Crazy time...

As most of you, we are getting ready for graduations, end of the year school parties, Summer vacations and just the overall business that accompanies this time of the year. I have David's and Jessica's birthdays next week and settling Kaity into her new college apartment.

Because of that, I won't be posting for a while...there have been fewer visits here also, so I am assuming you are all just as busy.

Let's truly enjoy this time of the year with our families...Summer is a great time to just sit and chat...don't forget you quiet time and most of all time in God's word.

I will return as soon as I can...

Enjoy looking back at the book we have read...the highlights are worth reading again.

Blessings!

Teach your children about money...

With the economy as hard hit as it is, kids maybe asking "Why can't we buy this, Mom?" I am so reminded that it is never to late to teach our kids fiscal responsibility. Everyday there is a "teachable moment" to use to instruct our children as to how we spend the resources God has given. To instill in them as early as possible, that we "own" nothing...that everything we have is for us to steward for God takes a disciplined plan. Here are some great ideas on how to get started. They were posted on Titus2 blog.

1. Teach your children to love Christ more than anything else by loving Christ more than anything else.
2. Teach your children that every good thing comes from God and not because Daddy has a job.
3. Teach your children that Daddy has a job because God has given him a job.
4. Teach your children to be thankful for all that they have by being thankful for all that you have.
5. Continually thank God with your children for all that you have.
6. Continually thank God with your children for all that you do not have because Christ is better by far.
7. Pray with your children for those who do not have.
8. Give to those who do not have.
9. Teach your children to be good stewards by looking after property, clothes and toys.
10. Teach them not to worry about what they will eat or wear by trusting God for all that you need.
11. Don't spend what you do not have.
12. Share what you do have.

David and I have been planning a trip to Sweden to see my family. The economy being in the state it is, has postponed our purchasing the tickets. We have prayed and waited for flight travel cost to go down. Last week, we knew we had to make a decision, so David asked me to gather the kids and go over some ideas. So I gathered the kids at dinner and told them of the difficulty we where having, but we thought maybe we could "charge" the tickets and then pay for them later. What great comfort we received when they responded with this question" If you put the tickets on a credit card, that is still money we don't have...right Mom?' and I said "that is true...but we can take this opportunity to go with the rest of our family and trust we would pay it later" Two of the girls responded, "That would not be a good steward of what God has given us now...would it mom?" And I had to say that it would not be. So we decided now is not the time...It would be testing God to presume on Him that the money we don't have we would have later. What a great lesson that was to walk with the kids. They showed great Biblical understanding of "do not spend what you don't have" I thank God that they are learning this at a young age...I had many years of heartache because I did not live by that Biblical principle.

Who would have thought that all those years of "saying no...we don't have it" has payed off (excuse the pun) in such a wonderful blessing? God is faithful to remind our kids of His trustworthy principles if we teach them.


More tomorrow
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DON'T FORGET TO SEND ANY QUESTIONS OR THOUGHTS YOU HAVE ABOUT THE BOOK: PRAYING BACKWARDS.
WE WILL POST THEM LATER

WOW...

I received this video from Rachel a few weeks ago...it caused me to think many things...let me know your thoughts. Most important are you ready?

Have a wonderful weekend.

Also a note of thanks to everyone who has participated in the "Book Club". We can all say we have encouraged and sharpened each other. Thanks especially to the "Naples Girls" for the sweet brunch yesterday...it was a morning of tears, laughter and much prayer.

Next week the last Chapter from our Book "Praying Backwards". Gather your thoughts and let me know how it has impacted you. Some of you have read it on line, so please free free to share also.

Praying in the Holy Spirit

John Piper has this very insightful sermon on "How to pray in the power of the Holy Spirit" He beautifully expounds the same principles we have been talking about these weeks.....

"What Is "Praying in the Spirit?"
The best brief statement I have found of what it means to pray in the Holy Spirit goes like this: It means "so to pray that the Holy Spirit is the moving and guiding power."The key words there are "moving" and "guiding." In other words, when you pray in the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of God is "moving" you to pray. That is, he is the one who motivates and enables and energizes your prayer. And when you pray in the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of God is "guiding" how you pray and what you pray for. So, to pray in the Holy Spirit is to be moved and guided by the Holy Spirit in prayer. We pray by his power and according to his direction.
The Power of the Spirit
Let's see where this interpretation of praying in the Holy Spirit comes from in the Bible. The first thing to notice is the very close parallel passage in Ephesians 6:18, where Paul says, "With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit." The reason this is important is that it shows that "praying in the Spirit" is not a special form of prayer – like speaking in tongues. We can tell this is so because Paul says in Ephesians 6:18 that we should pray "at all times" in the Spirit. In other words, all prayer should be "in the Spirit." Praying in the Holy Spirit is not one form among several. It is the way all prayer is to be offered.
The second thing to see is the parallel in Romans 8:26 where Paul says, "The Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words." Here it is plain that one thing the Holy Spirit does for us is help our weakness when we need to pray but can't the way we should. So it is natural to take "praying in the Holy Spirit" to mean praying with the help of the Holy Spirit – with the strength and enablement of the Spirit to make up for our weakness.
A third parallel would be Romans 8:15-16 where Paul says, "You have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, 'Abba! Father!' The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God." The point here is that the Spirit of God helps us have assurance that we are children of God by causing us to cry out from the heart (to pray!), "Abba, Father." In other words, the Spirit moves our prayers. He motivates, enables and energizes our prayers. That's a key part of what "praying in the Holy Spirit" means.
The Guidance of the Spirit
The other part of what it means to pray in the Holy Spirit is that when we do so, our prayers are not only "moved" by the Spirit, but also "guided" by the Spirit. This is no surprise, because if the Holy Spirit is prompting and enabling and energizing our prayers, it would natural to think that he does so in a way that accords with his nature and his Word. We would not want to say, The Spirit moves our prayers, but they are not according to God's will. If the Spirit is moving us to pray, then he would move us according to his will and Word.
So praying in the Holy Spirit would mean not only experiencing the power of the Spirit to help us pray when we are weak, but also experiencing the guidance of the Spirit to help us when we are foolish or confused or selfish. For example, James 4:3 says, "When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures." That would not be praying "in the Holy Spirit." That would be praying "in the flesh" or in your own sinful nature.
How Do I Pray in the Holy Spirit?
So now the question is the practical one: How do you pray in the Holy Spirit? Don't fail to see how utterly unusual it is to be told to do something by the power and guidance of another. It is God telling me to do it – pray! And yet telling me that it is a work of the Holy Spirit when I do it. It is just like other things in the Christian life: Galatians 5:16, "Walk by the Spirit." Romans 8:13, "Put to death the deeds of the body by the Spirit." 1 Corinthians 12:3, "Say Jesus is Lord by the Spirit." Philippians 3:3, "Worship by the Spirit." In all these things we are supposed to do something. But we are to do them in a way that it is the Spirit who is doing them through us.
This is the way human life is, since God is sovereign and we are responsible. We act. We are responsible to act. But God is the decisive actor. Our action is dependent. So when we are told to "walk" (Galatians 5:16), or fight sin (Romans 8:16), or confess the Lordship of Jesus (1 Corinthians 12:3), or worship (Philippians 3:3), or pray (Jude 1:20), we are told to do it "in the Holy Spirit."You do it so that it is the Holy Spirit who is doing it in and through you.
So how do I pray so that it is really the Holy Spirit prompting and guiding the prayer?
Trusting God to Give His Spirit
I think there are two basic answers. The first is faith. We pray "in the Holy Spirit" when we take our stand on the cross of Christ (which purchased all divine help) and trust God for his help by the Spirit. In other words, when you admit that without the help of the Spirit you cannot pray as you ought, and then you consciously depend on the Spirit to help you pray, then you are praying "in the Holy Spirit." So the first answer to the question, How?, is by faith – by trusting God to give you the Holy Spirit to help you pray.
You can see this from the New Testament in several ways (see, for example, Galatians 3:1-5; 2 Thessalonians 2:13). One is that in Philippians 3:3 it says, "We worship in the Spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh." Here, worshipping "in the Spirit of God" is explained by "put no confidence in the flesh." I think that means, instead we put confidence in the Spirit, that is, in God's blood-bought mercy to help us worship as we ought by his Spirit. So I take it that the way to "pray in the Holy Spirit" is the same as the way to worship "in the Spirit of God," namely, by not putting any confidence in what we can do in our own nature, but instead looking away from our own resources and trusting in the mercy of God to help us pray by his Spirit.
That is what we should do this year in all our praying. Trust God for the help we need to pray. When you are too weak or too confused or too depressed or too angry or too dull to pray, at that moment do not assume that you can't pray. Instead, consciously look away from yourself to Christ and to the mercy of God in Christ, and trust him to help you – even if it is only to produce groanings too deep for words (Romans 8:26). Learn to distrust yourself and to trust God in prayer. Learn that without him you can do nothing and cast yourself on him at all times for all you need in order to pray.
Let Your Prayers Be Shaped by God's Word
The other answer to the question of how to pray "in the Holy Spirit" is to bring all your praying into conformity to the Word of God which the Spirit inspired (2 Peter 1:21; 2 Timothy 3:16-17). Right here is where God's call to be in the Word every day and his call to pray at all times in the Spirit become intertwined. If you live in the Word of God, meditating on it day and night by reading it every day and memorizing portions to carry with you all day and savoring them hour by hour, then your prayers will be shaped by the Word. Which means they will be shaped by the Spirit. And that is what it means to pray "in the Holy Spirit." Not only to be moved by the Spirit in prayer, but to be guided by the Spirit in prayer. And since this is something we are called to do ("pray in the Holy Spirit"), our role is to take what we know about the Spirit's will from the Word and saturate our prayers with it."


