I have written quite a bit here on praise in the past few years. But in fact I am convinced that I have not written nearly enough about it. Jesus began His model prayer for us with a crescendo of praise. "Hallowed be thy name." I think it is important to note that Jesus is not simply giving us a mechanical order for the words of our prayers like the helpful A.C.T.S. of Prayer, Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, Supplication. He is saying praising God is to be preeminent in our character and the prayers that rise from it.

I recently heard a marvelous sermon on this by Tim Keller. He noted that neither confession nor petition can be right when praise is not preeminent in our thoughts. I highly recommend that you take the time to listen to this sermon.* I think you will find it to be uplifting and life changing even if you already understand this principle.

But this leaves me at a difficult place. How do I develop a heart that desires God's praise and glory above everything else? I have several suggestions of things we can do to affect our character in this way.

• First, ask God. I begin my morning prayer time each day by asking God to help me long for His glory above all things. I draw this from the implication that God's Spirit must produce every good thing in my life. However, I have not found a direct command or even an example of this in scripture.     From you comes my praise in the great congregation;
• Think about all the reasons we have to praise God. Meditate on His majesty and power. Consider His wondrous grace and infinite love for you. The Bible is full of commands, examples and helps for this. Still, this is not my most important or biblical suggestion.
• The most important thing you can do to inculcate praise into your heart and life is to exercise praise. The scriptures are replete with examples and admonitions to praise and worship God. Jesus told us the greatest commandment is to love the Lord our God with all our heart. We are to lift up His name in praise. And you can be sure that when you worship the Holy Spirit is near. You would not be worshipping if He were not prompting. And you can sense His work in you as you praise God. As I begin my prayers with praise I note that my whole perspective changes. Sometimes I am even able to praise God for what I have been worrying about. This is God transforming my heart in the act of praise.
• Let me add one more word which is actually part of the exercise of prayer. Regularly engage in corporate worship. I find corporate worship reinforces my private praise. It is no small thing to begin my personal devotions armed with a hymn or scripture song that I learned at church. And my attitudes are often lifted as I remember worshipping together with others who lifted their voices with me in the family of God.

*   http://sermons2.redeemer.com/sermons/adoration-hallowed-be-thy-name

I would like to attach this prayer trailer for the movie War Room to some of my blog posts. It is certainly worth watching. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wXgC_HLLcCQ

http://watchinginprayer.blogspot.com/

http://daveswatch.com

How are you loving your enemies? It should not surprise us that Jesus Himself applied this impossible command with a prescription for prayer.

But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.[i]

I recently read something on the web from a man who works as a Christian apologist that severely attacked Bill Nye (the science guy). I wrote a comment about loving and praying for Bill Nye. The man wrote back somewhat offended thinking I was saying he should abandon his ministry. I admit that that I may not have been as kind or loving as I should have been to the apologist with my public comment. But it is crucial for believers to base our polemics in the love of Christ.

This requires prayer because it is impossible in human strength. I need to regularly pray for God's power to love my enemies. I need to ask God to help me love members of ISIS and radical Islam.  And this needs to be specific. I need God to help me pray by name for my Muslim Medical Doctor and the News anchor who will twist the News to get people to support same sex marriage. And yes, the television personality who would lead my grandchildren into sin and unbelief.

And I don't know about you, but I have trouble figuring out how to do and even think about this. I need God to show me how to love, my family and friends. How much more do need Him to show me how to love my enemies?

I just saw a great interview on this on http://www.radical.net/blog/ . I want to recommend this blog to all serious Christians. And certainly more pressing to the point of this subject I want to recommend this particular video whose link I found on it. http://www.rosariabutterfield.com/ This video and others on this site are particularly on loving my homosexual neighbors, but they establish the principle of prayerfully loving real people.

I discipline myself to pray for many people that stretch my prayer life. I have wondered if I should make a special prayer list for my enemies and for enemies of Christianity in general. At this point I have decided not to pray for them in a specific list. First, I have enough trouble praying for them when they are mixed with people who are not as difficult to pray for. And I need to see prayer needs as a mixture of growth and joy. And the greatest of these elements often flow out of the love for the same people. Father put Your love in me for enemies all around us.

http://watchinginprayer.blogspot.com/

http://daveswatch.com/

http://www.radical.net/blog/

http://www.rosariabutterfield.com/

Have you spent time under the fig tree? Do you remember the account in the first chapter of the Gospel of John about Nathanael's first encounter with Jesus? The Lord made a declaration about Nathanael's character that someone who had not met him couldn't know. Nathanael was shocked. Of course we understand how the Son of God would know us intimately, but Nathanael had to ask Jesus how He knew. Jesus' answer stirs my heart. He simply said, "I saw you under the fig tree." That convinced Nathanael that Jesus was God. Can you imagine what had happened to Nathanael under the fig tree? Are you spending time under your fig tree?

