PRAYER WARRIORS?

Do I feel like a prayer warrior? Honestly not on most days. Sure, I can talk a big talk and encourage others to pray and even convince my brain that I need to pray but when it comes to my heart, it is still so self-centered that it rarely, voluntarily moves me to my knees. I don't think that I am unique in this fact but that doesn't make it any less disturbing. I claim to have FAITH in Christ.... that's believing and acting like He's got it under control. The disturbing fact is that my heart still betrays my knowledge of that by acting in self-dependant and sometimes rebellious ways. How do I get the heart transplant that I need?

"Therefore I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God - this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this wolrd, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is - His good, pleasing and perfect will." Romans 12:1-2

The heart transformation happens after we remove our bodies and minds from the pollution of the world.

UTLIMATE GIFTS

What did your last Christmas present cost the giver? Have you ever thought that the cost of gift DOES matter? We are taught that it is culturally unacceptable to openly consider the cost of a gift given to us. In fact the giver goes to great lengths (usually) to remove any evidence of cost before giving the gift. I remember several occasions where I forgot to remove price tags and ended up with a red face when the gift was opened. But the whole issue of cost is still important. Just think about the old mantra that is always repeated when the price tag is left on a gift " it's not the cost that counts, it's the thought that counts..."

In our society we are very focused on dollars and cents and sometimes have trouble looking past those figures when considering costs. Even economists have some sense of opportunity costs that are lost or gained which are not a dollar value (although they turn around and try to assign a dollar value to them). The cost of a gift can be great to the giver and without costing any money. The idea that the thought counts echoes this truth. A gift given out of great consideration, love and effort means far more than a gift which costs a large amount of moola.

We were given the ultimate gift at Christmas.

"For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith- and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God - not by works, so that no one can boast." Ephesians 2:8-9

It cost God His only son. It took a great deal of sacrifice to give that gift. Have we considered the cost of that gift? When we do, we will begin to appreciate how life changing and heart affecting that gift can and should be to us as recievers. Perhaps it will change us to the point that next time we give a gift to God it won't be the cheap, easy to give gift, but instead, a well-thought-out, hard-earned, blood, sweat and tears kind of gift. Why not start out with worship that costs us something. Not just singing out like a fool but singing when you don't feel like it, giving when it hurts, helping when you feel like sleeping. Those gifts will warm the heart of God and will be "living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God - this is your spiritual act of worship." Romans 12:1

THE GREAT CHANGE

Have you ever gone away from something completely changed? Maybe it was the first serious hair-do you ever had done, maybe it was an accident that changed you physically or maybe it was a relationship that marked your soul for better or for worse. A revolutionary faith in Jesus is one that demands change of us. It is IMPOSSIBLE to experience the holy presence of God and to go away unchanged. James writes "Do not merely listen to the word and so deceive yourselves. Do what is says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what is says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror and, after that immediately forgets what he looks like." James 1:22-24
Do we forget what we look like, or more importantly do we forget what we just experienced in the presence of the Almighty God? I think that more often than not, the problem is not one of forgetfullness. I think the more pressing problem is not seeing God clearly in the first place. How can we remember an experience with God and be changed because of it, if we don't first become aware of His greatness?
How do we gain this awareness?

" All scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work." 2 Timothy 3:16-17

"For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; if judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart " Hebrews 4:12

"Woe to me!" I cried. "I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of uclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the Lord Almighty." Isaiah 6:5

When we spend time in God's word and time in His presence we are changed. Our reaction may be even as strong as Isaiah's. Woe to Me! I am ruined!
Just to wrap up all of these ramblings, we will be changed as get to know our Heavenly Father. If you are not different after knowing Him, then do you really know Him? The change may be gradual however so don't lose heart if it seems like a long process, but be sure that you are changing! Let me know if you've seen this change take place or is your faith one that doesn't change who you are?

Revolutionary Faith Revisited
I tried to begin a blog back in the summer when things were slower and I actually had time to write my thoughts down... well here goes attempt number two. Please join me on this blog as I write some thoughts about faith in Jesus Christ as the only way to be reunited with our Creator.

I was at a men's breakfast recently and we were discussing how it is that we can gain victory over sinful strongholds in our lives. The normal Sunday School answers were thrown out there initially... "You spend time in the word..." "spend time with God in prayer". There was one answer that threw me off though. I think that it threw me off because it came from a gentleman who had lots of life experience. He said in a rather skeptical tone, "Those answers (the ones previously stated) may sound like they work but they are not enough!" WHAT? Reading the living word of God and spending time communing with Him in prayer is not enough?! It concerned me greatly to hear this as I am still in the young and idealistic category. If a life veteran said that he had tried all that and still it wasn't enough to bring him victory over sin, then what hope do I have? As I pondered this statement I began to realize that the statment is correct. Reading the words written on paper and spending quiet time in prayer and reflection will not give us what we need to stay strong and have victory over sin. If we are to have a faith that revolutionizes, we need an experience much greater than that. We need to be transformed by the purifying presence of The Almighty. We are given many avenues to allow this change to happen. Prayer and time in His Word are two of the many critical life lines that we must have connected to God. We need each other as Christian brothers and sisters. We are the body of Christ and we need to spend time with the body in order for our faith to be revolutionary.
We must stay connected to our life source through all of the life lines (prayer, reading, meditation, fellowship, worship, fasting and more) provided in order to stay healthy and vital as a soldier of Christ. So think about it, how's your circulation today?