GREENE STREET LETTERS: John Wesley On Prayer

Wednesday, November 11, 2009

John Wesley On Prayer

"You need not utterly despair even of those who for the present "turn again and rend you." For if all your arguments and persuasives fail, there is yet another remedy left, and one that is frequently found effectual when no other method avails. This is prayer. Therefore, whatsoever you desire or want, either for others or for you own soul, "Ask, and it shall be given you."...........John Wesley

We wring our hands in despair.

We spend vast amounts of energy worrying.

We talk endlessly about problems we are facing.

Rarely do we fall to our knees and seek earnestly the face of God.
Why not?

Why do we seem to categorize prayer as the behavior of last resort?
Do we want to expend ourselves trying to solve or fix whatever thing looms over us?
And then, at the end when no resolve has taken place, take our petition to the throne of God as if to say, "O.K. Lord, it's yours. I've done all I can so now I'm going to need a little help from you."

I think for myself, the root of my own "doing" at the neglect of prayer is one of not trusting God.

Not trusting him that he would come through on what I pray to him.

Not trusting him in that a false sense of ego and ability comes up in me with pitiful battle cry of "I can do this!"

I have found that God desires for us to pray and release to him every area of our lives.

There isn't anything I am to hold back from him and it is in my prayers that I find the ability to trust and leave with God the things that seek to draw my attention away from him.

I remember a person who made the comment that "they only took the big things to God in prayer." My thought, when I heard this, was "What do you have that would be big to Him?"

Take everything!

Phil. 4:6 (Amplified)

Do not fret or have any anxiety about anything, but in every circumstance and in everything by prayer and petition (definite requests), with thanksgiving, continue to make your wants known to God.

Prayer........the heart to heart communication that God desires between me and him.

I really do want to learn how to pray!

God on you......

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Looking At The World Through Cracked Lens

As ol' Paul wrote in his Corinthian letters.."We see in part and we know in part." Now what piece of this bit of wisdom do we not get? I wish to not run around acting and trying to be some sort of Biblical G00-Ru (I meant to spell it wrong). Or a sage of sages.

I simply want to be able to communicate some of what God has given to me. Why? Do I think what I get is better than what you may have received from Him? Nope. But I do think encouragement comes when we share our daily story of struggle and victory in an effort to encourage each other.

Thanks for letting me share.

Time to soldier on..

mbb

Our Statement of Faith

We believe that God is the eternal king. He is an infinite, unchangeable Spirit, perfect in holiness, wisdom, goodness, justice, power and love. From all eternity He exists as the One Living and True God in three persons of one substance, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit equal in power and glory. we believe that God created mankind in His image, male and female, for relationship with Himself and to govern the earth. Under the temptation of Satan, our original parents fell from grace, bringing sin, sickness and God's judgment of death to the earth. Through the fall, Satan and his demonic hosts gained access to God's good creation. Creation now experiences the consequences and effects of Adam's original sin. Human beings are born into sin, subject to God's judgment of death and captive to Satan's kingdom of darkness. We believe that Jesus, God's Son, was sent to this world, conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of a virgin, Mary, fully God and fully man in one person. He is humanity as God intended us to be. Jesus was anointed as God's Messiah and empowered by the Holy Spirit, ushering in God's kingdom reign on earth, overpowering the reign of Satan by resisting temptation, preaching the good news of salvation, healing the sick, casting out demons and raising the dead. Jesus' atoning death on the cross took God's judgment for sin which we deserved as law-breakers. Jesus' resurrection and ascent back to heaven opened the door for those who received salvation to begin a relationship with God.

Little Nets Into Deep Waters

Fishing nets were designed for one purpose only. To catch fish. Nets are no good if they stay on the boat. Nets serve no purpose if they are never used. I think maybe God sees us this way. We are all created for a purpose (by the way, the creator gets to define what our purpose is). Any other use besides the one we were created for does us no good. But when the creator places His hands upon us, casting us out into those scary, dark places with deep waters, it is then we can see the reality of our purpose. He knew there would be a catch waiting for us. I think I will be the net God has called me to be.

The Twelve Steps

As a community of people in recovery, we affirm that our higher power is Jesus Christ. He did for us what we could not do for ourselves. Just as God told the children of Israel He was going to give them a promised land, He has revealed to us that He desires to give us a "Promised Life." When Israel got to the promised land, God instructed them to go and in a possess it, fight for it and claim it. In recovery, the 12 Steps are the directions given to us on how to fight, possess and claim this promised life.

Wednesday, November 11, 2009

John Wesley On Prayer

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THE REALITY OF THE NAME OF GOD