Day 40 - What Has Gone Before

Over the past 40 days we have looked at principles for effective prayer.  The source of these principles is a book by Selwyn Hughes, titled "Fifteen Ways to a More Effective Prayer Life".  It is a thin book, all of 63 pages, but it contains some wonderful, practical advice that will benefit everyone from a brand-spanking-new Christian to a grizzled prayer warrior with calloused knees.

The 15 principles (very summarised) are:

1. Breathe a prayer for help as you begin.
   You're embarking on an amazing adventure and satan will oppose you. Start this journey by asking God to help you.
2. Establish a definite time.
   It will help you to keep on keeping. If you can schedule meetings, visits, etc., you can schedule time for God.
3. Keep your appointment even when you don't feel like it.
   That's only good manners. It will help you to discipline yourself and you will find that some of your most wonderful experiences come out of times when you pray in spite of not wanting to.
4. Find a suitable place in which to pray.
   If you have a study, bedroom or office where you can be alone, use it. If not, go for a walk. If that's not possible, find a place within you.
5. Go into your prayer time relaxed and receptive.
   Do some relaxation exercises. Relax your mind by focusing on God. Deliberately put your troubles and anxieties out of mind while you pray.
6. Begin your prayer time by reading a passage from the Bible.
   There is no substitute for His word. Expect Him to speak to you out of His word.
7. Use a notebook.
   Write your requests on one side and God's answers on the other. If you find this too mechanical, just try it for a month or two and see what happens.
8. Develop a prayer pattern.
   There are generally three parts to a prayer – look to God, look to yourself, look to others.
9. Offer up prayer in Jesus' name.
   This means to pray what Jesus would have prayed, i.e. acting as His representative.
10. Listen for God's voice.
    Prayer is a dialogue. Take time to listen that you may hear what God says to you. This takes practice and time. Do not give up.
11. Open up your whole being to the flow of God's Spirit.
    God speaks to us and works through us with His Holy Spirit. Allow Him to do this. Expect Him to do this.
12. Cultivate the power of imagination.
    Your imagination is from God and you can use it to His glory. See with you imagination how you receive God's love, joy, peace. See how He answers your prayers and affirm it by saying it aloud.
13. Outmanoeuvre wandering thoughts.
    If your thoughts wander, turn them to God or bring Jesus into the picture as soon as you realise that they've wandered. Thinking about your job? Thank God for your job and that you can serve Him in the workplace. Thinking evil thoughts? Tell Jesus about it and ask Him to fill your mind with His thoughts.
14. Add power by entering into an occasional fast.
    Fasting builds your spiritual nature and diminishes your carnal nature. That's what is known as a win-win situation. Remember Jesus said "When you fast", not "If you fast".
15. Understand and practise the principles of faith.
    Heb 11:6 – Without faith it is impossible to please God for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is the Rewarder of them that diligently seek Him.

I have purposely kept this summary short for two reasons:

1. to encourage you to meditate on these principles. What do they mean to you? Expect God to reveal the meaning to you as you meditate on the various principles. Naturally I'd be happy to discuss them with anyone who is interested. You can even borrow my copy of Fifteen Ways to a More Effective Prayer Life :-) - just collar me at a church service and ask.
2. all the principles are recorded more fully in this blog.  Page through it and leave comments - questions, advice, stories, testimonies, anything that seems relevant to you.

And so we come to the end of our 40 days of faith but, of course, it is not an end.  Your relationship with God continues and hopefully these 40 days have helped you to come closer to Him, to get to know Him better.  I hope that you have received a little nudge, a small encouragement, some momentum that will help your relationship with God to grow in intimacy.

I would like to do this again sometime in the future and would appreciate input about the format, presentation, etc. - any ideas that can make it better.  Please leave a comment.

Thank you to everyone who followed the blog, who prayed for it, who read it regularly and who left a comment or two.  A special thank you goes to Suneeta who contributed content as well.

May God continue to bless you as you seek Him with all your heart.

Day 39 - Principle 15: Apply the Principles of Faith

Heb 11:6 is one of my favourite verses:  Without faith it is impossible to please God for everyone who comes to Him must believe that He is and the He is the Rewarder of them that diligently seek Him.  It reminds me of Jesus' words in Mat 6:33: But seek ye first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things will be added unto you.

