Love Your…
Stop! This is not what you think it is. You are thinking of the word Neighbor aren’t you? The word from Matthew 22:39, Mark 12:31 and Luke 10:27. The word spoken of in Leviticus 19:18 and Romans 13:9. No, the word that follows is another word. One that your heart alone can allow there. It’s a word placed there by people or circumstances that have offended you, hurt you, frustrated you, angered you. It is a word that your enemy and this world wants you to tattoo across the foreheads of people and upon the circumstances that trip up your daily life so that you will hate them or desire revenge against them. So what am I saying? To love those that anger us, hurt us and frustrate us? Yes! That is what I am saying.
For 13 years now I have worked in a church with lots of people. What I have done in those 13 years is take care of the building that all these people use. Not sure if you realize this or not but people can be messy and some do not seem to care. People, especially in large groups, make messes and cop attitudes. They sing praises and then leave their half empty cup of coffee on the floor so that another can kick it over. They lift up their Savior and then bully other drivers as they leave the parking lot. They pray over those who need Christ in their life and then seemingly leave Him out of theirs as they leave the sanctuary.
I know this sounds critical of the church and all those who make it up. However, my intent is not to be critical of the church but to simply paint a piece of the picture that I have viewed for 13 years. In these same 13 years, I have also witnessed the beauty of the Bride of Christ. Beyond the messes and the masses are tons of wonderful things that I can mention in another blog entry. As beautiful as she is though there are times when she can look like we do when we wake up in the morning. She can have moments of messy hair and bad breath. She can have moments where she does not look so attractive. Yet, we are to love her because Jesus loves her. He loves His bride when she is walking down the stairs in all her stunning beauty and He loves her when she is stumbling into the bathroom with her eyes squinting through the first light of day after a long night of rest. He simply loves her and He is working in her to make her all the more beautiful. Therefore, we are to love her regardless of how she may look from one moment to the next.
There are two verses in John 13 that opened my eyes to this more than they ever have been. In verse 11 scripture says, “For he knew who was going to betray him, and that was why he said not everyone was clean” (NIV). In the very next verse, verse 12a, scripture says, “When he had finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and returned to his place” (NIV). Maybe you have caught this before but for me it was the first time. Jesus washed all the disciples feet including the one he knew was going to betray him. Jesus knew what Judas was up to and what would come of his actions. Yet Jesus washed his feet. He loved the one who no doubt was hurting His heart.
John 13:34 & 35 says, “’A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another’” (NIV). We cannot simply love those who love us. We must love those who…
Jesus is wonderful and He makes each of us beautiful. When we look through His eyes we see what the messes and the masses seem to hide. We see through the stuff the enemy wants us to focus on and become bitter against and we begin to see the beauty of the one that Jesus loves.
This week and again next month my church, New Life Church in Colorado Springs Colorado, will be hosting thousands of young men and women of God and no doubt will the team I lead run into a few circumstances that will cause anger, frustration and maybe even bitterness. It just happens. Therefore, I have asked my team to consider this same idea. To wash the feet of every person that crosses his or her path. To love them as Jesus commanded. To do otherwise is to open the door for the seeds of the enemy. Our negative response to someone can turn them from Christ. Our positive, loving, foot washing response, however, can help others know that the beauty of the Bride of Christ is here and help open the way for the Holy Spirit to operate powerfully in their life.
Blog entry: www.damonbailey.blogspot.com
Thursday, June 23, 2011
Monday, June 6, 2011
Food and Water
Recently Mandy and I along with our boys spent 5 days in Tulsa Oklahoma visiting my family. Each time I have made this trip, I have realized that food is a huge part of the visit. We are a large close-knit family and we love to eat (as I guess all large close-knit families do). My crew alone had seven mouths, or better yet, stomachs to feed. Then there was my two parents, my three brothers, my sister-in-law and a very cute 1 month old nephew. If you are counting, there were 14 mouths/stomachs to feed while we were in town. That is a lot of food.
When the feast was over we had to wash all that food down with something and throwing in all the playing we did out in the heat and humidity that Oklahoma so graciously provides and the gallons of liquid we had to consume really began to buildup. At the end of it all, it is easy to see that we are a very hungry and thirsty bunch.
