meaning, but ancient Greek and Hebrew languages were very different from English today. They were much more expressive languages and some words could take on several meanings. In this case it simply means that to know God is to literally devote a permanent bondage and change of lifestyle to be more like Him, to love Him and desire to do His will more than your own.

What the Bible is saying is that knowing God is not simply a matter of knowing someone like you might know a friend, it is a matter of total devotion and commitment, a passion higher than anything worldly. When we truly know God, and as we get to know Him through prayer and scripture, we begin to despise the worldly things we once loved, that He hates. Once you're on this path, the narrow path leading to the gate of life, you'll start to recognize God's voice.

Another reason why that is, is that as we repent and turn away from a sinful lifestyle, we begin to discover a deep emptiness in our hearts. We begin to realize that we live our lives trying to fill ourselves up with these temporary desires, all these luxuries and friends and money. We notice that we love the world, but we don't truly love God. We love our pride and our reputation, our friends and family, our relationships and bank account, more than we love God. And once you come to that truly heartbreaking realization, you will begin to fall in love with God. I am not saying that you have to go live in a tent out in the woods somewhere and give away all your money and possessions to the poor. But what I am saying is that you will realize that life isn't about being successful or happy or secure, it's about glorifying God. Everything else are just temporary secondary things that help you to have a more enjoyable stay here on earth, until you go home. But the purpose is focusing on God.

When our focus is on God, that joy and security comes from Him. God is Love, and He cannot turn away from an empty heart wanting to live for Him. When you start to live a more God-centered life, your prayers become God-centered, rather than self-centered. And when God hears you repenting of your sins and sees you turning away from them, it is then that God comes into your life and you are saved by faith.

If this becomes your lifestyle, I guarantee you that you will hear God's answers to your prayers, because your prayers become God-centered, they become focused on that relationship between you and Him, rather than your love for the world.

If you're familiar with the Bible, you know that God once said that anything you ask for in His name, you shall receive. This is the key that seems to be so misunderstood these days. You have to look deeper. He wasn't simply saying He would give you whatever in the world you ask for. He was saying that whatever you ask for in His Name . In other words, what truly comes from your heart; what truly is a righteous request. God might do what you want Him to do, depending on what it means for you and your relationship with Him. But what he will do is what you ask for that will benefit your relationship with Him, and help you to love Him and others like Jesus did.

Remember the parable when Jesus was hungry one morning and he came upon a fig tree that was blooming early? He saw leaves (the shows we put on, pretending to be who we think we should be), but when searching for fruit (whether or not our faith and commitment is genuine, which shows through our character and attitude, our “fruits”) He found none. He simply told the fig tree that it will never bear fruit again, and it withered away. The guarantee that God is making when He says that we will receive anything that we ask for in His Name is that as long as we ask for things that will produce good fruit, and not just leaves with no figs, He will give it to us if it is really what we want.

If you asked for more money, better grades, better relationships with others, etc., if these requests are not the will of God, and if they did not truly come from the deepest part of your heart, which is that desire to cast away your lifestyle of sin and follow Christ at all costs, then you will not receive them because they are leaves with no figs. God still answers, but His answer is “no”. You won't notice why He responds that way though if He is not the focus of your prayers. These worldly possessions and relationships may make us happy, but they never eternally satisfy us, because they are just temporary. If temporary satisfaction is all we want, then we might as well forget about God and go be the most sinful people on the planet with no morals whatsoever, because this time is all we'd have.

But if Christ is truly the focus of your life and the focus of your prayers, then you aren't looking for temporary satisfaction, you are looking for eternal satisfaction, and God wants to grant you that. I am not saying it is bad to hope and pray for a better career, better grades, more money, better relationships, etc., but until your one true desire is to have an eternal lasting relationship with God, at whatever cost that takes, it wont make much sense to pray for those other worldly desires. Well you might say, “But I do desire to have that eternal hope and fullness in God”, I mean who wouldn't right? But the point is that your heart does not truly desire that, it does not truly believe that, if you do not put God at the center and focus of it all. You have to empty out all your other desires and wishes, no matter how big or small, and declare that none of that matters if you cannot first have complete fullness in God, and truly mean that from the heart.

Once you've reached that point, you'll start to pray not simply for your own benefit or temporary satisfaction, but for the sake and development of your relationship with God, and your love for other people. This is probably one of the most difficult things to do in this whole study of growth in prayer, especially if you're popular among your peers, because our pride gets in the way, and it takes a lot of faith. We don't want to suddenly say we're willing to give up everything if that's what it will take to have this relationship with God. But remember that not only did Jesus say the gate to Life is narrow and few will find it, but also that the path to that gate is narrow and difficult. Christianity is not easy. If you think it's a piece of cake, you just go to church, say a few prayers now and then, and claim to believe in God, you are not saved, and you do not know Jesus. If that is you, I pray that you will repent and make Him the focus of your life.




Copyright © 2007 Scott Morgan | www.the-daily-blessing.com

[solitarysoul]

Prayer for Valentine's - Part 13

February 13th, 2007
For the last two sections of this study I thought it would be a good idea to do a review of everything I've been over. So here is a quick review of this way of praying that I have been discussing, and then for the final part of this study, I explain why this is important for us, and what happens inside us as a result of making this a part of our lives.

So, when you pray, be honest with God about how you are feeling. Do not hold anything back from Him, no matter how hesitant you may be to do so. In fact, if you are hesitant to tell Him certain things because you are afraid of what it may mean, tell Him that too. Just be completely honest with Him. Let Him know how you are feeling and what is going on inside of you. Now of course He already knows, but He wants you to admit it, because as you start to admit these things, it changes you on the inside. You will start to notice more about yourself and how you think. You will realize how much you hold back from God, and how much of your life truly is run by lie, fear, and fitting in. You will discover deep hidden desires within your heart that you have just learned to cover up in this world because you can't find anything to satisfy them. Realize that you are not who you really want to be, and that you can't become who you really want to be if you don't have God guiding you there. Tell God all of these realizations, but be honest.

Some people may say they are where they want to be, and that's great, but unless if the true focus of their life is glorifying God, I don't believe them. I do not mean to call those people liars though, because I don't believe they realize it themselves. That's the point in this. Be honest with God about everything, and you will start to realize more about you and what you desire. You will begin to realize that deep down, though you are afraid to admit it to the world, you are so weak and small, and all you really truthfully want is to be in a safe relationship, to be loved for who you are, and to be loved so much, that no matter what you did, there is not a single circumstance, hidden secret, failure, or negative fact that could cause that person to stop loving you as much as they do.

Then look at how you are really imagining God. Is this god you imagine the biblical God? Is every aspect of Him supported by the scriptures, or are there parts (or maybe all) of this god in your mind that deep down is nothing more than what you want Him to be? Think about how you imagine God. Consciously realize it, and be honest with God about how you are thinking of Him. Read and study the Bible so that you will learn who God really is, and work on making the necessary changes to imagine that God, even if right now there are parts of Him that you find frightening, unattractive, or hard to believe in.

Remember that love is not about always being satisfied, love is about truth and what is best for you. Just think about it. What good is a bunch of temporary satisfaction and entertainment, if in a short while you'll be dead, burning, and tormented for eternity? Do you call that love? But now look at the other option. What if someone told you the truth, even if it was harsh or unpleasing to you, but you learned from it and you grew to become a better person, someone who realizes what it means to know and love God, so that you can spend eternity in paradise? Is that not love? Learn to love and appreciate the God of the Bible, for who He is, who the Bible illustrates Him as.

