Abundant Life – Page 54 – Write From Karen

Every Sunday I provide videos and valuable links to the Truth or Tradition teachings. We’ve been following the Truth or Tradition teachings for many years now and they have truly blessed our family. We have found peace and happiness through our beliefs and we walk confidently for God. My hope, by passing on this information to you, is that what you find here, or on the Truth or Tradition website, will guide you to a better, more blessed and abundant life.

If you would like to read my views on religion and how we got started with the ministry, you can read this.

Let’s get started:

If Jesus Christ walked up to you and asked, “What do you want me to do for you?” What would you say? This question, as well as others, came into my mind as I was reading Matthew.

Matthew 20:29-34
(29) As Jesus and his disciples were leaving Jericho, a large crowd followed him.
(30) Two blind men were sitting by the roadside, and when they heard that Jesus was going by, they shouted, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!”
(31) The crowd rebuked them and told them to be quiet, but they shouted all the louder, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!”
(32) Jesus stopped and called them. “What do you want me to do for you?” he asked.
(33) “Lord,” they answered, “We want our sight.”
(34) Jesus had compassion on them and touched their eyes. Immediately they received their sight and followed him.”

My first questions were: What was up with that crowd? Why would they tell the blind men to shut up? They obviously had their reasons, but were they good reasons? My question to you is: What reasoning tells you to be quiet, to not ask for help?

Maybe you don’t feel you deserve the help, or perhaps you think you can handle the problem on your own. Perhaps it’s the crowd saying the erroneous belief that: “It’s the sovereignty of God, and He has a reason for you being sick, out of work, lonely…” Or possibly you don’t think you can ask for help because you caused your problem. You’ve made mistakes in parenting or perhaps your health is failing because you’ve never eaten properly. I think there are a slew of reasons for not asking; in fact, I’m sure one of the Devil’s major objectives is to keep us from asking.

Instead of listening to the crowd and shutting up, these two men yelled louder! Sometimes we all need to be bolder, firmer and yes, louder against the voices in our heads of condemnation, pride, or public opinion. We need to simply ask with confidence that our Lord hears and cares.

In Matthews 7:7a, Jesus tells us to “Ask and it will be given to you….” Jesus compared our heavenly Father with an earthly father and goes on to say:

Matthew 7:11
“If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!”

My next question was: What’s good? James 4:3 says, “When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with the wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.” “Wrong motives,” that’s not good. James 1:5 says: “If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him.” “Wisdom,” now that’s good! James 5:15 gives us two more “good” things to ask for, healing and forgiveness. A “prayer offered in faith will make a sick person well…If he has sinned, he will be forgiven.”

Hebrews 4:16 tells us to “…approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.” It’s not always about our tough circumstances disappearing, but it’s about having divine intervention: strength, patience, peace, and love, to get through them. In 2 Corinthians 12:9, Jesus told Paul “…My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness….” When we have a need that we by our power can’t control, and we ask for help, that’s when we get to see the power of Christ at work in us. To see our circumstances transformed by the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ is a good thing!

As I continued reading in Matthew 7:11 about how our “…Father in heaven give[s] good gifts to those who ask him!” I came across the next verse, which disturbed me. “So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you….” Wait a minute—where do “others” fit in? I thought we were talking about me. In John 15:16 and 17, the same scenario takes place: “…I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit—fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name. This is my command: Love each other.”

I realized that what our Lord Jesus Christ and our Father in heaven want is for us to bear good fruit. When we’re walking in the strength of our Lord, we can be his resource in taking care of others’ needs. In other words, we could be his answer to their prayers. That’s good fruit! Our giving can help others, our words can encourage others, our light can dispel darkness and help people see and know Christ. In John 15:11 and 12 Jesus explains: “I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete…Love each other as I have loved you.”

Yes, Jesus cares about our personal needs, but he knows that when we are about loving others we then can experience his joy. I’ve noticed also that when I’m caring for others, I’m not stewing about my problems, which, by the way, doesn’t help matters. I think we all know people who only think about themselves. They focus on their needs and their feelings, and most of the time they are miserable.

I recently was at a memorial service in which the pastor opened up with a humorous quip. “Live your life so that your pastor doesn’t have to lie at your funeral service.” Then he proceeded to share about two kinds of people, givers and takers. The man who passed away was a simple, quiet man who was a giver, and everybody in the room, hundreds of people, had been affected by his encouraging words, caring nature, and generosity.

