Audacious Prayers

I am reading a pre-release copy of Sun Stand Still by Steven Furtick who is the pastor of Elevation Church in Charlotte, NC.  I have so much respect for Furtick because of his age and what God has been able to accomplish through him.  His faith is incredible and if I’m honest I’m a bit envious of what God has done through him, but I also know that I have not put in the preparation to be used by God like Furtick has.  In fact I don’t know of anybody personally who has put in the amount of preparation that Furtick has.  They have compared him to a modern day Billy Graham and it is evident that God’s hand is on him.  I also realize to whom much is given much is required and there are many of us who drop the ball from time to time.  It is in those moments that we need to pray Sun Stand Still prayers.

In his book he talks about praying audacious prayers.  Prayers that seem unbelievable and impossible.  Prayers that when you look at how they were answered there is no question that it was a move of God on your behalf.  The idea is what happens when you dare to ask God for the impossible? Obviously where I am in my life right now I am praying audacious prayers.  I can’t even begin to share with you the prayers I am praying.  The impossible and unbelievable prayers that I am praying. Furtick says, “If the size of your vision for your life isn’t intimidating to you, there’s a good chance it’s insulting to God.”  All I feel right now is that the impossible is set before me so I am praying that God would act mightily on my behalf and open doors that no one can explain.  I so badly want God to get the glory in whatever situation I am in and whatever outcome happens because of it.

It got me thinking as I have had more time to study and pray, what are some of the great prayers in the Bible that I have read recently?  Here are just a few.

• Nehemiah 1
• Isaiah 36:14-20
• 2 Kings 19
• 1 Samuel 38:1-8
• 1 Kings 18:41-46
• James 5:17-18
• Acts 12:5
• Acts 4:31
• 1 Samuel 1
• 2 Samuel 5:17-25
• 1 Kings 3:3-15
• Joshua 10:12-15
• Colossians 1:9-12

What are some of your audacious prayers?  Are you praying any?  Are you asking God to take your ordinary ingredients and mash it with God’s extraordinary expertise?

SUN STAND STILL QUOTE: “If the dream in your heart isn’t biblically based, focused on Jesus, affirmed by the key people in your life, and tethered to your passions, gifts, and life experiences, chances are, you’re way off prompt…Be careful that you don’t mistake a delusion for a true vision…Accomplishing the impossible is all about seeing the invisible.”

Questions

I am learning to ask questions.  I am asking questions that will sharpen me as an individual and as a leader.  Questions that will make me a better husband and father.  I am learning that when you ask a question, everybody has an answer.  In fact many people are just waiting for you to ask a question so they can give you an answer.  I’ve been asking a lot of questions when it comes to my time with God.  So many times it feels wasted  and uneventful.  I am learning that I will only get out of it what I put into it and so for me to understand and apply God’s Word to my life I am asking more questions.

Here are nine good questions to ask.

1. Is there a WARNING to heed?
2. Is there a PROMISE to claim?
3. Is there a SIN to forsake?
4. Is there a COMMAND to obey?
5. Is there a LESSON to learn?
6. Is there a PRINCIPLE to apply?
7. Is there an EXAMPLE to follow?
8. Is there a BLESSING to expect?
9. Is there a SERVICE to perform?

How about you? What questions are you asking?  Have any others to add to this list?

Baskin Robbins Churches

I had a friend mention to me the other day that he was fighting to have the Bible not be taught in their school because it would open the door for “other religions” to be able to do the same.  I immediately got upset internally.  I asked him why wouldn’t you want to open it up to other religions?  Will the Bible not be able to stand up for itself?  Will there suddenly be a mass exodus from religion to religion?  His response was, “I don’t know what those other religions are going to teach.”  We chose to end the conversation by agreeing to disagree.

Fear many times will keep us from understanding and embracing other religions.  The goal of a Christ Follower is not to convince everyone that “our” religion is right and “your” religion is wrong.  The goal of the Christ Follower is to live and share how to have a relationship with Christ.  I love the fact that there are so many different churches.  It’s like going to Baskin Robbins and picking from so many different types of flavors of ice cream.  Not everybody likes the same thing.  There are different styles and approaches for many different types of people on different stages of their spiritual journey.  Maybe instead of being afraid of other religions we can work together to help people find what they are searching for.  I believe at the end of the day Christ will make Himself known to those who are seeking the truth.

Dysfunctional Families

While at Catalyst I had the privilege of hearing Reggie Joyner speak about the family and there was a ton of great stuff but there was one quote that stuck in my head more than anything. He said “There are no good pictures of the family in the Bible.” I thought surely he has to be wrong. If the family is so important to God then how in the world does He not give us a picture of a what a good family looks like or at least a somewhat normal one look like?

• Adam’s Family.  Started with blame and ended with murder.  Adam blamed Eve for eating the apple which I’m sure went over well every  night at dinner as Adam got home from work.  [Well I wouldn't have had to go to work today if you hadn't eaten the apple...I could be playing with the zebra's naked]  Bickering went on which I am sure affected their relationship with their kids.  [Mommy why is daddy always naked, he just can't let go of the past.]  Eventually the bickering between brothers led to Cain killing his brother Abel.
• Abraham’s family.  Abraham pretends that Sarah is his sister and then Abraham gets another woman pregnant.  Then one day Abraham says to his son Isaac trust me as he raises a knife to kill him.  Serious counseling and trust issues had to occur in that family.
• Jacob’s family.  Jacob had 13 kids with 4 different woman.  Jerry Springer is looking for Jacob currently for his next episode.

I have looked through the scriptures and found nothing. Not one picture of what the family is supposed to look like. I wonder if it’s because the family is not supposed to look like a specific image? As individuals who make up families we are to look like Christ.  That is our ultimate goal.  Go ahead and read the Bible and look for a normal family.  Trust me when I say it will make your dysfunctional family feel a little bit more normal.  Strive to look like Jesus and maybe your family will as well.

Bible Fast

Very unorthodox I know and most of my Baptist friends are probably praying for my salvation as I write this but it was what I felt I needed to do.  They say it takes 28 days to break a habit and so I took 28 days off from the Bible. Why?  Because I had developed a bad habit.

I didn’t do this out of laziness or because I had already missed that much time so I am covering it up by calling it a fast or because I read it in a book and thought to try it.  I did it because my time with God had become an item on a list for me to check off.  I wasn’t hungry for God’s word anymore.  I had become complacent and lacked a desire to dig deep and grow.  Don’t get me wrong I wanted to grow but the desire was not there.  So from March 10 to April 6 I didn’t read the Bible.

Here’s what happened.  My prayer time with God was better than it ever was and it forced me to listen to God through prayer instead of talking at Him.  I began to miss God’s word.  I began to have a desire to go deeper because I felt like I was missing something.  I broke the “checklist” habit of trying to fit it into my day and instead it became what I began my day with.  I have seen things in the Bible like never before.  I have had more passion for the gospel than ever before.  God has challenged me and given me a new vision, passion and excitement that I didn’t have before.

I don’t recommend this for everyone, but it was something that I needed to do for myself.  I didn’t tell anyone because they would all have thought I was crazy and maybe I was.  I just felt God telling me to check my motives about why I was doing what I was doing.  Was I pursuing His holiness or my happiness?  Did I want more of Him or just His blessings?  Did I truly want life change to happen in people’s lives or was it all about numbers?  What God has been doing in my heart I can barely explain but what I do know is that I God wants more of me.