Pray Without Ceasing

How do you do that?  It seems impossible, but it is something that Paul tells us to do.

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 (NKJV)

¹⁶ Rejoice always, ¹⁷ pray without ceasing, ¹⁸ in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

This has been something that I have wrestled with for many years attempting to get my head around.  How do you maintain a constant state of prayer?  Actually, it is impossible trying to do it out of our own efforts; this is something that God Himself must do through us.  It is a matter of attitude which has been transformed by Him to cause us to focus in on Him who is our help.

As a child of God it is natural to lose sight of this awareness, God is always around us and encouraging us to respond to Him.  In fact, He is actually the one who puts the desire within us that we would respond to Him.  Paul talks about this in Romans 7

Romans 7:18-20 (NIV)

¹⁸ For I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature.  For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. ¹⁹ For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing. ²⁰ Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it.

Not recognizing that God is our everything is an easy thing to lose sight of.  He fills us with an affirming love which reminds us that we are His family.  He constantly tells us that we are His child; as such we are forever connected to Him; He is our inheritance. We were bought with a price which we could never pay.  That is the beauty of relationship in Christ, we only need to come like little children.

So is “Praying without Ceasing” praying rote prayers or just filling up the air with petitions?  Not necessarily... in 1 Thessalonians 5 Paul was attempting to turn our hearts from the natural world to the spiritual word by saying: “…Rejoice always”.  Paul was one who had many hardships, he was beaten, taken captive, put in prison, even bit by snakes.  Amongst all of these hardships, he remained joyful because he recognized that He was loved as a Child of God and had an inheritance with the Saints of God in Christ.  He tells us to do the same—Always Rejoice!

He also tells us to “…give thanks in everything”.  That is a tall order!

Psalm 91:9-12 (NIV)

⁹ If you say, “The Lord is my refuge,”

    and you make the Most High your dwelling,

¹⁰ no harm will overtake you,

    no disaster will come near your tent.

¹¹ For he will command his angels concerning you

    to guard you in all your ways;

¹² they will lift you up in their hands,

    so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.

Paul recognized that we are made secure by our confession or acknowledgement of who God is in our lives. Once we do this we can then set our minds on Him or think of Him. We are recognizing that God has deposited Himself within us which gives us the ability to trust Him through every circumstance.

Paul even goes on to say that “…this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”
 

If you were ever wondering what God’s will for your life is?  Then this should settle the matter.

Paul said:

·         Rejoice always

·         Pray without ceasing

·         Give thanks in everything

Paul didn’t have a whole lot to be thankful for in this natural world with all the difficulties he endured, but he knew who he was in Christ and that anything he was experiencing was not to be compared to what would be revealed later.

Romans 8:16-21 (DLNT)

¹⁶ The Spirit Himself bears-witness-with our spirit that we are children of God!

This Means We Are Joint-Heirs With Christ, Sharing His Suffering And Glory

¹⁷ And if we are children, we are heirs also. We are heirs of God, and fellow-heirs of Christ, since we are suffering-with Him in order that we may also be glorified-with Him. ¹⁸ For I consider that the sufferings of the present time are not worthy to the glory destined to be revealed to us.

¹⁹ For the eager-expectation of the creation is awaiting the revelation of the sons of God. ²⁰ For the creation was subjected to futility— not willingly, but because of the One having subjected it— in hope  ²¹ that the creation itself also will be set-free from the slavery of  decay into the freedom of the glory of the children of God.

If you feel inadequate for what God may have for you to do then you are in good company. Don't feel discouraged—we are all inadequate!  It is in the place of inadequacy where He becomes our help. We need to depend upon Him.

Praying without ceasing is having the awareness that Christ is our all (our sufficiency) and that He will never leave us or forsake us, no matter what befalls us.

Proverbs 18:10 (NKJV)

¹⁰ The name of the Lord is a strong tower;

The righteous run to it and are safe.

This is the type of life we are to lead being fully natural, but also fully spiritual...

naturally supernatural.

May you grow in your awareness of Christ in you as you face life and it’s many challenges. There are opportunities we are given for growth and change if we take the time to Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, and give thanks in everything.  

It is truly what He wants us to do.

God is good all the time—all the time God is good!

Stephen Barnett

I Think of You
(Andy Park)

All the day I remember You
And I think of You in the night
Because You are my help
Because You are my strong tower,

     I think of You.

All the day I hold on to You
And You lift me up in Your hand
Because You are my help
Because You are my strong tower,

          Chorus:
     I sing in the shadow of Your wings
     I sing in the shadow of Your wings
     I sing in the shadow of Your wings
    

     And I think of You.