I realized that to be a giver, a lover of others, you didn’t need to have a special personality, a lot of talent or a lot of money. You just need to care and to decide to give, to decide to listen and decide to ask our Lord for help in caring for others.

So back to where we started: two men answering the simple question that Jesus asked. “What do you want me to do for you?” Their answer: We want our need to be met. “We want our sight.” Jesus touched their eyes and immediately they received their sight, but the best part comes next. “They followed him.” The best part, the most fruitful part of our lives will come when we follow Jesus. Yes, many of our prayers will be, “Help me, Lord.” We need his help so that we can follow in his footsteps and be his source of help for others, bearing fruit that lasts.

So my final question is:

What would you like God & Jesus to do for you?

Go ahead, ask!

Read the original article here.

If you have any questions, or would like to learn more about God’s wonderful message, please visit the Truth or Tradition website. You can also keep track of the ministry through their Facebook page, their YouTube Channel, or follow them on Twitter.

Thanks for reading.

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More from Write From Karen

Abundant Life, Reflections

Reflections: Power of Prayer

November 29, 2009November 28, 2009 Karen

From time to time, I’ll be recording thoughts and events from my childhood. These memories are prompted from the Reflections from a Mother’s Heart – Your Life Story in Your Own Words. I plan on filling this book out one of these days to pass onto my children. I’m sure I’m not the only one who finds the lives of our parents fascinating. It’s weird to think of my parents as children and it’s really fun to hear stories about their past, how they met, etc. If my children read about my past, perhaps they will understand me just a little better.

___________________________________

What kind of prayer did you say before you went to sleep? Who taught you how to pray it?

“Now I lay me down to sleep. I pray the Lord will keep me safe. If I die before I wake, I pray the Lord my soul to take.”

That was the prayer I used every night for years before I went to bed. For a while, I did kneel at the side of my bed, but I don’t remember doing that very long though I’m sure I did up until I was in about the third or fourth grade.

Mom taught me how to pray. First that prayer and then later, when I felt I was too old for such a kiddie prayer, to “talk” to God. There wasn’t a formula; I just remember her talking about God as if he was an old friend and how she trusted him. From that point on, I “talked” to God and didn’t really have a set prayer or pattern in how I prayed. I don’t have a set prayer today but there is a certain pattern that I follow. I pray for Kevin and his job situation, I pray for the kids and whatever is going on in their lives. I pray for our country and for strength to maintain our Christian faith, I pray for my extended family and finally for myself. I always end my prayers with “In Jesus Christ’s name, Amen.”

It wasn’t until some years later that I learned the power of prayer. I’ve always been suspicious of “religion” and never felt comfortable with any teaching methods. All I knew was that I was a Christian, I believed in God and his son, and in the Bible. I distrusted preachers and their motives.

When my husband came along, he taught me A LOT about the Bible. He introduced me to classes that he had taken that really opened my eyes and taught me how to read, interpret, and understand the Bible. We took classes together and I knew it was right because it FELT right. It all sounded so logical and I finally UNDERSTOOD how all of the information fit together. I finally understood why people believed what they did, though I still feel impatient with people who are willing to accept someone’s word that something is “right” without taking the time to check it out for themselves. The Bible is a giant jigsaw puzzle; it takes time to put together and all of the pieces are not readily available (it’s sometimes necessary to understand the language that was used in those days and how it’s interpreted in today’s language as well as the culture of that time period) but it all fits together – there are NO contradictions. And contrary to popular belief, the Bible was MEANT for us to understand – it’s not a mystery, but a secret. Mysteries imply that they will never be solved. Secrets will be revealed, when the time is right.

I speak in tongues. In essence, speaking in tongues is a private language between you and God — you are not meant to understand it, others will likely not understand it (though there were times when the disciplines in the Bible spoke in tongues and others understood them), but God will. He will understand.

I speak in tongues privately. I have not, nor will likely ever, speak in tongues in front of people unless I am willing to interpret for others to hear. Speaking in tongues is a chance to empty my soul and heart to God and I feel incredibly peaceful after my “conversation.”

God wishes Christians to speak in tongues — it’s part of prayer and it edifies and blesses a Christian believer.

Prayer is a crucial part of our Christian walk.

Abundant Life

Teaching: Why Prayer Matters

November 29, 2009November 28, 2009 Karen

If you would like to read my views on religion and how we got started with the ministry, you can read this.