Faith is central to prayer.  If you don't believe what you pray you are either fooling yourself or trying to impress the people within earshot of your prayer.  Both are foolish and a waste of time.

Faith is defined in Heb 11:2 - It is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

The central concept is trust.  Faith means that we trust God that He is honest and that He can and will do what He has said He will do.  Over the years people have said that faith means that God

• can do what He said;
• will do what He said; or
• has done what He said.

Personally I like the last one best - God has already done, prepared, made available everything that He has stated in His Word, e.g. healing, and we take hold of it and appropriate it through faith.  To me faith simply means knowing the truth that will be.

It is that simple, but you have to back it up with knowledge and relationship.  You can only really, truly and totally trust God when you know Him intimately.  The better you know Him, the easier it is to have faith in Him.  See the Day 37 post.

He is an awesome God, deserving of our worship, praise and adoration.  He is also our Father and His eyes are continually running to and fro throughout the earth, so that He can show Himself strong on the behalf of them whose heart is perfect towards Him (2 Chron 16:9). God has a great, great desire to show Himself strong on your behalf, to open the windows of heaven and shower you with so much blessing that you will not have room enough to receive it.  Go to Him, like a child, and put your faith and trust in this awesome, wonderful, magnificent God Whose one desire is that you should know Him.

Day 38 - P R A Y E R

What does "PRAYER" stand for?  We considered this in our small group meeting last night and this is what we came up with:

• P - Patience, Persistence, Praise, Peace, Perseverance, Power
• R - Repentance, Right away, Rejoice, Reality, Revival, Righteousness
• A - Acknowledge, Always, Adoration, Aardvark*, Asking, Acceptance, Altar
• Y - Yes, Yearning, Your will be done, Yoke
• E - Encourage, Exact, Expectation, Ever, Everyday, Eternal Life
• R - Return, Regularly, Request, Reside, Remember, Repentance

*"Aardvark" might need a little explanation :)  It is the first entry in an encyclopaedia and thus signifies that God should be first in our lives.

That's what we came up with.  What does PRAYER mean to you?

Day 37 - Knowledge, Tradition and Relationship

In Romans 10:2, 3 Paul writes this about the Israelites:  I bear them record that they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge.  For they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God.

The Israelites, especially the Pharisees, had great zeal for God but they were misguided.  Their tradition (their interpretation of God's word) was - apparently - more important to them than God's actual word.  Jesus says as much in Mark 7:13:  Making the word of God of none effect through your tradition.

Imagine that.  We, you and I, can make God's word which, by the way, is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart (Heb 4:12), powerless.  

We can make the Word of the Creator of heaven and earth powerless.  We can do that (and we do do that) through our traditions and lack of knowledge.

This happens when we do not have a living and vital relationship with Him.

Jesus defined eternal life in John 17:3: this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.

It is only when we stand in a real relationship with Him that we get to know Him.  And it is when we know Him that His word becomes powerful in our lives.  But for this to happen we have to make a paradigm shift.

Have you done this yet?  Have you moved from tradition to relationship?  If not, this is your day.

Day 36 - Principle 14: Fast Every Now and Then

Remember what Jesus said?

He said, in Matt 6:16 and 17 "When you fast ...".  He didn't say "If you fast ...".  Jesus clearly expects fasting to be a part of the normal Christian life, just like praying and reading the Bible.

But what are the benefits of fasting?

According to Selwyn Hughes (15 Ways to a More Effective Prayer Life) some of the benefits are:

• Fasting puts the body in its place.  God created us with a spirit, a soul and a body and it is vitally important that the relationship between these three entities is as God intended it.  When we fast, we confirm that our spirit rules over our body, meaning that we are not driven by our carnal nature.  Rom 8:6-8: For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.  Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.
• Fasting gives victory over temptation.  After Jesus was filled with the Holy Spirit, He went into the desert and fasted for 40 days and then was tempted by satan - Matt 4.
• Fasting sharpens our spiritual understanding enabling us to make right decisions.  "Church history shows that many of the men who figured greatly in the growth and development of the Christian Church practiced the art of fasting.  John Wesley so believed in the importance of fasting that he refused t ordain young men to the ministry who would not fast two days each week.  Martin Luther fasted regularly, and so did John Knox.  Charles Finney said, 'When empty of power I would set apart a day for private fasting and prayer ... after this, the power would return in all its freshness.'"