I have just been polishing a poem on Nathanael's encounter for a book of poems I have written through The Gospel of John. I have been wanting to introduce this book to you who read my blog before it is released, mostly so you would begin praying for it. So I am presenting this poem to you in advance.

Before and after each poem I have a place for readers to make notes. Here I have lines printed before the poem. But after it I have given some of my own insights.

UNDER THE FIG TREE

John 1:48

Nathanael said to him, “How do you know me?” Jesus answered him, “Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.”

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

What did Nathanael hear underneath the fig tree

As the heavens drew near in his secret place?

Did he think of Hagar and the God who could see?

Did he shrink like Moses from seeing God's face?

Did he shake in the trembling silence of his awe?

His heart quake at God whispering His call?

Jesus sought another who would another bring.

So He brought up Phillip with his gentile name.

Phillip hailed Nathaniel, "We've found the coming King."

 Nathanael assailed Nazareth before he came.

“Can any good come from such a backwater place?"

Phil could only offer, "Come see Him face to face."

Jesus told Nathaniel as he came into sight,

"Behold an Israelite without any deceit"

"How could you know me?" was his startled reply

"I saw you bow ‘neath the bush when you took retreat.”

Nathanael was amazed. His heart could only sing

With His soul ablaze, “You are the King of Kings!”

“Because I said I saw you, have you now believed?

Greater pause you'll take as the Son of Man's revealed.

Only a glimpse of heaven have you now received.

You’ll wince at my glory as before me you kneel.

You will yet rejoice to see angels descending,

With a voice like thunder the heavens rending?”

______________________________________________________________________________

God does know you no matter what. But Jesus pointed specifically to a time Nathanael spent alone with Him.

I suspect Jesus' declaration about Nathanael confirmed what God was doing in his life. What declaration will Jesus make from your time alone with Him?

What will He yet reveal of Himself to you? ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

http://watchinginprayer.blogspot.com/

http://daveswatch.com/

A lady asked to speak with me this past Sunday. She shared something that did not surprise me at all. “I need you to pray with me,” she said. “I have been under spiritual attack, and I don’t know what to do.” I sympathize with her. In fact, I have recently been under great spiritual attack. And others have shared similar concerns with me in the past few months. I wonder if the enemy is intensifying his onslaught. Revelation 12:12 tells us that at some point our enemy will be filled with fury because he knows his time is short. Is this such a day?

It is interesting that we are shocked by this experience. The scripture warns us that this is going to happen. 1 Peter 4:12 reads,

“Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering,

as though something strange were happening to you.”

I think it is obvious that we need to pray when we come under spiritual attack. Ephesians 6:11-18, a classic scripture passage on spiritual warfare, concludes with the admonition,

“And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests.

With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.”

Let me point out from this passage several reasons prayer is so important. Prayer in the Spirit of God is crucial in connecting with the promises of God. In prayer we remind ourselves of His faithfulness, His mighty power and His nearness to us.

We benefit spiritually from fellowship with God. I love Philippians 4:5 that tells us to let our gentleness be evident to all because the Lord is near. It is important to know that a major purpose of the world, the flesh and the devil in spiritual attack is to make you anxious, to take away your peace and hope, to disrupt this major witness of the difference that can be seen in us because of the Spirit of God working in our lives. This whole passage rings with the music of prayer. Verses 6 and 7 read,

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

It is by prayer that we put on our spiritual armor. It is by prayer that we guard our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. In prayer we are reminded of God’s purposes that the enemy will interrupt in any way he can. Finally prayer binds our hearts to other believers who need our prayer as they face the same kinds of attack.