Let’s get started:

How the Devil Derailed Prayer

For many Christians, prayer is not as important as it should be. Many Christians only pray before meals, before bed (when they are children), or in emergency situations. The concept of “pray without ceasing” (1 Thess. 5:17 – ESV) [1] is not a part of the lives of most Christians. How did the average Christian lifestyle drift so far from what the Bible says to do? The short answer is that most Christians are taught that everything that happens is God’s will, or “God is in control,” and that even Satan (if the Christian believes in Satan), has to ask God’s permission before he can act.

We all hate meaningless work, and that includes meaningless prayer. Good, solid, powerful, focused prayer takes a lot of work, a lot of time and mental energy. No one wants to make that effort if his or her prayer does not really make a difference. Unfortunately, that is what the teaching that “God is in control” does; it teaches that our prayers really do not make much, if any difference.

If everything that happens is God’s will, then God’s will gets done whether or not anyone prays. If prayer does not change anything, then what purpose does it serve? We have been told it demonstrates a person’s humility and obedience to God’s command to pray. Also, it has been used as a punishment for sinning (such as in the Roman Catholic Church when prayers are assigned as a penance for sin). Also, it has been said to be therapeutic because confession and prayer are “good for the soul.” It has also been taught that we pray to help align our own thinking with what God is doing, and to humbly accept the will of God.

It was Augustine of Hippo (354 – 430 A.D.) who discussed and defended the doctrine of “predestination” with such vigor it became an intrinsic part of Church doctrine. The doctrine of predestination played a large part in devaluing the importance of prayer in the everyday life of Christians. It has even been considered heresy that prayer could be effective for salvation. This is why even today there are no “altar calls” for salvation in the Roman Catholic Church, the Presbyterian Church, or other denominations that believe a person cannot choose to be saved because God made that choice for him ages ago. [2]

Augustine did teach that prayer was valuable and acknowledged that it was a person asking God for His favor. However, his words do not create much motivation to pray. To Augustine, and to the millions of people who follow his teachings, prayer was just asking for things that God already knew He was going to do. According to that theology, prayer does not change anything in heaven or on earth.

The doctrine that “everything that happens is God’s will” is held by many thousands of sincere, God-loving Christians. It has been around for more than 1500 years as a foundational doctrine of many Christian denominations, but it produces bad fruit. For example, the exemplary Christian, Watchman Nee, writes: “Prayer does not alter that which God has determined. It never changes anything; it merely achieves what He has already foreordained.” [3] Not surprisingly, Nee, who acknowledges that prayer does seem to change things, in timing if not in essence, also wrote: “God’s people must pray before God Himself will rise up and work.” [4]

Nee’s two statements are contradictory. If people must pray to get God to work, then prayer does change things. On the other hand, if prayer changes nothing, then God’s going to work when His people pray is just coincidence. Watchman Nee is a wonderful and influential Christian. Imagine how much more helpful his teaching about prayer could be, if instead of being forced by his theology to say that prayer never changes anything, he could aggressively proclaim that prayer changes things dramatically, because it does!

The Bible says that prayer makes a difference; it changes things. Scripture never teaches that prayer is just a ritual, or just affects the one who does the praying. It is true that there is no verse that says, “Prayer changes things.” Nevertheless, this is the clear teaching of Scripture. We are supposed to learn from the examples in the Bible as well as its statements of fact. The many examples of people who prayed and received answers clearly teaches us that prayer makes a huge difference in what happens on earth. Furthermore, Jesus said, “Ask and it will be given to you…” (Matt. 7:7a), and “If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer” (Matt. 21:22). If we have to ask for something before it can be done, then we play a significant role in getting God’s work done on earth.

God is not in control of what happens on Earth

We assert that God is not “in control” of what happens on planet Earth. Many things that occur are not His will. He wants all people to be saved, but most will not. He wants people to live godly lives, but most will not. God does not want the crime, corruption, and disasters that occur around us to happen, yet they do. Why? Because God is not “in control.” Jesus knew that God’s will often did not happen here on earth, so in “The Lord’s Prayer,” he prayed to his Father and said, “…your will be done on earth as it is in heaven” (Matt. 6:10b). That would be an absurd request if Jesus knew God’s will was in fact always being done on earth.

