Search Results

"For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God." (Romans 8:14) The Apostle Paul is clear - being God's child means being led by the Holy Spirit. Being fruitful and purposeful in our Christian life, and making a difference for all eternity, comes down to being led by the Holy Spirit. For our church this year, being led by the Holy Spirit is not optional - being led by the Holy Spirit is essential to our growth and effectiveness. I made this point in the preaching on Sunday morning - making room for Jesus is making room for the transforming power of the Holy Spirit! But How? Being led by someone, as in the picture above, is easy because it is so tangible. Someone is grabbing by you hand and taking you forward. But how does the less tangible Holy Spirit lead us? 8 Different Ways I am listing 8 different ways you can cultivate your walk with the Holy Spirit this year below. I'm certainly not intending for you to do all 8 simultaneously. That would be impossible. But pick one, and plan a pattern of practicing this way for the next month. Skim over the ones that don't strike you if you're pressed for time. And then set a time, place, and frequency that you think is a stretch, but not impossible, for the next month. And see what a difference this makes to your relationship with the Holy Spirit. 1. Read the Bible with others (Colossians 3:16) This verse in Colossians talks of letting the message of Jesus dwell amongst us richly, and then lists a bunch of ways to practice this with other believers: teaching, admonishing, through psalms, hyms and songs. All of it by Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit speaks to us, encourages us, and leads us as we get together with other believers and encourage each other in the Bible. Is this a pattern you need to grow this year? Possible Action-steps: Join once a week or fortnight with other C3 Wenty church members to encourage each other in the bible. Our coaching huddles would be perfect for this purpose as well. 2. Pray with others (Acts 4:23-31) The church in these verses was experiencing persecution. Peter and John, key leaders in the church, had been put in prison. What did the believers do to overcome their fear and isolation? They came together and prayed. The Holy Spirit moved in their midst, and they were emboldened to keep representing Jesus to a hostile world. The Holy Spirit speaks to us and leads us as we get together to pray with other believers. Is this a pattern you need to develop this year? Possible Action-steps: Do the same as suggested in #1 above, but with prayer either as the focus or included as well as bible reading. Coaching huddles would again be perfect for this. 3. Read / Listen to the Bible by yourself (Hebrews 4:12) This verse describes the powerful living and active influence of the Bible on our hearts. We can't avoid getting together in community for this, but God also wants us to personally experience the Bible's living and trans-formative influence on us as individuals. The Holy Spirit is the living and active influence at work through the reading of the Bible. Is this a pattern you need to develop more this year? Possible Action-steps: Set a time, place, and frequency for personal bible reading/listening that you think is a stretch, but not impossible, for the next month and see what a difference it makes. 4. Pray by yourself (Luke 5:16) Jesus, as our model, had a very close relationship with God the Father. How did He cultivate this close relationship? Lots of time alone together with His Father. This is not nearly as easy for us, fast paced and busy as our lives are, but it is necessary to grow in. The Holy Spirit is experienced in this more personal and private way and the results are life-changing. Possible Action-steps: Like #3 above, set a time, place and frequency that is challenging but not impossible, and go for it for a month. I'd suggest letting someone else know the pattern you're pursuing, to help you by keeping you accountable. 5. Cultivate silence and solitude (Ps 139:7-12) I am almost definite the writer of this Psalm, King David, penned these words of poetic beauty as a result of times of communion with God in silence and solitude. The words I've particularly referenced above speak of the inescapable nature of the presence of God. The Holy Spirit is present both in the midst of our lives, but how hard it is sometimes to notice this above all the din. Getting away and being alone is not easy, nor comfortable, but in giving ourselves enough time to calm down we will surely discover Holy Spirit treasures He's been waiting to reveal to us. Possible Action-steps: Plan in once a week, fortnight, or at least once a month, to get alone for 2-hours minimum. This may sound extreme, but you'll take 15-20 minutes to just calm down. The next 40 will be various levels of personal thought exploration. And then you'll find a silence within that becomes an openness to the voice of the Holy Spirit beyond you. It could be an active 2-hours of solo time - a bush walk where you're unlikely to see others, for example. 6. Fasting for the Holy Spirit's leading (Acts 13:1-3) Church leaders were needing fresh direction. What did they do? They prayed and fasted, and the Holy Spirit spoke. We need to regularly go beyond our ordinary practices and habits if we are to really keep our hearts hungry for the Lord. I personally find this one of the hardest ways to be led by the Holy Spirit but one of the most powerful. Possible Action-steps: Join together with a couple of other friends at church who are hungry like you, and practice fasting together. There will be other church-wide fasts coming up for us in the year, so you could also jump in on one of these. 7. Cultivating the Gifts of the Holy Spirit (Romans 12:3-8) This passage refers to Spirit-given gifts. These are gifts God gives to each of us for the purpose of serving and equipping each other and for the mission of Jesus in the world. If you've never really explored discovering and using your gifts from the Holy Spirit, this is a key way the Holy Spirit leads us all in the Christian life. Possible Action-steps: Talk to me about discovering your gifts or putting your gifts to work in church. There are plenty of spiritual-gift surveys to help in the discovery phase, and there's plenty of work to do for the mission of Jesus through our church in the putting your gifts to work phase. 8. Going on Holy Spirit assignments Acts 13:1-3, quoted above in #6, is meant to be normative for our Christian lives. We need to regularly listen for, and follow, the assignments God sends us on by His Holy Spirit. Possible Action-steps: If you don't open yourself up to the daily leading of the Holy Spirit, starting each day with a simple prayer asking what the Holy Spirit wants to do in and through you will be powerful. Also, listening to the Holy Spirit together as a church is crucial - it's what was happening here in Acts 13:1-3. Options You've got options for growing your relationship with the Holy Spirit now. 8 of them. Choose one, set a pattern, go for it for a month, and do it with others in our church community. This year, we are all going to grow in being led by, empowered by, and fruitful in the Holy Spirit! #Holy_Spirit #Prayer #Make_Room #Options

