the purpose of prayer, pt 2

“And it came to pass, that, as he was praying in a certain place, when he ceased, one of his disciples said unto him, Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples.” (Luke 11:1)

The ultimate purpose of prayer is fellowship and communion with God. What an awesome privilege and honor to be able to communicate with the one True and Living God on a personal level! Through prayer, a loving, intimate relationship emerges with our Lord and savior. Not only does prayer show our desire for God, but also our dependence on Him,
as well.
By now, mankind should be thoroughly convinced that left to ourselves we will make a royal mess of everything; our lives, marriages, child rearing, relationships in general, the economy, and the list goes on and on. We have proven time and time again we are just not smart enough to handle the intricacies of life. We are not omniscient, omnipotent or omnipresent. We have hidden motives and selfish agendas. God alone has the wisdom, knowledge and insight to govern the world. His original intent was for man to stay in such close contact and communion with Him, that His influence would permeate every part of his being. We were created to be dependant, or one who relies on another for support; that support being God, Himself. And so it was until Adam sinned and chose to be independent from God. Fellowship was broken and Adam now hid from God instead of walking with and depending on God.
Prayer is our way of saying, “I am a dependent child running to a dependable Father for instruction, guidance and direction. I need help! I can’t figure this out on my own! I trust Your ways over mine.” Proverbs 3:5-6 says, “Trust in the LORD with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will direct your paths.” Prayer shows our reliance on God.
There is a song that says, “when you’ve tried everything and everything has failed, try Jesus.” Well, that is basically how some use prayer as a ‘last ditch effort’ or the 911 call when they have already gotten into BIG trouble. Prayer should be our first course of action in every situation. So, today ask yourself the question Corrie Ten Boom asked, “Is prayer your steering wheel or your spare tire?”

the purpose of prayer

And it came to pass, that, as he was praying in a certain place, when he ceased, one of his disciples said unto him, Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples. (Luke 11:1)

Throughout scripture we read that Jesus prayed all night, went into the mountain or a garden to pray and woke up early to pray. If it was such a necessity for Jesus to pray, shouldn’t we make prayer a priority in our lives, as well? John Wesley said, “I have so much to do that I spend several hours in prayer before I am able to do it.”
But, what is the real reason for prayer? Why pray? Does prayer really work? What is the right way to pray? How long should you pray? Where should you pray? What should we pray about? There are so many questions about prayer that it could be overwhelming and leave us not praying at all! Thankfully, we have a loving Father who does not mind that his children ask questions. In fact, he encourages the most inquisitive heart to draw nigh and learn from Him.
God is a relational God. He made man so that he could fellowship and commune with him. Prayer is the way we enter into His presence and commune with the Creator and Maker of the heavens and the earth. It is from talking AND listening in prayer we get to know the heart and mind of God. Just as in any other relationship, dialogue and interaction through prayer builds a loving relationship with our heavenly Father. Ultimately, this is the main purpose of prayer: to learn and know the heart of the Father. The main focus of prayer is not to lay out our ‘wish list’ so we can get what we want, but rather to show our desire for God Himself, His will and His purposes alone.
God has given man dominion and authority in the earth. Prayer is simply our way of saying, “The authority and dominion over the earth is a daunting task and I don’t trust my own understanding to get it right. So, I come to you for your wisdom and insight so that I can co-labor with you in bringing forth your good plan for all mankind.” It is through prayer that we invite God to involve Himself in the affairs and concerns of humanity.
Today, spend time getting to know the heart of the Father through prayer. Ask Him to show you His heart for your life and the world. Invite and welcome Him to involve Himself in your life, family, place of employment and begin to enjoy the sweet communion and fellowship with our Daddy, God!

bitterness, part ii

“Husbands, love your wives [be affectionate and sympathetic with them]

and do not be harsh or bitter or resentful toward them.”
(Colossians 3:19)

Marriage is a holy institution between a man and a woman. Marriage is a picture of the relationship that Jesus has with His church, which is His bride. A destructive force in marriage is bitterness. Bitterness can occur when a spouse is displeased or when situations and circumstances are unpleasant or undesirable. The problems can be perceived as a result of unrealistic expectations or a genuine problem may actually exist with the spouse. Regardless, we are required to respond righteously accordingly to the word of God and “bear with one another and, if anyone has a complaint against another, forgive each other; just as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive” (Colossians 3:13).
The Apostle Paul wrote this statement knowing that things will happen in a marriage that could embitter the spouse, in this case the husband. That is why he gave the instruction. Bitterness always focuses on the sins or shortcomings of the other party and leads to accusations, defensiveness, condemnations and bitter root judgments. We must deal with the issues in a loving manner and we must be spiritual to do so (Galatians 6:1). Therefore, all resentment, anger and bitterness must be dealt with because ‘man's anger does not promote the righteousness God wishes and requires’ (James 1:20).
Husbands are given the injunction to be affectionate towards their wife. They are to give honor and to treat them with understanding. Wives are commanded to submit to their own husbands. When a spouse is bitter, the ability to pray effectively is severely compromised (1 Peter 3:7). Bitterness cuts off the ability to walk in intimacy with God. This toxic attitude sin has no place in a marriage and issues must be dealt with quickly. We should not ‘let the sun go down while we are still angry’ (Ephesians 4:26). Not righteously dealing with issues, in any relationship, will cause the evil root of bitterness to spring up and defile and contaminate the entire family. Children learn what they see and hear and are defiled by the unloving words and actions from bitter parents.
Allow the Lord to examine your heart to see if there is any bitterness directed at your spouse. Repent and deal with it now before it deals with you.

