Before we continue from yesterday, just a word about today's reading because I LOVE Psalm 29! Too many people treat Elijah's post Mount Carmel encounter with God as the only text that speaks to the nature of God's voice...it can be still and small but from my study of Scripture, that is the exception! Check out Psalm 29, but you might want to get some ear plugs...God is noisy!
Okay, back to part 2...here is the prayer we prayed last weekend with people. Learn this. Practice this. Pray this. I learned it from our involvement with a ministry Cleansing Stream. I don't fully endorse all their doctrinal positions but the fruit of their ministry is undeniable...even in my own life personally!
First, there is revelation. Even in today's reading, Psalm 36:9 talks about God being a light. The nature of God is to reveal. We used three parables last weekend in Luke 15, formerly known as the lost parables now renamed by City Life as the extravagance parables to bring revelation to our lives about the extravagance of God...and that we have a God given capacity for extravagance but we pervert that ability to serve ourselves selfishly. The younger son was extravagant (incidentally, that is the meaning of prodigal...it means extravagant) in his pursuit of pleasure and possession. The older son was extravagant in his pursuit of judgment and punishment. The father demonstrated extravagance in four virtues which are the opposite of the four excesses of his sons. The father was extravagant in these ways: affection, generosity, patience, and mercy. Revelation exposes the sin in our lives that need attention.
Second, we repent. 1 John 1:9 talks about God's faithfulness in forgiving when we are diligent in confessing. We challenged people during the sermon at various times to stand and pray with us. It was a powerful weekend at both campuses! The repentance part: "Father, forgive me for feeding this appetite, for feeding my desire for (pleasure, possessions, judgment, punishment)." You can take that simple prayer, build on it, add you own words, make it your own, pour your heart out to Him! Taking responsibility is vitally important! God tell us in 1 Corinthians 10:13 that every temptation we face is resistible!
Third, we renounce. I like this word. It means to abandon. I want to abandon any agreements I have made with certain temptations. Every time I step across a threshold of enjoyment with a moment of temptation, I have given that temptation permission to influence me. I need to renounce, abandon that agreement. In James 1:13-15 we read about how the death of sin begins with desire! I heard an analogy once that illustrates what we do with temptation. If I were fasting but chose to hold a bite of a donut in my mouth every day just to taste it but never swallow it, I have still enjoyed something I wasn't supposed to enjoy...and eventually, I'm going to swallow! "Father, I renounce any and all permission that I have given the temptation of (pleasure, possessions, judgment, punishment) to influence my life!"
More tomorrow!
Pastor Fred
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