"I lift up my eyes to the mountains— where does my help come from? My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth." (Ps 121:1–2) Where do you go, most naturally and quickly, for help? Whether it's wisdom for a decision or direction you are not sure about, or provision when you're in need, or power when you need breakthrough...where does your heart quickly go to for help? The truth is, if we're honest, that our hearts quickly go to all sorts of places. Some of them are good - the help and wisdom of others, and some of them are not so good - distractions, escapes, and fears to name a few. David writes with confidence in the quoted Ps 121 above that God was His sure and certain source of help. Born of years of learning and discovery, with trial and error no doubt, David knew where His first and most reliable source of help always came from. Is God Your Constant Help? He can be. He is the God who promises, as the Prophet Jeremiah declares: “Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls..." (Je 6:16). God's promise to us is to show us His ancient paths. Ancient paths that are good, that in practice create rest for our souls. In Jesus - in seeking Jesus - we find this and every promise of God fulfilled (2 Corinthians 1:20). And I am glad, because I know I and the world around me needs more paths that create rest for our souls in walking in them. Restful ways Is this not the picture above of a restful, restorative path? I could quite easily spend hours just strolling down a path like this, exploring where it leads. And this is a great picture of the restful ways God calls us into. They are ways of restoration. Walking in them, we find hope restored, we meaning restored, we find courage restored, we find power restored. Prayer is essential to discovering these ancient paths, these paths that provide rest for our souls. Prayer is the home of help. Prayer is where we find God, time and time again, and thus we find His help. But maybe you're struggling in your prayer life at the moment. We all do, from time to time. I know I have at various points in recent history, as across my Christian life. If you're struggling in your prayer life, try exploring this website, dedicated to stimulating and encouraging and inspiring your prayer life. Helped to Be Helpful As we enter into a month of prayer, and seek to Make Room for Jesus, People and the New, prayer is essential for us. Prayer is, in essence, the place where we are helped, in order to become increasingly helpful to others. Joining with you in seeking the help of God, in order to help others! #prayer #help #MakeROOM #seeking

"And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him." Hebrews 11:6, NIV What causes you to give up? It depends on what we're talking about, right! If it's doing endless loads of washing, maybe about 3 loads and I'm started to get fed up (soft, I know!) If it's reading a good book on a rich theological, biblical, or philosophical topic, maybe a few days and I'd probably need to make contact with other human life (weird, I know!) But when it comes to prayer, what causes you to give up? I've noticed something in my own life, and I think I'm not alone. That continuing in prayer for many of the different important things in my life is hard. Hard to keep at, before the Lord. There's many reasons we're given for why we're like this - being the microwave generation who wants everything instantly is first and often foremost among them. BUT - I think it's deeper than what's going on around us Whilst I do believe that what is happening around us in society and culture can influence us, get on the inside of our attitudes and mindsets, I do think there is a deeper reason why we struggle to persevere in prayer. I think we're often tempted to believe God is other than who He says He is in His word! I say tempted, because we all have our good days, but often we also have days where we started out strong and then something happened in us or to us that causes us to all too quickly question everything. We stabilize, for sure, but our confidence, especially in God, can take a hit. Enough of those days are had and, before you know it, we've shrunken down what we're seeking God for, or shrinking right back from being bold at all. We're praying simple prayers, generic prayers, easy prayers to pray that keep us (and God?) safe from the pain of risk and the pain of disappointment. But God... ...Who will not be so boxed in by our expectations of Him. God's word of declaration and promise quoted above calls us to true expectations of God. Hebrews 11:6 actually gives us a name of God. It is a noun, describing the very nature of God as a Rewarder. And the verbal structure of this whole sentence conveys the idea of continuity. God is not just an occasional rewarder; rather, it is his habit to reward those who seek him. He continually shows Himself to be the Rewarder. Do you know how encouraging this is to you and me, who are all too quick to give up in prayer? God's nature is not changed by our giving up. In fact, if we take God at His word here, the more we get back up and ask again, the same daring request, even though we've not seen it yet, God's nature is called into action on our behalf. As in - God is being drawn into action by our faith, and His nature is Rewarding by default. If Craig Demartino can get back on top of some of the toughest cliffs on the planet after a near fatal 100 ft fall to the ground, how much more can we rise up again in seeking out the God who wants us to know Him as our Rewarder! So how do you and I not give up in prayer this year? We remember who God is. Again and again. And so we go to prayer, again and again. Seeking God. And seeking of God the big answers, to the big desires, the bold aspirations, the deep needs of our lives, the lives of those around us, and the city to which we belong; And we remember we're not alone in this quest to know and discover God and His power on our behalf. This is why we get to know one another in church - to seek God's rewarding nature together; And we remember that God's reward may come in many different shapes, sizes, and answers - but that God will fail to respond to us should become, as we persevere in prayer, as unlikely as the Sun falling out of the Sky (If you need some references here, try: Psalm 65; Luke 18:1-8; and, Mark 7:24-30) I'm believing God at His word that you and I together are going to experience the nature of God on our behalf as our Rewarder. This excites me greatly, and gives me serious hope for 2020! I hope it does you too!!! #hope #prayer #faith #answers

