5 Things To Know While Praying

Prayer is simply communicating to God.

Have you ever wondered why some prayers do not get answered? Have you ever wondered why there appears to be a lack of response or delay in some prayers? Did you know there are some conditions in answered prayers? Did you know there are some answers we may never get or understand? I have been in full time ministry for almost 25 years. I have asked the Lord for many things in my life, and have waited on him many moments. I have felt his presence, seen him answer prayers in my life, and in the lives of those I have prayed for. I have also experienced persevering prayer, were I am still looking for answers. It is through prayer we get to know Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Prayer is about a relationship more than about petitions. But, it is an amazing thing to put our life in the palm of His Hands.

God’s response to our prayers is YES, NO, and NOT YET. 50% God’s Will and 50% God’s Timing.

5 things to consider while praying:

When You Pray First Forgive

Mark 11:24-25 "I tell you, you can pray for anything, and if you believe that you’ve received it, it will be yours. 25 But when you are praying, first forgive anyone you are holding a grudge against, so that your Father in heaven will forgive your sins, too."

We need to always ask ourselves the question: Is there anyone I have a grudge or an offense against? Offenses and Bitterness hinders all progress in prayer. We need to keep short accounts in our marriages, family, work associates, neighbors. “That neighbor that still has your shovel…forgive…just go ahead and give it to them.” “That child or friend who you have felt rejection from…let it go” I want to encourage you, if while you are praying the Lord brings to your mind a person you have an offense with. Begin to pray for them....pray blessing, peace, and hope in their life.

Keep On Asking

Luke 11:9-10 “And so I tell you, keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. 10 For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened."

Delay does not mean denial.

We need to learn to Ask, Seek, Knock. Just because you have prayed about a situation once, does not mean you are done. We need to continue to lift our requests before the Lord, until we get an answer. Persevering prayer is vital lesson for all believers to grow in, never give up praying for someone.

The Way We Live Matters

James 5:16 "Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results."

It is a righteous persons prayer, that produces results. It does matter if you are in right standing with God. It does matter how you live.

Psalm 34:15 "The eyes of the Lord watch over those who do right; his ears are open to their cries for help."

Our Faith Matters

James 1:6-7 “But when you ask him, be sure that your faith is in God alone. Do not waver, for a person with divided loyalty is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is blown and tossed by the wind. 7 Such people should not expect to receive anything from the Lord.

As we grow and mature in our relationship with God, it is crucial we discipline our lives to be more consistent in faith. It takes discipline to keep the faith in the requests we have presented to the Lord. Our feelings change, but our faith needs to remain. Let’s learn how to stop listening to our feelings. Feelings lie. If we want an answer to our prayers, our faith in God has everything to do with it. We need to believe He can and He is able. We trust His plan for the situation, and we stand on His Word for the answer. Don’t waver like the wave of the sea. I grew up near an ocean, and loved swimming and fishing in the ocean. The one thing you could not predict was the waves and the undercurrent. Our belief/faith level in the prayers that we pray need to be predictable. We need to trust His Word and stand on His promises regardless of what we see, hear, and feel.

His Will Matters

1 John 5:14-15 “And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us. 15And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him."

According to His Will is the key phrase in that passage. If what we are asking for is contrary to scripture we are asking amiss. The Lord is never going to violate His Word. Therefore, the confident prayers are those that come in alignment with His Word. For example, physical healing, salvation, deliverance, peace, friendships, wisdom, etc.... When you know it is in agreement with the word, you can pray with boldness and leave the results to God. He is Sovereign and In Control.

3 Things I am Thankful for

As I enter this Thanksgiving week, there are many things that I feel grateful for. The Bible says, “Give Thanks to the Lord, for he is good! His faithful love endures forever.” The scriptures instructs us, it is the Lord that deserves the thanks, not the company, person, or circumstance. Jesus deserves thanks, because He is good. Many times we want to shower our thanks on the situation at hand, but the Lord deserves the first thanks from our heart. In when we look at His Love; it is faithful, it endures, and it is forever. I know that thought alone, is overwhelming, I realize my inconsistencies, but the Lord is not like man, He is God. He remains true to His word, and he does not fluctuate.