bitter root = bitter fruit

“Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God;

lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble

you and thereby many be defiled.”

(Hebrews 12:15)

Bitterness is an attitude sin that devours and destroys. It is one of the deadliest, if not the deadliest, emotions one can have because it is from this root other emotions spring. Bitterness begins when an unpleasant and undesirable event occurs. It may be something said, done or perceived that causes a wound or disappointment thereby resulting in inner turmoil and misery. The object of bitterness can be a person, a life event or even God. Simply put, bitterness occurs when one is unjustly treated, real or perceived, and they do not respond righteously according to the word of God.
One may never see the root, but you can be certain, it does produce toxic fruit. Many times, bitterness can cause physical ailments including high blood pressure, ulcers and anxiety attacks because of the preoccupation with what happened or didn’t happen; what was said or what wasn’t said. The details are fresh in the mind and are repeatedly played over and over again on the screen of the thoughts.
Many times the root is buried so deep, the effects of bitterness become part of the personality and character of a person. Have you ever heard statements like, ‘All men are no good,’ ‘all preachers are crooks’ or ‘I will never be like my mom’ or ’I will never be hurt like that again’? Well, these statements are bitter root judgments or expectations that probably have grown into a full grown tree bearing toxic fruit including slander, suspicion, fear, a critical spirit and judging. Some construct ‘safety structures’ around their bitter root to protect and harbor it. To harbor means ‘secretly shelter; a place of refuge and comfort and security.’ Not only does bitterness affect the person but everyone who eats the fruit from the tree. A bitter person can defile every relationship when the resentment, animosity and hatred remain harbored in the heart. The writer of Hebrews says “many are defiled.”
Jeremiah 17:9-10 says, “The human heart is most deceitful and desperately wicked. Who really knows how bad it is? But I know! I, the LORD, search all hearts and examine secret motives. I give all people their due rewards, according to what their actions deserve." Ask God today to reveal if there is any bitterness being harbored in your heart. Yield and surrender to the examination and allow Him to get to the ‘root’ of the matter.
To be continued…

tend & keep

“And the Lord God took the man and put him in the

Garden of Eden to tend and guard and keep it.” (Genesis 2:15)

The Garden of Eden was man’s ideal environment. God set Adam in the garden and gave him explicit directions. He had to maintain, tend to, guard and keep it. Here, we see work enjoined. The word ‘tend’ means to ‘work, care for, or serve.’ To ‘keep’ means to ‘guard, observe, give heed and protect.’ Before the Fall, this work was not tedious, but enjoyable. It was never meant to be drudgery, but of course, sin changed everything.
Adam’s occupation was to take care of the garden God had entrusted to his care. It had only been started. What God had done was absolutely and without a doubt, exquisite, but He wanted them to carry on and finish it. At this point, there were only seeds in the earth. Genesis 2:5 says, ‘there were no plants or grain growing on the earth because the LORD God had not sent any rain. And no one was there to cultivate the soil.” Adam was put there to enjoy unbroken fellowship and communion with the Father and to make the garden better.
We can glean a spiritual concept from this. I Corinthians 3:9 says, “you are God's garden and vineyard and field under cultivation.” Also, 1 Peter 1:23 says we are born of incorruptible seed. Our relationship with Christ is a garden that must be cultivated, tended to, guarded and cared for on a continual basis. God has a part and we have a part. Philippians 2:13 says, “For God is working in you, giving you the desire to obey him and the power to do what pleases him.” And yet, at the same time, we are admonished to ‘work out your own salvation with fear and trembling’ (Philippians 2:12). This work is not drudgery because his commandments ‘are not grievous’ (I John 5:3).
This can be applied to all relationships, but especially with God. Our garden must be tended and kept to make it strong and productive. If not, just like any garden, it will deteriorate and be overrun with weeds and become an eyesore. Are you tending to your garden? Are you carefully weeding out hurts, offenses, wounds? Are you allowing the pruning of the Lord? Are you daily watering the seed with the water of the Word of God? Is your garden getting enough SON-light in worship and prayer? Tend and keep your garden and produce the fruit of righteousness.