However, there is one other thing that I have noticed on these trips. Not only are we hungry and thirsty in our bodies we are a spiritually hungry and thirsty group as well. Each of us is in love with Jesus. We are a blended family but our loving Savior has grafted us together just as he has the Gentile and Jewish families. Today we serve Him individually, in our separate households and as a whole family. We hunger and thirst together. It is a beautiful thing and we are all blessed for it.
The Gospel of John, in the fourth chapter, speaks of those who thirst and hunger after Him. Speaking to a Samaritan woman at Jacob's well in Sychar Samaria Jesus says in verses 13 and 14, "'Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life'". Later in the chapter in verse 34 Jesus says to his Disciples, "'My food...is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work'". Jesus goes on to speak of harvesting the fields that have been sown and reaping the benefits of the labor that has already been done.
When I look upon my family, I see a family longing for His living water, to do the will of Him who sent them and to finish His work. We are not a perfect family by any means. We have had to learn some hard lessons, but through them, we have all grown...grown thirsty and grown hungry. Today we are closer than ever and we are growing even faster. God has completed a lot in us and still has a lot to complete but we are willing to consume the food and drink He offers.
My imploration for those who read this is the same. Thirst for Jesus' living water. Hunger to do his will and to finish His work. As His children we have access to His Kingdom and all that it possesses. Eternal life is ours if we will take it. Yes, there is work to do. Yes, we must labor, we must toil. However, we do not do so as the world does. Our labor and our toil is a blessing. It is a blessing to Him as it is our obedience to His loving command. It is a blessing to those the work benefits for they are His children in need. It is a blessing to us as it is our worshipful connection to His heart.
Also in John 4 Jesus says in verses 23 and 24, "'Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in Spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth'". Jesus has brought life to each of us. His grace and His mercy has been extended to us in a most loving manner and it comes in the satisfaction of our great thirst and hunger. He satisfies as we worship in spirit. He quenches as we worship in truth. We offer our all to Him in deed and in rest. We lay down what the world says we own so that in truth rightful ownership is restored to Him who provides our every need.
If you thirst, if you hunger, do so no longer. Offer your worship in spirit and in truth. Obediently walk the path He has laid out for you. Seek Him. As has been true for my family there will be difficult lessons to learn along the way. In the end, however, your thirst will be satisfied with living water and your hunger will be satisfied through the fulfillment of His will and His work.
To my family I say, thank you for the wonderful visit and I look forward to many more memories as we walk our path to the Father in Spirit and Truth eating and drinking at His table together. Spiritually speaking...bottoms up and what’s for desert :). I love you!
When the feast was over we had to wash all that food down with something and throwing in all the playing we did out in the heat and humidity that Oklahoma so graciously provides and the gallons of liquid we had to consume really began to buildup. At the end of it all, it is easy to see that we are a very hungry and thirsty bunch.
However, there is one other thing that I have noticed on these trips. Not only are we hungry and thirsty in our bodies we are a spiritually hungry and thirsty group as well. Each of us is in love with Jesus. We are a blended family but our loving Savior has grafted us together just as he has the Gentile and Jewish families. Today we serve Him individually, in our separate households and as a whole family. We hunger and thirst together. It is a beautiful thing and we are all blessed for it.
The Gospel of John, in the fourth chapter, speaks of those who thirst and hunger after Him. Speaking to a Samaritan woman at Jacob's well in Sychar Samaria Jesus says in verses 13 and 14, "'Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life'". Later in the chapter in verse 34 Jesus says to his Disciples, "'My food...is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work'". Jesus goes on to speak of harvesting the fields that have been sown and reaping the benefits of the labor that has already been done.
When I look upon my family, I see a family longing for His living water, to do the will of Him who sent them and to finish His work. We are not a perfect family by any means. We have had to learn some hard lessons, but through them, we have all grown...grown thirsty and grown hungry. Today we are closer than ever and we are growing even faster. God has completed a lot in us and still has a lot to complete but we are willing to consume the food and drink He offers.
My imploration for those who read this is the same. Thirst for Jesus' living water. Hunger to do his will and to finish His work. As His children we have access to His Kingdom and all that it possesses. Eternal life is ours if we will take it. Yes, there is work to do. Yes, we must labor, we must toil. However, we do not do so as the world does. Our labor and our toil is a blessing. It is a blessing to Him as it is our obedience to His loving command. It is a blessing to those the work benefits for they are His children in need. It is a blessing to us as it is our worshipful connection to His heart.