The fact is that fasting is a regular topic in the Bible, both Old and New Testament and there is a myriad of books available on the subject.  Yet it is something that is seen as somewhat out of the ordinary (at least in my circles).  It would be well worth your while to investigate fasting and try it for yourself.

PS:  If you have medical problems or a medical condition, check with your physician and your pastor before embarking on a fast.

Day 35 - Principle 13: Outmanoeuvre Wandering Thoughts

"One of the biggest hindrances to an effective prayer life is the problem of mind wandering.  How do we cope with this vexing problem?

"When the mind wanders, let the thing to which it wanders become the focus of your praying.  For instance, as I was writing this line I looked out of the window and saw the Concorde fly past.  For a few minutes my thoughts began to wander and then remembering my own advice I began to focus on the crew and passengers of the plane.  I asked God to keep them safe and to give everyone on board an understanding of His love for them as expressed in the Cross.  My mind wandered, but in the end it wandered to God.

"If you are beset by wandering thoughts, perhaps even evil thoughts, then instead of wrestling with them, use them as a prayer focus.  A man I know was afflicted by evil thoughts the moment he got down to prayer.  Lustful images would rise unbidden into his mind.  Unable to cope with the problem he gave up on his prayer life and soon he came for counselling - defeated and downcast.  He was shown how to take each lustful thought and use it to God's ends.  This is how it was done.

"When a lustful thought entered his mind he was advised not to push it from his mind but to picture Christ standing with him, looking on the image in his mind.  He would then, in his imagination, turn to Christ and pray along this line: 'Lord, you can see this image that is before me.  I know it comes from the part of my nature that is carnally inclined.  Sex was designed by you to be beautiful and clean, but in my thoughts it has become defiled and impure.  Fill my imagination with such a picture of You that it will take up the whole perspective of my thoughts.'  As this man learned to focus his imagination on Jesus and use these moments to develop a conversation with Christ, he found, after a while, that whereas before he was unable to dismiss the thoughts with a peremptory word, they were now elbowed out by the vision of Jesus that he held in his mind.  Christ is the centre of all things pure.

"Any Christian, bent on winning the battle over evil thoughts, can by using the method I have described above, outmanoeuvre the problem in a few weeks, or at the most a few months. ... you will be able to bring every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ."

From:  Selwyn Hughes

15 Ways to a More Effective Prayer Life

There are 5 days of our 40 days left.  I will post the last two principles as well as a summary in this time.  In the meantime, please gather your thoughts and make an effort to leave some comments of your experiences during the 40 days.  Of course you don't have to wait until the 28th before commenting - go for it right now :)>

Day 34 - The Power of Your Love

Day 33 - Principle 12: Cultivate the Power of Your Imagination

Imagination is one of the greatest gifts that God has given us.  All of mankind's great achievements started in someone's imagination.

According to psychologists, the imagination is many times more powerful than the will.  When the will and the imagination clash, there is only one winner.

How does imagination aid our prayer life?

From 15 Ways to a More Effective Prayer Life: "Let's say that during your prayer time you become conscious of a number of spiritual deficiencies in your life.  You become aware perhaps that you are lacking in genuine love, or joy  - or even peace.  Imagination comes to your aid when you see yourself receiving those qualities, and picture them flowing into you straight from the throne of God. Harness the imagination to your quest and you will discover that what the will cannot do, the imagination used by the Holy Spirit will bring into your life what you desire.  Link imagination with affirmation and say it as well as see it.  There is no doubt that God wants to give you His love, His joy, His peace and indeed any other fruit of the Spirit of which you may be in need.  You don't have to keep on asking for it, because through the blessings of imagination and affirmation it can flow right into you.

"... before employing the imagination we must ask ourselves three questions:  Is what I am asking for clearly the will of God?  Am I sure beyond all doubt that God wants me to have this thing - and have it now?  Is there any uncertainty in my mind about its truth?

"So see it done.  Link imagination with affirmation and new power will flow into your prayers."

Day 32 - How Great Thou Art

O Lord my God,

When I in awesome wonder

Consider all

The works Thy Hand hath made,

I see the stars,

I hear the mighty thunder,

Thy pow'r throughout

The universe displayed;

When through the woods

And forest glades I wander

I hear the birds

Sing sweetly in the trees;

When I look down

From lofty mountain grandeur

And hear the brook

And feel the gentle breeze;

Refrain:

Then sings my soul,

My Saviour God, to Thee,

How great Thou art!