God is not “in control” of everything that happens on earth now, but that does not mean that He is not involved, or will not take control in the future. Jesus Christ will come down from heaven with the armies of heaven, fight the Battle of Armageddon, and conquer the earth (Rev. 19:11-21). When Jesus Christ rules the earth in the future, the will of God will be done on earth, and the things that make life so difficult now will not occur. If God was in control of things on earth both now and in the future, then why would we expect our next life would be any better than this one?

Understanding the spiritual situation that exists today helps us to understand the value of prayer and why God says over and over again that we should pray. There is a state of war that exists in the universe today, with God, Jesus Christ, good angels, and Christians on one side, and the Devil, demons, and evil people on the other. [5] The evil that occurs on the face of the earth today is not just “good” that somehow looks like evil. Some theologians try to convince us that when someone is murdered, raped, or killed, it is the will of God and therefore, somehow ultimately good, no matter how “evil” it seems to us. Yet, Jesus taught us that a kingdom divided against itself cannot stand (Mark 3:24). If God is the cause of sickness and death, then when Jesus healed the sick, cast out demons, and raised the dead, he was undoing God’s work, and God’s kingdom would fall apart.

A World at War

God originally created the world under His control. Then, in an act of amazing love and trust, God gave the rulership of the earth to mankind (Gen. 1:28). For a short time Adam and Eve ruled the earth according to God’s will, and it was a blessed place. When the Devil deceived Eve (1 Tim. 2:14), and Adam and Eve sinned, somehow (the Bible does not make clear exactly how) the rulership of the world was transferred to the Devil. That is why the Devil is called, “…the god of this world…” (2 Cor. 4:4 – KJV), “…the prince [archon = ruler] of this world…” (John 12:31), and “…the ruler of the kingdom of the air…” (Eph. 2:2). The Devil rules the world, so he was able to offer it to Jesus (Luke 4:5-7). It is also why 1 John 5:19 says the Devil controls the world: “We know that we are children of God, and that the whole world is under the control of the evil one.” [6] The world has taken on the characteristics of the Devil, becoming a very dark and difficult place to live.

The earth is now a war zone between the forces of good and evil, and each side wins some battles. Every time a person gets healed or saved, it is a victory for God. Every time a person gets harmed or killed, or what is worse, dies unsaved, it is a victory for the Devil. God is trying to help and bless people who live on the earth. However, He is righteous and just, and will not simply step in and take control of what He had entrusted to others. Our prayers open a door for God to work in our lives.

The Bible is full of the imagery of war. God Himself is called “the Lord of hosts” many times, and the word “hosts” means “armies.” [7] But if everything that happens is God’s will, why does God need an army? Who is He fighting? The simple truth is that God needs an army because the world is at war. Theologically, the book of Job has been used to trump the huge number of verses that show God fighting the Devil. Theologians use the first two chapters of Job to teach that, although the Devil is the agent doing the evil, he must have God’s permission to act. However, if that is correct, then all God would have to do to stop evil would be to say, “No!” to the Devil. Furthermore, the “God controls the Devil” theology does not answer all the clear verses about God at war. [8] For example, Acts 10:38 (ESV) says Jesus healed those who were “oppressed by the devil.” But if God had to give permission for people to be oppressed, it would have been easier for God to stop granting permission to the Devil, than for Jesus and his disciples to expend so much effort to get people healed.

Scripture says, “The Lord is a man of war…” (Exod. 15:3 – ESV) because there is a war, a real, genuine, “win some and lose some” war, going on between God and the Devil. God does not win every battle. [9] Many verses depict God at war for His people. Psalm 18 is a Psalm that has comforted many people through the years. It tells of a person who was in distress and called out to God for help. God “heard my voice” (v. 6) and responded. First, He got angry (v. 7); so very angry that “Smoke rose from his nostrils…” (v. 8). Then God “…parted the heavens and came down…” (v. 9), and “…shot his arrows and scattered the enemies…” (v. 14) and “…rescued me from my powerful enemy…” (v. 17).

Praise God that we have a God who will fight for us, but if what is happening on earth is God’s will, Psalm 18, and many others like it, make no sense. If everything on earth was God’s will, the poor man in Psalm 18 would cry out to God about his suffering, and we can imagine God calling back and saying, “I know what is going on. Quit complaining. What you are going through is my will and for your own good.” Psalm 18 only makes sense if what was happening on earth was not God’s will, if the “enemies” were real, and if God was able to intervene when the person prayed to Him for help.