http://watchinginprayer.blogspot.com/

http://daveswatch.com/

Some of the most thrilling prayer meetings I have ever attended were pastors' prayer meetings. Men who have given their lives to serving God came together to share and encourage one another and pray for God to work mightily in His own church and in a city. I have seen pastors pour their hearts out in honesty and great spiritual burden. I have been in groups where one pastor or another sat in a chair in the center of the group while the other men laid hands on him and prayed for him. I am not sure such pastors' prayer meetings will not be used of God to bring revival that would sweep an entire nation as pastors returned to their pulpits with their lives set ablaze by the Spirit of God. I have also noticed that pastors who hurt the most and need prayer and encouragement most are often not part of pastors' prayer meetings. How often have pastors' noticed that a man who was hurting and in spiritual danger was not part of a group. That should not surprise us. If you were the devil, would you not try to isolate a spiritual leader you were preparing to attack? It is like a pack of wolves isolating an elk before they try to bring it down. So, the enemy uses pride or shame or some petty disagreement to separate pastors from the brothers who would or at least should give him the greatest help. But as much as we need one another, it does not seem to be enough for a pastor to know he needs his brothers to faithfully participate in pastors' fellowships. I am convinced that the most important attitude a pastor can have to keep him part a of pastors' fellowship is concern for other pastors. If a pastor goes to a pastors' fellowship being burdened for other men, he will be less likely to be too busy to attend. If a pastor goes to the prayer meetings with a burden to pray for the others pastors, he will see it as a powerful ministry. He may even see it as a ministry that could bring about revival that would start in a brother's church. He could see this ministry that would mightily glorify God on the earth.

My last few blog posts were on the extraordinary prayer called for in these days. That turned my thoughts to the question of ordinary prayer. I don't think it is a wrong to answer this question by simply asking, "What are your ordinary prayers like?" Let me point out three elements that are common to ordinary prayer.

A HEART OF PRAYER

If we to Scripture and to the Lord's Prayer we find a great exposition of prayer and the life of prayer. Jesus assumed His followers would pray. Verse 5 of Matthew 6 Jesus began with the words, "when you pray." I suspect everyone prays or has prayed occasionally. Begin where you are. If you seldom pray, know that God is inviting you to pray now. If your prayers have been insincere, cynical and unbelieving, tell God you want to get serious. He will help you pray. You will never do better over any length of time by simply trying harder. But God can change your heart. Be honest enough to ask for His help.

A HEART OF PRAISE

The first words of the model prayer praise God. Nothing lifts the heart in faith like praising God. If you want to pray as we should in these days, you must focus on the greatness and power of Almighty God. We are in a spiritual war. In the hymn A MIGHTY FORTRESS IS OUR GOD Luther wrote, "For still our ancient foe doth seek to work us woe; His craft and power are great, and armed with cruel hate, on earth is not his equal." He will do anything to keep you from prayer. You must focus on the mighty power of God to keep from being discouraged by the world, the flesh and the devil.

A HEART OF PURPOSE

Jesus next called us to pray for His kingdom and for His will to be done. It is so easy to pray selfish and trivial prayers. But we can turn our prayers to God's purpose as He reveals it to us.

I believe the most exciting thing about these facets of ordinary prayer is that they all lead to more prayer. Prayer begets prayer. Ordinary prayer can lead to urgent prayer, sustained prayer, sacrificial prayer, extraordinary prayer, history changing prayer.

When we are thinking about extraordinary prayer we have to think beyond the things we are praying or that we even imagine. We need God to stretch our praying to include mighty things He is bringing about on the earth. I believe this includes a worldwide prayer movement. I believe this means praying for the work of God beyond all human reckoning. I don’t believe any scripture amazes me more that John 14:12. “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father.” Jesus told His disciples we would do the works He was doing. And then, as if that were not enough, Jesus actually said we would do greater works than His. What work could we accomplish that would be of greater significance than our atonement on the cross? I really don’t know. Possibly the gospel sweeping the earth with redemption before the end comes would be great enough to warrant such a promise. What works could we do that would employ greater power than the resurrection of Jesus? Well, the resurrection of all believers and the rapture of the church does come to mind. What about the resurrection of the just and the unjust to stand before a holy God? But make no mistake about it. Whatever Jesus was referring to in these words, such great works will only be done in the power, will and timing of God. We will only be part of these things in prayerful union with God. The context of this verse is prayer. The very next verse is an overwhelming promise of answered prayer. “Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.” Jesus explained the works that He did on the earth by saying in John 5:19 that the Son can only do what he sees his Father doing. Seeing His works done in our lives, seeing even greater works done than Jesus Himself did will require more than God’s cosmic power unleashed in our foolishness. If we are to connect with God’s thunderous power in the culmination of the ages, we will need to come to see the work of the Father as Jesus did. This will require deeper insight and greater faith than we could imagine without the Spirit working in us. Heavenly Father, call us to see You more clearly, and join You in greater prayer than we have ever dared to pray.

The next facet of extraordinary prayer is expanding our prayer beyond our present perspective.

Are you praying every day for people who are hard to pray for? It stretches your faith and prayer life to pray for people you do not like. Do you pray for God to bless people with whom you disagree? Do you love your enemies in prayer? Shortly after the attacks on 9/11/2001, a young but precocious boy in our church said, “We need to pray for the terrorists.” Before I could curb my tongue I had said, “We need to pray that they will be caught and killed.” I don’t think I answered well, but I certainly believe it is sometimes right to pray for justice. More often I don’t know how to pray for an enemy. It is acceptable to leave such concerns up to the wise intercession of the Spirit.

We also need to stretch our concern and prayers for people we may not think about often enough. If the gospel is to be preached among all peoples before the end comes, we must stretch our vision beyond our borders. There is a prayer program on the Operation World website, www.operationworld.org . Many mission agencies have similar prayer programs. The Southern Baptist I.M.B. will send out monthly prayer guides with specific requests for a different people group every day. My wife puts this up on our bathroom mirror where we have easy access.

I wrote this poem several years ago.

AM I ASKING?

PSALM 2:7,8

I will tell of the decree: The LORD said to me, "You are my Son; today I have begotten you. Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage, and the ends of the earth your possession.

It is hard to sit among those content with the comfortable mundane

And say out loud, “I am God-endowed with a mission to fulfill.”

It is a step of faith to stand unflinching and to all proclaim,

“I hear His call, despite it all. I know; I have been shown God’s will.

I have a vision of distant lands and people beyond the seas.”

He’s not forgotten His Only Begotten, and He’s shown His will to me.

He told me, too, “You are my son! Today I gave you heaven’s birth.

My precious one, to know I Am will be your inheritance and wealth.”

The Firstborn of many chosen brothers shares His holy worth.

Like the Father’s promised only Son, He holds me to Himself.

He is the Vine and I’m a branch on the heavenly family tree.

He’s not forgotten His Only Begotten, and He keeps His hold on me.

So will I ask for healing, wealth or some other selfish blessing?

For temporal toys and shallow joys, and maybe a nice vacation?

The ends of the earth are promised to me, given for my possessing.

He tells me, “You are mine; ask me for the distant teeming nations.”

They can be ours to know and love and tell as far as God can see.

He’s not forgotten His Only Begotten, and He will answer me.

Have I prayed for the Berbers and the Bora, the Jula, or the Han? 

Will I ask for Madagascar, Persia, or the isles of the Coral Sea?

I can seek Him for the nations, Africa, Asia and far beyond.

I can pray and preach and go out and teach as far as I will believe.

He’s not forgotten His Only Begotten, and He has promised me.

This is the third entry in a series of blog posts calling for extraordinary prayer for the power of God to sweep the earth. This week I want am writing about a major concern in developed and rapidly developing countries around the world. Our lives become so full of activities that we have no time to devote to prayer. You will not be able to enter into extraordinary prayer without making time to pray.

Jesus prayed all night before appointing the twelve apostles. (Lk. 6:12) Could you do that? He must have planned that into His schedule. In Acts 12 the church had gathered to pray through the night when the Angel delivered Peter from prison where he was to be executed the next morning. That could not have been planned, although it may have lasted several nights. In the garden before the cross Jesus was surprised that His disciples couldn’t even pray with Him for one hour. I think we can draw from our Lord’s response that praying for an hour or more, maybe all day or all night, should be a regular practice for people entering into extraordinary prayer.

You can begin praying in activities that do not take all of your mind. These require little adjustment of your schedule. Do you ever wait in the bank or in a doctor’s office? Start praying for everyone around you. You can also carry a written prayer list with you for times when you are forced to wait. You will also need to memorize a prayer list or two for times when your hands are not free. Do you ever mow the lawn or wash dishes? You could pray for a list of family members or neighbors, church friends or missionaries on the field.

It is good to pray through prayers from the Bible or other Scripture passages. If you use The Lord’s Prayer, for instance, you can expand on every word praying for everything that comes to your mind. If you do not have another prayer or passage memorized yet, pray The Lord’s Prayer through again.

When you have begun working on these disciplines it is time to start adjusting your schedule. Do you start your day with prayer? Jesus did. In Mark 1:35 He turned it into extended prayer that changed His pattern of ministry. Other times of the day are often easier to turn into or even schedule extended prayer. You can start on evenings when you don’t want to watch what is on TV. But if spiritual awakening is important to you, you will have to sacrifice some of your chosen entertainment for prayer.

And be ready for God to prompt you to pray in ways and lengths and times that surprise you. He will encourage and strengthen you as you seek to give more and more time to prayer. There is absolutely no limit to what God will do in you and through you as you pray.

http: //watchinginprayer.blogspot.com/

http://daveswatch.com/

Last week I began a series of blog posts calling for extraordinary prayer that in the power of God might sweep the earth. Such extraordinary prayer will need to come from several fronts. One of the most important focuses of our prayer needs to be Bible colleges and seminaries. If we look back through history at times when God moved mightily on human society, we see that He always raised up men to work through. So it stands to reason that if we want to be a part of an end-time revival, we should direct extraordinary prayer toward young people who sense the call of God on their lives.

We have begun this on one campus of a large multi-site seminary on the west coast. The students, faculty and staff were given questionnaires with questions about how we could pray for them. We also invited volunteers and support staff to fill out prayer questionnaires. Janitors and secretaries play an important part in what God is doing on campuses. They are often used by God to impact the lives of students. Brother Laurence touches lives to this day. He was a dishwasher in an obscure monastery.

We compiled the answers given, put them on flash drives and asked people at a regional denomination meeting to commit to pray for the seminary. People signed up pray leaving their e-mail addresses where they could be sent additional prayer requests. All of our prepared flash drives were given out before the program could be announced on the floor of the meeting.

This ministry could be contagious. Students could be sent to speak in churches asking people to commit to pray for the students and the school. Pastors’ could encourage church members to sign up. People who have hardly prayed for anyone but themselves could catch the vision to pray for a new generation of spiritual leaders.

Please pray for me as I write college and seminary presidents to present this idea. Pray that they will be receptive. Pray that they will become passionate for this. This will require busy staffs to take on new responsibilities. This will cost time and money. Pray for God to provide. And such an undertaking will certainly arouse spiritual opposition. Pray for spiritual protection for schools, students, and churches we will ask to become involved. And watch with me as God glorifies His name by raising up a mighty spiritual army to touch the world in these days.

Two days before Christmas in 1776 Thomas Paine penned the words, “These are the times that try men’s souls.” His words like the introduction to A Tale of Two Cities, could apply to almost any period since the fall of man. They describe an appalling reality in our day. Many of us are particularly alarmed by the moral decline that has swept our country. We are seeing the fulfillment of Biblical warnings of the last days. “There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God.”[i]

How are we to respond to such moral and spiritual realities? The prophet Joel responded to the judgment of God that had fallen on Israel in his day with a call for unusual prayer.

“Consecrate a fast, call a sacred assembly, gather the elders and all the inhabitants of the land into the house of the LORD your God, and cry out to the LORD.”

Jonathan Edwards, one of the primary leaders of the Great Awakening in America, wrote a little booklet about urgent prayer. It had a long title for such a brief monograph.

A Humble Attempt to Promote the Agreement and Union of God’s People Throughout the World in Extraordinary Prayer For a Revival Of Religion And The Advancement Of God’s Kingdom On Earth, According To Scriptural Promises And Prophecies Of The Last Time

You can find this little booklet on line, http://goo.gl/nMogwY , and I do recommend it. The title itself addresses my thinking. God’s people must consider and, yes, even pray for extraordinary prayer in our day. I believe such prayer, and the thunderous results God would bring about, are promised to us in the last days as much as the terrible things we see.

What would extraordinary prayer look like today? What would it look like in your church? What if such prayer meetings spread from church to church across America? What might happen if extraordinary prayer spread like wildfire from people group to people group, from country to country around the world?

For the next few weeks I want to write about such prayer. As we consider what this would mean, pray with me for God to bring about extraordinary prayer in our time. Share these blog entries adding to them and commenting on them on line and off line with believers anywhere you may find them.

http://daveswatch.com/ 

http: //watchinginprayer.blogspot.com/

If we are to obey the scriptural injunction to pray continually, we need to develop habits of prayer. I do not mean that our prayers should be merely habitual. They also need to be passionate and intentional. But we need to develop the habit of praying wherever we are. I just walked from a relative’s home where I am visiting to her public library. I had walked a quarter of the way before the Holy Spirit got my attention to remind me to pray for the houses I was passing. I would like to have begun in the first few steps of my walk. 