How great Thou art!

Then sings my soul,

My Saviour God, to Thee,

How great Thou art!

How great Thou art!

When Christ shall come,

With shouts of acclamation,

And take me home,

What joy shall fill my heart!

Then I shall bow

In humble adoration

And there proclaim,

"My God, how great Thou art!"

Refrain:

Then sings my soul,

My Saviour God, to Thee,

How great Thou art!

How great Thou art!

Then sings my soul,

My Saviour God, to Thee,

How great Thou art!

How great Thou art!

Day 31 - Principle 11: Open Yourself to the Flow of God's Spirit

Somebody said that the Christian life isn't difficult.  It is impossible.  That's why we have the Holy Spirit.

Selwyn Hughes, in 15 Ways to More Effective Prayer, says: "Sometimes one hears the expression: 'I need all the help I can get'.  Ever said that?  Well, if Christians are to exercise their rights and privileges at the place of prayer, achieve great victories and reach new spiritual heights, then they are going to need all the help they can get.  We have all the help we need in the Person of the Holy Spirit.

"The more you let the Holy Spirit to flow into and through your life the greater will be your prowess in prayer.

"Andrew Murray ... emphasised the need for utter dependency on the Holy Spirit when he wrote: 'In every prayer the triune God takes a part; the Father Who hears, The Son in Whose Name we pray, and the Holy Spirit Who prays for us and in us.  How important it is that we should be in a right relationship to the Holy Spirit and understand His word!'"

In Acts 1 Jesus tells the disciples to wait in Jerusalem until they receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon them.  If the disciples needed it, I need it much, much more...

Day 30 - What is the Bible?

Finis Jennings Dake in God's Plan for Man:  "It is the book that contains the mind of God, the state of man, the way of salvation, the doom of sinners, and the happiness of believers.  Its doctrines are holy, its precepts binding, its histories true, and its decisions immutable.  Read it to be wise, believe it to be safe, and practice it to be holy. It contains light to direct you, food to support you, and comfort to cheer you.  It is the traveler's map, the pilgrim's staff, the pilot's compass, the soldier's sword, and the Christian's charter.  Here Heaven is opened and the gates of Hell disclosed.  Christ is its grand subject, our good its design, and the glory of God its end.  It should fill your memory, rule your heart, and guide your feet in righteousness and true holiness.  Read it slowly, frequently, prayerfully, meditatively, searchingly, devotionally, and study it constantly, perseveringly and industriously.  Read it through and through until it becomes part of your being and generates faith that will move mountains.  It is a mine of wealth, the source of health, and a world of pleasure.  It is given to you in this life, will be opened at the judgment, and will last forever.  It involves the highest responsibility, will reward the least to the greatest labor, and will condemn all who trifle with its sacred contents.

"It is a mirror to reflect (Jas 1:23); hammer to convict (Jer 23:29); fire to refine (Jer 23:29); seed to multiply (1 Pet 1:23); laver to cleanse (Eph 5:26, John15:3); lamp to guide (Ps 119:105); and food to nourish, including milk for babes (1 Pet 2:2), bread for the hungry (Matt 4:4), meat for men (Heb 5:11-14), and hones for dessert (Ps 19:10).  It is rain and snow to refresh (Isa 55:10); a sword to cut (Heb 4:12);  a bow to revenge (Hab 3:9); gold to enrich (Ps 19;7-10); and power to create life and faith (1 Pet 1:23, Rom 10:17)."

Wow!

Read it!

Day 29 - Holy, holy, holy

Day 27 - Eph 5:20

Last Thursday, during small group, we talked about Eph 5:20 - Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ;

Did you notice that "for" in there?  It doesn't say that we should give thanks in all things.  Nope.  It says that we should give thanks for all things.

That's a tough one.   Cancer? Murder? War?

Frankly, I don't have a pat answer.  But I do have some thoughts.  

Rom 8:28 - And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

He is the One Who knows the end from the beginning and I trust Him.  He is able to do what He said He will do, and His thoughts toward you and me are good.

Jer 29:11 - For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.