To read the full sermon go to:
http://www.desiringgod.org/ResourceLibrary/Sermons/ByDate/2001/43_Learning_to_Pray_in_the_Spirit_and_the_Word_Part_2/

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NAPLES GIRLS
BRUNCH TOMORROW AT 10:00
WE WILL FINISH DICUSSION OF THE BOOK!

More Q & A

This e-mail came from a sweet friend:

"Hi Janet,
Hope you are well. And Yes, I am still around, and coming along. I have no doubt that God is in control of things because I know I certainly am not. I find myself eager to rush ahead of him, to sort things out for myself , but what stops me is the fact that I know that if I force things it will not work out the best for me. Patience is a very hard thing, I guess that is why it is a virtue.
Here is a question. When we want something from God, is it "right" to keep praying .. bugging him like the biblical story of the woman and the judge, or am I to ask once then leave it with God to demonstrate"faith"?"

Response:

It sounds from your letter that God continues to grow you and draw you to Himself. There is nothing greater than to "wrestle" for a clear understanding of who He is. As far as prayer goes...Jesus gave us the illustration of the woman who keeps asking the judge to help her until he did. There is also many instances in Scripture where we are admonished to pray without ceasing. If you are praying for something in particular that would bring God honor..."salvation"..."comfort" ..."perseverance through a difficult trial"...."understanding of His character and Word"..."peace that surpasses understanding" I believe the Bible tells us that we pray and pray and pray. Now sometimes we pray for our comfort...desires....and God can choose to respond... but if He does not...again we go back to Scripture and understand that "God works all things out for our good" and we trust Him saying "No" or it may be "Not now". When that happens, we can rest that even though we have stopped praying, if it is for our "good" God will bring it about in due time. He does not forget...He does not catch-up to us...we don't even have to remind Him. When he says "No" then we have to trust that it is for our good. So to answer your question pray as long as you can...and when you stop, know that the Holy Spirit will continue your prayer in accordance to God's will.

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Looking at Chapter 9 : "Praying in God's Wisdom" we read:

"...we pray in accord with God's will when we ask Him to make us conscious of and submissive to the principles in His Word that apply to our situation." As Mr. Chapell writes Christian prudence is the second fence that lines up with the first one of Righteousness. These two fences guide our prayers. Christian prudence involves prayerfully seeking from God's Word, biblical counsel from peers and asking the Holy Spirit to guide us.
The distinction is made between the two fences that guide our prayers: "The fence of righteousness determines whether our prayer is moral; the fence of Christian prudence helps us determine if our prayer is wise"

Questions we should ask ourselves when determining if our prayers are wise are:
1--Is it loving? Are we considering others interests above our own (Phil. 2:3-8). Biblical priorities will not allow us to place our priorities first. We need to think how our prayer would affect others....family, friends, co-workers.

2--Is it legitimate? Legitimate prayers place God's priorities above ours. (1 Cor. 10:31) An example would be how we choose to use our spiritual gifts. If we choose to use them for our own gains and acclaim, we neglect God's priorities to serve Him first, even it means no personal fame, wealth or power.

3--Is it responsible? Responsible prayers pursue our own interests submitted under the authority of the Scriptures. (Matt 6:33). That means what we pursue should not discredit our witness for Christ. There are certain cear responsibilities given to fathers, mothers, children, workers and bosses. If we pray in any way that would hinder our witness before the people God has entrusted to us or with, then we are not praying in accordance to God's will. Mr Chapell says "integrity is more important than success, family security trumps personal desires and Christian testimony outweighs life itself. The order in each of these couplings is not reversible. We can not pray according to God's will and prioritize according to ours."

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Do these set of questions help you pray according to God's will? Does keeping these two fences "Righteousness and Christian Prudence" help guide your emotions and prayer life?
Any thoughts? more questions?
Tomorrow "The Internal Witness"

Q & A time...

Here are some recent questions being asked in light of what we are reading about prayer...

Thanks to those of you who e-mail me...your questions are often what many are thinking...

From Yvette:

"Hi Janet, Your post this week really spoke to me, and I just want to be sure that I am understanding you correctly. I don't personally ask God for signs in my life, but I do ask to be led according to His will. I also pray that all other doors would close (is that asking for a sign indirectly?) I understand that I am to meditate on God's Word daily and his plan for me will just unfold as I am being obedient in his Word. Is that right? I am not sure I understand......as a woman I am dependent on how situations make me feel, for example, my husband and I looked at a house a few weeks ago that needs a lot of work, but because I felt so comfortable in the home, it's a home we are now considering regardless of the work that needs to be done. Should I not go with my feeling or gut? Is it wrong to ask that God close all other options? Do I just rely on just praying and meditating on God's Word and letting Him gently guide me? I tend to question is it rely God's will? Or what is God's will? I want to do what He wants me to do in my life, but I am not always sure if He is leading me or my family. How does one know for sure? I love and miss you dearly, I am so thankful for your daily posts. Love,Yvette"

Reply:

Dear Yvette,

How precious is your heart. You are not alone when you wrestle over such things as a home to buy. I hope this gives you some comfort and relief. We have been talking about that in matters where we are not going against God's revealed will in the Scriptures, we do not need to burden ourselves and at times even immobilize our lives, thinking that we are going against God's will. We have seen that God has revealed enough in Scripture to outline for us a course of living...He has "Holy fenceposts" that guide us. What we need to ask ourselves are three basic questions: First, you must obey the moral will of God as it is revealed in Scripture. If Scripture prohibits the action in question, your decision is easy: don’t do it. Likewise, if one of the options in your choice causes you to neglect something God specifically commands you to do, you are required to make the choice that will allow you to fulfill your biblical obligation. Something we can ask ourselves when processing a decision: Does this choice bring us closer to righteous living? or would this choice cause us or anyone we are accountable for ( weaker brother or sister) to sin. So as you are looking at your choices, remember these two protective fencepost.

Often choices, if they do not lead us or others toward sin, are really a blessing. We thank God for the choices and we can make a decision confidently knowing that it is in God's will. It is the analogy of the apples in the basket. Choosing one does not make the others bad...we rejoice that God gives so richly.

Second, good decision-making requires that you exercise biblical wisdom. Such wisdom comes from a diligent study of God’s Word, coupled with God’s generous provision. James encourages those who lack wisdom to “ask of God, who gives to all men generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him” (James 1:5). To make wise decisions, you need to gather necessary information, consider all the options carefully, seek godly counsel, and then choose the option that is most sensible (Proverbs 2:1-11).

Finally, you need to consider your own desires. If the Bible is silent about your decision, and if one choice is not clearly wiser than the other, then do what you want. You have the freedom to do so, and God sovereignly works out His plan through your desires (Psalm 37:4; Philippians 2:13).

When looking at the house..just some practical ideas...will the extra expenses of "fixing up" the house add undue burden for you and your husband? It is already a lot to be settling into a new city...financially speaking will this be something you two can carry through at peace or will it cause division? Also I know you are looking at the neighborhood...how is it for raising children? How far are you from your Church? Godly friends? Things like that could guide us to make the decision.