Also in John 4 Jesus says in verses 23 and 24, "'Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in Spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth'". Jesus has brought life to each of us. His grace and His mercy has been extended to us in a most loving manner and it comes in the satisfaction of our great thirst and hunger. He satisfies as we worship in spirit. He quenches as we worship in truth. We offer our all to Him in deed and in rest. We lay down what the world says we own so that in truth rightful ownership is restored to Him who provides our every need.
If you thirst, if you hunger, do so no longer. Offer your worship in spirit and in truth. Obediently walk the path He has laid out for you. Seek Him. As has been true for my family there will be difficult lessons to learn along the way. In the end, however, your thirst will be satisfied with living water and your hunger will be satisfied through the fulfillment of His will and His work.
To my family I say, thank you for the wonderful visit and I look forward to many more memories as we walk our path to the Father in Spirit and Truth eating and drinking at His table together. Spiritually speaking...bottoms up and what’s for desert :). I love you!
Thursday, September 30, 2010
Worship Is...
In my devotion today I read about what worship is. Those two words, worship is, jumped out to me. They were very thought provoking. I am not a worship leader. I do not lead large groups in worship. I am not a pastor. I do work for a church and lead a group of people and the word worship comes up in a lot of the conversations I have with them. I am a father and a husband and when home or at church with my family the word worship comes up.
I do not think it is difficult to describe what worship is and thus I am not attempting to define it or write something profound. I simply want to bring it up. To get myself and whoever reads this to think a bit deeper about what worship is, why we do it and who it is really meant for. Anytime we, as believers of Christ, can think on, consider and meditate on the truths of scripture the better we are for it. Therefore, worship is...
According to my devotional, The Purpose-Driven Life Journal (Inspirio 2003 by Rick Warren) 12 ideas of what worship is are given to the reader. I will quickly list them. Worship is "based on scripture", "rooted in the word", "based on truth not our imagination", "from the heart", "our spirit responding to God's spirit", "thoughtful", "sacrificial", "a sheer act of the will", "continual", "the first purpose of your life", "our greatest responsibility" and "our greatest privilege".
Each of these when considered individually can spark deep thought and fuel a deeper understanding. When considered and practiced as a group of ideas an individual can begin to go deeper in worship than they have ever gone before. As I read them I wrote each one down one by one to help me grasp what the author was trying to explain. I encourage you to do the same. One by one, list these ideas and consider them. What do they mean? What are they saying? How do they apply to you and your unique life? How do these ideas support each other? Is there anything you need to practice or add to your life in regard to these ideas? Answering these questions or others the Holy Spirit brings to your attention will help you grow in your understanding as well as in your spiritual habits.
Another thing that really stuck out to me was a question the author asks at the very beginning of the devotion. He asks, "Which is more pleasing to God right now - my public worship or my private worship?" Immediately I answered my private worship. Public worship is important and God loves it. It is a very good thing to gather with other believers and worship our Heavenly Father. He loves when His children come together to sing to and praise Him. However, more than anything else, God loves our own, personal, one on one worship of Him. When we come to Him and worship Him in private we are purposefully handing our lives over to him.
It is easy to gather in worship while among other believers. One would stick out like a sore thumb if we were the only ones not worshiping in that setting. However, when we are alone and can do as we please without others seeing or knowing and then choose to give our time, energy and praise to God we are dynamically connecting to the Father. It becomes a special moment between you and God. It is intimate. So, to me, worship is also personal. Corporate? Yes. But personal? Definitely. I believe God loves when we approach Him on our own to love him, praise Him, thank Him and honor Him. When we draw close to Him, He will draw close to us (James 4:8a).
God is the creator of all things. He is above all and over all. There is nothing that can compare to Him. I wrote in an earlier blog about an idea found in Hebrews 12:2 & 3. It says in the NIV, "Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider Him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart". The idea of considering Him is what struck me about those verses. When we consider who God is I think it becomes impossible to not worship Him. My devotion challenged me in this as well. Thus I wrote down every attribute and characteristic of God that I could think of. With this too I challenge you. Who is God? What are His characteristics? What does scripture say about Him? Consider Him, consider His ways and consider His attributes. In doing so along with considering the 12 Worship is ideas listed earlier you will come to a greater understanding and develop a great desire and passion to worship our Creator, Healer, Provider, Deliverer, Overcomer, Redeemer...