I do not know all the ways of developing this habit, but I know that the discipline of doing this when I had not been thinking about it will help me do it naturally. My prayer helped me begin watching for specific prayer needs. Watching is a crucial part of the habit of prayer. 

There have been times in my past that I have developed the habit of walking around in a spiritual daze. I want to be used to watching for hurts and needs that God will show me. I need to be alert to see what God is already doing in the situations He has placed me in so I can pray and work in His will. I want to form the same habits when I am in the bank or grocery store. I want to be in prayer as I am stuck in traffic, riding a bus or wherever I find myself on any given day.

This week I want to make an unusual request to all who are reading this blog. I want you to pray with me for my next few blog entries. I have a great burden to call believers across America and around the world into extraordinary prayer. During the Great Awakening Jonathan Edwards wrote a little booklet that you can still find on the web. It has a long title for such a small book. And the title itself expresses what I long for in my next few weeks’ blog posts.

"A Humble Attempt to Promote the Agreement and Union of God’s People Throughout the World in Extraordinary Prayer For a Revival Of Religion And The Advancement Of God’s Kingdom On Earth, According To Scriptural Promises And Prophecies Of The Last Time."

I am asking you to pray with me not only for Spiritual Awakening, but for God to use these next few blogs far beyond my ability to write to far more people than I would ordinarily reach.

http://watchinginprayer.blogspot.com

http://daveswatch.com/

In the garden before the cross Jesus told His disciples to pray lest they fall into temptation. Temptation is more dangerous than many of us imagine. James 1:14 says temptation drags us away by our lusts. In John 14:30 Jesus said the prince of this world had no hold on him.

No doubt no fear,

No guilt or sin that he controlled,

No secret desire held dear.

The enemy had no hold

To drag Him to his fold.

We must pray to avoid the enemy's grip on our hearts.

Part of this is simply to ask God to deliver us from temptation. But the focus of what Jesus is telling us in the garden is the transformation of heart and mind that comes from extended prayer. Jesus asked "Could you not watch for an hour? Watch and pray lest you fall into temptation."

Ephesians 6 paints a forceful picture of our spiritual armor. The first defense against temptation is truth. In prayer God fastens the belt of truth tightly around our thinking."

Next is the breastplate of righteousness. The accuser of the brethren will accuse you before God in your hearing. You need to pray in the righteousness of Jesus to be protected from his onslaughts.

Nothing will prepare you to ward off the enemy like the power of the gospel of Jesus Christ. The enemy trembles at the name of Jesus. But time and time again we are not spiritually prepared to share the gospel. In extended prayer we lace up our spiritual boots.

Praying Scripture builds faith as a shield to extinguish Satan's fiery darts.

A relationship of prayer covers us with God's salvation like a helmet from beginning to glory.

And by prayer we wield the sword of the Spirit, the word of God.

Paul concluded his discussion of spiritual armor with the admonition for us to pray at all times with all prayer and supplication. Pray, pray, pray, so you will be able to avoid temptation.

http://watchinginprayer.blogspot.com/

http://daveswatch.com/

Luke 18 begins by saying Jesus spoke a parable that we might always pray and not faint. Jesus then tells us there was a wicked judge who didn’t fear God or care about men. Is there any place in society where corruption is as despicable as in the judiciary? The judge’s bench is to be our last protection against lawlessness.  And a certain widow woman came before this crooked judge who had been cheated by swindlers. She didn’t even have enough money left to hire a lawyer, but she came to court anyway. At first glance the crooked judge tore up her paperwork and threw it away. But the next day as he set on the bench his clerk handed him her papers painstakingly filled out again.

“There isn’t anything in this for me,” he shouted at his clerk and threw out her paperwork again. But the next day and the next she was there again. Week after week, month after month she sat there before him determined to find justice. Finally, the wicked judge said, “I don’t care about what is right, but I am going to grant this woman justice against her enemy just to keep her from wearing me out.

Jesus concluded, “Listen to what the unjust judge says.  And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?”

We face at least 4 unjust judges in our lives. Luke says the focus of this parable is discouragement that causes us to give up on our prayers. These four unjust judges seek to do just that.