Think through these things...trust God with your decision once you make it enjoy God's provision! Love your heart...and I thank God for what He is doing in you.

Janet

More Q & A tomorrow

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A couple of Mother's Day pictures....

Smile it is Friday!

My friend Nancy sent this and I thought it was perfect for our study in prayer...it also broughht a smile to my day!

Have a great Mother's day...I would love to hear what your Mother's Day celebration was like...send pictures or stories!

Praying with humility

In the last section of Chapter 8, Mr. Chapell writes:

"Humbly praying for the wisdom to apply God's Word to our circumstances is more important than praying for miraculous signs. While it may seem very spiritual to pray for God to make a flock of birds fly East if His answer is "yes" and West if the answer is "no". Scripture will not endorse such a request. Jesus said 'A wicked and adulterous generation looks for a miraculous sign' (Matt 16:4). The Bible says that God has already provided sufficient guidance in His Word for our decisions. (2 Tim. 3:16-17, 2 Peter 1:3-4)...We did not have to wait for mysterious intervention to make good decisions. If we pray for Godly wisdom to apply Biblical principles, we can make choices with the confidence of having God's approval."

Making Godly decisions is a matter of everyday living for us. As we have learned if we keep Godly "fence posts" we are free to move about within God's protection and believe that we are moving through His will. It is when our desires, emotions, worldly thinking override the clear directives God gives us, that we sin and as we saw, are guilty of blasphemy. When we continually ask for more signs and more signs, we are suggesting to God that He has not given us enough guidance in His Word. When we hear clearly in His Word and still demand more verification, we are like the Pharisees in Jesus time who kept asking for more miracles. In reality their heart was already given to another "husband". They never wanted to "know Christ" they wanted to affirm their adulterous hearts as they had chosen another love...themselves. How sad that we can do that at time...we ask God for a sign but in reality we are asking for Him to affirm our own feelings...often it is wordily affection that has come in our hearts and minds to usurp God's place.

I remember when one of my daughters was liking a young man in school. Talking to her week after week about "what would be the most God honoring relationship she could have with this young man?" As we talked over and over and read God's Word, she knew, that young man did not know Christ and the most God honoring relationship was one that would exhibit a saving relationship to him. She witnessed to him for the next two years. She knew what God's Word said "Do not be unequally yoked"...Today she is in a relationship with a godly young man and she is so grateful to have waited for what God had for her. Discipline, guarding her heart and a continually submission to God's revealed Word helped her walk through those years in God's will.

We walk in God's will when we submit humbly in prayers, we redirect our thoughts and affections towards His revealed Word and live with a confidence that says He will never forsake us.

Mr. Chapell ends this chapter:
"If our prayers involve a choice between alternatives, we should not pray for what the Bible disapproves or label as unrighteous what the Bible does not condemn. We discern God's will, by praying for Him to provide us with the wisdom and courage to abide by His Word and then we move forward with the confidence that He will rightly bless prayers offered in Jesus name."

What are your thoughts regarding this insight? Is there an area of your life, you are waiting for God to give you one more sign even though you know God has clearly spoken to you? Are you seeking first God's Word as you make decisions or are you letting your heart lead?

Next week...praying in God's Wisdom

In all things give thanks...

"Even when I am old and gray,
do not forsake me, O God,
till I declare your power to the next generation,
your might to all who are to come.
Your righteousness reaches to the skies, O God,
you who have done great things.
Who, O God, is like you?
Though you have made me see troubles, many and bitter,
you will restore my life again;
from the depths of the earth
you will again bring me up."

Psalm 71:18-20

Are there day's that you feel "older" than the previous day? When we say to ourselves, "I need time for myself" or "If I was just younger...I would do different" Many times I have heard women say..."If I only could have known the things I know about God earl er...I could have taught my kids better"

What great condemnation we live when we think like that. But God is not like that His mercies are new every morning. His grace carries us into our old age. God never discards us...He has something for us to do... "declare your power to the next generation". That is the duty of a Christian and it is the joy of a Christian mom...grandmother. We never can retire. If you are sensing that there is not much to do now...can I encourage you to find and "adopt". If you have no one in your household...there is someone in your neighborhood, church even "golf" circle who needs to hear about the power of our God. Let's not be silent...there is much still to do.
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Today's post on the Pulpit magazine reinforces much of what we talked about earlier in the week. I share it with you as additional comfort and encouragement to enjoy the freedom of God's protection in His Word to make wise decisions.


"How can Christians make God-honoring decisions?
Decision-making can be a daunting task for anyone, but Christians have the unique advantage of making decisions that are informed by God’s Word. To do so, there are at least three factors to consider.
First, you must obey the moral will of God as it is revealed in Scripture. If Scripture prohibits the action in question, your decision is easy: don’t do it.
Likewise, if one of the options in your choice causes you to neglect something God specifically commands you to do, you are required to make the choice that will allow you to fulfill your biblical obligation. For example, if God requires you to be an active part of a local church — Hebrews 10:25 indicates that He does — any decision that prohibits you from that is against God’s revealed will. In order to uphold God’s moral will in your decision making, ask yourself, “What does God’s Word say about it?” If it says anything, obey that (1 John 5:3). If it says nothing, you have freedom and do not need to fear missing God’s will or sinning against Him (Romans 14:2-6, 22).
Second, good decision-making requires that you exercise biblical wisdom. Such wisdom comes from a diligent study of God’s Word, coupled with God’s generous provision. James encourages those who lack wisdom to “ask of God, who gives to all men generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him” (James 1:5). To make wise decisions, you need to gather necessary information, consider all the options carefully, seek godly counsel, and then choose the option that is most sensible (Proverbs 2:1-11).
Finally, you need to consider your own desire. If the Bible is silent about your decision, and if one choice is not clearly wiser than the other, then do what you want. You have the freedom to do so, and God sovereignly works out His plan through your desires (Psalm 37:4; Philippians 2:13).
The above process presupposes that you are submitted to Christ and filled with the Spirit. Otherwise you won’t be able to make biblical decisions, as sin blinds your ability to understand and apply God’s Word to your life. However, if you do have a vital relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ and are walking in the Spirit — as opposed to the flesh — you are free to make decisions so long as they don’t violate God’s revealed (moral) will. You shouldn’t be concerned that your decisions will somehow derail God’s sovereign will for you life, because He routinely works through your decisions to accomplish what He purposes."

For more on decision-making and the will of God, see this transcript from Grace to You.

Obeying God's standard

Ever wonder as you are seeking God's direction "Lord, if you could just let me know...I will do as you show" A few months ago I was sensing that God was moving my life into a "new" phase. My youngest was no longer in elementary school, my eldest was in her third year of college and my Kaity was going to start college. Needless to say, as many of us have transitioned from one phase of schooling to another, we get "growing pangs" from a mom's perspective. Letting go is always difficult...but yet you would not have it any other way.

As I contemplated all these changes, I knew my time would be freed up. I confess, I have a tendency to love fun...I love getting up with no demands to the day and just letting either David or friends "take me away!". But I also know that this is a very selfish and self-serving, so I needed to "know" what to do with my time.

As I prayed God began to show me in His Word that time is not mine but His. He is the creator of it...He ordains the days and He desires for us to "make disciples". My heart was preparing for what He had, and just as He prepared He provided an avenue in which to serve and honor Him. There were lots of choices...which one to choose was a bit hard but ultimately it lead to this blog and our "Girl's Book Club" ...now He has moved again. I am excited where He has lead me and His confirmation continues.

I love what Mr. Chapel says in this chapter... "Only through obedience can we know God's will---and pray for it" It is true...we can not predict the future. We live in obedience to God's revealed Word and often there can be choices within these parameters.

The question to ask is "What does God's revealed Word tell us about what He desires for us?" Scripture tells us "it is God's will that you be sanctified." 1 Thess 4:3. God's revealed Word tells us He wants us to be like His son, Jesus. So because God's will is clearly stated in Scripture we can make choices and decisions based on "does this provide an environment for me to grow in Christ-likeness?" If the answer is "Yes" then we can move with confidence that it is God's will. God does not increase our holiness in any other way than through obedience and dependence on Him.