I do not think it is difficult to describe what worship is and thus I am not attempting to define it or write something profound. I simply want to bring it up. To get myself and whoever reads this to think a bit deeper about what worship is, why we do it and who it is really meant for. Anytime we, as believers of Christ, can think on, consider and meditate on the truths of scripture the better we are for it. Therefore, worship is...
According to my devotional, The Purpose-Driven Life Journal (Inspirio 2003 by Rick Warren) 12 ideas of what worship is are given to the reader. I will quickly list them. Worship is "based on scripture", "rooted in the word", "based on truth not our imagination", "from the heart", "our spirit responding to God's spirit", "thoughtful", "sacrificial", "a sheer act of the will", "continual", "the first purpose of your life", "our greatest responsibility" and "our greatest privilege".
Each of these when considered individually can spark deep thought and fuel a deeper understanding. When considered and practiced as a group of ideas an individual can begin to go deeper in worship than they have ever gone before. As I read them I wrote each one down one by one to help me grasp what the author was trying to explain. I encourage you to do the same. One by one, list these ideas and consider them. What do they mean? What are they saying? How do they apply to you and your unique life? How do these ideas support each other? Is there anything you need to practice or add to your life in regard to these ideas? Answering these questions or others the Holy Spirit brings to your attention will help you grow in your understanding as well as in your spiritual habits.
Another thing that really stuck out to me was a question the author asks at the very beginning of the devotion. He asks, "Which is more pleasing to God right now - my public worship or my private worship?" Immediately I answered my private worship. Public worship is important and God loves it. It is a very good thing to gather with other believers and worship our Heavenly Father. He loves when His children come together to sing to and praise Him. However, more than anything else, God loves our own, personal, one on one worship of Him. When we come to Him and worship Him in private we are purposefully handing our lives over to him.
It is easy to gather in worship while among other believers. One would stick out like a sore thumb if we were the only ones not worshiping in that setting. However, when we are alone and can do as we please without others seeing or knowing and then choose to give our time, energy and praise to God we are dynamically connecting to the Father. It becomes a special moment between you and God. It is intimate. So, to me, worship is also personal. Corporate? Yes. But personal? Definitely. I believe God loves when we approach Him on our own to love him, praise Him, thank Him and honor Him. When we draw close to Him, He will draw close to us (James 4:8a).
God is the creator of all things. He is above all and over all. There is nothing that can compare to Him. I wrote in an earlier blog about an idea found in Hebrews 12:2 & 3. It says in the NIV, "Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider Him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart". The idea of considering Him is what struck me about those verses. When we consider who God is I think it becomes impossible to not worship Him. My devotion challenged me in this as well. Thus I wrote down every attribute and characteristic of God that I could think of. With this too I challenge you. Who is God? What are His characteristics? What does scripture say about Him? Consider Him, consider His ways and consider His attributes. In doing so along with considering the 12 Worship is ideas listed earlier you will come to a greater understanding and develop a great desire and passion to worship our Creator, Healer, Provider, Deliverer, Overcomer, Redeemer...
Sunday, July 4, 2010
Independence Day
Today is the 4th of July, Independence Day for the United States of America. It is a day of reflection, of remembrance and even for hope. We reflect upon the things that has brought this great nation to where it is today. We remember those who have sacrificed and served to help maintain what this country stands for. We hope on the things that this nation is built upon and work toward our betterment as individuals and as a people group based upon the hope our freedom brings us.
I love the 4th of July. It is one of my favorite holidays. Not only do we get to play with fireworks but we get to bask in the Red, White and Blue. We get to stand proudly with flags flying above knowing we are Americans. However, though this day is a day of doing just that the great thing about our nation is that we get to do that every other day of the year. No one forces us to celebrate. No one quiets us when we do. In America, though we are not without our problems and differences we all come together as Americans. We are united under that title. We are free. We are independent.
I want to also encourage you in another independence we have. One given to us not earned. One we did not fight for but was given to us as a gift from the only One who could have won it – the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Galatians 5:1 (NIV) says, “It is for freedom that Christ has set up free. Stand firm then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.” It is said quite plainly in this scripture. We are free be because Jesus wanted us free and therefore He did what it took to make sure we had that freedom. As a result we, as freed people, are to avoid the things that make us slaves.
