Day 21 - PURSUIT - Dangerous Prayers

Thank you to everyone who has joined me on this 21 Days of Prayer and Fasting - this time of PURSUIT.  I've enjoyed sharing each day, and I intend to continue in this format, although I don't think I will do it everyday :-)  

In this final day of our journey I wanted to encourage you to keep pursuing God - to keep seeking after His will and direction for your life, and I want to encourage you to keep connecting to God daily, and to begin to pray some Dangerous Prayers.  A few years ago I taught a series of lessons called “Dangerous Prayers” - a series in which we were challenged to change our lives through prayer.  I'd like to share a little from that series today as a challenge to each of us to pursue God is a deeper way.

It's easy sometimes to get in a rut of praying extremely safe prayers. God bless me!  God keep me safe.  God bless my family.  Keep my children safe.  God bless my finances.  God bless my food.  All good prayers to pray – but all extremely safe. . . But I wonder what would happen if we began to pray some dangerous prayers.

By dangerous prayers – I don’t mean harmful – but I mean dangerous in that they make us uncomfortable – they push us from our comfort zone – they provoke us to change or to begin a process of growth in which we move our positioning – we grow closer to God, or closer to accomplishing His will or plan for our life.  These are not easy prayers.  They are uncomfortable.   The reason they are uncomfortable is because we are asking God to move from dealing with things on the periphery of our lives, into some very internal, some very personal actions, that cause us to consider the real us in light of the Holy God that we serve.  Very dangerous prayers. . .

I'd like to share with you three very dangerous prayers today that I would encourage you to begin including in your prayer life:

1.  SEARCH ME

The first very dangerous prayer can be found in Psalm 139.  David prayed this after his enemies were on the attack and they were accusing David of having wrong motives.  Instead of saying, "No, no, no," and defending himself, instead he actually prayed a very dangerous prayer before God, when he asked God to search his heart.

 Psalm 139:23-24 (NIV2011)  Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.

 A very dangerous prayer.  

The first thing that David prays is this:  "Search my heart."  He says it very directly in verse twenty-three, "Search me, God, and know my heart."  For some of you, you may look at that and go, "Now, why would we ask God to search our heart. He knows it, and I've got a good heart anyway."

You've got a good heart, and I've got a good heart. We got a good heart, right?

Actually, we need to understand that without Christ, we do not have a good heart. It's a very common saying. "Well, she's got a good heart."  Actually, she's got a wicked heart, if you want to be completely accurate.

Jeremiah 17:9 (NKJV)  "The heart is deceitful above all things, And desperately wicked; Who can know it?

 We need to understand that without Christ, our heart is not a good heart, that we deceive others and we deceive ourselves.  In fact, we're all liars.  Just go ahead and say it, "Liar, liar, pants on fire." We're all liars. We lie. We lie.  Now even though many of us have forsaken lying – we don’t tell lies to each other - I'm going to argue that often the most common lie that we tell is the ones we tell ourselves.  We lie to ourselves.  The heart is deceitful above all things, and we need a really dangerous prayer when we go before God and say, "Search my heart, God. Show me what is in there. Search my heart, oh God."

This prayer really became real to me a few years ago.  I had been a Christian for a long time – serving Jesus in ministry – preaching and assisting in the church.  And then I had this major crisis in my life – everything that I thought I knew, and everything that I thought I could count on was suddenly ripped out from under me.  I started blaming everyone else, looking for the reason why, searching for all the reasons why someone else was at fault. . .

And then one night I was praying – probably giving God a play-by-play of how the whole world had conspired against me, how everything on the earth was against me just like I had for the previous few weeks.  And then I remember clearly – because I really wanted to know why all these things were going wrong in my life – so probably with a sense of spiritual superiority I prayed an extremely dangerous prayer.   I was like – "You go ahead God – you search me – see if there’s any wicked way in me. . ."

When suddenly I heard God say to me – it wasn’t audible – but it felt that way – I felt God say “Rodney – you have some major issues with pride.”   

Me – "I’m not proud.  I have nothing left – How could I be proud?"

And then God put it in terms that I best understand – he said – “You’ve become a proud, arrogant jerk.  You are more concerned about what everyone else thinks of you than what I think of you.  You let everyone see you and you make them think you have everything together, but what I see is someone who’s hurting, and broken, and has gotten so good at faking it, you don’t even realize that’s what you’re doing.”

Well – when God gets that plain with you, it’s hard to argue anymore – so I remember like it was yesterday this monumental day in my relationship with God where God did some major heart surgery on me – and after about 2 hours of weeping and crying before the Lord, and God blessing me with an amazing real experience with Him – I left a very different person than the prideful jerk I’d become.

You see When you pray, "Search my heart," it's a dangerous prayer, because God is going to show you things in your heart that are not pure.  He doesn’t do it to be cruel, rather he does it to bring you into deeper intimacy with Him as his Holy Spirit transforms you to be conformed to the image of Christ.  So we are gonna pray – “Search me O God” – reveal to me the inner workings of my heart – show me the areas that I need to work on – show me the sin that I need to confess –  reveal to me my hidden fears, the things cause me anxiety – show me what displeases you – and lead me in the direction I should go to repair the damages that I’ve caused . . . help me to be more like you. ..

2.  BREAK ME

My first experience with this whole idea of brokenness, was back in Bible college – which was like 27 years ago.  Whew! I feel old.  Any way – I went in one day to meet with my advisor – Rev. James Littles – and I had been in a place where I was really struggling.  I had been praying, "God – what’s my future supposed to look like."  Because of this sense of uncertainty that I felt, I felt cold in my Spirit and I didn’t feel like I was really connecting with God.  I was really struggling

I’ll never forget.  Rev. Littles said, "Rodney – you need to be broken – you’re not connecting with God because you aren’t broken."  I was like – “Huh?  What do you mean?”

He asked me to turn to Jeremiah 18.

 Jeremiah 18:1-4 (NKJV)   The word which came to Jeremiah from the LORD, saying: "Arise and go down to the potter's house, and there I will cause you to hear My words."  Then I went down to the potter's house, and there he was, making something at the wheel.  And the vessel that he made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter; so he made it again into another vessel, as it seemed good to the potter to make.

Rev. Littles began to tell me that the vessel that I had become was marred with fallacies – not because I was a bad person but because life has a way of scarring us.  He said , "Rodney – God was showing Israel through the words of Jeremiah, that they needed to be placed back on the wheel, and allow God to remake their vessel."  In order to remake a vessel, God had to break down that which was created already, and began to reshape a vessel that God found to be good.  He said,  "Rodney  you have to allow God to place you back on the wheel – you have to allow God to point out those things in your vessel that displease Him – and you then have to allow Him to Break you down – so that He can remake you.  You have to begin to pray – God – Break me – whatever it takes to remake me in your image – Break Me."

Truthfully to be broken is a painful process.  But strength is always born out of pain and struggle.  If you want to truly change – you have to be broken.  It’s a Dangerous Prayer, God break me.  We prayed for God to search us – but now having searched us – we recognize our need for change – we pray God BREAK US.  Break us of our pride.  Break us of our sin.  Break us of our selfishness.  Break us of our ego – our self-righteousness – our arrogance.  Break us O God of our prejudices. 

