My six-year-old grandson Jack cracks me up! Recently my daughter (his mom) doodled some plans in pencil for a house they are thinking of building. When she finished, she set the plans and the pencil on the coffee table and walked away to do something else. When she came back later, she was amused to…
One of the most important assignments believers have is to pray family and friends to Christ. Jesus interceded for future converts when he said to the Father, “I pray also for those who will believe in me through their (disciples) message” (John 17:20). Paul interceded for the salvation of fellow Jews with heart-felt prayer: “Brothers…
Longtime Presbyterian minister, Dr. Wilbur Chapman (early 1900s) was 26 when called to be pastor of Wanamakers Church in Philadelphia. His first Sunday, an old gentleman came up to him and said, “you’re much too young to be the pastor of such a fine church as this.” Chapman thought the guy was a kook. But…
When we enter a new year, many believers look for ways to deepen their relationships with Jesus. Taking steps to grow in your prayer life are a key to spiritual growth. One step we can take is to begin practicing the spiritual disciple of fasting. Over the next two Prayer Hacks we will look at…
By David Chotka We say it without thinking much about it. In fact, we say the words as a rote memory prayer to close the Wednesday prayer meeting or the small group time. If you are in a liturgical tradition, it is likely that you say it every time you gather for worship. In fact,…
Personal revival starts with thirst. God uses the desert to create an unquenchable thirst for Jesus. Nothing this world offers will satisfy. Nothing. Only Jesus. It’s in the crucible of the desert that God brings you to a point of insatiable thirst and holy desperation for Him. It’s here He shows you there is more—much,…
As we begin a new year, taking stock of our prayer life can be a good thing. How can we improve? In what ways can our prayer times become more dynamic? Are there weaknesses in our prayer life we can ask God to help us overcome? One of the biggest deterrents to effective prayer is…
In an earlier “Prayer Hacks” I wrote about the purposes for prayer. (To read click here.) The primary purpose is to grow a relationship with God and the other purpose is to “release God’s will on earth.” As we develop in our prayer life, usually one of these purposes dominates. Those of us who crave…
One of my favorite passages in Scripture is Luke 2:22-31, the account where Mary and Joseph took Jesus to the Temple for circumcision and to offer a sacrifice. In the account we see a godly priest, Simeon, and an elderly widow, Anna, who came every day to the Temple to worship and pray. Both of…
One of my favorite quotes on spiritual warfare comes from The Kneeling Christian: “There is nothing the devil dreads so much as prayer? His great concern is to keep us from praying. Someone has wisely said, ‘Satan laughs at our toiling, mocks at our wisdom, but trembles when we pray.’” (p. 17). The phrase I…
