Dangerous For Good

Then, teaching them more about prayer, he used this story: “Suppose you went to a friend’s house at midnight, wanting to borrow three loaves of bread. You say to him, `A friend of mine has just arrived for a visit, and I have nothing for him to eat.’ And suppose he calls out from his bedroom, `Don’t bother me. The door is locked for the night, and my family and I are all in bed. I can’t help you.’ But I tell you this—though he won’t do it for friendship’s sake, if you keep knocking long enough, he will get up and give you whatever you need because of your shameless persistence.
“And so I tell you, keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened. (Luke 11:5-10 NLT)

Then Jesus left Galilee and went north to the region of Tyre and Sidon. A Gentile woman who lived there came to him, pleading, “Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David! For my daughter is possessed by a demon that torments her severely.”
But Jesus gave her no reply, not even a word. Then his disciples urged him to send her away. “Tell her to go away,” they said. “She is bothering us with all her begging.”
Then Jesus said to the woman, “I was sent only to help God’s lost sheep—the people of Israel.”
But she came and worshiped him, pleading again, “Lord, help me!”
Jesus responded, “It isn’t right to take food from the children and throw it to the dogs.”
She replied, “That’s true, Lord, but even dogs are allowed to eat the scraps that fall beneath their masters’ table.”
“Dear woman,” Jesus said to her, “your faith is great. Your request is granted.” And her daughter was instantly healed. (Matthew 15:21-28 NLT)

Persist with a sense of urgency. The parable denotes how we should persist in prayer. The real life event describes a woman who wouldn’t take no for an answer from The One who could heal her daughter.

I find that I either drop the subject with Jesus too soon, or I never start the conversation with Him at all. And, when I do converse with Him it is not with the sense of urgency that either of these above installments describe. What does that say about me? What does that say about my belief in Him? I guess it is selective at best – which frustrates me about myself. I have watched Jesus do amazing, life changing things in my life and those around me as well. However, I am quick to forget…which mainly just makes me human. But now, I’m empowered by the indwelling Holy Spirit – and I shouldn’t forget so easily!

I’m reminded again this morning that:

•  I must focus on Him – fix my eyes on Jesus, the Author and Perfecter of my faith; strip away all that easily entangles me so that I might run the race of life well. This race is not a sprint and then done…with rest/relaxation at the end. It is a ultra-marathon that I am both training for and running at the same time (It is all on the job training!!).

• I am weak, but He is strong. Again, where is my focus? Is it on my weakness? Or is it on Him? When focused on Him, my weaknesses don’t go away, but they are no longer my focus. AND, His strength is made perfect in (my) weakness. Bonus!!

• Apart from Him, I can do nothing.

Both of the passages above deal with relationship strength. The parable says that the asker and the askee are friends. The real event describes Jesus coming (initially) for the Jews not the Gentiles, so…sorry, no healing for you. But – the friend and the woman both were fixed on the fact that they knew they were talking to the right person who could help their present situation. They are not deterred in the slightest. They don’t go somewhere else to find a “band-aid” solution to tide them over. They need the maximum help and they need it now. They do not stop until they are eventually satisfied…but it is not right away.

So, this leaves me wondering…Brain blowing up here…

They both felt as if they knew exactly what they needed. Were they focused on the outcome they needed/wanted or on the One who could give them the outcome they “needed”/wanted?

I assume that I know what I need and when I need it. I get frustrated when I don’t get what I think I need, and immediately look for ways to get myself what I think I need. I manipulate people, places, things to affect the outcome I want/think I need. This is my immediate default reaction. Almost always. As my friend Robin would say, I’m “too invested in the outcome.”

When I do this – how does it make me feel? Accomplished? Justified (maybe this is what sets me down the above manipulation path in the first place)? I think probably, it makes me feel a little hollow?

Instead, let’s say that I drop everything, turn and focus on Him – pray like my very life, or the life of my wife, daughter or son depended on it. Am I guaranteed the outcome I think I need? In the above passages, those who asked were not guaranteed the outcomes they thought they needed and did eventually receive. They just knew beyond the shadow of a doubt that they were asking the right Person. The One who could – if He so chose to – could right the wrong that they were experiencing.

The Apostle Paul denotes yet another example of the asker petitioning the Askee and the answer being no:

even though I have received such wonderful revelations from God. So to keep me from becoming proud, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger from Satan to torment me and keep me from becoming proud.
Three different times I begged the Lord to take it away. Each time he said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me. (2 Corinthians 12:7-9 NLT)

Paul was a very persistent guy. He was a zealot! This was a character trait that God wanted/needed in the person He would use to spread the Gospel to the Gentiles. However, He finally does the “spiritual judo” thing here, and takes his “no” answer he receives (to the outcome he needed/wanted) and then thanks God for the thorn he wanted removed! We don’t see that he pouts or gives God the preverbal finger because he didn’t get the outcome he wanted. But here is the similarity to the first two examples: Paul went to the One who he knew could change his outcome. He was not guaranteed that he would get what he came and asked for, but he begged the One who could right the wrong he was experiencing. In that time conversing with God, Jesus spoke to him in a way that changed Paul’s outlook on the whole situation.