Do whatever it takes to break me of those things that separate me from God – break me Lord.

It’s a dangerous prayer. . .

3.  SEND ME

This is probably my favorite of the three prayers.  This is really a prayer of availability – God use me – God send me – whatever you have for me to do, I’ll do.  I've heard it said that many times we pray for God to use us, and then when he does we complain that we feel used.  That’s why this is such a dangerous prayer – when you pray God use me – God send me – He will, and when He does, you can’t respond looking for accolades, or promotions, or popularity, or pats-on-the-back.

You are laying up treasure in heaven – and you may never feel noticed here on the earth, but God keeps perfect score -and what you do for him has eternal value – an eternal reward.

When you pray this prayer, God could direct you in a lot of different ways.  He may lead you into an area of ministry that you never dreamed possible.  He may reveal a calling in your life that you never ever expected before.  He may lead you to stay somewhere when you just knew you were supposed to go somewhere else.  If you are dating, he may move you to break up with somebody because they just aren't the person that will help to fulfill His plan for your life.  He might lead you to a different job.  He might call you to serve in your local church.

When we pray this kind of prayer, it’s really a two-part prayer.  We pray God send me, but then we have to respond.  Throughout the Bible there were men who prayed and responded:

• There was Jonah – and His response was Here am I, But I’m not going!
• There was Moses – and His response was Here am I, Send someone else!
• Then there was Isaiah – and I think he is someone we need to emulate: 

Isaiah 6:8 (NIV2011)  Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?” And I said, “Here am I. Send me!”

I want you to notice what he did not say.  Notice he didn't say, "Where are you sending me? Is the climate nice? What's the cost of living there? What is the pay range? Are there benefits? How much vacation do I get?"  He didn't ask for any of that.  What he simply did, essentially, is signed a contract that was blank and said to God, "Here I am, send me. Here I am God. Send me."   This is, I don't need to tell you, a really dangerous prayer.

I want to encourage you this week, and this may become a daily part of your prayer life, when you wake up, you should pray your own version of this prayer every day:

"God, I give you my mind. I give you my eyes. I give you my mouth. May I speak what you want me to say. May I hear only your truth today and have the wisdom to reject that which is not true. Here are my hands. May they used to be to build your kingdom. Here are my feet God. Lead me to where you want me to go. Help me to do what you want me to do."

Essentially "God, here I am. Send me."  I want to challenge you, dare you, motivate you to pray a similar prayer.  "Here I am God. I'm available. Here I am God. You have permission to interrupt me. God, if you want me to go somewhere, I'll go.  If you want me to stay, I'll stay.  If you want me to say something to somebody, I'll speak.  If you want me simply to be quiet and pray, I will pray.  If you want me to give something away, or if you want me to use my time, whatever you need me to do, wherever it is God, here I am.  I am completely available to you God. I am your servant. Here I am God. Send me."

This is an incredibly dangerous prayer, because when you start praying this I guarantee you God's going to interrupt you, God will prompt you, God will move upon you, and suddenly you'll recognize God has a lot for you to do when you pray, "Here I am. Send me."

MEMORY VERSE - Psalm 139:23 (NKJV)   Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me, and know my anxieties;

PRAYER DIRECTIVE - I want to encourage you to not stop.  Continue pursuing God.  Just because the 21 Days is over, does not mean you have to stop making this a priority in your life.  And don't go back to praying tame prayers - pray dangerous prayers.  Pray prayers that challenge you to live at a higher level.  Pray prayers that challenge the status quo, the comfort zone that we get into.  Pray Dangerous Prayers that allow us to be everything God calls us to be.  Pray that God will SEARCH YOU.  Pray that God will BREAK YOU.  Pray that God will SEND YOU!  See if God will not do amazing things in your life!

DAY 20 - PURSUIT - Either Way We Win

Philippians 1:21 (NIV2011)
²¹  For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. 

This has long been one of my favorite verses, but when I discovered the true story of the Book of Philippians, it became ever more important to me.  The Apostle Paul writes the Book of Philippians while chained to a Roman guard, literally imprisioned for his faith in Christ.  Having appealed his case to Rome, he finally arrived in the place he has always dreamed of preaching, only to be confined, unable to preach publicly, he took to writing to be an encouragement to the churches that he had started.  He was facing a death penalty, and yet he had discovered a sense of joy that overwhelms the mind when one tries to fathom it.  In spite of the circumstances (prison, death sentence, unable to preach publicly) that for most would have left us in the depths of depression, Paul seems to have found contentment, peace, and fulfillment.  Someone had contacted him in prison to let him know that people were out preaching with improper motives.  They were sharing the faith of the gospel for personal gain.  And Paul, could have responded in anger, or frustration, but instead declares that whether for proper motives or improper, the gospel was being preached and for that He had found joy.  Then he begins to discuss his pending sentence of death, and he declares that if he lives, he experiences Christ, but if he dies, he is with Christ, an even better position. 

From the Message, this passage gives such insight to his true thinking:

Philippians 1:21 (MSG)
²¹  Alive, I'm Christ's messenger; dead, I'm his bounty. Life versus even more life! I can't lose. 


And today I would declare to you that if you can discover a true joy in Christ, one that supersedes our need to please others, our desire to acquire, and our wanton abandon to be liked, - if we could truly discover fulfillment and peace that surpasses our ability to understand - truly live IN CHRIST - then we can discover as Paul did the realization that either way, we win.  If I'm alive, I experience Christ in a real way, and I share my faith with others.  If I'm no longer in this life, I'm with Christ for all eternity.  Life versus an even greater life.  I'm a winner either way.

My reason for sharing this today:  as I was praying this morning, I thought of friends who were facing tough decisions; medical, emotional, life-changing decisions.  They are not trivial and I know the agony that many are facing today trying to help family members make choices.  I remember my mom as she stared down the final moments of life as cancer had robbed her of the quality of life she had so enjoyed, and she came to a place where we had make tough decisions.  These things are never easy, and anyone who says they are has either never faced anything OR they are just cold and heartless.  The reality is that life is precious and when someone we love is suffering it's hard to make rational decisions in those moments.

I also know there are many who are facing tough giants in their life - giants of financial struggles, giants of family drama, giants on the job - the reality is that we all are facing things that are sometimes bigger than what we know how to handle and many times we feel that defeat is certain.  Regardless of the battle today, I want to extend some hope.  You see if Paul could be chained in prison under a death sentence and find joy in Christ, we can too.  I think his joy was found in a later verse where he declares that he had learned in whatever situation to be content. 

Today if you are facing tough stuff,  surrender the control that we long for to Christ, and be content to trust Him no matter the results.  If you can place your trust in Him, regardless of the outcome, you suddenly deflate the enemy because he knows that if your trust is in Christ, you win either way.

TAKE A MOMENT -  What struggle are you facing today?  What is it that you have prayed and prayed and prayed about but seem to still feel defeated?  What is the giant in your life that keeps coming after you?  Whatever it is, I want you to try something different today.  I want you to surrender your worry over to God.  Most people that I know, they will pray about a situation, but they rarely surrender the situation.  They take it the altar, lay it before the Lord BUT then they package it up and take it back home.  Today, I want you to leave it in the hands of the Lord.  Surrender the end result to His will for you.