Once you have come to all these realizations, start to remove the sin that gets in the way of your communication with God. Being a child of God is not just about accepting His existence and sacrifice for you. What it means to actually accept Christ into your heart as the Lord of your life is to continuously repent and turn away from a lifestyle of sin. You will start to desire what God desires, and hate what God hates. But again, be careful to not get confused here. This does not mean that you can continue to love the world, be a ‘good' person, and claim that you are loving what God loves because you are a Christian. That's being a hypocrite, and you do not want to do that, because you will be one of the trees Jesus talked about being cut down and thrown into the fire.

You must get into the Bible and learn it. You have to get to know God, by learning who He is, by learning who Jesus was. Jesus is the perfect reflection of God. When we strive to be more like Jesus, that is when we will start to love the things God loves, and hate the things God hates. It is difficult, but you will start to break old habits and turn from a lifestyle of sin. That isn't to say that you will never sin, because everyone sins, but you're life will change in a way that you will hate sin, and you will desire to spend your life being cleansed by God and becoming more like His Son. Do not get confused and say that as a Christian, you no longer sin. Those who say they no longer sin are deceived and probably not saved. We are forgiven of our sins if we confess them with these genuine desires, but we still sin.

“ If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. ” – 1 John 1:8-9

Turn away from a sinful lifestyle, and sinful prayers, and you will begin to notice that lonely void within you; that void that we have so desperately spent our lives trying to fill up with possessions and relationships, temporary satisfactions. Yes these things are good, and we should especially have the relationships, but all of these things mean absolutely nothing in the end if we don't first have God as the focus of our lives.

Then you will begin to realize even more things. You have more to be honest with God about, and more to change. You will get deeper and deeper into a relationship with Him. At this point you may begin to realize that you really have lived such a self-centered life, that it breaks your heart, and that you do not want to live this way anymore. Your reputation, money, friends, family, and everything else mean absolutely nothing, if you can't have God. So you discover this desire hidden deep inside your heart to make God the focus of your life, your very purpose of living on this earth.

Be honest with God about everything, realize who God really is and be sure that you are praying to the God of the Bible, realize the desires starting to emerge from deep within your heart, turn away from a lifestyle of sin, and then you will realize the deepest desire of your heart. You will realize that without God, nothing else matters, and that once you push everything else aside, your heart is incredibly lonely and empty, and you are nothing but a child to God, truly wanting Him to fill that empty space.

Come to God in this way and be honest with Him about who you are now, and who you want to become. Learn to desire the things God loves, and hate the things He hates. Then have faith that He will satisfy you and your desires, and He alone. If you do this and you have true genuine faith, He will. A lot of people say there is nothing God cannot do, but I disagree. God cannot turn away from an empty heart calling out to Him.




Copyright © 2007 Scott Morgan | www.the-daily-blessing.com

[solitarysoul]

Prayer for Valentine's - Part 14

February 14th, 2007
If you've been following along and putting into practice what I've been writing about, or if you are going to, this is what you will start to notice happening in you if you truthfully do this as your heart's desire and with the right intentions.

You will first notice that you are becoming more honest with God about who you are and what is going on inside your head. You will start to understand yourself better, and you will begin to notice more easily what you truly believe and think, and what causes you to think and feel the things you do.

You will start to treat other people with more love and respect, being more patient with them, and taking into consideration their thoughts and feelings and fears. You will not complain to others as much about how you are feeling because you will be spending more time telling God how you are feeling, and being honest with Him about things you would never tell someone else, or even normally consciously realize yourself.

You will become less embarrassed to talk about God and share your faith. Religion won't just seem like a phony practice anymore, but the truth, and the only way to inherit eternal life, through Jesus Christ. You will stop saying things you don't mean, praying things in church for the sake of doing what the preacher says or reading words off of a bulletin. These things will start to become your true desire. It will be real, no faking, and it will not be done for the intention of making others think that you are saved. It will not be done for your reputation. It will be done because your heart truly desires to know God. You will be confessing more of your sins, both to God and others who you are also becoming more honest with. And not only will you be confessing them more, but also you will start to have a greater desire to stop practicing sin.

