Prayer

Over the past few days as I've been pondering what I should focus on for the Spring Semester with the small group leaders from Christian Challenge. I had intended to do a lot of different things but finally recognized a common component in each of those things was prayer. Moreover, prayer is definitely an area that i see as a an area of growth for both the student leaders and myself.

For really the last year I've known that prayer is an area i needed to grow in. A year ago when I was identifying characteristics of my life when I experienced great spiritual growth one of the marked behaviors was prayer. Consistent prayer. Repentant and intercessory prayer. While I've done little to truly make this a characteristic of my life now I recognize in many ways the reason why is because I refused to really truly repent from sin in my life.

That particular point was emphasized this morning in the contemporary service at First Southern Baptist Church. Pastor Randy was talking about what it would take for our country to experience revival. He also shared what he had done in his own life to prepare for the decision he would have to make to come to Tucson.

As he was talking about sins that God revealed to him that needed to be addressed, as he preached and I agreed with what he said, I was wallowing in the middle of my own sin. The sin of pride. For some reason I felt like I had to affirm that I had the idea to focus on prayer before I heard this sermon. I some how needed to validate that God was speaking to me. In all that, for the first time I recognized that I was guilty of idolatry even in ministry. (Funny the day before my spiritual mentor gave me a book about crucifying ministry). God is the one who is at work. GOD is the one who is convicting people to pray, so that we might be ready for the work He will do among us.

So in terms of getting ready for next semester I know that God is telling me to pray. And to be specific in prayer. I know that for me to have any integrity in teaching the small group leaders how to pray I myself need to be an expert in prayer so that my life might be a model of prayer. I can't just teach people to pray. I need to be doing it more consistently in my life. I need to consistently be confessing sin and interceding on behalf of the lost. Praying aggressively for the kingdom of God to be manifested in His Church.

However, before any of this can happen its gonna take each of us allowing the kingdom of God to be made manifest in our lives by submitting ourselves to His authority. Its gonna take each of us submitting to God's Sovereignty and allowing the indwelling power of the Holy Spirit to do the miraculous work of transforming each of us.

What does that look like? Its the healing of the hurt and broken. Its the freeing of the enslaved to the deceptive and destructive behaviors of our old sinful nature. Its us submitting to the grace of God, trusting Him and not fighting Him. Its us responding in whole-hearted obedience, trusting in the immeasurable wisdom, goodness and power of God.