Mr Chapell puts it this way..."Prayers for our sanctification ask God to strengthen our understanding of the requirements given in His Word---and to give us the strength to do them."

He goes on to say, " We often ask God to guide us between alternatives that seem equally righteous. If no options clearly oppose Scripture, how do we determine God's will? First do not claim anything you do not know. If God has not addressed the issue in the Bible, do not pretend He has. Only God's standards have moral authority--the right to determine right and wrong....Christians usurp the Bible's authority when they force varying moral values into legitimate options the Lord provides. "

Knowing God's clear teachings of what He accepts and rejects provide "fence-posts" that guide us through God's will. "The first problem with labeling right or wrong that which the Bible does not, is the creation of choice paralysis. The fear that some choice might be wrong lends some people never to make a choice....the second problem with assigning moral status to legitimate options is ingratitude for multiple blessings. " emphasis mine.

He goes on to illustrate: "If we saw our choices like apples in a basket, we would not worry that the selection of one of those apples was good and all the other apples were evil. We would simply be glad we had so many apples to choose from. In the same way, it's better to rejoice that God gives the blessing of multiple right choices than to condemn any as evil without the warrant of God's Word."

I love that...if we are living under the clear guidance, direction and teaching of God's Word, we are free to make choices that will honor Him. As long as we operate with the wisdom that His Word provides, we do not need to fear operating outside of His will. We can be grateful for the many choices He gives...for the blessings. When I view my decisions that way, I know He will order the events of my life, even when I don't immediately see results, I know that all will work for my good because my heavenly Father will accomplish His will in me. How about you?

Praying Backwards Chapter 8

It is great to be getting back to our Book Club reading. I apologize to those of you who have been keeping up with the book via this blog. The last two weeks seem like blur to me with so much going on here at home. But I was once again refreshed with Mr. Chapell's teaching. Chapter 8 is titled "Praying God's Will" and even though I believe we have touched on this subject many times before, he gets down to some good specifics and practicality of "How to pray God's will" or "How to know God's will".
He begins...
"How can we know God's will? No question has been asked more often...There's good reason for this question...Even the apostle Paul did not always know God's will. Paul acknowledged 'We do not know what we ought to pray for' (Rom. 8:26)...
Our humanity limits our knowing many specifics of God's will. Still the Bible teaches us to pray according to His will. How do we do that? The fence posts in the snow help explain.
To pray in accord with God's will, we do not need to pretend to see all the details of the road into the future. Instead, we determine if our prayers are heading in the right direction by steering between two spiritual fence rows: the fence of biblical righteousness and the fence of Christian prudence. On this prayer journey we may without shame confess we do not know what to ask for , but if our prayers are kept between these fences, we can be confident that they are within God's will."

So the two questions we always need to ask before we pray: Is what I am praying for righteous? And also is it guided by Christian prudence? It is important to note that prayers outside these parameters are not in His will. Mr. Chapell goes on to give some very practical and common illustrations of what constitute these requests.

"God's Word is more authoritative than personal feelings or priorities. Mess with that order and you will pray outside of God's will. In praying to wed a non-Christian to whom they are romantically drawn, Christians give their feelings greater authority than God's Word".

I have to pause a minute here, because so often what we hear is "Doesn't God want me to be happy?" "Can it every be wrong to love like this?" or "I can witness to this person in a marriage and God will save them". Here, it is clear that we have let our personal feelings guide and even validate what we know to be contrary to God's will. What God desires is for us to be protected and content...happiness is just to arbitrary. What makes one person happy may not necessarily make the other. So God desires for us to live under the protection of His Word. God delights in the obedience of His children. When we see His Word as precious and good, we will gladly wait upon Him to bring us His good. That might be saying no to that relationship and waiting on Him even depending on Him.

Mr. Chapell gives some additional examples..."In praying for God to harm someone we refuse to forgive, we vent our anger in a heavenly direction but ignore the directions of God's Word. Praying for a house to sell while keeping buyers unaware of its problems make our relief more important that our testimony. Our feelings become our authority whenever they determine the priorities of our prayers. In essence we pray in the name of our comfort, or anger, our ambition or our lust. Imagine how that sounds to God. Praying in Jesus name requires that we give His Word authority over our desires. We can and must do this in faith that the Good Shepherd will always guide us in the path that is best."

This chapter takes us deep into conviction. It is not just opinion but conviction that God's Word is Truth and a requisite for Christians. God's Word calls us to take every thought captive under the authority of Christ. To let our feelings lead us in prayers is like sparking a wild-fire. It will lead us down wrong thinking, a wrong view of God and ultimately shows the world the ambiguity of God's revealed will. That is where relativism comes in...in today's culture there are no absolutes. Whatever you desire, just by simply wanting it, entitles you to it. But we must be careful to examine our desires and place them within the parameters of God's revealed Word.

Any thoughts or comments?

Tomorrow...obeying God's revealed will...how important is it?

Smile it is Friday...

Here are some pictures of the Naples Girls getting together yesterday. Thanks to Teresa's mentoring, we learned how to make apple pies! Great time and our hubbies were happy when they got home!

We also had time to discuss

chapters six through eight.

Also...received this e-mail earlier in the week.

Thought you'd enjoy...thanks Lynda.

Child's book report on the entire Bible

A child was told to write a book report on the entire Bible.

This is rather amazing. I wonder how often we take for granted that children understand what we are teaching??? Through the eyes of a child.

Children's Bible in a Nutshell:

In the beginning, which occurred near the start, there was nothing but God, darkness, and some gas.
The Bible says, 'The Lord thy God is one, but I think He must be a lot older than that. Anyway, God said, 'Give me a light!' and someone did. Then, God made the world. He split the Adam and made Eve. Adam and Eve were naked, but they weren't embarrassed because mirrors hadn't been invented yet. Adam and Eve disobeyed God by eating 1 bad apple, so they were driven from the Garden of Eden. Not sure what they were driven in, though, because they didn't have cars.
Adam and Eve had a son, Cain, who hated his brother as long as he was Abel. Pretty soon, all of the early people died off, except for Methuselah, who lived to be like a million or something.

One of the next important people was Noah, who was a good guy, but one of his kids was kind of a Ham. Noah built a large boat and put his family and some animals on it. He asked some other people to join him, but they said they would have to take a rain check. After Noah came Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Jacob was more famous than his brother, Esau, because Esau sold Jacob his birthmark in exchange for some pot roast. Jacob had a son named Joseph who wore a really loud sports coat.

Another important Bible guy is Moses, whose real name was Charlton Heston. Moses led the Israel Lights out of Egypt and away from the evil Pharaoh after God sent 10 plagues on Pharaoh's people. These plagues included frogs, mice, lice, bowels, and no cable. God fed the Israel Lights every day with manicotti. Then, he gave them His Top Ten Commandments. These include don't lie, cheat, smoke, dance, or covet your neighbor's stuff. Oh, yeah, I just thought of one more: Humor thy father and thy mother. One of Moses' best helpers was Joshua who was the first Bible guy to use spies. Joshua fought the battle of Geritol and the fence fell over on the town. After Joshua came David. He got to be king by killing a giant with a slingshot. He had a son named Solomon who had about 300 wives and 500 porcupines. My teacher says he was wise, but that doesn't sound very wise to me. After Solomon, there were a bunch of major league prophets. One of these was Jonah, who was swallowed by a big whale and then barfed upon the shore. There were also some minor league prophets, but I guess we don't have to worry about them.

After the Old Testament came the New Testament. Jesus is the star of the New Testament. He was born in Bethlehem in a barn. (I wish I had been born in a barn, too, because my mom is always saying to me, 'Close the door! Were you born in a barn?') It would be nice to say yes. During His life, Jesus had many arguments with sinners like the Pharisees and the Democrats. Jesus also had 12 opossums. The worst one was Judas Asparagus. Judas was so evil that they named a terrible vegetable after him. Jesus was a great man. He healed many leopards and even preached to some Germans on the Mount. But the politicians and all those guys put Jesus on trial before Pontius the Pilot. Pilot didn't stick up for Jesus. He just washed his hands instead. Any way's, Jesus died for our sins, then came back to life again. He went up to Heaven but will be back at the end of the Aluminum. His return is foretold in the book of Revolution.