I know that seems like an impossible task.  But if as you pray and surrender it to Christ, you can adopt the posture of "Whatever your will is Lord, I will accept it.  I'm leaving this with you," - if you can adopt that posture I believe you can suddenly feel a release that only He can bring.  Paul declares If if live I experience Jesus, If I die, I'm with Jesus - I can't lose.  Today, regardless of your situation, when you boil it down to the will of God in your life, you are a winner either way.

My mom looked at me about a week before she passed.  And she said "Rodney I'm really tired of fighting, I'm ready to go home.  Will you be mad if I just surrender and stop fighting."  I think she had come to the place where she realized that her time had come, and she could keep fighting or she could surrender to God's will, and be with Him.  So armed with permission from her family, less than a week later, she took her last peaceful breath on this side, and walked into eternity arm-in-arm with Her Savior and Lord.

There is something so peaceful about surrendering to God's plan, no matter what it is.  I'm striving to pursue God's will for me, so that I can live in peace, experience His joy and declare that no matter the outcome of this battle, the war belongs to the Lord, victory in Him is secure, and I win - either way.

MEMORY VERSE - Philippians 1:21 (MSG) 
²¹  Alive, I'm Christ's messenger; dead, I'm his bounty. Life versus even more life! I can't lose. 

PRAYER DIRECTIVE - As you pray today, set aside your personal plans - your will of how every situation is going to turn out.  As you pray, don't have the presecribed plan for God to work according to your will.  Don't pray like this, "God here is my need, and if you could work it out this way, that would be great."  Instead surrender your need to His hands, and surrender to His will on how it can be accomplished.  Sometimes He says "YES"; sometimes He says "NO"; sometimes He says "WAIT"; sometimes He says "You've got to be kidding me."   Regardless He always answers, but if you will trust His answer, His timing, and His plan, you can experience an abiding Joy and Peace in knowing that He is FOR you, Not against you, and His plan is for you to prosper - you win, either way!

DAY 19 - PURSUIT - EXPECTATIONS

"In the morning, Lord, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait expectantly."  Psalm 5:3

Expectation is the breeding ground for miracles.  When we pray in faith, with expectation, God's amazing handiwork begins to happen all around us.

Faith and expectation are often synonomous.  Jesus said in Matthew 9:29,  "According to your faith (expectations) so let it be done unto you."  Today I want us to dig down deep and do an inventory of the level of our faith.  Just as Jabez, a character we know little about other than that he pleased God, prayed a very specific prayer, let's articulate our expectations of God as we draw close to the end of our 21 days of Pursuit.

TAKE A MOMENT  - Write down what you are expecting God to do in the next season of your life.  Start with immediate expectations and then move on to a 5 year plan.  As you write these down, your faith will begin to rally around a clear and concise, articulated vision of what you are believing God fo.  Your expectation will become your prayer burden and the seeds of your prayer will begin the process of creating your future harvest.  Obviously, all of our goals and desires must be in alignment with the word and will of God or they will just be futile fantasies.  I believe by this time in your PURSUIT journey, you are hearing clearly and praying accurately, so don't be afraid to dream big and expect great things from God!  Our expectation becomes our request which will become our life's story!

Using the prayer of Jabez' as a guide from the fourth chapter of First Chronicles. Here are four areas where you can expect God's best, and then you can branch out into specific prayer requests and personalized visions for your future.

1.  EXPECT GOD TO BLESS YOU AND INCREASE HIS FAVOR ON YOUR LIFE

1 Chronicles 4:10 "Oh, that you would bless me. . . "

It is not selfish to ask for God's blessings on your life.  Daily my prayer is that God would increase His favor on my life, and to increase my faith to see that it is He who is doing it.  God desires to give blessings to us, just as a father longs to give good gifts to his children.  When favor comes into your life, doors open faster, connections happen that bring increase, and opportunities arrive without stress or opposition.  Favor is a gift that we can ask for and position our lives to receive.

2.  EXPECT GOD TO INCREASE YOUR INFLUENCE AND YOUR "TERRITORY"

1 Chronicles 4:10 ". . . that you would enlarge my territory. . ."

Pray this over your finances, your busin. ess ventures, your home and your church.  We are asking God for more influence in our community, more territory where the Kingdom of God has come, and His will is being done.  When individually we experience increase, His Kingdom is increased when we are yielded to His will. 

3.  EXPECT GOD TO GIVE YOU GUIDANCE AND CLARITY FOR THE FUTURE

1 Chronicles 4:10 ". . .and that your hand would be with me."

"God's hand" speaks of His guidance and His direction.  Sometimes He leads, other times He points and ask us to take a step of faith.  Believe that God is going to give you specific, detailed, and clear guidance as you take some big faith steps into the future.  Someone once said, "You can't steer a parked car."  Let's move forward in expectancy as God guides us into the future.

4.  EXPECT GOD TO KEEP YOU FROM TEMPTATION, SIN AND FAILURE

1 Chronicles 4:10 ". . . That you would keep me from evil so that it does not hurt me."

Jabez was not asking for a trouble-free world but simply was praying a form of prayer that Jesus would teach His disciples nearly 1000 years later. . . "and lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil" (Matthew 6:13).  Perhaps Jabez intuitively knew that with prosperity and favor comes temptation and persecution, so he is asking for protection in advance.  Pray for God's protection and covering on your life.

As you pray these things, be sure to align your expectations with the Word of God, trust God's timing to fulfill them, and then wait in faith until.  This is the life of expectancy that produces results.

MEMORY VERSE - "None of those who expectantly wait for you will be ashamed." Psalm 25:3

PRAYER DIRECTIVE - Today, I would encourage you to split up your prayer time into four or five section, similar to the way Pastor Thompson suggested this past Sunday, but with expectation at the core.

• Start with thanksgiving and worship - Spend time just loving Jesus.
• Journal your expectations and what you are believing God for right now, and for the next season of your life.  Don't be afraid to believe for big dreams from God, far bigger than you've ever considered before - let the Spirit of God move upon you with faith.
• Build your request on the Word!  If you have time you may want to find some key verses in the Bible that back up your request.  This adds faith and clarity to your petitions.  As you as pray don't be afraid to remind God, "Lord your Word says. . ."
• Speak out your future -  This is where we, by faith, begin to ask boldly and declare clearly what God is going to do in the future.  Let your expectations of a faith-filled future turn into sound waves that have potential to create a spiritual reality - exercise the power of the spoken Word.
• End with worship. . . Thank God in advance for what He is going to do in the days to come. . . then go and have a powerful day filled with expectation!

Adapted from PURSUIT, by Dave Patterson, 2019, The Father's House.

Day 18 - PURSUIT - Refuge

Psalm 91:1-2 (NKJV)
"He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the LORD, 'He is my refuge and my fortress; My God, in Him I will trust.'"