"Be diligent in these matters; give yourself wholly to them, so that everyone may see your progress." [1 Timothy 4:15] Do you want to progress this year? Do you want come to the end of the year and, looking back on all that has happened, see that you have grown? I don't know many people who would answer no to these questions. We want to make progress and grow in life. It's natural and healthy. But how often, when asked the question about how we are progressing in our personal growth, do we struggle to identify specifics. Why is that? Set and forget I think, in large part, it is because at natural seasons of our lives, like the start of a new year, we have time and space to reflect and plan for new goals and directions. But then life rushes into a pace that crowds out our ability to consistently reflect on our set plans, and then 6 months comes around and we've had fits and starts of progress, if at all. Enter accountability. Essential to the parable Jesus tells in Luke 19:11-26 is the notion of accountability. The Master asks each servant what they'd done with what they'd been given. Imagine being a servant in this parable. Surely in the Masters initial instructions was it noted that he would return to find out what they'd gained with what they'd been given by him. Would that not have been incredibly motivating? Inspiring action and in a very clear direction - to put in your best efforts towards increasing what the Master gave you initially. Is this not what you and I need to progress this year? The knowledge that the Master will ultimately ask us - what have you done with what I've given you in this lifetime? Will Jesus ask us? It is an appropriate question to ask, and the Apostle Paul is clear: "For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that everyone may receive what is due them for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad." ------------------------- (2 Co 5:10) It's hard to do this statement justice without reading the context (which I encourage you to do), but in essence Paul in this whole section of his letter to the Corinthian church is saying - what we do with the salvation grace we've got in Jesus Christ matters to Him. In other words - Jesus won't ask us to give an account of what makes us worthy of His salvation (we receive this by pure grace-gift - Ephesians 2:1-10), but He will ask us, "how have you pursued the good works I planned for us to accomplish in my grace (Ephesians 2:10)?" Accountability. Jesus holds you & I accountable for our lives. And this is meant to inspire action in a very clear direction, as the first two servants demonstrated in the parable in Luke 19:11-26. Have you got a proxy? You and I need to keep short accounts with Jesus. Keeping regularly in prayer with God about your progress this year will be key. But we also need each others' help. Hebrews reminds us that the power of gathering together is to "spur one another on toward love and good deeds..." (Hebrews 10:24). In one sense, we need to be proxies for Jesus with each other. What I mean is - we need to help each other, for Jesus' sake and in love, be true to the plans for growth and progress in the good works of God we set out to make happen this year. How do we do this? Ask someone Who is someone you can meet with regularly who won't cover you in cotton wool but who will call you up into the good works of God for your life? If you don't have someone, but you've made plans to progress and grow this year, get someone. Pronto. He or she will be the key to your progress in 2020. If you don't have someone - ask us here at church how you can get in on a coaching huddle. The whole purpose of our coaching huddles is to help each other by calling each other up into the good works of God for our lives. Our coaching huddles are set to start back up next week, so you can find out now what you need to! Let's get serious... ...about our progress. Jesus is - He always has been, always will be. And let's help each other get serious, by being loving and strong proxies for Jesus - helping each other to progress strong in the good works that God has prepared in advance for us to outwork. I'm Joining together with you this year for a year of progress that is evident to all (1 Timothy 4:15). #progress #growth #accountability

"...he called ten of his servants and gave them ten minas. ‘Put this money to work,’ he said, ‘until I come back.’" (Luke 19:13) This year is a gift. Do you believe it? We often hear this said but the truth is it's much harder to live. Go with me, though. What if you truly lived this mindset - How would that change your approach to each day? Your approach to your relationships? Your approach to your work? Your approach to yourself? The power of a gift A gift is something you did not earn nor merit and is the free and willful kindness of another demonstrated towards you. Imagine a friend came to your door, unannounced, with this incredibly tasty looking home-made sourdough loaf. They've chosen to put time, effort and careful attention into baking this loaf in order to give it to...you! In short, they've chosen to value and recognize you and you had no notion of meriting this from them. The master in the parable of Luke 19 does likewise. The Master chooses to entrust 10 servants with his money. He chooses to give them the gift of responsibility. He chooses to give them a generously broad set of instructions - simply to 'Put this money to work,' until he returned. None of the servants are depicted as deserving what they received. The master is under no obligation to give his resources away. Instead, he freely and willfully bestows both resources and responsibility upon each servant with the purpose that they would be well supplied to do something creative and productive with what they were given. God is likewise towards us - supplying us well with the good gifts of resources and responsibilities in order to see what we can creatively do with what we've been given! "Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the  heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows." (James 