Book review

I haven't used many devotionals before, but I found this one to be most helpful.
The author lays our the structure of his presentation very clearly, and it makes it easy for even a novice to figure out where's he's going.

His specific use of prayer in this I instance is focused on portioning prayer. He is trying to equip the reader with concept and tools to petition God in a way that aligns with scripture.

I specifically liked the fact that he allowed a full page before each day, so that the reader can form their own prayer in their own words, not just what the author had to say.

I would have to say, overall a very good read that certainly helped improve my prayer life. I would recommend it to anyone interested in improving their prayer life.

*I received this book for free in exchange for my unbiased review through the Thomas Nelson BookSneeze Program.

Why do we miss God?

I was looking at my bookcase the other day, and I did a quick count of the Bibles that I have.  Currently, I have 6 study Bibles and a dozen or so other Bibles.  I own concordances, commentaries, and I don't know how many books about God, prayer, living the Christian life, etc. 

That doesn't include access to the Internet, where it is possible to find just about any resource imaginable in accessing the Bible.  For goodness sakes, if I want to quote scripture in the blog, I don't even need to know the verse or what book it was in to find it- all I have to do is Google it!

I don't think I'm alone in this abundance of Biblical materials.  A recent survey by the American Bible Society (2011) showed that 83% of Americans have a Bible in their homes.   The access of Biblical knowledge available to our society today is unprecedented in history.  We are also extremely blessed to live in a country that allows us complete access to that information with no threat of persecution. 

Is the Bible supposed to be end all be all of God?  Or is it a treasure map that points us to the greatest treasure there is?  Is it a book that helps us understand the nature of God better, and what He expects of us?  In our current Christian culture, do we spend more time reading about our God or actually getting to know Him?

One thing I do want to make clear before I go any further that I have nothing against Bible study or in having sound doctrine.  There certainly is a place to that and it is extremely important.  My concern is that the average believer is consuming a sea of sermons, pod casts, Christian writing, etc. and does not spend enough time communicating with God.  Why is that?

With that being said, I am just as guilty as the next person of this.  I have been known to spend way more time reading about the Bible or other people's commentary about God, prayer, etc. rather than actually spending time in prayer with God.

So why do like to read about God but never get to know Him?

Drawing upon personal experience, and from what I've seen with others in their walk it seems there are several reason why we do this.

-Excuses.  By nature we are selfish creatures, and spending time in prayer takes effort and time.  Just like working out, there are lots of reasons to come up with excuses.  Lots of reasons not to make the time.  In my modern, busy life, if I don't make time for something it will never happen.  Prayer is one of those things.

-Distractions.  Let's face it, there are a ton of ways to deaden our sense these days and distract ourselves.  Phones, texting, Facebook, Twitter, etc.   On top of that there are tons of ways to numb ourselves and tune out that inner voice trying to get our attention.  From TV, Internet, movies, sports, games: the list is endless!  Not that any of those things are bad by themselves, but they can easily become idols in our lives.

-Stuck in a rut of religious obligation.  Although that is a deep subject that could have it's own book written about it, I'll try to sum it up here.  I know I've been there before, where I've felt stuck in a rut. 
I'm on every committee, volunteering for every activity.  After a while I realize that I'm spending so much time doing stuff for God, I never get to know if I'm even doing what God wants me to do!

All that being said, what do we do about it?  What really helps?  Although I don't have any easy answers, I've found a few things that have helped me out:

1.  Daily scripture reading.  It can start with just a chapter a day of a book in the Bible, and it may expand over time to several chapters a day.  This may not be groundbreaking advice I realize, but it is necessary.  If you aren't sure where to get started, there are hundreds of reading plans that are out there.  Personally, I prefer to start with a book, and keep reading them in order.  I have found plans where I read part of the Old Testament, New Testament, etc. all together each day loses focus on the book I am reading. 