Give thanks with a grateful heart

Give thanks unto the Holy One

Give thanks because He's given Jesus Christ, His Son

Give thanks with a grateful heart

Give thanks unto the Holy One

Give thanks because He's given Jesus Christ, His Son

And now let the weak say, "I am strong"

Let the poor say, "I am rich

Because of what the Lord has done for us"

And now let the weak say, "I am strong"

Let the poor say, "I am rich

Because of what the Lord has done for us"

What are your thoughts?  Please leave a comment.

Day 26 - Principle 10: Listen for God's Voice

Selwyn Hughes, 15 Ways to a More Effective Prayer Life:  "I am astonished at the number of books that are written on the subject of prayer that make no mention of cultivating the art of active listening.  Prayer is not just talking to God: it involves listening as well.  Prayer has been defined as 'conversation with God'.  All polite conversation is a two-way thing.  It is the same with prayer.  We talk to God and He talks to us.  After you have talked to God, then before you rise from your knees spend a minute or two (more if possible) letting God talk to you.

"But how does one cultivate the art of listening to God? And how do we learn to recognise the voice of God when He speaks to us?

"... the Christian who waits and listens for the voice of God must learn to disentangle His voice from the other voices that clamour for his attention ... It doesn't come easy but the more we practice it the more we will be able to detect the voice of God when He speaks to us.

"... God's voice will filter through our personalities and will come to us in the language or the idiom with which we are most familiar.  But it is still God's voice for all that.  God's voice is like the voice of conscience, only richer and more positive.  Conscience merely approves or disapproves, but God's voice does much more.  It informs, instructs, encourages and guides.  It never argues but is quietly insistent and authoritative.  Not every day will the God be equally clear.  The closeness of our walk with God will determine that, and of course, the divine awareness of our need.  Jesus said in one passage in the New Testament that His sheep know His voice (John 10:27). They do.  You may be saying at this moment 'I have been praying for years but I have never once heard the voice of God.'  Ah, but did you pray believing that God would speak to you?  It is possible to pray, and pray often, without such a sense of expectation.  Expect God to talk to you.  Incline your ear unto Him and in time you will not be disappointed."

Day 25 - Yes, He does.

Day 24 - Principle 9: Offer up Prayer in Jesus' Name

Very short post today because I want you to think. 

Meditate on this:  When we say "in the Name of Jesus" it does not mean that we have reached the end of our prayer.  When we pray in the Name of Jesus, we are speaking as His representative, much like an ambassador in a foreign country speaks on behalf of his government.

What does that mean to you?  Is this different from the perspective that you have had until now?  If yes, how is it different?

I look forward to your comments.

Day 23 - The Love of Jesus

This is dedicated to all the wonderful children of God at BIEC.

Day 22 - Principle 8: Develop a Prayer Pattern

From Selwyn Hughes' 15 Ways to a More Effective Prayer Life:

• Decide how long your prayer time is going to be.  If you're not used to pray for a long time, try to start with 15 minutes.  You will find that, as you get deeper into regular prayer, you will start praying for longer periods.  (Note that this is not a time trial.  It is a guideline for yourself.  The point here is not to pray for x minutes.  The point is to pray.)
• Plan to cover these three aspects in your prayer:
  1. Look at God - Adore Him.  Praise Him.  Thank Him for His many, many blessings toward you.  Reflect on the fact that you have been cleansed of your sin and are welcome in the presence of this Holy God.  Think about everything that you have to be thankful for and name them.  Your heart will overflow with gratitude and thanksgiving will rise.
  2. Look at yourself - Pray about your own spiritual condition, i.e. think on how you can become more like Jesus.  Ask Him to show you what things there are that must be confessed and put right.  If it is something that must be done to someone, jot it down in your notebook (see principle 7).
  3. Look at others - Keep a list of people that have special needs and tell God about this.  Mention them by name and be specific in what you ask God.  (Note that we do this not because God is ignorant of our needs but to ensure that we know what we are asking.  Articulating a request often helps us to clarify exactly what it is we are asking.)

Remember that the above is a guideline, not a rule.  Experiment with it.

Day 21 - Unity

Please pray for unity amongst the English-speaking Christians in Bern.