You will admit more things to God that you once hid in fear. You will no longer be saying things just because you think you're suppose to say them. You will be more honest about your negative feelings and emotions. You will tell God who you are angry at and why, you will tell Him how you truthfully feel about church, how much you do or don't truthfully desire His Word over the world's wisdom, and how often you hide these things because you know they are bad. You will just find yourself telling God everything, being totally honest with Him, as if you're life and every thought and feeling is written down in a journal, telling God everything you feel, both right and wrong.

You will start to think more consciously about who God actually is. You will be more awed by His amazing power over you. You will realize how tiny and weak you are compared to Him, and how infinitely powerful and loving He is. You will realize how often you may think of God in a false way; maybe someone who is lenient and willing to let you get away with things because you want them bad enough, or someone who will always agree with you no matter what. And then you will catch yourself more often and correct those images. You will become so awed by His power and glory over you and the world that sometimes you will not know whether to throw your arms out and explode, or fall on your face like John and weep.

You will begin to notice how obsessed you are with yourself and being successful and loved by others. You will notice so many more little ways in which you fall short of making God the focus of your life. You will realize that your prayers are more focused on requests for your own sake or benefit, rather than a true heartfelt desire for glorifying Him and improving your relationship with God. When you get into arguments or notice your differences between yourself and others, or when someone else wrongs you or makes you angry, you will start to focus more on God changing you to be able to better love and forgive them, more than you will care about them admitting their wrongs or hurting so that you will feel better.

And when you start to make all these changes and have true genuine faith that a greater life is in store, you will be in constant conversation with God. You will learn to better understand His will, and you will learn how to better communicate with Him, and how to hear His response. And you won't be doing this in hopes that He will come into your life and make the necessary changes to make you happy. Instead, you will be doing this for the single purpose of glorifying God, and being someone that He will enjoy, becoming more like His son and being a better example of Christ, loving others the way Jesus did, and willing to go through whatever it takes to become that person.

And this is not easy, like I mentioned before, the path is narrow and difficult. It takes a lot of faith, and a true willingness to cast away your self-pride. But through this faith and these changes you make, you will begin to notice that being more like Christ, being someone who God can enjoy, will in turn bring you far more joy than anything on this earth ever could. You will begin to notice the power of the true joy that God gives us. You will begin to understand why David could continue to be joyful even though He was hated by the world; why Jesus could remain loving and joyful, even though He was persecuted and brutally murdered; why men have been in prison or have been led out to be executed, and yet they can still remain joyful and hopeful and glorify God.

I am not saying that by making these changes, you will end up suffering to a great extent like these people did. I am saying that by making these changes and learning to pray to God in this way, you will discover an overpowering continuous joy in you that is so abundant, so infinite, so eternal, and so much greater than any pleasure on this earth, that if it came to that, nothing could take away your joy. And that is because you no longer live for yourself, you live for God, and through faith in His Son's sacrifice and the promises in His Word, you know in your heart that no matter what you go through in this life, you can rejoice and be glad because there is a greater reward coming.

Continue to develop this attitude of prayer and this change in lifestyle, and you will become more certain of your faith, more genuine in your beliefs, more loving and forgiving of others, more loyal and trustworthy, and more honest and patient toward God, and other people. You will literally start to develop a sense that you are invincible. You cannot be destroyed. Your body they can break and burn, but your soul is protected by God. Satan will not be able to get a good hold on you. You will inherit eternal life. But this is only because of God's power over us. And this is because when you discover this true desire of your heart, you will begin to discover other desires as well, God given desires. You will desire to love others the way that Jesus loves you. You will desire for God to show you where you are wrong, more than you wish for others to admit their wrongs, so that you can become a better person for the sake of God's enjoyment, and the benefit of others. You will desire to love the truth, more than you love entertainment and the world. You will desire to have eternal life.

When these desires are released you will start to have a much closer personal relationship with God, because He will enjoy giving you what you pray for, because you will enjoy praying for what He wants to give you.




Copyright © 2007 Scott Morgan | www.the-daily-blessing.com