I could think of many things to be thankful for, but here are 3:

1. I am thankful for God’s amazing grace to my family. God’s grace can be defined as God’s riches at Christ Expense or His unmerited favor. I am so thankful for my wife who loves Jesus, walks in forgiveness (especially living with me...Haha), and hopes for a better tomorrow. I have 2 kids that love the Lord, and our pursuing His Will for their life. There is nothing more exciting than to see your kids buy into the Word of God, and walk it out. WOW...I am so proud of both of them, as they Stand for Truth!
2. I am thankful for the 74 adult Life Group leaders at Antioch Church. They are sacrificing for the Kingdom of God, by helping others grow in Jesus Christ. Amazing servants of the Lord. Giving, Living, and Sacrificing...
3. I am so thankful for how God has watched over our house situation in the last few months. As many know, it is challenging times, and the Lord graciously worked out our deal. Yesterday, we went to the closing of our house, and afterwards, my wife and I gave thanks. He answered so many detailed prayers, and we stand in awe. We downsized into a condo, and the Lord worked out all the transitional pieces that were involved. God is good!

I could have thought of more thankful items, but that was the three I chose today. I want to encourage you, take time this week and list 3 items you are thankful for, and write them down. It will produce a better heart and launch you into your next miracle. I believe we underestimate the power of thankfulness. Before the feeding of the 5000, Jesus took the 5 loaves and 2 fish and "Gave Thanks". After he gave thanks, they witnessed one of the most amazing miracles.

Take time this week, and write out what you are thankful for...

Strong Faith

The key to a believers walk is their faith level. Our faith can be no, little, much, great, or strong. If you are anything like me, you have to work hard at keeping your faith strong. But, it can be done, and it is the best life. God has assigned each believer a measure of faith, and it is our responsibility to watch over that faith and cause it to grow. Faith is something that can leak out of our lives, and it takes constant awareness to make sure we do all we can to make it grow.

Life's circumstances and pressures we face can create doubt and unbelief, we all face financial struggles, sickness, strife, and sorrow. The only way to combat these enemies is strong faith. When our faith remains strong there is no enemy we can not face. We must do what Paul did, and fight the good fight of faith.

Paul shows us in his letter to the church in Colosse, specifically Colossians 2:6-7. "...just as you accepted Christ Jesus as your Lord, you must continue to follow him. Let your roots grow down into him, and let your lives be built on him. Then YOUR FAITH will GROW STRONG in the truth you were taught, and you will overflow with thankfulness."

4 Ingredients to Strong Faith:

We see that after we accept Christ as Lord we need to go to work on our faith. Faith is crucial to a believers walk. Faith moves, and we must make sure it moves in the right direction.

1. Faith must be rooted in Christ. When a plant starts to take root in a ground, you notice that it becomes more stable and grounded. It takes time to get rooted. You have to encounter all seasons of life. Time causes faith to get stronger if you will remain IN CHRIST. The more struggles, joys, and circumstances you walk through with Christ, the stronger your faith will become.
2. Our lives must be built on Christ. It is so easy to build our lives around getting houses, making money, education, sports, what we will eat, and raising a family. It is not that those things are all bad, it is when they are out of step with building your life on Christ, it becomes wrong. Our words, time, and money should communicate our life is built on Christ.
3. We must learn, follow, and walk out the teachings of Christ. Our passion should be learning the teachings and ways of Christ. If we would take the time and learn the Word of God, we can avoid alot of counseling appointments. we could avoid bad decisions. The scriptures offers practical words of wisdom for the life we live, we just need to take the time and know it. If you know his word, you will get to know Him! His Word is Truth! I would encourage anyone to get with a group of believers and study His word, seek His face, and ask the Holy Spirit to speak to you. When you discover a truth for life, apply it...NOW.
4. Our words must OVERFLOW with THANKFULNESS. The world we live in is negative. It is easy to get sucked in to that negative world, we must intentionally speak and think grateful thoughts. If we focus our thoughts and language on what is going wrong our faith will get weak. If we focus OUR thoughts and words on what is right, good, and true our faith will get strong.