Guides for our young adults

Hi everyone! Glad to be back home. I am still processing so ,much of last week away...later I will share some of the great principles I learned. A friend sent these to me not to long ago...
Some of us have smaller children but many of us have children that are beginning the dating process or courtships. Here are some wonderful guidelines to begin to share and encourage them with. For those of you who are yourselves in this process, let me know your thoughts!

For girls...
1) A godly woman should allow the man to initiate the relationship. This does not mean that she does nothing. She helps! If she thinks there is a good possibility for a relationship, she puts him at east and encourages him as opportunities arise.
2) A godly woman should speak positively and respectfully about her boyfriend in his presence and absence.
3) A godly woman should give honest attention to his interests.
4) A godly woman should recognize the sexual temptations with which a single man will normally struggle and will avoid potentially compromising situations.
5) A godly woman will build up the man with God's Word and give encouragement to godly leadership. She should allow and seek biblical encouragement from the man she is dating.
6) A godly woman will make "helping" and "respecting" the watchwords of her behavior toward a man.
7). A godly woman will remember that the man is her brother in the Lord. She should not be afraid to end an unhealthy relationship but should seek to do so with charity and grace.

And for guys:
1) Commit to take the lead in the godliness of your relationship.
2) Decide before starting the relationship if you are willing to love a woman in the self-sacrificing, nurturing way the Bible describes.
3) Seek out her interests and spend time doing them with her.
4) Be willing to talk about the relationship. In fact, be the one to initiate honest dialog about it.
5) Pay attention to the cares and burdens of her heart. Be supportive rather than critical.
6) Do not be shy in ministering the Word to her. Do not preach, but exhort.
7) If something about her bothers you, seek to encourage her in that area.

Holding Hands, Holding Hearts, Phillips (P&R, 2006).

NAPLES GIRLS BOOK CLUB...
WE MEET TOMORROW TO DISCUSS CHAPTER 6-8!
ALSO A GREAT TREAT FOR OUR HUBBIES AND FAMILIES...WE WILL BE MAKING APPLE PIES WITH TERESA'S HELP. BRING ROLLING PIN, PIE PLATE, PASTRY CUTTER AND $5.
10:00-12:00. SEE YOU THEN!

Friday Insights:

Here is another wonderful article from the Archives at Pulpit Magazine:

Have a wonderful weekend!

One dynamic of Children’s Ministries at Grace Community Church is that most of the children we minister to come from Christian families. Many of them are blessed with the sound and systematic teaching from God’s Word both at home and in the church, and even sometimes in school. This is something to be grateful for, but it also presents a unique challenge to those of us in Children’s Ministries. While the world breeds rebels, the church can unwittingly breed hypocrites.
It is the sad testimony of church history that the works and expressions of sacrificial love and devotion of one generation of Christians can quickly turn into legalistic rules and regulations for the next. The convictions of the first generation become the caprice of the second. It is sad and shameful how quickly the Object of wonder and worship of a generation can become the boredom and betrayal of the next. Hypocrisy is an imminent and evident threat to the church of Jesus Christ.
Churched children are seldom given to outright defiance of authority; they are much more susceptible to the poison of Pharisaism. Hypocrisy in the heart is much more difficult to spot than disobedient behavior. The Bible gives us some definite character traits of the pretentious pietist, and here is what they may look like in a child:

His outward behavior and adherence to rules are driven by a desire to please men, not by a love for God with all his heart, soul, mind and strength (Mk. 12:30).

Doing good works and having them observed by adults is more important than the action itself (Mt. 6:5).

The child is openly obedient and responsive – asking to pray before bedtime with you – while maintaining a quietly deceitful and rebellious attitude (Gal. 6:7).

He scrupulously observes the letter of the law – like religiously bringing his Bible to church – but neglects the weightier spirit of the law – like sharing his favorite toys with his siblings (Mt. 23:23).

He craves the verbal praises and tangible rewards of his parents and teachers, but cares little for the approbation of God Himself (Jn. 12:43). Left unchecked by the grace and Word of God, by the time such a child reaches his teenage years, hypocrisy can have entrenched itself.

This teen prefers well-defined, black and white rules, for they give him a sense of certainty that God must surely reward those achievements (Lk. 18:12).

He adds a layer of rules to the Word of God (like not watching any movies, not listening to popular music, et cetera), giving the impression that he holds to a higher standard than Holy Scripture (Mt. 23:4).

He tends to propose personal preferences as, or elevate them above, divine imperatives (Mt. 15:2-3).

He pursues perfectionism (Phil. 3:6), not excellence (Phil. 3:12-14).

He separates himself from others he considers of lesser cultural morality – people whose table manners, courtesy of speech, and refinement of mannerisms do not match middle-class norms (Lk. 15:1-2).

He is judgmental – he excels at fault-finding, he loves to pick verbal fights – and the standard by which he condemns others is not primarily biblical, but personal, preferential, or traditional (Mt. 7:5). He fights against many people, against many issues, but he does not know who he is fighting for.

Hypocrisy is the pretense of virtue or piousness that is contrary to one’s real character. And make no mistake, hypocrisy spreads like an unseen cancer. Everything appears alive and spiritually vital, then suddenly, the person is dull –and soon dead. The Lord specifically warned His disciples, “Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy.” (Lk. 12:1) Since hypocrisy is hidden deep within the recesses of the heart, it goes on unchecked and will hollow out its victim from the inside.

One of the dangers is that these outwardly compliant children receive much approval from parents and teachers. So they are encouraged to continue the duplicity unless anti-hypocritical measures are employed. We can certainly teach and militate against hypocrisy in the following ways:
Instead of just dealing with external behavior issues, we should seize every opportunity to help children understand that it is their hearts that generate their actions (Mt. 15:19). In His judgment of man, God looks at the heart (1 Sam.16:7). We should never equate occasions of good behavior (professions of love for Jesus, acts of compliance, et cetera) with saving faith in Jesus. We need to go beyond fixing wrong behavior to helping the child understand that his evil heart can only be changed by the Lord in regeneration.
Emphasize the affections of NT religion. Make sure that we are not just aiming at a young person’s understanding, but that we reach for the heart and its affections.

Do not encourage children to exhibit their talents and gifts to impress others. They should be reminded that all that they are and have are gifts of grace from God (1 Cor. 4:7), and they should not regard themselves more highly than they ought (Rom. 12:3).

Teach the truth about integrity – which comes from the word for “integer” or “whole.” For a child with integrity, whichever way you turn them, they look they same. Who they are at church, is who they are in school, is who they are at home. This is what our kids should be.

Do not be afraid to share our spiritual and moral failures with children in instances where they can identify with our shortcomings. This allows us to be authentic with them. It also allows us to demonstrate our response to God when we have done wrong, and our reliance on Him to continue molding our hearts.
Be authentic in your love for Christ. Genuine desire for Christ is not easily faked. Let your zeal be a barometer by which they measure their own affection for Christ.
Hypocrisy is an insidious danger in Children’s Ministries today. It also threatens each individual home. As parents, it is our job to honor the intention of Psalm 78:4-6:

We will not conceal [the Word of God] from their children, But tell to the generations to come the praises of the LORD, and His strength and His wondrous works that He has done, that they should teach [the law] to their children, that the generation to come might know, even the children yet to be born, That they may arise and tell them to their children. emphasis mine

* Kurt serves as the Pastor of Children’s Ministries at Grace Church.
http://www.sfpulpit.com/2007/10/05/raising-pharisees/

Parenting Proverbs

Today we had a great "Naples Girls Book Club" gathering. It was rich with God centered discussion and insight. We all thought this book "Praying Backwards" is one of the best we have ever read. If you have not purchased it yet, I highly recommend it for this Summer. Even though I have tried to highlight some of the passages here, it does not do the book justice.

For the next two weeks we will work through Chapters 6-8. However, I will be out of town next week, so there will be no postings. I will miss you all...this study and blog has been most enriching to my walk with the Lord. Thank you for questions, comments and encouragement. Please pray for me next week, as I will be in a "training time" for ministry next year.

For today...on the Pulpit blog were some insightful verses regarding parenting from Proverbs.