1:17) Take a moment right now: to think of the relationships you have been a part of at this point in your life; think of people that have included you in their world; think of learning and growth experiences you've had over your lifetime; think of your current living arrangements, and what you have got as opposed to what you haven't go; think of the church community you're a part of, and what possible relationships and opportunities to grow exist as potential within this community. Extend that moment: by thinking about what your life would look like without all of the above. Hopefully you quickly begin to see - the life you've lived, challenges and opportunities all, has been one big long gift that is not based upon your desserts and certainly not based upon your choices alone! The power of being chosen In a nutshell, you've been chosen. By God. By others. Time and time again. You've been chosen: as someone worthy of purpose; as someone worthy of life; as someone worthy of attention; as someone worthy of friendship; as someone as worthy of companionship. The list goes on. Herein lies the key to living each day as a gift. When you realize that you would not be where you are today without the free and willful choices of God and others towards you, and that others have been under no obligation to make the choices they have, you are free to treat every moment, every person, and every opportunity before you each day as a gift in return. Every day becomes a gift of grace and an opportunity for you to respond to with grace. Pressure relief! What this all produces within us is a growing knowing, deep within, that you are not justified by what you deserve, but by what His grace creates in your life. I wonder if this is what Paul was getting at when he wrote: "...all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus." (Romans 3:24) The servants in the parable were free to serve their master - not in order to justify and prove themselves, but rather to put to work the grace that was given them. Is it not true that we do our best work and experience the best moments in relationships when we're working out of life as a gift we've been given to share freely with those around us? This year, I'm believing that God's grace will pop the pressure bubble around you. This year, I'm believing we'll together learn to live every day as a gift of God's grace to us, in Christ Jesus. #pumpedANDready #grace #gift

"...The Master he sent for the servants to whom he had given the money, in order to find out what they had gained with it. The first one came and said, ‘Sir, your mina has earned ten more.’" [Luke 19:15-16, NIV] How do you go trusting God? How much do you trust Him? The above quote is part of a parable Jesus gives to illustrate how we're meant to live our lives before our God and King. Assumed in this parable, especially in the first two servants, is intrinsic trust of the Master. Hearts secure Is your heart secure in trusting Jesus, first and foremost? Even this morning, I was freshly made aware by the Lord of how easily my heart defaults to trusting in myself, or others, or things first and foremost as my secure trust. Contrast this tendency with the first two servants in the parable - by their actions they demonstrated intrinsic trust of their Master. There was no questioning, no self-justifying, no rebelliousness - there was secure trust that the Master was generous in his resourcing them, and good in his request of them. And so both servants acted securely and confidently in fulfilling the task that was entrusted to them with the resources that were entrusted to them. Trust is essential Trust is essential in any working relationship, family relationship, any friendship - in any fruitful interaction with others, fundamentally. Where we don't trust those that we work with - we work independently or share ourselves and our resources very cautiously and begrudgingly. When we don't trust those in our family - we hold family members at arms length. When we don't trust our friends - our relationships have limited depth and strength. How much more with Jesus. Do we trust that He has indeed been generous in resourcing our lives and that He is good and loving in the requests He makes of our lives? Secure and strong God knows our hearts are most secure and strong when we trust Him first and foremost. The Old Testament Prophet Isaiah was led by God to call God's people to trust in God time and again: ‘In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength, but  you would have none of it.’” [Isaiah 30:15, NIV] God makes the way of salvation and strength plain - the way of trust - and thereby shows us that He is intrinsically trustworthy. Temptation And yet we struggle with being secure in the truth that God is intrinsically trustworthy. Why? The struggle is as old as the temptation of the serpent in the Garden in Genesis 3. The serpent's chief way to drive a wedge between humans and God was by deceiving Adam & Eve into thinking God was not as trustworthy as He actually was in truth. How to trust God to the point of transformation? Isaiah is clear - there's a simple way to salvation and strength; trust God. The first two servants demonstrate in their actions the outworking of trust - wholehearted and fruitful obedience to the Master. How do we get there? Why not start today. In your praying and throughout your day: Be honest - observe your thoughts and attitudes. Where do your thoughts run to, first, regarding your family? Your finances? Your future? Your friendships? etc. Where you are currently running in thought/ desire to anything other than God first - be honest and open with God about this. This is the act of confession - acknowledging where we are falling short of God's good design of us. Be hopeful - God has not abandoned us in our hearts defaults and deceptions but given us a new heart in Jesus. Ezekiel 11:19 was and is fulfilled by faith in Jesus Christ. This is repentance - turning from our old hearts way of thinking to our new undivided hearts way of trusting in God. Be habitual - if God is to be trusted first and foremost, then God must be considered and asked first and foremost. God must be sought first and foremost. God's ways must be studied and learnt first and foremost. This is believing - forging in His grace new patterns of thinking and attitude. Building the habit of trusting God first and foremost into your 2020 year will transform your year into a year of salvation, strength and fulfilling activity. I'm believing God this will be your experience and I'm leaning into a year of greater trust with you! Bring on the transformation!