Psalm 18 gives us a glimpse of the importance of prayer. The world is controlled by the Devil, but God is able to act when we ask Him. The whole process of deliverance in Psalm 18 started when the person called out to God for help. The word “pray” means, “ask,” and if we want God’s consistent help in our lives we have to ask Him for it. We ask (pray), for His help.

The well-known Christian, Brother Andrew, author of the best-selling book, God’s Smuggler, saw prayer change things so dramatically that he wrote the book, And God Changed His Mind. [10] Brother Andrew’s book is a step forward from the idea that God’s will is eternally fixed and always done and that, therefore prayer does not really change anything. He asserts that, in the end, God’s will is always done, but he teaches that our prayers can get God to change His mind:

“…God’s plans for us are not chiseled in concrete. Only His character and nature are unchanging; His decisions are not!…when we see things happening in the world that appear to be ‘acts of God,’ and we disagree with what God seems to be doing (or allowing), we can ask Him to change His mind.”

Thank God for Brother Andrew’s book, but it leaves us with some very important questions: “Why should we have to ask God to change His mind? Why would He do harm in the first place?” If someone has cancer, and we pray for the person’s healing and God “changes His mind,” and heals the person, we are left wondering why a good and righteous God would give the person cancer in the first place.

The only satisfying and Scriptural answer to why there is evil, and why prayer actually works and is vital to Christian life, is that the world is at war. Our prayers give God permission to work in a world that is now controlled by the Devil. How can we give God permission to act on earth? When we become saved, we legally become God’s property, paid for by the death of Christ (1 Cor. 6:19 and 20, 7:23). God can act on behalf of His property, and when we pray, we sanction His intervention. [11]

We may never understand why some prayers seem to work and others do not. However, the answer is not that God does not care about us, or that somehow He is doing what seems evil to us but is actually good. God only gives us a tiny glimpse of the spiritual realm and the spiritual battle, but if we take what we see at face value, we see that often prayer is speaking into existence the legal permission for God to act in our lives.

Thanks for reading.

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More from Write From Karen

Abundant Life

Adjust Your Expectations – Be Thankful

November 26, 2009November 21, 2009 Karen

Abundant Life

What Exactly IS Truth or Tradition, Anyway?

November 22, 2009November 21, 2009 Karen

If you would like to read my views on religion and how we got started with the ministry, you can read this.

But what exactly IS Truth or Tradition?

Well, let me tell ya:

Christianity doesn’t have to be confusing. Knowing God doesn’t require a theological degree. Living a full, abundant and peaceful life IS possible.

There are only TWO rules to follow:

1. KNOW GOD
2. OBEY GOD

It takes discipline. It takes perseverance. It takes humility. But the rewards FAR outweigh the work required to reach that level of conviction and happiness.

Are you ready for peace? Are you prepared to live in paradise forever? Are you willing to take control of your life and mind and obey God’s simple rules?

Then I urge you to consider looking into the Truth or Tradition ministry. They will help you make sense of religion. They will prove common Christianity beliefs are erroneous. (Like Christians don’t go to heaven when they die, they “fall asleep” and await the return of Christ who will gather up his soldiers, defeat evil and transform our world, our EARTH, into paradise – to take one of MANY common misbeliefs).

It’s time to sift through the devil’s lies and get back to the truth – God’s Word.

If you would like to take the ministry with you wherever you go, watch this tutorial on how to subscribe to their podcasts.

It’s time to get your life back on the Christian path. God will reward you and you will live a happier, and more productive life.

God bless you.

Abundant Life

Teaching: What is the Point of Prayer?

November 22, 2009November 21, 2009 Karen

If you would like to read my views on religion and how we got started with the ministry, you can read this.

Let’s get started:

You can read the original article here.

FAQ: If, as the Bible says, God knows what we need, what is the point of prayer, and why should we spend valuable time praying to Him for something?

I’m not sure—let me pray about it. Just kidding. The easy answer to the question is: because God tells us to (e.g., “Pray continually”). But that begs the question of why He tells us to pray, so let’s delve into that a bit. And “a bit” is all we can do here, at least compared to how many verses of Scripture there are about prayer. For more elaboration on this critical subject, I recommend our audio teaching, Let Us Pray. I also recommend a book by Brother Andrew titled, And God Changed His Mind, as well as The God Who Risks, by John Sanders. Among many books on the subject of prayer, the work of E.M. Bounds is very good.

