Freak, Part III

The freak is a prayer warrior. We understand as Christians the emphasis that prayer should have in our lives. Prayer is not to be done just as ritual. Prayer should come from the heart. It is our lifeline to the Father. Although Christ Himself gave us an example of prayer and claims that our words be few, we should speak to Him from our heart with real petitions and real needs.

We should never forget intercessory prayer (praying for others) because this is equally important. No doubt in my mind that Paul prayed pretty consistently throughout his day and he makes mention of it quite a bit in his teachings.

Always pray, giving thanks to God for His mercy, salvation, righteousness, and provision.

1 Timothy 2:1-8

1I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone— 2for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. 3This is good, and pleases God our Savior, 4who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. 5For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, 6who gave himself as a ransom for all men—the testimony given in its proper time. 7And for this purpose I was appointed a herald and an apostle—I am telling the truth, I am not lying—and a teacher of the true faith to the Gentiles.

8I want men everywhere to lift up holy hands in prayer, without anger or disputing.

Freak, Part II

Let's face it. It is especially hard, even for a Jesus freak, to keep God in mind throughout the day. In these days and times it can be very difficult not to let our circumstances and daily trials interrupt our relationship with God and His Son. One of the things that always struck me about Jewish tradition was the fact that God was life and not just a small part of life.

God is pleased with His children when we remember Him. All of the Jewish songs, festivals, holidays, and rituals were to bring God into remembrance just as we Christians perform communion to bring Christ into remembrance. God does not like to be forgotten or passed over especially for earthly things or due to earthly crisis. It is clear when reading the Old Testament that this is one of God's requirements. Three that come to mind are love, remembrance, and obedience.

There is nothing (clearly) that God loves more than His children loving Him, remembering Him or acknowledging Him, and being obedient to Him. I look to Peter and Paul specifically, although they were Jewish, they were not bound by the law any longer. Jesus released them from the requirements of the law. Despite this, it is clear that Paul and Peter both kept to some of their Jewish traditions even after conversion to Christianity. I believe that Paul and Peter both kept the Jewish prayer times that they were accustomed to. Prayer is the lifeline for the Christian and an important part in investing and growing our relationship with God. We must remember to pray as often as we can throughout our daily lives.

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

16Be joyful always; 17pray continually; 18give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.

Freak, Part I

Some years ago, I saw a TV documentary on Israel. They showed the place where Jesus was crucified and I saw a woman there and she was crying and overcome by such incredible emotion that she almost collapsed upon the floor. I remember saying to myself, "Oh, please! Give me a break." "What a freak!" Why would this woman act like this?

Almost a year later, God reminded me of this image and stated to me that there was quite a difference between me and that woman. The difference (to my own shame) was her heart, conviction, faith, and most importantly, her love for God. I was a believer at the time I saw the documentary but God made me realize that I had some severe shortcomings and the problem was my heart.

Now, I am that freak! Through His teaching I have realized that my life was so void of love and compassion. My heart was waxed cold and hard. It took some time, but I found that what God looks at the most is not so much our actions but our heart. As believers we must make sure that our heart is in the right place first and then the actions will come automatically. Faith with conviction and zeal produces results and fruit for the glory of God.

If there is anything that I wish comes of these posts, I wish that they would encourage each of us to love God feverishly. The world and Satan have other plans. The world and Satan are only trying to remove God's love from our hearts so that we do not love Him in action or remember Him in our daily pursuits. This is the blindness and waxing of our hearts. Blinding us to compassion because we are so wrapped up in ourselves, our selfish ambitions, and our own pain.

Joel 2:12-13

12 "Even now," declares the LORD,
"return to me with all your heart,
with fasting and weeping and mourning."

13 Rend your heart
and not your garments.
Return to the LORD your God,
for he is gracious and compassionate,
slow to anger and abounding in love,
and he relents from sending calamity.

1Samuel 16:7

7 But the LORD said to Samuel, "Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart."