Shalom Aleichem...
Reflections is a weekly Christian Teaching Ministry. Each week we will talk about the Bible and lessons we can put to use in our daily life. We will try to, on a weekly basis, provide to you stories, thoughts, and just easy ways to live your life on a straight path.
THIS WEEK'S TEACHING....August 6, 2018
Pastor Tiffa gave us a wonderful message last weekend on Spiritual Warfare and that the strongest weapon against this tool of Satan is prayer. This week I wanted to expand on this most valuable weapon.
Prayer is one of God’s greatest gifts to his people yet it is often reduced to blessings at meals and praying for our health and the health of our family and friends. Someone has said, “Many people pray as if God were a big aspirin pill; they pray only when there is something wrong.
So this week, let me ask you these questions:
How is your prayer Life?
How often do you pray?
Why do you pray?
Questions like these force us to examine our prayer life. If you are like most people you wish you could be better at communicating with God. For those of you who know me well, you know I am not a great prayer. I sometimes struggle with the words that will touch someone. But God does not want perfection of words, He wants a closer to perfect heart from us.
Prayer is one of God’s greatest gifts to his people yet it is often reduced to blessings at meals and praying for our health and the health of our family and friends. Someone has said, “Many people pray as if God were a big aspirin pill; they come only when they hurt.” God wants our prayers to be so much more than prayer for our food and health.
Prayer is communication.
Prayer has played a vital role in the lives of people…
Abraham Lincoln; I have been driven many times to my knees by the overwhelming conviction that I had absolutely no other place to go.
Martin Luther King Jr; “To be a Christian without prayer is no more possible than to be alive without breathing.”
What are people praying for today?
More than any time in history, people are seeking answers to life’s struggles, problems, and challenges. Natural and man-made disasters are causing more and more stress in people, and their lives are under intense pressure. Hurricanes, earthquakes, floods, personal debt, job losses -- it is hard to comprehend the pressure these exert upon families struggling to make ends meet and survive.
While it seems more people are focused on prayers, their prayers reflect a desire for a materialistic lifestyle rather than communication with God. So my question to you this week is, “What are you praying for today?”
It seems we have strayed when it comes to understanding the purpose, value and power of prayer.
What is needed today is a return to the basics of prayer, now just as a river is purest at its source, so we can discover purest form of prayer by looking at the source of the one who demonstrated the purpose, value and power of prayer in his own life. As the Apostle Paul writes in Hebrews, Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, so that we will not grow weary and lose heart.
I believe we grow weary when we do not pray as we should.
In Mark’s gospel, Jesus teaches us two important principles regarding prayer. By following these principles I believe we will avoid growing weary and losing heart in our daily walk with God.
Lets look at some Biblical principles of prayer:
Principle #1 is found in Mark 1:35, Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed.
This tells us that Jesus’ prayer life was intentional
There is a big difference between an accident and an incident. An accident is something that happens without planning or it happens because of unforeseen circumstances. A child reaches for something and accidently spills the milk. The teenager reaches over to turn down the CD player in the care and accidently goes through the traffic light. Preoccupied by the things of life we forget to enter a ATM withdraw in our check register and we accidently overdraw our bank account. Accidents simply happen. But incidents take planning, they are calculated and are done intentionally. Too often many of us will have an accidental prayer life. A crisis “Just Happens” and we pray hoping for some kind of relief from the careless actions or unforeseen circumstances.
That does not describe the prayer life of Jesus. Jesus did not prayer by accident, no Jesus prayed intentionally. Mark goes into great detail to describe the intentional prayer life of Jesus.
Jesus set apart time to pray.
Early in the morning; while it was still dark…Jesus prayed. The Jews calculated time based on the watch of the Roman soldier at night. 6-9 was the first watch, 9-12 the second, 12-3 the third and 3-6 the fourth and final watch. It was during this final watch; Jesus would get up and pray. Why so early? Jesus awoke before daybreak because He wanted to avoid the distractions that would come from people, events and duties.
Jesus understood the value of time therefore he arose early – making it a priority to spend time in prayer. Having grown up in a Jewish home Jesus was familiar with the psalms, thus he was familiar with the wisdom of Psalm 5:2-3, Listen to my cry for help, my King and my God, for to you I pray.
3 In the morning, O LORD, you hear my voice; In the morning I lay my requests before you and wait in expectation. -Psalm 5:3
Harry Ward Beecher – The morning is the rudder of the day. I find there are two types of people when it comes to mornings; One says, Good Morning Lord and the other says Good Lord its morning.
Now Jesus is not setting forth a command to rise early in the morning to pray, however he is demonstrating a wise principle of being intentional with our prayer life.
Unless we are willing to make sacrifices in getting to bed early and rising early, we will not evidence a lifestyle that is fully yielded to the Lord. Give God the rights to your schedule and He will help you maximize your contributions in all areas of your relationships, activities and ministries.
Jesus set apart a place to pray
Not only did he wake up early for the purpose of prayer, Jesus made it a point to find a place to pray. Mark says he left the house and went off to a solitary place
The amplified Bible calls it a deserted place – the implication it was a place where Jesus could go to avoid the distractions of the stuff of life. Closing out the distractions is the key to communication with God.
Unfortunately it is becoming more and more difficult to do this in our hi-tech culture. TV offers us 24 hour programming, the internet offers us constant information and our cell phones give us instant access to everyone who has a phone. While Jesus faced the demands of people in public, face the demands of people with constant communication. With so much access it is no wonder we cannot hear from God today.
To develop a prayer life like Jesus, we all need a solitary place where we can meet God. A private place gives us access to God and helps us to be accountable to our prayer time. When we go to that place we hold ourselves and others accountable to our prayer time. The Early African converts to Christianity were serious about private devotions. Each one reportedly had a separate spot in the thicket where he would pour out his heart to God. Over time the paths to these places became well worn.
As a result, if one of these believers began to neglect prayer, it was soon apparent to the others in the village. They would kindly remind the negligent one, "Brother, the grass grows on your path." May we all have a place to go for prayer that is worn because we have been there often.
Pastor Tiffa and her sisters would go to their prayer closets. I go to the lanai. Where do you go??
There is a second principle we need to note regarding our Lord’s prayer life.
2. Jesus prayer life gave him clarity
36Simon and his companions went to look for him, 37and when they found him, they exclaimed: "Everyone is looking for you!" 38Jesus replied, "Let us go somewhere else, to the nearby villages, so I can preach there also. That is why I have come." 39So he traveled throughout Galilee, preaching in their synagogues and driving out demons. -Mark 1:36-39
The disciples awake and discover Jesus is not in the house. Verse 36 says they began to look for him. Literally they were searching or pursuing him. I wonder why they were pursuing him. Did they think they had been abandoned? Had Jesus left them behind while he began his great adventure? What was it like when they came upon him and found him praying? I love the disciple’s response when they find him - "Everyone is looking for you!"
You got to see the humor in this statement – Jesus is praying to the father, he is setting time aside to develop the father son relationship and the disciples come upon him and say "Everyone is looking for you!" In other words, they are saying there is something more important than prayer – meeting all of these people’s needs.
Jesus quickly tells them he has other plans - "Let us go somewhere else, to the nearby villages, so I can preach there also. That is why I have come."
To the disciples it was about being with the people, but to Jesus it was about being with the father. The father set the mission, not the disciples. When you spend time with the father you will have clarity about what is important and what is urgent. Jesus knew the only way to find the source of direction, inspiration and courage to do what is essential is from close communion times with the Lord. This was his priority.
The disciples thought it was urgent to meet the needs of the people, but Jesus knew it was important to spend time with the father. Understand the urgent is seldom important, and the important is seldom urgent.
Trivia time:
There are only 20 recordings of Jesus healing people during his ministry. Yet we know he spoke to thousands at the Sermon on the Mount, and the feeding of the 5,000.
As believers we must constantly guard ourselves from doing what others think is urgent and allow the important matters to take second, third or even fourth place.
As leaders we must be clear about what the purpose of the leadership is in the local church. Ephesians 4 reminds us;
11It was he (Jesus) who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, 12to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up 13until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. -Ephesians 4:11-13
The urgency is for the leader to do the work of ministry
The important is for the leader to prepare the members for ministry.
When leaders prepare members for ministry look at the result…
14Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming. 15Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ.
One of the major flaws in the church today is the belief our leaders are to handle every little problem that comes down the pike. As shepherds their primary role is to follow the 5 “P’s” of spiritual leaders; preach, pray for the flock, protect the flock, offer pastoral care and set the policy for the flock – not keep the flock.
Oh, in case you are wondering, taking care of the property is not one of the 5 “P’s” spiritual leadership.
Jesus had amazing clarity of his vision and his purpose and it was developed through his prayer life.
Friends we can have clarity in what God is calling us to do as well, however to discover that purpose it begins with prayer.
The prayer life of Jesus was intentional. He awoke early in the morning, he left the house he went to a place – there he met God.
When he met God his prayer life was marked with clarity. Jesus knew his mission, because he knew his Father.
How are we to develop a prayer life like Jesus?
Commit to finding a place to be alone with God
Make it a private place
If you have family tell them this is your private place
If you choose not to pray in the early morning, let your family know when you go to your private place you are not to be disturbed.
Use Scripture as part of your prayer routine.
I would recommend you do what I have done and read from the book of Psalm when you pray. The Psalms was and is the worship hymnal for God’s people. With 150 psalms to choose from, I am sure you will find words of comfort and words to assist you as you pray.
Record your prayers
Develop a prayer book where you can record prayer requests that you can systematically pray over and see answers given. An active prayer book will help you to see how God has worked through your prayers, this will give you more encouragement to continue going to your solitary place.
Once a week simply focus on God and his attributes
Make a list of God’s special characteristics like His omnipotence, wisdom, love and peace. You can access a list of his special characteristics by going to sermoncentral.com and typing in "attributes of God" in the search section. You will find hundreds of attributes of God that you can praise God for during your prayer time.
Focus on the blessings we have received as God’s children
"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who has blessed us with every spiritual blessings in the heavenly places in Christ." -Ephesians 1:3
When we recall all of the blessings we have in our life we can go forward each day with great power, confidence and a willingness to serve others.
Why did Jesus make prayer such an important part of his ministry here on earth? I believe we find the answer in Psalm 91:1, "He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty."
I think you will agree with me life is hard. Every day we are bombarded by temptations, schedules, sin and just life itself. However prayer is the shelter from this life. The psalmist promises us if we will dwell in that shelter we will find rest in the shadow of the almighty.
Do you need to rest today, if so I invite you to come to the shelter of the “Most High”, rest in his shadow by developing a prayer life that is intentional and a prayer life that will give you clarity.
DID YOU EVER WONDER???
One night, at 11:30 pm, an older African-American woman was standing on the side of a Alabama highway trying to endure a lashing rain storm. Her car had broken down and she desperately needed a ride.
Soaking wet, she decided to flag down the next car. A young white man stopped to help her - generally unheard of in those conflict-filled 1960s. The man took her to safety, helped her get assistance and
put her into a taxi cab. She seemed to be in a big hurry! She wrote down his address, thanked him and drove away.
Seven days went by and a knock came on the man's door. To his surprise, a giant combination console color TV and stereo record player were delivered to his home.
A special note was attached. The note read: Dear Mr. James: Thank you so much for assisting me on the highway the other night. The rain drenched not only my clothes but my spirits. Then you came
along. Because of you, I was able to make it to my dying husband's bedside just before he passed away. God bless you for helping me and unselfishly serving others.
Sincerely,
Mrs. Nat King Cole.
Never be afraid to help another of Gods children
BOOKS OF THE BIBLE...A TEACHING
This week we look at the Book of Joshua.
Who wrote the book?
The book’s primary figure gives it its title. Joshua means “Yahweh saves,”1 an appropriate name for the man who led Israel, under God’s command, to victorious conquest of the Promised Land. Scholars believe that Joshua himself or a scribe under his direction penned most of the book. Early chapters include firsthand experiences (the NIV uses the pronouns “we” and “us” in Joshua 5:1, 6, for example) and military details worthy of being known and recorded by a general. Joshua 24:26 refers to Joshua writing a portion of the book himself. After Joshua’s death, the high priests Eleazar or Phinehas may have supplemented some material in this book that alludes to events after the conquest (15:13–19; 19:47; 24:29–33).
Where are we?
The events of the book of Joshua span about twenty-five years, starting soon after the death of Moses (Joshua 1:1) around 1406 BC, before the conquest commenced. The conquest of Canaan took about seven years, and Joshua’s final address and subsequent death came almost twenty years later. The book begins with the nation of Israel poised at the banks of the Jordan River, across from Jericho. It records the details of numerous military campaigns that defeated the inhabitants of the land. The book ends with Joshua’s regathering of the nation for his final exhortation.
This history was written to the victorious Israelites who had settled the land. Though they were newly established as conquerors, Joshua reminded them that the conquest was incomplete: “very much of the land remains to be possessed” (13:1).
Why is Joshua so important?
The book of Joshua records the culmination of Israel’s journey to the Promised Land. Here we see God fulfill His promise to give the land of Canaan to Jacob’s descendants. Joshua portrays the Lord as their general, the One who would lead His people in victorious battle if they would trust and obey.
Joshua recounted a story of contradictions. On the one hand, God gave the land that He had promised to the nation. On the other hand, the people failed to possess the land completely, allowing some inhabitants to remain. God fulfilled His side of the bargain, but the Israelites did not finish the job. The Canaanite peoples became a damaging influence on Israel as years went by.
In this book we find accounts of faithfulness: Rahab the harlot (Joshua 2:1–21), the battle of Jericho (6:1–27), and Caleb the warrior (14:6–14). We also witness disobedience and its consequences: Achan’s sin (7:1) and the resulting loss at Ai (7:5), failure of some tribes to annihilate the enemy as God commanded, and even Joshua making a treaty with the Gibeonites without first seeking the Lord (9:1–27).
What's the big idea?The book of Joshua was written to the descendants of those who conquered the land, as a historical account of how they had come to settle there. It celebrates God as general, defender, and king. It shows the geographical boundaries given to each tribe of Israel.
Even more significantly, the book of Joshua serves as the connecting narrative between the days of Moses and the days of the judges, during which the book was first circulated. That which Moses began and endured in the wilderness, Joshua was able to claim victoriously in the land. God’s promises through the ages were being fulfilled before the people’s eyes. “Not one of the good promises which the Lord had made to the house of Israel failed; all came to pass” (Joshua 21:45).
How do I apply this?
The last few verses of Joshua narrate three burials: Joshua (Joshua 24:29–30), the bones of Joseph (24:32), and Eleazar the high priest (24:33). Strange as it may seem, these burials proclaim God’s character. All three men were associated with Israel’s days in captivity (Joseph long ago when Jacob’s family first settled in Egypt, and Joshua and Eleazar as young men on the long journey through the wilderness). And now all three lay at rest in the land of promise, witnesses to God’s faithfulness.
God is the ultimate promise-keeper. As faithful and present as He was with Israel, so He is with us. “Be strong and courageous! Do not tremble or be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go” (1:9).
HAVE A SAFE AND BLESSED WEEK:)
Ho'omaikaʻi ka Pua iā kākou