2.  Daily prayer.  This doesn't need to be complicated, just needs to be a daily practice.  Like exercise, you won't find time to do this.  Life is just too darn busy for that.  Instead you will have to make the time.  Find that quiet space and time (it can even be your car) and use that time to get close to God.

3.  Fasting.  This maybe something you have tried before, or something brand new to you.  I am just beginning to start this practice, but there is a reason this is mentioned in the Bible.  Start small, maybe just by setting aside 1 meal aside a week and instead of eating spend that time with God.  It can be quite rewarding!  Then move up to fasting for two meals, and then an entire day. 

I know that when I practice what I just listed above, I find myself much closer to God, and my whole outlook on life changes.  When I spend less time with God (even if I am being  busy "doing" things for God) I find myself drifting away and getting distracted.  I lose focus on what's really important, and how I treat people around me changes completely. 

I hope this helps you on your journey, and I welcome comments below on what has helped you on staying close to God. 

God Bless!

Trusting God

One of the things I struggle with is trusting God with everything in my life.   There are areas where I truly do trust Him, and I have no issues turning it over to Him.

With other parts of my life, I am not so successful in doing so.  In those areas I stress, get worried, can be short tempered about them, and generally do not feel secure about them.  In those areas of my life I can be defensive and not ready to share them with others.

I don't think I'm alone in this.  I think most of us have areas we are not ready to let God into, and certainly not trust Him enough to have control in those areas.  There are those "special" spiritual people that we know in our lives (or have heard about, read their books, etc.). They are the ones who seem to have a sense of peace in their lives.  I think that one of the keys to their sense of peace is that they trust God.  They do not worry about health, finances, family, etc.  They know that God is in control, even when they don't fully  understand what God's plan is for them.

God does actually ask us to do this as well, as scripture clearly states.  Here are a couple of verses that talk about how we are to trust God:

Psalm 18:2


The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer,
my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge,
my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.

Proverbs 3:5


Trust in the LORD with all your heart,
and do not lean on your own understanding.

Micah 7:7


But as for me, I will look to the LORD;
I will wait for the God of my salvation;
my God will hear me.

There are many more verses to quote, but this gives you a pretty good idea.  I particularly like Micah there, for if you read the whole chapter, he is talking about how wicked the days are, how can any man "have confidence in a friend" and such.  Certainly sounds like some of the rougher parts I've had in my life.

Since I've struggled in this area, I decided to bring if before God in prayer.  I wanted to earnestly seek his guidance in this area, and see what He would reveal to me.  I understand from reading the Bible that I should trust God (one does not need to be a Bible scholar to figure that one out) but the question I have was how do I go about it?

Here is what I've found:



1.  Release control.

As I prayed about this, and sought what God had to say I realized that I had to strip away some illusions I had about myself.  One of those illusions is that I control anything.  As I prayed through this, I realized that there is nothing I truly control.  I don't control my work, my family (certainly not my wife :) ), or my circumstances.  Even my own body does not always obey me.  I certainly am learning that as I get older!
And that is not to take away the fact that the decisions we make impact what happens in our lives.  They do, and we need to take responsibility for our choices.  But ultimately I can struggle with something as much as I want, but if God does not will it, then it won't happen.

I know this is something easy to write out, but it is much harder to put it into practice.  I don't know if releasing control is something that I will ever completely master.  But I do know this: when I do release control and strop struggling I find I have a lot more peace and a lot less stress in my life.

2.  Turn it over to God.

The second part of this is to turn that area of our lives that we want to grasp onto with all our might and turn it over to God.  By that I mean that I consciously release any struggle for control of that thing and give it over to God.  The best indicator of what I need to give to God?  Just pick the thing I'm most stressed about, and that is most likely what I need to give to Him.

There are many ways to turn it over to God, but I way I've found most effective is to do so in prayer.  I actually hand the thing that is most stressing me over to Him, and I can feel an almost immediate sense of relief.