Psalm 133:  Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!  It is like the precious ointment upon the head, that ran down upon the beard, even Aaron's beard: that went down to the skirts of his garments;  As the dew of Hermon, and as the dew that descended upon the mountains of Zion: for there the LORD commanded the blessing, even life for evermore.

• We dishonour God when we allow our stupid, petty, human differences to drive a wedge between us.
• God's anointing is where unity is.  Actually, according to the Psalm above, His anointing overflows when brethren dwell together in unity.
• God commands His blessing where unity is.
• God commands eternal life where unity is.

Please pray that the Lord will show us what we must do to foster unity in our city.

Remember, it is not about us.  It is about Him.  He is glorified when we bear much fruit.  Please pray that the Lord will cleanse the hearts and motives of all the English-speaking Christians in Bern that we may be united in following God's will and achieving His purpose in this city.

Pray especially for those in authority, that they will be protected from the attacks of the enemy, that they will clearly discern the voice of God and that they will obey Him fearlessly. 

Give thanks to the Lord for His guidance and protection.

Day 20 - Principle 7: Use a notebook

There's an old proverb (apparently from Confucius) that says "the best memory in the world does not equal pale ink".  I can forget things in the blink of an eye, and I'm not alone, am I?

Selwyn Hughes writes about using a notebook in 15 Ways to More Effective Prayer:  "This idea was given to me by an old Welsh miner many years ago, just after I was converted. 'Keep a notebook when you go into your prayer time,' he said, 'It's easier to manage than prayer lists, and provides a more efficient record of your prayer vigils.  On one side of the page write down all the things you want to bring before God, and on the other side the things God may say to you, or any specific answers to prayer you may have been given.'  At first I thought his idea much too mechanical to be of lasting spiritual benefit, but when I began to put it into practice I found it helped to deepen my relationship with God in a way that is impossible to describe."

This is really very easy to put into practice.

1. Get a notebook and a pen or pencil.
2. Keep it with you.
3. When something that you want to pray about pops into your mind, jot it down.  Similarly, when God answers you, jot it down.
4. Consult your notebook when you go into your prayer time.
5. Write down what God says to you.

Try this for a couple of months and see what happens.

If you already apply this principle, please share your experiences with us by leaving a comment below.

Day 19 - Mighty to Save

Thanks to Warren for today's song.

Day 17 - Ancient of Days

Day 16 - This whole Christianity thing ...

A friend of mine once said that in his life he knows two things beyond any doubt:

1. There is a God, and
2. It's not him.

He's right on both counts.   There is a God and His name is Jesus Christ.  Yet, despite the evidence, there are millions and millions of people - intelligent people among them - who flatly deny that Jesus is Lord.  Many say that He was a great man, a great teacher, etc., but not God.  

This standpoint is refuted by CS Lewis in Mere Christianity: "I am trying here to prevent anyone saying the really foolish thing that people often say about Him: I’m ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I don’t accept his claim to be God. That is the one thing we must not say. A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic — on the level with the man who says he is a poached egg — or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God, or else a madman or something worse. You can shut him up for a fool, you can spit at him and kill him as a demon or you can fall at his feet and call him Lord and God, but let us not come with any patronising nonsense about his being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to. ... Now it seems to me obvious that He was neither a lunatic nor a fiend: and consequently, however strange or terrifying or unlikely it may seem, I have to accept the view that He was and is God."

This is the choice that Jesus left us:  Lunatic, Liar or Lord.

For people who claim that Jesus is not God, I have this question:  How is it possible that a Man who

• was an ordinary carpenter with no exceptional education,
• had a public ministry that  lasted about three years,
• died a shameful and horrible death on a Roman cross, and
• left twelve uneducated followers who were willing to die for Him

turned out to be the most influential person in recorded history?

Well?

It's simple.  He is God.  Rom 14:11 - As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to Me, and every tongue shall confess to God.

Day 15 - Peter's trance and the unclean animals

Acts 10:9-16  Now on the next day as they were on their journey, and got close to the city, Peter went up on the housetop to pray at about noon.  He became hungry and desired to eat, but while they were preparing, he fell into a trance.  He saw heaven opened and a certain container descending to him, like a great sheet let down by four corners on the earth,  in which were all kinds of four-footed animals of the earth, wild animals, reptiles, and birds of the sky.  A voice came to him, "Rise, Peter, kill and eat!"  But Peter said, "Not so, Lord; for I have never eaten anything that is common or unclean."  A voice came to him again the second time, "What God has cleansed, you must not call unclean."  This was done three times, and immediately the vessel was received up into heaven.

