Mark 9: 28-29 James 5:16 12/27/2016

"After Jesus had gone into the house, His disciples asked Him privately, “Why couldn’t we drive it out?” Jesus answered, “This kind cannot come out, except by prayer.”

This is a critical truth to begin a new year...  To be powerful, you must learn to pray.

The Disciples had been casting out demons and healing people successfully, until they met this boy. Then they learned that some demons are harder to deal with than others... there are degrees of maliciousness to sin.

They encountered a demon that had been with the boy for a very long time.  It controlled him, endangered him, it even tried to kill him .... and those who loved him, could do nothing. 

That situation sounds familiar to all of us.  We have all had circumstances like this in our lives, and the lives of those we love.  Jesus was clear...learn to pray!

But when Jesus says pray, He is not referring to the "now I lay me down to sleep" type prayer,  He is referring to the  "in the garden of Gethsemane, bleeding because of the intensity" type prayer.  He is talking about falling in front of God in faith, and calling out for His help, with no intention of stopping until something happens.  It is powerful, exhilarating, and exhausting.

When Christians kneel we are going to DEFCON 1... we are putting in the nuclear codes, and there is no plan for retreat.  There is no plan B. When all else fails, even what has worked in the past...when it seems you have no hope for the fight ahead.... remember these words... “This kind cannot come out, except by prayer.”...so commit to prayer.

When we get to Heaven the names of those who changed the world will not be those we expect.
It will be the grandmothers, and grandfathers...the solitary people with calluses on their knees that swayed the battles here on earth. These are the quiet soldiers whose prayers broke the chains of countless prisoners. Enlist ... become a prayer warrior and help those you love go free.

This year can be different if we learn to pray.

"The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much."
- God
James 5:16

John 19:30 12/20/2016*9*

 “…Jesus said “It is finished.” With that, He bowed His head and gave up His Spirit.”

We discussed this verse last Easter, but it deserves consideration at Christmas. 
What was finished at Calvary, began 33 years earlier in Jerusalem. What Christ finished on the Cross, God had begun in a manger.  

In November of 1992 my first child was born.  That December was the first time I understood Christmas.  It was the first time I got an inkling of what we celebrate.  Holding my son in my arms made God's gift seem incomprehensible, and I began to see Christmas in a new light. There was no joy in Heaven that first Christmas…That was the deployment of a rescue mission ...the joy came at Easter when it was finished. 

This Christmas season we need to consider the agonizing, choice an all-knowing God made for us.

Beginning the process of redemption, knowing full well, it would end at the Cross is an act of unequaled love.  Joy to the world, was heartbreak to the Father...if you ever questioned your value in God's eyes, Christmas is His answer.

This holiday season, fall to your knees and worship a God who on that first Christmas, knowing the cost, chose to give His only begotten son … whom He loves…so you and I would not perish but live with Him forever.  What an amazing God…what amazing grace.

That was the “good news of great joy” the angels proclaimed
… and it is the only Christmas gift that matters.

"The difference between Christianity and other religions. Is the difference between Works and Grace, or Do and Done."
Rick Warren

Luke 5:18-20 12/13/2016

"Just then, some men came carrying a paralyzed man on a mat. They tried to bring him inside to set him before Jesus, but they could not find a way through the crowd. So they went up on the roof and lowered him on his mat through the tiles into the middle of the crowd, right in front of Jesus."

Do you have friends like that?...more importantly, are you that kind of friend?  

Are you willing to damage property, interrupt a meeting, and risk public ridicule, to get your friend in front of Jesus? ... We can't carry people to Jesus on a mat today,  but we can put them there by getting on our knees.  Are your prayers placing your friends "in front of Jesus"?

Scripture doesn't record it, but when they lowered their buddy, I bet Jesus looked up at their faces staring down from the hole in the ceiling, and smiled and gave them a wink.  I believe that, because the next verse says "When Jesus saw their faith, He said, 'Friend, your sins are forgiven.'” ... "   Did you notice it said "THEIR faith", not only the paralyzed man's faith, but that of his friends as well. 

That elevates the importance of friendship to a new level.   Social media has minimized the word "friend" but these verses makes being a friend serious business.  It means if you have friends who are struggling with physical, spiritual, or emotional paralysis ... your faith can play a part in Jesus telling them to get up and walk.

It will impact you as well...the paralytic was not the only one whose life was changed that day. 

This holiday season more people need friends than gifts. And if you're going to be a friend, be one like these guys.  

Be the friend that says "Hey, what if we dug a hole in the roof ? ..." Be the friend willing to do whatever it takes.  Be a prayer warrior for your buddies.  Let the people you love, know they are more important than your schedule, your reputation, or your list of things to do today.

True friends are life altering ...  Love big, pray hard, and do something extravagant for someone ... it will change their life, and it will also change yours. 

"Love is blind; friendship closes its eyes."
- Friedrich Nietzsche

Matthew 13:7 Matthew 13:22 12/6/2016

Matthew 13:7 - "Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants."

Since Jesus is teaching about the impact the Word of God has in our lives, we should ask what He means by thorns that render it ineffective.

The Apostles had the same question, so a few verses later Jesus explains.  "The seed falling among the thorns refers to someone who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, making it unfruitful." (Matthew 13:22 ) 

So the obvious question is, what thorns do you allow in your garden?...Apparently they fall into two categories....worries about problems...and confidence that your wealth can solve those problems. Both distract from God, and choke the work you are doing for His Kingdom.

Both of these types of thorns destroy by stealing nutrients, and they share a common trait... they take the focus off of God and put it squarely on you.  Lack of confidence, and over confidence, are two sides of the same coin called self-centeredness.  Whether you are wrapped up in your ability, or your inability to control your life  -  the results are  the same.

The problem with thorns and weeds is that they multiply if they are not removed. 

This week evaluate your garden.  What is taking your focus off of God?  What is stealing nutrients from your walk with Christ?  Is there anything you tolerate in your heart that moves the spotlight from Jesus, to you?...If there is - rip it out by the roots. 

Be intentional about what is planted in your heart, and militant about what you allow to grow there.  If it doesn't put your eyes on Christ, it is a "thorn".  It is choking the power of your faith and making it ineffective...eliminate it.

"Satan is not fighting churches; he is joining them. He does more harm by sowing tares than by pulling up wheat.". - Vance Havner