3.  Seek God's wisdom.

The final part of this in trusting God is to see what He says about the subject. Obviously there is God's word to turn to, as that there is much wisdom in there. However, the Bible can't be read as you read an owners manual. Although that would be nice sometimes!
Another way to seek God's wisdom is through prayer. I know I struggle finding enough time but it can't be stressed enough how critical this is. I know when I spending time in prayer, I feel closer to God and I seem to find answers faster. When I pray less, I don't feel as connected to God and I find myself turning to things that are not helpful.

I realize what I have written here isn't revolutionary. My only goal was to pass on what's helped me, and will hopefully help you on your journey.

God Bless!

Seeking Jesus

It's not a question of "what would Jesus do?"

It's more of a statement of action on our part:

Seeking Jesus in all things.

What does that really mean?

I think it means a few things:

1. It does mean asking the question of "what would Jesus have me do with this decision?"
That is one part of it
2. It means seeking Jesus daily. In our fleshy life, we only form good relationships with people if we spend time with them. Same goes for Jesus. How can we know him if we never see him?
3. It's seeing Jesus in others. We are all Gods children, even the ones that really annoy us. Why do people strike out with anger? It's not because they are truly evil. Rather its because they are hurting, so they protect themselves.
4. Seeing Jesus in the events that happen around us. Sometimes seemingly good things happen to us. Sometimes seemingly bad stuff happens to us. Do we trust Jesus that its all for our good, or not? Not that God causes bad things to us, or that we aren't to resist the devil. We are never to be passive in the face of evil. But do we trust Jesus to get us through it?

Finally, there is one critical component to finding Jesus when you are seeking Him.

It's a simple word, but one that no one really likes: Repentance

Jesus does not hide from us, He does not play games with us. But what often stands between us and Him is something we don't like to admit to: it's ourselves.

Our pride, our lusts, our idols, you name it can an do stand between us and God. We cannot tear them down through effort, by human self will. We are never strong enough. The only way past our failings is through true repentance and humility.

It's not easy, not usually fun, and sure as heck isn't attractive or sexy. It will not be something that makes a bit book or blockbuster movie. But it works, is necessary, and as best I can tell the only true way to God.

What happens when everything goes wrong?

Have you ever had one of those kind of days? The day where your car breaks down, you find out you have a bill you didn't know about, and that the schools principle called about your kid?

Have you had one of those days, and it seems like the world is just plain out to get you? When God's promises about us seem very far away and distant? Eternity in Heaven and all that sounds great, but what about right now? And the pain And stress I'm in?

What about that?

So what does God have to say about all of that? We know from scripture that God is with us always, that He does not abandon us in our time of need. He is omniscient about to see us at all times. We also know from scripture that God loves us, and certainly does not want us to suffer needlessly.

I think this all boils down to one simple thing: a decision that we make.

The thousands of moment by moment decisions that we make each day. Do we stay with God for the whole day, or do we step away from that? Do we acknowledge that He is with us at all moments (including the less than pleasant ones) or do we turn away from Him?

Now I do want to be clear on one thing. In no way am I suggesting they we can lose our salvation. God is always present, weather we want to acknowledge him or now. But we can choose to live in that light, or we can choose to step away from it.

A lot of what has made me think this way recently has been a study of professional athletes. Not just any athletes but the best of the best, the cream of the crop. What do those people share in common? A desire to be the best. When they are tired, not feeling good, feeling like they need to give up, they push on. They do not stop. Others give in, they keep pushing. When you study people like this you find words like Effort, Grind, Persistence, Discipline, Tenacity.

I'm not suggesting that all of our faith is an effort on our part. God does way more than we can possibly do. We are saved by faith, not by works. But we can choose to resist the Holy Spirit. We can choose to ignore that voice that whispers in our ears.

Where the effort comes into play is choosing to listen to that voice of hope and love every day. Because there is much in us, much in the world around us that will cause us to stop listening. That's where we grind it out, every single day. Didn't Paul call it a marathon that we are running?

