Tag Archives: Bible

Forty Days of Praying The Word of God: Day 1

“As a deer longs for streams of water, so I long for You, God. I thirst for God, the living God. When can I come and appear before God?”

Psalm 42:1-2

Lord, I pray these verses over Your Church. I pray that those who belong to You through the blood of Christ will begin to long, to thirst for You. I pray that our souls will begin to feel parched for Your presence. I ask God, that You would move upon Your people to stop filling themselves with other things, even good things, so that they begin to thirst for the better thing – Your presence. I pray for a move of Your Spirit to begin to send the Church into the secret place of prayer and communion with You, a place away from the crowds of followers, away from the spotlights, away from the applause, and into the holy place of Your presence. I pray for a great wave of dissatisfaction with earthly pleasures to hit Your people, driving them to seek to be satisfied in You alone.

The power is Yours alone. We cannot muster the thirst, we cannot move our own souls to be dissatisfied. It is only by the move of Your Spirit that Your people will begin to long once again for the authentic presence of God that comes with no applause, nothing to entertain our flesh, but instead comes with the searing gaze of heaven, leaving us with a trembling of soul, with speechless awe and the low bow of a surrendered heart.

Come, Lord God, and make Your people long for You like never before.

In the Name of Jesus. Amen.

Postscript: For the last two years or so, God has been calling me back to intercession. Learning to pray God’s Word back to Him in 2004 was an explosion in my prayer life, an explosion that set me on fire for prayer, and that lit up the darkness that surrounded me and my family at the time. I invite you to join me in this 40 day journey of fire, lighting up the darkness of our day.

Feel free to leave prayers of your own, or prayer requests in the comment section. I would love to pray with and for you!

The Weapons of Warfare – pt. 1 – The Enemy’s Domain

One of my goals in my Lifegroup is to try to create an atmosphere that leads the women to desire and seek deeper intimacy with God. Last week’s teaching was on spiritual warfare, which may seem like an odd avenue to a closer relationship with God, but it actually isn’t odd at all. Hopefully, this series of posts will bear that out.

I thought I would lay out a sampling of what the scriptures say, and then I will offer my thoughts – but that’s all they are. My thoughts. I’m asking you to look at the scriptures and seek God for what He is saying in them.

Knowing our Enemy: His Domain

Ephesians 2:2:  “…in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience—

1 John 5:19:  “We know that we are from God, and the whole world lies in the power of the evil one.”

2 Corinthians 4:4:  “In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel…”

Revelation 12:9:  “the deceiver of the whole world—he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him.”

John 14:30:  “I will no longer talk much with you, for the ruler of this world is coming. He has no claim on me…”

Ephesians 6:12:  “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.” [the lower heavens, or the heaven of the clouds]

Job 1:7:  “The Lord said to Satan, “From where have you come?” Satan answered the Lord and said, “From going to and fro on the earth, and from walking up and down on it.”

Colossians 1:13:  “He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son,…”

Matthew 4:8-9: “Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. And he said to him, “I will give you all these things if you will fall down and worship me.”

From the looks of it, the whole earth is satan’s domain, including the atmosphere. The conundrum is what do we do with the scriptures that tell us that the earth is God’s and everything in it, or that Jesus is Lord over all? The best illustration I could come up with is the Roman Empire in biblical times. It may not be a great illustration, given my weak grasp on history, but it’s all that came to mind. The Roman Empire was vast. Really, really huge. And throughout it, there were many Governors, or rulers. They each had power and authority over their particular ‘domain’, however, there was only one who was sovereign over the whole empire. Caesar.

So my thought is this: Satan has power in his domain, but he does not have sovereignty, and that is important for us to know.

Let’s also consider this: Satan was in the Garden of Eden, the place where God walked with Adam and Eve. The place He had created for them. He was also present at the last supper, when Jesus washed the feet of His disciples. He was in the Garden of Gethsemane when Jesus was being arrested.

I think, based on my own experience, that many of us live unaware of the presence of the enemy. When we are fighting with our spouse, experiencing road rage in traffic, thinking of ways to get our next fix (drugs, alcohol, sex, food…whatever our fix may be), when we feel overwhelmed by life to the point of withdrawing from others. We blame our spouse, blame the ding-dong drivers, blame our job, blame our kids, blame ourselves, blame life. And so we fight the wrong enemy, engage in the wrong battle, and wonder why we feel defeated.

We have to acknowledge the war that is taking place all around us. Not just out there, but in our homes, in our churches, in our own hearts. Ignoring it will be of no benefit to us.