The Psalmist paints a beautiful picture here of someone who has a very safe relationship with God, one that in the time of trouble, in the time of despair, a safe place can be found - a place of refuge and security.  As a child and young adult, I wish I had been aware that this type of relationship could exist with God.  I was raised in a very strict, rule-following faith tradition, and while obedience to God's laws is certainly important,there was rarely allowed for a balance.  In other words, I many times was left with the impression that God's anger against me for failing or breaking His commands was to be avoided at all costs.  And while grace did exist, it was rarely preached about or shared publicly less it be abused or somehow become disgraceful, and we trample on the blood so willingly shed for the forgiveness of our sin.  I say this with all respect.  I am thankful that I was raised to love God and love His Word, but there are many times when I look back on my life, this strict adherence to rules left me more concerned and fearful of what others thought of me, than I many times was of what God thought of me.  I fear that in many ways I was a part of a culture that believed in the forgiveness of God, but rarely shared it with others, and the idea of a refuge during a time of trouble may have been experienced by some but it was rarely offered as an option to those who loved God, but made mistakes that any normal teenager and young adult might make.  My fear when I look back is that I in many ways was a part of culture of shame, that creates a need to hide and to cover up our mistakes rather than be able to acknowledge and admit when we come up short. 

This is not a new problem.  It's really man's best attempt to deal with sin.  In the garden, when Adam and Eve ate of the fruit of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, and they discovered for the first time what it meant to be disobedient, there best solution was to cover themselves with leaves and to hide from God.  God, full of grace and mercy, still pursued relationship with them, coming down at the appointed time and looking for them as He had everyday.  But alas, there response to shame was not to run toward God, but to hide from Him.

Throughout scripture we see men and women looking for ways to cover over their mistakes.  Achan dug a hole and placed the objects of his sin in the ground behind his tent.  David committed unspeakable acts, conspiring even to murder one of his most loyal men, to cover over his sin of adultery.  Ananias and Saphira continued to lie, to cover up other lies designed to hide the sin of pride and greed.  It is in our nature to conceal or to hide when we fail to measure up to God's standard.  And yet, no hiding place is sufficient to cover the feelings of condemnation and shame we feel when we have willfully done wrong.  It's why the writer of Proverbs would write "He who covers his sin will not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes his sin will find mercy" (Proverbs 28:13).

When I was a young man, I had decided to pursue the call of God that was on my life for ministry, and after two years of studying accounting, I decided to go away to Bible College.  When I looked back over my young adult years, I could see plenty of moments of weakness, where I stumbled and felt unworthy to pursue such a noble call, and yet here I was.  Because of this sense of shame and guilt that I felt, I struggled with my self-worth, my value to the Kingdom of God.  I remember even thinking and feeling, even questioning how I expected God to ever use someone who struggled with this or even thought those kinds of thoughts, and pursued those things that I knew was sinful.  I know now this may seem simple or even absurd, but I had grown feeling this need for constant obedience and fear of failing and truly a fear of being declared unworthy - not by God mind you - but by the community of faith that I was trying to serve.

Then I stumbled across a message from a pastor who was a part of my faith tradition, but was always deemed a little bit of a rebel.  He pushed boundaries, and he didn't care what people thought.  He was a little bit like Jesus I suppose.  He had preached a message called "A Refuge from Despair."  And in that message he asked the question that had been ringing in my ears as a young man.  He said "Where do we go for a refuge for failure?  Where we do we go for a refuge from despair?  Where do we go when somehow we have made our mistakes?"  He proceeded to share a message that I must have listened to 100 times - as he decribed our need to run to the refuge provided by God when we have made mistakes and how guilt and condemnation comes from our enemy, the devil, to rob us of the peace and joy that is provided by a genuine relationship with Jesus Christ.  God is our refuge - God is a very present help in the time of trouble.

What I had spent years trying to cover up and hide, God knows anyway and He still pursues me.  His desire is for me, not against me.  I grew up with this view of God, kind of like the TV Show "Survivor".  Like there was this large grew of people that had been chosen to go to the Island, and overtime, because of their mistakes or shortcomings, failures, inability to live up to the rules, they would be wittled down, until God had His chosen few that would spend eternity with Him.  Nothing could be farther from the truth - Jesus himself declared that in his Father's House, there were MANY rooms or even as one versions said, mansions - and Peter declared that it was not God's will that any be voted off the island - I mean - perish - but that all would come to repentance.  And he was writing that, not as an evangelism mandate, but rather to the church.

Now there will be some who will read this and they will be angry with me today.  Because they will assume that I am talking against the faith tradition that I grew up in, that many of my friends and family still adhere to, and they will assume that I am saying that we should not strive to please God, to make Him happy.  And I understand why you might think that, but if so you are missing the entire point.  The truth is that if we live from a position that is constantly concerned with our standing in the kingdom; if we are constantly worried that we will be voted off the island because we somehow came up short; if we are constantly concerned that our actions will create displeasure from God or others will somehow eliminate us from His kingdom, we are forced to live a life of shame, cover-ups, hiding, and ultimately yielding ourselves to hypocrisy and a fake version of true Christianity.

You see true Chrisitanity is real.  It is living a life that is uncovered.  It is a life that recognizes I am a sinner, I fall short, but by God's grace I get back up and I keep going forward.  To deny this is to deny the whole of scripture.  Yes we are striving to be like Him, but we haven't arrived yet.  It is a lifelong pursuit, but if I spend the whole of my life worrying about my standing on "the island", I'm not truly able to go about the business of the kingdom, that being to share God's love and mercy with all those who need it.  Our world is filled with people who are desperate for a hiding place in God - not a hiding place from God - but a hiding place in God - a refuge from the pain and hurt that they experience every day.  But if we are so busy hiding our mistakes, covering up our short comings, how can we lead others to Him?

There comes a moment when we've just got to be honest - Honest with God - YES - but honest with ourselves about who we are, what we've got hidden, what's in our closet.  Because, the story of Adam and Eve, while sad, perpetuates a problem that I readily see to this day.  It's not about eating the fruit.  It's not even about hiding from God.  It's really about responsibility.  Because when they were confronted about their sin, they quickly endeavored to pass the blame - "the woman that you gave me made me do it". . . "the serpent made me do it". . . Poor devil had nobody left to blame.

I'm thankful that God had allowed me to discover the refuge that I can find in Him.  I'm quick to realize that even now, I have struggles, I mess up, I have sinful thoughts and actions that I have to seek God's forgiveness of every day.  My favorite passages of scripture center around reminders that His mercies are renewed every day, and that if I sin I have an advocate with the Father in Jesus Christ, and that if I'm in Christ, I'm a new creation, and the old me that at times I've been so ashamed of is gone.

CONSIDER THIS - Today, as you look over your life - what is it that causes you shame?  Everyone us experiences it - none of are exempt - what happened to you to make you feel shame?  Is it sin that you committed?  Was it sin committed against you that caused you to be abused or victimized?  Is it something that you're still covering out of fear of reprisal OR fear of condemnation from others?  Whatever it is today - regardless of what you've been told - shame is not your burden to carry, Jesus nailed it to the cross along with the sins of all mankind.  When Paul wrote that there is no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus - that was a promise for you to.  Yes - when we mess up there is conviction - but is designed to push your toward a God who is pursuing you.  Guilt, shame, condemnation are those things that cause us to want to hide from God out of fear of His anger and wrath.  Today- you were meant to be free, and I invite you to begin walking in the freedom that He provides.