The book of Proverbs is a wonderful, intensely practical guide that contains much wisdom you can impart to your children as you train them in godly living. For your benefit, we’ve compiled ten lessons from Proverbs you should teach to your children. We’re convinced that, in the process of teaching those ten lessons, you’ll unearth many more principles from Proverbs that will serve your children well their entire lives.
Teach your children:
1. To have a healthy fear of God (1:7; 9:10; 10:27; 14:26-27; 15:16; 16:6; 19:23)
2. To guard their minds (4:23; 23:7)
3. To obey you (1:8; 4:1-4; 6:20-23; 30:17)
4. To carefully select their companions (1:11-18; 2:10-15; 13:20)
5. To control their sinful desires (2:16-19; 5:3-5; 6:23-33; 7:6-27)
6. To enjoy sexual fidelity (5:15-20)
7. To watch their words (4:24; 10:11, 19-21, 32; 12:18, 22; 15:1-2; 16:23; 20:15)
8. To pursue their work (6:6-11; 10:4-5; 22:29)
9. To manage their money (3:9-10; 11:24-26; 19:17; 22:9)
10. To love their neighbors (3:27-29; 25:21-22)

http://www.sfpulpit.com/

Praying Boldly...Chapter 5

Today much of society's advances come about through the old saying "it's not what you know but WHO you know." In job interviews, school placements, advancements even social acceptance it is often aided by who we know. Their position and reputation can get us access to events and even people.

When we pray boldly, we pray not in our own confidence and identity, but on Christ's. In the book "Praying Backwards" Mr. Chapell explains " Our identity as sinful creatures, alienated from the Father has forever been eclipsed by our union with the son He loves."

Ephesians 2:13-22
"But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near through the blood of Christ.
For he himself is our peace, who has made the two one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, by abolishing in his flesh the law with its commandments and regulations. His purpose was to create in himself one new man out of the two, thus making peace, and in this one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility. He came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near. For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit.
Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God's people and members of God's household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit."

"We are now "in Christ" at the same time that He is in us. Through this on-going union, Jesus provides His righteousness for our sin, His strength for our weakness and His relationship with the Fatter to replace our alienation."

So we now have the privileges that are Christ's as the Father's Son. With that privilege and honor comes freedom to enter God's Throne of Grace and speak to the One who rules sovereignly over all things. Mr. Chapell mentions "types" of prayers that can now distinguish us as Christians.

1) Imposing Prayer. Prayer that can come at all hours and at all times. Prayer that has absolute assurance of our Father's care and do not hesitate to ask with confidence that He hears.

2) Pervasive Prayer. Mr. Chapell puts it this way "Despite the Bible's assurance that God listens to us...we may still be hesitant to pray. We avoid prayers that seem to impose on God, either because we perceive Him as harsh or because we perceive Him as so good that it seems ungrateful to ask more. Jesus addresses both concerns. He teaches us to pray for matters large and small without fearing that our prayers will offend the Father." It is important to remember that God is more interested to hear from us than to grade our prayers. We can now pray concerning great matters or small matters.

He ends the chapter "The confidence that we express in such bold prayer is not in the answer we desire but in God. " Again we can boldly and confidently petition God to be God. We can't presume to direct God's thoughts or actions as a due response to our prayers. But we can confidently and boldly ask to reveal His power and perfect will to us. We pray for strength to persevere, to find joy, to exalt the cross and to rest that His divine plan will work out for our eternal good.

A new affection...

The Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals published this letter from Sinclair Ferguson. I thought his words and insights provide further direction and thought regarding praying for the Glory of God. He makes a wonderful point that the love of the world and the love of the Father can not dwell together. One will overide the other. Our first love, the world, can only be expelled by a new love and affection---for God and from God. That is so much of what we have been talking about....

Expelling Worldliness with a New Affection
By Sinclair Ferguson

Thomas Chalmers (1780-1847) was one of the most remarkable men of his time—a mathematician, evangelical theologian, economist, ecclesiastical, political, and social reformer all in one. His most famous sermon was published under the unlikely title: “The Expulsive Power of a New Affection.” In it he expounded an insight of permanent importance for Christian living: you cannot destroy love for the world merely by showing its emptiness. Even if we could do so, that would lead only to despair. The first world–centered love of our hearts can be expelled only by a new love and affection—for God and from God. The love of the world and the love of the Father cannot dwell together in the same heart. But the love of the world can be driven out only by the love of the Father. Hence Chalmers’ sermon title. True Christian living, holy and right living, requires a new affection for the Father as its dynamic. Such new affection is part of what William Cowper called “the blessedness I knew when first I saw the Lord”—a love for the holy that seems to deal our carnal affections a deadly blow at the beginning of the Christian life. Soon, however, we discover that for all that we have died to sin in Christ, sin has by no means died in us. Sometimes its continued influence surprises us, even appears to overwhelm us in one or other of its manifestations. We discover that our “new affections” for spiritual things must be renewed constantly throughout the whole of our pilgrimage. If we lose the first love we will find ourselves in serious spiritual peril.
Sometimes we make the mistake of substituting other things for it. Favorites here are activity and learning. We become active in the service of God ecclesiastically (we gain the positions once held by those we admired and we measure our spiritual growth in terms of position achieved); we become active evangelistically and in the process measure spiritual strength in terms of increasing influence; or we become active socially, in moral and political campaigning, and measure growth in terms of involvement. Alternatively, we recognize the intellectual fascination and challenge of the gospel and devote ourselves to understanding it, perhaps for its own sake, perhaps to communicate it to others. We measure our spiritual vitality in terms of understanding, or in terms of the influence it gives us over others. But no position, influence, or evolvement can expel love for the world from our hearts. Indeed, they may be expressions of that very love. Others of us make the mistake of substituting the rules of piety for loving affection for the Father: “Do not handle! Do not taste! Do not touch!” Such disciplines have an air of sanctity about them, but in fact they have no power to restrain the love of the world. The root of the matter is not on my table, or in my neighborhood, but in my heart. Worldliness has still not been expelled. It is all too possible, in these different ways, to have the form of genuine godliness (how subtle our hearts are!) without its power. Love for the world will not have been expunged, but merely diverted.
Only a new love is adequate to expel the old one. Only love for Christ, with all that it implies, can squeeze out the love of this world. Only those who long for Christ’s appearing will be delivered from Demas-like desertion caused by being in love with this world.

How can we recover the new affection for Christ and his kingdom that so powerfully impacted our life-long worldliness, and in which we crucified the flesh with its lusts? What was it that created that first love in any case? Do you remember? It was our discovery of Christ’s grace in the realization of our own sin. We are not naturally capable of loving God for himself, indeed we hate him. But in discovering this about ourselves, and in learning of the Lord’s supernatural love for us, love for the Father was born. Forgiven much, we loved much. We rejoiced in the hope of glory, in suffering, even in God himself. This new affection seemed first to overtake our worldliness, then to master it. Spiritual realities—Christ, grace, Scripture, prayer, fellowship, service, living for the glory of God—filled our vision and seemed so large, so desirable that other things by comparison seemed to shrink in size and become bland to the taste. The way in which we maintain “the expulsive power of a new affection” is the same as the way we first discovered it. Only when grace is still “amazing” to us does it retain its power in us. Only as we retain a sense of our own profound sinfulness can we retain a sense of the graciousness of grace. Many of us share Cowper’s sad questions: “Where is the blessedness I knew when first I saw the Lord? Where is the soul-refreshing view of Jesus and his word?” Let us remember the height from which we have fallen, repent and return to those first works. It would be sad if the deepest analysis of our Christianity was that it lacked a sense of sin and of grace. That would suggest that we knew little if the expulsive power of a new affection. But there is no right living that last without it.
To read further:
http://www.alliancenet.org/partner/Article_Display_Page/0,,PTID307086%7CCHID560462%7CCIID1947798,00.html

Changed by God's Spirit through Prayer

Finishing Chapter 4 in Bryan Chapell's book, we end this chapter with a confident look at God changing our affections when we pray in the power of the Holy Spirit. Before we can ever expect our lives to change and our desires for God's will to be supreme in our lives, I believe we must: 1) Know God's mind and character (that reveals what His will is for us in the sense that His will never contradicts His character and 2) as we know Him better we can discipline our minds to reject the allure of worldliness and seek the purity of fellowship with Him.
What I mean by the last statement is that we must value what is of God. I think why many wrestle so long with God's will is that we find it quite enjoyable and pleasurable to "have things go as we want and desire". There are many times when God's way just did not appeal to my flesh. To be honest, most of us see God's will as something we reluctantly go with thinking "it will work out and I will just suffer until it does" What a burdensome approach many of us take.
Mr. Chapell puts it this way:
"Many people pray ritualistically from release from destructive urges in the vain expectation that the LABOR will itself bribe God to unleash His power and eradicate sinful desire. Such persons discipline themselves to pray with the expectation that God will be moved to help them in response to the massive burden of prayer they have assumed to satisfy Him. They offer to God that which they don't want to do, to get what they want from Him. Yet when we pray in the Spirit, we are filled with wanting Christ. We delight to speak with the One whom we love, because we have no greater want than to discover His wants. The discipline of prayer may still challenge us, and our hearts may grow cold, BUT THE SPIRIT-FILLED HEART STILL YEARNS FOR NEARNESS TO GOD AND LONGS FOR PATHS BACK TO WARM FELLOWSHIP." (emphasis mine)