Copyright © 1990 Mercy Publishing. All rights reserved. International copyright secured
Featured vocalist:  Daphne Rademaker
The lyrics above are copyrighted by the respective artists and are demonstrated here for educational purposes only and not for profit

The Gift of Miracles

Returning to the topic of Spiritual gifts, I am taking a look at the gift of miracles.  It is easy to become somewhat jaded when talking about the gift of miracles, because we have such a high bar to compare them to in Jesus. 

Miracles are defined in Vines Expository Dictionary as:  dü'-nä-mēs

(a) "power, ability," physical or moral, as residing in a person or thing;

(b) "power in action," as, e.g., when put forth in performing miracles.

It is sometimes used of the miracle or sign itself, the effect being put for the cause, frequently in the Gospels and Acts.

Dunames can also be defined as a 'driving force' which propels someone forward in the power of God.

In Greek it is spelled like this:  dynamis, it is where we get our word for dynamite, dynamo, or dynamic. 

Matthew 14:16-21 (NKJV)

¹⁶ But Jesus said to them, “They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat.”

¹⁷ And they said to Him, “We have here only five loaves and two fish.”

¹⁸ He said, “Bring them here to Me.” ¹⁹ Then He commanded the multitudes to sit down on the grass. And He took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, He blessed and broke and gave the loaves to the disciples; and the disciples gave to the multitudes. ²⁰ So they all ate and were filled, and they took up twelve baskets full of the fragments that remained. ²¹ Now those who had eaten were about five thousand men, besides women and children.

Here is where I make a presupposition that Miracles are real and are indeed a part of the fabric of the work of the Holy Spirit within the Church and the world.  The bible does say that miracles are a vital part of the gifting list which is described in 1 Corinthians 12  , but miracles are showy, an outward expression of God’s desire for a given situation or person.  Not like prophecy or tongues, or word of knowledge where the Man or Woman of God has a degree of control of facilitating the gifting.  Miracles are not about the Man or Woman of God, miracles are about God showing up and making His presence known by giving a supernatural response.

So what does a miracle look like in our day and age?  How do we define an act as a miracle other than just an amazing coincidence?  Miracles are acts which by definition are divinely inspired and executed displaying Gods glory.  If there were a formula for determining how miracles are enacted, then there would be more demonstrations of these types of phenomena occurring on a regular basis in mainstream church’s throughout the world.  Miracles have been attributed in large part to many fringe sects of the Charismatic or the Pentecostal movements where the word of faith is preached.  And many of the reported miracles are anecdotal (hearsay) rather than being based firmly in sound theological doctrine. This is not to discount the validity of any reported miracle(s), but rather to express the need for accountability and oversight of not only the ones who demonstrate this type of gifting, but of also the act itself.  There is also the need for a counsel to determine the doctrinal issues which arise from these types of spiritual demonstrations and bring guidance to the Church to walk through these issues lightly. 

I for one desire to see more miracles come from the Church body, and to see the Holy Spirit move and show God’s love in ways which are not only tangible, but demonstrable.  It is faith building to know that our God not only loves us but desires to interact with us in ways to demonstrate His power in our lives and the life of the Church by doing things that only He could do.

1 Corinthians 12:29-31 (AMP)

²⁹ Are all apostles (special messengers)? Are all prophets (inspired interpreters of the will and purposes of God)? Are all teachers? Do all have the power of performing miracles?

³⁰ Do all possess extraordinary powers of healing? Do all speak with tongues? Do all interpret?

³¹ But earnestly desire and zealously cultivate the greatest and best gifts and graces (the higher gifts and the choicest graces). And yet I will show you a still more excellent way [one that is better by far and the highest of them all—love].

From this point I must qualify this desire I have for miracles, it is easy to go after manifestations rather than to go after God, my heart desires to pursue after God first.  My first focus is to respond to the grace that has been given to me by the sacrifice of Jesus.  This is where we all must first turn our focus and attention, not solely seeking after the miracles or manifestations.  

Romans 5:8 (NKJV)

⁸ But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

It is through the love relationship of Jesus that we have the greatest access to God’s heart.  It is from that point of intimate relationship with Jesus that I (we) would desire to see the Holy Spirit working and demonstrating God’s power through us so that we might change our world.

1 Peter 4:10 (CEV)

¹⁰ Each of you has been blessed with one of God’s many wonderful gifts to be used in the service of others. So use your gift well.

