Overwhelming Prayer

We can be overwhelmed by any number of things. We can be overwhelmed with busyness, and overwhelmed by fear. You ever feel like saying, "Enough is enough! I can’t take this anymore?”

I’m going to tell you a story from the bible that can help with this overwhelming issue.  Jehoshaphat is the king of Judah and Ruler over the city of Jerusalem. He feels so strongly about his faith, that when he appointed priests and judges throughout the land, he challenged them.

2 Chronicles 19:6, He says "You’re not working for me. You’re working for the Lord. So make sure that you follow Him faithfully with all your heart." Amen!!!

Not long after this the king finds out that the country is under attack. The Moabites, Ammonites and some Meunitescame to make war on Jehoshaphat. These people have been enemies of Judah for hundreds of years. And now, they are joining forces to form a vast army. And their one unified purpose is to wipe the people of God off the face of the earth! To kill the Jewish people once and for all!

Jehoshaphat was alarmed…Sometimes God wants us to be alarmed so that He might get our undivided attention. But sometimes, people respond by panicking. They say "I can’t believe this is happening! I’m in way over my head! I’m not going to make it!"

Sometimes we respond to overwhelming situations by trying to handle everything ourselves. We say, "If I was the one calling all the shots to begin with, we wouldn’t be in this predicament! I can solve this problem all by myself. All you have to do is listen to me!"

Panicking; being a control freak is not the way to handle overwhelming situations. The way to handle this…we need to do what Jehoshaphat did. He calls upon the entire nation to come together for a national day of prayer and fasting. In other words, the king is saying, "I am determined to hand this entire situation over to God! I am going to call upon the one person in the whole universe who can do something to change our circumstances!"

And he says, "Oh, Lord, you are the God of heaven. You rule over the kingdoms of the earth. Power and might are in your hand. But now, we are under attack by the very same people you told us to refrain from attacking many years ago. And look how they are repaying us! O our God, will you not judge them? For we have no power to face this vast army that is attacking us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are upon you." (2 Chronicles 20:1 – 30)

I know this is pretty basic but including myself in this question….Why aren’t we doing this?

When we start feeling overwhelmed by the worries of this life, we need to stop trying to fix everything ourselves. We need to stop fretting over the things that are out of our hands. And we need to put everything back into God’s hands.

When the people of God pray, the power of God is on display.

So, how does this story end? READ IT…. (2 Chronicles 20) you won’t be disappointed!

When it’s God in action its God is good!  When God is first in the lives of Men in Action, its God is good!

(Please take note: whether we put God first in action or not…God WILL take action.)

L,Too many times, we tell ourselves, "I don’t need any help. I can handle this. I’m a grown person. I’m responsible." And we either end up falling flat on our faces. Or the stress associated with handling everything ourselves takes its toll on our well-being.

How many problems in your life have become worse than they needed to be because you didn’t hand them over to God in prayer? How many times have you tried unsuccessfully to manipulate your circumstances when all you really needed to do was to give them over to the Lord?

God loves you so much, that He WANTS to hear your prayers!

Amen?

Resistance is Futile

If you were to come up with the most basic definition of pride you could, what would it be? If you had to explain pride to a young child, what would you say?

The most basic definition of pride I can think of is to say that pride is putting us in the place where only God should be.

There are a few different types of pride. The obvious being selfish pride but the pride I want to write about today is presumptive pride. Presumptive pride is futile. There are a lot of things in life that seem futile, aren’t there?

 In my business today, I have my plans for expanding the business.

Marketing Plans; Financial Plans; Human Resource Plans; Development Plans.   

All these are good plans to make but I left out the only plan that really matters. I left out God’s Plan! This is what James was talking all about in Chapter 4 and verse 13 - 17:

Now listen, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money." Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, "If it is the Lord's will, we will live and do this or that. “As it is, you boast and brag. All such boasting is evil. Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn't do it, sins.

“Resistance is Futile!”

We could be the most successful businessmen on earth, but that doesn’t really matter with what little time we have. What matters is obedience to the will of God. When we made our plans this year, were we considering the Master’s plan? Are you considering God’s will and subjecting your plans to it? I don’t want my future plans to be based on this vapor of life that God has given me.

None of us knows what’s going to happen tomorrow. Only God does. Doesn’t it only make sense for the only One who knows the future to be the One on whom we base our plans? If we don’t, we’re showing presumptive pride. And that is sheer futility. But not only is presumptive pride futile, it is also arrogant.

Arrogance is one of those ways where our society has been completely turned on its head. Do you remember Mohammed Ali? Mohammed Ali was one of the greatest boxers to ever enter the ring. It’s probably an understatement to say that Mohammed Ali was arrogant.

Remember?                                       “I am the greatest!!!”

Back when he was still in his prime, he had to get on an airplane to go to his next fight. Right before the plane was ready to take off, the stewardess told him to put on his seatbelt. He ignored her. On her next pass down the aisle, she told him again to put his seatbelt on. He ignored her again. Finally, on her final check before the plane took off, she insisted that he put his seatbelt on. This time he didn’t ignore her. This time he looked at her and said, “I’m Superman. Superman doesn’t need any seatbelt.” The stewardess didn’t back down one bit. She looked him right in the eye and told him, “Superman don’t need no airplane either—buckle up.”