2 Peter 2:19 (NIV) says, “…for a man is a slave to whatever has mastered him.” Sin is a slave master. We give in to it because it is attractive to us. We like what it offers. However, once we give way to its enticement we are hooked. Even when we realize our mistake we have a hard time breaking free from its grip because it has mastered us during the time we gave in to it. We grow accustomed to its draw and thus despite our greatest efforts we continue finding ourselves in its grip.
Alone, we are lost. However, as mentioned above someone has gone to war for us. Not only this, He won that war. With His victory He gave us victory. John 16:33b (NIV) says, In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” Jesus won and we are free. Our first step to receiving that freedom is acknowledging that that He is the overcomer and our only hope is purely in Him.
1 John 4:4 (NIV) says, “You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.” The enemy of our lives is strong. His grip is tight and his effort to destroy us is fierce. He does not give up easily and our strength is no match for his. Yet there is One who is greater than him. There is One that stands fearlessly before our enemy and declares victory and freedom. He declares our Independence Day from the slave master of our life. Sin can no longer hold and keep us. It has no authority to, unless we give it authority.
There is plenty of scripture to point to the fact that despite Jesus’ great victory over our slave master we still have the freedom to do as we will. When we make the choice to live again in our sin we also make the choice to surrender to its mastery over us. Therefore, it is important to strive for the continuation and growth of our faith in the One who has won. The New Living Translation of 1 Timothy 1:19 says is best. It says, “Cling to your faith and keep your conscience clear. For some have deliberately violated their conscience and as a result have shipwrecked their faith.” In Chapter 4 verse 7 it also says to "…train yourself to be godly.” We still have responsibility despite the Independence we have been given through Christ. We still must decide on a daily basis to no longer live as slaves to a defeated enemy.
Today is our Independence day if we will choose to live in the victory earned by the blood of a loving and most powerful Savior – Jesus Christ.
Happy Independence Day.
I love the 4th of July. It is one of my favorite holidays. Not only do we get to play with fireworks but we get to bask in the Red, White and Blue. We get to stand proudly with flags flying above knowing we are Americans. However, though this day is a day of doing just that the great thing about our nation is that we get to do that every other day of the year. No one forces us to celebrate. No one quiets us when we do. In America, though we are not without our problems and differences we all come together as Americans. We are united under that title. We are free. We are independent.
I want to also encourage you in another independence we have. One given to us not earned. One we did not fight for but was given to us as a gift from the only One who could have won it – the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Galatians 5:1 (NIV) says, “It is for freedom that Christ has set up free. Stand firm then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.” It is said quite plainly in this scripture. We are free be because Jesus wanted us free and therefore He did what it took to make sure we had that freedom. As a result we, as freed people, are to avoid the things that make us slaves.
2 Peter 2:19 (NIV) says, “…for a man is a slave to whatever has mastered him.” Sin is a slave master. We give in to it because it is attractive to us. We like what it offers. However, once we give way to its enticement we are hooked. Even when we realize our mistake we have a hard time breaking free from its grip because it has mastered us during the time we gave in to it. We grow accustomed to its draw and thus despite our greatest efforts we continue finding ourselves in its grip.
Alone, we are lost. However, as mentioned above someone has gone to war for us. Not only this, He won that war. With His victory He gave us victory. John 16:33b (NIV) says, In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” Jesus won and we are free. Our first step to receiving that freedom is acknowledging that that He is the overcomer and our only hope is purely in Him.
1 John 4:4 (NIV) says, “You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.” The enemy of our lives is strong. His grip is tight and his effort to destroy us is fierce. He does not give up easily and our strength is no match for his. Yet there is One who is greater than him. There is One that stands fearlessly before our enemy and declares victory and freedom. He declares our Independence Day from the slave master of our life. Sin can no longer hold and keep us. It has no authority to, unless we give it authority.
There is plenty of scripture to point to the fact that despite Jesus’ great victory over our slave master we still have the freedom to do as we will. When we make the choice to live again in our sin we also make the choice to surrender to its mastery over us. Therefore, it is important to strive for the continuation and growth of our faith in the One who has won. The New Living Translation of 1 Timothy 1:19 says is best. It says, “Cling to your faith and keep your conscience clear. For some have deliberately violated their conscience and as a result have shipwrecked their faith.” In Chapter 4 verse 7 it also says to "…train yourself to be godly.” We still have responsibility despite the Independence we have been given through Christ. We still must decide on a daily basis to no longer live as slaves to a defeated enemy.