"In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world." [Luke 2:1] You may be perplexed as to why I've quoted the verse above. Who cares about a census recorded by a long dead Roman Emperor. That's neither inspiring nor helpful to my life! I beg to differ, and I'd like to show you why. And it has allot to do with God calling us to lean into the doubts we have about Him. To clear out the clutter that doubt creates in our heart towards God by leaning into His word, the bible. "I don't know that I trust the bible" I hear and read this kind of statement quite regularly in my conversations with people in this city. It's a commonly held position with respect to the bible. And the verse I've quoted above, which we often hear read this time of year in Christmas services, has huge implications for yours and my trust of the ancient biblical text. Let me explain further. Caesar Augustus really existed! "Yeah, so what," you reply. "So WHAT!" "So what EVERYTHING!" Think about the implications for Luke in writing his account of the life of Jesus, and the implications for any audience hearing or reading Luke's text. How quickly could Luke have been, in his own times, found out if he were making this all up. Historians tell us that Luke compiled his account of the life of Jesus before AD 70 (New Bible Dictionary). This is approximately 40 years after the death of Jesus. That's within a generation of the events being described throughout Luke's account (More info here). So Luke could have quickly been found out by the people he was writing to and read before, if he was making this all up. The census Luke refers to here appears to be the time of a great Jewish revolt - which Luke refers to later in Acts 5:37 (Bible scholar N T Wright explains here). The implications for Luke and any audience taking in his account of events was and is clear - you can check this out for yourself. If you're unsure, if you doubt what I'm saying, ask around. You'll find people will tell you more about the events and times I've described here. Dive into your doubts Luke was a historian, not unlike the ancient Jewish historian Josephus. He carefully collected together all the information he could to form an orderly account of what happened to Jesus of Narazeth (Luke 1:3). Luke had the foresight to consider people and times beyond his own, more distant from the events and times of Jesus and his early followers. He diligently prepared an account of these historical events so that people who struggled with the facts could take in a historical account of what took place in the life of Jesus. Luke was giving people plenty of material to lean into their doubts with. If Luke was inspired by God and led by the Holy Spirit in his work here, which I believe he was, we have God encouraging us here to dive into our doubts with and through His very word. God is not uncomfortable with our doubting, so neither should we be. Instead, he invites us to come explore our doubts with Him, through His word, seeking the illuminating power of the Holy Spirit to lead us into the truth (John 16:13). Dive in No matter whether you have doubts regarding the biblical text, or doubts that are more personal and regarding your life and journey, the invitation from God is this - dive into your doubts with and through my word. Why? What's the consequences for our lives? In and through the word, we will find the real truth that answers our doubts and concerns and gives us a sure and certain foundation for launching out into whatever is next for our days, weeks and lives. If doubt has been cluttering your heart as you lead into Christmas, allow the word of God guide you to the truth - about Him, about yourself, and thus about what you need to do next! #Doubts #prayer #Christmas #declutter

The disciples woke him and said to him, “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?” [Mark 4:38] The disciples clearly didn't think Jesus cared in their moment of desperation. Let me set the scene we read in Mark 4: The boat is being pummeled by ferocious winds, waves whipped up and over the small sides of your vessel. The rain is pelting into your face and body, hitting you with the sting of rubber bullets. You are anxiously bucketing out the water in your boat, but it's a losing battle with the water levels rising to the point where you can see the boat is nearly submerging into this terrible stormy sea. And there is Jesus, asleep. ASLEEP! In the stern, covered by a blanket and stupidly serene in the middle of this horrendous weather event. Jesus not only doesn't seem to care about you all, but doesn't even seem to care for his own safety. How can this man be like he is, right now! This is how I imagine the disciples come to Jesus in Mark 4:35-41. They were a rage of fear and anxiety and terror as the storm pressed in around them. "Why are you so afraid?" Is the question Jesus poses after calming the storm with three words of absolute authority and confidence, "Quiet! Be still!". I see here a connection between fear and the care of Jesus for us. Fear can become a raging tempest within when we have little or no confidence Jesus can and will take care of us in the present circumstances of our lives. This is a problem if fear presses in on us as we pray. I've know plenty of such times in my life! Fear clutters my praying and causes me to cry out very similarly to the disciples here in Mark. How to overcome fear in prayer? So you're dealing with an unruly fear in your head and heart. Maybe it's a work concern. A relationship. A decision that overwhelms you. Maybe there doesn't seem a rational basis, but you're in fear, nonetheless. Pray through these three focuses: Bring Jesus clearly into