As we look at this passage of scripture we see strong faith is developed through time with Christ, realizing all decisions flow through Christ, learning and walking out the teachings of Christ and His Word, and maintaining a Thankful Spirit.

The devil will do his best to get you to drift from any of those 4 ingredients to strong faith. We must disallow him from accomplishing that, and move forward no matter the cost. I pray your faith becomes strong this very day!!!!

Stay Ready

Have you ever thought you were ready for your first day of school, and realized later you were not? Have you ever prepared to go on a trip, thinking you had everything ready, and when you arrived at your destination, you realized you forgot something? Like a drivers license, passport, maybe money, etc.... When you read the Parable of the Tens Bridesmaids in Matthew 25:1-13, you realize there were 5 Bridesmaids ready and prepared, and there were 5 Bridesmaids who thought they were ready and prepared and discovered they were NOT. What a moment for those 5 unprepared Bridesmaids. Jesus was speaking to His Disciples about the last days and the position the church needs to be in as these days approach us. This parable instructs the position of the church to Get ready, Be ready, and Stay ready.

The Bible says, "The five who were foolish, didn't take enough olive oil for their lamps, but the other five were wise enough to take along extra oil. When the bridegroom was delayed, they all became drowsy and fell asleep." The oil represents the Holy Spirit and The Word of God. As these last days approach we need to keep our connection with God "On Fire". We need to make sure the oil of the Holy Spirit is running over. This is OUR RESPONSIBILITY! Someone else can not do this for us. Our passion for Jesus needs to continue to grow stronger not weaker. The only way to STAY READY is In His Presence, In His Word, and In His Work. To stay ready in His Presence is to live with the understanding that God is always near. We should ask the Lord, "What would you have me do in this moment?" To Stay Ready in His Word, is to take time daily to allow His Word to give us a fresh revelation. The Bible says, "the Word of God is alive and powerful..." As many know, I love the one year Bible, it gives a balance approach with a Old and New Testament read, as well as a Psalm and Proverb. It takes only 15 minutes a day. Of course it does not matter what your plan is for reading the scriptures, just get some plan. The key is asking the Lord to give you a fresh revelation of His Word for your life this day. The Lord will do that if you will ask. To stay ready in His Work, is to be active spreading the gospel wherever you are. We need to find out where the Lord is moving and get involved in that work. God is blessing works all over the city, find a work of the Lord, and get involved. If you live in Kansas City, I want to encourage you to get involved in a Life Group. In a Life Group you will get involved in knowing other people, share His Word, Pray, and serve somewhere. As we believers we need to make sure we are known and getting to know others. Isolation is not good!

The Bible says, "we need to be able to interpret the times in which we live" (Luke 12:54-56) The times in which we live really demonstrates that prophecy is being fulfilled right before our eyes. With that being said, we need to make sure our lives Stay In Ready Position. Let's allow the Oil of Joy and His Presence continually run over our lives. Matter of fact let's go ahead and get a little extra....

Don't Neglect Meeting Together

Summer time, as we know it, is about ready to come to an end. For those who have kids on summer break, know that the summer time has many opportunities to gather as a family. This can be good and bad, depending on where you are in life. My family was blessed to experience a family vacation, where we were able to experience a lot of laughter. My prayer is that this season has been filled with wonderful memories that can be cherished for a long time. For some, you have faced many trials and hardships. It seems to me, on any given day, life can be filled with so many different emotions. We have to learn to be spirit led not emotion led. No matter where you are in the journey, one thing I know for sure. We need to be connected. Life’s circumstances and the devil will do all he can to disconnect you from the body of Christ. Whatever it takes, STAY CONNECTED, for the devil is a liar. The devil will continue to tell you- “you are too busy, too messed up, too confused, or TOO LAZY to get with other believers or go to church. Even though this is the very thing you need. We need to run to church, not from it…we need to run to group, not from it. Being with other believers is what keeps us strong and on track. You need other believers in YOUR life to keep you sharp.