So – my takeaway?

Jesus.

He’s it. The time focusing on Him, begging Him, crying out to Him, doggedly pursuing Him like He’s the only One or thing that can right the wrong I may be currently experiencing will not come back void. He will either change the outcome to be what I came asking for OR…he will change my outlook on the situation. Either way, He’s the right Person to go to. Faith in Jesus requires action (faith without works is dead).

Lord Jesus, please create in me a desire to put my self to death and come to You first. Seek You first. You’ve made me very capable in many ways but this can be my thorn/obstacle in seeing that You are my Answer to every question, every time. I will get this wrong some more, but thank You for accepting me as I am and loving me enough to shape and mold me (even thru problems and circumstances I hate!) into the child of God you see me to be. You see me as the perfected and finished work already! The rest of life is just chipping away the pieces that aren’t necessary. Please help me to not cling to those pieces like grim death. I choose Life!!

Your bumbling & weak friend,
Jason

Many wait for God to move first – give us a sign, etc. But, I’ve found that if we make the first step towards the Father in faith – stepping out on His promises or in our understanding of His character or remembrance of what He has done throughout history – then He meets us where we are. As in this example, He RUNS to meet the wayward son. He had been waiting for this moment and now celebrates the son’s return. He doesn’t brow beat or hold past dumb decisions over the son’s head or keep bringing it up, He just celebrates the return – once he was lost; now he is found.

2 Kings 23:6-7 NLT, 2 Kings 23:11-12 NLT, 1 Corinthians 3:16 NLT and 2 Corinthians 6:16 NLT

Man, this hit me yesterday while listening & driving – thank You Lord.

Initial thought: Wow! How bold (and galactically stupid!) for God’s chosen people to bring items of other-god worship into the Holy Temple! It slapped me in the face that these people would have the nerve to do that. I was really shocked.

Then it hit me.

As a child of God/follower of Jesus Christ, I am now the Holy Temple of the Almighty God in the form of Holy Spirit. Ooops. What have I worshiped (given my attention to) in the Temple instead of God? What idols are in there still? What have I duped myself into believing that it’s okay to leave there?

Lord – clean house. I don’t want to take You where You don’t want to go. Or, let in what is not holy in your sight, for when I do, I am just like the many kings who “did evil in the sight of the Lord”. I have allowed this to go on for too long. Thank for for Your revelation yesterday.

Truth is, I am a new creation in Christ – the old is gone; the new has come! The Holy Spirit is living in me. It is true that some of the baggage of the old life/flesh is still laying around. But I’m not double minded…I can act that way sometimes, but that is not who I really am. Kind of like the kings who did as the Lord commanded, but didn’t destroy all of the golden calves, etc…

Ugh. That’s me. Lord, thank You for shining Your light on this for me yesterday.

Jesus-followers: Do you think you are “sinners saved by grace” or “saints who struggle w/ sin”? Consider “No Good Thing?” http://ow.ly/1vqRYe via @ransomedheart. Identity is key – who are you? Whose are you? If you have trusted Jesus as your Savior then the “old is gone; behold the new has come” (2 Corinthians 5:17) and you are a new creation in Christ. The “in Christ” part is key, and something you’ll see very often in the New Testament writings of the Apostle Paul. “In Christ” is a game changer! Getting you to focus on the old you is a deception ploy/misdirection play crafted by the enemy. Live in the now and focus on the new!

Exodus 5:21-23 NLT and Habakkuk 1:5 NLT

Was reading this very interesting set of verses today.

Hebrew slaves go to plead with Pharaoh about the harsh treatment – of course. The are not privy to the big plan God has crafted and has begun to work out. They are just wanting (at least in Pharaoh’s presence) to keep the status quo. They have been crying out to the Lord for rescue and help is coming, but they can’t see the big picture, so they lash out. I get that.

However, Moses has been told! He knows the score and he knows what he is there to do! This is a “young” (in leadership only, as he was 80-ish at the time) Moses with a ton of self-confidence issues.  Another Hebrew gets on to him about what – in effect – he caused to happen by talking to Pharaoh @ God’s plans/requests/demands and now he is complaining to God too!

Makes me think of Habakkuk 1:5 – where God tells the prophet, “…you wouldn’t believe even if you were told.”

I’m certain that I would be in the same camp. In fact, I am, daily when I complain to the Lord after I forget His promises in the midst of my circumstances.  I’m thankful to have already been forgiven for this!

IT’S FINALLY HERE! Leaving for Girls Getaway & Warrior Week this morning! Pls pray for an awesome week! May Jesus get all the glory!

TOMORROW WE LEAVE FOR CAMP! Pumped about getting on the bus and seeing what the Lord is going to do in our lives at GG & WW!