Although prayer can be most simply defined as “talking to or with God,” there are in the Bible various kinds of communication and conversation with the Almighty. Thinking of a Father/child relationship helps us determine what categories such communication would fall into. Why and how would a child talk to his father?

Petitionary prayer is perhaps what most people think of first, that is, asking God for something for ourselves or for someone else. God often encourages us to come to Him for whatever we need, be it big or small (e.g., Phil. 4:6). 1 John 5:14 guides us to pray for things that are in accordance with His will, and His Word is where we find His will. Far too many Christians needlessly preface their prayers with “If it be your will…” when more understanding of Scripture would reveal to them whether or not this is the case.

Praise, worship, thanksgiving, and exaltation of God are other forms of verbalizing to Him what is in our heart (see just about any Psalm). He loves it when we tell Him how wonderful we think He is. Why, because His ego needs to be stroked? Heavens, no! Everything God asks us to do is for our benefit, first and foremost. When we praise God and magnify His goodness, it solidifies for us how much He loves us and wants the best for us, and our faith in Him is strengthened.

What about just talking things over with God or the Lord Jesus? That’s cool.

Asking for guidance and/or direction—there’s another form of prayer. See James 1:5ff for more details.

How about griping? I’d say there is plenty of that kind of upward communication in the Psalms. David was always ready to pour out his heart to God, be it good, bad, or ugly.

How does God say we should pray? According to Luke 18:1ff, we should pray insistently, vigorously and persistently. Luke 18:9ff shows that we should pray with humility. 1 John 5:14 says that we should pray for things that are in line with God’s will. Philippians 4:6 says that we should pray with thankful anticipation of our prayers being answered. 1 Thessalonians 5:17 says that we should pray continually—in other words, God really wants us to stay in touch with Him!

OK, but why does God tell us that we should pray as much as possible? The basic reason is because of how He originally chose to relate to mankind. That is, (a) once upon a time (b) when He was all alone (c) in the beginning (d) all of the above, God sovereignly decided to enter into a personal, working relationship with mankind. Scripture calls us “God’s fellow workers (1 Cor. 3:9),” and shows that, generally, God needs our prayer in order to get involved in the affairs of men and bring to pass His will. According to the Bible, life is not a big puppet show with God pulling all the strings.

Think about it—if God had carte blanche to intervene in the world and right every wrong, He would constantly be doing so, because by His very nature (“God is love”) He is bound to do all He can to help people. But God gave Adam the legal dominion over Creation, and Adam “delivered” it to the Devil (Luke 4:6), and because God cannot act unrighteously, even toward Satan, He cannot intervene unless He is given the legal right to do so.

And who is it that gives God that right? A born-again son or daughter of His who, by virtue of his or her faith in the Lord Jesus Christ as the Savior, has been given authority to invoke “the name of Jesus Christ” and thereby access the same power that created the heavens and the earth and raised Jesus from the dead. That’s who. Is that who you?

Have you ever watched “Bigtime Wrestling,” and seen a tag team match? It is akin to how prayer works. Let’s say that you are one of your two-man team who is inside the ropes wrestling one of the other team partners. He gets you in a hold that will pin you unless you can somehow stretch out and touch your tag team partner.

But why do you have to touch him? Why doesn’t your partner just jump in and clobber the guy? He can’t, because the rule is that he cannot intervene unless you “tag” him. Unfortunately for you, however, your teammate has his back to the ring, oblivious to your predicament, signing autographs! Not if he is a good partner, he doesn’t. What is his posture? He is leaning over the ropes as far as he can toward you, extending his hand for you to touch him.

When it comes to the spiritual war in which we live, God and the Lord Jesus are never out of reach, and if you stretch out in prayer and “touch” them, they will always provide something beneficial for you, even if it is “only” comfort and strength in time of suffering.

I forget who it was that said, “Prayer is not forcing God’s reluctance; it is taking hold of God’s willingness,” but I love that statement. When we pray, we are connecting with the Creator. Prayer focuses our hearts on God and reminds us of our absolute dependence upon our heavenly Father. Perhaps that is why Philippians 4:7 says that when we pray with thankful anticipation, “the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard our hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”

When we know God’s will from His Word, we can pray with greater faith, knowing that we are aligned with His purposes. The traditional “praying hands” are not like they are in a tug-of-war with God. In fact, even the palms-together posture seems insufficient to me. I think “praying hands” are palms up, expectantly ready to receive our Father’s blessings.