“Resistance is Futile!!!”

It is one thing to make plans thinking you’re in control. It is completely another thing to make plans knowing that God is in control. How does the fact that there is a God who is in control of the universe impact your plans? If He only impacts your plans when you try to get Him to endorse what you’ve already purposed in your heart to do, you’re sinning.

The problem isn’t knowing what’s right. The problem is doing what’s right.

Making plans is right. But it’s only right when your plans are held in submission to God’s plan.

How is your pride?

Decisions: A Matter of Trust

My last blog was on trust and this seems to be weighing very heavy on my mind lately. Decisions are based on trust.

 When we make decisions we often seek different sources to help make that decision.  How many sources does the average person consult when faced with making a decision? Some search through their horoscopes or consult trusted friends. Some people will even ask complete strangers for their advice or will follow the accepted patterns of their culture.

Have you ever struggled with making decisions? “What should I fix for dinner?” “What should I wear today?” “Where should I invest my money?” “Who should I date?” “What career should I pursue?”  “Where should I go to Church?” Decisions can be big or small yet they all can be very important.

“Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him; And He will make your paths straight.” Proverbs 3:5-6

God wants us to make wise decisions. He wants us to follow His guidance. In fact one of the main reasons that the Bible was written was that His children would have words to live by. He wants to give us clear direction. A way to make the right decisions based on God’s plan for us.

Back when I first started to drive, I didn’t know the roads in New Jersey very well and got lost frequently. I had been driving them with my parents for over 16 years yet I didn’t really know my way around.  I lacked the wisdom to make accurate decisions as to the road I should travel. Have you been there?

Growing up, I attended church weekly with my parents; sang in the choir and went to Sunday school every week.  When I got saved in my early 20’s, even though I was religious, I didn’t know my way around Christianity and got lost frequently. I lacked the wisdom to follow the Lord without a mentor guiding me. Have you been there?

In order to get to our destinations (make right decisions), we must make sure we’re on the right road/path. We need to follow the One who longs to give direction to our life. Many times we think that God is playing ‘hide and seek’ with us – when it comes to the discovery of His will for our lives. This is not true. God delights in revealing His purpose and plans to His children, if we’re serious about finding His will for your life - He will reveal it to you.

“If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him.” James 1:5

Many of us struggle trying to figure out what God wants us to do in specific situations. But much of what He desires for our lives is already revealed in the Bible.

“Thy word is a lamp to my feet, and a light to my path.” Psalm 119:105

Ok, so here’s the rub… you want wisdom from God? Stop trying to be in control!

Proverbs 3:5b”…lean not on your own understanding.”

We do not understand everything. We do not see the entire picture. We do not have all the facts. We can do just fine by ourselves though – right?

“If you think you know it all, you’re a fool for sure; real survivors learn wisdom from others.” Proverbs 28:26

Have you ever made decisions based on misinformation? Or limited information? I have! Did you know that God does not make decisions with limited information? How could He – He knows everything.

Our responsibility is to trust God, not trust our own understanding but to acknowledge God in all our ways.

Let’s make the most important decision right now!

Trust in God.

Who do you trust?

What does it mean to trust?

Webster’s Dictionary states: Basic dependence on someone or something, Belief that something will happen or someone will act is a prescribed way.

Paul’s definition: our unswerving belief that God will indeed work on our behalf to bring His perfect will for our lives into being.

John 14:1 – Do not let your hearts be troubled; trust in God, trust also in me.

If I were to ask you individually, you would very quickly say that you trust God but there are times when trust is not so simple. Trusting God means we believe in that which we cannot see and sometimes may not understand. Trusting God is literally against our human nature. Trusting God means that we have to admit that we are not in control of our lives.

We trust our employers to deliver paychecks.

We trust our doctor’s to heal our illnesses.

Disasters strike and tragedies happen in our lives.

Life can indeed be hard. Life can be uncertain. Life is beyond our control. In times like this, life is beyond our understanding. We are left with raw emotions and tough questions. Answers are beyond us as we grapple with the question of why. Nothing and I mean nothing that we go through in life is beyond God.

God wants you to trust even when you don’t understand. When life just doesn’t make sense; when the future seems uncertain; God wants us to follow Him. When we feel weak, God is our strength. When we are pressured by life, God is our relief. When we need security, God is our refuge. The full resources of God are at our disposal when we place our trust in Him.

Some of you are familiar with the device I have in my chest that keeps me from having seizures. This device resembles “Trust in God” for me. While I was awaiting the surgery for the implant, the Doctors kept telling me that there was a 50/50 chance it would stop the seizures all together. Their thoughts were that it would only stop some of the seizures and not all.

I could have listened to this and believed it. I could have left everything up to the Doctors and nurses, but I didn’t.  I simply trusted God to take care of the circumstances. As I have stated before, I haven’t had a seizure since.

Jesus calls us to not focus on our life, our difficulties, our pain, Jesus calls for us to trust God, His plan is better than anything we could do.

Proverbs 3:5, 6 Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.

So, who do you trust?