Back to Basics: 1
When I teach at a men’s event, one of the things I say every time, early on, is, “Christian men don’t fall morally, because they just didn’t have a good grip on their end times theology or they were unable to properly exegete the Book of James. They fall, because they forget to do the basics of their faith.” So often, it’s the simple stuff we know, but forget, which can lead to failure.
This week in a series, I think it’s as good a time as any, to remind ourselves, not of what we should know, but what we must do.
If you ask the average busy Christian man, “do you believe in the power of prayer?” the answer would likely be, “Yes. Absolutely!” Then ask, “do you believe laying your cares and burdens before the Lord, plus interceding for those around you, is an important priority.” Again, the answer would be “Certainly.”
Then the next question, “Does the time you spend daily, weekly, in prayer reflect your belief in the discipline you feel so strongly about?”
In case you are already feeling some guilt in your evaluation of your prayer time lately—don’t. Just don’t. This is not about condemnation, but conviction—and a reminder to us all of the most basic discipline of our faith.
I’ve been listening to the New Testament on mp3 lately and, last week, heard Jesus’ parable about the lady and the judge in Luke 18. While, this story confuses me a bit and challenges me a little in my theology, the take-away is God saying, “Knock and ask! A lot! Talk to me. Tell me what you think I need to know about your life.”
If it’s been a while since you’ve prayed or you know you’ve just not been engaged the way you want, be encouraged today to enter back in. Here’s a few thoughts as we remind ourselves of the basic discipline of prayer…
1—Prayer is a conversation between you and your Heavenly Father.
2—Your Father wants to hear your heart.
3—Your Father wants you to be specific about what you need.
Basic, huh? Simple, right? That’s it. If you’ve made your prayer time into anything else, time to get back to the simplicity of the conversation. For a reason higher than we can understand, Scripture is quite clear on God asking for us to tell Him what, in His sovereignty, He already knows about us. And that can only be for one reason—He desires a relationship with us as His sons. A talk and listen, give and take friendship.
Today, this week, could it be time for many of us to humbly hit our knees and reacquaint ourselves with, not only a simple, heart-rendered prayer, but also a renewal of a heart-connected relationship with our Heavenly Dad.
God will always give what is right to his people who cry to him night and day, and he will not be slow to answer them. I tell you, God will help his people quickly. But when the Son of Man comes again, will he find those on earth who believe in him?” —Luke 18:7-8 NCV