The enemy’s domain is the whole earth, including the atmosphere.

He is called the ruler of this world, the god of this world, and the deceiver of the whole world.

He has power, but he is not sovereign!

We will neither glorify him nor underestimate him. We will educate ourselves on his domain, his activities, and the weapons we have at our disposal, and we will walk in the victory that is available to us.

Questions to ponder ~

Where have you most seen the enemy at work in your life? (Marriage/relationships, your job, your emotional / mental state, your ministry or calling, etc.)

How quickly have you been able to recognize that he is at work?

How does the fact that his domain, where he is working and exercising his power, is the whole earth, change how you view world events, if at all?

Next time: The Weapons of our Warfare – Pt. 2 – His Activity

genesis 27: already yours

Birthright designated who would assume leadership of the family, and who would get the largest portion of the inheritance. The birthright belonged to the firstborn son.

But the blessing was different. With the blessing, the father could designate whichever child he wanted to receive the bulk of the inheritance, and could give him power and authority so that, in essence, the birthright was nothing more than a title worn by the first son.

In Genesis 25:23, God said this to Rebekah (emphasis mine)-

"And the Lord said to her,
‘Two nations are in your womb,
   and two peoples born of you shall be divided;
one shall be stronger than the other,
   the elder shall serve the younger.’

This is why we now read in chapter 27:36- “Esau said, “Is he not rightly named Jacob? For he has cheated me these two times. He took away my birthright, and behold, now he has taken away my blessing.” 

Isn’t it quite possible that we have blamed others for something God Himself orchestrated?

{Perhaps we would be better served to be slower to accuse, slower to assign blame, and much quicker to seek God, the sovereign mover of hearts and assigner of blessings.}

The deception was so thick in this story, and the emotions of Esau were hard to watch. Betrayal, sadness, grief, anger- they were all felt so strongly, and could easily dominate this story for us. But there is something else here that I want to try to pull out.

The scheming and lying of Jacob and Rebecca were to get something for Jacob that God had already said was his. Before he was born, God had determined that Jacob would receive the birthright and blessing of the first-born, even though Esau would be the actual first-born.

The question:

What have I spent so much time and energy trying to get, that God has already said is mine? And I am posing the same question to you.

Love. Acceptance. Identity. Blessings. Security. Hope. So much more. Things we no longer have to try to get, for they are already ours in Christ.

One of the saddest sights, in my opinion, is that of a child who is trying to gain the love and attention of a father.

I wonder if God feels the same way.

Today would be a good day to sit down and consider what you have been chasing, that you have actually already been given.

genesis 26: famine

“Now there was a famine in the land, besides the former famine that was in the days of Abraham. And Isaac went to Gerar to Abimelech king of the Philistines.”

“And the Lord appeared to him and said, “Do not go down to Egypt; dwell in the land of which I shall tell you. Sojourn in this land, and I will be with you and will bless you, for to you and to your offspring I will give all these lands, and I will establish the oath that I swore to Abraham your father.”

Going to Egypt made the most sense. Just like it made sense to Abraham, and it would later make sense to Jacob in their own famines.

But God defies the formulas we think make the most sense.

Sometimes, despite what feels logical, He tells us to stay. Not just stay, but dwell. Live life in the famine. It doesn’t matter what others have done or will do. It doesn’t matter if leaving makes more sense than staying. If we hear Him say stay, we have to ignore the urge to do what makes sense, to do what is comfortable or easier or makes us look less crazy.

But if we’re searching for God’s heart, we’ll find it here: “I will be with you and will bless you…”.

Famine, difficulty, pain, grief – this earth has all of that and more, and we do not always get to run from it. Sometimes, we just have to stay there and live with God. Because He has promised never to leave us.

And then there’s this little nugget: “And Isaac sowed in that land and reaped in the same year a hundredfold.” vs. 12

Are you in a land of famine right now? It could be any kind of famine –

Financial, relationship, employment, a famine of emotional support, a famine of purpose, health, joy, peace. Really, we have plenty of famines in our land, and we have nowhere to run from them.

So we may as well sow. Generously and often. With gladness, sow your seeds in the famine, because God is with you in this thing and there will be a reaping.

genesis 23: cost

The negotiations between Ephron and Abraham, and Abraham’s insistence on paying for the burial site reminded me of something King David said in 2 Samuel 24:24:

“No, I insist on buying it from you for a price, for I will not offer to the Lord my God burnt offerings that cost me nothing.”