Our world does need changing.  Sometimes just reaching out to one life at a time is all that God requires us to do.  Becoming a catalyst for change takes courage to confront the status-quo and to no longer be just an observer but a participant in the work of the Kingdom. It is responding to the Holy Spirit as He forms you and shapes you into the man or woman of God to fulfill His purpose in your life. This is where the heart of God is revealed to you, also so that others who need to know that same mercy may receive it through you.

In my estimation the greatest miracle is when a lost or prodigal soul finds their way home, and man or woman finds God's salvation.  Salvation is the greatest miracle as it grows or expands Gods Kingdom in ways through demonstrable means by transforming a persons life from within.

There are also many smaller miracles which transform us personally in very large ways, like marriage, having children, career, and the like.  I believe that God ordains these smaller miracles to to help us mature into the men and women He intended us to become.

I hope and pray that Miracles (both large and small) are part of your faith experience, and continue to inspire you with God sized possibilities in every instance.

God is good all the time―all the time God is good!
Stephen Barnett

To listen to the song in a new window click HERE

Above All Others

(Craig Musseau)

          Lord, your glory fills my heart

          Your presence deep within me stirs my soul

          Lord, how awesome are your ways

          Your majesty surrounding all the earth

                    All wisdom and honor and glory forever

                    All power and greatness and splendor

                    They are your above all others, my Lord

          Lord, your Spirit moves me now

          And I see a picture of your holiness

          Oh Lord, I look into your eyes

          And feel a fire burn within my heart

                    All wisdom and honor and glory forever

                    All power and greatness and splendor

                    They are your above all others, my Lord

Copyright © 1990 Mercy/Vineyard Publishing. All rights reserved. International copyright secured.

Notes:  Featured Vocalist: Daphne Rademaker

The music presented above is copyrighted by the respective artists and are demonstrated here for educational purposes only and not for profit.

New LIfe

When talking about ‘New Life’ it may bring up images in your mind of a young exuberant person who has encountered Jesus for the first time and has a zeal for the Lord without many boundaries.   That is one possible image.  Or another image might be a man or woman who have been totally transformed by the regenerative power of  Jesus Christ, either from alcohol, drugs or some other habitually life stealing proclivity.

New Life has been described by Jesus as being “born again”, a turning away from an old way of doing life to a new way of being connected to life through Him.  Another way of saying it is the forfeiture of our old life, and the adoption of a new one, or the trading in of one for the other.

John 3:1-4 (NKJV)

¹ There was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. ² This man came to Jesus by night and said to Him, “Rabbi, we know that You are a teacher come from God; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him.”

³ Jesus answered and said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”

⁴ Nicodemus said to Him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?”

New life is mysterious and hidden, it is not obvious with an outward show.  It happens on the inside of man.  Jesus described New Life as a function of the Spirit of God working within the hearts and minds of man.  Not just the result of something we do by our thoughts or actions alone, like cause and effect, but of inspiration and impartation that is energized by the moving of the Holy Spirit working through us.

John 3:5-8 (NKJV)

⁵ Jesus answered, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. ⁶ That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. ⁷ Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’

⁸ The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit.”

We also tend to look at the Kingdom of God as something we enter into when we die. This is actually a true statement.  I believe that Jesus was saying that the Kingdom of God is what we can enter into now. This is the gift Jesus died to give us, by receiving New Life, we are now spiritually new, but also positionally new...we are now co-heirs with Christ.  As we allow the Holy Spirit to move us and inspire us to not only bring change to our lives, but also change to others and our sphere of influence around us,  
New Life is transferrable and repeatable. 

John 3:9-12 (NKJV)

⁹ Nicodemus answered and said to Him, “How can these things be?”

¹⁰ Jesus answered and said to him, “Are you the teacher of Israel, and do not know these things? ¹¹ Most assuredly, I say to you, We speak what We know and testify what We have seen, and you do not receive Our witness. ¹² If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you heavenly things?

Is it possible to pursue God without New Life?  Of course it is!  It is like Nicodemus in the scripture above who did not have the concept or understanding of what New Life was all about, however, upon meeting Jesus he began considering all he had learned from his rabbinical training and studies from a different perspective.  New Life had begun to penetrate his psyche to reveal the Kingdom of God to Nicodemus in a living and vital way through Jesus.

John 3:13-15 (NKJV)

¹³ No one has ascended to heaven but He who came down from heaven, that is, the Son of Man who is in heaven. ¹⁴ And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, ¹⁵ that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.

New Life only comes from Jesus who is God in the flesh.  Jesus was lifted up on a cross to be seen by anyone who was afflicted. This display on the cross was done not as a defeat, but for the healing of anyone afflicted by sin or discouragement.  
See: Numbers 21:4-9.  
This was God’s method for demonstrating that only He could heal and save from the fiery attacks.  Also, see how this physically works out in our daily lives. 
Read Ephesians 6:13-17... this shows us how to put on Christ!