If the answer is to listen to Gods voice, to stay "tuned in" if you will, how do we do it?
What must we do on a daily basis? There is no magical formula, but there are a few basics that have worked for centuries that hold true:

Prayer.

Not a shocker here, but it is an absolute must. If you do not reconnect with God on a daily basis, you will suffer.

In this the world will distract us as much as possible. TV, social media, the stress in our lives, work, you name it. Just like exercise, we will never just have time for it, we have to make the time.

I'm not going to go into ways to pray. There are lots of resources available on that. Merely just the idea that it needs to happen. It's not so much about how you pray, but that you actually do!

What happens when our toys break

Today is trash day in my neighborhood, and with that you occasionally get to see some interesting things.
This particular trash day, I saw some child's toy that was being thrown away.  It clearly had been well used, but had since broken, and was now destined for the local dump.

It made me think about all the things we put before God, all the things that we lust after that are so darn important at that particular moment in time.  Yet, when it's all said and done,  they are nothing more than fodder for a landfill.

What are some things that we idolize?

-Food.  How often is it used as a stress reliever, something to make us feel good, or as "soul food"?
-Gadgets: This one was a big one for me.  Purchasing something new and shiny to make me feel good for a while.  You could put clothing, cars, just about anything you wanted into this category.
-Physical pleasure.  Again, lots of things can go in here,and lots of "lusts" fill this category.

Now, all that being said, I'm not saying that it's wrong to enjoy things in life.  I have never read anything in the Bible that says we are supposed to have miserable lives.  But the Bible does give us specific parameters on how we are supposed to enjoy the gifts God gives us. For example, take Proverbs 21:17 : "Whoever loves pleasure will become poor; whoever loves wine and olive oil will never be rich."
There the Bible is warning us that we are not to put wine (and olive oil) before our love for God.  How often do you put something in your own life before God?

In my own life, I know I've been guilty of this more often than not.  God has had to work with me quite a lot to help detach me from things that I put before Him.  I have learned a lot of painful lessons along the way, and I though I would mention a few things that have helped me:

1. The first question I ask myself when temped by an idol is: WHY?  Why do I desire this thing?
If I am looking at a new purchase, is it because its something I need, something I can use to help someone out with, or is it simply something that I want?  And if I just want it, why do I want it?
See where this is going?  I'm trying to get to the root cause of the desire.  If the desire does not originate with something God would want me to do or have, then I know its not a good idea to get it.  And if in doubt, I take time to think about the purchase, and pray about it.

2. Stay away from temptations.  Using an example of food, if Whoppers are your thing, then stay away from Burger King!  This may sound overly simplistic, but it works really well.  In the New Testament, we are told to flee from sin and temptation multiple times, the most famous of which is James 4:7 "Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you."  Again, not a hard concept to get our heads around, but we often skate way to close to something that causes us to sin and it gets us.  If Whoppers are your temptation (and I'm not trying to knock BK here) don't drive near a BK.  If necessary, take a different route with your car and go around the area you know where one is.  The last thing you want to do is simply sit in the parking lot, drinking in the smell, and then wonder why your willpower wasn't strong enough. 


3.  It's not enough to just flee from sin.  You also need to turn towards something else.  If you flee sin, and just start going in another direction, you will find something else to fill your craving or emotional need.  And it may just be another idol to take up your time.  When you flee sin, you need to turn towards God.  After all, repentance does not mean to just say you're sorry, and that's the end of it.  It means that not only do you regret what you did, you also change your behavior to reflect your new belief.  That means filling your life up with God, with prayer, scripture reading, etc.  




Finally, I want to close with the hope that there can be change, and that you can, with God's help make progress with whatever is getting in the way of your relationship with God.  I know, because I have had to overcome many such issues in my own life, and I know that I have accomplished that only through the power of Jesus Christ.
There are many more tips that could be given (such as having people to support you and hold you accountable) but this list was meant as a start, somewhere to begin.  My prayer and hope is that you would pray to God to show you what idols you hold in your life, and begin to let them go, and move closer to God.

