why pray? pt.4

4- Many battles will be won or lost in the place of prayer.

Exodus 17:11—“As long as Moses held up his hands [in prayer], the Israelites were winning, but whenever he lowered his hands, the Amalekites were winning.”

The Bible very clearly shows us that some victories are only received as we partner with God in our prayers.

Prayer is still the most resisted activity on the planet....because: History still belongs to the intercessors.

why pray? pt.3

3- Prayer births a fresh sense of expectation to see God move on our behalf.

Psalm 5:3—“In the morning, O Lord, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait in expectation.” The disappointments of life can cause us to live with a “Don’t get your hopes up” mentality, but prayer has the ability to feed our level of expectation.

I believe that in many ways expectation is the womb of the miraculous.

I am asking the Lord to impart to us a fresh sense of expectation as we come to Him with our requests.

why pray? pt.2

2- Jesus’ directly links intercession with salvation.

Hebrews 7:24-25—“But because Jesus lives forever, he has a permanent priesthood. Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them.” Praying for our friends, family members and neighbors who have yet to surrender their lives to Christ’s transforming love is a key focus in our Saturday morning prayer gatherings. (8-9am in the Youthroom). Bring your egc 3 prayer cards...if you don't have one you can pick one up at the Resource Center this Sunday.

why pray? pt.1

There is no doubt that God wants to do more in our lives, families, church, community and world. There are more testimonies of transformed lives to be heard, more disciples to be equipped, more healings to be released, more financial breakthroughs to be realized…there is more.

Living with the absolute conviction that God has more for us to realize as a church causes me to carry a great desire in my heart to see united prayer continually raised up from our community of believers.

Prayer changes things—things that would not normally change on their own—and that is why I believe it to be the single most resisted activity on the planet.

Here are a few reasons* why I feel compelled to see a fresh grace for prayer to permeate every area of our lives and church:

1- Jesus prayed continually while living on this earth. Hebrews 5:7—“During the days of Jesus’ life on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions with loud cries and tears to the one who could save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission.” Even as God’s only Son, Jesus saw the need to offer up prayers to His Father for breakthrough.

*(I'll be continuing to expand on this blog over the next several days.)

The Great Outdoors

Here is my "top ten thankful list"after a trip to the Great Outdoors with my oldest son Judah and a friend of mine who also brought along his four year old boy.

10. Good friends will always let you borrow their camping gear when you are in desperate need.
Thanks Matt and Eric for the hooking us up. My heart (and back) are eternally grateful.

9. Nathan's hot dogs on a stick can hit the spot every time.

8. Within minutes of capture, toads and caterpillars can become beloved pets to a pair of 4yr olds.

7. Those beloved "pets" can keep a pair of dangerously curious 4yr olds occupied long enough for their dads to masterfully assemble proper living quarters....for hours if necessary:)

6. The dirty underwear of a 4 yr old hanging from a tree branch does not greatly damage the ozone layer.

5. The dirty underwear of a 4 yr old hanging from a tree branch does not overpower the smell of a even a somewhat weak campfire.

4. 4 yr olds can not only keep up with grown men on a 3 mile hike through the woods, they can do it without complaining or even pulling a single muscle in the process.

3. Flashlight batteries only have a certain life expectancy. Even energizer's reach a point where they graciously stop going.

2. Wives know how to pack men's bags before letting them out of the house...especially when their children's lives depend on it.

1. I am not getting to heaven based on my camping skills.

The Great Outdoors are Great because we have a Great Heavenly Father who made them for us to enjoy.

Thanks Dad for a memorable day in your back yard with a few of my favorite people!

"Bless Me!!"

A few weeks ago I had just put my youngest son Jesse to bed. As I walked down the hallway to put his older brother to bed, I could hear him begin to scream something. I didn't feel the need to discern the words he was yelling...I just know he needed to be disciplined and put back down to bed. So I turned and walked down the hallway with his cries growing louder and louder as I approached the door.

I opened the door and walked straight over to his crib, fully intending to discipline him, and then lay him back down for bed. As I picked him up I could tell that he had been really crying and not simply throwing a fit. He began to say to me over and over, "Bless me....Bless me...Daddy Bless me!"

Then it dawned on me. In my haste to get him down for bed, knowing that I still needed to put his brother down for bed, I spoke some quick, mindless, prayer over him and laid him down. That wasn't going to cut it. Normally I would intentionally speak the blessings of God over him before bed and this 23 month old little boy could definitely tell the difference and wasn't about to be gypped by my hurried prayer.

Prayer is powerful. Speaking blessing has real life and transformative power. The tongue really does have the power of life and death. (Proverbs 18:21)

Scripture is very clear that there are some blessings that are never released until they are spoken.

How many of us have missed out on blessings because of other's silence?
How many people around us have missed out of blessings because of ours?

Abraham blessed Isaac. Isaac blessed Jacob. Jacob blessed his 12 sons and 2 grandsons before his death. In fact, this is one of the acts of faith that gets Jacob listed in the "Hall of Faith." (Hebrews 11:21)

Who is inwardly crying out for you to bless them this week?