Despite the popular ideas among many Christians that “God is in control” and that “everything that happens is God’s will,” Scripture says otherwise. Jesus himself debunked the latter of those two myths in “the Lord’s Prayer” when he instructed his followers to pray, “Thy will be done on earth….” If everything that happens is the will of God, why pray that?

Yes, thanks to the finished work of Jesus Christ, God’s ultimate goal of a family living forever in Paradise will come to pass, but who will be there and what rewards they will receive is determined by the individual, free-will choices that people make moment by moment during their lives. Remember, God is not the Big Puppeteer in the sky. How do I know for sure that God is not in control of my life? Because if He were, it would be a lot better!

If the future were already fixed, prayer would be superfluous. But God chose to enter into genuine personal relationship with mankind, and thus our prayers make a difference to Him. The prayers of Moses (Exod. 8 and 32) and Hezekiah (2 Kings 20) are two Old Testament examples of God responding to people and changing what He saw was going to come to pass. Prayer changes things (actually, prayer allows God to change things)—history would not be the same had people not prayed. God has invited His people to participate with Him in shaping the future.

Some quotes from The God Who Risks, by John Sanders (pp. 272 and 273), are most pertinent here:

“God wants us to be His partners not because He needs our wisdom, but because He wants our fellowship…Our requests are important because God is interested in us. God loves us and takes our concerns to heart just because they are our concerns. This is the nature of a personal, loving relationship. The relationship is not one of domination or manipulation but of participation and cooperation wherein we become co-laborers with God (1 Cor. 3:9)…It is so only because God wanted a reciprocal relationship of love and elected to make dialogical prayer an important element in such a relationship.”

“God has open routes into the future, and He desires that we participate with Him in determining which ones to take. This should not be construed, however, to mean that we get whatever we want. We may prevail with God because God genuinely takes our desires into account. Yet God may also prevail with us, getting us to change our minds and pursue a course of action that we did not initially think best. In this regard, prayer provides a dialogical resource for God to work in this world. When we turn to God in prayer, we open a window of opportunity for the Spirit’s work in our lives, creating new possibilities for God to carry out His project. Dialogical prayer affects both parties and changes the situation, making it different from what it was prior to the prayer…Our asking in faith may make it possible for God to do something that He could not have done without our asking.”

I don’t know about you, but knowing that my heavenly Father longs to have me share my heart with Him, and that my prayers make a difference in the course of history, motivates me to pray. And I need to remind myself of this—often.

Should we pray? Yes! Why should we pray? Because God needs our prayers to help Him bring to pass His will. How should we pray? Passionately! When should we pray? Any time! Where should we pray? Anywhere!

Let us pray.

Thanks for reading.

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More from Write From Karen

Abundant Life

Teaching: The Benefits of Thanks-Living

November 15, 2009November 7, 2009 Karen

If you would like to read my views on religion and how we got started with the ministry, you can read this.

Let’s get started:

Each November here in the USA, we celebrate a very godly holiday—Thanksgiving. The goal of this article is to motivate you to make every day of the year one of “thanks-living.” Thankfulness is a refrain that is often heard in Christian circles. In fact, the theme of thankfulness is something that should be central to our daily Christian practice. [1] I can recall many teachings I’ve heard through the years about all the various things we should be thankful for. There is no doubt that God is deserving of great praise and thanksgiving for all He has done. I marvel at the creatures mentioned in the book of Revelation whose primary purpose appears to be to praise God day and night. [2] Now that is some serious thanksgiving. Yet, in spite of this, I have wondered at times why God tells us to give Him thanks. I know He deserves it, and I want to do it, but it seemed a little self-centered that He commands us to give Him thanks. I remember being told as a child that I should not give something or do something for others if my motivation is to be thanked. Knowing that God always has our best interests at heart, I reasoned that there must be a deeper meaning to the giving of thanks. Then one day I learned the answer in a very powerful way.

My dog Adam had been my companion and friend for 14 years, and had seen me through many ups and downs. During this tumultuous time of my life I went through many legal problems and much financial difficulty. Adam was always a great comfort to me, listening to many of my conversations, never demanding much from me, and always lavishing great affection my way. He was always well behaved and never one to stray more than a few feet from my side, so much so that some even referred to him as my shadow. I watched my dear friend grow older and weaker as time wore on. His eyes began to dim, his hearing lessened, and his hindquarters weakened. Long gone were the days of fetch and play. I did all I could to comfort my dog, knowing the day would soon come when I would have to say good-bye for good. If you are not a dog lover or an animal person, maybe you can relate to my story if you have lost someone near and dear to you.