focus in prayer. Is Jesus overwhelmed with fear and anxiety in the middle of this storm event in Mark 4? Clearly not. Then focus in your prayers first on the serenity of Jesus for you, right now. Jesus is not feeling any of what you're feeling. Jesus is not overwhelmed like you're overwhelmed. Jesus is calm, settled, and has complete peace about your situation. That should start to take the edge of your fear! Be encouraged to pray boldly from the testimony of scripture. Does Jesus do nothing in response to the cries and desperation of His disciples in Mark 4? Again, clearly not. Then take heart in prayer. Jesus is not indifferent to your plight, to your concerns, and has the same power and authority to assist you and help you and respond to your cries for help. See Jesus responsive, just like He is to His disciples here. Continue on with expectancy. Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever. He will act in your life. Maybe He'll speak a word of direction or encouragement to your heart; maybe He'll act in your circumstances; maybe He'll do both. But He will respond to your praying! Jesus didn't start this storm! But he clearly ended it. This is important for us to note. God is quite happy to be with us in the midst of troubling times and circumstances that He didn't directly start but He has every intent of finishing. Why? Because without opportunity, we will never learn to overcome our own fears. Jesus calls His disciples to faith. And even though they are overwhelmed this time, Jesus built their faith in Him nonetheless. What does this tell you and I? That the fears that press in around us now have a purpose in Jesus - Jesus can use our most fearful days and seasons to teach us faith in the deepest parts of our hearts if we'll not run from our fears but in desperation rush to Jesus. Especially in prayer! I'm rushing to Jesus with you this week!!! #Prayer #fear #declutter

And he who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” Also he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.” [Revelation 21:5] Pain is a reality of life Ever experienced the unpleasant feeling of an exam result that was not what you wanted or expected? Or the upsetting news that someone you love is quite sick or needs time away from you at the moment? These are real experiences for all of us, and they are not isolated incidents in our lives. Pain is unavoidable for two reasons: It's a powerful teacher - you learn to be more accurate with your hammer strike when you hit your thumb instead of the intended nail. It's an unfortunate normality of a fallen world - when "all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God" there is not a human who is not tainted by the consequent pain of broken relationships, broken hopes, broken bodies, and broken minds. Pain can as a result clutter our hearts and our prayer lives if we're not alert to how God helps us in the midst of our pain. How God helps us Just as much as pain can clutter our prayer life, going to prayer is the best way to see our pain heal. God is willing and ready to help us in two particular ways: As our Redeemer As our Just Judge As our Redeemer God can turn around bad situations. Even when we're the cause of them. That's who God is as our redeemer. This is a great comfort and cause for hope of real renewal in broken situations. Jeremiah the prophet, talking to some of His fellow Israelite's who are in painful exile because they have ignored God declares: This is what the LORD says: “When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will come to you and fulfill my good promise to bring you back to this place. For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." [Jeremiah 29:10–11] Even though exiled to Babylon for 70 years God had plans to redeem Israel and bring them back to their homeland. To redeem the pain of their exile by His powerful loving restoration of them. As our Just Judge God is also our just judge. He will bring every act of injustice to justice and every wrong will be made right. Encouraging a church full of people who were having a hard time at the hands of those attacking them, Paul the Apostle declares: "God is just: He will pay back trouble to those who trouble you and give relief to you who are troubled, and to us as well..." [2 Th 1:6–7] Some justice we will see in the here and now, and some justice will only be seen at the end of all the ages (as this letter from Paul will go on to say), but we can't know when God will bring about justice, so it is crucial to cry out to Him for it now - Jesus teaches us He is willing and ready (Luke 18:1-8). Clearing out the clutter of pain through prayer Knowing that this process will not always be overnight, here's some ways to approach God in prayer for the healing and redemption of pain you might be experiencing at the moment: If pain has been caused by another to you - ask God to specifically come and redeem you, and the situation, in a specific way? If the pain has been caused by you - ask for forgiveness and specific guidance on how God wants to redeem the situation If you've simply made a mistake in the journey of life, and are learning from it - ask God to show you how to make the learning redemptive for your future! If you've experienced injustice - call upon God to bring about specific justice in your situation. If you've caused injustice to others - ask God's forgiveness and in repentance, ask for God's guidance in how to bring about justice for those who need it in your situation. I'm continuing to ask God to give us all a clear heart and an open heaven to hear Him and see Him tangibly at work in our lives as we draw closer to Him this Christmas. #prayer #declutter #Christmas