God bless, and I look forward to your comments!

Keeping God first in this busy world.

As Christians, we all want to keep God in the forefront of our mind, to "pray without ceasing" as is described in 1 Thessalonians 5:17.  We want to stay close to God, we want to stay connected, we want to have that relationship that only comes with a true connection with the Holy Spirit.

But we rarely get that, don't we?

Why is that? What gets in the way and prevents us from accomplishing the lofty goals that we have?

There are lots of reasons that this can happen, from loss of faith, to falling into more routine with God than relationship, all the way to just being plain busy.  But today I wanted to focus in on an area that I find particularly easy to get sucked in by:

Multitasking

We live in a society that makes it easier than ever to succumb to the dreaded sin of being "too busy" or "too distracted" to hear God's voice.  Between text messages, instant messages, phone calls, Twitter, Facebook, email, web surfing, TV watching, etc. we have way too much to keep us endlessly entertained by things that often accomplish little.  (Not to say all those things are without merit- just that like with any good thing, they can be taken too far.  What ever happened to "Be still, and know that I am God?" Psalm 46:10

All the technologies I listed above are all designed to save us time, to keep us in touch with people, and to enrich our lives.  However, this has been taken too far on too many occasions.  How often have you been in a restaurant, and seen people interrupt a conversation with each other to take a call or a text?  How about a tweet?

Those things are all distractions, and if we are willing to allow them to distract us from the person in front of us, or our driving, what's to stop them from paying attention to God?

And I know I have been guilty of doing those same things as much as anyone.  I used to be one of those people who was always into the latest technology fad, and had to have the latest gadget.  But I've always found it so impolite to not pay attention to the person standing right in front of me.   I found it much more so when it was a relationship with God.

Based upon that, I've found three simple things that have helped me  get back my life from multitasking, and build better relationships with God and with the ones we love.


1.  Put the phone/tablet/remote down.  Simple as that.  When you are having a conversation with someone, take the time to put that phone on silent.  When you are praying do the same thing.  Start taking it a step further, by not answering calls or text messages instantly.  You will start to unhook yourself from that habit, and once you stop answering instantly, people will stop expecting you to do so as much. I've found my stress levels went down as well.

2. Have a way to store your thoughts and things that need to be done.  I am not a huge fan of to-do lists, but I do realize the value to taking the time to put something important down on paper.   When I don't, I often find that idea or thing I need to get done takes residence in my brain, and I've got to constantly try to remember it.  Ever been in the middle of a prayer and suddenly remember something you need to get at the grocery store?  Okay, maybe that's just me, but I bet I'm not the only one.  By getting it out of my head and onto a list of some kind it really helps me stay more focused.  A great book on the subject:  Getting Things Done by David Allen.  Presents some practical, simple ideas on how to do this.

3. Make God a priority in your day.  This comes down to good old fashioned discipline.   Not a word many people like in this day in age, but it still holds true.  You may not want to do it, but starting your day off with prayer and Bible reading can help set the tone for the rest of the day.  A lot of people (including myself for a while) think that you should just pray when you feel like it.  The problem is that our hearts can be fickle things, and we have this wonderful tendency to be self-centered.  Most of the time I don't "feel" like reading the Bible, but I do it anyways.  And almost every time I am done with it, I feel better, closer to God, and have learned some new truth from the text.  Think of it this way:  You may not feel like loving your spouse every day.  But you are committed to them, and deep down you have a relationship you care about with them.  So you do things for them, like make dinner, pick up their favorite flowers, etc. even when you don't feel like it. Our relationship with God is often like that.

Final thought: there are many techniques in this world that claim to help you get better at prayer, and staying connected with God.  From my experience, the biggest thing is just to pray.  Don't worry about technique, don't worry about timing, God will take care of that.  Just pray.  As it has been said before, the only bad prayer is no prayer at all.

I look forward to comments below, and I would love to hear some other ideas of how to stay focused on God.

God bless!