Today is our Independence day if we will choose to live in the victory earned by the blood of a loving and most powerful Savior – Jesus Christ.
Happy Independence Day.
Thursday, June 24, 2010
Prayer - Matthew 6:5-15
Good day everyone. I hope you are doing well. The following I put together for a prayer meeting that I help lead on Friday mornings at my place of employment - New Life Church. I wrote it out because this particular Friday we are unable to meet due to the Desperation Conference taking place. This allowed me to email it to the normal attendees as well I thought it would be great to place on my blog; especially since it has been a while since I have posted anything. I hope you enjoy and that it speaks to you. Thanks for reading! God Bless you!
Prayer
Matthew 6:5-15
v. 5 “And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men.”
They were self focused and prayer was about them not about communing with the Creator of the universe. They wanted to look important to God but knew not how to be righteous before Him. They missed the point and in the process missed their opportunity to be connected to the Father. We should take warning and check our hearts to see where our motives are before the Lord. We should remain humble and pure before Him.
v. 6 “But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your father, who is unseen. Then your father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.”
This is a big idea about prayer and one I am big on. Prayer is communion with the Father. It is intimate and in most circumstances it should be treated as intimate. There definitely is a place for public prayer and worship but when we go before the Lord on our own in most cases I believe it should be a private encounter. This accomplishes two things…
1. It makes the encounter pure and keeps your heart humble
a. No or limited distractions
b. No limitation on how you express yourself before the Lord. Its private.
c. No temptation to “impress” prayer partners or leaders or spectators. It’s just you and the Lord and you cannot impress Him.
2. It provides a quiet atmosphere before the Lord to meditate on Him and His word.
a. He speaks/responds to you which edifies and blesses you (reward).
v. 7 & 8 “And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.”
I make the mistake all the time of thinking I have to explain my thoughts to God. One of the many great, and really vast, attributes of God is that He is all knowing. We simply need to go to Him, worship Him, sit silently before Him and allow Him to work through the darkest areas of our hearts. He knows us better than we know ourselves. We certainly can speak, express our desires and ask for things. He wants us to do so (Matt. 7:7 & James 4:2). However, we should never feel as though we must explain the details or go on and on about our opinions. In doing so we remove the opportunity to receive the reward spoken of in v. 6 – His ministry to our hearts received through quiet meditation.
v. 9-13 – How we should pray…
“’Our Father in heaven (See Him as your Father), hallowed be your name (He is Sacred and Holy and must be treated and worshiped as such),
your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. (Our hearts desire should be for His complete rule and control [sovereignty] over our world and lives. We should seek to know His will and operate within it.
Give us today our daily bread (All we need is that which is necessary for today. Nothing else is necessary. Today is what matters the most. Tomorrow will come and with it all its concerns. Receive what He has for today and take care of it first and He will be there to provide what we need tomorrow just as well).
Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors (Recognize your failures and confess them to our Father who forgives. Release those who have offended or hurt you. As a believer you cannot move forward unless you do so [see v. 15]. Give to God those individuals that have wronged you as well as those things you have done to wrong Him).
And lead us not into temptation but deliver us from the evil one (Our battle is not flesh and blood but spiritual [Eph. 6:12]. We must remain acutely aware of those evil/fleshly things we are drawn to and remain on the offensive by going to our Father for help and protection).’”
Prayer is a great tool and weapon for all believes to use. Prayer should be continual (Eph. 6:18 & 1. Thes. 5:17) as we children of the Most High stay in tune and relationship with our Father who knows all things (1 Sam. 2:3 & 1 John 3:20). Prayer, along with faithful obedience to God will changer our lives and the lives of those around us. It can and will spark revival if we remain faithful in prayer and the action it sparks in our hearts.
KEEP PRAYING!!
Blessings on you!
Prayer
Matthew 6:5-15
v. 5 “And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men.”
They were self focused and prayer was about them not about communing with the Creator of the universe. They wanted to look important to God but knew not how to be righteous before Him. They missed the point and in the process missed their opportunity to be connected to the Father. We should take warning and check our hearts to see where our motives are before the Lord. We should remain humble and pure before Him.
v. 6 “But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your father, who is unseen. Then your father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.”