"...as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our sins from us." [Ps 103:12] Ever missed the mark on your plans or intentions? Ever fallen short of a standard you've set yourself, or others have set you? Truth is, everyone is saying ‘yes’ right now. It's the unfortunate but universal human experience. The bible describes this human experience as sin, especially with respect to our plans before God and His standards for our lives (see Romans 3:23). As a word, ‘sin’ has fallen out of use these days. But it’s emotional consequence in our hearts - feeling guilty - hasn’t. We’ve often got guilt in our hearts but no tools powerful enough to deal with the emotion. What if getting real with ourselves and God could set our hearts free? How does guilt affect our prayer lives? Prayer involves coming before the one Being in the universe we know we've definitely missed the mark with and fallen short of. Guilt is therefore one of the most common emotions to clutter out our praying. How do we know guilt is at work? We're avoiding, or avoidant. It may be subtle, but we either outright don't feel comfortable praying or instead find all sorts of other things to do instead of praying. Our hearts have quite potentially become cluttered with guilt. So, how do we overcome the guilt-clutter within? Remember God - who He is and what He's done (see Romans 3:24). God has known all along our inability to hit the mark with Him. My tendency, left to myself, is to over-estimate what I can do or underestimate my ability to restist sins temptations. That's why He sent His Son Jesus - to forgive us of our sins, and free us of cyclic failure to overcome them by our own efforts (see Romans 5:12-21). Confess - what we feel guilty about. The Holy Spirit helps us here, especially if we're not clear or sure (see John 16:13). Trust + hope - Trust in what Jesus has already done for you, and the status he has imputed to you. Imputation is receiving God's perspective of us in our hearts and seeing ourselves as He sees us (rather than how we see ourselves now - disappointing and disappointed). A great passage to think on in prayer is Ephesians 2:1-10. This is a great guilt-overcoming and hope inspiring passage. Repent + believe - In the area we feel guilt, turn around and face Jesus (that's what repentance means). Then believe - in the wisdom, guidance and help of Jesus for you. Ask - how can I hit the mark or fulfill what I intend in this area of my life with your help Jesus? Listen for the guidance of the Holy Spirit, especially through the word of God, and then walk out what you hear Him guiding you to do. Guilt Free Living We never grow out of the need to practice this guilt de-cluttering process. The promise of this practice is not only living with less guilt but learning to hit the mark and fulfill His plans and ours in His grace. Prayer is key to unlocking guilt free and grace empowered living. I'm going to prayer encouraged, and I hope you are too! #Prayer #Guilt #decluttering #Christmas

Vlog Blog Sometimes I find prayer quite difficult! It's not that I don't want to pray, although sometimes I lack strong desire. It's not that I don't know the power of prayer, for I've certainly had plenty of times where God has deeply encouraged me both in prayer and through His answers to my prayers. It's that, quite simply, I sometimes find myself frustratingly distracted as I start in prayer. Why? Because my inner world is, in a word, cluttered. I look at this picture of a cluttered room full of books and I get stressed. How can you find anything in there? Does our heart not sometimes end up like this room full of books...things stuffed into every nook and cranny, or just spilling out all over the place within. We're preparing through prayer for fresh encounters with Jesus that overflow into helping others do likewise. Over the next few weeks we're going to de-clutter our hearts together to make sure we've made room for Jesus this Christmas. I imagine, without the practice of heart de-cluttering, Jesus is like the woman in this image, on one side of a wall of clutter trying to get through to us on the other side of the wall. In the cluttered heart, Jesus is obscured behind a wall of our own making. What clutter do we collect in our hearts? Over the next few weeks, I'm going to look at these five: Today, we'll look at the clutter of unfinished business. Next week, we'll look at the clutter of guilt (the 'shoulds' in our lives). Then we'll look at the clutter of painful experiences/memories. Then we'll look at the clutter created by fears. Then we'll look at the cluttering effect of doubts. My goal, come the end of this de-cluttering work together, is that we'll have much more room in our hearts for Jesus - to hear Him and notice Him in our hearts and in our lives. This will not only set us up well for Christmas but for the new year ahead. Unfinished Business So what is 'unfinished business'? It is all the stuff we've got building up in our heads that we feel some emotional or mental attachment to because we've made a commitment to God, ourselves, or someone else to get it done. It's the unfinished emails, the yet to return calls, the gifts we need to remember to buy, etc. etc. I experienced a good bout of unfinished business intrusion yesterday evening - it was date night, but all manner of unfinished or extant tasks were coming, uninvited, to the forefront of my mind! Unfinished business clutters our hearts and our praying because we've got incomplete tasks or commitments that we've not decided what to do with. We end up carrying these in our heads, where they can build up and rattle around - and the more important they are, the more noisy they