Well, the day came when my wife, Lori, and I headed to the veterinarian’s to put Adam to sleep. I held my dog in my arms, tears rolling down my face, as I told him how much he had meant to me. I sobbed as he closed his eyes for the last time. Both Lori and the veterinarian respected my request to be left alone with my friend. In the solitude of the exam room, deep in my grief I cried out, “God I need your comfort.” I held on to the promise of God’s Word that He is “…the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles…” (2 Cor. 1:3b-4a). I called to Him out loud, and then spoke what I believe was an inspired thought: “God, thank you for giving me such a good dog.” I instantly felt a deep joy well up inside me. I knew God had heard and answered me. It was in the giving of thanks that I felt His comfort. I left the veterinarian’s that day still very sad, yet having great joy and comfort in my sorrow.

Afterward, I continued to reflect on the great spiritual joy I experienced that day. It was apparent to me that there was a lot more to thankfulness than I had ever seen before. Maybe God was telling us to be thankful not just because He deserves it but because of what it does for us. I noticed that there was a direct connection between joy and thankfulness in many sections of Scripture. [3] In 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, God says, “Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances….” Many times I had read this passage of Scripture and wondered, “How can I always be joyful when there are times in life that do not lend themselves to joy?” Then I saw the key. I do not have to be thankful for every situation, but in every situation I can always find something to be thankful for and that is what produces joy. It is a matter of perspective, and I always have the ability of changing my perspective. That is exactly what God did for me the day my dog Adam died. I was focused on my loss, and that is what was producing my deep grief. God helped me change my perspective when He inspired me to think of what a wonderful pet Adam had been. When I thanked Him for giving me such a wonderful friend, my sadness changed to joy. [For further study, please read our article “To Grieve or Not to Grieve?“]

I believe thankfulness is a powerful antidote for many of the emotional and physical problems we see in our society. Thankfulness is a mindset we can choose, and one that we experience emotionally throughout our entire body. One’s state of mind and his physical condition are inextricably linked, and how you feel emotionally affects how you feel physically.

The medical community has scientifically documented the mind-body connection in regard to many diseases. [4] I read that “fear has been shown to trigger more than fourteen hundred known physical and chemical stress reactions, and activates more than thirty different hormones and neurotransmitters.” [5] Uninterrupted long-term stress has been linked to problems in the heart and vascular systems such as hypertension (high blood pressure), palpitations, and arrhythmias. Most recognize the emotional connection to ulcers, gastritis, heartburn, indigestion, and bowel irregularities. The list continues, including skin disorders (psoriasis, eczema, hives, and acne), pain, inflammation, suppressed immune systems, etc. [6]

The “psycho-somatic” connection should not surprise us. As God tells us in Proverbs 14:30, “A heart at peace gives life to the body, but envy rots the bones.” This passage no longer seems an abstract word of wisdom, but a saying of great impact. Consider also Proverbs 15:13, “A happy heart makes the face cheerful, but heartache crushes the spirit,” and Proverbs 17:22, “A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries the bones.” The importance of God’s references to the bones is that bones contain the red and white marrow from which come the blood’s red and white cells. Red blood cells carry life-sustaining oxygen to the entire body and white blood cells are a primary defense in our immune system. God clearly directs us to the mind-body connection, establishing for us the deadly consequences of negative emotions in our hearts.

Our heavenly Father never intended for us to live in a state of unchecked stress, unresolved anger, bitterness, or unforgiveness. When we couple stress and negative emotions with poor nutrition and unhealthy environmental conditions, we have a recipe for sickness and disease. Stress, anxiety, anger, shame, guilt, bitterness, resentment, unforgiveness, and condemnation are killing us. “In the United States we consume five billion tranquilizers, five billion barbiturates, three billion amphetamines, and sixteen tons of aspirin every year.” [7] We are kidding ourselves to think that we can keep stuffing emotions year after year without paying a serious price. The medical evidence says that the price we pay is our physical and emotional well-being. One dermatologist stated that for many people, “eczema and psoriasis is the body weeping through the skin.” [8]