That's why I believe the more we know of Christ's character, His desires and His delights we will come to know the Father. "This is my beloved Son, in Whom I am well-pleased" Matt. 3:17. To know His beloved Son pleases God the Father. It also changes us from the inside out because the Holy Spirit gives testament to Christ. The Holy Spirit affirms our new affections towards the Son and all that He is. The Holy Spirit also empowers us with the strength to replace our desires with God the Father's desires. So praying does not become something we have to do, because we want to ask...but rather, it becomes a dialogue where we just want to know more about Him. We find joy in time spent with Him for the sheer pleasure of it.
I can remember when David and I where dating. I would love to go on long drives with him just to get to know him better. There was no other reason I wanted to be with him than just to be with him. That is how a love grew between us and then a commitment. Today, I love to do things that will bring joy to him...not because I have to as his wife, but because I delight to delight him. Is that the way we approach our relationship with God? Could that be something we change?

We pray desiring all that God wills for us but also knowing that we are His children. It is the relationship we have towards Him that brings us to Him. The Holy Spirit affirms our fellowship with the Father. We pray as cherished children...the beloved of God...the Bride of Christ.

Mr. Chapell finishes the chapter with : "The eternal God listens to mere mortals like us. He grants His Holy Spirit to conform our will to His and to transform our prayers into His purposes...We should not have to know the precise ways that God will answer our prayers to be eager to speak to the One who loves us so much--and sovereignly rules all things."

May our love for Christ grow more and more as we spend time with Him in prayer, Bible study and meditations of His marvelous character.
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TOMORROW CHAPTER 5 "PRAYING BOLDLY"
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Naples Girls:
Thursday Brunch
10-12p.m.

Prayer that produces new affections

Today, I leave with my girls for a road trip to take a look at a University. We've decided to all go and make it a "mom and her girls" weekend...I am looking forward to spending some time with them and watching them encourage Kaity with her college choice. Because I will be away from a computer, there will be no posting tomorrow. But those of you reading the book, continue through Chapter 5.

We left yesterday looking at the role of the Holy Spirit in our prayer. He prays with fervor and intercedes for us in accordance to God's will. (Rom 8:26-27) Lastly, we saw that the world distracts and challenges our affection to pray as we ought to. But we have a great "comforter", "counselor" whose divine power stimulates a preeminent love for Jesus. Bryan Chapell brings us to a great passage in scripture on the love of God. As we meditate on these verses, I pray that a vibrant, ever-growing and satisfying love for God would grow in each of us. You may ask, how can my love for Christ grow? Let these thoughts settle in your heart...

"...I pray that out of His glorious riches He may strengthen you with power through His spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in you heart though faith. And I pray that you being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ..." Eph.3:14-19

When I think of this kind of love for me, I am overwhelmed.
How wide is His love? Wide enough to bring all kinds of people together...wide enough to cross racial barriers, prejudices. Wide enough to include the outcast...those that are far off. God's love is wide enough to bring back that wayward child, the spouse that has left.
How long is His love? Long enough to remember the forgotten ones. Long enough to last for eternity. Long enough to redeem a lost generation and long enough to carry us through suffering and then into glory. Long enough for you to be not forgotten. Long enough to bring you back to Him...no matter how far you've gone.
How deep is His love? Deep enough to forgive even the vilest of sinners. Deep enough to see our heart and replace it with a heart for Him. Deep enough to heal emotional wounds caused by broken relationships. Deep enough to get you out of the pit of depression. Deep enough to do heart surgery in an unsaved spouse...child. Deep enough to change lives and marriages from the inside out.
How high is His love? High enough to secure a future in eternity for us. High enough to lift you out of suffering. High enough to give us a high-view of Himself. High enough to give you a place to reign with Him. High enough that all His promises are "yes". High enough to lift you out of that abusive job...relationship. High enough that nothing shall separate you from His love...

"Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation or distress or persecution or famine or nakedness or peril or sword?...But in all things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life nor angels nor principalities nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth nor any other created thing shall be able to separate me from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." Romans 8:35-39

Discovering a love like this transforms us because it creates a closer more mature relationship with God. These affections overwhelm us and drive us to prayer that is God-focused, Christ exalting and Holy Spirit empowered.
A love like this brings new meaning to life...it does not cancel the difficulties of life, but it provides direction, comfort and power to live Christ-like. Old pursuits can still beckon us but they don't satisfy as they once did. Our prayers reflect more of His character than ours.

Bryan Chapell writes: "A heart formerly cold towards God does not become warm toward His purposes by a mere act of willpower. While we can will a change in behavior, we do not by an act of will change our estimation of the attractive, appealing and lovely. I do not suddenly find fudge brownies unappealing simply because I learn of their calorie content. My willpower may stop my eating but it does not stop my wanting. But the Spirit can reconstruct the affections of our heart. This is a supernatural work, aided by our prayers but not accomplished by them apart from the Spirit"

As we meditate on Christ's love, our love for Him will grow and with the power of the Holy Spirit as the old hymn goes "the things of the earth will go strangely dim,"
Are you filled with a clear, wondrous view of Christ's love? Do you desire to know more and more of Him? The discipline of prayer may still be a challenge, but when you stop and sit at the Throne of Grace, you long for more time with Him. Prayer grows cold and ritualistic when we dim His glory...it grows fervent and satisfying when we see Him in His fullness. I pray that for all of us.

Prayer designed by the Spirit

Yesterday we looked at the Holy Spirit's fervor in praying on believers' behalf when we don't know how to pray.

"In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for , but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groans that words can not express. And He who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit; because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance to God's will".

The word "weakness" does not necessarily refer to a certain weakness we may be experiencing, but the overall weakness of our humanness. We have a limited understanding and weak physical strength...just as the disciples when Jesus asked them to stay and pray the night He would be arrested, they fell asleep because of their physical weakness. Matt 26:36-43. But the Holy Spirit is not limited by anything...He knows the will of God because He is God...part of the Trinity.
Because of our imperfect perspectives, finite minds, human frailties we need the Holy Spirit who is continually praying on our behalf with God's perfect will as the end result. He molds the content of our prayers to fit the purposes of God.

As Mr. Chapell writes: "We know that God's will is to make us more Christlike (1 Thess 4:3) but apart from this goal we can rarely (if ever) know God's desires precisely. Were we with Joseph, we would have prayed for his rescue from his brothers plot to sell him into slavery...Were we at the cross, we would have cried for God to send His angels to the rescue. " When believers pray, we pray with confidence in the power of the Holy Spirit to mold our prayers in full accordance to God's will. We don't need to pretend that we have everything figured out. We have to acknowledge our dependency on the wisdom of God.

Yet, despite our limited vision, Spirit-filled prayer is a powerful force. Spirit-filled, God exalting prayer changes life. We stand amazed as we look back and we see the very hand of God upon us and praise His handy-work. Spirit-filled, God exalting prayer brings God into focus. Had it gone exactly as we had thought, we would take the credit and dim God's glory. Spirit-filled, God exalting prayer brings into our minds God Himself. We begin to see things with that eternal perspective.

Mr Chapell writes: "God knows that when our heart beats in rhythm with His, His greatest joys are ours. We are never richer than when we are emptied of earthly ambitions and fulfilled by Christ's desire. We are never more satisfied than when we are content with His plan for our lives. We know no greater peace than when we are confident His love hedges our lives so that nothing enters except that which makes us more like the Son whom the heavenly Father cherishes. In short when we have no greater desire than for Jesus to be glorified in us, He grants the desires of our heart."