MEMORY VERSE -  Romans 8:1 (NKJV) "There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit."

PRAYER DIRECTIVE - Today, as you pursue God, consider your view of Him.  Are you seeing Him as a loving Father, with open arms ready to receive you, to wrap you in those arms - to hide you from your enemies - to protect you from those who would harm you - OR are you seeing Him as your judge, jury, and executioner, waiting for you to mess up so He can remove your name from His roll.  How you see Him will determine how you approach Him today.  If you see him as Judge - you will approach Him guarded and fearful, and yet the writer of Hebrews tells us to come boldly to the throne of grace to obtain help and find mercy in the time of need.

MAKE THIS DECLARATIONS FROM GOD'S WORD OVER YOUR LIFE TODAY - 

• You are my refuge, My fortress, My deliverer. . .
• You are my strong tower. . .
• You are my provider. . .
• You are my healer. . .
• You are the strength of my life. . . I will not fear what man can do to me.
• You are my comfort. . .
• You will sustain me. . .
• You will keep me in perfect peace. . .
• You are my safety. . .
• I will abide under you shadow. . .
• You are my supply. . .
• I will trust you Lord and not be shaken. . .
• You are the love of my life.
• I Love You LORD!

I hope this is a blessing to you today!  Praying that God bring you out of the shadows and reveals His great love for you today!

Day 17 - PURSUIT - Don't Quit!

Galatians 6:9-10 (NIV2011)
⁹  Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.
¹⁰  Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers. 

Yesterday, I began our time by sharing about seasons, utilizing the pro football season as a backdrop for the seasons of life that we go through.  Today, I'd like to continue in that vein.

Many, because they aren't reaping the harvest they just planted, get angry, confused, and walk-away, assuming incorrectly that the law of reaping and sowing doesn't apply to your past.  But the truth is what we've sown, we will reap, even if it was from an earlier season in our life.  The blessing comes when you recognize that even through the worst of circumstances God is with you now, He doesn't leave you when you get results you didn't want, and He doesn't withhold His grace and never-ending mercy to help you through whatever the harvest may bring - if you just don't quit.

Many times spiritually we are searching for a new season aren’t we?  We believe God for a new season.  We pray for new areas of blessing in our life.  We seek after new experiences in God and we are always looking for the NEW that is to come. 

And then sometimes, let’s be honest, when we get the NEW, we aren’t too happy with it.  We arrive at our new season and we are frustrated with God because it seems to not be very different from the old that we’ve been sick of for a while.  Part of that frustration comes from our understanding of the concept of a new season.  You see when we hear the word "NEW" we have certain expectations in our mind immediately.  NEW Car, NEW Home, NEW Baby, NEW Job, NEW Bank Account with a Million Dollars in it. . .

Because we assume that NEW means better (NEW AND IMPROVED), we think that a NEW SEASON in our life automatically insinuates that things are changing from BAD to GOOD.  And in many cases they do. . . but the KINGDOM of GOD is not a linear kingdom.  What do I mean by that?  We assume many times that the kingdom of God operates the way us humans typically operate.

For us, our seasons operate in order as time progresses down the time line. . .Winter 2020. . . Spring 2020. . . Summer 2020. . . Fall 2020. . . Winter 2021. . . Spring 2021. . . Summer 2021. . . Fall 2021. . . on and on right.  You don’t like this season – temperature too cold – colors don’t match your hair – wanna wear your white shoes – just hold on, a NEW SEASON is coming.  And anything “new” is always better than where we are right now, because unfortunately we are always focused on the destination, but God's focus is many times on the journey.

His purpose for your season is much different than your purpose.  Your purpose many times centers on getting through it, and moving to the next, but God's purpose is many times centered on the growth opportunities available to you in this season of your life.  So He doesn't operate within our concept of time, and yet - He's never late.  He is not confused by your situation, nor does he get intimidated by your expectations.

Paul writes in Romans 8:28 that "all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose."  We have been inclined to read that to say, "Everything that happens to me will be good because I love God and I am called to His purpose."  But that's not what it says at all.  So, allow me to share Romans 8:28 with you from the RPV (that's the Rodney Pavie version :-)  It reads, "All things that happen in my life; good, bad, happy, sad, frustrating, liberating - all things are working together to bring about good in my life, because I have chosen to love God and recognize that I am called, not to my own purpose or devices, but according to HIS purpose.  My life is not my own, and it's really not about me."  My version is probably a little longer, and it probably doesn't fit comfortably on a plaque, but I'm dense so God has to smack me upside the head sometimes.

Now - because God works on His own time table, taken out of context, any number of events in our lives when viewed on their own certainly don't seem to have any purpose in bringing about good at all.  BUT, He knows the beginning from the end.  He knows HOW MY STORY ENDS. . . and HE knows that if I will learn the lesson for the season I'm in, if I will trust Him in this season, if I just refuse to quit, I will reap the harvest of this season when His timing is perfected in me.

1.  I WILL REAP A HARVEST AT THE PROPER TIME, IF I JUST DON'T QUIT

The law of sowing and reaping is a law of nature - what you sow you will reap.  But rarely does a farmer plant seed, and reap the harvest immediately.  Time has to go by.  Seasons have to change.  A farmer may sow in spring, and not reap until the late summer or early fall.  If he plants today, and tomorrow he doesn't see anything, so he quits, he negates the work of sowing, and fails to reap the harvest at the proper time.  Sowing and reaping takes time, and as has been said God's timing is much different than ours.  But just because you don't understand the timing, it doesn't make God's clock wrong.  It means that we've got to practice the fruit of patience and endurance.  Living for God, and walking in His Kingdom, is not a sprint, it's an endurance race, but He who endures to the end, that's who reaps the reward.

2.  DON'T QUIT EVEN WHEN YOU REAP THE HARVEST OF AN EARLIER SEASON

Sometimes we struggle because we sow good things into our lives, but we are still reaping a harvest of bad seeds sown in a previous season.  The good things will produce a good harvest in the proper time, if you just don't quit.  The reality is that sometimes, we come to God carrying some heavy baggage.  We have sowed some stuff and we confess it to God, and HE delivers us from the sin, rescues us from the guilt and shame, even lightens our load.  But unfortunately some of our sinful actions have consequences.  Some of our mistakes came with a price tag.  And while God forgives the sin, you have to reap the product, the harvest if you will, of your actions.  And so you are now doing good – you are living right, but you still have the costs of past mistakes greeting you every day.

