Praying the Scriptures – prayer changes everything

This is the first of three lessons dealing with prayer. Hope you will read, practice, and be blessed!

John chapters 15 and 16 had much to say about how Jesus view our relationship with him and especially the authority we are permitted to exercise through prayer. Then John 17 details Jesus’ own prayer for us, his church. All through the gospels we see Jesus getting up early and slipping off to pray — one such example is Mark 1:35.

What is prayer? There are many definitions but I decided to ask myself what am I doing when I pray? Take a moment and think about that …

What are some of my challenges?

a.      Mind wanders

b.      Having to be careful I’m not just presenting a shopping list

c.       Entering in to the place of his presence

d.      Time – time no presence, no time and glory falls — why is that?

e.       Internal issues - emotional

Back to top: dealing with the issues by bringing every thought into prayer as they pop-up

Prayer changes things because God answers and intervenes by changing us or the situation. 

How then do we pray?

1.      Praying in the Spirit

Ephesians 6:18

1 Corinthians 14:15

Romans 8:26

2.      Perseverance in prayer

Luke 18:1

1 Thessalonians 5:17

Psalms 55:17

3.      Supplication for the saints

James 5:16

1 Timothy 2:8

The Persecuted church — Psalm 3

4.      Prayer for utterance and boldness for those who minister the Word

Ephesians 6:19

Colossians 4:3-4

Keep the Change

Did you know your body works against you as soon as you begin to lose significant weight? So if you lost say ten pounds and you get the feeling of being always hungry, you are not imagining it.
How do you keep the change when you are challenged with having to  look at those food commercials and think about what has been removed from your new lifestyle eating plan?
I'm not a dietician but this works for me.
1. No one can live on a diet. Life gets pretty tedious counting every drop of everything to be ingested.
2. Moderation is sustainable and can be just as healthy. Have the smallest serving possible of what you crave, and move on. It's dangerous to say, "I messed up so it doesn't matter." Doing the right thing,  eating healthy always matters.
3. Variety is your friend. Pretty soon even more fresh seasonal fruits and vegetables will be available. Try some new ones or old standbys in new combinations.
 4. Remember this is for the long haul.
Keep the change you have made by doing all the same things that got you to this point.
Your health will thank you.

Weight Watching:Spiritually and Physically (Used with Permission)

Overweight Physically and Underweight Spiritually

My journey to healthy eating didn’t gain traction by counting calories or obeying rules of the food pyramid. The process began in earnest when I admitted that, yes, I was overweight physically. But, more importantly, I was underweight spiritually. I was spiritually malnourished. Tying these two issues together is what opened my eyes to see God in a whole new way.

I’m reminded of the story in the Bible where a rich young man comes to see Jesus. The young man explains that he is following all the religious rules, but still feels something is missing from his pursuit of God. He asks, “What do I still lack?” Jesus answers, “If you want to be perfect [whole], go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me” (Matthew 19:20 – 21 NIV).

The rich young man then goes away sad because he won’t give up the one thing that consumes him. He is so full with his riches he can’t see how undernourished his soul is. It’s at this point in the biblical story that most of us start to look at all the rich people we know and think, “Well, I sure hope they get this message. Good thing I’m not rich. Good thing Jesus doesn’t ask me to sacrifice in this way.” Or does He?

Jesus meant His comment for any of us who wallow in whatever abundance we have. I imagine Jesus looked straight into this young man’s soul and said, “I want you to give up the one thing that you crave more than Me.”

For me, I was like the rich young man when it came to eating. I refused healthier breakfast options, such as egg whites and fruit, while filling myself with candy-sprinkled doughnuts. I choose soda instead of water, chips instead of carrot sticks. Even when my sugar high crashed and I complained of splitting headaches, sluggishness, and unwanted extra weight, I steadfastly refused to even consider giving up my daily brownie.

God made us capable of craving so that we’d have an unquenchable desire for more of Him, and Him alone. Nothing changes until we make the choice to redirect our misguided cravings to the only One capable of satisfying them.

Paul wrote to Christians, “I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better” (Ephesians 1:17 NIV).

I don’t know about you, but to me this one benefit of knowing God better is worth all the effort and sacrifice that a healthy eating journey requires. It’s easy to feel that our struggle with food is such an unfair deal. But I encourage you to see the process today as a path that offers both physical and spiritual benefits.