Pray in spite of the judgment of Your Life Circumstances

We face situations in a fallen word that cause us to be discouraged in our prayers. Believers are not exempt from evil circumstances around us. You are a child of God on a mission from your Father in an unfair world. If you don't keep praying when life is not fair, you will miss a great part of the purpose of prayer.

Pray in spite of the judgment of Your Moods

Our own moods discourage us more than circumstances. In fighting moods that plague me nothing benefits me as much as focusing on the goodness of God. The unjust judge is not a picture of God in this parable. He is a contrast to God. Jesus points us instead to the goodness of God, the faithful love of God and the fact that God chose us to be His own. Have you ever sung the little chorus taken from 1John 3:1? “Behold what manner of love the Father hath given unto us, that we should be called the children of God.” I find praise songs to be a wonderful antidote to discouragement and depression. This one notes the awe that takes over the heart of a believer when you get a real grip on this truth. You are a child of the living God!

Pray in spite of the judgment Other People

Do you remember the story of story of blind Bartimaeus? The crowd was telling him to shut up rather than cry out to Jesus. People will often try to discourage you. I got a call from a chaplain friend this week who had received a terribly discouraging text on his phone 5 minutes before the chapel service was to begin. I told him, “That was done on purpose. I think the man who sent the text intended to discourage you. But even if he did not, our real enemy meant it so.”

Pray in spite of the judgment of Your Enemy

Believers need to know that we are in the midst of spiritual war. And the enemy of our God is the enemy of our souls. He will try to discourage you from doing anything God wants you to do. And he is especially terrified by your prayers. If he can keep you from praying, he will defeat you in every area of your life. But if you pray even when you are discouraged, he will not be able to keep you discouraged and God will shake the earth.

http://daveswatch.com/ 

http: //watchinginprayer.blogspot.com/

Ephesians 4:11-12 reads, “It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.”

The Spirit’s focus in these verses is not God’s gift of servants or ministers to the church, but the task of discipleship they are to fulfill. They are to bring about the unity of faith, the intimate knowledge of God and the spiritual maturity of Christ Himself. These are not things that can be accomplished by human skill, ability or effort. Such discipleship can only be developed in the presence and power of God.

There are a number of spiritual disciplines and aids to spiritual maturity, but they all involve prayer. The most important thing a pastor can do to grow the church spiritually is to get people to pray as they have never prayed before. He must begin this by developing his own prayer life and then by praying for his church members.

The list of spiritual maturity begins with unity in faith. The two most important factors in developing spiritual unity are praying for one another and praying together. When this passage speaks of the knowledge of God it does not mean knowledge about God, but intimacy with God. The key factor in getting to know God personally is spending time with Him in prayer. I would also include reading the Bible prayerfully, prayerful obedience to what God is telling you and struggling in prayer through difficulties that you face. As we grow in prayer through the hardships and trials we must deal with, God’s Spirit matures our souls to become more and more like Jesus.

http://daveswatch.com/ 

http: //watchinginprayer.blogspot.com/

Do you have a life verse? Many people do. Should you pray for a life verse? I know someone who likes to joke about this by saying, "The Bible is my life Scripture." I think that is funny, but it does not really grasp what a life verse is and does.

First, the concept of a life verse is based on the conviction that God speaks to us personally. This is certainly taught in the Bible. From Adam and Eve in the Garden to John on Patmos, from Elijah hearing His still small voice to the disciples hearing the voice out of the cloud on the mountain top, God speaks. Many people seek the Scripture for truth and life principles. And we certainly find principles in Scripture, but we also need direct personal communication with God.

The words "life verse" are not found in Scripture, but we certainly see God speaking to people through scriptures. A good example is found in Acts 13. In verse 47 Paul and Barnabas said, "This is what the Lord has commanded us." And then they quoted from Isaiah 49. "I have made you a light for the gentiles, to bring salvation to the ends of the earth."

Of course without a life verse you can believe God speaks and even experience Him speaking to you day by day as you read the Bible. In fact the Bible teaches that if you understand Scripture God is speaking to you. 2 Corinthians 2:14 says the things of God are spiritually discerned or understood.

However, it is possible for God to speak a life-long message to a person. That is what Paul and Barnabas were declaring in Acts 13:47. Of course God can speak to people any way He chooses. I believe God sometimes speaks through His silence. I love the statement from Experiencing God. "God speaks through the Bible, prayer, circumstances and the church to reveal Himself, His purposes and His ways."