John 3:16-17 (NKJV)

¹⁶ For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. ¹⁷ For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.

This method for saving His people is not complicated; all that is required is for us to believe.  However, to believe has lost some of it’s meaning since the bible was written.  The Greek word for believe is pisteuō. 

Vine's Expository Dictionary defines pisteuō (or believe) like this:

"to believe," also "to be persuaded of," and hence, "to place confidence in, to trust," signifies, in this sense of the word, reliance upon, not mere credence.

The meaning of the word believe is to “rely on”, “put confidence in”, “to trust in”, beyond all doubt.  That is the confidence we place in believing in Jesus.  Jesus’ response is to give us New Life which never fades or passes away with time.  New Life with Jesus is eternal.

John 3:18-25 (NKJV)

¹⁸ “He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. ¹⁹ And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. ²⁰ For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. ²¹ But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God.”

Reliance upon Jesus isn’t just a cop-out for avoiding personal responsibility; in fact it is a buy-in for taking on even greater responsibility for the things which God loves.        

You may be wondering “why did God do it this way?” The answer is simple, as stated in verse 21 above.  God wants and desires a testimony of Himself in the earth.  People who would willingly reflect His nature and His purposes, but "done in God".  
He desires to declare Himself in us and through us.

We are saved not only spiritually, but we are being changed daily in our own physical nature.  This is being worked out within us daily by our position in Him. This is the process of New Life.

John chapter 3 has many good spiritual nuggets which describe New Life in detail, but like a miner, you have to dig for the nuggets and allow the Holy Spirit to apply them to you, or they do you no good other than just being mere words.

May you find New Life through your relationship with Jesus, and may that New Life reveal to you the position you have in Christ as a son and an heir, where you are empowered to stand:

Philippians 1:6 (NKJV)

⁶ being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ.

My hope is that this has been beneficial to you and encourages you in your walk with the Lord.

God is good all the time—all the time God is good!

Stephen Barnett

I Love Your Presence

By: Darren Clarke, Jessie (Lane) Clarke

In the glory….of your presence….

I find rest….….for my soul….

In the depths…of your love….

I find peace…..makes me whole…

     Chorus:

I love I love… I love your presence

I love I love… I love your presence

I love I love… I love you Jesus

I love I love… I love your presence

     Bridge:

If you want it come and get it for crying out loud

The love that I have given you was never a doubt

Let go of your heart

Let go of your head and feel it now

CCLI# 2678085

© 1999 Mercy / Vineyard Publishing (Admin. by Vineyard Music USA).  
The lyrics presented above are copyrighted by the respective artists and are presented here for educational purposes only and not for profit. 

Petitions

One of the ways we go to the Lord in prayer is through petitions.

Philippians 4:6 (CEB)

6 Don’t be anxious about anything; rather, bring up all of your requests to God in your prayers and petitions, along with giving thanks.

Petition (or supplication) is from the Greek word de'-ā-sēs

Vine’s Expository Dictionary defines de'-ā-sēs as "a wanting, a need", then, "an asking, entreaty, supplication," in the New Testament it is always addressed to God and always rendered "supplication" or "supplications", "prayer" or "prayers".

Luke 1:13 (NKJV)

13 But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zacharias, for your prayer is heard; and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John.

In the above verse the word prayer is the same Greek word de'-ā-sēs as it is many times spoken in the New Testament.  So why is this word important?  And why should I spend time detailing this one word as opposed to so many others?  The reason is simple, it is a matter of attitude by willingly bringing our requests before the Lord for consideration, because we are asked to do so.

The Lord’s Prayer is a perfect example of how we are to pray:

Matthew 6:9-13 (NKJV)

9 In this manner, therefore, pray:

Our Father in heaven,

Hallowed be Your name.

10 Your kingdom come.

Your will be done

On earth as it is in heaven.

11 Give us this day our daily bread.

12 And forgive us our debts,

As we forgive our debtors.

13 And do not lead us into temptation,

But deliver us from the evil one.

For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.

In the Lord’s Prayer the first part is 'in exaltation', calling into remembrance of whom you are praying to.  He is Holy, He is sovereign, He is God, Most High.  Call into remembrance his faithfulness to you in the past and the manifestation of His love for you by way of Jesus Christ. In this your faith begins to stir.
Check out this detail below:

OUR FATHER (His love),

IN HEAVEN (exaltation),

HALLOWED BE YOUR NAME (exaltation),

Your kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. (exaltation),

give us this day our daily bread (petition)

and forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors (petition),

And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one (petition).