This is a big idea about prayer and one I am big on. Prayer is communion with the Father. It is intimate and in most circumstances it should be treated as intimate. There definitely is a place for public prayer and worship but when we go before the Lord on our own in most cases I believe it should be a private encounter. This accomplishes two things…
1. It makes the encounter pure and keeps your heart humble
a. No or limited distractions
b. No limitation on how you express yourself before the Lord. Its private.
c. No temptation to “impress” prayer partners or leaders or spectators. It’s just you and the Lord and you cannot impress Him.
2. It provides a quiet atmosphere before the Lord to meditate on Him and His word.
a. He speaks/responds to you which edifies and blesses you (reward).
v. 7 & 8 “And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.”
I make the mistake all the time of thinking I have to explain my thoughts to God. One of the many great, and really vast, attributes of God is that He is all knowing. We simply need to go to Him, worship Him, sit silently before Him and allow Him to work through the darkest areas of our hearts. He knows us better than we know ourselves. We certainly can speak, express our desires and ask for things. He wants us to do so (Matt. 7:7 & James 4:2). However, we should never feel as though we must explain the details or go on and on about our opinions. In doing so we remove the opportunity to receive the reward spoken of in v. 6 – His ministry to our hearts received through quiet meditation.
v. 9-13 – How we should pray…
“’Our Father in heaven (See Him as your Father), hallowed be your name (He is Sacred and Holy and must be treated and worshiped as such),
your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. (Our hearts desire should be for His complete rule and control [sovereignty] over our world and lives. We should seek to know His will and operate within it.
Give us today our daily bread (All we need is that which is necessary for today. Nothing else is necessary. Today is what matters the most. Tomorrow will come and with it all its concerns. Receive what He has for today and take care of it first and He will be there to provide what we need tomorrow just as well).
Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors (Recognize your failures and confess them to our Father who forgives. Release those who have offended or hurt you. As a believer you cannot move forward unless you do so [see v. 15]. Give to God those individuals that have wronged you as well as those things you have done to wrong Him).
And lead us not into temptation but deliver us from the evil one (Our battle is not flesh and blood but spiritual [Eph. 6:12]. We must remain acutely aware of those evil/fleshly things we are drawn to and remain on the offensive by going to our Father for help and protection).’”
Prayer is a great tool and weapon for all believes to use. Prayer should be continual (Eph. 6:18 & 1. Thes. 5:17) as we children of the Most High stay in tune and relationship with our Father who knows all things (1 Sam. 2:3 & 1 John 3:20). Prayer, along with faithful obedience to God will changer our lives and the lives of those around us. It can and will spark revival if we remain faithful in prayer and the action it sparks in our hearts.
KEEP PRAYING!!
Blessings on you!
Thursday, April 1, 2010
Online Article @ www.allaboutgod.com
I have recently written an online article for www.allaboutgod.com. It is entitled Parenting Styles and can be viewed/read at... http://www.allaboutparenting.org/parenting-styles.htm
Blessings and have a great week!
Blessings and have a great week!
Saturday, March 27, 2010
Need and Passion: The Fuels of Goal Achievment
Yesterday there was quite the achievement in the NCAA Basketball Tournament; Butler University won its region and is heading back home to Indianapolis to play in the Final Four for a national championship. To basketball novices this may not be a big deal. However, Butler is not considered a basketball powerhouse and, in fact, was only considered 5th best in their region. To get to the Final Four they had to beat a few teams that were considered by all the "experts" to be far better than themselves. However, all the teams from their region that were supposed to beat them will now be watching them play for the national title in the coming week.
How did they accomplish this? I am pretty sure it all started with a goal. I was not there at the beginning of their season when the coaches and players set out on their journey and decided what they wanted the end results of their season to look like. However, I have been on competitive teams of my own and grew up around sports and have never been on a team that did not set goals for their season. For a school like Butler the national title may have been a little big to consider at the beginning of the season but once they received their invitation to play in the tournament I guarantee that they reconvened and saw that this goal was now in sight. They are now two games away from achieving their goal. Will they do it? Who knows but it sure will be fun watching.
Any team or individual that sets out to achieve a goal generally does so for a reason. However, that reason is usually not a strong enough fuel to propel the team or individual toward success. That is, unless the reason fell into one of two categories. In my own experiences I have found that there are two key ingredients to succeeding in the pursuit of a goal, one is need and the other is passion.