Growing up, my parents were hardworkers, and they were diligent to raise hardworkers.  "Can't" was not an option.  When there was work to be done, she didn't stop until it was complete.  I remember many nights my mom would be working outside until it was so dark you couldn't see anymore, but she didn't quit.  She got it from my grandfather who you could ride by his house at the edge of dark and he'd be working, and you could ride by at sunrised, and he'd be working.  They believed in the motto, that when the going got tough, the tough kept going.  I used to joke that we work Timex because they took a licking and kept ticking, and we word Toughskin Jeans because you could tear the knees out, but they had an extra layer of fabric in the knee so they could still be passed on to your little brother.  The truth was my Dad worked at Sears, and that's what they sold, but those ideas worked themselves into the fabric of my DNA, and I believe in hard work, and I don't like words like "can't".  If there's work that needs to be done, I will stay in the fight until there's no fight left to be fought because I'm not gonna quit.  My mom use to have this poem on our refrigerator as a stark reminder that she didn't raise quitters . . . and 40 some odd years later, it still speaks to me. . . and I hope it does to you as well:

Don’t Quit – By Edgar Guest 

When things go wrong, as they sometimes will,
When the road you're trudging seems all uphill,
When the funds are low and the debts are high,
And you want to smile, but you have to sigh,
When care is pressing you down a bit-
Rest if you must, but don't you quit.
Life is queer with its twists and turns,
As every one of us sometimes learns,
And many a fellow turns about
When he might have won had he stuck it out.
Don't give up though the pace seems slow -
You may succeed with another blow.
Often the goal is nearer than 
It seems to a faint and faltering man;
Often the struggler has given up 
When he might have captured the victor's cup;
And he learned too late when the night came down,
How close he was to the golden crown.
Success is failure turned inside out -
The silver tint in the clouds of doubt,
And you never can tell how close you are,
It might be near when it seems afar;
So stick to the fight when you're hardest hit -
It's when things seem worst that you must not quit.

MEMORY VERSE -  "And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart." Galatians 6:9 (NKJV) 

PRAYER DIRECTIVE - Stay focused on Him today.  Opportunities will arise to throw in the towel, to walk away in the heat of the fight.  But remember that He who began a good work is able to see it through to completion, and He will not bail out when the going gets tough.  Ask God today to give you strength for your season.  The waiting between planting and reaping can be the most agonizing, but those are the times to increase your closeness with Him.  Spend some time in adoration today, recognizing how great HE is, and How far He has brought you on this journey!  

I hope you will keep going today - keep praying - keep fasting - keep pursuing God's best in your life.

Day 16 - PURSUIT - The Turnaround

So this morning, I'm going to depart slightly from our path we've been on and instead continue with a thought I began yesterday.  Yesterday's thought was on "Turning"; the idea that repentance brings us all to a place of direction change.  Certainly, our initial time of repentance, when we make a decision for Christ and we turn from our past and embrace a Savior who died to redeem our sin, and to give us a new hope and life through and in Him.  We also talked about how "repent" literally means "to turn" and that it remains a part of the believer's life, even when as a Christian there is no longer a sorrow in repenting, but rather a course correction by God, as we remain in His hands as he directs us to make "turns" along the path of life, directing us toward the future that he has designed for us.

Now you're all caught up.

But today, I'd like to take the idea of "turning" a step further.  My friend Stephen Adkins made a very astute observation this morning, referring to one of the Super Bowl contenders, the San Francisco 49ers.  On Facebook, Stephen wrote:

"49ers -
2016 2-14
2017 6-10
2018 4-12
2019 13-3 Going to the Super Bowl

I love the parity of the NFL and how quickly you can go from worst to first. Anyone can make a turnaround. Great life lesson."

I immediately responded, "That's why hope springs eternal for "next" season," but then his thought began to rummage around in my brain.

In the NFL, if you have a bad season, you are rewarded with a higher draft pick, which in essence give you the first choice of the best of college players as they transition to the pros.  Now this guarantees nothing except that you get a high-paid, sometimes highly entitled, football player.  The teams that are different recognize the value of what they've been given, and they make the most of their picks.

In life, we transition from season-to-season every three months.  But in our spiritual life, seasons can be short, or they can seem to drag on forever.  The reality is when you have a bad season, you aren't rewarded with a new family, or new friends or new fortunes when the old season ends.  For the most part the things you carried into the season, you're carrying into your next season.  BUT how you carry them and the direction that you are going is what changes.

You see we may be in a season of loss right now.  But a turnaround could be in your future.  Yes, you may have suffered some setbacks, some delays, some denials, and maybe even some outright losses, but every obstacle you faced, every enemy that you had to fight, every time you felt beaten up, they were all simply opportunities to learn, to grow, to change so the next season gets you heading in the right direction.

Do you know that the U-Turn is one of the most controversial type of driving maneuvers.  There are signs that forbid it as certain intersections.  There are some signs that forbid it from certain turning lanes.  There are people who completely ignore these instructions and cause accidents regularly.  If you are from Mechanicsville, the intersection at Lee-Davis and Mechanicsville Turnpike is Exhibit A.  Some states completely forbid U-turns.   My daughter recently went off to college in Lynchburg, VA, and there are students there from other states who are struggling to drive because they've never seen a U-Turn.  And as if the U-Turn wasn't enough, now we are introducing Round-A-Bouts which are completely throwing people a curve ball.  The point is that these turns are designed for the express purpose of completely transitioning you from one direction to another.  A complete turnaround is possible in a matter of moments.  I wish life was that way.

Rarely does someone show up on your porch and hand you a check that instantly changes your life.  Rarely does an employer walk up to entry-level employee, and promote him to CEO.  Rarely do we see such drastic and complete turnarounds in life.  BUT in the Kingdom of God, that's exactly what we see.

Saul has gone to the magistrate and received warrants of arrest, and worse, against anyone who calls themself a follower of "THE WAY" (early reference to Christianity).  He, on the road to Damascus has a blinding encounter with Jesus, and his name changes to Paul, and from that moment forward the hunter of Christians becomes the hunter of souls.  Complete turnaround.

Bartimaeus fought his way to his normal spot on the road, alongside all the other beggars amidst the dirt and the filth.  Jesus comes by, Batimaeus cries out until he gets the attention of Jesus, and given an audience with the Master, he leaves his beggars garment, his spot on the road, gets new eyes OR atleast the dead ones come alive, and he follows Jesus in the way.

Today I wonder what season you are in.  Maybe you've been through batttle after battle.  Maybe you've lived a life that's your embarrassed to share.  Perhaps you are consumed with guilt and shame because in spite of God's obvious blessings in your life, you've squandered them pursuing things that you know didn't please God.  OR perhaps you've done everything right, and yet you find yourself facing sickness, disease, unemployment, separation, loss.  Regardless of the season, the potential for a great turnaround is available through an encounter with Jesus Christ.

TAKE A MOMENT - Consider the season that you are in.  Maybe yours is a season of fruitfulness.  I suggest you ride it for all it's worth.  Stop reading this and have yourself a praise and worship session.  But if your season is one that you'd rather not relive - consider the power of encountering Christ.  Take a moment in prayer and seek God for new direction.  Ask Him to reveal what is needed to change your season for the better.  Perhaps it's a lesson you need to learn.  Perhaps it's a decision that you need to make.  Whatever it is, if you've been pursuing God, you are closer now than you've ever been to finding the lesson of the season, and a transition to a new one.

MEMORY VERSE - This is one of my favorites because of the hope that it brings.