Notice the three exaltations, as if to say HOLY, HOLY, HOLY.  Just like in the book of Isaiah where the seraphim cried out in exaltation within the temple.

Isaiah 6:1-3 (NKJV)

1 In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lifted up, and the train of His robe filled the temple. 2 Above it stood seraphim; each one had six wings: with two he covered his face, with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. 3 And one cried to another and said:

“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts;

The whole earth is full of His glory!”

In prayer follow with your petitions and end with your words of Thanksgiving.

The Lord's prayer is so amazing as it teaches us how to approach a Holy God in a respectful and honorable way.  It also teaches us how to present our petitions to God without fear or reprisal, all we need to is ask according to God’s will (or His purposes).

There is something amazing which happens when we pray according to God’s will, we become in-tune or connected with the mind of God and His purposes for His world and the lives of others.  This is actually the beginning of intercession where the Holy Spirit leads us, and creates within us the desire to pray.

So, what if we believe our petitions remain unanswered? 

I will be the first to say that God does answer prayer.  I have seen God answer many of my prayers, and that has built my faith and trust in Him.  I have also had some prayers which God has not answered in ways I would have desired Him to answer, and this fills me with questions which I personally do not have answers for.

I still remain firmly convinced that God does answer prayer, and I hold to that testimony. Sometimes God's answer to our petition is WAIT.  Truthfully, all of our prayers have been answered long before we even asked them, our response should be for us to stand in the victory of God's completed work.  I believe we all have experienced times when it seems like God is not answering our petitions like we want Him to, and when we want Him to, just like Habakkuk did with this response:

Habakkuk 1:2a (NKJV)

2a O Lord, how long shall I cry,

And You will not hear?

We also may share in David’s anguish in anticipation of God’s promise:

Psalm 22:2 (NKJV)

2 O My God, I cry in the daytime, but You do not hear;

And in the night season, and am not silent.

The key to remember is that answered prayer is not a reward for praying correctly, anymore than supposing that unanswered prayer is a punishment for praying incorrectly.  We must understand that first God is sovereign, and not given over to whims or the fancies of man.  Yet He loves us and desires that we dialogue with Him.  We tend to humanize God to such a degree that we believe that He should answer all of our prayers in the way that we would want Him to answer if we but pray, but not all prayers are answered in a way that we would desire them to be answered.  Nonetheless, Paul still encourages us to continually pray and give thanks, for this is God’s will for us.

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 (NKJV)

16 Rejoice always, 17 pray without ceasing, 18 in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

Prayer and petition is what God wants from us, an ongoing dialogue which opens us up to spiritual possibilities in a natural world.  God raises up people like you and I to speak with Him relationally and conversationally, not to just know about Him, but actually befriend Him and know Him, and to be able to know His heart for us, for others, and for His world.

Pray and prevail! That is the standing order of the day.  Let your requests or petitions be known to God, and in all things give thanks. 
We have been given the promise of God that He will prevail over the wickedness or evil of this earth, and His kingdom will be established on this earth in righteousness. Be encouraged and never give up, even though it may seem hopeless. God is bigger than every circumstance, and bigger than any enemy that stands in the way of love.  

We are called as 'watchmen who stand on the wall' to pray and petition God for this generation, for salvation and an outpouring of His mercy upon others.  
Always keep in mind, Love wins in the end!

My prayer for you is that you grow in your relationship with the Lord Jesus, and have the freedom to explore His love for you, and His love for others.  And may you make your petitions known to Him with a thankful heart knowing that through Him we have an advocate with the Father who not only hears us, but He fights for us, all for the sake of love.

God is good all the time―all the time God is good!

Stephen Barnett

Knockin’ on the door of Heaven

Words and Music by: Matt Redman, Steve Cantellow

       Verse 1

 We will give ourselves no rest

 Till Your kingdom comes on earth

 We've positioned watchmen on the walls

 Now our prayers will flow like tears

 For You've shared Your heart with us

 God of heaven

 On our knees we fall

       Pre-Chorus

 Come down in power

 Reveal Your heart again

 Come hear our cries

 The tears that plead for rain

        Chorus

 We're knocking

 Knocking on the door of heaven

 We're crying

 Crying for this generation

 We're praying for Your name

 To be known in all of the earth

 We're watching

 Watching on the walls to see You

 We're looking

 Looking for a time of breakthrough

 We're praying for Your work

 To bear fruit in all of the earth

 (In) all of the earth

©1996 Kingsway’s ThankYou Music 
The lyrics above are copyrighted by the respective artists and are demonstrated here for educational purposes only and not for profit.