So, should you pray for a life verse? I do not know. God may be prompting you to pray for such a verse. But how God speaks to you is God's business. I would urge you to be open for God to give you a life verse as He speaks to you in Scripture. In fact, I believe you need to be open for God to give you more than one lifelong word. I have six life verses. I have them memorized and I pray over them every day as I begin my devotional time. God of course still speaks to me in Scripture and in other ways encouraging, directing, strengthening, teaching or warning me.

Interestingly enough, my wife and I also have scriptures that we believe God has led us to in praying for other people, especially family members. These passages inform our prayers and encourage our faith as we lift them up to our Heavenly Father. Life verses and similar uses of the Scriptures help us pray the word of God.

http://daveswatch.com/ 

http: //watchinginprayer.blogspot.com/

Have you considered determining some things to commit to pray for all year? I have written in earlier blogs about committing to long term prayers. Doing this helps us get our spiritual teeth into more consequential matters. This kind of praying excludes the trivial. You will not be tempted at the beginning of a year to pray for a better parking place at the donut shop. You will have to think about, possibly struggle in prayer to determine yearlong prayers. You may even find yourself praying for things that will cause you pain.

I recently heard a sermon by Tim Keller on Romans 8:28. He emphasized the fact that this verse does not promise that the lives of believers will be easier or better than that of those who do not love God. This verse cannot be severed from verse 29 which says God will use hard things to make us like Jesus.

As I looked at the passage I realized that we also cannot separate these verses from verses 26 and 27 which begin by saying we don’t know what to pray for as we ought. I thank God that this verse assures us that the Holy Spirit intercedes for us according to the will of God. He intercedes for me rather than God answering foolish, selfish and sinful prayers I sometimes pray. I am not alone in such foolishness. Elijah prayed for God to take his life. But God interceded by explaining His will to the prophet. In the same way the Holy Spirit brings us into His intercession. As we grow in the Lord we come to understand how He wants us to pray even when what we are to pray for will be difficult or painful. The angel told Ananias that God was going to show Paul how much he would suffer for the name of Jesus.

I am praying for God’s Spirit to show me what He is doing and how I am to pray for His perfecting work in my life. He has already promised that the joy will be worth the sacrifice.

http://daveswatch.com/ 

http: //watchinginprayer.blogspot.com/

Like many of you, we have been listening to a radio station that plays only Christmas music this time of year. One afternoon I sat down to listen for a while. For five or six songs in a row they played only “secular” Christmas songs. There are a wide variety of them from Jingle Bells and Chestnuts Roasting Over An Open Fire to Santa Baby and Grandma Got Run Over By A Reindeer. As I sat there I began to wonder if the holiday had not been turned back to Saturnalia.

I am not the only one who has grieved over the worldly influences on Christmas. What do we do about this? Am I entirely too impractical, if I suggest that we pray. It is crucial to pray for this most important holiday in American life. It is reasonable for God's people to pray for our country and our world in these days. 

Do you know someone who will be alone in this time when loneliness is most painful? Invite them to your Christmas if you can. But pray for God to comfort them, whether or not you bring them to your home. There are people who are cold and hungry this time of year. It will bless your Christmas to give to one of the many organizations that help meet such needs. Giving will also bless your prayers.

Pray for your own children or grandchildren not to be so caught up in toys and things that they miss the meaning of the season. You may have some traditions or practices that help you do this, but it will require prayer whatever you do.

Do you know someone stressed out by all the rush and cost and effort of preparation? Pray for them by name. Pray for God’s peace that was announced by the angel to the shepherds on the Bethlehem hillside.

I think you will find that nothing blesses your own Christmas celebration like time spent alone in prayer and together with your spiritual family in prayer.

 http://daveswatch.com/ 

 http: //watchinginprayer.blogspot.com/

Like many American families our siblings, cousins, nieces and nephews are scattered across the country. We count ourselves fortunate if we see each other once a year. For about ten years we have been doing something to help bring us a little closer. Mostly at the initiation of my wife and sister we have all purchased (or received as a gift) the same daily devotional book to read through the year. Of course, we can't read them together as if we were in the same room, but we occasionally call one another to talk about a particular devotional. This year several people compiled a list of family birthdays. So as we received our books or as we gathered books to send, we went through them marking each one of our family member’s birthdays with the understanding that we would all pray especially for the person born on that day. In the case of some who are no longer living, we remember them on that day. Interestingly enough, we have been surprised at how the devotionals fit the needs of the one whose birthday it was.