In Acts 10:34, 35 Peter tells us exactly what this means - And Peter opened his mouth and said, "Truly I perceive that God does not show favoritism;  but in every nation he who fears him and works righteousness is acceptable to him.

God confirmed this word in Acts 10:44 -  While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit fell on all those who heard the word.

 But I think that many of us do not understand how far "What God has cleansed, you must not call unclean." goes.  

These words apply to us, not only in the general sense that we can be born again and inherit eternal life, but in the specific sense that God has indeed cleansed every individual one of us born-again believers.  When He looks at us, He sees us clean. Righteous.  Acceptable.    

Many (maybe all) of those animals that Peter saw in the great sheet were unclean according to the law.  But God declared them clean. 

The same has happened to us.  We were dead in our sins but by the grace of God we have been taken out of darkness and death and brought into light and life.  God has declared us clean.

Maybe there are times when you don't feel clean or alive or worthy.  If you're anything like me, there are no maybe's about it ...  Fortunately our state and the way in which God regards us has exactly zero percent  (nada, nothing, niks, nichts, azigolo) to do with our feelings.  We are clean because God has cleansed us.  End of story.  The debate is over.

Here's a little background to the above:  Some days ago I experienced these feelings of unworthiness.  During my prayer time I read Acts 10 (gee, what a coincidence ;) ) and God rebuked me through verse 15 - I had gone against His word.  It was an easy and joyful repentance, like throwing off a burden.

Agreeing with God is always the best.

If you've had a similar experience, have (a) question(s) or would just like to share a thought, please leave a comment.

Day 14 - Principle 6: Begin by reading the Bible

There is no substitute for the word of God.  When you start your quiet team by reading and meditating on God's word, you align your mind and your spirit with His will.  This is the first step in receiving His power.

Selwyn Hughes recommends the following steps in 15 Ways to a More Effective Prayer Life to get the most out of your scripture reading:

• Come to the word expectantly.  Heb 4:12 - For the Word that God speaks is alive and full of power (Amplified Bible). Expect God to reveal things to you and He will.
• Come prepared to surrender to the truth it unfolds.  1 Sam 15:22 - To obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams (Amplified Bible).  Obey.  It is as simple and as difficult as that.
• Come expecting to use the truth that God reveals to you.  God blesses us so that we may, in turn, be a blessing to others.  When God reveals something to you, live it and in doing so you will be revealing it to others, blessing and encouraging them.
• Come leisurely and unhurriedly.  Take time with God.  Be quiet and receptive.  In 1 Kings 19:11, 12 God did not reveal Himself in a wind, earthquake or fire.  He spoke to Elijah in a still, small voice.  You have to be quiet and receptive if you want to hear that voice.  Think about that.
• Come believing it to be a divine revelation.   
• 2 Tim 3:16 - Every scripture is God-breathed (given by His inspiration) (Amplified Bible).
• Jer 33:3 - Call to Me and I will answer you and show you great and mighty things, fenced in and hidden, which you do not know (Amplified Bible).
• John 16:13 - But when He, the Spirit of Truth comes, He will guide you into all the Truth.  For He will not speak His own message [on His own authority]; but He will tell whatever He hears [from the Father; He will give the message that has been given to Him], and He will announce and declare to you the things that are to come [that will happen in the future] (Amplified Bible).

Hughes closes with these words:  "... before attempting to get through to God in prayer start your quiet time by meditating on His Word.  This means that you will get to God, not through the medium of your own conceptions, but through the medium of God's conception of Himself.  His thoughts become your thoughts.  You are ready for anything."

Sounds like pretty good advice to me :)

Day 13 - Our God is an awesome God

Take some time today to say thank you to God.  Thank Him for

• His grace
• His mercy
• His goodness
• His kindness
• His love
• His provision
• His Holy Spirit
• His Word
• that one perfect sacrifice that took away your sin and opened the door into the Holy of Holies
• a church like BIEC where you can fellowship with brothers and sisters who also love Him
• food, clothes and a place to live
• your family, your spouse, your children
• your friends
• this beautiful day

Let gratitude fill your heart because our God truly is an awesome God.