¹⁷  Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. 2 Corinthians 5:17 (NKJV) 

This morning, I want you to position yourself from a place of hope.  Maybe this season has given you a losing record.  Maybe you thought it was going to be bad, but somehow things changed and suddenly you found yourself finding victory after victory (Congrats Tennessee).  Maybe it was going great, but it came off the rails at the end (sorry Green Bay fans).  Maybe you are still playing and searching for your next victory (Congrats KC and SF fans.)  Regardless of how your season has gone, if you position yourself toward the Cross, toward THE SAVIOR, In Jesus Christ, not only is a turnaround possible, but as you move into your new season, you can walk in faith and hope, because the old season has been put away, and everything became new.  Hope springs eternal - a new day is dawning.  Yes, the past might have been rough.  Yes, the season that you're coming out of might have been ugly at times, but today is a new day.  I have turned the corner and now I'm facing a new direction.  Christ is my guide, my destination is locked in to His direction, and I'm moving toward a new day.  The lessons of last season are firmly in my heart, and I'm envisioning myself receiving the Victor's Crown.

PRAYER DIRECTIVE - As you embrace this Pursuit of God, and seek His face in prayer today, ask Him to reveal the lessons of the season you are in.  More importantly ask Him to to allow you to embrace the calling, the new direction, the new season that He is bringing you to.  Many go into a new season reluctantly, because they spend all their time reminiscing of the past victories, and more likely all their past defeats.  Today, ask God to give you a hope that embraces tomorrow, and turns away from the failure of yesterday.  Paul, from a Roman Prison during a season of captivity said that He did one thing; He forgot "those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things what are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus."  Philippians 3:13-14  

Forget the past - embrace today and the hope that it brings.  The new season awaits!  But only if you are willing to make the TURNAROUND!

Day 15 - PURSUIT - Turning

We've all heard or used the term, "they made a real turn around."  In essence, what we're really saying is that they repented.  Many people misunderstand the full meaning and implications of repentance.  REPENT means to have a change of mind, followed by a change of direction.  It doesn't necessarily mean that we'll feel bad about what we've done or that there will be tears of sorrow, although those things can be present in a moment of repentance over sin or failure.  At salvation there is repentance from sin and a lifestyle change that comes (see Acts 2:38), but then there is an ongoing repentance or turning in another direction that keeps us moving closer and closer to God's heart and His desire for our lives.   This is what genuine PURSUIT of God is all about, turning away and turning toward.  Today, let's consider and ask the Holy Spirit to speak to us concerning the areas of our lives  that need a turnaround - that need a time of repentance.  The deeper our walk with God become, the more sensitive we become to our ongoing need  to turn our face and future toward Him and away from all that would diminish our lives.

"'Return to me, and I will return to you,' says the Lord Almighty."  Malachi 3:7

To return means to "turn again, to change direction,"  We have this clear and faithful promise that every time we turn again to walk towards God, He will respond accordingly (James 4:8).  If we have fallen into sin, we have a continual invitation to turn again and repent.  This is an ongoing work of grace  and a necessity in the life of every believer!  The letters of John were written to believers, not to those far from God, and clearly show us what to do when we stumble and fall.

But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness. . . My dear children, I am writing this to you so that you will not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate who pleads our case before the Father. He is Jesus Christ, the one who is truly righteous.  1 John 1:9, 2:1

Repentance and turning away from the sin in our lives is connected with an amazing promise:

Now repent of your sins and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped away.  Then times of refreshment will come from the presence of the Lord, and he will again send you Jesus, your appointed Messiah.  Acts 3:19-20

At this point in our devotional journey together, we are 15 days into our time of fasting and prayer, and as a result you may find yourself pursuing God in ways like you never have before.  That being said, you may not be in a place of brokenness, sin, or failure.  So, what I am sharing may be something you tuck away for future use.  Either way, Psalm 51 is one of my favorite and highly used portions of scripture in my Bible.  The following verses are from The Passion Translation:

God, give me mercy from your fountain of forgiveness!
I know your abundant love is enough to wash away my guilt.
Because your compassion is so great,
take away this shameful guilt of sin.
Forgive the full extent of my rebellious ways,
and erase this deep stain on my conscience

I know that you delight to set your truth deep in my spirit  So come into the hidden places of my heart and teach me wisdom.  Purify my conscience! Make this leper clean again!  Wash me in your love until I am pure in heart.

Create a new, clean heart within me.  Fill me with pure thoughts and holy desires, ready to please you.  May you never reject me!  May you never take from me your sacred Spirit!  Let my passion for life be restored, tasting joy[j] in every breakthrough you bring to me.  Hold me close to you with a willing spirit that obeys whatever you say.          Psalm 51: 1-2, 6-7, 10-12

When we turn to the Lord, it releases the creative work of the Holy Spirit in our lives.  There are three way this takes place that God wants us to ask for and experience continually:  CREATE, RENEW, and RESTORE. 

1.  CREATE
This Hebrew word 'bara' means "to make something from nothing, to bring about new conditions and circumstances that previously did not exist."  This word that David uses when he ask the Lord to create a new heart within him is the same word used in Genesis 1:1 when it all began for our planet.  I love the idea and the potential  of what can happen when we ask God to "create in us."  We are asking Him to make something from nothing, to bring about new conditions and circumstances in our world and to do something in and through us that does not currenlty exist!

TAKE A MOMENT - Consider what you need the Lord to 'bara' in your life today.  What are you believing and asking for that is currenly non-existent?  As you pray today, remind your heart that it is not beyond God's ability to create in you and through you. . . even from nothing!  He is the creator and delights in making something from nothing in the lives of His children.  What a mighty God we serve!

2.  RENEW
To repair, to make new again.  The Hebrew word 'kha-dash' means "to put a new edge back on an old sword/to sharpen and polish, returning to a state of splendor".  

WOW!  Sign me up for some of that!  We all need the creative renewing work of the Holy Spirit in our lives today and everyday!  Psalm 51 shows us how to receive it.  We humble ourselves and cry out to God for His tranforming work of grace.  During your times of returning to God, He is sharpening your edge for battle and effectiveness in every area of your life.

3.  RESTORE
Restore has the same root word as renew, yet reveals a fuller aspect and further application of what God does when we return to Him.  To restore means "to bring back to its original state; to build again, to refresh, to repair, and to bring back to full capacity, to take back what has been lost."  We have all gone through seasons of brokenness and failure where the enemy has gained access and taken something precious from us.  This is where God's promises and power come into play and recover and restore what has been stolen.

"The LORD says, “I will give you back what you lost to the swarming locusts, the hopping locusts, the stripping locusts, and the cutting locusts. It was I who sent this great destroying army against you.  Once again you will have all the food you want, and you will praise the LORD your God, who does these miracles for you. Never again will my people be disgraced.  Then you will know that I am among my people Israel, that I am the LORD your God, and there is no other. Never again will my people be disgraced."  Joel 2:25-27 

 David and his mighty men returned home after a day of fighting to only discover that the Amalekites had raided their camp, stolen all their stuff, took their wives and kids, and burned the town of Ziklag.  As most of us would, David and his men were overcome with grief, and the Bible says they literally wept until they could weep no more.  David inquired of the Lord as to whether he should PURSUE the Amalekites to rescue their families to which the Lord says, "Yes - go after them.  You will surely recover everything that was taken from you!" (1 Samuel 30:8).