The apostle Paul in the book of Hebrews said it like this, “Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm, for God can be trusted to keep his promise. Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works. And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near.” (Hebrews 10:23-25) In this passage we learn to Hold Tight…God can be trusted. No matter where you find yourself; “Hold On”. The other thing we learn is we need to motivate one another to do good things for others. This works best in a Life Group with people you know.

If you are going to church and do not know anyone, than how can you motivate someone, Motivation is best expressed out of relationship, you need to get connected to be known and to know. We need to STOP isolating ourselves from the very people that can strengthen our faith and keep us moving in the right direction with the HOLY SPIRIT! We also learn in this passage, to NOT NEGLECT MEETING TOGETHER, church and Life Group are vital to a believer’s life. Whatever it takes, we need to stay connected to church and our Life Group. It is through Life Group we feel accountability, a sense of belonging, and cared for. As well as challenged to read and study the scriptures, discuss the word, and influence others for Christ. Apostle Paul ends this passage with the most amazing thought; we should stay and meet together until Christ returns. This fall Antioch Church will be doing a church wide study in Life Groups on the book, “What in the World is Going On?” by Dr. David Jeremiah. You will not want to miss out on this study. It promises to be a very challenging and encouraging time in Life Group. If you are not in a Life Group, please take time and go by the Life Group booth, pick up a card, fill it out, and turn it in. I would encourage all to read this book.

How can we sing the songs of the Lord while in a Pagan Land?

It has been too long since I last updated my blog. There has been much life experienced since then; went on a missions trip to Mexico, my kids have completed a grade, we went on vacation, and we have ended another semester in Life Groups @ Antioch Church, our life group has seen the TBones ball game, Celtics lost, etc... God is faithful through all times!

I want to take some time to share what the Lord is showing me through His Word. Sometimes, God's tangible presence seems absent, sometimes we feel our life is walking through a strange time, and we are waiting for his revelation, and his power. We have to learn to be faithful to his word and our devotion to Him. It is a walk of faith! The children of Israel found themselves in one of those seasons. They could not even sing a song of the Lord. I imagine they had to sing in faith, not feeling, they had to sing out of obedience, not Holy Spirit goose bumps!

Psalm 137 Beside the rivers of Babylon, we sat and wept as we thought of Jerusalem.^* We put away our harps, hanging them on the branches of poplar trees. For our captors demanded a song from us. Our tormentors insisted on a joyful hymn: “Sing us one of those songs of Jerusalem!” But how can we sing the songs of the Lord while in a pagan land?

The children of Israel where in Babylon at the time, they were in a strange land, and they felt abandoned, lost, and hurt. The enemy was taunting and throwing sarcastic comments at them. Yes, the children of Israel committed sin and were being judged by God. But, they still found themselves at this place in life. They were asking a very relevant and all important question. How can we sing the songs of the Lord while in a Pagan Land? Basically, they were asking; How can we sing worship songs, while we are in a strange and challenging place in life? I think as believers, we need to learn and discipline ourselves, to sing songs of deliverance and healing while in a difficult place. Life is not always going to be comfortable. Life will sometimes embrace suffering. When it does, will you sing a song of the Lord?

Let's look at the next couple of verses:

Psalm 137:4-5 If I forget you, O Jerusalem, let my right hand forget how to play the harp. May my tongue stick to the roof of my mouth if I fail to remember you, if I don’t make Jerusalem my greatest joy.

Jerusalem represented hope, a place of God's favor, and salvation. We can not ever lose hope, no matter how difficult it gets. We must choose to walk in faith, we must choose to speak faith, we must choose to obey God's Word and Worship the Lord through all life's experiences. When you walk through a challenge or season of suffering, remember that God is with you and for you. Sing a song of the Lord out of obedience to his word, not the circumstance you find yourself. The word will remain faithful, it has through all generations.

We must sing a song of the Lord, even in a strange land! Hope is coming. By the way, the children of Israel found themselves back in Jerusalem a few years later.