I recommend that for anyone setting goals, they set them based upon one or both of the two fuels. To set a goal without at least one of them is basically to follow the same course as most New Years resolutions; which generally leads to failure. Most individuals setting out to achieve some sort of resolution at New Years time do so because they have a "want" to achieve. However, since there is no real need to accomplish it and ultimately no passion behind it the drive to achieve dies out within one or two weeks if not sooner.
Need based goals come when there is no other choice; this either happens or there will be severe consequences. Examples of need based goals can be things such as gaining a job within a necessary time period, finishing a fiscally important project on time, raising the funds in order to participate in an event or defeating a disease that threatens life. Failure, for these types of goals, simply is not an option.
Passion based goals are goals much like what Butler is working towards. They have no real need to win the national title but I can guarantee that there is plenty of passion. If failure comes life and circumstances do not really change. The driving force is a deep want and desire that surpasses normal motivation. Athletes are the most visible of passion based goal setters. They have a finish line to cross and to them there is nothing more important than crossing it and doing so first. For the average person, the passion comes through life events. Maybe they have a promotion they are working towards or an activity that they find challenging thus desiring greatly to accomplish it.
If you are setting goals look for goals you have need or a great passion for. Achievement will be far more possible if you do. Goals are not easy to set or achieve but when you have need or passion everything gets a bit easier. What passions and needs do you have?
How did they accomplish this? I am pretty sure it all started with a goal. I was not there at the beginning of their season when the coaches and players set out on their journey and decided what they wanted the end results of their season to look like. However, I have been on competitive teams of my own and grew up around sports and have never been on a team that did not set goals for their season. For a school like Butler the national title may have been a little big to consider at the beginning of the season but once they received their invitation to play in the tournament I guarantee that they reconvened and saw that this goal was now in sight. They are now two games away from achieving their goal. Will they do it? Who knows but it sure will be fun watching.
Any team or individual that sets out to achieve a goal generally does so for a reason. However, that reason is usually not a strong enough fuel to propel the team or individual toward success. That is, unless the reason fell into one of two categories. In my own experiences I have found that there are two key ingredients to succeeding in the pursuit of a goal, one is need and the other is passion.
I recommend that for anyone setting goals, they set them based upon one or both of the two fuels. To set a goal without at least one of them is basically to follow the same course as most New Years resolutions; which generally leads to failure. Most individuals setting out to achieve some sort of resolution at New Years time do so because they have a "want" to achieve. However, since there is no real need to accomplish it and ultimately no passion behind it the drive to achieve dies out within one or two weeks if not sooner.
Need based goals come when there is no other choice; this either happens or there will be severe consequences. Examples of need based goals can be things such as gaining a job within a necessary time period, finishing a fiscally important project on time, raising the funds in order to participate in an event or defeating a disease that threatens life. Failure, for these types of goals, simply is not an option.
Passion based goals are goals much like what Butler is working towards. They have no real need to win the national title but I can guarantee that there is plenty of passion. If failure comes life and circumstances do not really change. The driving force is a deep want and desire that surpasses normal motivation. Athletes are the most visible of passion based goal setters. They have a finish line to cross and to them there is nothing more important than crossing it and doing so first. For the average person, the passion comes through life events. Maybe they have a promotion they are working towards or an activity that they find challenging thus desiring greatly to accomplish it.
If you are setting goals look for goals you have need or a great passion for. Achievement will be far more possible if you do. Goals are not easy to set or achieve but when you have need or passion everything gets a bit easier. What passions and needs do you have?
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About Me
- Damon Bailey
- Colorado Springs, Colorado, United States
- I am the Director of Events at New Life Church. For 13 years I have been employed by New Life Church serving within the Hospitality department. The majority of those years have been spent within the World Prayer Center (leading, supporting and participating in prayer events and outreaches). My heart is to continually create an atmosphere conducive to prayer and worship and to support that through my own passionate pursuit of God. I grew up at New Life Church, having attended for 20+ years. I joined the staff in May of 1998 after God redirected my life from the pursuit of a college football career. After the redirection and during my decade plus career with New Life Church I married my wife, Amanda, have begun raising five young men of God and have completed my degree in Organizational Management Emphasizing in Christian Leadership along with earning a Biblical Studies Certificate from Colorado Christian University.