Perhaps that is God's word for you today!  It's certainly a Word I'm holding on to for my life.  "You will surely recover everything that was taken from you!"  This promise of rescue and restoration always begins with a returning to the Lord.  He turned to God for direction and instruction, and this is the turning point that releases recovery and restoration. 

MEMORY VERSE - "Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me."  Psalm 51:10

PRAYER DIRECTIVE - Let's turn to the Lord today in every area of our hearts, minds and lifestyle.  Ask the Lord to reveal anything in your life that requires repentance.  Pastor mentioned it this morning - are you willing to ask God to search you and know you and see if there is any wicked way in you.  As you do, pray for restoration of your own heart and life, and then move those prayers outward, covering your family, your church, your community and your nation.  God has given us the authority and privilege to repent for our nation implements 2 Corinthians 7:14 ti see the restoration of our land.  It all starts with repentance!  ". . . I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sins and restore their land."

Adapted from PURSUIT, by Dave Patterson, 2019, The Father's House.

Day 14 - PURSUIT - God Of Miracles

"Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever."  Hebrews 13:8

Not wanting to deal with hope deferred and disappointment, many times we are guilty of praying small prayers, aiming low, and believing for too little.  Yet, the Word of God keeps bringing us back to the fact  that we serve an all-powerful God of miracles that wants us to believe for amazing, "only God" answers to prayer that will give Him all the glory!

Let's not allow our prayer lives to live in the lowlands of praying safe and no-risk prayers.  For example, praying for a good parking spot at the mall or that the DMV line would be miraculously short.  Today I want you to raise your faith by praying some big prayers.  Let's believe for, ask for, and expect that the God of miracles will do what only He can do in our lives!

A miracle by definition, according to Merriam-Webster.com, is "an extraordinary event manifesting divine intervention in human affairs."  This supports the Bible's definition  of a miracle.  A concise description of a mriacle, based on the three Greek words used for a miracle in the New Testament is "an unusual event/releasing supernatural power/to confirm the gospel."

As we pray and believe for miracles, we are asking for something beyond our human ability or capacity that will give glory to God and lead people to Jesus.  I've heard many of you say it this way:  "ONLY GOD!" Only God could have cured cancer, only God could have saved the marriage, only God could have opened the door.  As we study miracles in the New Testament church, we will find  some recurring themes and common denominators of faith, passion, and desperation.  There are many questions we could ask and explore about miracles, or the lack of them in our day, but I think the most productive endeavor would be to discover and apply some of the frequently found behaviors of those who received a miracle.  Here's a familiar miracle, a snapshot of a day in the life of Jesus.

They spent some time in Jericho. As Jesus was leaving town, trailed by his disciples and a parade of people, a blind beggar by the name of Bartimaeus, son of Timaeus, was sitting alongside the road. When he heard that Jesus the Nazarene was passing by, he began to cry out, "Son of David, Jesus! Mercy, have mercy on me!"  Many tried to hush him up, but he yelled all the louder, "Son of David! Mercy, have mercy on me!"  Jesus stopped in his tracks. "Call him over." They called him. "It's your lucky day! Get up! He's calling you to come!"  Throwing off his coat, he was on his feet at once and came to Jesus.  Jesus said, "What can I do for you?" The blind man said, "Rabbi, I want to see."  "On your way," said Jesus. "Your faith has saved and healed you." In that very instant he recovered his sight and followed Jesus down the road. Mark 10:46-52 (MSG) 

Other versions say "Your faith has made you whole." 

And there we have it, the miracle moment!  A guy who has lived the life of a blind beggar is now seeing, possibly for the first time and following Jesus and his entourage down the road.  But why did Jesus storp and heal Bartimaeus?  There were thousands of sick and desperate people coming to Jesus.  They lined the main streets begging for alms and asking for mercy, and yet, Jesus stops and heals Bartimaeus.  I believe we can learn something from this story that will help to position our lives for an "ONLY GOD" miracle. 

Jesus spoke the key phrase, "Your faith has made you whole."  Yes, there are plenty of people that Jesus healed who had little faith or no faith.  He even raised dead people without their permission or involvement in the miracle.  Yet we can see from this story that our faith and desperation can position us to be recipients of the power and presence of God.  Here are some attributes of miracle-producing faith: 

1.  FAITH HAS A VOCABULARY 

"He began to shout, 'Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!' Many rebuked him and told him to be quiet, but he shouted all the more."  Mark 10:47

It's worth noting that Bartimaeus didn't call Jesus the son of Joseph or Mary but used a title that revealed the faith that Jesus was, in fact, the promised Messiah.  He believed that Jesus would open the eyes of the blind and unplug the deaf ears (see Isaiah 35:5).  A vocabulary of faith declares who Jesus is and what God can do.  So, here's the question:  Do you spend more of your prayer time crying out, "Why God?" or "Why me?" than you do declaring who God is in that situation and explicitly asking for a miracle?

2.  GREAT FAITH FREES US FROM A PRIDE (IT DOESN'T CARE WHAT PEOPLE THINK)

When Bartimaeus was rebuked by the crowd, he shouted all the louder and all the more.  This is the point of faith, and or desperation, that pushes us to do things that pride and maintaining your self-image would never allow.  This desperate and unashamed type of behavior is a reoccurring theme in the New Testament possibly the access point to "childlike faith."

3.  GREAT FAITH CASTS OFF WHAT NEEDS TO BE LEFT BEHIND

In Bartimaeus' culture, beggars would sit on cloaks (large coats that served as a mat to sleep on and a blanket to wrap up in at night).  Bartimaeus would sit on the cloak during the day begging for spare change.  The cloak would have been filthy  from lying beside the road day and night.  This cloak or garment is a picture of our broken past.  When Jesus told his disciples to call Bartimaeus over, Bartimaeus throws off this cloak, this identification and connection to a life of blindness and begging.

"Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles.  And let us run with perserverance the race marked out for us."  Hebrews 12:1

4.  GREAT FAITH HAS A BEHAVIOR (IT DOESN'T STOP PURSUING JESUS)

"He kept calling out."

By now you have probably recognized a consistent theme in a life of pursuing God.  WE NEVER STOP PURSUING.  There is something about a tenacious, desperate, pride-abandoning faith that's determined to apprehend the answer.  This is the kind of faith that receives a miracle.  My prayer for you today is that you would be stirred in your spirit to believe bid, ask big, and to quote the old lyric from JOURNEY, "Don't Stop BELIEVIN."  We are pursuing a mighty God who still performs miracles!

MEMORY VERSE - "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever."  Hebrews 13:8

PRAYER DIRECTIVE - As you spend time with the Lord today, take some time to read a few of Jesus' miracles, and let fresh vision of what He can do fill your spirit.  See Him walking the streets of Jerusalem and the back roads of Galilee.  Envision Him calling blind Bartimaeus over, see Him healing the ten lepers, picture Him separating the crowd to heal the woman with the issue of blood. 

Ask God for a tenacious faith that will:

• Declare who He is and what He can do, regardless of the situation.
• Do not worry about what anyone things, willing to lose pride and be as humble as a desperate child in order to receive the miracle.
• Cast off what needs to be left behind from the past.
• Be persistent, don't let people or delays keep you from reaching out to Jesus again and again. . . until the answer comes!