All Scripture Is Inspired

Paul wrote to Timothy, His son in the Lord. "But you must remain faithful to the things you have been taught. You know they are true, for you know you can trust those who taught you. You have been taught the holy scriptures from childhood, and they have given you the wisdom to receive the salvation that comes from trusting in Christ Jesus. All scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work." Second Letter of Paul to Timothy, chapter 3 Verses 14 through 17.

My heart desires more understanding and revelation from the Holy Scriptures. The church needs to awaken to a passion to get back to the basics. A discipline to read the word on a daily basis, a passion to spend time in prayer, a desire to share salvation to those in need, and a heart to walk it out in a hurting world no matter the cost. You won't live and die for something that you are not fully committed too.

Oh, how we need a reformation of reading, studying, and understanding of the whole Bible! My prayer: "Holy Spirit, we ask you to illuminate the words in scripture in our hearts that we might live it out!"

Confusion and disillusionment has set in on some believers. They quote and say beliefs of scriptures and Christianity with little understanding themselves. They have never taken the time to read the whole Bible through; cover to cover-Genesis to Revelations, etc...

They speak opinion with little understanding and knowledge of ALL the scriptures. The believers in the day of Christ, took time from childhood to be taught the scriptures. They took years to read and study the scriptures themselves. What would happen if we spent more of our daily time in the Bible? Instead of every night turning on the TV or some other entertainment, we would take time and read and discuss the Bible in our homes. Wow! Would an awakening happen in homes? Wisdom and Understanding would be deposited in homes and workplaces.

When you read the whole Bible, you see a balanced gospel; Grace and Judgment, Tender Love and Tough Love, Obedience and Sin, Prosperity and Suffering, Heaven and Hell, Blessing and Cursing. You see the story of a Loving God reaching to redeem man back to himself for all eternity!

God has done and is doing His part, but we need to do our part.

We must realize and understand All Scripture is inspired by God. It is time to study the Old and New Testament. It is time to sit in His Presence for a lengthy period of time as the scriptures speak to your inner man. It is time to look for a need you have in your capacity to meet with the people he has put in your path.

"Lord, Your Word is changing my life! Let me understand it more so I can share it more!" Bill

Believers Pray for Courage

As I think about all that is going on in our world, my heart breaks. There has never been a more desperate time to pray for courage than NOW. Believers all over, need to ask God to give them courage. Courage to face the economy, how to help the situation in Haiti, defending the right of Biblical Marriage (One Man and One Woman), issues of abortion, and sharing the love of Christ to those around us. It is going to require more courage as the day approaches. No backing down or falling back, it is time for boldness and courage.

In Acts 4, Peter and John were speaking in front of the religious council about a man they healed in the name of Jesus. This counsel asked them to stop using the name of Jesus and sharing that he had rose from dead. With the potential threat of death on their life, they did not back down, they courageously shared, "Do you think God wants us to obey you rather than him? We can can not stop telling about everything we have seen and heard." The members of this council were amazed at the boldness and courage of these two men, and said, "...recognized them as men who had been with Jesus." What a powerful testimonial. The council threatened them and dismissed them because they were afraid of a riot breaking out.

When Peter and John left they joined other believers and shared all that God did through them in front of this council. The believers lifted their voices together in prayer to God. After they prayed in an united front together giving thanks and asking for more courage and boldness. The Bible says, "the meeting place shook, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit. Then they preached the word of God with boldness." It is time for believers to ask, pray, receive, and act.

As I read this amazing story, I am challenged to ask God for more courage and boldness. To gather with my Life Group and pray for boldness and courage. Then look for opportunities to be bold for Christ. Right now there are 2 major issues we need to ask God for courage: to send the right people and right aide to Haiti. As many people know this beautiful country needs the right help. Second, there is a court case going on in California: Perry vs. Schwarzenegger. This case is a huge case that is being fought for the institution of Biblical marriage. ADF (Alliance Defense Fund) has amazing lawyers that are defending Biblical Marriage in America. Let's pray for courage and boldness for these lawyers. Their closing arguments will be in less than 2 weeks.

Let believers huddle together: ask, pray, receive, and then act in the Holy Name of Jesus.