It was a different time and place, a different culture than the one we live in, but I’m not sure that’s what makes the difference. I think it’s a different heart that does not seek to get something for nothing. A different heart that believed a burial place for his wife was worth paying the cost, a different heart that believed a sacrifice made to God should cost us something.

The culture of the world has trained us to barter for the lowest possible price to pay for anything, with “free” being the ultimate win.

The culture of heaven tells us that what is worth having is worth paying the price. 

How often do I seek to get something for nothing? Has that become my mentality – to try to pay as little as possible for something?

Have I been offering God something that cost me nothing? By cost, I’m not just talking about money. I’m talking about comfort, time, pride, plans I’ve made, dreams I’ve had. How about my rights? The right to be angry, the right to an apology, the right to be right, the right to be treated fairly.

The gospel of heaven tells us that following Jesus will cost us. The gospel according to the world says we can get it for nothing.

Which gospel am I living?

I live in a culture that values something for nothing. But I don’t want the heart of this culture, I want the heart of Abraham and David. The heart of heaven.

I want to make extravagant offers of love and worship and compassion that cost me as much as I have to give. I want to say that following Jesus has come at a price and that price has been more than worth paying.

I will not offer the Lord my God something that cost me nothing.

genesis 17: promise

When Abram was 75 years old, God promised him children. Twenty-four years passed since that conversation, and then God appeared.

“I am God Almighty…” And what would a man do but fall on his face?

God wants Abram to know that He hasn’t forgotten His promise and, in fact, is now going to require him to bear the sign of that promise. And from then on, every time a Hebrew boy is circumcised, it is a reminder of a covenant God made with a man too old to father children.

“For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything, but faith working through love.” – Galatians 5:6

God’s covenant with Abraham served its purpose, but it was temporary. We now have the New Covenant, an eternal covenant of salvation through the finished work of Christ on the cross.

What is the sign of this new covenant God made with a people unable to save themselves?

“And the Holy Spirit also bears witness to us; for after saying, “This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, declares the Lord…” (Hebrews 10:15)

Circumcision bore witness to the covenant God made with Abraham. So today, the Holy Spirit bears witness in us.

God promised Abraham many descendants when Abraham & Sarah were unable to bear children, and that same God promised us salvation when we were unable to save ourselves. I believe the Holy Spirit dwelling in us is a continual sign of that promise.

“He anointed us, set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.” – 2Corinthians 1:21-22

The Holy Spirit is our continual reminder that we cannot, but God can. We were barren but will birth nations. We were lost but will inherit eternity.

Because God keeps His promise.

genesis 16: return

Interesting, hard chapter in the story. So many emotions and dynamics going on.

Sarai’s desperation for a child. The injustice against Hagar. Abram’s unwillingness to mediate, with his “do what you want with her” attitude. Hagar’s contempt for a woman who would have her bear a child she would then have to hand over. Sarai’s mistreatment of Hagar and Hagar’s desperate escape to the desert.

We see the frailty of humanity. The weakness of fallen people trying to get what they want from this life.

And only the names have changed. Humanity is still frail, still fallen, still trying to grab life on their own terms.

But now I’m going to step on toes, I think.

Hagar was clearly a victim, being mistreated and some would even say, abused. And no matter how much we don’t want to, we must hear what the Lord says to her –

“Return to your mistress and submit to her.” (vs. 9)

I will tread lightly, but I will still tread here. Because I’ve lived it. I’ve heard the word “return and submit” and let me tell you, we’re talking about hard to the bone words to hear.

As much as we don’t want to say it or believe it, scripture makes it very clear that sometimes (please do not read the word ‘always’ there) God calls us to return to or remain in a situation of mistreatment.

“What about physical abuse?” I don’t know, ask God. “What about the kids?” I don’t know, ask God. “What about…” I don’t know, ask God. There’s no formula. God doesn’t have the exact same plan for everyone’s life. Your final destination and mine may be the same, but the journey there will look different. This is why we must seek God for ourselves, with a heart of obedience. All I’m saying is that we cannot hold onto a false belief that says God does not ever want us to suffer mistreatment, and therefore we are entitled to run from it.  

Wrestle it out with God. Kick and scream and dig in your heels. But at some point, we all have to deal with the truth that God does not view our sufferings through our lens. His lens is eternity and divine purpose. Ours is usually self-preservation, comfort, and control, mixed with a sense of entitlement and a right to be happy.

He is the God who hears you. He is the God who sees you. He is the God who loves you. But He is also the God who is looking at your situation from within eternity.

And sometimes (not always), He will tell us to return to what we’re running from.