becomes up there! When we don't finish something and defer deciding on what to do with that something next...a swirling mess of this [below] develops within: How do we de-clutter this mess? We make a decision about each item we've got rolling around in our heads. Two simple steps can help us de-clutter, whenever we need to: Write down all that is rattling around in your head - every unfinished bit of business you can think of. This is the equivalent of getting all the clutter you've stuffed in your room out into one big pile in the middle of the room. Decide what you will do with each bit of unfinished business - will you do it (now), defer it (to later - date and time is helpful), delegate it (to someone else) or dump it (it's not as important as you thought, or it's too late now, or you just don't have time anymore). These 4 D's are straight from David Allen's work. An important note - when it comes to obedience to God, there's only one option (unless God gives us a time-frame otherwise) - do it. How Unfinished Business Clutters our Praying This seems like a whole lot of task-management talk. And in one sense, it is. But unfinished business clutters our praying in two very real ways: it either intrudes into our praying, and we end up getting frustrated because we're distracted from having very much needed space with the Lord; or, it hangs as a tension in the background of our praying, not quite intruding into our praying, but making it's presence felt - like a pile of junk in the corner of your study at home. Getting to Uncluttered I need to get to uncluttered. And I'm sure it's not just me. This week, as you take time to pray and be with Jesus, start with an 'unfinished business" de-clutter. It need only take 10 minutes. 5 minutes to list everything you can think of, and then 5 minutes to make a decision around when you'll do it or where you'll store it until you can next get to it. My hope is this practice will lead to much more clear, focussed and open-hearted praying that really helps you hear Jesus more clearly. At the very least, try it - and if it helps you, share what you did, and how it helped you prayer in the comments section below! #prayer #Christmas #preparation #decluttering

These boys are poised below the basket, waiting either for the ball to drop through the hoop or rebound to one of them! #5 has got a mixture of lazer-focus and excited anticipation on his face. Is that how you come before God in prayer? As we prepare for Christmas this year, I've been doing a series of short encouragements for us to go to prayer in preparation. You may think that the above contrast with prayer is a little bit of a long bow. But it gets you thinking - what is my default posture toward God in prayer? These boys are in the thick of competition. Their minds and their bodies are a mixture of desire, passion, and uncertainty. They undoubtedly have desire to win, passion for the game of basketball, and a level of uncertainty about the game's outcome. We are not competing for God's attention, or with each other in prayer. However, in as much as prayer is about us coming before God with a mixture of desire, passion and uncertainty, I think there are clear parallels here. We all have a desire to know God personally, passion to serve Him in His Kingdom work, and uncertainty about how God will reveal Himself to us and guide us onward. The interesting thing is, how these three mix together in our hearts will strongly influence how we posture before God in our praying. For example, a high level of uncertainty in prayer can lead to a torturous experience of prayer - we are assailed by our doubts and fears and imagine that we are talking to a glass ceiling. Or, a high level of desire to know God personally can lead to hours seeking him, but, if it is not balanced out by passion to serve Him, will produce limited day-to-day impact for His Kingdom. Or, a high level of desire to serve Him in His Kingdom work will produce much activity, but may leave you dry and perhaps even feeling used by God rather than known by Him. How do we balance the mix in our hearts? What is a balanced mix of desire, passion, and uncertainty? The truth of it is, we are dynamic beings, so 'balance' is not necessarily the goal. But maybe we need to raise desire or passion, or decrease uncertainty. How can you and I do that this week in our prayerful preparation for a fresh encounter with Jesus this Christmas period? If you want to increase your desire to know Him - in your time of prayer this week, pray through a passage of scripture that declare how satisfying God is. Great Psalms to this end include Psalm 63, 84, or 139. If you want to increase your passion to serve Him - in your time of prayer this week, pray through passages of scripture that illustrate how we are made to serve Him. Great examples from the scripture include Luke 19:11-26, Mark 8:34-38, or 2 Corinthians 5:11-15. If you want to reduce the level of uncertainty you experience before Him in prayer - practice being open, honest and unrestrained with God regarding your uncertainties - like in Psalm 32 or 73 - or practice praying through assurances of God's responsiveness to prayer like those found in Psalm 65 or Luke 18:1-8. Getting fresh poise before God Desire. Passion. Uncertainty. A good mix of these makes a game of basketball fully engaging. How much more when we feel free and strong to engage God with our desire to know Him, passion for His Kingdom, and yet know we're entering into the mysterious uncertainty of engaging with the living and dynamic God and Father of All Creation. I pray you'd be poised for a richer engagement with God in prayer this week. #prayer #preparation #Christmas