The last thing the spirit does through prayers is change our affections. The world is constantly wooing us away from godly things. The world challenges our affection as tries to get us to exchange the eternal for the temporal. Even this morning as I was praying, I asked forgiveness for that. When anything displaces God's exalted view that becomes an idol. Idols are not those statues we think of when we study history. Even then, the idols represented a desire, emotion or human characteristic that was raised to a level of a god. A good barometer of how idols have crept into our days is to ask ourselves...did I have a quality prayer/study time with God yesterday? If not, then as we look at our day all those things that kept us away were idols. We thought them more valuable, than time with God. (Yikes...that stings!) Sleep, a tv show, phone conversation, laundry even time with the kids. Part of that is also our human weakness, we spoke of earlier.

Did you know that we can pray in the Holy Spirit, and can ask Him to increase our love for God and His ways? "Thus when we pray in the Spirit, we ask Him to stir-up within us such affection for God that the affections of the world lose their grasp on our heart."
The Holy Spirit is powerful and with His fervor, His intercession and His changing our affections, our prayers are not only God pleasing but fulfill God's greatest desire for us. And His greatest desire for us is to love Him with all our heart, mind and soul.

Do we need to ask the Holy Spirit to stir-up in us a greater affection for God? If we would ask for that, I believe, that would be the start of a changed and Spirit-filled life. More of Him and less of me!

Tomorrow a look at Eph 3:14-19. How can we gain a greater view of God? It is by seeing how "wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ"

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Naples Girls:
Meet next Thursday for Book Club

Praying in the Spirit

Chapter Four of Bryan Chapell's book "Praying Backwards" begins with a quote from C.S. Lewis's "The Magician's Nephew". In this part of the story Aslan, the lion, sends the two children on a mission and as they soon discover they have no food. Troubled, the children ask why didn't someone arrange for their meals? One of them answers "I'm sure Aslan would have, if you'd asked him." Then another child responds "Wouldn't he know without being asked?" The final thought is that they have no doubt that Aslon would know, but more importantly, he likes to be asked.
From this illustration, Mr. Chapell moves to reminds us that yes God is Sovereign and He knows our needs before we ask. But He delights in our asking. Yet the question that remains is, if God knows our needs before we ask, then is prayer a wasted effort?

How do we reconcile God's sovereignty in providing what is best and our petitions for what we believe to be best?

As Christians, we have prayer as a means to draw near God the Father and deepen our love and trust for Him. We have been looking at prayer as a way to discover God...glorify God. Prayer that is focused on God's work in us not so much as how we want Him to work for us.

But how can we pray confidently and purposefully as we draw near to God and seek His will for us? In Luke 11:11-13 Jesus speaks about the Father's ultimate goodness which is to give his children the Holy Spirit. We have been given a great gift...a good gift, in the sense that it is perfect and exactly what we need...the Holy Spirit.
"When we pray, Paul says, the Holy Spirit intercedes for us with groans that words can not express and in accordance with God's will. These two vital ministries of the Holy Spirit make our prayers the most powerful force on earth"

The Holy Spirit who groans for our new life:
Have you ever fervently prayed for someone? There are times when friends and loved ones will ask me to pray for them. They are facing a difficult time and need prayer support. I will pray for them fervently and expectantly, but I can not know for sure what is in God's mind for them through that particular situation. I have a limited view and limited energy. Yet, the Holy Spirit prays for us with "groans" and prays in accordance with the purposes of God because He knows God's mind. That is an astounding thought!

Mr. Chapell writes: "Paul writes that the Spirit also groans, interceding for the Lord's purposes in our lives. With more fervor than we can express and with the urgency of a mother in childbirth, the Spirit cries before the Throne of Grace, "Holy God, bless your people. God of creation, bend the world to your glorious purposes for those seeking you. Heavenly Father, work all things together for your children's good.
The Spirit cries with the agonies of one birthing new life, because new life is being formed---a new world order....The Spirit becomes Christ's instrument of intersession for us. He pleads for God to order the temporal world for our eternal good. " (emphasis mine)

Can you and I rest in the understanding that we have the Holy Spirit who intercedes for us with such intensity that His groans and petitions become an instrument God uses to bring good out of all situations?
Quoted in the book is beloved Pastor, James Montgomery Boice. Dr. Boice addressed his congregation almost 8 years ago to inform them that he was diagnosed with cancer. Mr. Chapell quotes a very poignant part of his last words to his church:
"When things like this come into our lives, they are not accidental. It's not as if God somehow forgot what was going on, and something bad slipped by...God does everything according to His will... But what I've been impressed with most is something in addition to that. It's possible, isn't it, to conceive of God as sovereign and yet indifferent? God's in charge, but He does not care. BUT it's not that. God is not only the one who is in charge, God is also good. Everything he does is good....If God does something in your life, would you change it? If you'd change, you'd make it worse. It would not be as good. " (emphasis mine)

It is hard for me to get my heart around that last sentence...even when I am in the midst of a difficult situation. Even when I am suffering or hurting...if I were to change any of it, I would make it worse. It would not be as good. God is good...therefore all He does is good...and the Holy Spirit prays in our behalf that we would see the goodness. Today, I pray you see God's goodness in the midst of your trial...His goodness through the birthing pains.

Confronting with love?

Yesterdays post on Pulpit Magazine was so powerful that I wanted to share it with you...

Have a great weekend!

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How do we know when to confront and when to quietly forgive and forget?
That’s a good question because most people seem to err on one side or the other. Some people think it is best to overlook every offense and take pride in their tolerance. However, Paul confronted the Corinthians for tolerating sin in the church and rebuked them for failing to deal with a man living in sin (1 Cor. 5).
On the other side of the issue are people who confront over any slight infraction and make themselves intolerable.
Are there any biblical principles to help us make the right choice? Yes! Here are six guidelines to help you know whether to quietly forgive or to lovingly confront.
1. Whenever possible, especially if the offense is petty or unintentional, it is best to forgive unilaterally. This is the very essence of a gracious spirit. It is the Christlike attitude called for in Ephesians 4:1-3. We are called to maintain a gracious tolerance (”forbearance”) of others’ faults. Believers should have a sort of mutual immunity to petty offenses. Love “is not easily angered” (1 Cor. 13:5). If every fault required formal confrontation, the whole of our church life would be spent confronting and resolving conflicts over petty annoyances. So for the sake of peace, to preserve the unity of the Spirit, we are to show tolerance whenever possible (see 1 Pet. 2:21-25; Mat. 5:39-40).
2. If you are the only injured party, even if the offense was public and flagrant, you may choose to forgive unilaterally. Examples of this abound in Scripture. Joseph (Genesis 37-50), David (2 Sam. 16:5-8), and Stephen (Acts 7:60) each demonstrated the unilateral forgiveness of Christ (Luke 23:34).
3. If you observe a serious offense that is a sin against someone other than you, confront the offender. Justice never permits a Christian to cover a sin against someone else. While we are entitled, and even encouraged, to overlook wrongs committed against us, Scripture everywhere forbids us to overlook wrongs committed against another (see Ex. 23:6; Deut. 16:20; Isa. 1:17; Isa. 59:15-16; Jer. 22:3; Lam. 3:35-36).
4. When ignoring an offense might hurt the offender, confront the guilty party. Sometimes choosing to overlook an offense might actually injure the offender (by allowing him to continue unwarned down a wrong path). In such cases it is our duty to confront in love (Gal. 6:1-2).
5. When a sin is scandalous or otherwise potentially damaging to the body of Christ, the guilty party should be confronted. Some sins have the potential to defile many people, and Scripture gives ample warning of such dangers (see Heb. 12:15; 3:13; 1 Cor. 5:1-5). In fact, Scripture calls for the church to discipline individuals who refuse to repent of open sin in the body, so that the purity of the body might be preserved (Matt. 18:15-20; 1 Cor. 5).
6. Lastly, any time an offense results in a broken relationship, confrontation of the sinner should occur. Any offense that causes a breach in relationships simply cannot be overlooked. Both the offense and the breach must be confronted, and reconciliation must be sought. And both the offended party and the offender have a responsibility to seek reconciliation (Luke 17:3; Matt. 5:23-24). There is never any excuse for a Christian on either side of a broken relationship to refuse to pursue reconciliation.
The only instance where such a conflict should remain unresolved is if all the steps of discipline in Matthew 18 have been exhausted and the guilty party still refuses to repent.